Sgt Grit's Holiday BS Page Volume 1

Memorial Day 2009

Sgt. Grit

On Memorial Day 2009, the little town of Florence, Oregon dedicated our Veteran's Memorial Park. This was a project that started over 5 years ago and finally became a reality. I included a picture of the ceremony as well as one of the panel of bricks which are engraved with names of veterans. Also pictured are some of the people responsible for making it happen. 3rd MarDiv vets Terry Robertson C/2/26, 1st Sgt. Tony Cavarno, and fellow corpsman Dean Hirst A/1/9.

Can't forget former 3rd Recon Marine Wally Shoults and Mustang Marine Maj. Nick Ostreyko (who will be 92 years old in a couple of weeks and is the only one of us that still fits in his uniform).

Doc John Connally

Home for Christmas! Cpl. Nicholas Xiarhos

Cpl. Nicholas George Xiarhos
On Friday, May 15, 2009 under a cerulean blue North Carolina sky, my wife and I watched our oldest son, Marine Cpl. Nicholas George Xiarhos; go off to war in Afghanistan.

Earlier in the week we gathered Nicholas’s three younger siblings together and drove all night from Yarmouthport, Massachusetts to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., to visit with him and his brother Marines and then watch them get on the buses to start their important but dangerous 7-month mission to seek out and clear the enemy out of several vital areas and cities in southern Afghanistan. Nicholas is 21 years old and is a Class of 2006 graduate of Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School. He fought in Iraq last year, and thanks to his brother Marines, returned home safe for Thanksgiving. He now joins fellow DYRHS class of 2006 classmates, Marine Cpl. Andrew Coville and Marine Lance Cpl. John Tibbetts as part of the historic Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Afghanistan. All 3 fought together in Iraq and now in Afghanistan.

We look forward to all of the Marines accomplishing their mission and their safe return this Christmas…that will be the best Christmas present ever!!!

- Steven, Lisa, Alexander, Elizabeth, and Ashlynne Xiarhos
- Yarmouthport, Massachusetts

Marine Corporal, Michael A. Phillips

My son went to boot camp Oct. 15, 2007 / graduated 1/11/08 ~ graduated MCT 3/3/08 - graduated MOS at a FIELD MP 6/11/08 and departed 9/26/08 for the SAND till April 09. This is our 2nd year apart during all the holidays that mean so much to family along with his birthday in April. When he signed we all did and with pride and love for him and our GREAT COUNTRY I take one day at a time till he is back on American soil. I have decorated his room with 2 trees that will be up till he returns with his Christmas waiting for him. I want to THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your newsletters, site and store. They have all helped me a GREAT deal and my husband SWEARS to people that we now have a Marine museum and that Sgt. Grit calls me when they need something that they don't have in stock. HA HA! I have filled my home and wardrobe with MANY wonderful things from your store and hope someday to be able to visit you in Oklahoma and hug the necks of those that assist me in my collecting. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

VPMM Kim
LCPL Leonard in the SAND

"Freedom is Not Free But a US MARINE will pay most of your share." ~ Ned Dolan

"The storms of life no more indicate the absence of God than clouds indicate the absence of the sun." ~John Blanchard

LCpl Leondard's tree

My son went to boot camp Oct. 15, 2007 / graduated 1/11/08 ~ graduated MCT 3/3/08 - graduated MOS at a FIELD MP 6/11/08 and departed 9/26/08 for the SAND till April 09. This is our 2nd year apart during all the holidays that mean so much to family along with his birthday in April. When he signed we all did and with pride and love for him and our GREAT COUNTRY I take one day at a time till he is back on American soil. I have decorated his room with 2 trees that will be up till he returns with his Christmas waiting for him. I want to THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your newsletters, site and store. They have all helped me a GREAT deal and my husband SWEARS to people that we now have a Marine museum and that Sgt. Grit calls me when they need something that they don't have in stock. HA HA! I have filled my home and wardrobe with MANY wonderful things from your store and hope someday to be able to visit you in Oklahoma and hug the necks of those that assist me in my collecting. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

VPMM Kim
LCPL Leonard in the SAND

"Freedom is Not Free But a US MARINE will pay most of your share." ~ Ned Dolan

"The storms of life no more indicate the absence of God than clouds indicate the absence of the sun." ~John Blanchard

5th Deployment...Merry Christmas

My husband is on his 5th deployment and he send me a pic of the tree I sent him. His guys helped with decorating the tree. I thought I would share with you what they did :)
Thanks and Enjoy!
Elizabeth Lynn

Our Military Tree

Our tree is covered with flags representing all branches of the service to honor our son Vince, a first lieutenant in the Marines serving his second tour of duty in Iraq during another Christmas season. And for all those are fighting for our country. So that we can continue to enjoy our freedoms without fear of reprisal on U.S. soil. May God Bless and keep you and yours!

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays Sgt Grit...To You and Yours -

Respectfuuly - Jeffrey Cox

Former Marine Corps Sgt

Christmas M-14

Yo Grit,

Thanks for the newsletter and a special thanks to you and your staff for your support of Marines, past, present & future.

Was with FLSG Alpha from September, 1966 through April, 1968, & FLSG Bravo @ Dong Ha from April 1968 through October 1968. At the time that the attached photo was taken, I was assigned to Motor Transport Maintenance Company, FLSG Alpha, @ DaNang (across the street from dogpatch).

At Christmas time, I remember that my mother would send our hooch a care package containing garland, chocolate chip cookies, salami & cheese and a plastic quart bottle of Jim Beam (yum). We decorated our hooch & we'd sit & talk about families & girlfriends. RD Stepp would play guitar & Gregg Lappan was Dynamite on his borrowed drums. My M-14 was decorated with loving respect.

Merry Christmas to you and your staff, and Merry Christmas to all Marines & Corpsmen, and to all who support our military. You are all held in reverence.

Cpl. Hugh J. Roche

A Christmas Story

When I arrived in Okinawa in December of 1973 I was very fortunate to be assigned to the 3rd Recon Battalion. The small group of us mostly new to Corps Marines were immediately put to the test during our RIP training. We were up early, wet, cold and working late every day. But on Christmas Eve our intstructors Sgt. Abbey and Sgt. Cook decided we needed a break to celebrate Christmas so we were sent to find a tree. We could not find a suitable fir tree on Ona Point so one of our platoon was designated to serve as the tree. Pvt. Davis made a great tree, we had a short break from training and a good laugh to boot.

Sgt. Dave Andrews
3rd Recon Bn. 1973-1974

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