Desert Marines

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First Marine Division Assoc of the Desert is a local non profit made up of Marine Alumni from World War II to present-day.

We support 7th Regiment Marines & Sailors Base, JROTC , provide Christmas dinners & lunches The Classic Club

10/16/2026

Our kickoff lunch for Desert Marines was held 10/15 and our Dorthee Irwin was recognized as an American living legend and presented medals she never received from WWII. Our guest included MCAGCC Commanding General Mark Clingan, 7th Regiment Command to include SgtMaj Berrientos, WO Gunner Veliz, & GySgt Doughtery Local news KMIR covered the event and many members brought their spouses. A fantastic start for the Blue Diamond 🔷🔷🔷🫡🫡🫡🫡

09/08/2026

The 79th Annual Reunion Farewell Banquet for 1st Marine Division Association. We wore our formal attire with 1st Marine Division Brass Quintet & Marine Corps Color Guard presenting colors followed by Pledge, National Anthem & of course the U.S. Marine Corps hymn. Our keynote speaker was BGen Skuce followed by our president Ralph Witkens words. The evening ended with an auction that raised funds for our First Marine Division scholarship fund. A wonderful evening spent with true heroes & legends. 🫡🙏

09/07/2026

1st Marine Division Association held a Memorial on Friday evening to honor all our fallen brothers at DoubleTree by Hilton. Taps was played & the Marine Hymn was sung

09/07/2026

The Mechanized Museum Camp Pendleton houses every type of rolling vehicle the Marines have used. 1st Marine Division Association visited the museum on a humid Thursday afternoon as part of our 79th annual reunion.

09/07/2026

1st Marine Division Association 79th Reunion started off with a bang. The “Swift Intruders” reside along the shores of the Pacific at Camp Pendleton. LCACs are Landing Craft Air Cushion Hovercraft that are a hybrid land water vehicle used to transport weapons and equipment. A cross between a mini air craft carrier & a tank, these highlight the multi force capability of our military.

09/07/2026

Second stop on our day trip to Camp Pendleton, was a demo on K9 Military working dogs. Dogs and their marine handlers demonstrated how the dogs find drugs and explosives, and how dogs are trained to attack enemy combatants.

09/07/2026

On our day trip to Camp Pendleton, 1st Marine Division Association made our last stop to 1st Recon Bn for a static display of recon equipment, a brief on the current state of our Marine Corps, and a presentation of Recon Marine of the year and Recon Corpsman of the year.
In the long storied history of the Marine Corps, the recon marine is known as one of the toughest Marines.

Reconnaissance Marines are elite conventional troops who serve as the "eyes and ears" of Marine Corps commanders by infiltrating deep behind enemy lines to gather intelligence and conduct surveillance

09/07/2026

On Thursday evening, we attended the RECON dinner, courtesy of 1st Recon Battalion Association. Our speaker was Colonel Micheal Fallon, author of Hill 119 who told his real life experience as a Recon officer in Vietnam. A auction of some amazing Marine memorabilia benefited the Assoc.

09/06/2026

Kansas City!!!
BBQ
WW1 Museum
Negro League ⚾️ Museum
Museum of Toys
Royals or Cardinals
See you in 2027🫡

After 80 years of service, sacrifice, and brotherhood, we're bringing the 1st Marine Division Association together for our most significant gathering yet!

Join us in Kansas City, Missouri in August 2027!

This milestone reunion will feature:
A tour of the WWI Museum
A visit to the Truman Presidential Library
Our farewell banquet with a live auction of vacations and more!
Election of our newest officers for the next two-year term

Whether you served, supported our Marines, or carry on the tradition through family, this is YOUR reunion. YOUR time to connect with old friends and new. YOUR time to share your Marine Corps story. Join us in 2027!

For all updates, details, and registration to come visit https://www.1stmda.org

Address

P O Box 10856
Palm Desert, CA
92255

Telephone

+17604093778

Website

http://www.desertmarines.org/

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