THE HARDCHARGER. A TIME HONORED TRADITION by Alison G. Porter BE THERE! OFFICIAL NEWSLETER OF KENTUCKIANA DETACHMENT #729

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1 THE HARDCHARGER OFFICIAL NEWSLETER OF KENTUCKIANA DETACHMENT #729 OFFICERS Commandant ROBERT CROSS (502) Senior Vice Commandant C.J. WYCHULIS (502) (Devil dog Contact) Junior Vice Commandant RON SNYDER (502) Judge Advocate HAROLD SNEED (502) Auxiliary President NANCY WALLACE (502) Adjutant ALLEN BROUSSARD (502) Chaplain BILL GIVIDEN (502) The next General Membership meeting will be held on 18 March at the VFW Middletown. The meeting will start promptly at 1900 hours. Please plan to attend. This month s ROVING MESS will be at CHAMPS located at 5000 Shelbyville Rd at 1100 hours on. BE THERE! A very special thank you to Allen and Nancy Wallace for their constant support to the HardCharger, without it distribution of this publication would prove to be difficult. MARCH 2013 PLEASE HELP! 1/3 of our annual budget is dedicated to the mailing of the newsletter. Receiving the newsletter electronically helps us save. PLEASE SEE DETACH- MENT MARINE OF THE YEAR NOMINATION GUIDELINES AND NOMINATION FORM ON PAGES 8 AND 9. BECOME INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS BY NOMINATING AN INDI- VIDUAL YOU BELIEVE TO BE DESERVING OF THIS PROSTIGEOUS HONOR. Comptroller/Investment/ Audit Committee BOB ROSS Paymaster ROBERT CROSS (502) mclbcross33@gmail.com Sergeant-At-Arms DON SCHOFIELD (502) gunny69@insightbb.com Supply Officer DON OLIVER (502) Oliver1@insightbb.com VAVS Service Officer BOB LEBLOND (502) rleblond@aol.com VSO Officer & (Devil Dog Contact) DAVID HESSE (502) Ways & Means Committee Chairs JOHN HEFLEY (502) hilndmastr@aol.com Boy Scout Committee DEWEY AMUNDSEN (502) Newsletter Editor ALISON G. PORTER (502) A TIME HONORED TRADITION by Alison G. Porter Honoring a fallen Marine or Corpsman is as much of a time honored and sacred tradition as the Corps itself. Whether on land or at sea, it is the duty, responsibility and privilege of every able bodied Marine and Corpsman to honor the memory of a fallen Brother or Sister in arms. Every Marine and Navy Corpsman, young or old, whether serving on active duty, retired or short served veteran deserves ceremony when passing from this life. We the Marines and Corpsmen of the Kentuckiana Detachment, under the leadership of Detachment and Department Chaplain Bill Gividen, take this particular honor very seriously. Started in 1999 (by Mr. Tom Rausch) under the detail observed as The Grunt Squad, The Last Detail performs a short ritual formation service at the funeral home of the fallen individual. This service known as the Visitation Service offers a ritual inspirational oration and poem accompanied by a Bible passage reading and prayer by members of the formation (usually Department Adjutant, Chaplain and Chaplain s Assistant). The service also offers a small set of Colors (National and Marine Corps Standards), Article continued on Page 7; Tradition (Rear: Marines Schmidt, Young, Broussard, Taylor, Froehlich. Middle: Broussard, Vogedes, Porter, Rector. Kneeling: Schofield. At the Visitation Service of WWII Marine Margaret Robinson.) (MCL/WMA Joint Service Operation)

2 Page 2 THE HARDCHARGER Marines: FROM THE DESK OF THE COMMANDANT For those of you who missed the February meeting, you missed some good suggestions as to how we may move forward with the Detachment. We changed the meeting format for last month and tried to make it an open forum. It seemed to work pretty well. We may be able to try it again in the future. Bob LeBlond is working on a program for the March Meeting. He is trying to get Ronda Smith from the VAVS to give us a program on the volunteer opportunities at the VA. It COMMANDANT promises to be an interesting program. BOB CROSS Remember that we have 4 MCJROTC programs in our community Seneca, Fern Creek, Jeffersontown and Shelby County. They have all been hit by cutbacks to their budgets and fundraising has been slow for as well. If you or anyone you know is looking for a worthy cause, please make a donation to the youth of our community by supporting one of our MCJROTC programs. Please put September 21, 2013 on you calendars and keep it open. That is the date that has been selected to conduct our Roadblock. This is becoming our main fundraiser and all the help we can get will be appreciated. As has been announced, it is time to start thinking about the selection of officers for the Detachment. As announced in last months article John Froehlich has agreed to chair the Nominations committee. Please get with him or one of the committee members, Bud Hughes or Don Schofield, with your nominations for Commandant, Sr. Vice Commandant, Jr. Vice Commandant and Judge Advocate. I want to take this opportunity to express my thanks you, the members of the Detachment for allowing me to serve as your Commandant for the past year. As generally happens, changes come about that alter planned courses of events. Such changes have occurred in my personal status that make it necessary for me to announce to you that I will not be able to run for reelection to the office of Commandant. It has been a difficult decision for me, but a necessary one. I hope I have been an asset to the Detachment. Semper Fi! Bob Cross AUXILIARY PRESIDENT NANCY WALLACE From the Auxiliary President Hello March! Our meeting on March 18th will be for nominating for new officers. Think about being a nominee for an office, it really doesn't involve that much time or energy. We need some new blood in our offices, it generates new ideas. Time is Marching on, so we are going to celebrate the coming of spring by having another Ladies Lunch and Shopping Day on Saturday March 23rd at the Summit Shopping Center. Lunch will be at Mitchell's Fish Market. Any member interested in joining us call Nancy at Our last luncheon was a fun time, try and join us. Nancy Wallace President Happy Birthday Mary Rose Bezoenik March 10

3 Page 3 THOUGHT S FROM THE CHAPLAIN by Chaplain Bill Gividen DISTRACTIONS TO PRAYER The Chaplain s Corner Do you have a problem maintaining your focus when you pray? What causes your mind to wander to mundane happenings? Who are you listening to? Does Satan distract your thinking? You need to be mentally intentional. Remember, those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. You need to let the Holy Spirit aid you. You want to know whom you are talking to. Many people think of prayer only as asking God for what they want. But, prayer is much CHAPLAIN more than that. Prayer is communication and communion with God. In the act of prayer, BILL GIVIDEN you receive a transfusion of His strength. Being strong enables you to ward off temptations. Time spent in prayer strengthens you spiritually. Prayer grows your faith. Prayer fortifies your understanding. Prayer reinforces your Christian experience. So, turn off your cell phone. Get away from the computer. Leave your worldly thoughts behind you. Go into your prayer closet. Make circumstances as free of distractions as possible. Use the scriptures to lead you in your prayer life. The Psalms are a good starting point as encouragement in your prayer life. Prayer builds you up. Prayer is a spiritual exercise for your soul. The more you pray, the stronger you ll be. Don t yield to your questions of how to pray. Just talk with God. Listen for His response, through the Word and your thoughts of Him. Keep Satan at bay. Pray Pray Pray. Be sensitive of the distractions to your prayer life. It might be Satan bringing the distractions to your prayers, but it could be God alerting you to other prayer concerns. Understand that Satan doesn t want you to pray. He ll bring up past hurts and burdens. Put them behind you. God will lead you in your IN MEMORIAM PRAYER NEEDS/REQUESTS Let us also remember those of our Brothers and Sisters who have passed away this Fiscal Year (July 2012 June 2013). They are sorely missed and we shall remember them in our hearts. Rest in peace Marines, there is a place for you in heaven for you have well served your time on earth! Jerry L. Henson - 9 August 2012 Frank B. Hower Jr September 2012 Please keep these League members and / or spouses and their families in your prayers. Jim Trusty - Health Mildred Trusty - Health Libby Dyne - Health Chuck Brown - Health The Riddles - Health Kathleen Drummond - Health Louis Lindle - Health Tom Rausch - Health Judy Keller - Health Marty Hanse - Health Alison Porter - Health

4 Page 4 THE HARDCHARGER MINUTES / OFFICER REPORTS MINUTES OF THE 18 FEBRUARY 2013 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Commandant Bob Cross called the meeting to order at 1900 hours. All Officers were present or accounted for, 43 members and no guests present. The Chaplain led the membership in an opening prayer. Presentation: Prior to conducting the business meeting, Commandant Cross presented Commander Dwight Riggle of the VFW Post 1170 with a donation from the Detachment in the amount of $ as thanks for allowing us to utilize their Post for our General meetings. Commander Riggle thanked the Detachment for the donation. Guests & Applications for new membership: There were no guests nor applications for new members. Minutes of the previous meeting: Minutes of the previous meeting, January 2013 were published in the newsletter. There were no corrections or additions to the minutes. John Froehlich moved to approve and it was seconded by Woody Marshall. Minutes were approved by unanimous vote. Paymaster s Report : The paymaster s report was presented by Commandant Cross. Copies of paymaster report available if requested. Motion by Alison Porter to approve report and seconded by Jerry McCandless. Motion carried. Chaplain s Report: Chaplain Gividen gave a report of members or member s families in need prayer. They included members Jimmie and Mildred Trusty, Libby Dyne, Chuck Brown, Warren Riddle and his wife, Kathleen Drummond, Louis Lindle, Mike Rice, Tom Rausch, Judy Keller, and Marty Hanse. Remember to keep members ill in prayers. Toys for Tots: Coordinator Cletis Evans presented TFT Certificates to 43 members and 3 Auxiliary members. He noted that members contributed over 3033 man-hours and the coordinator an additional Certificates were distributed to those present remainder will be delivered or mailed by TFT Coordinator. REPORT OF OFFICERS Commandant: Commandant opened the business meeting with a discussion of the format of future meetings. He opened the floor for suggestions from the members and received several suggestions from the membership ranging from members sharing Marine Corps experiences, to speaker programs, and calls for more socialization. An Open range shooting experience in Crestwood was also suggested. Additionally the dress code for all members including officers may be relaxed. He also noted that the Board of Trustees could handle more of the official business decisions as long as the information is presented to the Detachment on issues that are not mundane or require a Detachment vote to approve agenda items. Commandant also suggested minimizing Officer Reports to only necessary items for general membership. He announced that the Board of Trustees made some decisions on placing ads in the Montford Point Marine Association Scholarship Banquet Program, as well as the Central Division Conference Program. Both items were approved by the Board of Trustees and in the budget. He announced a special program for the May meeting for the presentation of a Bust of a Vietnam Veteran KIA in Vietnam. More to come on this project. It may entail an early start to the May meeting to conduct the annual election of Officers. It will be a very nice program. He announced also that the Investment committee meeting will meet prior to the end of February. Additionally, we will be moving the Awards Program to the June meeting in conjunction with the installation of new officers. He indicated that we should make this a formal occasion. There were a couple of requests for support of the MCJROTC program, both financially and a plea to assist in the judging and evaluating of cadets in a Ranger Challenge course that the Jeffersontown HS MCJROTC will be

5 MINUTES / REPORTS CONTINUED Page 5 sponsoring on 11 May If you are interested in this activity, we will be providing more information at the March meeting. Sounds like fun and we will have a better handle on what the school needs in terms of duties by that time. The Scholarship programs were briefly discussed specifically with regard to the scholarship being awarded at the Luther Luckett Vets Club for an Oldham Co. high school grad. This has been in effect for several years and is in the budget. After discussion it was decided to leave the scholarship intact. Commandant Cross renewed his call for members to get involved. He is still looking for someone to take the Paymaster s position. Additionally, the Road Block was discussed in depth and it was settled that the 21 Sept 2013 date will be our annual Road Block. Time to plan is now. The lesson learned from this past year is that it takes MCL Member bodies to make that happen. Additionally, the Abby Road on the River weekend from May is an easy fundraiser and an enjoyable volunteer experience. WE NEED BODIES MARINES! All of these experiences bring our membership closer together. So let s have fun with it! One member remarked that the Chaplain is not being advised of all of our members in distressed. If you know of a member, please contact the Chaplain and he will follow up from there. Commandant Cross turned over the election of nominees for the Department and Central Division Marine of the Year to Adjutant Al Broussard. The Detachment considered the ballots and resumes of several fine candidates. The result was an extremely close competition. Member Bill Gividen won both elections and will be nominated by the Detachment as our candidate for Marine of the Year for the Detachment and Central Division Marine of the Year. All Officer Reports were waived for this meeting. Announcements: The annual Franklin Sousley Memorial Service was announced for 24 Feb 2013 in Flemingsburg. The Department of Kentucky 3 rd Quarterly meeting will be held on 23 March 2013 in Bowling Green Kentucky hosted by the Sousley Detachment. Members wishing to attend may contact the Commandant. Abby Road Festival and fundraising event will be held on May 23-27, Roving Mess: Bob LeBlond announced that the Roving Mess for March will be held on 12 March 2013 at Champs Sports Bar and Grill located at 5000 Shelbyville Road It is located next to the Oxmoor Shopping Center near West side near the Kohl's Store. Meet at 11:00 AM and let Bob know if you will be in attendance for head count rleblond@aol.com or phone Nominating Committee: John Froehlich gave a report on the nominating Committee. If you are interested or know of someone who is willing to run for an office, please contact him at (Cell) or him at j.froehlichk@insightbb.com. We are still looking for a few good members! 50/50 drawing was won by member Ralph Dill who collected $40.00 and the Detachment retained the other half of the prize. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:23 Hours. Respectfully Submitted, Allen Broussard, Adjutant

6 Page 6 THE HARDCHARGER Renewals Due PREVIOUS MONTH (FEB) Miller, Jason O Leary, Patrick Schwendau, Martin Smith, Sr., Charles D. Taylor, Jr., Robert G. The Gunny has introduced Drill Instructor Crusher. Drill Instructor Crusher is full of motivation and wise words that you can live by. He will not sugar coat anything and may even make you laugh giving it to you straight between the eyes. Please see the CLASSIFIEDS section (page 11) for information on how to obtain your own SEMPERTOON paraphernalia. CURRENT MONTH (MAR) Albright, Eugene Bailey, Joe Dorsett, Steve Grzeskowiak, Bill Hawkins, Steven L. Hesse, David Lapp, John Renfro, Tonnie Riddle, Warren Schweitzer, William Sechrist, Rick Shaughnessy, John Wright, Gregory Wyatt, Roy NEXT MONTH (APR) Allen, Danny Ames, John Hall, Lewis Maloney, Michael Salyers, Dale Smith, Roger C. Sullivan, Thomas Trout, Steven A Very important note to members. National has apparently started mailing renewal invoices this past month. They have been extremely late for months previous to that due to transitioning into a new data base at headquarters. Hopefully this will be rectified soon, but in the meantime, if your membership expires during the above months, please be proactive and send your renewal dues of $30.00 to our Adjutant, Allen Broussard

7 MARCH 2013 Page 7 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat * Names denotes Member Birthdays Bertrand, Earl Quinlan, Scott Hawkins, Donald Nowak, William Ratterman, Emmett Graver, Rebecca Baron, Al Brown, Chuck 10 DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS Glass, Anthony ROVING MESS CHAMPS 5000 SHELBYVILLE RD. Mangold, George 13 Hilton, Steven Horne, Andrew 16 Maloney, Michael 17 ST. PATRICK S DAY Seachrist, Rick Shaughnessy, John 24 PALM SUNDAY Marasa, Nicholas 18 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING HRS PASSOVER Stewart, Dennis FIRST DAY OF SPRING Wright, Gregory Hankins, Steven Sparks, James 29 GOOD FRIDAY Herrick, Brian 23 DEPARTMENT MEETING BOWLING GREEN 30 Schulz, Thomas 31 EASTER Continued from Page 1. TRADITION a Marine Corps League sympathy card, individual show of respect to the deceased and condolences shown to the next of kin and immediate family members in attendance. Though there is not an extreme effort required to participate in a Visitation detail, there is a lot of work that goes into preparing for the detail. It is the Chaplain s charge to monitor the local obituary columns to seek out fallen Marines and or Corpsmen, communicating with the funeral home and or next of kin and keeping visitation service records. He also has other responsibilities before the detail is formed at the funeral home. Again, honoring our Nation s Marine Corps fallen Veteran s is the responsibility of all that are able. It is not difficult to join The Last Detail and to participate in Visitation Services, simply contact the Detachment Chaplain or Chaplain s Assistant (contact information on Page 1 under Officers) and inform him or her that you would like to be added to the Detail s contact list, watch for the official notification of fallen Marines or Corpsmen and follow the directions in the correspondence. Owning a Marine Corps League uniform is not required, just wear funeral home appropriate clothing. Let s send our fallen brothers and sisters to their Final Duty Station with all the ceremony that we are able to provide.

8 Page 8 KENTUCKIANA DETACHMENT 729 MARINE OF THE YEAR 2013 THE HARDCHARGER GENERAL INFORMATION: The Marine of the Year shall be selected to correspond with the Fiscal Year. The award will be presented within the first quarter of the new fiscal year. This award shall be presented to a regular member of the Detachment who has rendered service(s) and performed deed(s) above and beyond the duties and obligations required of a member of the Kentuckiana Detachment. Nominations for the Marine of the Year shall be considered and selected by the current members of the Detachment Marine of the Year Society. The Marine of the Year Society shall be comprised of all recipients of the Detachment Marine of the Year Award in good standing with the Marine Corps League. The Society is charged with receiving and reviewing nominations for the Detachment Marine of the Year. The President of the Society will name their selection at the July 15 meeting. Each recipient of the Marine of the Year Award shall serve as President of the Society for the following year. The Society shall have no less than five members present to deliberate the selection. (1) Nominations for this award will be accepted from any member in good standing of the Detachment. (2) Each nomination shall have a brief sketch of the person being nominated as well as a written summary stating why this nominee should be the Marine of the Year. The nominee must also be a member in good standing. The President of the Society shall announce the recipient of the Marine of the Year Award at the July general membership meeting. (3) Nominations will be addressed to Allen Wallace, President of the Marine of the Year Society Whipps Mill Road Louisville, Ky and mailed postmarked or hand delivered no later than May 31, Nominations received after that date will not be considered. All letters should be in a sealed envelope and will remain sealed until the Society meets to make the selection. The Society shall convene on a date determined by the President of the Society in the month of June. CRITERIA: There are no minimum criteria to be eligible for this award, but consideration will be given to members who have demonstrated contributions in the following areas: COMMITMENT: This is defined as a member s participation in Detachment affairs, such as attendance at monthly meetings, working on committees and projects, taking a leadership role in detachment affairs and functions, and supporting the various MCL programs sponsored by the Detachment. Also considered is the commitment to perpetuate membership through recruiting and retention efforts. SERVICE: This is defined as a member s participation in the Community which provides help and relief to the underprivileged and reflect positively the Marine Corps League and on the nominees character. Also, contributing to patriotic programs which espouse good citizenship and strong moral values. (i.e. volunteer work with Salvation Army, Dare to Care, Meals on Wheels, or speaking to youth groups such as Scouts or school children, as well as service to church and other similar activities.)

9 Page 9 NOMINATION FORM Nominee: Person Nominating: Commitment: (Indicate here MCL activities in which the nominee has contributed) Service in the Community: (Community Activities Organizations supported) Personal Statement of Recommendation: You may attach a letter if you wish. Signature of person making nomination: Mail to: ALLEN WALLACE, PRESIDENT MOY SOCIETY, WHIPPS MILL RD. LOUISVILLE KY NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JULY 1, 2012

10 Page 10 THE HARDCHARGER DETACHMENT ELECTIONS Keep in mind that with all else that is going on within our Detachment that the Changing of Board Officers is just around the corner. With this in mind, we will need all members able to be present at the General Membership Meetings for voting purposes. As they say in a Presidential Election, If you don t vote, you can t complain. The offices that we are seeking nominations for are that of ; Commandant, Senior Vice Commandant, Junior Vice Commandant and Judge Advocate. As it needs dedicated members, a Marine Corps League Detachment requires all four of these offices to function and operate. When casting your vote, try not to vote on the more popular nominee however consider who it will be that will keep your best interests as a member at heart. We do not only need voters at the Meeting, we are also looking for those interested in taking a more active role and running for these offices. Nominee candidates should be those who literally have the best interest of the detachment in mind. A nominee should be willing to have an open mind and be able to work well with the other offices as a team to carry out the needs of the Detachment as a whole. With each office working together as a well oiled machine, the demands on each particular office will be easier. Those interested in running for one or more of the Elected Offices or wishing to nominate and individual, should contact John Froehlich at Nominations will also be taken from the floor before the vote. With this being noted, our current Commandant Bob Cross will not be seeking reelection for personal reasons. I am sure that many 729 members will be sad to see him go as Commandant as he has performed his duty well. I am sure that we all wish him well in his personal endeavors that keeps him from running. On a personal note, Thank you Mr. Cross for a job well done. CAPTION THIS 729 MOMENT PAST What are the individual(s) saying or thinking in the picture below? For an example the first has been captioned by the HardCharger Editor. Responses from readers will be published in April s issue of the Hard- Charger Our Grumpy Senior Vice seems to be shouting. What could he possibly be saying? Be Crea ve and CLEAN! Picture taken at a past Roving Mess. Picture taken at 2012 Auxiliary/MCL Joint Picnic.

11 Page 11 CLASSIFIEDS Looking to Buy? Looking to Sell? Post it Here! me at Find him on the web at or contact him at for you military comic needs. Bumper Stickers, Prints, Greeting Cards, Mugs, Posters, T-Shirts, Mousepads and more. Also Check out his Apple/Android apps. ARE FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO GET AROUND AND DO THE THINGS YOU USED TO BE ABLE TO DO? DO YOU NEED A LITTLE EXTRA ASSISTANCE? THESE LADIES CAN HELP. TINA MORGAN OR DELANA HOOPER THESE LADIES ARE PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVERS. KENTUCKIANA DETACHMENT MEMBER OTIS FOX CAN BE CONTACTED FOR REFERENCES AT Detachment 729 member Mr. Tom Crump is in need of a very good person to sell military and personal items on ebay and Craig s List. If interested, please contact Sgt.Maj. Tom Crump at Please Continue To Send Your Military Service Pictures To The HardCharger Editor For Special Projects, Article Accompaniment And More. TO & FROM THE HARD CHARGER EDITOR Is this thing on? Is Anybody out there? I would love to have some comments or ideas that I can post here. If you would like to make comments or suggest an idea for upcoming articles or content, please the editor at alusmc@ymail.com. State in the message that you would like the comment or idea posted. Also feel free to discuss HardCharger content on Facebook Open Group Marine Corps League #729. You don t have to be nice, just clean. HardCharger Highlights has taken a short break but will be returning soon. I would like to take this opportunity to defend this recurring article in this publication. I have had many compliments on this article. Many readers have stated that they enjoy reading and learning more about our members. However I find it difficult at times to gain the cooperation of members to grant an interview. Some think that by having their story published they are boasting or bragging on their accomplishments, while others feel that their story is less than extraordinary. Now hear this, this article was never intended to be a platform for you to tell the world what a true hero or amazing individual you are, just simply a meet and greet of fellow members that we sit next to every month but know nothing about. Just to make it clear, during every interview to date, I have discovered incredible facts about each member which has made them personal heroes to me. A member at the February meeting stated that he was interested in learning the history behind our members. I am sure that others would as well. With this in mind, I will be requesting interviews with members by order of age except in a case of a member s declining health or if a particular circumstance should take the list out of age order. This comment made was not meant to be viewed as harassment, just an explanation of the importance of this article. Thank you in advance for your understanding. So what were our thoughts on the format of February s General Membership Meeting. For the record I enjoyed seeing the Colors being posted instead of they already being posted. There is just something about watching the Colors pass by. So what do YOU think?

12 Marine Corps League Kentuckiana Detachment #729 P.O. Box Louisville, KY POSTAGE Phone: THIS IS YOUR MARCH ISSUE OF THE HARDCHARGER NEWSLETTER APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP CAN BE FOUND IN SEMPER FI MAGAZINE OR REQUEST APPLICATION FROM ADJUTANT OR NEWS- LETTER EDITOR.