It only lasted 20 minutes and may have seemed odd to those who have not sat through a military memorial before for its straight-forwardness and abrupt ending. However, it was obvious as the men and their wives exited the chapel that the somber memorial was a chance to remember and thank those who gave their lives for their country.
The memorial service started the first annual reunion
weekend for the veterans and current enlisted Marines of the Third Battalion
First Marines of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. The main event of the
reunion weekend was a ball, which took place on November 10th, 2012,
the 237th birthday of the Marine Corps.
Marines are a special breed, and that was prevalent
when the 40 Marines and 1 Corpsman met November 10th with smiles, hugs, dinner,
and drinks. The men sounded as if they
were actual family even though many hadn't seen each other in some cases for over seven years.
Sax, who was the senior
enlisted man during 3/1's deployment to Iraq in 2004, planned the reunion.
When asked why he decided to hold the reunion, Sax said,
"I felt it would be good for the Men of the BN (Battalion) to come
together, other than going to war."
Marines from all over the United States came back to where
it all began.
The reunion was held at a golf course in San Clemente, CA,
just miles from where these men had trained for war just years before.
3/1, an infantry battalion, is stationed in Camp Pendleton,
CA.
With drinks and dinner, Marines and their wives or dates
"smoked and joked" about the good old days.
Kyle Hicks noted that Marines "become a unit as close
as a family and closer, they go through hell together and become unable to
forget the times that were good and bad. It keeps them in each others' minds
always, and it will for sure keep them coming together for the rest of their
lives."
Sax agreed, " you are taught from the
time you come in the Corps that you will always be a Marine for the rest of
your life, in our case the time we have spent in combat also built on the bond
we will have for ever."
As the night wound down and it was obvious that they were
not going to be able to drink the bar out of alcohol, it was time to say
goodbye. With hand shakes and hugs, the
Marines went their separate ways, back to a world that doesn't always
understand them. However, for two days
they had the opportunity to be back among brothers.
When asked why it was important to attend the reunion,
Matthew Gonzalez said he "attended
the reunion because there were people there that I care about. The situations
we faced collectively cannot be replicated in the civilian world, and being together
with them makes me feel understood."
At a Glance:
When:
November 9 and 10, 2012
What: 3/1
Reunion (Iraq/Afghanistan)
Who: Those who sacrificed
