The reunion officially begins .. and what a beginning!!! The Marine Corps Museum in the morning / afternoon .. a short rest .. and then the River Bend Dinner Theater!!
BUT FIRST .. Let's have Breakfast!!!
Breakfast time at the Holiday Inn. We have a Buffet this morning ..
Jim & Sally and Tony & Janice. These 2 guys were in the helicopter squadron at the same time Ken was. Jim and Sally live in New York and Tony and Janice live in Florida.
And they say women talk a lot!!!!
Getting ready to board the bus for our ride to Fredricksurg and the National Marine Corps Museum!
Bill .. he's the guy who put this all together .. and the bus driver talk things over!!
MARINE CORPS MUSEUM
We were there from about 10 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon and still weren't ready to leave!! We had been taken on a tour of the whole place and been told all kinds of stuff about the various exhibits in the morning .. then lunch .. you could either come back to the hotel at 1:00 or stay and go back through on your own .. we chose to go back through on our own and as I said before at 3:00 we still weren't ready to leave!!!
Ah Ha .. remember that ugly weird thing Ken and I saw as we were driving towards Dumfries???? How surprised we were to discover that it is a part of this fabulous museum .. LOL!!!
The Marines have landed ..
We are inside the building at last!!!
A talk from the gentleman who will be taking us on a tour of the exhibits ..
Our tour began in the Scuttlebutt Theater with a great film about the Marines ..
And then a walk across the floor to the beginning of the exhibits ..
The sculptures were not only life-size they were very very "real"!!!
And then we turned a corner and walked into the tail of a helicopter!! You could look out the windows and you could hear the sound of the helicopter!!! The video below will give you an idea of what I saw and heard from inside ..
And then you exit the helicopter and view these scenes ..
Click on the link below to see these scenes on video ..
As we were walking through this area the skies around us darkened and lights flashed .. you could see the flashes and hear the sound of artillery going on in battle!!! Sad to say I did not get a video of this!!
They look like they're standing at attention!! The gentleman in the red shirt was also in Ken's squadron.
Kenny made me do it ..
So of course he had to do it too ..
The guided tour is over .. time to eat some lunch before we go on our self-guided tour!!!
That is one very large Burger!!!
This tail is not from the type of helicopter Ken and his buddies flew but Ken spied the EM on the tail and said that the EM stood for "Echo Mike" and the helicopters he flew were also "Echo Mike" helicopters.
Meet "Chesty" .. one of the most famous Marines in history is General Chesty Puller . . there were several exhibits in his honor .. this is one of them.
And we come to Belleau Wood again ..
Click on the link below to watch the video Ken was watching as I snapped this picture!!! When we watched this video the first time through our tour guide (he was actually called a docent) told us that the men in this movie were not actors .. they are actual Marines!!!
I didn't notice the dead Marines in the foxhole the first time we came through this exhibit!!
I had to post a pic of this one for my sons .. they went to the 1994 Woodstock event and loved it!!
These clocks are each set on a time during 9/11 and below it tells what happened during that period of time!! Very very heart rendering!!!
And we make it to the gift shop .. what are we looking for????? A penny smasher of course!!!
Time to head outside .. don't want to miss the bus ride back to the hotel!!!!
I know nothing about Iron Mike .. so once again I am off to Google to see what I can find!! This may be more than you ever wanted to know about Iron Mike but here you go ....
Iron Mike iron-willed in dedication to Corps;Legendary figure exhorts 1st Marine Division SNCOs By Sgt. Cindy Fisher | Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton | May 04, 2000
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- At first glance, the man in camouflage utilities looks like any other grizzled sergeant major who has served in the Marine Corps for decades. The perfect figure of a Marine, he stands with his shoulders thrown back, ready to take on the world. Upon closer inspection, subtle discrepancies mar the assumption that SgtMaj. Mike D. Mervosh is still on active duty. His cammies are pressed with creases in all the right places, but the nametape reads "Iron Mike," a nickname he earned for service in the Corps. His boots shine, even though they are relics from the Korean War era. His hair is cut in the regulation "high and tight," but it is sprinkled with more salt than pepper. His face is the final clue that sets him apart from Marines clustered around him. It?s a wrinkled, weathered road map of past battles fought. A life spent upholding the highest traditions of the Corps has worn deep creases into that face. "Iron Mike" began his lifelong trek in the Corps in September 1942 -- well before today?s new enlistees were even born. Though he left active service in 1977, Iron Mike is still invited to speak as the guest of honor at Marine Corps events. After all, he served in every enlisted rank from private to sergeant major during combat with infantry units. He held the rank of sergeant major for 19 and a half years, and when he retired, he was the most senior enlisted man in all the armed forces. It is no surprise why the staff noncommissioned officers of 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, invited him to be the guest of honor at their recent field mess night -- he served with five different Marine divisions. He was a member of 4th Marine Division which formed in Camp Pendleton Aug. 16, 1943, and disbanded Nov. 28, 1945. Some of the battles he participated in -- Marshall Islands and Iwo Jima to name a couple -- are now entrenched in Marine Corps history and tradition. He was awarded the Bronze Star and a second Navy Commendation Medal for "heroic" actions while serving with 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, in Korea. After two tours in Vietnam with 1st Marine Division, he received a third Navy Commendation Medal and his third Purple Heart. When Iron Mike arrived at the regiment's field mess night, SNCOs gathered around to meet a "living legend." Some merely wanted to touch him and shake his hand. Others wanted tangible evidence of the meeting, getting their friends to take photographs while they posed with Iron Mike. Iron Mike had time for everybody. The Marine Corps motto, "Semper Fidelis," might as well be tattooed across his chest, for in his heart he has never stopped serving the Corps. During his speech, he said he envied the Marines still in uniform, and that he was grateful for the opportunity to be a Marine again and be among his fellow Marines. His voice rang with pride and devotion as he talked about the Corps' past -- and its future. He recounted the battle of Iwo Jima as the toughest and most demanding assignment of his lifetime. "Iwo Jima is recorded as the bloodiest battle in the history of the Marine Corps. There were so many unselfish and unrelenting acts of bravery, courage and heroism that occurred routinely on a daily basis that it was taken for granted, and most of it was unaccounted for. Which brought forth that inspiring message that will live on forever by Admiral Nimitz, 'That among those that fought at Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue.' "Our Marine Corps has a proud and glorious history. We also have the finest and proudest traditions at which we share those sea stories and our camaraderie and esprit de corps by having our mess nights, our many Marine reunions and ... our Marine Corps birthday," he said. "Our fine and proud traditions must not solely be preserved in libraries or books or museums, but by faithful participation on the part of all Marines. If our traditions were to ever die, we would only have ourselves to blame." He reminded his audience that, "we joined the Corps not for a fat paycheck or perks ... but because we wanted to serve our country and fight its battles." He charged them with the obligation to maintain the honor, valor, fidelity, devotion to duty, dedication and reputation of the Marine Corps that has remained unchallenged and highly respected throughout the world. "If it were easy, everybody would do it, and Marines wouldn't be needed," he said. "Being a Marine is not a job, it's a way of life. "It is the duty of all Marines of all ranks to strive to be full-time Marines -- the leaders, the warriors, the professionals -- by being strong, tough and decisive. And by maintaining, participating, observing and preserving our fine and proud traditions, or we will just become another branch of the service and obsolete." Throughout the Corps? history, there have been those who have tried to have the Corps disbanded, Mervosh said. "We have certainly had our share of critics who say the United States Army can perform any function or mission the Marine Corps can, that there is no need for a second Army with the title of ?Marines.? "That is something to think about, which means we cannot become ?Army-nized.? We've got to be different and better," he said. "Take a good look at the crossed rifles on your chevrons -- you are a rifleman first. "Our Marines of today cannot afford to be complacent or live on past sentiments, glories, laurels or accomplishments. What they must strive to do is be a heck of a lot different and definitely a heck of a lot better than any military organization in the world. Maintain that status for being the finest, the proudest Marine Corps that you can be," he said. "If everybody could be a Marine, it just wouldn't be the Marines." Iron Mike puts things into perspective without sugarcoating, said GySgt. Thomas F. Parks, the vice-president of the regiment?s field mess night. "His words were coming straight from the heart." Indeed, Iron Mike summed up his hopes up with this graphic image. "Whenever there is a dirty job to do and the going gets really tough, meaning when the defecation hits the ventilation, the cry will always be heard, 'Land the Marines!'" Mervosh and his wife, Margaret, reside in Oceanside.
What a great museum this is .. I loved it!!! If you are a Marine or have or have had a Marine in your life in any way .. or even if you don't know one single Marine this is an awesome awesome place to see!!!
And once again we are on the bus headed back to the hotel! We got a couple hours rest when we got back to the hotel then were back on the bus again to go to the Riverbend Dinner Theater. This was a great experience too!!!
The show was "Forever Plaid" ..
We shared our table with Richard and Carol .. we met them the first night at the reception and spent time visiting with them in the lobby .. at Breakfast .. on the bus .. they are a very nice couple.
The food was good .. I chose Spaghetti & Meatballs and a Salad .. Ken chose Tilapia / Green Beans / Rice Pilaf / and a Salad .. and Coffee of course. You also got your choice of 2 desserts .. I got the Blueberry Cheesecake and Ken got the Coconut Cake .. of course he sampled mine and I sampled his .. LOL!!
A welcoming speech is made and then it is time for the performance at last!! The young men performing did a great job .. I was not very happy because they allow no pictures to be taken during the performance!!! However, these young men also are the servers .. and during intermission instead of being backstage resting they are on the floor refilling drinks .. picking up plates etc. .. so I got some pictures of them as they worked ..
I also snapped a quick one as they were lined up across the stage at the end of their performance ..
All in all this was another fantastic day!!
Below are links to Forever Plaid videos I found on You Tube .. these performances are not by the group we saw .. but you just might enjoy them anyway!!!
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