By David Ball

The News staff writer

Port Arthur Marine exemplifies the military branch’s motto Semper Fidelis — always faithful.

While serving overseas, Lance Corporal Matthew McCown, who is now home on leave from Iraq, received a most unusual package in the U.S. Mail late last year.

“We just came back from patrol and received our mail. I opened up one box and it was full of hats and a check from Sherry Wright,” McCown said. I didn’t know who she was. I asked my parents if they knew her and they didn’t know her. She has a myspace.com page so I contacted her myspace.”

After McCown made contact with Wright, he discovered the package was intended for Robin “Jinx” Besehars of Clark Fork, Idaho. The postal service made a mistake and sent the packages to the wrong recipients.

McCown discovered that Besehars, a journalist for the River Journal in Idaho, was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. The hats in the package were sent to cheer her up and for her to wear since her hair had fallen out from the treatment.

“I felt bad. I thought maybe my parents could send some kind of compensation (to Besehars). I contacted Jinx and she told me, ‘Don’t worry about it. I always wanted to send a package overseas,’” McCown said.

Not worrying about it wasn’t good enough for McCown so he and his fellow Marines came up with an idea. They sent an Iraqi Freedom flag to Besehars — signed by 42 Marines.

Before receiving the package, Besehars’ family said she frowned a lot and stayed inside. Since getting the gift from the Marines, she can’t stop smiling and shows everyone she can the flag sent to her.

“It’s about helping somebody out. To some the disabled are not a human being anymore. It takes the smallest thing to help somebody out. She received the respect and honor from our platoon and we raised her spirits, also,” McCown said. “The other Marines say it’s ‘so cool,’ and it’s ‘so awesome.’”

Besehars is in a giving spirit now, too, and sent Christmas stockings and stuffers to 50 Marines overseas. Other townspeople are joining in by sending Care packages to the Marines as well.

“Things are different in my mind now. I go to sleep at night wondering if this special unit is safe. Are they sleeping on the ground? When they are on patrol, are they one of the units I hear about on TV, shot at? Most of them are younger than my youngest child. Me, a hero? I don’t think so. It is the men and women of our military, striving to make the world a better place. A safer place,” Besehars wrote in an article in the River Journal. “It’s said God works in mysterious ways and I believe Matthew and his Battalion proved this to be true. Just when I thought my world was at its darkest, a Freedom Flag lifted my eyes towards something besides being sick. I am asked constantly if I am going to frame it. Well, of course I am. Just as soon as I can quit hugging it.”

McCown’s father, Bruce McCown said he is proud of his son who is following in the family tradition of being a Marine.