Latest News

The family of former longtime Leatherneck magazine managing editor and combat correspondent Tom Bartlett visited the magazine’s offices March 22 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., to reconnect and hear stories about their dad and granddad. After a tour of the offices, Leatherneck staff and Bartlett family members enjoyed lunch, good conversation and a lot of laughs at The Clubs of Quantico. Tom’s family included two of his sons, Scott and Chris; a grandson, Christopher, wh

Joe Rosenthal Chapter President Dale Cook in red jacket, with fellow Iwo Jima veteran Roy Earle (left) and Marines Memorial Club President, retired USMC MajGen Michael Myatt (right), at the Club's 23 February event honoring Iwo Jima veterans. Cook and Earl both served in the 4th Division during WWII.

Color footage from the battle of Iwo Jima. The Battle for Iwo Jima was one of the most famous and fiercest battles fought in the Pacific during World War Two and will forever hold a special place in the history of the United States Marine Corps Norm Hatch says: Just to be sure all understand. Josephey's report was a radio report only and added to the film at a later date because there was no color processing capability on Iwo. It was a good editing job. The nearest was at Ko

Anyone with any knowledge of a SeaBee-developed "golf course" in the Pacific theatre during World War II or a story written on the course by  former CC Sgt. Ralph Peck is requested to contact Mrs. Marty Kaderli, Membership and Memorials, Admiral Nimitz Foundation, 328 E. Main St., Fredericksburg, TX 78624.  Tel. (830) 997-8600, Ext. 204 or email her at kaderli@nimitzfoundation.org .

He gave a spirited Independence Day speech during a large outdoor celebration on July 5. Seven days later he underwent an arduous, triple bypass surgery at a Montgomery County, Md., hospital. Four days later  he was discharged from the hospital to begin several weeks of  rehabilitation.  Cy O’Brien , a 91-year-old former Marine Combat Correspondent in World War II, is taking it all in stride. His big regret: missing next month’s USMCCCA annual conference at Reno and the annu

“It’s a daring aspect of this war in Afghanistan ,” said the speaker. “It’s conducted by very small, squad-sized groups of Marines and soldiers and it is called counter insurgency.” The man at the flag-decked podium, shaded slightly from the near 100-degree heat, was 91-year-old former Marine combat correspondent Cyril O’Brien , the guest speaker at the July 5th, Independence Day celebration at Leisure World (pop. 5,500) in Silver Spring, Md.  There was a long parade includin

From Jack Paxton: Bob Said has asked if we could put out an inquiry about an underground airplane hangar in Wonsan, Korea. He needs a photo of the underground hangar at Wonsan in which Bob Hope and his troop entertained 1st MAW people in late Oct 1950 while the First Division waited offshore to "invade" Wonsan until the Navy could clear the harbor of mines. If anyone has such a photo they should send it to me at CCHQ (see the address in the left column) and I will get it t

The oldest living Combat Correspondent,  Lt.Col John Hampton, Ret . a member of the  USMCCCA Joe Rosenthal Chapter , celebrates his 103rd birthday at his assisted care facility in Lafayette, Ca., with fellow Rosenthal Chapter CC's From left to right , Rick Suarez, Earl Holt, Bill Wasson, LT.Col Hampton, Dale Cook, Norb Malecki and Tom Graves. Also in attendance were wives, Keiko Malecki, Norine Helms, Mrs. Dale Cook and Bobbie Suarez . Not in the photo, Bob Stanley, taki

UPDATE: Norm also appeared as the "Person of the Week" on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer. During Word War II, Norman Hatch was a combat cameraman who witnessed — and filmed — some of the most bitter fighting in the Pacific theater. His efforts ended with, of all things, an Academy Award — for footage so brutal that it took special permission from President Franklin Roosevelt to allow his short documentary to be shown as a newsreel. A new 10-part miniseries on HBO called T

Norm Hatch , one our members, has been profiled on a website created by Ade Pitman called "The World at War ."  It is dedicated to preserving the memories of veterans of World War II. It also aims to help guide visitors around Normandy and other WWII battlefields, and to show how WWII is remembered by re-enactors and living history groups. His profile page can be viewed here . If there are any other WWII veterans that would like to tell their story, Pitman says, " I`m always

By Capt. Dale Dye USMC (Ret),  Senior Military Advisor on HBO’s “The Pacific.” It took nearly two years of hard campaigning to get it right but in March of this year American TV audiences will get an unflinching, historically accurate and very absorbing look at World War II in the Pacific as fought by men of the vaunted 1st Marine Division .  In my billet as the Senior Military Advisor for this monster undertaking, Executive Producer Tom Hanks gave me a set of deceptively s

Veteran CC Cy O'Brien would like to hear from anyone who served with the following WWII CCs:  Jerry O'Leary, Pat O'Sheal, Bill Burnett and Bill Ross.   Cy has been asked to do an article about his service as CC and others who served with him.  Either call Cy at 301.438.0209 or (cell) 240.393.4873.  You may also forward the info via email or attachment to CCHQ:  usmccca@cfl.rr.com and it will be forwarded to Cy.

Member Mawk Arnold is seeking info on a former CC by the name of Joe Pratt . Joe also served as an advisor to ARVNs in another tour and Mawk believes he was wounded, possibly even losing a foot but still remaining on active duty. Contact Mawk at (email) mawkalice@aol.com or call him at 252.625.1255.

WWII Marine CC Frank McCulloch, who was Time Mag.'s bureau chief in Vietnam, is in a retirement home (as opposed to a nursing home) in Santa Rosa, CA. Frank is totally blind now.  (Contact  CCHQ if you would like to contact Frank)-- Steve Stibbons Frank McCulloch enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942, but what he calls a "bogus" heart condition kept him stateside. McCulloch spent the war writing up the heroic deeds of soldiers for the Marines' public information office i

By Kevin Roderick, LA Observed More transitions at Channel 4 (Los Angeles). Longtime TV news figure Bob Long has announced his retirement as VP and News Director at KNBC. There are lighter and more serious versions of the news circulating in the Burbank newsroom. Long's funnier take begins below; the announcement from the suits is below: From: Long, Robert (NBC Universal, KNBC) Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 11:18 AM Subject: Last Writethru BURBANK (AP) -- Los Angeles news

Hello, I've puzzled for years over the identity of this Marine. I've several photos of him in what appear to be after action inspections of battle sights. I believe the photos to have been taken in the vicinity of the Piva Trail on Bougainville . Is there a chance that it is Mr. Cy O'Brien ? Thanks in advance for your assistance! -- Paul Walker , Klamath Falls, Oregon

A nice story about CC Norm Hatch appeared in the Quantico Sentry recently. Sergeant Judith Carver (OK, why isn't she a CC?) wrote the piece. You can read it here .

Retired GySgt. Marv DeGroote asks if anyone knows if any of these 2ndMarDiv photographers are still alive.  The photo was taken on Saipan.  We asked Norm Hatch and he verified that Roy Olund (ctr) is deceased.  DeGroote himself said that Ted Steuber (on vehicle) was deceased.  The Marine on left is E. H. Robert and (r) is Arthur P. Nelson .  If anyone can verify this please notify CCHQ at usmccca@cfl.rr.com .

In 2010, “The Pacific” will air on HBO as a ten part mini series. A clip from HBO's series "The Pacific." “The Pacific” is based on the books “With the Old Breed,” by Eugene Sledge, which was hailed by historian Paul Fussell as “one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war,” and “Helmet for My Pillow,” by Robert Leckie (recipient of the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Annual Award), as well as original interviews conducted by the filmmakers. Continuing the World War

Keith Oliver has notified CCHQ that retired Marine Col. Tom Fields has suffered a stroke and is currently in rehab.  Keith indicated that Tom’s wife, Patti told him that there is a partial speech impediment but that he is getting better daily.  She said that cards would be welcome.  The address is:  Col. Thomas Fields, USMC, 4001 Remmington Court, Hyattesville, MD 20782-1166.