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The Pulse: Side by side, an eternal bond

As Thanksgiving approached in the fall of 1999, 18-year-old Naval Academy plebe Travis Manion was convinced he'd made a mistake. Missing the freedoms associated with conventional college life, he decided that he was not suited for the academy. All that stood between him and the exit door was a battalion officer, Lt. Col. Corky Gardner, who just happened to be a friend of Travis' father, Tom, himself a 20-year Marine.

When best friends Travis Manion and Brendan Looney died defending their country, their families honored their unbreakable bond in the most profound of ways: by laying them to rest side by side at Arlington National Cemetery.
When best friends Travis Manion and Brendan Looney died defending their country, their families honored their unbreakable bond in the most profound of ways: by laying them to rest side by side at Arlington National Cemetery.Read more
    by By Michael Smerconish | Columnist, Inquirer
    Published