PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii –
Family and service members of Joint Intelligence
Operations Center (JIOC), U.S. Pacific Command, gathered at the U.S. Pacific
Fleet complex March 12 for a memorial service to honor the life and sacrifice
of a fallen Marine.
Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Allan Borchers was killed March
12, 1990, while on sentry duty at the Makalapa compound gate. The gate was
named in his honor Nov. 6, 1990.
Today’s remembrance ceremony was the first in 25
years, said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Clifford Vinson.
“The importance of this memorial hit me when I
realized that this is the first time our command has conducted a remembrance
ceremony for the Borchers family,” said Vinson. “As a Marine, you always
remember and take care of your own.”
Service members and family came together to remember
Borchers with a poster-size photo of him, adorned with three leis, each
representing the Marine Corps values - honor, courage and commitment.
In the opening remarks of the ceremony, Marine Corps
Staff Sgt. Errin Avila said, “Before you is a picture of a brave, young Marine
who sacrificed his life to guard this very base that we are all a part of.”
“Most people don’t know and will never understand,
but the most outstanding custom in the Marine Corps is simply being a Marine.
All that it implies is exactly what Lance Cpl. Borchers embodied: a Marine to
all, a brother, a son and a reason. A reason to mourn, to cry tears of joy and
to always know Lance Cpl. Borchers will never be forgotten.”
Borchers was born Dec. 22, 1968 in Sioux City, Iowa,
and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps April 18, 1988.
“He was the model of a Marine even before he became
one,” said Brian Borchers, Jeffrey’s brother. “He was a protector. He was my
best friend. He always wanted to help and would give you the shirt off his
back.”
Many of the service members in attendance who never
met Borchers said the ceremony touched their hearts.
“It was a great experience for the Marine Element to
participate and bring joy to a family that experienced a tragic loss, and to
honor a fallen warrior and family member,” said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Rueben
Breaux.
Monica L. Keotters, Borchers’s sister, felt the
sentiment of the service reached the family’s hearts.
“Knowing that someone heard of his story and wanted
to honor him is touching,” said Koetters. “Knowing that so many people who
never knew him cared enough for someone they didn’t know personally and keeping
his memory alive is heartfelt because he is always in our hearts. Words can’t
even describe the feeling of watching the ceremony. I’m not sure if you’ll ever
know how much this means to us.”
Because of health reasons, Borchers’s mother, Jan
Borchers, was unable to be present for the service. In her absence, she sent a
letter to be read.
“I want to thank all who have come to pay respect
and honor the 25th anniversary of Borchers Gate,” Jan wrote. “Jeff was a
wonderful son, a proud Marine, a great friend to many, and paid the ultimate
price for his country. When you pass Borchers Gate, I hope it may give you
comfort in knowing that my family and I are thinking of you and keeping you in
our prayers.”
After Monica read her mother’s speech, the ceremony
drew to a close.
“As you are looking down on this fellowship of
people honoring you, continue to be proud, to keep your presence shining down,
but don’t continue your watch for you have been officially relieved,” recited
Avila in conclusion. “We have assumed all duties and responsibilities. Rest in
peace, Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Allan Borchers.”
Borchers is survived by his mother Jan Borchers, his
brother Brian, and two sisters, Monica and Kimberly, all of Sioux City, Iowa.