: I n the summer of 2002, my son Jeremy was surfing the web seeking info about joining the usmc
: when he found the 2/5 web-site. Upon my birthday in may,he and my wife of thirty years gave me my reservations at Charleston
: and one thousans dollars spending money and told me that I would be attending the 2002 gathering.
: Having been a farmer with my nose to the grindstone for all these years since the war,, I can not begin to tell you what this
: special gift has meant to me. Since then,there has been a full-time re-union with my family.
: There are four Viet-Nam veterans within my family of seven brothers, beginning in 1965 and lasting until I left in Oct 1969.
: My mother is the only woman that I have ever heard of who had four sons serve in that war, and for some reason, since I went to Charleston
: for re-union 2002,, we all seem to talk to each other more.
: Two of my brothers were 2311 , with FLC at Da-Nang ,one was Navy with PBR at Nha-Trang, and I was the only grunt, and for some odd reason,
: the four of us could never talk about our times there.
: Being a marine has a revered history in our family, beginning with my father in WW 2, his younger brother in korea, and the four of us in RVN, and now it
: looks as though my son will carry on that tradition.
: I would like to thank whoever is responsible for starting the family of 2/5, as well as for the re-union that has been going on in my family since Charleston.I had
: the most healing time that anyone could imagine,and it goes on.
: So much love to all,,gene