50 years later, a Marine finally gets his honors

A photo of Raymond Dic with a moment when an honor guard member in a white uniform presents a folded American flag to Raymond Dick’s widow, Patricia, inside a columbarium. — “When Raymond was sick, Morgan came to the hospital and spent time with us like she was a family member. She was so dedicated to what she was doing to reverse that discharge,” said Patricia Dick. (Submitted photo)

More than 50 years after his court-martial, students at the UNC School of Law righted some of the wrongs done to Marine veteran Raymond E. Dick.

Dick served in the Marines with distinction in the Vietnam War, returning in 1969 to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. One night, a fight broke out after some white Marines yelled a racial slur at Dick and a fellow Black serviceman. No weapon was used, and Dick was the only one hurt, getting a cut on his hand.

But at a court-martial, Dick was found guilty and received seven years confinement and a dishonorable discharge, changed on appeal to one year confinement and a bad conduct discharge.

That discharge status and what would be later be diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder limited Dick’s employment opportunities to low-wage jobs. That lead to housing insecurity and financial instability for Dick and his wife, Patricia. Dick was also denied healthcare benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In fall 2023, the Dicks sought help from Carolina Law’s Military and Veterans Law Clinic and clinic director John W. Brooker, Wade Edwards Term Professor of Law. Law students working on the case included Morgan Hoyt ’24, William Rhyne ’23 and Elisa Sturkie ’24. Hoyt, now an associate at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in Raleigh, continued with the case pro bono for nearly two more years after graduating.

A group photo outside a brick building showing Patricia Dick standing with clinic director John W. Brooker, attorney Morgan Hoyt, and their support team.

(left to right) Carolina Law’s Dr. Kim Tran, Mya Fernandez ’26, Professor John Brooker, Ms. McAdoo-Dick, William Rhyne ’23, and Morgan Hoyt ’24. (Submitted photo)

The evidence that the students developed and presented was strong enough to have both the Navy and the VA rule in Dick’s favor. In fact, the Navy’s discharge review board even upgraded Dick to fully honorable, which is rare.

The clinic also partnered with Carolina’s  Transforming Health and Resilience in Veterans program and Dr. Shawn Kane, a family practitioner who retired from the Army as a colonel. Kane’s THRIVE team provided a PTSD evaluation that typically costs tens of thousands of dollars at no cost through the partnership.

Dick, who died in April 2024, did not see the results he hoped for, but his widow now receives surviving dependent benefits that have transformed her quality of life.

“Raymond trusted and loved Morgan and professor Brooker with all of his might, just like I do,” she said. “When Raymond was sick, Morgan came to the hospital and spent time with us like she was a family member. She was so dedicated to what she was doing to reverse that discharge.”

A split image: the left side shows a vintage portrait of a young Raymond Dick in his Marine dress uniform; the right side shows his widow receiving the flag at his service.

The Honor Guard presenting Mrs. Patricia McAdoo-Dick, Mr. Raymond E. Dick’s widow, with an American flag on behalf of a grateful nation. (Submitted photo)

On April 10, Dick’s wish for a military burial was realized at an honor ceremony and inurnment organized by Hoyt at a Greensboro cemetery.

“Our main wish was to honor and preserve the honorable service in life that Raymond had,” said Hoyt. “Seeing Mrs. Pat receive the flag after the three-volley salute and knowing that Raymond could finally be laid to rest peacefully was a moment I will never forget.”

Hoyt expressed appreciation for the guidance of Brooker’s, a 20-plus-year Army veteran. “He is so knowledgeable and has such empathy because he literally has been in those shoes,” she said.

The Dicks’ victory was not just about money, Brooker said. “The entire Dick family and Greensboro community saw that Raymond’s life mattered, and that redemption for not only Raymond, but for the entire nation, was possible.”

About a dozen former clinic students have continued veteran-focused pro bono work at their law firms following graduation from Carolina Law, and Hoyt plans to do the same.

“In my firm, I work in commercial real estate transactions, closing multimillion-dollar loans, which I find interesting and challenging,” she said. “But I am also really passionate about helping people in a way where I can directly see the impact and benefit on their lives.”