Major Billy C. Hall and HM2 Corpsman Charles Cram joined the Commandant of the Marine Corps for the cake cutting ceremony of the 249th Marine Corps birthday celebration. They were joined by 500 Marines and other service members in the Central Courtyard of the Pentagon in Washington DC.
Major Hall will be celebrating his 83rd Marine Corps birthday, which means that he has been a Marine for 1/3 of ALL 249 Marine Corps birthdays! They are known as "The Greatest Generation,” but really, they are Men of Legend.
HM2 Charles Cram was a Corpsman with Company A, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division, and made the amphibious landing on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. Of the 250 Marines who went ashore, Charles’ unit sustained 90% casualties, with only 25 walking off of Iwo Jima. Charles witnessed the flag raising over Mount Suribachi on Feb 23rd. He shares that "everyone thought the war was over." On the 7th day of the battle, Charles was attending to one of his Marines in no man's land and was shot and wounded. For his actions, Charles received the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Nothing comes between the enemy and Marines except for Navy Corpsmen!
Major Billy C. Hall is believed to be the last living veteran who enlisted before WWII in August 1941 at 15 1/2 years old and saw combat action in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Billy made the amphibious landing on Guadalcanal at 16 years old. He flew 150 dive bomb and torpedo bomb missions over Guadalcanal, Munda, Bougainville, Peleliu and the South Pacific. He joined the CA National Guard and went to Korea as an Infantry and Communications Officer, receiving the Bronze Star. He retrained in planes, and then helicopters, took 75 Hueys to Vietnam, and flew 50 combat insertion, extraction, supply and medivac missions.