Sgt. Grit,
When I went on an Honor Flight to Washington, DC. out of Jacksonville, Florida (All in one day), I could not resist having my picture taken at our USMC Memorial Statue (since I am an IWO JIMA survivor) and paying tribute with a salute. I also have a miniature of said statue on a shelf above my desk at home. Once a Marine, always a Marine.
On another subject which has taken up space in your newsletter lately is my being sent to USMCRD San Diego, despite the fact that I enlisted in New York City, which of course is definitely east of the Mississippi. This was about seven weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor (1-23-42 was my enlistment date in the regulars), and Parris Island was full. So, I got a four day train ride (fortunately in Pullman cars) from Penn Station to San Diego. I didn't board in time to get a lower berth, but being only 18, it was no problem to climb into an upper berth. One advantage to the whole thing was that I got travel pay from San Diego back to New York when I was discharged in 1946, and at the time my wife was in Chicago, which is where I disembarked (from the train of course). They weren't flying troops then, yet.
Cpl. Bill Daw
currently in Jacksonville, Florida