1st Recon Battalion Association

Bruce Axberg,

After I sent your email on Saturday July 8th, 2023, I thought this has got to be one of our oldest members of our association. Life is too short to pass up this opportunity. 

So I'm dropping you a line thanking you for your service to our country. It would be nice if other members would do the same. It would make life a little more pleasant. Life is too short my brother so I'm not passing  up this opportunity. I'm sure we've met but I don't remember where or when. I've been the association webmaster and membership director for the last 6 years. Hopefully you had some time to look over our website and possibly have seen some of the articles or stories I have done. I'm always interested in looking for interesting stories or photos to put on our website. I'm inviting you to share a story or two with me. I'll post it on our newsletter which is on our website now. The 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Association’s 2023 reunion will be held in concert with the 1st Marine Division Association’s 76th Annual Reunion at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Location and Date: Orleans Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.  1st Marine Division Association 13-20 August 2023; 1st Recon reunion events are 16-19 August. I'll send you a copy of Charlie's letter. Hopefully you can make it to the reunion. If not hopefully I'll see you at a up-and-coming reunion. Take care Bruce and thanks for your service.


Semper Fi, 
Floyd Ruggles

1st Recon Battalion Association
Membership Director & Webmaster

Korea, No Longer Will They Be Forgotten

brave young men they were,
gallant and courageous,
marching into the rice paddies,
full fields on their backs,
this foreign land with mountains,
and a people divided by ideology,
these brave young men,
most of them just boys,
stepped into the battlefield,
to fight someone else's war,
many were taken prisoner,
some died along the way,
the others returned home,
and no one ever mentioned that war again,
but now they will be honored,
for they were heroes one and all,
this monument will be everlasting,
a memory of their war,
a reminder of their bravery,
and of those they left behind,
the Korean War,
no longer forgotten,
a victory in the South,
but not in the North,
but freedom was given to half a nation,
who are forever indebted,
to these heroes,
who are now finally,
being remembered,
these statues of the soldiers,
will help to tell the story,
of how these heroes,
fought a war,
and never asked for glory.
they fought for Uncle Sam, ,
these soldiers of Korea,
are remembered by us all,
the Korean Conflict,
1950-1953.

Celine Rose Mariotti

A Poem by: Celine Rose Mariotti

July 9th, 2023

Anything you do, do it well. The last thing you want is to be sorry for what you didn't do.

On 07/17/2023 5:34 PM EDT Bruce E. Axberg <c_axberg@yahoo.com> wrote:

I WAS HAPPILY SURPRISED UPON RECEIVING YOUR LETTER AND MEMBER CARD. I CAN'T SAY THAT I WILL MAKE THE RE-UNION, BUT I WILL BE THERE IN MY HEART. THANK YOU.
YOU STIRRED SOME OLD WATERS WHEN I READ YOU LETTER, MADE ME FEEL REAL PROUD..
A LONG TIME AGO MY OLDER BROTHER, CPL. ELMER AXBERG OBTAINED A CARBINE BAYONET WHILE SERVING IN THE KOREAN CONFLICT. AS HE WAS LEAVING THE MARINE CORP, I WAS ENTERING, AN A TRADITION WAS BORN. HE HANDED DOWN TO ME THAT BAYONET (CONVERTED TO A TRENCH KNIFE). I IN TURN PASSED IT ON TO MY NEPHEW MATTHEW AXBERG, USMC. FROM 1951 TO TODAY THAT KNIFE HAS BEEN USED BY ALL OUR FAMILY MARINES IN TIMES OF PEACE AND COMBAT. EACH OF OUR NAMES ARE INSCRIPTED ON ITS BLADE, SEVEN IN TOTAL TO DATE. YES, WE CARRY ON THE TRADITION.
SEMPER FI MY BROTHERS

AGAIN I THANK YOU, BRUCE E. AXBERG 1955 - 1959 1st MARINE DIVISION RECON CO.

Bruce,

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to reply to my letter. Hope all is well with you and your family. As the membership director to the 1st Reconnaissance Associatiation I thank you and your family for all the sacrifice and service to our great country.

We all owe you and your family our gratitude.

My thoughts and prayers go with you and your nephew Matthew who is still on the front lines today. Hope to see you someday at one of our up-and-coming reunions. Take care of yourself my brother and have a great and wonderful day.

Semper Fi,
Floyd Ruggles
Membership Director & Webmaster

On 07/17/2023 6:57 PM CST I wrote back to Bruce Axberg: