Ceremony honors Marine Corps legend with new headstone

In late November 2025, Marine Corps Veteran Brooks Tucker happened upon a Facebook post of Veterans from the “Marine Reconnaissance Foundation.” They were cleaning the weathered and dilapidated headstone of Navy Cross recipient Lt. Col. William Leftwich Jr. at a private cemetery in Memphis.

Leftwich, who was killed in a helicopter crash during combat in Vietnam, is best known for the namesake “Leftwich Award for Outstanding Leadership,” presented annually to an outstanding Marine captain serving with the ground forces of the Fleet Marine Force.

Concerned with the condition of the headstone, Tucker, a former VA senior leader, reached out to the foundation’s president about its role in maintaining the headstone and to inquire if the foundation had contact with the family to request a replacement. He also obtained information from VA’s National Cemetery Administration (NCA) on the matter. Neither had a means of contacting the late Marine’s family to suggest replacement due to age and condition.

Undeterred, Tucker contacted the Marine Corps League in Memphis and spoke with Craig Berry, who volunteered to go by the cemetery and look at the headstone firsthand to determine the best course of action for restoring the weathered headstone.

In early March, Berry gathered color photos of the marker, completed the appropriate paperwork and applied for a replacement through VA’s QuickSubmit. Two weeks later, NCA’s Memorial Products Service (MPS) determined that the marker was still legible and didn’t meet the criteria for replacement.

VA will replace an existing Government-furnished headstone or marker when the memorial product if it.

• is damaged beyond repair; or
• is illegible due to deterioration; or
• was stolen or vandalized; or
• is an incorrect style or type for Veteran’s service era; or
• has factual errors; or
• requires changes such as adding posthumous military awards; or
• requires additions for eligible spouses and/or dependents buried in the same gravesite

Because of Leftwich’s status as a notable figure whose name adorns the U.S. Naval Academy’s visitor center and a Navy destroyer, the request was elevated to NCA’s chief of staff, who channeled it to the executive director for Field Programs (EDFP), where it was granted a second look by MPS staff.

“I consulted with EDFP and the NCA historians,” said Aubrey ‘Bud’ David, acting director of MPS. “Ultimately, we determined the damage of the front and back of the headstone warranted replacement.” Thanks to the historian’s keen eye, “we also noted in the photo of the headstone it appeared to have a crack through it as well.”

Cemetery Operations leadership agreed with the assessment and approved MPS to process the replacement.

One month later, Lt. Col. William Leftwich’s new headstone arrived in Memphis. “I picked it up from the shipping company and they waived all charges when they heard it was for a Marine Veteran hero,” said Berry.

A formal ceremony revealing the new headstone was held June 17 at Forest Hill Cemetery Midtown in Memphis. The Marine Corps League read a short biography of Lt. Col. Leftwich’s life followed by his Navy Cross citation. The ceremony concluded with a traditional rifle salute followed by the playing of Taps.

A monument that represents Lt. Col. Leftwich stands at Marine Corps Base Quantico. Today, thanks to a network of proactive individuals, he now has a distinguished marker at his final resting place representing his service to our country.