A group of Marines, some with service dating back to the Korean War, will gather at the National Museum of the Marine Corps on Thursday to dedicate a memorial  to their unit: the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion.
 Over 200 reconnaissance Marines have been killed in action in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan. Their names will be read as part of a ceremony that begins at noon  at the museum’s Semper Fidelis Memorial Park, says Gary Maxam, vice president of the 1st Recon  Battalion Association. The association is holding its annual reunion in  Arlington in conjunction with that of the 1st Marine Division Association. Maxim served 26 years in the Marines, and in Vietnam with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion.
 “Recon is the eyes and ears of the Maine Corps, similar to Navy SEALs, except more into intelligence gathering,” says Maxam, who lives in Spotsylvania County and now works at Quantico for the FBI.
 About 150 Marines, guests and family are expected to attend. Retired Lt. Gen. W.C. “Chip” Gregson, a 1st Recon Battalion platoon commander wounded in Vietnam, is the guest of honor. A three-ton granite memorial, put in place today,  is inscribed with the names of those killed in action and the battalion insignia. Read more about the battalion here and the museum here.