September 4, 2023

Hey Everyone,

What a great Reunion we had in Washington DC.  Thank you to everyone who came.  I got so many comments about all the activities but want to look at a few.  Probably the biggest surprise to many was the great time we had at the Naval Academy.  They welcomed us with open arms.  The campus is beautiful, and we learned a lot.  But the most talk was about the lunch where we shared our tables with some of the cadets and active-duty Marines.  We had the great pleasure of visiting with such impressive young people.  These extraordinary students made quite an impression on us.  We're in good hands.  They learned a lot from us too.  The Naval Academy Marine Major who helped me with all of this was also impressed.  He said the Naval Academy had never done anything like this before.  He thought it was a big hit and would like to see some future events like it at the Academy.

The Evening Parade is always a highlight.  It was very nice to have several of the Marines visit with us prior to the show.  There were several hometown connections.  The pomp and circumstance, the music and the marching are all so nice.  But the showstopper, of course, is the Silent Drill Platoon.  What an evening.

The ladies found the Marjorie Post estate and gardens magnificent.  There was so much to see there, and it was so beautiful they reported.

Lots of people enjoyed the City Lights tour.  It is always good to go to the Arlington Cemetery and the Vietnam Wall.  The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico is always a must stop.  There have been updates since our last time there as a group 10 years ago.

Two events have become must-do evenings.  The Meet and Greet is not only for socializing with good food, but we usually do some things there.  The last two years I handed out beautiful Purple Heart carvings by our own amazing Roger Henry.  We also have used that opportunity for you to have a say.  The last two years you voted on future reunion sites, and dates.  The other event is the ice cream social.  Just get all that stuff on your ice cream and have fun slurping it up while visiting with each other.

We finished off the Reunion with a beautiful banquet.  MajGen Len (Loni) Anderson was a very dynamic speaker, looking at the future on the Marine Corps.  We also had guests MajGen Dave Bligh, Judge Advocate, attorney to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Col Marlin Williams, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa, and Medal of Honor recipient Barney Barnum (who is a member).  Barney just had the latest US Navy Destroyer named for him, What an amazing honor.

Next year our reunion will be in Nashville, Tennessee, August 19-25, 2024.  See you there.

The very best to all of you!

Semper Fidelis,
Robert North, President
3rd Marine Division Association, Inc.