By Tyler Maheu
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEW LONDON — The Kearsarge Marines are prepping for a celebration, as this year marks the 247th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. To mark the occasion, they will be holding their annual Meet/Greet Reception and Luncheon Program on Saturday, November 12, 2022, from 11 AM to 2 PM.
According to information provided by the Manager of the Kearsarge Marines, Retired Reserve Major David Dunning, the USMC was founded on November 10, 1775, during a meeting of the Continental Congress at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The USMC originally consisted of two battalions.
Since those early beginnings, the USMC has grown to approximately 180,000 Marines. The Kearsarge Marines were founded in 1997 by a group of 12 Marines. The group now stands at approximately 87 strong who have all served in and/or been trained at the USMC’s six primary locations around the country, and many who have seen active combat in the US’s many wars around the globe.
Dunning states that this year’s event is going to be, “Our biggest and best birthday party ever.” He adds, “We have added some new things, and we hope to get the most people ever too.” According to Dunning, the event typically averages around 50 Marines, although in the past couple of years that number has been smaller. “We didn’t have it during COVID,” he states. “Last year we only had 20, due to just coming out of COVID I think people were afraid. Coming out of COVID, we would like to get 50-plus like we used to.”
The event, set to be held at New London’s Lake Sunapee Country Club, will begin with a reception featuring an open cash bar and free soda, set to the sounds of the Marine Drum & Bugle Corp performing on video, followed by the legendary Silent Drill Team.
As lunch is served, attendees will participate in what Dunning says is his favorite part of the event. “The best part is that we swap tales with each other,” he said. “We are a close-knit group, with only 180,000 presently in the Marines, so we are close.” During lunch, the Marines take part in a traditional cake cutting. For this, the Oldest Marine in attendance, along with the youngest, cut the ceremony’s cake using a Marine Corps sword.
Attending the event will be this year’s guest speaker Norwich, Vermont’s Captain Rusty Sachs, who was a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. According to his biography on kearsargemarines.com, Sachs was a USMC Aviator from 1964 to 1970, who took part in 725 combat missions in Vietnam and successfully completed 121 carrier landings. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received at Dong Ha in 1967. Sachs has continued to be a part of the USMC family, and was the former head of the Upper Valley Marines.
To conclude the afternoon’s ceremonies, attendees will participate in the singing of the Marine Corps Hymn. For this year’s event, all three verses will be printed and handed out, and the singing will be accompanied by live instruments.
Dunning states that any present or past serving Marines are invited to the event and urges people to go to kearsargemarines.com to register by October 30 so that the amount of food needed to be ordered, as well as the size of the event’s cake, are known prior to the event itself.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.