Jim Law was a Marine’s Marine

U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jim Law was as honored in death as he was respected in life.

About 80 people gathered Jan. 26 at the Veteran’s Memorial Building on Legion Street to pay tribute to Law, who died Dec. 14.

“Master sergeants are so respected it is said that they talk only to God and colonels and [ranks] above,” said retired Marine Corps Colonel Charles Quilter III, the keynote speaker at the memorial. “We know who Jim is talking to now and it’s no damned colonel.”

Although Quilter said Law could fix anything that flew “” and fly some of them during his long career in the Marines “” Law was denied his biggest dream: an aviator’s commission.

Law was accepted at Flight School, but relinquished his spot to stay with his comrades as a teacher of the skills to maintain the planes so others could fly as safely as possible.

“Were it not for a few good men “” to coin a phrase “” young, barely trained maintenance crews could have been disastrous,” Quilter said.

On Guadalcanal, Law maintained equipment, mentored inexperienced Marines, flew as a gunner and sometimes co-pilot on transport planes.

After 2 ½ years of combat duty, he returned stateside and his flight school order was reinstated.

“He did well, but the war ended ... as he was about to make his final flight before getting his wings,” Quilter said. “And the Navy did a terrible, terrible thing. They canceled the flight training.

“Jim never got his wings of gold, but if there is any justice, he has them now.”

Law enlisted in the Marines at 17 “” he lied about his age “” served in World War II and in Korea in some of the bloodiest battles in which Marines ever engaged, such as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, and in the final days of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Base at El Toro.

He then transferred to the Fleet Marine Corps.

“Master sergeants don’t retire,” Quilter said. “They are one of the secrets to the success of the Marine Corps and you never know when you are going to need a good one.”

After his 30 years of active duty with the Marines, Law devoted his considerable talents to helping veterans and Laguna Beach, where he had owned a home since 1950.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Law never quite lost the accent, but his affection for Laguna came through loud and clear when he spoke at “The Walk,” to preserve the canyon, Quilter said.

“He made a difference, and all of us here have a big hole in our hearts. Semper fideles.”

Among those at the memorial service: his wife of 22 years, Jean; his daughter, Kathleen Latimer, from his first marriage; his sister, Patricia Eason; stepsons Steven Tomlin and Richard Tomlin and his wife, Bree; step-daughter Elizabeth Torres and her children, Christina and Jason.

The memorial included a refolding and presentation to Law’s widow of the American flag, traditionally done at military burials. However, the flag was not folded properly at the National Cemetery in Riverside where Law’s ashes were interred.

“This was hard,” Jean Law said.

Sande St. John and Connie Burlin organized the buffet served at the conclusion of the tributes paid to Law. There was enough food to feed a platoon of Marines.

“Everything was home-cooked “” the turkey, the ham, the cakes “” that was our tribute to Jim,” St. John said.

Other tributes were paid by members of American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts throughout Orange County. Representatives of the Laguna posts included Ben Blount, Norm Abbot, Richard Moore, Dean Peterson and Bob Moore, past commandant of Post 222.

“Jim had a great love for the Legion Hall and he devoted untold hours working with the city on the preservation of the property,” Moore said. “We owe it to Jim to remember that and consider if this building should bear his name.”

The formal name for Legion Hall is the Veterans Memorial Building.