diff --git a/opal/class/opal_atomic_lifo.h b/opal/class/opal_atomic_lifo.h
index 25aa26fbc3..4bdfb7baac 100644
--- a/opal/class/opal_atomic_lifo.h
+++ b/opal/class/opal_atomic_lifo.h
@@ -27,11 +27,9 @@
 #include "opal/sys/atomic.h"
 #endif  /* OMPI_HAVE_THREAD_SUPPORT */
 
-#if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
-extern "C" {
-#endif
+BEGIN_C_DECLS
 
-    /* Atomic Last In First Out lists. If we are in a multi-threaded environment then the
+/* Atomic Last In First Out lists. If we are in a multi-threaded environment then the
  * atomicity is insured via the compare-and-swap operation, if not we simply do a read
  * and/or a write.
  *
@@ -51,6 +49,7 @@ typedef struct opal_atomic_lifo_t opal_atomic_lifo_t;
 
 OPAL_DECLSPEC OBJ_CLASS_DECLARATION(opal_atomic_lifo_t);
 
+
 /* The ghost pointer will never change. The head will change via an atomic
  * compare-and-swap. On most architectures the reading of a pointer is an
  * atomic operation so we don't have to protect it.
@@ -60,6 +59,7 @@ static inline bool opal_atomic_lifo_is_empty( opal_atomic_lifo_t* lifo )
     return (lifo->opal_lifo_head == &(lifo->opal_lifo_ghost) ? true : false);
 }
 
+
 /* Add one element to the LIFO. We will return the last head of the list
  * to allow the upper level to detect if this element is the first one in the
  * list (if the list was empty before this operation).
@@ -112,9 +112,7 @@ static inline opal_list_item_t* opal_atomic_lifo_pop( opal_atomic_lifo_t* lifo )
     return item;
 }
 
-#if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
-}
-#endif
+END_C_DECLS
 
 #endif  /* OPAL_ATOMIC_LIFO_H_HAS_BEEN_INCLUDED */
 
diff --git a/opal/class/opal_free_list.h b/opal/class/opal_free_list.h
index 49b50648fa..8f07efb544 100644
--- a/opal/class/opal_free_list.h
+++ b/opal/class/opal_free_list.h
@@ -27,9 +27,7 @@
 #include "opal/constants.h"
 #include "opal/prefetch.h"
 
-#if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
-extern "C" {
-#endif
+BEGIN_C_DECLS
 
 struct opal_free_list_t
 {
@@ -124,7 +122,6 @@ OPAL_DECLSPEC int opal_free_list_grow(opal_free_list_t* flist, size_t num_elemen
  * been reached. In this case the caller is blocked until an item
  * is returned to the list.
  */
- 
 
 #define OPAL_FREE_LIST_WAIT(fl, item, rc)                               \
     do {                                                                \
@@ -161,8 +158,7 @@ OPAL_DECLSPEC int opal_free_list_grow(opal_free_list_t* flist, size_t num_elemen
         OPAL_THREAD_UNLOCK(&(fl)->fl_lock);                             \
     } while(0)
 
-#if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
-}
-#endif
+END_C_DECLS
+
 #endif 
 
diff --git a/opal/class/opal_hash_table.h b/opal/class/opal_hash_table.h
index b5b4064733..08c5695fb3 100644
--- a/opal/class/opal_hash_table.h
+++ b/opal/class/opal_hash_table.h
@@ -31,9 +31,7 @@
 #include "opal_config.h"
 #include "opal/class/opal_list.h"
 
-#if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
-extern "C" {
-#endif
+BEGIN_C_DECLS
 
 OPAL_DECLSPEC OBJ_CLASS_DECLARATION(opal_hash_table_t);
                            
@@ -285,10 +283,6 @@ OPAL_DECLSPEC int opal_hash_table_get_next_key_uint64(opal_hash_table_t *table,
 				       void **value, void *in_node,
 				       void **out_node);
 
-
-#if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
-}
-#endif
-
+END_C_DECLS
 
 #endif  /* OPAL_HASH_TABLE_H */
diff --git a/opal/class/opal_list.h b/opal/class/opal_list.h
index 36a493a5db..5b79224369 100644
--- a/opal/class/opal_list.h
+++ b/opal/class/opal_list.h
@@ -74,9 +74,8 @@
 #include "opal/threads/mutex.h"
 #endif
 
-#if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
-extern "C" {
-#endif
+BEGIN_C_DECLS
+
 /**
  * \internal
  *
@@ -798,10 +797,6 @@ static inline void opal_list_insert_pos(opal_list_t *list, opal_list_item_t *pos
      */
     OPAL_DECLSPEC int opal_list_sort(opal_list_t* list, opal_list_item_compare_fn_t compare);
 
-#if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
-}
-#endif
-
-
+END_C_DECLS
 
 #endif /* OPAL_LIST_H */
diff --git a/opal/class/opal_object.h b/opal/class/opal_object.h
index 27d8467fc4..2d01a4c686 100644
--- a/opal/class/opal_object.h
+++ b/opal/class/opal_object.h
@@ -126,6 +126,8 @@
 #include "opal/sys/atomic.h"
 #endif  /* OMPI_HAVE_THREAD_SUPPORT */
 
+BEGIN_C_DECLS
+
 #if OMPI_ENABLE_DEBUG
 /* Any kind of unique ID should do the job */
 #define OPAL_OBJ_MAGIC_ID ((0xdeafbeedULL << 32) + 0xdeafbeedULL)
@@ -501,7 +503,7 @@ static inline int opal_obj_update(opal_object_t *object, int inc)
 #endif
 }
 
+END_C_DECLS
 
-/**********************************************************************/
+#endif
 
-#endif                          /* OPAL_OBJECT_H */
diff --git a/opal/class/opal_value_array.h b/opal/class/opal_value_array.h
index 7667c8f4e6..364d36915e 100644
--- a/opal/class/opal_value_array.h
+++ b/opal/class/opal_value_array.h
@@ -29,12 +29,11 @@
 #endif
 #include "opal/constants.h"
 
+BEGIN_C_DECLS
+
 /*
  *  @file  Array of elements maintained by value.
  */
-#if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
-extern "C" {
-#endif
 
 struct opal_value_array_t
 {
@@ -272,9 +271,7 @@ static inline int opal_value_array_remove_item(opal_value_array_t *array, size_t
 #define OPAL_VALUE_ARRAY_GET_BASE(array, item_type) \
   ((item_type*) ((array)->array_items))
 
-#if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
-}
+END_C_DECLS
+
 #endif
-#endif  
-