Eric England, Cousin Sniper

In 2008, we went to the Descendants of John Hunter Reunion in Blairsville, Georgia.  We have been going to this reunion, off and on,  at Track Rock Campgrounds since1980.  There I always see some distant cousins I got to know at a earlier reunion and get to meet some I haven't met before.

In 2008 I met a distant cousin that I did not remember his name after he told me.  I took the above picture that day.  He had on a Marine cap.  I asked him where all he served and he told me.  When one of the places  he said, was THE USS NEWPORT NEWS I lit up.  I did too!  I asked when, when he gave the dates and I said I was there part of that time, January 1965.  He was part of the Marine detachment there.

It is small world, we were cousins on the same ship in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River, and the City of New Orleans and did not know we were blood kin.

Later another distant cousin, Bob Reece, from Blairsville and Marietta and I became Facebook friends and we are related the same way the Marine and I are related, descendants of John Hunter (1775-1848).

I sent Bob the same picture above and asked him if he knew this man, since they both were Blairsville natives.  He said the face look familiar, he would have to think about it.

Then months later Bob wrote:

Eddie, I just realized who this guy is. It's Eric England. He is a legendary Marine. Sniper with a huge amount of kills. If he is related to you, you should research him. Top marksman in the Marine Corps for years.

Here is a You Tube video I found: