By Lance Cpl. Skyler Tooke Marines and family members of Company A, better known as the Lost Company from World War II, stand in front of a banner that tells where they have held their reunions for the past 15 years.

Only four of the original members from Company A made it to the reunion this year. The rest have either passed away or were unable to attend. Many family members of the departed have been coming to the reunions for years in place of their Marines to honor them and keep their memories alive.

In 1944, the Lost Company received its name when members were left on the Marshall Islands for seven months with no supplies or support.

‘‘We were left over there for seven months with no mail, no pay and we couldn’t even get promoted,” said Bethel Griffith, a member of Company A.

Company A was left on one of the Marshall Islands while the rest of the military continued the island hopping campaign toward Japan.

‘‘Just to survive over there sometimes meant borrowing supplies or even stealing drinkable water and ammunition,” said Ward Reiss, another member of Company A.

Since the Marines had been lost for seven months together, Griffith said they built a life-long bond and will never forget each other.

The group of veterans and family members toured the National Museum of the Marine Corps while in Quantico, which helped them remember their brothers of Company A, said Carol Flynn.

‘‘My dad, Col. Wilson L. Peck, their company commander, wanted to get all of Company ‘A’ back together for a reunion,” said Flynn. ‘‘He started looking everyone up from the old company and found many of them.”

This is the Lost Company’s fourth time meeting at Quantico during their 15 years of reunions. The first reunion was held at Jensen Beach, Fla. in 1993 arranged by Peck.

Griffith said he received a call from one of the old members from Company A to attend a reunion. He then called some of the other members that he still knew to let them know about the reunion and that is how the word got spread.

Flynn said the reunions have gotten smaller each year but as long as the Marines or their family members are able to travel they will keep the Lost Company reunions going.