VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – Ever since he entered the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War, Fayetteville resident AJ Kalil has credited his experience in the service branch with framing the remainder of his life.
“Whenever I run into a hard time, I never, ever forget what I learned: that failure is not an option,” said the 89-year-old, who just last month was honored as the oldest veteran in attendance at the 246th Marine Corps Birthday Ball held in Syracuse.
Kalil enlisted soon after North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950 while only a junior in high school.
After receiving his infantry training in Southern California, he was set to replace casualties suffered in the Chosin Reservoir, but President Harry Truman put an almar into effect preventing anyone under 18 from going into a combat theater, Kalil said.
Instead, the young Marine walked a Pearl Harbor guard post for a brief time before being restationed in the Mojave Desert to drive a jeep for a civilian scientist experimenting with field artillery.
Once he reached the age of 20, Kalil was released from active duty to an inactive status, and the G.I. Bill allowed him to both attend Syracuse University and work toward supporting a family.
He remained on call until 1959, at which point he was given an honorable discharge.
Commemorating the fighting force’s inception in 1775, the birthday ball hosted by the Marines of Syracuse on Nov. 13 saw as 240 Marines, including Kalil, gathered inside the SKY Armory on South Clinton Street.
The Saturday evening celebration included a transitional cake ceremony, which involves the symbolic transfer of tradition and honor from the oldest Marine present to the youngest via the handover of a piece of cake.
In reference to the custom, Kalil cut a slice with a saber and spoke no words as he shared it with Lance Cpl. Dylan Blair, 19, who then took his own bite with a clean fork.
Blair, the fellow Marines who wheeled in the cake cart, and most of the other uniformed attendees were in their dress blues, while Kalil donned his red blazer throughout the night.
“For me, it was emotional,” Kalil said. “Once you earn the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor and you become a Marine, you’re a Marine until you die. We take that oath.”
These days, Kalil spends much of his retirement volunteering around the community.
He helps to run the Madison County Toys For Tots program as the Central New York Area Vice Commandant of the Marine Corps League, and he has led local societies in combatting multiple sclerosis and homelessness.