Everyone has dreams of going somewhere and doing something unusual in their lives. Some will go on ship cruises to the different islands in the Pacific. Others will travel to different beaches in the United States, and have fun there. I have been to the beaches, and to different islands in the world.
Besides my family reunions and research, my fun pursuits included reunions with my Unit Association, The 3rd Battalion 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. I served with them in Vietnam with Lima Company from November 1966 to December 1967 as a 0331, M-60 machine gunner.
In July 1988, I went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a Unit reunion. They were trying to start an Association then. It was with the 3rd Battalion 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, outfit that I served in Vietnam with. Here are a couple of pictures from the Milwaukee reunion.
We have them every two years now at different places in the U.S. The next one was to be held in July 1989, but I couldn’t make that one. It was to be in Washington, D.C. They were planning on going to the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
In July 1993 I went to the reunion that my 3/4 outfit was having. They held it in Washington D.C. They called it Return to the Vietnam Wall. It was three days of fun and excitement.
On Wednesday July 14, we checked into our hotel rooms, and visited the hospitality room to meet other members of the Association.
On Thursday July 15, we went over to Quantico, Virginia. We went through their museum and saw a movie on how a Marine officer is trained. We ate lunch in their mess hall on base.
On Friday, July 16, we went to tour the Old Navy shipyard and the museum there. We had a Battalion Memorial Service at the USMC Museum and then we went to the Navy Shipyards O Club and had a seafood buffet dinner. That evening we went to see the Marine Corps twilight parade at the Marine Barracks at Eighth and I. We watched the Marine silent drill team in action and the Marine Corps Band march. We enjoyed gathering at the main hotel we stayed at, Comfort Inn, in Arlington,. Virginia.
On Saturday, July 17th, the unit placed a wreath of flowers at the Wall.
We went next and visited the Iwo Jima War Memorial.
In July 1995, the unit I served with had another reunion. This time in Savannah, Georgia. This wasn’t too far from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. We stayed at the Marriott Hotel in Savannah, Gerogia. July 12th was just the arrival date. We had a hospitality room so we could meet the other members of the unit. On Thursday, we had a choice of what we wanted to do. I went on a tour of the old houses in Savannah, and went to the cemetery there. They had people buried there before the Revolutionary War. Some great statesmen that signed the Declaration of Independence were buried there.
On Friday July 14, we went to Parris Island, and watched a graduating class of recruits including some women marine recruits. The D.I.s took us on a tour of the base. We went to the grenade throwing range, and watched the Women Marines throw hand grenades. Then we went past the obstacle course, and over to the hand to hand combat area and watched the male recruits train there. We toured the Marine Corps Museum and saw the history of the Marine Corps. We had our lunch at the NCO club. We had a speaker honoring the Corpsmen in the Corps. We even had the chance to shop at the Marine Corps Base Exchange. On Saturday, July 15, we had a memorial service at the Savannah Vietnam Vet Memorial. We had a guest of honor there whose son was killed in Vietnam. In the evening we had the Marine Corps Parris Island Band hold a concert for us at the hotel we were staying in. Then after the concert we had the Association Banquet in one of the banquet rooms in the hotel. Everyone enjoyed themselves reliving their years in the Corps and in Vietnam.
From July 30 - Aug 2, 1997 was my next 3/4 Reunion. This time it was held in San Diego, California. I flew from Columbus, Ohio to San Diego, California on American West Airlines. We stayed at the Clarion Hotel Bay View,
On July 31 we went to Camp Pendleton and toured that base. We had a ceremony with the regular 3/4 Battalion there in Pendleton.
On Friday, August 1st, we were bused to San Diego MCRD. This was where I took my training in June 1966. Boy, had it changed! No more Quonset huts! They had new barracks for the recruits to live in. We sat on the benches and watched a company of recruits graduate from Boot Camp.
On Saturday, August 2nd, we had our Association Banquet in the evening.
The next reunion will be held in Houston, Texas from July 27 to August 2,1999. I look forward to attending it.
Unit reunions are one of the biggest healers of our memory about the Vietnam War. At a reunion, you might meet the one that might of saved your life by dragging you out of harms way. Or you might of saved his life by doing the same thing. You could meet a Corpsman that bandaged you up so that you didn’t bleed to death. I have seen these guys that have not seen each other in over 30 years or so hug one another and then thank each other for saving each others life. You bring your memories to the reunion, in forms of stories and maybe books that you have made up in pictures or words. You have memorial services for the ones that did not make it in your outfit. You talk about the ones that didn’t make it, and
what type of person they were. How did they get it. Where were they when they got hit.
We had a POW and he came to our last reunion, and he talked to us about what it was like to be a POW for several years in a North Vietnam POW camp.
You can go to different military installations, and see how they have upgraded the latest weapons. Talk to some of the new ones in the military, and they love to talk to the old timers too and listen to how
the old ways were. Its alot of fun just belonging. If anyone knows if their unit has formed an Association, its wise to go to at least one of their get togethers. It might help heal some of the problems that are facing our Vets today.
It was a success.
This is me standing beside the wreath. 
This was in remembrance of all that our outfit lost during the Vietnam War.
We had a ceremony at the Iwo Jima Memorial. 
Our Association chaplain read a few words there. That night we had our Association banquet 
and a three star general was our main speaker. In fact the general was just a Lt. when he was in Vietnam with our outfit in the mid 60's. Before the banquet, a Marine Corps band played a concert for us. We all enjoyed ourselves going over old times in the Corps and in Vietnam during the reunion. 
After the reunion we hated to say our good-byes.
near downtown San Diego. On July 30th we just checked in and met each other in the hospitality room and got to know each other. 
Some of the men looked through the books that others made up about the unit in Vietnam. 
We had some that it was their first time to a reunion, and some that have been with the Association a long time and to most of the reunions. The Association had a Px, so you could buy a shirt or a hat with the Units emblem on it. 
We could walk downtown San Diego and look around. Some of us ate in some of the restraunts downtown.
We presented them with the emblem of the unit that we had for them. 
They had their up to date weapons laid out on the parade deck for us to view, 
including the new tow missile cannon. 
They were ready to embark to Okinawa in a few days, for training. We went to one of the training areas and looked over a Cobra helicopter 
and watched some Marines repel from a helicopter about 100 feet up. 
Then we went over to the Amtrak base on Camp Pendleton and went through their museum. The Marines at the Amtrak area gave us a talk about the new Amtraks and then we watched a demonstration of one in the water. 
They had the new up to date ones. We had to use or ride in one of the old ones in Vietnam. Then we went over to the Navy Hellcat area, and toured there. 
They were troop transporters that float on water at high speeds, using powerful motors in the rear to move them. They float on a cushion of air. The Marines use them to take their toops and equipment ashore during a beach landing. The Navy piloted them though. We ate our noon meal at Camp Pendleton in the mess hall. The Marines there were happy to meet us. We rode buses back to our hotel, and in the evening we gathered in the hospitality room and did some more associating with one another.
The grinder there was still the same as it was when I went through. It brought back some memories. We went through the Marine Museum and went over to the base exchange to buy some stuff. 
Some of the guys just sat in the shade and enjoyed themselves, talking about old times in the Corps. We had a memorial service for the Marines that died in our unit at the base chapel. Then taps were sounded. We ate our meals at the Bay View Restaurant, which is on base, both breakfast and dinner meals. 
During the day we could do anything we wanted to. I walked downtown San Diego, to window shop. I flew back home Sunday.
Being a member has helped me tremendously. I do not know half the guys in the Association, but they are still my brothers in arms. We get to know each other at the Reunions. They went through the same hell that I did in Vietnam. Some even worse.
These were my fun pursuits in the past. I do not know what the future will bring. None of us do. So I will just live for today, enjoying another day that the Lord has given to me.
Let the sun always rise and shine on your new day. Because today might be a better day for you.
me with any comments feel free!!!!
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