U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Paul Tim Corbin spent four years flying presidents in the helicopter known as Marine One. Corbin, call sign “Irish,” qualified on the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter and served in several Marine squadrons before joining Marine Helicopter Squadron One in 1989. The squadron is responsible for transporting the president and vice president of the United States and other high-level officials.
Amid a heavy rainstorm, Corbin was laid to rest on April 11, 2025, in Section 75 of Arlington National Cemetery. U.S. Navy Chaplain (Lt.) Christopher Wagner spoke of Corbin’s service and his life outside the Marine Corps: “Tim shaped into a loving husband of 41 years, a present father to support his children and a grandfather to watch them grow.”
Corbin’s widow, Mary Kay, cried as she received the folded flag from Marine Lt. Col. Samuel Baumer, who thanked her for her husband’s honorable service. She chose Arlington National Cemetery for her husband’s last resting place for a simple reason: “I felt like he deserved it,” she said.
According to Mary Kay, Corbin was unsure about his career options when he graduated from Maryland’s Salisbury University in 1983 with a degree in biology. He decided to join after speaking to a Marine Corps recruiter on campus.
Before she stepped out from the awning protecting her from the pelting rain, she added, “My husband loved to fly, and he loved the Marine Corps.”
