Marine Corps Base Quantico -- Marines from Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, and Marine Corps Intelligence Activity volunteered to visit residents of Heatherwood Retirement Community in Burke, Virginia, for coffee and conversation on Jan. 14.
Col. Todd Oneto, commanding officer of Headquarters and Service Battalion, said this is the second visit Marines have paid to Heatherwood. The first was for a Veteran’s Day celebration in November. Oneto said he hopes to arrange for Marines to visit the retirement community, which has many veterans as residents, on a regular basis.
“Some of the residents don’t have family visiting often, so we’re happy to do this for them,” Oneto said. H&S Battalion is also asking Marines to write letters to Heatherwood Residents, particularly those who are veterans.
Pfc. Kinnon Kopp, age 19, H&S Battalion, has only been with the Marine Corps for seven-and-a-half months. He spent time talking with 40-year Navy veteran Hill Holbrook. Holbrook told Kopp about serving on ships that carried Marines.
Several residents brought wartime memorabilia to show the Marines. Clayton Bogstie, age 96, a Navy veteran, brought a copy of the St. Louis Star-Times from Dec. 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, announcing that war had been declared.
Hank Stawicki, an Army veteran who participated in the Normandy invasion, showed Sgt. John Zecher, Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, the five bronze stars he received for his heroic achievements in combat in World War II.
Martha Braden, 79, is the mother of a retired Marine major. She posed for a selfie with Zecher, which she said she was going to e-mail to her son right away using her smartphone.
The Marines received plenty of affection from the Heatherwood Residents. Nancy Bousch, the widow of a Navy veteran, couldn’t help hugging Lance Cpl. Gavin Hawkins, H&S Battalion. Another female resident told Staff Sgt. Noel Lopez, Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, that he had “the nicest smile,” making him smile even more.
The Marines visited with the Heatherwood Residents for two hours.
Hawkins said he visited retirement homes through his high school JROTC program but this was the first time he’d volunteered while posted to Quantico.
“I was happy to do it,” he said.
— Writer: auphausconner@quanticosentryonline.com