Reunions and Other Gatherings BS Page Volume 3

Platoon 150 Reunion in New Orleans

This is a picture of a reunion held last month in New Orleans. All the Marines were in Platoon 150 MCRDPI in 1962.

One of the Marines was found with the help of Sgt. Grit.

Thank You

A picture for you

Sgt. Grit, just wanted to send you this picture from our recent reunion. We have not seen each other for over 42 years. It was a great time and was happy that we had the chance to get back together! I want to thank you for making it very memorable by donating "Sgt. Grit's Marine Stuff" to our reunion. Your generosity is truly appreciated. I handed out a bunch of catalogs and hopefully you will get more Marines ordering from you. Everything that you donated found a place with one of our Marines or our wives. Again THANK YOU for helping us out. It was the Marines from Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The stories came in bunches and brought back a lot of great memories. I am the second from the left, Bob Longabardi. OOH RAH! and SEMPER FI!!

Bob Longabardi

Brothers Forever

Dear Sgt Grit,

I wanted to share a short story with you. From 1987-1990 I was stationed at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. I was attached to H&HS OMD and what we did was maintain and fly the Search and Rescue CH-46’s on the base. I think there is a time in everyone’s career that they look back and say that a certain time or a certain duty station was the best in their career, and this was mine. Don’t get me wrong, I have served with many outstanding units and Marines but some places just click, you know what I mean? We were mechanics, hydraulics, sheet metal, avionics, pilots and admin, but we were all OMD. We had one Marine who was like the glue for the unit, MSgt Englert, and in 2007 he started gluing OMD back together for a 2008 reunion at Quantico, Va. Most were retired and some sadly couldn’t make it for health reasons but we came from as far away as Washington , California, Indiana and Georgia. All to attend a picnic in the woods and tip a few beers with friends. The conversations picked up like they were left off eighteen years before, and if just for a few hours, we were again OMD. Those for me were the best of times. Semper Fi. to my Marine Brothers and the ”glue” that brought us back together. (FYI, the orange shirts were our softball teams colors which was coincidentally named “Good Times”)

Brothers Forever,

Martin V. Habecker III
USMC Retired

VMFA-333 Reunion

On behalf of VMFA-333 Association I would like to thank you and Sgt. Grit for your support of the heritage of Marine Fighter Attach Squadron VMFA-333. Sgt. Grit's sponsorship of our 2009 reunion was greatly appreciated by all.

As you know the reunion was held in Hawaii and we proudly wore the Sgt.Grit St. Patrick's Day t-shirts you provided us with. We also made sure the President and Vice President of The Friend's of St. Patrick Society were presented the t-shirts as well. Our unit patches which you also provided were proudly displayed on our hat bands and Hawaiian Kamp Shirts. We looked very sharp in deed going down the parade route during the Honolulu St. Patrick's Day Parade and spectators cheered us as we passed by.

During our visit we chose to bring the squadron's resident Leprechaun to the Kapiolani Hospital where we visited children in the Kauikeolani Children's Center. There he put a smile on many children's, parent's and medical staff member's faces with not only his sincere charm and wit but by giving each child a real US gold dollar and mini USMC flags from Sgt. Grit.

We will be traveling to Hawaii again in 2011 and we hope Sgt. Grit will continue to sponsor our Marine Corps Veteran's Association which will be officially non-profit on June 10th. We will also make a return visit to not only the Kapiolani Hospital but the Shirner's Children's Hospital just across the street. Of course we will be in the parade too!

Thank you again for your generous support which we have provided a link to your web site from www.vmfa-333.org as a thank you. Attached are photos taken during the parade and the hospital visit.

Semper Fi,

Connie Gause
Veteran Sgt., USMC

Photos of our 45th Anniversary

Sgt. Grits and staff, these are photos taken at the 45th Anniversary of our boot cam platoon forming in August of 1964. We want to thank you for the box of "goodies" you gave us. We divided them up into 13 stacks and drew numbers, everyone was very plaesed.Our reunion was held at the place where it all started for us, Parris Island. In attendance were 10 of us "recruits" and 3 drill instructors. We were a pretty diverse group, I was the only one in the platoon that enlisted from the west side of the Mississippi. The total group size, with spouses, was 25. We toured the base, ate at 1st Battalion Mess Hall and visited the PX. We also spent a little time in the old brig which has been converted into a sports bar. We spent 3days reminiscing and reliving old things that happened to us in boot training. The photo -57_57 is the best one, I think. Once again, thanks for the goodies, I'm sure you'll get some patronage from our group.

Harold Jury
"C" Co. 1st Bn. Plt 178
Parris Island 1964

Khe Sahn Veterans Reunion 2006

D-Day Museum in New Orleans

I just returned home from a ship's reunion in Mobile as I was stationed aboard the USS Navarro APA-215 (troop transport) from 1962-1964. I have three grandson's now in the Corps. One, LCPL Kane M. Funke, was killed in Falluja on August 134, 2004 as was in 2/7, Echo Co., WPNS PLTN: LCPL Justin Demaranville is also in Falluja and has been wounded once already is with 3/1 India Co., 3rd, PLTN and the third on is LCPL Rick Burke with the Marine Security Detachment at the Bangor Washington Trident Sub base.

While at the reunion we went to the D-Day Museum in New Orleans which was really a great experience. I found a sign there that I would like to share with you. I would recomend that all who can visit the D-Day Museum as it covers both the Pacific and European Theaters of the war.
ROBERT (BOB) BATES

Marine Bond Never Broken

Hi attached a photo of myself Rod Spinks on the left and Mike Wilson on right when we met up again last week after 42 yrs.The last time we were to-gether was in the Borneo Jungle serving in 40 Commando Royal Marines in 1962. We are now 64yrs old. The Marines bond will never be broken Regards Rod Royal Marines Commandos 1957 / 68.
PER MARE PER TERRAM

Special GriTogether plaque

Hi, All!
We wanted you to have a preview of something we'll all sign and give to Edith, Marine Wife of Gene for 57 years, at Barb's in Chattanooga this coming weekend. "GriTogether Grandma" seemed to be fitting. You can't say we're not doing anything to promote "Grit's"! Semper Fi...Bill & Pammie

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