A special bond formed more than 50 years ago is a key reason for the biannual reunions over the last two decades of U.S. Marines who were stationed at a remote air base in Thailand during the Vietnam War. These heroic men—whose efforts contributed to ending the war—conducted covert operations under the code name “Rose Garden,” leading to their base being dubbed the “MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Rose Garden.”
The term “rose garden” is an ironic reference to the world-famous Lynn Anderson song, “I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden),” which led to one of the most iconic recruitment campaigns in the Marine Corp’s history, forever linking country music superstar Anderson with the Marines.
From the late ‘60s to early ‘70s, Anderson became the first country music female regularly singing on nationally syndicated TV (PBS’s The Lawrence Welk Show) and the first to perform on The Tonight Show. She was honored with every coveted music accolade available, including an American Music Award, two Academy of Country Music awards and one Country Music Association award, all as a female vocalist, as well as a Grammy. In 1974, Anderson became the unofficial ambassador for the U.S. Marine Corps when ‘We Don’t Promise You a Rose Garden’ was launched as the Corps’ official recruitment slogan. A special bond all these years later has remained between Anderson (who died of a heart attack in 2015 at age 67), her family and these Marines.
The Rose Garden Marines, with Anderson in attendance, held their first reunion in 2004 and have been doing so every other year since (though 2020 was canceled due to the pandemic). While in Nashville, Lisa Sutton—Anderson’s daughter, with former 27-time BMI songwriting award-winner Glenn Sutton (who produced Anderson’s signature tune and was a fixture on Music Row until his death in 2007)—will serve as their host.
More than 60 Marines who are planning to attend the Nashville reunion with their families will have the opportunity to visit The Lynn Anderson Rose Garden at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery, created in 2018 and consisting of over 100 “Lynn Anderson” hybrid tea roses. They will also visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, enjoy time at Teddy's Tavern on 5th Ave., attend a “Nashville and the Civil War” presentation at the Devil Dog Den and will gather for the Rose Garden Marines Banquet (to be held at The Inn at Opryland Hotel). Other events are taking a ride on the Music City Rollin’ Jamboree comedy bus tour + the Nashville Jubilee show at Troubadour Nashville. On June 25th they will attend the live broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry, with a special tribute to Lynn Anderson.
“It has been fascinating listening and learning from these men,” says Sutton, who traveled to Thailand with several Rose Garden marines to visit the MCAS Rose Garden in 2019. “Traveling with them and representing Mom to them, has been an honor.”
Sutton adds that “There’s speculation on exactly when and how the base came to be called the Rose Garden, but my favorite story tells how a higher up landed in a chopper at the makeshift air base. As he came off the bird into the sweltering heat of the jungle and growled, ‘Where in the hell am I?’ A sharp-tongued private, never missing a beat, shouted, ‘Welcome to the Rose Garden, Sir!’ He’d apparently seen the recruitment campaigns when he enlisted and seized the opportunity to punctuate the irony.”
One of the Marines attending the reunion includes a NASA astronaut and two current Tennessee residents (David Morgan of Kingston and Ron Howington of Culleoka). 71-year-old Harold (“Harry”) Delamater, a former Beacon, New York, police officer, will be made available to the media for questions. Delamater has volunteered his time as the treasurer of the Rose Garden Marine reunions since their inception in 2004.
