Marine Corps League

Melvin M. Smith Detachment #586

Editors: Dennis and Sam Dressler

(509) 953-6266 (Dennis) or (509) 953-6267 (Sam)

sam.djd@comcast.net

COMMANDANTS CORNER

March Greetings to all Marines of Melvin M. Smith Detachment. St Patrick’s Day will soon be here and the word is, “Green Side out!”

Down here in Tucson it is La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros! The city celebrates with a week long Rodeo and the biggest non motorized parade in the country. The Spring baseball season is about to start. I am definitely looking forward to that.

Also, it’s time to come home. It has been a very nice winter, but I look forward to seeing all the great Marines in Spokane. I wish I could be back for the White Elephant Dinner. We’ll see you all at the April meeting. Until then, Semper Fidelis!

Your Commandant, Jim Bennett

(509) 701-3829

ADJUTANT/PAYMASTER/JR. PAST’S TIDBITS

The Leadership of this fine Detachment would appreciate everyone’s input as to things to change, make better, and most of all more volunteers at our various functions.  Please take a moment to share your ideas.  Feel free to contact your Commandant, Sr. Vice, Jr. Vice, JA, Adj/Pay, or a Past Commandant with your bitches, moans, groans or complaints too.   

 With a respectful Semper Fi!  Randy

MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY

The committee needs recommendations for a guest speaker and would like them ASAP because of the conflicts of a busy Memorial Day 2010.  Thank you!

Marine Corps League Auxiliary

White Elephant Auction and Dinner

March 11, 2010

Dinner @ 6:30 pm

 Auction @ 7:15 pm

         Menu Choices: Roast Beef or Chicken Cordon Bleu

                           Cost: $16.00 per person

Please RSVP to Sam Dressler 953-6267 by March 2, 2010

If you don’t want dinner, not a problem—

just show up ready to bid!

Bring your wallet loaded with cash, or your checkbook, and a wrapped contribution, or two, to the auction that follows the meal.

Monte is back as our auctioneer!!

Remember, the fun is bidding on who knows what!

This is the major fund raiser for the Auxiliary for the year.

                                            From the desk of Doug,

Still on the countdown for heading north.  Trying to get all the stuff that I have been putting off done.  Still attending the Territorial Detachment meetings and a growl in February.  If anyone needs anything from the cash sales at the air station drop me an e-mail or phone.  I will bill when I get back to Spokane, no shipping or handling charges.  Received the convention information for the Department of Montana, dates are May 14-16, to be held in Helena.  Usually a very good meeting and good company.  I will have the details at the April meeting.

Your thought for the month: A person who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a nice person.  (Dave Berry)

Chaplain’s Report:  Our chaplain, Marine Bill Town, has reported on the following Marines:  Ben Taylor is doing fine, but is having trouble walking.  Val Ritter is dealing with some respiratory issues as a result of his chronic leukemia.  Otis Dennis feels fine and is enjoying the early spring weather in Kennewick.  Ray Moon is on oxygen 24/7.   Dave and Carol Hamm are doing great in their new place. 

Walt McKee is doing better, still at the Veterans’ Home.  He is working on some strengthening exercises so he can get home.  Dick Sprint is also at the Veterans’ Home.  Bill Borses was released from St. Luke’s Rehab. 

Bill says his cataract surgery in January went great, shoulder is healing up and he is taking himself off the sick list!

Regular Detachment Business Meetings at VFW 51, every 2^nd Thursday of the month at 1900.  “Prizes to be won at every meeting”.  We gave away a few hats this month.

Other information from our Chaplain – if you have calendars to donate to our brothers and sisters at the VAMC please bring them to the meeting and Bill will make sure they get to the hospital so patients can use them to track their appointments.  Also, if you know of someone who is sick or home bound, please give them a call or a visit. 

 Life Membership Dues

To become a Life Member, you must already be a "Member in Good Standing". That means becoming a member and paying your initial dues first or being current on your dues.  Yes, according to the Bylaws, you could join the League, pay your dues and then pay your Life Membership Dues all in the same day.  This means that you could join the League for the initial $35.00 membership fee, then apply for Life Membership for the above amount for your age group.   (i.e. Tom Smith is age 36 and joins at the initial $35.00, then wants to go Life.  He has to pay a total of $435.00)

Anyone over age 61 would save money on a Life membership within 5 years of going life. 

More from our Paymaster, Randy Ott:

As of Feb 21, the following members have an upcoming renewal (Feb, Mar, Apr, May); you may remit $30 for your dues or wait until you receive your notice from National.  Dues are good for 1 year from your initial join date.  If you have sent your dues, Thank you, and please disregard this reminder. J

Thad Kelly Dec/09                            Thomas Nieberding Dec/09

March 2010                                       April 2010                                         May 2010

Ronald Beekman                               Terry Bush                                         Manny Esparza

Barry Blackerby                                 Ron Garnes

Joe Burch                                          Harford Hanson                    

Alan Signaw                         

VA Bingo is held every 2^nd Wednesday of the month at 1900 

Come join the fun!

Calendar of Coming Events

2010

Birthday Celebrations for March:

Betty Guillot; GySgt Adam Ruiz; Mike Maehl; Ray Moon; Jim Studabaker;

Manny Esparza and Edward Bell

Happy Birthday to All!

This Month in Marine Corps History

2 March 1867: Jacob Zeilin, Colonel Commandant of the Marine Corps from 30 June 1864, was this date promoted to the rank of Brigadier General Commandant, the first time Congress authorized this rank for the Marine Corps. The statute, however, was repealed in June 1874 so that the rank of Commandant would again revert to colonel upon Zeilin's retirement.

8 March 1965: The 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade landed at DaNang, Republic of Vietnam as the first U.S. ground combat troops to be committed to that conflict. The 3,500 men arrived both across the beach with Battalion Landing Team 3/9, and at DaNang Airfield with Battalion Landing Team 1/3.

11 March 1778: Marines participated the action when the Continental Navy frigate BOSTON, en route to France, sighted, engaged, and captured the British merchant ship MARTHA. As the drum of the BOSTON beat to arms, John Adams seized a musket and joined the Marines on deck until the frigate's captain, Samuel Tucker, sent him below for safety.

13 March 1943: The first group of71 Women Marine officer candidates arrived at the U.S. Midshipmen School (Women's Reserve) at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The Navy's willingness to share training facilities enabled the Marine Corps to begin training Marine Corps Women's Reserve officers just one month after the creation of the MCWR was announced.

17 March 1967: The first woman Marine to report to Vietnam for duty, Master Sergeant Barbara J. Dulinsky, began her 18-hour flight to Bien Hoa, 30 miles north of Saigon. MSgt Dulinsky and the other officer and enlisted Women Marines that followed were assigned to the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) based in Saigon. Most worked with the Marine Corps Personnel Section providing administrative support to Marines assigned as far north as the DMZ, but two Lieutenant Colonels, Ruth Reinholz and Ruth O'Holleran, served as historians with the Military History Branch, Secretary Joint Staff, MACV.

25 March 1945: After 35 days of bitter fighting, the amphibious assault on the rocky fortress of Iwo Jima finally appeared over. On the night of 25 March, however, a 300-man Japanese force launched a vicious final counterattack in the vicinity of Airfield Number 2. Army pilots, Seabees and Marines of the 5th Pioneer Battalion and 28th Marines fought the fanatical Japanese force till morning but suffered heavy casualties --more than l00 killed and another 200 American wounded. Nearly all of the Japanese force was killed in the battle.

27 March 1953: The 5th Marines, supported by the 2d Battalion, 7th Marines, in the first full day of fighting after the Chinese assault the previous evening of Outpost Vegas on Korea's western front, counterattacked to regain enemy-held positions. Companies E and F of 2/7, down to only three platoons between them, managed to regain partial control of Outpost Vegas that day.

31 March 1801: On this date, LtCol Commandant William W. Burrows rode with President Thomas Jefferson to look for "a proper place to fix the Marine Barracks on." President Jefferson was a personal friend of the Commandant, and deeply interested in the welfare of the Corps and accompanied Burrows on horseback on the morning of 31 March. They chose a square in Southeast Washington, at 8th and I streets, because it lay near the Navy Yard and was within easy marching distance of the Capitol.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died last Wednesday at the age of 80, in Boise, Idaho.  May God Rest His Soul. 

By direction of the President, under the Joint Resolution of Congress approved 12 July 1862 (amended by act of 3 March 1863, act of 9 July 1918, and act of 25 July 1963), the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, is awarded by the Department of the Army in the name of Congress to:

CAPTAIN ED W. FREEMAN
UNITED STATES ARMY

Captain Ed W. Freeman, United States Army, of Boise, Idaho, who distinguished himself by numerous acts of conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary intrepidity on 14 November 1965 while serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). As a flight leader and second in command of a 16-helicopter lift unit, he supported a heavily engaged American infantry battalion at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam. The unit was almost out of ammunition after taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, fighting off a relentless attack from a highly motivated, heavily armed enemy force.

When the infantry commander closed the helicopter landing zone because of intense direct enemy fire, Captain Freeman risked his life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time, delivering critically needed ammunition, water, and medical supplies to the besieged battalion. His flights, by providing the engaged units with supplies of ammunition critical to their survival, directly affected the battle's outcome. Without them the units would almost surely have gone down, with much greater loss of life. After medical evacuation helicopters refused to fly into the area because of intense enemy fire, Captain Freeman flew 14 separate rescue missions, providing lifesaving evacuation of an estimated 30 seriously wounded soldiers-some of whom would not have survived had he not acted. All flights were made into a small emergency landing zone within 100 to 200 meters of the defensive perimeter, where heavily committed units were perilously holding off the attacking elements.

Captain Freeman's selfless acts of great valor and extraordinary perseverance were far above and beyond the call of duty or mission and set a superb example of leadership and courage for all of his peers. Captain Freeman's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
 

Our April Breakfast will be a recruiting breakfast.  Flyers will be sent to past members and you can pick some up at the March meeting to give to Marines you know.  We are going to have SOS again.  This seems to be a popular menu item, so we’ll run with it for awhile.   

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 

The Marines are serving Breakfast!

When:  9:00 to 11:00, Saturday, March 20, 2010

Where:  VFW Post 51, 300 W. Mission Ave.

What: Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs,

Hash browns, Bacon, Coffee, Milk & OJ

Cost:  $6.00 per person

Please come join us!

Enjoy some good times and okay cooking!

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