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Wow. My brother was with the amphibious assault vehicles in Saudi in 1991. He helped liberate the Kuwaiti Airport... he was only in his early 20s. He was at 29 Palms then, now he's near Camp Pendleton. He retired about six years ago, but since then has been in the Reserves the whole time.

If he is in the Reserves now he didn't retire..he got out at the end of his obligated active duty time. I had to do that when my husband retired. His parents were in poor health and the USMC wouldn't move me to the west coast as it was his parents not mine so I was not eligible for a humanitarian transfer especially since I had only been at HQMC for a bit more than a year. So I resigned my regular commission and took a reserve commission, which really hurt my pride, and did the rest of the time in the Reserve Component. I got lots of active duty and lots of promotion boards..I really scrounged for every billet I got. Also did time in the MTU where you drill for points but no pay. The more senior you become the harder it is. My last position was with the MWR IMADET at Camp Pendleton. That unit is now dissolved..shame too because after the first Gulf War the whole concept was to get class VI gear over there quickly. Lots of the corporate knowledge was lost after the Viet Nam PX Marines retired...anyway we had a good start but then came the rifs...and our units were cut down and some cut out.