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4th MARINE DIVISION ASSOCIATION
GRAND CANYON CHAPTER 33 

 

  

COMMEMORATION OF "FIGHTING FOURTH OF WWII" ARIZONA 

The 4th Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps was formed by the organization and redesignation of several other units and was formally activated on August 14, 1943.  After intensive training, the "Fighting Fourth of WWII" shipped out on January 13, 1944, and in 13 months made four major amphibious assaults, in the battles of Kwajalein (Roi-Namur), Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.  On Iwo Jima, the 4th Marine Division along with the 3rd and 5th Marine Divisions were given the dubious honor of assaulting the miserable hell hole of Iwo Jima and landed on February 19, 1945 - 67 years ago.  Please join us in commemorating the "Fighting Fourth of WWII" for their valor and sacrifices at the 4th Marine Division memorial, north side of Wesley Bolin Plaza, Phoenix. 

Friday. February 24, 2012

12:00 p.m.

4th Marine Division Memorial Service
Wesley Bolin Plaza, Phoenix 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Rick Romley, United States Marine Vietnam Veteran

1:00 p.m.
Lunch w/4thMarDiv Grand Canyon Chapter 33
Oaxaca
1516 W. Van Buren
Phoenix, AZ  85007
602 258-0804   ("Dutch") 

 

 

ODE to BEN

There once was a fellow named Ben
Who joined an elite group of men
Called the US Marine Corps
It was what he was meant for
So he gave it 100 plus 10 

I’ve known many Marines in my years
But this one was tops with his peers
On Iwo he fought
Your freedom he bought
So I think he deserves a few cheers 

 I’ll never know how, why, or when
But I’ve always enjoyed contacts with Ben
This favor I ask
That you do this small task
Please remember my friend now and then.
By Dennis Kavanaugh

 

On April 26, 2011, Dennis Kavanaugh and I joined a group of WW II veterans and went to Washington, D.C. to visit the WW II Memorial, courtesy of the Honor Flight Organization. ( www.honorflight.org )

The vets met at Sky Harbor Airport at 8:00 AM on Tuesday the 26th and were met by a  group of dedicated Honor Flight volunteers who took care of handling our baggage and all of our needs. There we were issued Honor Flight T-shirts which we donned there and wore for the entire expedition. We were also issued a great box lunch for  the trip

We left Phoenix at 10:20 AM and arrived in Baltimore at 8:15 PM. We were allowed to board the airplane before the regular passengers. Then on arrival in Baltimore, we disembarked together and as we entered the airport an announcement was made that we were WW II vets and the crowd went wild with cheering and clapping and as we made our way through the lines, everyone offered handshakes and “Thank yous”. It was really heart warming.

We then were bussed to our hotel where after a short time of freshening up, we were dined in a hall in the hotel.

Wednesday morning we received a wake-up call at 5:00 AM, had breakfast in the hotel and boarded our bus at 7:00 AM for a trip to Washington. First stop was the Capitol Building from 8:45 until 11:30 when we took the bus again and moved to the World War II Memorial followed by a move to the Vietnam Wall, the Lincoln Memorial, the Air Force Memorial and the Korean Memorial. Next stop was the Iwo Jima Memorial from which we were bussed to Arlington National Cemetery for the 5 o”clock changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

After that whirlwind tour of activity we returned to the hotel in Baltimore. There we attended another banquet and short talks from the floor regarding our experience.

Wednesday night we were allowed to sleep in until our 7:00 AM wake-up call came. We had breakfast in the hotel again and boarded the bus at 8:45 for a trip to Fort McHenry,  the site a battle during the War of 1812 when the national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key. At 10:45 we proceeded to the Baltimore Airport. Box lunches were passed out and we took a plane to HOME, Phoenix, Arizona. On the plane we received packets of letters and Thank You notes from family and friends which had been sent to the Honor Flight Organization for distribution on the way home. What a delightful surprise.

At Sky Harbor we were met again with cheers and thanks with an American Legion Honor Guard, a Junior CAP unit and many friends and well-wishers.

Enough can’t be said of the Honor Flight Volunteers. They were wonderful and took great care  of us. I told Daisy, my wife, that I was spoiled and she would have to take better care of me…it was worth a try.

 

Glenn Thompson

 

 

Web Master: www.fightingfourtharizona.com

And www.post75sunnyslope.com