WW II-USMC 2nd Division TB

Please drop this item in rural or Premium Member Only caches.  Do not drop it in an urban cache or leave it behind at a caching event.  Transport the bug in the original plastic bag for as long as the bag lasts; this prevents the chain and tag tangling with other items.  Otherwise, take this travel bug anywhere you wish.  No permission needed to leave the U.S.

Replica Shoulder Patch.  I have great respect for all the men and women who have served in the armed forces.  However, I hold the Marine Corps in the highest regard.  It stems some from their legendary exploits in WW II (my father's generation), but also from my contact with them after they served.  I have known them as my own classmates and teachers in high school and college, as administrators and colleagues in my professional life and as recreational companions.  I have also socialized with more than a few because some years ago my wife taught at the Marine Military Academy, in Harlingen, TX.  Every one of those men fought at some place like Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Iwo Jima or Okinawa.  And several also served in Korea and survived the Chosin Reservoir.  To a person they (even those never having seen combat) believe they are part of something so much larger than themselves.  I use the present tense advisedly becaue I have learned there is no such thing as an ex-marine.  This particular TB is to honor the 2^nd  Division of the USMC.

The 2nd Marine Division was officially organized on 1 February 1941 at Camp Elliott, California.  By mid-1941, because of the growing threat of a German invasion to Iceland, regiments were sent to garrison Reykjavik.  After the outbreak of war an assortment of other division were dispatched to garrison American Samoa.  Later in WW II the 2nd Marine Division actively participated in the following battles: Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan and Tinian.  The division is now based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
 
The scarlet and gold spearhead-shaped shoulder patch was designed and authorized in late 1943 for wear by 2nd Marine Division units serving in the Pacific Theater.  The patch centers on a hand holding a torch, with the stars of the Southern Cross constellation as a reference to Guadalcanal.
 
Although the Marine Corps officially disallowed shoulder patches in 1947, the insignia still appears on buildings, signs, documents, and non-uniform clothing. The insignia of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune retains the spearhead shape and general color scheme of the 2nd Marine Division.