Reunion Anaheim, California,
August 26-30, 09
Luncheon:
1stRecon Bn Association Luncheon and Visit to 1st Recon Battalion: The
South Mesa Club, Camp ,Pendleton is the site of our reunion luncheon Friday,
August 28th, 12:00-2:00 pm. Lt Col Michael Mooney, USMC, the CO of 1st
Recon Battalion, is our reunion Guest of Honor. The buffet meal costs
$35.00 per person. RSVP for the luncheon and/or sponsor a Marine or Corpsman,
by Sunday 24 August; checks or money orders should be made out to “1st
Recon Battalion Association”; mail your reservation and check to:
Charlie Kershaw 2527 Unicornio Street Carlsbad, CA 92009. Bus transportation
(55 passengers) is reserved for travel to Camp Pendleton and return ($5.00
per person).
Silent Auction and Raffle: Our Association’s operating revenue comes from your donations and reunion activities such as our raffle and silent auction. Please donate items for our silent auction and reunion raffle. Proceeds from the silent auction go to the 1st Recon Battalion Association General Fund, while raffle proceeds will be divided between the 1st Marine Division Association Scholarship Fund and our General Fund. Past auction/raffle items have included Marine Corps uniform items, memorabilia, K-Bars, books, military art, & gift certificates. Help your Association. If you can donate something for the auction or raffle, contact Charles “Howdy” Howdyshell at: rlmceh@ntelos.net
1st Recon Bn Association Annual Membership Meeting/Election of Officers: Saturday, 29 August, 1300 -1500. Members attending the Annual Membership Meeting will elect an Associate Director and FMDA Unit Director. Our Association needs directors willing and able to give their time and talent and accept the responsibility of Association leadership.
Recon Cruise Nov. 8 -13, 2010
Our Recon Reunion committee, Dave "Doc" Snider, Carole Snider, Bob Morris and Don Streeter have put together a Recon Reunion for November of 2010 that will be a little different from what we have done before. We are proposing a Caribbean Cruise to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday. Doc and Carole are taking the lead and are working with a travel agent and have found the best value for a cruise to be: November 8 - 13, 2010 Royal Caribbean 'Radiance of the Seas' - a 5-star ship Sailing out of Tampa, FL for 5 nights Attached is a flyer that outlines the itinerary. The same PDF has a second page that is a form to fill out if you want to make a reservation We are currently holding 30 cabins of various types including Balcony, Ocean View & Inside. We need to see what the interest level is fairly quickly. This pricing is only guaranteed for several months so reserve now to assure the lowest fares. The per person pricing based on double occupancy for the 5-night cruise is: Inside Cabin (Category N) $359 plus $51.19 tax Outside Cabin (Category H) $459 plus $51.19 tax Balcony Cabin (Category E3) $549 plus $51.19 tax This is an excellent price for this quality of ship. We will also continue to watch to see if a better price or military discount becomes available. If we get enough people signed up to get a free room or on-board credit, this would all be divided between the group. My wife and I are organizing this purely as volunteers. The refundable deposit for this cruise is $200 per cabin. This is 100% refundable up until the final payment date of August 30, 2010. If you want to sign up for this great cruise please contact Marcy Brown at Zenith Travel, Altamonte Springs, Florida at marcy.zenith@vacation.com or (407) 862-1313 or (800) 336-5355. You can fax the enclosed form to get started. Or, give me a call at (863) 427-1394. Dave 'Doc' Snider Docsnidley@aol.com
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq
4/9/2009 By
Byline
Sgt. Eric C. Schwartz,
Unit
Regimental Combat Team 8
Room clearing in an urban environment is dangerous. Marines have trained
extensively on this subject, applying lessons learned from tough battles
in such places as Seoul during the Korean War, Hue in Vietnam, and most
recently, Fallujah, Iraq. Now the Marine Corps wants to make sure its
Iraqi Army brethren are skilled in close quarters battle as well.
To that end, Reconnaissance Marines with 2nd Platoon, Company B, 1st Reconnaissance
Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 8, have been training Iraqi commandos
with the 7th Iraqi Army Division on fundamental infantry tactics during
a month-long training evolution. As part of the course, the Recon Marines
started honing the Iraqis’ room-clearing skills.
“I was very impressed with today,” said Sgt. Aaron Tenorio,
a team leader with 1st Recon. “Some definitely grasp the concepts
we’re teaching and others it takes a bit more time.”
Tenorio related their learning ability to a group of new Marines, explaining
that some will excel and some will be average learners, while others will
have a hard time.
The Marines started with the basics of room clearing by showing the commandos
the proper way to clear a four-corner room. After instruction, pairs of
Iraqi soldiers demonstrated what they learned while the Marines observed
and critiqued each performance.
“They’re moving too fast,” Tenorio told the interpreter.
“Their hands are bobbing up and down. He didn’t check this
corner properly.”
The interpreter would relay the information in Arabic to the soldiers
and they would start again, and again—and again. Even with the constant
critiques from their instructors, the Iraqis showed improvement without
frustration.
“They get this but with anything, practicing will help them remember
it,” Tenorio said.
Each time the Iraqis separated off to clear a room, a critique was made.
Sometimes the Marines would use hand gestures and repetitive words to
help the Iraqis understand if the interpreter was busy with another group.
“The biggest problem we have here is the language barrier,”
said Cpl. Kacey Butcher, a radio operator with 1st Recon.
Although the teachers and students spoke different languages, the commandos
understood they needed to learn and the Marines understood they needed
to teach.
“Overall, their discipline is good and their officers are locked-on,”
Butcher said. “The more they work with Marines, the more disciplined
they become.”
After two-man room clearing, they later advanced up to five-man room clearing
and detainee handling.
“They’re doing very good for their first day doing room clearing,”
Butcher said.
As the day progressed, the commandos who learned quickly began making
slight critiques to their soldiers on things they need to work on or were
doing wrong.
“These Marines are very well trained,” said Iraqi Army Lt.
Ali Adelkhalef, 2nd platoon commander, 1st Battalion, 7th IA Division.
“Everything we’ve learned is very useful and my soldiers have
learned a lot.”
“I’ve learned a lot during this month and I want to teach
my soldiers how to do this like the Marines,” said Iraqi Army Lance
Cpl. Barra Ishmael Ahmed, a commando with 3rd platoon, 3rd Battalion,
7th IA Division.
The legacy of house-to-house fighting by Marines has been hard fought
and earned through battles in history and in-depth training. Using what
these commandos have learned and through continuous training, they may,
one day, create their own legacy as an elite Iraqi Army unit.
Touch-and-go: 1st Recon Marines teach LZ drills to Iraqi commandos
4/14/2009 By
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq
Sgt. Eric C. Schwartz,
Unit
Regimental Combat Team 8
Dust whipped through the air, blinding anyone looking ahead as the Super Stallions touched down and opened their back hatches. Iraqi commandos poured out in single formation, running to establish two separate 360-degree cordons.
Adding the finishing touch to a month-long Multi National Forces- West training package, Iraqi Commandos with the 7th Iraqi Army Division were taught how to properly embark and disembark CH-53E helicopters April 9, 2009 at the Camp Ripper landing zone, Camp Ripper, Iraq. Instruction was given by Reconnaissance Marines with 2nd platoon, Company B, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 8 on the training evolution.
“It was the first time I’ve ever been in a chopper,” said Iraqi Army Sgt. Omar Muhammed Salem, an Iraqi Army commando with 1st platoon, 2nd Battalion, 7th Iraqi Army Division.
Out of the entire company of Iraqi commandos, only four raised their hands when asked if any had ever flown in a helicopter prior to the training flights. Out of those four, none had ever flown as Iraqi commandos.
“A lot of this is introduction to more advanced (training),” said 1st Lt. Scott Alexander, 2nd platoon commander, Company B, 1st Recon.
Although the commandos practiced only rudimentary air assault movements today, each separate company will eventually train in more advanced special forces tactics.
“The more advanced training will give them more ability to go out with us for bi-lateral missions,” Alexander said.
The commandos have successfully completed operations on par with regular infantrymen, but these men are being educated in the art of reconnaissance and special operations.
“Right now there are no Iraqi units that match Recon’s capabilities,” Alexander said. “They’re a capable infantry unit but we want to build them up to our caliber.”
This month-long package is only the beginning. Military Transition Team 07, Multi National Force - West, plans on furthering commando education with the help from the Recon Marines. With instructors like the Marines and eager students like the Iraqi commandos, it will be a goal completed.
“The MiTT team wants Iraqi special forces at a level where they can be self-sufficient,” said Robert Wise, a special operations foreign internal defense advisor for MiTT-7.
This effort is a joint-decision, derived from the Iraqi commandos’ suggestions for training and MiTT-7 requested instruction from 1st Recon.
“All of this training is Iraqi requested,” Alexander said. “They also asked for advanced training.”
In the near future, the Iraqi commandos and reconnaissance Marines will refine helicopter operations and aerial assaults, along with sniper training.
“They want to get into sniper operations,” Alexander said. “They have actual sniper teams but we’re going to give them the training and discipline expected from Marine snipers.”
The Iraqi commandos have a bright future ahead of them and along with the tutelage given by the reconnaissance Marines, training will intensify but they will be refined into a more capable fighting force.
Recon Challenge pushes teams to the limit
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 27, 2009 8:42:14 EDT
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. The finish line was less than a football field away. Exhausted, Sgt. Paul Peters and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Alex Nielson knew they had to cover the distance carrying three 25-pound water jugs along with nearly 70 pounds of gear required for the inaugural Recon Challenge, a timed 23-mile test of wills held May 9 at Camp Pendleton. It wouldn’t be easy.
“It just kept stretching on and on,” Nielson said of the course. “I just wanted it to be over.”
Hosted by Advanced Infantry Battalion’s Reconnaissance Training Company, Recon Challenge pitted a dozen two-man teams — the foundation of any reconnaissance unit — in a half-dozen events that included running, climbing, swimming and marksmanship. Instructors created the competition, they said, to determine the Corps’ best recon team.
“We want to see who the tough guys are,” said Sgt. Paul Light, a recon instructor.
By the end, Peters, 20, and Nielson, 22, were well in front of their nearest opponents, so they paused to catch their breath before making the final push. Minutes later, they claimed first-place honors.
The men, members of 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion in Japan, completed the race in 12 hours, 33 minutes and 16 seconds — more than 36 minutes ahead of the runners-up. Each earned a Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal and a coveted handmade recon paddle.
Peters and Nielson never doubted they would finish the race, although during that final pause, Peters admitted he wasn’t sure where the finish was.
“Toward the end,” he said, “we thought it was a lot closer, but it turned out to be three or four or five miles.”
The contest began at 2:30 a.m. with a mandatory swim safety check in the Area 53 combat pool. With the clock ticking, teams then knocked out a six-mile hike to the San Onofre beach, where they donned wetsuits and fins and hustled into the chilly Pacific for a 2,000-yard swim.
Once out of the water, the competitors jumped into their desert boots and camouflage to attack an obstacle course at Camp Horno. A small crowd gathered to watch as Peters and Nielson emerged from the hills above, removed their packs and went to work.
As instructors evaluated them, the pair dropped to their knees to disassemble two M4 rifles and then took off for a run through the obstacles, only to return moments later and reassemble the weapons. The disassembly/assembly task isn’t difficult — who hasn’t claimed they can do it blindfolded? — but the event is designed to test whether it can be done while the Marines are tired and sore.
Toward the end of the race, competitors tested their accuracy on the rifle, pistol and grenade ranges. Missed targets tacked on minutes to their time. They could get that time back only by correctly recalling observations from earlier scenarios.
Sound diabolical? That’s by design. Organizers created a course to test skills and strengths — both mental and physical.
“No one was going to say, ‘Wow, that ... was easy,’” Light said.
Maj. Ben Pappas, the company commander, put it this way: “A lot of things that we do are difficult, tiring. They are filled with friction and uncertainty. This is a way we can see their skills and assess” them.
Both men in each team had to complete all events and finish together. For Peters and Nielson, that meant constant communication as they dove into the surf or scrambled up steep hills.
“We were always checking on each other. ‘Are you OK? Cramping? You ought to eat something,’” Peters said.
Teams covered 4,000 feet of elevation in Pendleton’s coastal hills, including the notorious “Recon Ridge” — which some call the “trail of tears.” More than 40 corpsmen were scattered along the course, many waiting at aid stations to check competitors for injuries. A few teams voluntarily dropped out, and medical personnel pulled the plug on at least one other. That’s not always the easiest call to make with a group of hard-charging, Type-A personalities.
In the end, eight of the 12 teams that began the race managed to finish it. Next year, officials hope to tweak the course and possibly open it to nonrecon Marines.
Back at the obstacle course, Gunnery Sgt. Christopher May and teammate Sgt. Steven Goodnight, from Pendleton’s 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, were cheered on by May’s wife and two children. At the final log obstacle, May paused and marveled at how it felt to sit “for the first time in 10 hours.”
“I’m just so proud of him. He looked good,” his wife, Kathy, said after the event. “I knew he’d be the oldest — he’s 35 — but he got really excited” about the race. “I made him spaghetti the other night, told him to eat lots of carbohydrates.”
Apparently, the robust meal made quite a difference. May and Goodnight finished third overall.
“He’s got such a sense of pride for getting it done,” she said.
The finishers
Eight of the 12 two-man teams that began the inaugural “Recon Challenge”
at Camp Pendleton, Calif., made it to the finish line. They are:
1st place
Sgt. Paul A. Peters and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Alex J. Nielson
3rd Recon Battalion, Okinawa, Japan
Time: 12 hours, 33 minutes, 16 seconds
2nd place
Sgt. Caleb M. Medley and Sgt. Mark E. Rawson
1st Recon Battalion, Camp Pendleton
Time: 13:09:40
3rd place
Gunnery Sgt. Christopher L. May and Sgt. Steven E. Goodnight
1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Pendleton
Time: 13:25:01
4th place
Sgt. Adam J. Haley and Sgt. Michael J. Vargas
3rd Recon Battalion
Time: 13:35:25
5th place
Maj. John J. Miles and Cpl. Brian A. Robinson
4th Recon Battalion, San Antonio, Texas.
Time: 14:11:38
6th place
Gunnery Sgt. Jed M. Owen
1st Marine Special Operations Battalion
Capt. John R. Collins
1st Recon Battalion
Time: 14:23:03
7th place
Sgt. Stephen W. Moreland and Sgt. Brian W. Robertson
4th Recon Battalion
Time: 14:36:00
8th place
Sgt. Adam R. Sorensen and Sgt. Michael L. James
1st Recon Battalion
Time: 14:40:20
Recon-improvement plan pays off for Corps
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writerPosted : Monday Jun 22, 2009 7:00:46 EDT
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.
They endured countless hours of swimming and finning in the combat pool
and then in the open, cold ocean.
They covered miles with heavy combat packs over steep hills
and sandy beaches. They fought strong ocean currents and big swells to
drive and navigate their rubber boats.
In this class of newly trained and longtime infantrymen, all
dreaming of becoming reconnaissance Marines, many questioned whether they
had the grit to complete the grueling course.
So they were especially proud to step onto the School of Infantry-West
parade deck June 12 for graduation ceremonies from the Marine Corps’
Basic Reconnaissance Course, after nine weeks of training by Reconnaissance
Training Company. The Marines survived the course and earned the coveted
title and 0321 military occupational specialty of a recon Marine.
The high tempo at the course reflects some of the successes
in the Corps’ effort to rebuild and reshape its reconnaissance community,
positioning it for ongoing wars and future combat operations. Known simply
as “Fix Recon,” the effort to grow and evolve the Corps’
capability has been ongoing for a decade, but it may be finally drawing
to a close.
The men of Class 05-09 are the Corps’ newest group of
trained reconnaissance Marines and soon will report to an active-duty
or reserve recon unit. About 600 Marines, and a few dozen Navy corpsmen,
will graduate from the course this year — roughly 120 Marines won’t
make it — entering a community that has grown exponentially since
the war in Afghanistan began.
Fixing Recon
In 2001, the Corps had roughly 550 billets for reconnaissance Marines.
Today, that number has tripled and keeps growing, with the fiscal 2009
requirement for active-duty units at about 2,038, said Maj. Brian Gilman,
the 0321 occupational field manager at Plans, Policies and Operations
branch in Washington.
He said that figure is expected to increase slightly by 2012 as part
of an initiative aimed at the Corps’ force reconnaissance capabilities
and units.
“Fix Recon” began with a 1999 directive by then-Commandant
Gen. James L. Jones to look at equipment, manning, training and other
issues. After Sept. 11, deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq followed,
along with the birth of Marine Corps Special Operations Command and the
Corps’ growth to 202,000.
“There has been a lot of changes since ‘Fix Recon’
happened,” Gilman said. “We’ve had to adjust to that.”
Continual deployments meant more demands on recon and concerns about
capacity issues, he said. Standing up MarSOC, for instance, shifted 26
percent of those assets away from the Marine expeditionary forces.
High retention has helped keep the Corps rolling. New recruiting initiatives
— such as an upcoming program beginning in October that gives new
recon Marines five-year orders so they can spend more operational time
with their unit — should buy even more time.
The recon community is shaping up. The “Fix Recon” initiative
is in the third and final implementation phase, as officials work on an
assessment of ground recon capabilities for the Marine air-ground task
force, a study that looks at capabilities the Corps will need 10 years
from now.
The Marine Requirements Oversight Council is expected to get the initial
capabilities document in September, he added.
Consolidated training
The health of the recon community hinges greatly on pulling enough well-trained
men into the recon pipeline. One big change began two years ago, when
the Corps decided to merge the East Coast-based Amphibious Reconnaissance
School and the West Coast-based BRC into a single course at Camp Pendleton,
housed at SOI-West under its Advanced Infantry Training Battalion.
Centralizing training at one location meant operational recon battalions
no longer had to recruit and screen future recon Marines, enabling them
to focus on training, preparing and deploying platoons overseas.
“We took that burden off of them,” Gilman said.
The Corps now has a single training syllabus and, officials note, a more
consistent training pipeline for all recon Marines — whether active
duty or reserve, or filling a billet at division recon, Force reconnaissance
companies or MarSOC’s special operations companies.
“Standardization of training was definitely one of those concerns,”
Gilman said.
At Camp Pendleton, the recon growth is perhaps felt most at SOI-West,
where its Recon Training Company will train and graduate eight classes
this fiscal year and where instructors are preparing to ramp up with a
ninth class in 2010. In mid-June, the company was “triple stacked,”
with three classes on deck as Class 05-09 headed into its final week.
It’s usually busy, as new students wait to begin their class while
others spend weeks or months with one of the platoons, preparing themselves
to meet the tough physical fitness standards to successfully screen for
the course.
Newly graduated Marines assigned the 0321 MOS report to their recon unit
ready for follow-on individual and unit-level training ahead of deploying,
a benefit their operational units appreciate, said Col. Brennan Byrne,
who commands SOI-West.
“The guy gets to the unit a vetted recon Marine,” Byrne said.
“We’ve increased the operational deployability numbers. He
will be a full-up round.”
The recon training pipeline will likely be expanded to include a Recon
Team Leaders Course, which SOI officials hope to begin this fall with
four classes each fiscal year, and eventually other courses for unit leaders.
“We now have the opportunity to train the force as you wish to
see the force,” Byrne said.
Standards remain tough
While the syllabus has been tweaked, Byrne said, the standards have not
been reduced.
“We’ve actually increased standards in a number of areas,”
he said. “We’re taking the approach that we are building the
basic recon Marine, we are building the team leader, and we are building
the unit leader.”
Students must score at least 225 on the Physical Fitness Test by training
day 21, get at least a first-class water safety qualification to graduate,
and meet the standard for a 1-kilometer ocean swim and 8-mile hikes with
50-pound packs, among other requirements.
About three-quarters of BRC students are entry level Marines —
recent infantry school graduates — and about one-quarter are junior
Marines, including corporals and sergeants from noninfantry MOSs. Handfuls
of Navy corpsmen hoping to become amphibious reconnaissance corpsmen also
attend.
BRC graduation rates now average about 80 percent, a big improvement
from the roughly 50 percent who graduated from the courses years ago.
Instructors and leaders give much credit to their local initiative —
Marines Awaiting Recon Training, or MART — created to prepare and
mentor Marines and sailors readying to join a new BRC class or those students
recovering from an injury or illness.
Despite the name, “It’s not a basic skills set. It is an
advanced skill set,” said Capt. James Richardson, Reconnaissance
Training Company commander. “You expect more from a reconnaissance
Marine.”
So the Marines — many are privates first class, instructors noted
— soon find out that more is expected of them from the get-go.
“They are calling in live-fire mortars in this course,” Richardson
said. “That’s unheard of. Most men in the infantry, they’re
probably corporals or sergeants before they get this opportunity.”
The training isn’t for the faint of heart. Even the third phase,
which includes operating boats in the surf zone, can be taxing, sending
at least one student in each class to the corpsman or the hospital.
Recon Marines, Richardson notes, will have greater responsibilities.
One day, that recon Marine will be a team leader briefing a Marine expeditionary
unit commander.
“He is absolutely responsible for that mission,” said Capt.
Bart Lambert, BRC officer-in-charge. “Preparing him for that, that’s
the goal.”
So the company established MART Platoon so students can improve their
fitness levels before beginning the course. It works — about 90
percent in MART graduate from the course.
The platoon can tailor the training to help students with anything, even
tying knots, said Richardson, who calls its four instructors the “unsung
heroes.”
Many students, said chief instructor Sgt. Lynn Westover, don’t
have enough strength and endurance for the long runs with heavy packs
and often struggle to swim with combat gear and fins longer than two kilometers.
The water piece is a tough nut to crack, instructors say.
Several Marines said the extra MART training and mentoring are huge.
“The instructors got us into shape. ... They encourage you,”
said Lance Cpl. Gary Manders, 19, who improved his swim during three months
at MART and saw his PFT score jump from 220 to 276.
Lambert said that BRC classes have averaged 260 by the training day 21,
and recent classes hit 275. Three students tallied course records in the
run (17:05), crunches (160) and pull-ups (45), he added.
“I didn’t know what I was getting into,” Manders said.
“I was weak in all areas, especially the water.”
THINK YOU’VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES?
Considering a move to reconnaissance? Here’s what you need to know:
Getting in the door
To obtain the coveted 0321 military occupational specialty, Marines must
graduate from the Basic Recon Course, taught at the School of Infantry-West’s
Recon Training Company, Camp Pendleton, Calif. To get there, you must
be a U.S. citizen fluent in English and meet a handful of other requirements,
including:
• Score 105 or higher on your General Technical test.
• Have completed Infantry Training Battalion course, for enlisted Marines.
• Have a 3rd Class swim qualification. (You will have to reach 1st Class by the end of Phase 1.)
• Score at least 200 on your physical fitness test. (You will need a first-class score of at least 225 during Phase 1.)
• Have normal color vision and good eyesight — at least 20/200.
Once you’re there
The nine-week BRC has three phases:
• Phase 1. Four weeks. Focuses on a wealth of individual skills, including swimming, finning, rucksack hiking, land navigation, helicopter rope suspension training, communications and supporting arms.
• Phase 2. Three weeks. Focuses on combat patrolling with a mix of classroom and field training, including a nine-day exercise in full mission profiles.
• Phase 3. Two weeks. Held in Coronado, Calif. Focuses on amphibious reconnaissance, boat operations and nautical navigation.
Where you’ll go
Recon billets at Marine operational units include:
• 1st Recon Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton.
• Force Recon Company, 1st Recon Battalion.
• 2nd Recon Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
• Force Company, 2nd Recon Battalion.
• 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, Okinawa, Japan.
• 4th Recon Battalion (reserve), San Antonio, Texas.
• 3rd Force Recon Company (reserve), Mobile, Ala.
• 4th Force Recon Company (reserve), Alameda, Calif.
• Marine Corps Special Operations Command.
__________________
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
Sponsor A Current 1st Reconner
Association members are encouraged to sponsor a Current 1st Recon Marine or Corpsman as your guest at the reunion luncheon. Please contact Charlie Kershaw if you would like to sponsor a Reconner.
Dalton Sportswear
John Dalton, Charlie Co. 77/80, has taken over the duties as the official 1st Recon Association gear locker. He has a main line business for all your 1st Recon needs. He does a much better job than I was able to do. His merchandise is guaranteed to be Recon tough. Click on the link above to visit his on line store.
Looking For
Click on the name to contact the person looking
My name is Patty Charland and I was looking for anything on the internet
about my friend David Delisle who passed away maybe 4 years ago today.
.. He was a Marine during Vietnam. His last years were spent here in Niantic
Ct. with his two dogs.. Loud, kooky guy.. when my son went to Iraq in
2003, Dave called me daily and little by little his stories spilled out,
tiny bits of his life. I think he was a Reconner.. A Sgt.. I'm sure of
it.. Weeks before he died, he brought to me his Marine Corps uniform and
a few pieces of camouflage clothing he had worn. I had no idea he would
be gone so soon, he stayed to himself with no family ties. Great guy,
wrote poetry.. If anyone has any info, I would love it.
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I'm preparing an article about military watches and in particular one
that I own that had once belonged to Sgt Major Jacques. I purchased the
watch from his nephew, Chistopher Lee, a few years ago and am now hoping
to find a few photos of Sgt. Major Jacques. Do you by chance have any
photos of the Sgt. Major you'd be willing to share, or perhaps know someone
who I might contact who may ?
My article is certainly not being written for any monetary gain - I am
simply very interested in military history and hope in some small way
my article is of interest and useful for future use.
Best regards,
William Schorr
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Anyone know a Recon Marine, Albert Jackson, served circa 1972-1973,
from New Orleans? You meet a lot of BS artists here, but this homeless
guy volunteered the above details without any prompting and without my
saying that I was also a Recon Marine, albeit from another generation.
He said he couldn't remember his unit and mentioned details about both
San Diego and Norfolk (and mentioned Rota, Spain). He's pretty
mentally gone, so who knows where he may have picked up some random
bits of information. But parts of his story sounds legit.
Semper Fidelis
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2009 "Harbor Site" for the "Green Ghosts"
The Tenth Annual Reunion of "Charlie" Co., 1st Recon will be held at the Bar Harbor Inn, Bar Harbor, Maine on the following dates: Arrival Date, Thursday, September 3, 2009 Depart on Sunday, September 6, 2009 We have a block of 12 rooms set aside at the Bar Harbor Inn, Bar harbor, Maine. Room rates are in a package deal as follows: Non-Ocean View $899.00 includes tax and gratuity Ocean Front Ground Floor $1,349.00 includes tax and gratuity Ocean Front 2nd Floor $1,384.00 includes tax and gratuity Includes the following: 1 Full Dinner 1 Down East Lobster Bake 3 Full Breakfasts 2 ˝ hour harbor cruise Or Acadia Park Tour $20 Gift Shop Credit Reservations must be made no later than June 1, 2009. Call the Bar Harbor Inn at 800-248-3351 to make reservations. Please inform them at the time of reservation that you are a part of the "Charlie Co., 1st Recon group. Please remember to tell them whether you want a ground floor room or a second floor room. Ocean front rooms offer two queen beds or one king, and a private balcony directly overlooking the ocean – with a Spectacular View. Non-ocean view rooms offer two queen beds or one king with patios or balconies overlooking the grounds. All rooms have air conditioning, heat, touchtone phones, voice mail, wireless internet access (nominal fee), remote control cable television and VCRs or DVDs, refrigerators, coffee makers, hair dryers, in room safes and robes. Average Temp for September 3 – 6 - Hi 73 - Low 52 Check-in Time – 2:00PM Check-out Time – 11:00 AM Deposit – Reservations require an advance payment by check or credit card equal to one night's lodging. Refund – For cancellations received at least ten days prior to confirmed arrival date the deposit is refundable, less a $25.00 administrative fee. Bar Harbor Inn Oceanfront Resort Newport Drive, Bar harbor, ME 04609 207-288-3351 800-248-3351 www.barharborinn.com The Bar Harbor Inn was awarded "One of the top 500 Hotels in the World" by Travel & Leisure Magazine, January 2008. Bar Harbor, Maine is located on Mt. Desert Island, approximately 50 miles southeast of Bangor 175 miles northeast of Portland 290 miles northeast of Boston 350 miles northeast of Providence 512 miles northeast of New York City 575 miles southeast of Montreal By Car Take I-95 to Bangor, exit 182 A (formerly exit 45A), continue on I-395 to exit 6A, and drive East on Rt. 1A to Ellsworth, then Rt. 3 to Bar Harbor or Take I-95 to Augusta, exit 109 (formerly exit 30), and follow Rt. 3 to Bar Harbor (A bit longer, but more scenic). By Air The Bar Harbor - Hancock County Airport is 12 miles from the Bar Harbor Inn. The airport is served by: US Airways 1-800-428-4322 with direct or connecting flights from Boston. Bangor International Airport served by: American Airlines 800-433-7300 Continental 800-523-3273 Delta 800-221-1212 Northwest Airlines 800-225-2525 US Air 800-428-4322 Bangor airport is only 50 miles from the Inn. This is the Tenth Annual Reunion of "Charlie" Co., 1st Recon We would like to see a good turn-out guys! Remember you're not getting any younger! And for those who have been putting off attending the reunions, always saying maybe next year, well this is next year and it's time you said "I'm Going!". This is a very popular place and will fill up quickly, so I encourage you to make your reservations early. We only have 12 rooms set aside based on past attendance but we would like to see twice that many make reservations and join us at our tenth annual get together. We can do this if everyone will make their reservations early. Let's all of us do a little arm twisting and get someone who has not been attending to make this one. I would like to see everyone make their reservations by November 30th of this year, if possible, because the Inn closes for the winter on November 30th and doesn't open back up until March of 2009. I will be sending out emails to let you know how it's coming along and to bug you to make those reservations
Kenneth King Charlie Co. 66/67