CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- The 1st Marine Division will celebrate the 77th anniversary of its founding by hosting a ceremony for active duty and veteran Marines and Sailors who have served in the storied unit.

The ceremony, which is scheduled for 9:00 a.m., Friday, Feb. 2, will unite current and former service members as they rededicate their battle colors with awards and campaign streamers earned by the Blue Diamond division in places such as Guadalcanal, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the ceremony, veterans of these campaigns, escorted by active duty Marines, will hang the streamers on the 1st Marine Division battle colors to commemorate the lineage of the Marine Corps’ largest ground combat unit. The commanding general will then share his reflections on the significance of the anniversary and the impact of the Marine Corps’ oldest division.

Personnel available for interviews include active duty and veteran Marines and Sailors, as well as senior leadership within 1st Marine Division.

Media interested in covering this event must RSVP no later than 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, via email at paul.gainey@usmc.mil or by phone at (760) 212-9823. Arrival instructions will be distributed after the RSVP deadline.

Photo, video package, and video B-Roll imagery from the event will be released by the 1st Marine Division Press Office and made available for media use. This imagery can be found on the 1st Marine Division page at https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/1MD.

For additional queries, please contact the 1st Marine Division press officer Capt. Paul Gainey at (760) 212-9823 or email paul.gainey@usmc.mil

-USMC-