Happy Birthday to all Marines. My Dad was a Marine in WWII, served in the Pacific. He has a newspaper picture of him landing on Guadalcanal (or was it Iwo Jima?)
My Dad never talked about the war much. But, after Mom's funeral in 2002, the family all got together (me, my 4 brothers and their wives and kids and grandkids, and Dad). Dad started talking about old times and that picture in the paper came up. He said that when he got out of the landing craft, shells exploded around him killing the guys on his right and left. Someone then said, "a few feet either way and none of us would be here!".
Thanks to all those who served and those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.