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I spent 4 years with the fleet Marine Force. I was their corpsman.

David if you sharpen the tip up it could do double duty as a screwdriver for breaking down your favorite 1899.

The McCord Museum is listed in the credits in the book. Also includes quite a few names of members of the MHG. I'm betting the museum may have a complete member list.

I had a couple as a kid, handed down by older men relatives. I remember at least one with the spike that made it look like a mattocks. All had wooden handles with the nut to screw them down tight.

The reason the Navy exists is to support the Marine Corps. They provide us with medical and religious people. (That's because we're all fighters). The amphibs transport us to where we're going to kick ass. The aviators provide us with close air support. The destroyers and cruisers protect the air craft carriers to they can get their planes close enough for CAS. They also provide beach bombardment till we can get our artillery in place. The supply ships provide the Marines and our support people (the Navy) with bullets, bandages, food, fuel, etc. Did I leave anyone out?
Thanks for your service LBK.
Oh yeah, I was in the Navy Reserve from 1962 to 1966 and active Navy from 1966 to 1971 when I wised up and joined the Marine Corps.

And the Marines exist only to handle things until the Army can arrive.

Huh, I thought everybody has one of these.
Collecting IS a sickness. Now I have to figure out who Mr. McCarthy Gallagher was!

I contributed to turning this post away from the original subject so I'll post this pic of my MHG, bayonet, hat badge and shoulder slash. It's engraved with the name John D. Baile. Google says there was a John D. Baile in Montreal at the time. He was described as a wealthy coal merchant. Google doesn't mention him being a member of the MHG. He was about 40 and his name appears frequently in MHG news articles. I doubt if there were two guys with that name and about the right age at that time.

The Marines had to clear the way and make it safe for the bumbling dogfaces to enter the combat area. Incidentally I was in the PRCNG for one year and the Army reserve for eight years.

Since I was not the person that strayed from the original topic, I will throw my hat in the ring. E-Tools aka army shovels are not shovels. Shovels have one and only one purpose. A shovels job it to transfer material from one place to another. They were not intended to dig. Most have the "Ames bend" to the handle that allows a person to scoop a load without bending over too far and preventing scraping the skin off your knuckles. And since their purposed job was to transfer material, they were usually built a lightweight as possible to reduce fatigue. They also had a u shape to the blade to maintain as much of the load without spillage. The spade, which is what the army shovels actually are, have an almost flat blade, a straight alignment between the handle and blade to allow control as you stand on it to dig a hole, keeping the handle close to your body while your feet are on the blade, and allowing you to dig a straight hole.. Since the spade is subject to hard usage, prying out rocks, cutting roots, upending compacted earth, they are built stout with a heavy gauge and a sharpened blade. Whew, got that off my chest.

I never knew that. Now I know why I keep breaking those fiberglass handles on the shovels.
You forgot to mention whacking bad guys.
In my breakdown on why the Navy exists I forgot the Navy seals who cleared the obstacles so the LCM's and amphibious tractors could get the Marines on the beach.