Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Cindy Fisher | Col. Robert C. Clements, left, watches as Gunnery Sgt. Darnell Hartwell, the Marine...... read more read more
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CAMP COURTNEY, Okinawa – The 3rd Marine Division celebrated its 69th birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony at the division headquarters on Camp Courtney Sept. 16.
“We just want to take a few moments to acknowledge the accomplishments of 3rd Marine Division, remember its history, celebrate its future,” said Col. Robert C. Clements, assistant division commander.
3rd Marine Division, the ground combat element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, was activated at Camp Elliot in San Diego Sept. 16, 1942.
The division, also known as "The Fighting Third," executes amphibious assault operations and other operations as directed by III MEF leadership.
The division fought in campaigns on Bougainville, Guam, Iwo Jima and other locations during World War II and was disbanded Dec. 28, 1945, a few months after the war’s end.
The unit was reactivated at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 7, 1952, and then moved to Camp Courtney in November of 1969.
In addition to its World War II campaigns, the division has also fought with distinction during the Vietnam War, and the war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today, the division participates in many of the more than 70 exercises supported by the III MEF annually.
“The sun never sets on the 3rd Marine Division,” Clements said. “Everywhere, in every corner of the world, there is a 3rd Marine Division Marine or sailor.”
The cake-cutting ceremony was also a time to remember and honor those division brothers-in-arms who gave the ultimate sacrifice to defend America, Clements told those gathered before he cut the cake.
The ceremony was performed in a similar manner to the Marine Corps Birthday cake cutting, except the division acknowledged the longest and shortest serving Marines from the division instead of the oldest and youngest Marine present.
After tasting the first piece of cake, Clements passed the next piece to Gunnery Sgt. Darnell Hartwell, the Marine who has served longest with the division. Hartwell, an information management chief with Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, joined the division in December 2006.
Hartwell, who is set to retire next month, said being recognized at the ceremony was a fitting final touch to his service in the Marine Corps.
“Being part of this ceremony is the culmination of six-plus years of service with the Fighting Third, and I have enjoyed every minute of it,” Hartwell said.
To his fellow division Marines and sailors, Hartwell had a final piece of advice.
“Keep charging forward,” Hartwell said.
One of those charging forward into the future with the division will be Cpl. Cardell Walker, a motor transport operator with Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. Walker, who has served in the Corps for five years, joined the division Sept. 15.
This made him the shortest-serving Marine within the division and the final recipient of cake during the ceremony.
Being recognized at the ceremony “was kind of a shock to me, but I was very excited to be part of the ceremony,” Walker said.
This event has set a positive tone for his continued service with the division, said Walker.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2011 03:54 |
| Story ID: | 77281 |
| Location: | CAMP COURTNEY, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 238 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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