A quick update for blog followers:
I met a gent named Bill Michels, Jr. at the reunion. Bill’s dad, 1Lt. William Michels Sr., was a mortar section leader and Silver Star recipient serving with B/1/25.
The amazing community surrounding the Fourth Marine Division became a common topic in our conversations since the reunion. Not just the veterans themselves, but the families and researchers who are passionate about keeping their legacy alive. (It feels like such a niche interest that sometimes it’s surprising to meet like-minded people.)
So we started the Fourth Marine Division Legacy group. We’re hoping that it’ll become a forum for veterans, families, and historians to pool their resources and stories about the Division. It just went live tonight, so if you’re following this research project, please join!
Further updates to follow: more on the Reunion itself, some new articles on Iwo Jima, and sadly but inevitably, the report of a few deaths among the veterans. For now, enjoy the Legacy forum.