I suggest that you park here: N 44 16.218 W 088 16.291 and
walk down to the trail to attempt these caches.
If you want to begin the series at the other end of the trail near
Hwy CE, there is alternate parking available here: N 44 15.574 W
088 16.048
I am beginning a new series of caches that are meant to honor those
men and women who have served in the United States military,
especially those in the Special Forces.
Military Cache
Series
(Listed in order from
easiest to most difficult)
Air Force Fighter Pilot GC26ERC
Army Airborne GC26E70
Marine Expeditionary Force GC26E4C
Navy SEAL GC26E2A
Those geocachers who successfully complete this series will receive
the honor of becoming a member of the Geocacher Special
Forces.
The requirements are listed on the
Navy SEAL cache page.
I expect that very few cachers will be able to complete the
series and receive this honor!
I will post their names and the date that they completed the
series on the
Navy SEAL cache page.
Once you complete this series of caches, just notify me that you
have personally retrieved and logged all of the caches.
Only those individual geocachers who personally retrieve AND log
all the caches in this series are eligible for the Geocacher
Special Forces patch.
Of course, if you are in a group who finds the cache you can still
log it.
This cache could be found at night but may prove extremely
difficult.
Please return this cache to the EXACT SAME LOCATION.
Be sure to carry a flashlight and pen with you when you retrieve
the cache!
This particular cache will honor the Marine Expeditionary
Forces.
http://www.caltrap.org/history/iwojima.asp
The Marines who fought on the island of Iwo Jima in the south
Pacific were part of a Marine Expeditionary Force.
The most intense battle was for control of Mt. Suribachi. (a
dormant volcano)
The 36-day assault resulted in more than 26,000 American
casualties, including 6,800 dead. Of the 20,000 Japanese defenders,
only 1,083 survived. The Marines' efforts, however, provided a
vital link in the U.S. chain of bomber bases. By war's end, 2,400
B-29 bombers carrying 27,000 crewmen made unscheduled landings on
the island.
The famous photo below was taken by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal
on Mt. Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima.
Of the six men depicted in the picture, three (Franklin Sousley,
Harlon Block, and Michael Strank) were killed during the battle;
the three survivors (John Bradley, Rene Gagnon, and Ira Hayes)
became celebrities upon their identification in the photo.
Five of the men were Marines. One of the men was a Navy Corpsman
named John Bradley who was from Appleton, Wisconsin.
You can read his personal story here:
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq87-3l.htm
Most people don't realize that the Marine Corps is a Department of
the Navy. The Marine Corps has no medical personnel of it's own,
therefore Navy Corpsman undergo medical and weapons training to
support the Marines.
When the President of the United States orders a military invasion,
the Marines are usually the first ones in and the last ones
out.
As a former Navy Corpsman, I have the highest respect for any
United States Marine.
United States Marine Corps Recruit Training, commonly known as
"boot camp" is a program of initial training that each recruit must
successfully complete in order to join the United States Marine
Corps. All enlisted individuals entering the Marine Corps,
regardless of eventual active or reserve duty status, will undergo
recruit training at one of the two Marine Corps Recruit Depots
(MCRD): Parris Island, South Carolina, or San Diego,
California.
Marine Corps recruit training is the most physically and mentally
difficult among the Uniformed Services. The 13 week “boot
camp” is longer, has a more demanding Physical Fitness Test
(PFT), and has the strictest height and weight standards of any
branch of service.
By completing this series of caches you will have successfully
completed Geocacher Boot Camp!
Special recognition goes to TPride for his FTF of every cache
in this series on 10 April 2010.