Photo By Cpl. Jackeline Perez Rivera | More than 100 former landowners, residents and descendants of Marines, North Carolina,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Before Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune became home to the thousands of service members it was home to the families of Marines, North Carolina, the town acquisitioned to create the base.
More than 100 landowners, residents and descendants of Marines, North Carolina, gathered Sunday for a potluck and reunion to remember their home and to experience its legacy during the annual celebration.
"It was a thriving place," said Charlotte Dexter, the coordinator of the reunion and a former resident of Marines. "Some people have no idea life was here before Camp Lejeune because riding through here now a lot of what you see are pine barrens and swamps, but it’s a whole lot more than that and those who are local know that."
Dexter, now a resident of Wilmington, North Carolina, left the area as an infant with her family and is now around the age her grandmother was in 1941 when the family left to find a new home.
"Our people were busy people," said Dexter. "There was a lot going on here. These folks are here to keep those memories alive"
From beach houses and a bowling alley to farmland and industry, the area was a booming community, Dexter added.
In the decades since the acquisition the area has changed a lot, however the families and residents can still point to the areas they were born and where the homes of members of the community lived.
Annice Rhue, née Smith, who was 7 years old when the area was acquisitioned, could point to where the house she was born on stood.
"My roots are pretty deep here," Rhue said.
Her birth certificate reads her birthplace as Marines, North Carolina.
Rhue’s father was the post master and the owner of a general store in the community, and her grandmother’s home sat between two pecan trees she can still point out.
Rhue has attended the reunions for years, and prior to her father’s death, she attended it with him.
"Everything has changed so much," said Rhue. "My father would come by and he could look at a field of pine trees and say ‘That was so-and-so’s farm.’"
While Rhue couldn’t remember the community to that level of detail, many reunion attendants could, and she still held many memories from her youth there.
She has memories of walking on unpaved roads with her mother when she missed the bus on her first day of school. She remembers the home her family created, and she carries the memories her parents shared with her.
"I think people need to know there was life in this area before Camp Lejeune," said Rhue. "I think few people realize that. They think Camp Lejeune has always been here. There were people here, there were families who had lived here all of their lives, and I think that’s what this reunion reminds everybody off."
The installation sergeant major, Sgt. Maj. Paul A. Berry took part in the reunion and celebrated the history of the area with the families.
"I know no other place I would rather be today," said Berry, a native of Mount Pleasant, Ohio. "It would be a crime not to meet as many people as I could and learn a little bit of the history of this area before World War II."
The legacy of the families in the reunion have provided the troops of Camp Lejeune with the resources to support the United States through the various conflicts since 1941, including World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Camp Lejeune is the premiere base in the Marine Corps," said Berry. "We have proven that, but what makes this area special is the people here. You will not get this in other bases. There is so much history here it is amazing, and the support shown to us leaves us speechless."
Berry joined the various generations of the families, many who traveled far and wide, from Florida to Washington, to be a part of the celebration.
"It’s worth coming back," said Dexter. "We had a great turnout today, but we’re touching only a small percentage of the families that moved out. There were between 700 and 800 families who lived here."
Dexter spoke of the importance of writing and remembering the history of family members, citing one example of a small book written by an attendant who shared biographical information and anecdotes about the people who made the area their home.
"Every year, it is heart breaking, we lose some special people, and with them goes a lot of history," said Dexter.
Dexter and other organizers are looking to create a monument, which in the spirit of the reunion, can continue to commemorate the landowners for years to come.
"This reunion is something people enjoy," said Dexter. "They like getting together. It’s a time to remember, to renew old friendships and share memories. This is a way of keeping our history alive."
| Date Taken: | 10.09.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2014 10:17 |
| Story ID: | 149928 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 140 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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