Howdy from a Texan in Quantico

[FuzeVT]

Hello everyone,

My name is Todd O'Brien and I am a Marine with 22 years total, 4 in the reserve the rest active. I guess I have what will eventually be called militaria (or maybe even is now) but to me it's just stuff I've collected that I've used over the years. Thinking of the first type of FLAK jacket I used as miltaria makes me feel old! Of course so does the fact that the Marines in my company are 25 years younger than me and only 4 years older than my oldest boy (but I digress).

 

I also have some WWII items from my grandfather who was with the 540th Engineer Combat Regiment (http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/540th.htm) which is what brought me to your site in the first place. I ran across a posting of some 540th memorabilia collected by devincu (http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/253179-wwii-540th-combat-engineer-grouping/) while doing a google search on 540th images. Anyway, I'll post some of that in the near future. I don't have a lot of equipment, per se, but I do have some interesting pictures and notebooks that my grandfather used during the war. Being an engineer (he actually had a civil engineering degree so he wasn't just pushed through an army engineering crash course) he had some technical drawings of bridges he was working on. Here is some information on him:

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/JackOBrien.htm

 

And here is a sneak peak at one of the notebooks:

 

More to follow!

[Desertrat]

Welcome from a fellow Texan. There are some good folks here with a ton of knowledge, I am looking forward to seeing your Grandfather's items.

[Fly USMC]

Welcome aboard and Semper Fi

John

[BagmanL6]

Welcome aboard.

[bobgee]

Welcome Aboard from Tarrant County! Semper Fi.........Bobgee

[hirsca]

Welcome from Dallas.

 

Al

[m1ashooter]

Howdy from Houston. We have new waterfront property listed at cheap prices. Thanks for your service.

[devildog34]

Welcome aboard devil dog. I'm located in the Ft. Worth area. Glad to have you here.

Semper Fi

[FuzeVT]

Thanks everyone! Let's see. . . I was born in raised in Dallas, I dated a girl who went to Nolan so I spent lots of High School in Ft. Worth, I was a reserve guy who drilled at the Base Formerly Known as Carswell (with MWSS-471 back when it was there) and I you guys in Houston are in my thoughts and prayers. That place got hammered.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome, one and all!

 

Waterfront property - pretty funny - glad you're keeping your spirits up!

[Lee Ragan]

Welcome from west Texas. Glad to have you aboard.

[derrbrad]

Howdy from Abilene.

[Jayhawker353]

Welcome Todd! Really great that you have his sketchbooks. I love seeing a trained engineer's sketchbook. You are among a lucky few to have an item like this actually stay in the family and be appreciated by family members. Congrats.

[Brig]

Welcome aboard, lots of Marines on here, some who are 25 years older than yourself, some 25 younger, and a lot in between. Lots of good information and resources on here.

[Backtheattack]

Hello Todd! Nice to meet you here.