Hey, James...how is Gunner? Haven't heard from you in awhile and having just finished reading "With the Old Breed" by E.B. Sledge, I found myself thinking of Gunner again. Sledge's outfit was K/2/5. I just got through reading your posts about Gunner. Things are beginning to make more sense. Gunner's outfit was E/2/8. Also, I found another website by a guy named Mark (Doc) Flowers and he explains a lot of things about marines with pictures, diagrams, et al. Looking at Gunner's picture taken in 1939 with him wearing his blue blouse, I can now appreciate that picture even more after having learned that it was no longer standard issue after 1942. The website said some of the guys joined the Marines in the very early days just so they could wear that blue blouse because it looked so sharp only to be caught up short when the regulations were changed. Also, there are pictures even of an M1 and a Carbine and now I can see the difference. Now, you may laugh at that but remember, I am a novice at these things with no one to turn to with my questions but forums like this and the internet. 
Marilyn
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BTW, folks, here is the website I was speaking of: http://www.ww2gyrene.org/links-to-sites.htm