GATOR ALMAR OCTOBER - NOVEMBER Marine Corps League Gator Detachment 990 PO Box , Gainesville FL

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1 OCT - NOV 2017 M A R I N E C O R P S L E A G U E G A T O R D E T A C H M E N T GATOR ALMAR GatorDet Officers OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2017 Jim Yakubsin Sr. Vice Vernon Kisling Jr. Vice Bob Gasche Jr. Past Dick Lester Judge Advocate John Murdoch Adjutant Martha Brown Paymaster Martha Brown Sergeant at Arms Bill Beck Chaplain Bob Wright Quartermaster Scott DuPree Veteran Service Officer Bob Wright Public Affairs Officer Steve Homewood Historian Steve Homewood Librarian Bob Gasche Social Director Sandy Golden Ways & Means Peter Briggette Web Sgt. Scott DuPree Color/Honor Guard Dave Nettles Marine Corps League Gator Detachment 990 PO Box , Gainesville FL Jim Yakubsin / yakmarine@aol.com / Sr. Vice & Editor Vernon Kisling / vkisling@ufl.edu / Jr. Vice Bob Gasche / FOR OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION USE THE WEBSITE MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY INDEX 2 Gator 990 Detachment Activities 3 Gator 990 Detachment Information 4 History & General Information 5 Local Veterans Activities 6 MCL Department of Florida Information 7 MCL National Information

2 GATOR ALMAR Page 2 Gator 990 Detachment Activities 2017 MEETINGS & EVENTS OCTOBER 2 MCL-VVA SOCIAL 17 MCL Staff Meeting 24 MCL Regular Meeting 28 MLYM Breakfast MCL Gator Detachment 990 Challenge Coins and Gun Raffle Tickets will be available at the Birthday Ball. $10.00 each NOVEMBER 4 MC Birthday BALL 5 Alachua Fall Festival 6 MCL-VVA SOCIAL 11 Veterans Day 18 Vets Recognition Day 21 MCL Staff Meeting 25 MLYM Breakfast 28 MCL Regular Meeting DECEMBER NO MEETINGS 9 Alachua Cmas Parade 2018 MEETINGS & EVENTS JANUARY 1 MCL-VVA SOCIAL??? 16 MCL Staff Meeting 23 MCL Regular Meeting 27 MLYM Breakfast MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY BALL Colonel William F. Williams III will be our guest speaker. The theme will be the 100th anniversary of U.S. involvement in World War One. There will be 275 guests at this year s Birthday Ball. In addition to the traditional ceremony there will be a live band and a photographer. There will also be an auction (using tickets), the gun raffle, a 50/50, and challenge coins for sale. NOVEMBER 4 at the Best Western Gateway Grand (39th Street exit on I-75). Social at 5:00 & Ceremony at 6:00. s Message:. WE NEED member s to get involved with our activities and ser vices. In par - ticular, see the open positions on page 3. I encourage our members to do what they can to help the Detachment fulfill its obligations and to be more active. And a big thank you to those members who have been helping. Your, Semper Fi

3 OCT - NOV 2017 Page 3 Gator 990 Detachment Information MC BIRTHDAY BALL WWI PHOTOS NEEDED. If you have photos of family or friends who served in WWI scan and them to Sandy at SaundraGolden@gmail.com JPEG images at 300 dpi are preferred. If you do not have a scanner use one at a copy center SERVICE HOURS for 1st Quarter 2017 / 117 hours SERVICE HOURS for 2nd Quarter 2017 / 173 hours SERVICE HOURS for 3rd Quarter 2017 / 78 hours (so far) DEVIL DOGS Pound 299 Salty Swamp Dogs To join you need to be an MCL member. Dues are $20 See Dick Lester for additional information. Gator Detachment 990 has received a flag ribbon for achieving / maintaining 100% membership. We now have 76 members. It has been a slow Fall for our activities, but see page 5 for several upcoming activities. GatorDet Regular Meeting First United Methodist Church NW 140 St. ALACHUA OCTOBER 24 NOVEMBER 28 6:00 Social & Supper 7:00 Meeting Vietnam Veterans of America (Alachua County Chapter) presented a check for 41 memorial bricks to honor Alachua County veterans killed during the Vietnam war. There will be a dedication ceremony - date TBD. Dinner will be GRILLED PORK CHOPS Side Dishes are needed DUES INFORMATION Membership renewal for is now due: $40 ($45 for new members). LIFE MEMERSHIP fees are: 0-35 $500, $400, $300, and 65+ $200 [Applies to both Regular & Associate Members]

4 GATOR ALMAR Page 4 History & General Information Marine Corps History - OCTOBER 5 October 1775 Word Marines used on one of the earliest known occasions at a meeting in Philadelphia during second Continental Congress. General George Washington gave orders for the proper encouragement to the Marines and seamen for their service on U.S. armed ships. 31 October 1919 Marines and Gendarmes took over the headquarters of the Haitian bandit chief Charlemagne Peralte, killing him and dispersing his followers. Sergeant Hanneken and Cor-poral William William Button were awarded the Medal of Honor. 6 October 1945 Major General Keller Rockey accepted the surrender of 50,000 Japanese troops in North China on behalf of the Chinese Nationalist government. 23 October 1983 The BLT headquarters building was destroyed in Beirut, Lebanon killing 220 Marines as well as others. WORLD WAR I AUGUST 1917 Having declared war in April and with an increase in strength approved, the month of May provided a successful recruitment effort. In June the 5th Regiment sailed for France. The 6th Regiment would not leave for France until February From July March 1917, General Pershing relegated the Marines to training, security detachments, and supply / labor units in support of his Army units. The Marines faced supply and equipment shortages. Combat action began April Milton Lewis Young Marines. Cary Hill, Commanding Officer Jamie Hill, Executive Officer Col. William Davis USMC (Ret.), National Executive Director / CEO / Florida has 585 Young Marines in 19 Units supported by 22 MCL Detachments. Breakfast is monthly at 9:00 AM on the fourth Saturday. VFW Post on Waldo Road.

5 OCT - NOV 2017 Page 5 MCL / Local Veterans Activities OCTOBER / FALL MCL - VVA SOCIAL / 1st Monday each month at 5:30. Check website for location. Next Social will be on November 6. STAND DOWN / **POSTPONED until January 12** / This will take place at the Martin Luther King Center (behind the VFW Post on Waldo Road), 9:00-1:00 (set up at 8:00). Our Detachment will have a table to distribute food. ALACHUA FALL FESTIVAL / NOVEMBER 5 / MCL tent WILL NOT participate at this event (since it is the day after the Birthday Ball). VETERNS DAY / NOVEMBER 11 / Veterans Memorial Par k (Tower Road). MCL tent 8:00 (setup), 11:00-12:00 (ceremony). ALACHUA COUNTY VETERANS EVENTS, ACTIVITIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS VETERANS RECOGNITION DAY / NOVEMBER 18 / UF football stadium during UF vs. Alabama football game. ALACHUA CHRISTMAS PARADE / DECEMBER 9 / MCL militar y vehicle. 12:00 (prep Main Street north of the red light), 2:00-3:00 (parade). Our Detachment Color Guard will participate. ALACHUA COUNTY VETERANS SERVICES Kim Smith Davis, Director / / kismith@alachuacounty.us VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS / VFW Post 2811 Jack Harris, Commander / ( / not up) AMERICAN LEGION Haisley Lynch Post 16 Victoria Van Buren, Commander / VIET NAM VETERANS OF AMERICA / ALACHUA COUNTY Chapter 1092 Forest Hope, President / vva1092.org KOREAN WAR VETERANS / Gen. James A. Van Fleet Chapter 267 Kirby Stewart, Commander / dfl.kwva.org IWO TRIO, Inc. Bob Gasche, President / MILITARY ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART Tom Hennessey, Commander / (

6 GATOR ALMAR Page 6 MCL Department of Florida Information The INJURED WARRIORS FUND OF FLORIDA has now disbursed over $90,000 to 86 needy combat injured warriors. The SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM this year now has 43 applicants ( ). DEPT STAFF George LaMont Sr. Vice Frank Glassford The LEADERSHIP PROGRAM at the 2017 Spring Conference had 62 participants. The BOY SCOUTS (EAGLE) PROGRAM awarded 39 more Good Citizenship Awards (April-June 2017). FALL CONFERENCE at Palm Beach Gardens FL, 5-8 October Jr. Vice Scott Westervelt Judge Advocate Cary Haerlin Jr. Past William Cona Department of Florida membership stands at over 3,606 with an additional 695 delinquent members. A major effort will be made this year to reduce this number. Our Gator Detachment has already made significant progress - we now have no delinquent members. Also, the Department of Florida was awarded the Tom Perrone Award for having the most new members. DISTRICT 2 District 2 VCMDT John Murdoch District 2 Asst. Vice Scott DuPree District 2 includes Gator Detachment 990 Tri-County Detachment 1086 SgtMaj Griggs Detachment 1018 Discounts are now available to veterans on Florida public park entrance fees. Also, publicly operated airports are now prohibited from charging parking fees to vehicles with disabled veteran license plates. *** Please note that these State and National news items are repeated since they are only updated on the State and National websites quarterly. UPDATED JULY 2017 ***

7 OCT - NOV 2017 Page 7 MCL National Information Department of Defence Online Exchange Shopping. This service is now open to all honorably discharged veterans effective 11 November Veterans must register first (registration begins 1 June 2017) at Ardie R. Copas State Veterans Nursing Home in St. Lucie County has been funded and work should begin this Fall on the 120 bed facility. Construction should be completed in months. MCL has instituted a new Honorary Active Duty membership category. Active Duty Marines, FMF Corpsman, and FMF Chaplins can now become Honorary Active Duty members (free) of the MCL for the duration of their enlistment. They will have all rights and privileges of a regular member, except for voting or holding elective office. MID-WINTER CONFERENCE at Fredericksburg VA, 1-3 March NATIONAL CONVENTION at Buffalo NY, September ***NEW OFFICERS are now listed in the right column.*** NATIONAL STAFF National Wendell Webb National Sr. Vice Dennis Tobin National Jr. Vice Johnny Baker National Judge Advocate Warren Griffen Jr. Past National Richard Gore U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs / veterans.house.gov U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs / U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs / U. S. Marine Corps / MCL Marines Helping Marines /

8 GATOR ALMAR OCT - NOV 2017 Marine Corps League Semper Fidelis Espirit de Corps MCL Mission Statement Members of the Marine Corps League join together in camaraderie and fellowship for the purpose of preserving the traditions and promoting the interests of the United States Marine Corps. Banding together those who are now serving in the United States Marine Corps and those who have been honorably discharged from that service that they may effectively promote the ideals of American freedom and democracy. Voluntarily aiding and rendering assistance to all Marines and former Marines and to their widows and orphans; and to perpetuate the history of the United States Marine Corps and by fitting acts to observe the anniversaries of historical occasions of particular interest to Marines. Founded in 1923 by Lieutenant General John A. Lejeune (13th, ), the Marine Corps League is the only federally chartered (1937) Marine Corps related veterans organization in the United States. Marine Corps League Gator Detachment 990 PO Box Gainesville FL