ATLANTA - -- In a large ballroom, members of the 4th Marine Division of World War II packed in tightly to hear music from some of the newest members of the division.
The Marine Forces Reserve band serenaded members of the 4th Marine Division Association, Marines who fought on Iwo Jima in World War II, at their 59th reunion in two concerts here, Aug. 25.
The first of the performances was a memorial service conducted by Sgt. Christi Espinoza, for the members who have passed away in the last year, which included echo taps played by trumpeters, Sgt. Joshua Torres and Sgt. Steve Perez.
At the start of the service, the octogenarians leapt to their feet with the vigor of today’s youngest Marines, when they heard the national anthem and honors to Maj. Gen. Douglas V. O’Dell Jr., 4th Marine Division commanding general.
Members of the association showed their gratitude in multiple outbursts of applause.
“These guys are great,” said Frank Pokrop, once a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment. “Marines today aren’t as good as we were; they are better; better trained, smarter, and much sharper.”
Having a Marine band at their reunion lit a flame of pride in the aging eyes of the Marines there.
“To use an overworked Marine Corps phrase, the amount of happiness that the young Marines have brought to this reunion is outstanding,” said Col. John F. Wirtz, retired. “The only thing better than the music was the reaction of the all-important audience.”
The memorial ceremony came to a close with the final roster, a reading of the names of members who have passed away since the previous reunion.
Again that evening, the ballroom was left with standing room only as the band, conducted by Chief Warrant Officer Michael Smith, took the stage. When the band started the concert with “Rise of the Firebird” composed by Steve Reineke, crowds gathered to fill the corridor surrounding the room.
“The crowd was great, it felt especially good to give back to this particular group,” said Cpl. Aaron Finkey, trumpeter. “These guys had it so much worse than we ever will and they have truly been through hell and back. They deserve more than anything we can give them.”
The band played many powerful songs throughout the rest of the hour-long concert such as “Pirates of the Carribean” by Klaus Badelt and “Olympic Spirit” by John Williams.
“The music was fantastic,” said Sarah Huddleson, an association member. “Not only do the ladies and gentlemen in the band surpass what we expect of Marines, but they are the greatest musicians that I have ever heard.”
The normally rigid Marines finished the night with a fun version of “Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa, which included a piccolo solo competition between Espinoza and Cpl. Christopher Malone, both floutists for the band. The end of the song also included a loud crash contest between the two cymbalists, Cpl. Alex Lesser and Sgt. Jeffrey Higgs.
The appearance of the MarForRes band was truly a special event to the members of the 4th MarDiv Association.
“We have never had a military band play at one of our reunions,” said Roy Earle, president of the association. “To not only have a military band, but a Marine Corps band play is something that we will cherish and remember when we look back and think of members gone by.”
Before the band left, they presented Earle with a framed photo of the band from New Orleans to help the association commemorate their performance.
The concerts given by the band are free, and their schedule can be found online at mfr.usmc.mil or by contacting the band at the Naval Support Activity Westbank, New Orleans.
The association members were part of the 4th Marine Division, a unit known as the “Fighting Fourth”. They were formally activated on Aug. 14, 1943, and stationed in Maui, in Feb. 1944. The division went on to fight and win skirmishes in Kwajalein, Tinian, Saipan, Iwo Jima and many other key battles in the Pacific. The Division suffered 17, 000 casualties throughout World War II and was deactivated on Nov. 28, 1945.