Captain William D. Glynn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Marine Corps League Detachment #128

Members of the Captain William D. Glynn Detachment No. 128 of the Marine Corps League of Haverhill salute as taps are played as a new flagpole is dedicated in the section where Spanish American War veterans are buried at Elmwood Cemetery on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
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On Saturday May 16^th Detachment Commandant Dick Broadnax and Jr Vice Comdt  Tom Rudden attended the Armed Forces Day event at Fort Devens .
When we arrived there we found the event in full swing.   There were several bands that played from the bandstand. Everything from Country, Oldies, Rock.  In front of the bandstand  there were picnic tables to sit and listen to the music or to have lunch.

The food service provided was excellent. The Hotdogs  Burgers and Ribs were served by a great bunch from the Texas Road House.

During lunch we had a chance to talk with a World War II vet who arrived in his D-Day uniform. 

Later we toured the static displays of trucks and a Coast Guard boat.  There were several tents hosting everything from  fresh honey with a cage full of live honey bees,  American Legion,  The USO and a shop selling hats bumper stickers and pins.

We had a great time talking with the Marine Recruiters there.  They had a portable pull-up bar.  We were able to get away with a few Marine Corps stickers and Dick got him a nice USMC baseball cap just for knowing Chesty Puller.

There was a group of remote controlled airplanes flying and one of the aircraft was a replica of a WWII British Spitfire with D-Day Markings.

The Coast Guard had one of their patrol boats on display.

The Army had a great display of rifles from several eras.  They had an M-1, an AK-47,  A Japanese sniper rifle and a fighting knife used by one of Rogers Raiders during the war in the Pacific. Very exciting to hold a piece of history in your hand.

There was  a group of WWII vehicles on display from the Rhode Island Military Vehicle Collectors Club on display.  While admiring the trucks and Jeeps we bumped into Chief Jones.  The Chief entered the Marine Corps  back in 1946. He trained at Montford point.  Back then the Corps was not integrated and black marines trained separately.  Later he joined the Army and became a crew chief on Huey’s.  We spent about an hour and a half talking with Chief Jones. Truly a living legend. There are only a few Montford Point Marines left.

On Thursday February 19^th the detachment participated in the Massachusetts State Iwo Jima Day Memorial Service in Boston.    We mustered in front of the Samuel Adams Statue in Faneuil Hall at 10:30am.  By 11:30 we began to march to the State House for the memorial service.  The route started on Congress Street at Faneuil Hall and turned right onto Court Street where we passed the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans.  The Parade turned left on to Tremont Street and proceeded towards the Boston Common where we turned right, marched up Park Street and then left again onto Beacon Street where the parade fell into formation in front of the State House. Outside the state house there was  a memorial ceremony  with a gun salute of three volleys and then taps.

Following the parade we were invited into the State House to participate in a service honoring the Veterans’ of the Iwo Jima invasion on the 64th anniversary of the landings.

After many speeches and a few awards there was a nice lunch provided followed by two giant sheet cakes decorated with the Marine Corps emblem and a depiction of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.

Marching towards the Boston Common along Tremont Street