ONCE A MARINE, ALWAYS A MARINE MCRD PARRIS ISLAND

DUPAGE COUNTY
MARINE CORPS
LEAGUE
DETACHMENT 399
OFFICERS Commandant — John Olenjnicki
630-665-8799
Sr. Vice Cmdt—Rita Kollias
630-362-7210
ONCE A MARINE,
ALWAYS A MARINE
VOLUME V ISSUE 1
APRIL 2016
MCRD PARRIS ISLAND
CELEBRATES 100
YEARS
Jr. Vice Cmdt—Larry Adamiec
630-257-2510
Jr Past Cmdt—Victoria Cobbett
630– 257-6423
Paymaster—Chuck Wingard
630-627-1766
Adjutant—Danielle Provenzale
630-426-3895
Judge Advocate-Gary Cobbett
630-257—6423
Chaplain—Don Kenyon
630-681-0911
Sgt at Arms—Roger Gaden
630-369-9878
Trustee—Bill Barta
630-263-0700
Trustee—George Bormann, Jr
630-372-9037
Trustee—Larry Olson
630-569-7395
Trustee—John Meschi
630-495-7336
Quartermaster—Frank Foster
847-519-1295
Today, male recruits from the eastern United
States and all female recruits train here, totaling nearly 18,000 recruits annually. Marines were first stationed at Parris Island deep in the salt marshes of
South Carolina in 1891. On November 1, 1915, Marine
Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island was officially designated as a recruit training base, and it has
been making Marines ever since. It is the longest continually operating recruit training base. The buildings
constructed between 1891 and WWI form the Parris
Island Historic District. Several structures are designated on the National Register of Historic Places, including the commanding general's house and a
19th century dry dock.
In this issue of the Newsletter we will take a
look at the history of this legendary piece of property
and also see how our basic training as Marines has
changed over the years. Take a look at Recruit Training in Wartime beginning on page 4.
Dues – New Member $35, Renewal $32, Life Member (18-35 yrs. old) $500,
(36-50yrs old) $400, (51-64 yrs. old) $300, over 65 yrs. old $200
PAGE 2
PARRIS ISLAND
Parris Island has a long history
of colonization. Many attempts were
made at permanent settlement between
1526 and 1722. The first successful attempt was made by the French in 1562,
followed by the Spanish and finally the
British. After the Revolutionary War,
Parris Island plantations began to grow
cotton instead of indigo. During the Civil
War, the island became a coaling station
for the Union Navy.
Nov. 2, 1861 - The first Marines in
the area of Parris Island sailed into Port
Royal Harbor, S.C., as members of detachments aboard various ships with the
Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Commanding officer, Navy Capt. Samuel F.
Du Pont, seized the area and it was used
as an important base for the Union Navy
throughout the Civil War. On Aug. 7,
1882, an act of Congress authorized the
establishment and construction of a
coaling dock and naval storehouse at
Port Royal Harbor. A select group of naval officers chose Parris Island as the
site. Nine (9) years later to help protect
the interests of the government during
construction, a Marine guard consisting
of one sergeant, two corporals and 10
privates were assigned to Port Royal,
thus establishing the first Marine post on
the island. Proper housing for the guard
was slow in coming, with the Marines
moving into barracks nearly two years
after the post was created.
On May 1, 1895 1st Lt. Clarence
L.A. Ingate was the first officer assigned
to command the Marine detachment at
Port Royal. On Sept. 15, 1896, with the
succession of command to 1st Lt. Henry
C. Haines, the detachment became Marine Barracks, U.S. Naval Station, Port
Royal, S.C. On Jan. 1, 1909, the designation Marine Barracks became Marine
Officers’ School, U.S. Naval Station, Port
Royal, S.C., with the purpose of indoctrinating newly commissioned officers. On
June 1, 1911 a recruit depot began operation at Port Royal on a three-
company basis as a secondary function
of the Marine Officers’ School, after it
had been postponed from its original
startup date of November 1910. Two
months later the Marine Officers’
School and two recruit companies began transferring to Norfolk, Va., after
the Department of the Navy decided to
use Port Royal for a disciplinary installation.
On Oct. 25, 1915, the recruit depot separated from the officers’ school
and returned to Port Royal. It was established as Marine Barracks, Port Royal, S.C., with the principle mission of
training enlisted Marine recruits. Three
days later, the Navy transferred the
land and buildings to the Marine Corps.
The recruit depot underwent a massive
expansion of installations, number of
Marines trained and the type of instruction recruits received in order to
meet the demands of the ongoing
World War I. It was also during this
time that Marine Barracks, Port Royal,
was redesignated as Marine Barracks,
Paris Island, and the government took
possession of the remaining private
land on Parris Island. Marine Corps Order No. 32 officially changed the name
"Paris" to "Parris" on May 3, 1919.
From November 1918 to December 1941, Parris Island continued to
thrive as a recruit depot in the early
years between World War I and World
PARRIS ISLAND
War II, as well as having an advanced
training seagoing depot, field music
school and aviation elements. During
the Great Depression of the 1930s, the
number of recruits trained drastically
fell and other operations on the island
also plummeted. Increasing global
hostilities in 1939 brought a revival to
the recruit depot and in the two years
prior to the United States’ entrance into World War II, Parris Island under-
went a massive construction phase
that resulted in new barracks and
training facilities. In the first months of
World War II, Parris Island staggered
under the massive number of incoming
recruits until shortened training periods were the only answer. Later, as
the influx of recruits slowed slightly
and deficiencies in the shortened program were noticeable, training was
once again increased to help prepare
Marines for combat. Approximately
PAGE 3
200,000 recruits were trained at Parris
Island during the war, including Women
Marine Reservists.
On Feb. 28, 1949, female recruits
began arriving at Parris Island to form
the first platoon of “Women Marine” regulars after the Marine Corps began accepting women into the service following the
passage of The Women's Armed Services
Integration Act of 1948. Parris Island remains the only recruit depot to train enlisted female Marines even today.
Segregated African-American recruits who had previously trained at
Montford Point near Camp Lejeune, N.C.,
also began training at Parris Island in
1949.
During the period of June 25, 1950
- July 27, 1953, Parris Island once again
witnessed an increase in the number of
PAGE 4
PARRIS ISLAND
recruits to meet the demand for combat troops for the Korean War. The
number of recruits overwhelmed the
number of available experienced drill
instructors, leading to the reestablishment of the Drill Instructors’
School during this time. Approximately, 138,000 Marines graduated from
Parris Island during the war.
On April 8, 1956, tragedy struck
the recruit depot when six recruits
drowned during a late night march after a junior drill instructor led the men
into Ribbon Creek, one of the tidal
streams on Parris Island. The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen.
Randolph McCall Pate, ordered better
supervision of the drill instructors and
training in general to assure that
there would never be a repeat of the
Ribbon Creek incident.
More than 200,000 recruits
trained at Parris Island during the Vietnam War. Training was cut from 12
to 10 weeks to accommodate the
number of recruits, instead of adding
new platoons. On April 1, 1976, Parris
Island Recruit Depot was redesignated
as Marine Corps Recruit Depot/
Eastern Recruiting Region, Parris Island, S.C., and twenty years (20) later, recruit training revamped for inclusion of more values-based training
and the Crucible, a 54-hour culminating event. Training schedules for both
male and female recruits mirrored to
a 12-week training schedule.
ABOVE: New recruits prepare to step through
the silver doors of the receiving building at
MCRD Parris Island, an action which symbolizes
the transition from civilians to recruits and the
beginning of their transformation into United
States Marines
BELOW: Recruits learn marksmanship fundamentals, and must qualify with the M16 rifle to
graduate.
BELOW: Graduation Day
RECRUIT TRAINING IN WARTIME
BOOT CAMP IN THE WARTIME Marine Corps was a conveyor belt system that fed an incessant demand for
fresh troops for the Fleet Marine
Force. During the limited emergency
of 1939-1940, the Marine Corps expanded to meet requirements for defense of the nation. Then in 1940, the
unlimited national emergency caused
an explosive growth in strength. And
with the coming of war in December
1941, the Marine Corps became
America's spearhead of amphibious
war. This meant continued expansion,
and continuous casualties that needed
to be replaced.
Before 1911, newly enlisted recruits were assigned directly to the
closest Marine barracks for initial
training. As the technical demands of
military training had increased, this
system proved inadequate and recruit
depots were established at Parris Island and Mare Island, California. In
1923 recruit training at Mare Island
was transferred to the new Marine
Corps Base, San Diego. Throughout
the years, the Marine Corps has
maintained a general practice of
sending recruits from the eastern U.
S. to Parris Island and those from the
western U. S. to San Diego. There
have been many exceptions to this,
however.
On the east coast, this recruit
training was conducted at Marine Barracks, Parris Island. With a peak
strength of 13 recruit battalions, Parris Island turned out over 204,000
new Marines during the war. On the
west coast, the Marine Corps Training
Center, Marine Corps Base, San Diego, was charged with recruit training.
With a peak strength of seven recruit
battalions, San Diego turned out
more than 223,000 new Marines during the wartime years.
Another important location for
recruit training was Montford Point,
PAGE 5
North Carolina. As part of Marine Corps
Base, Camp Lejeune, Montford Point
was the site of recruit training for African-American Marines. Running a training schedule identical to the recruit depots, Montford Point saw over 19,000
recruits come through its gate between
June 1942 and August 1945.
Recruit training was set at eight weeks
of instruction prior to 1939. Headquarters, Marine Corps, established general
guidance for the commanding generals
of the training centers, and each general and his staff then developed their
courses of instruction. On 8 September
1939 President Roosevelt issued the
declaration of limited emergency and
the next day, Headquarters, Marine
Corps, directed that a four-week recruit
training schedule go into effect. At one
point there was discussion of implementing a three-week schedule, but
this plan was never adopted.
Recruit training was set at eight weeks
of instruction prior to 1939. Headquar-
PAGE 6
RECRUIT TRAINING IN WARTIME
ters, Marine Corps, established general guidance for the commanding
generals of the training centers, and
each general and his staff then developed their courses of instruction.
On 8 September 1939 President
Roosevelt issued the declaration of
limited emergency and the next day,
Headquarters, Marine Corps, directed
that a four-week recruit training
schedule go into effect. At one point
there was discussion of implementing
a three-week schedule, but this plan
was never adopted. Marine planners
recognized that four weeks was not
enough time to adequately train recruits, but the pressure of an expanding Marine Corps outweighed all other
factors. But quality suffered, and rifle
qualifications dropped 25 percent under the four-week plan.
By January 1940, expansion was
somewhat stabilized and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General
Thomas Holcomb, directed that recruit
training be reorganized under a sixweek training schedule. In May 1940
the training schedule was increased to
seven weeks by adding more time to
the rifle range period. From September 1939 through December 1941, the
recruit depots trained more than 42,000
recruits. But that number, large as it
was, but soon be far outstripped by the
demands of the wartime Marine Corps.
RECRUIT TRAINING IN WARTIME
Immediately following the Japanese
attacks of December 1941, the Marine
Corps' authorized strength increased
from 75,000 to 104,000 Marines. During
the last month of peace in November
1941, 1,978 men enlisted. In December
enlistments jumped to 10,224. That number was smashed by a record of 22,686
enlistments in January 1942. The following month saw 12,037 men enlisting.
These huge numbers put an immense
strain on the recruit depots. The training
schedule was immediately reduced from
seven to six weeks, and Headquarters,
Marine Corps, directed maximum effort
into staffing the depots. The goal was to
achieve the end-strength of 104,000 by 1
March 1942.
General Holcomb realized that even
a six-week training schedule was too long
to achieve the strength goal, and on 1
January 1942 directed the depots to immediately institute a five-week course of
recruit training. This schedule called for
three weeks in garrison and two weeks at
RECRUIT TRAINING IN WARTIME
the rifle range. A total of 188 hours
were scheduled for major topics.
Chief among them was 96 hours of
weapons training, 56 hours of drill,
interior guard, and other garrison
subjects, 32 hours of field training,
and four hour of physical training.
By 15 February 1942, the training schedule was increased to six
weeks for newly forming platoons,
and on 1 March, it went back to the
seven-week schedule. Under the seven-week schedule, recruits spent
three weeks in the recruit depot, two
weeks at the range, and the rest of
boot camp back at the depot.
Through more efficient time management, the seven-week schedule was
improved in 1942 and 1943 to add
25% more instruction in core subjects.
I
n early 1944, General Holcomb
established for the first time a master
eight-week training schedule to be
adopted by both recruit depots. This
was in response to continuing complaints from the fleet and from Marine
Corps schools about the quality of
knowledge new Marines were bringing from boot camp. Under this
PAGE 7
schedule, which remained in effect
until the end of the war, 421 hours of
instruction were called for. 195 hours
were devoted to weapons, 39 to
physical training, 89 to garrison subjects, and 98 to field subjects.
Throughout the war years,
there existed a constant struggle between the urgency for personnel in
the operational forces, and the need
to produce well-trained Marines. This
dichotomy was never completely resolved, although HQMC and the recruit depots strove endlessly to match
needs and capabilities. In comparison
with recruit training of latter eras, the
length of boot camp in World War II
was very short. But the product of
that training was the blood and bone
that forged victory in the war.
Upon arriving at the receiving
barracks, most new recruits were fed
their first meal in the Marine Corps
and shuttled to sick bay, where Navy
Corpsmen and doctors waited. They
gave the boots the first set many inoculations, drew blood, checked their
eyes. The recruits were subjected to a
medical check and their health records were set-up. Then it was off to
the administrative section for paper-
PAGE 8
RECRUIT TRAINING IN WARTIME
work, dog tags, ID card, allotments,
service record books, and issuance of
the all-important service number.
Somewhere in there, the recruits were
shorn of their hair in the cue ball style
at the barber. They received their initial issue of clothing and 782 gear,
drew rifles, received their first PX issue of personal items stowed in a
brand new GI bucket.
Formed into platoons of between
48 and 60 recruits, the new recruits
then met their drill instructors. Leon
Uris described the event in Battle Cry:
[Corporal Whitlock] paraded before
the platoon, which stood frozen. Goddam Yankees," he finally hissed.
"Goddamyankee is one word in my
book. All right, you people. My name
is Whitlock...you address me as sir.
You sonofabitches aren't human beings anymore. I don't want any of you
lily-livered bastards getting the idea
you are Marines either. You're boots!
Crapheads! The lowest, stinking,
scummiest form of animal life in the
universe. I'm supposed to attempt to
make Marines out of you in the next
three months. I doubt it. You godda-
myankees are the most putrid-looking
specimens of slime I have ever laid eyes
on...Remember this, you sonofabitches—
your soul may belong to Jesus, but your
ass belongs to me."
In boot camp, the recruit grew to
know his rifle and developed an almost
human relationship with it. Through its'
weight, his muscles developed and grew
strong. By exacting and ceaseless repetition in the manual of arms, he learned
discipline and teamwork. As T. Grady
Gallant recalled: We carried the rifle everywhere. Its 8.69 pounds became our
pounds. We learned to handle it easily,
gracefully, lovingly, and with abiding affection and respect. But this respect and
love did not come immediately. At first
we were new to each other; the rifle was
a burden. We did not understand it; we
did not know its strength, its reliability,
its toughness, its simple effectiveness.
We did not know its power. We did not
know what it could do, or its accuracy.
We did not know how comforting it would
be among enemies, or that we would feel
alone and naked without it. Or how reassuring its weight could be and how calm
and businesslike its voice.
The critical weeks of recruit training
came when the platoon traveled to the
rifle range, where the recruits learned to
RECRUIT TRAINING IN WARTIME
shoot the service rifle, pistols, the
Browning Automatic Rifle, and other infantry weapons. It its core, the
Marine Corps lived by the ethos
that every Marine was first a rifleman. As an almost mystical part of
what it meant to be a Marine, the
rifle stood at the bedrock of this
ethos. Other than graduation itself,
rifle qualification day was the single
most important day of recruit training. William Manchester wrote
about his own qual day in Beyond
Darkness:
“My Parris Island triumph
came on the rifle range. On Record
Day we fired sixty-six shots, all but
ten of them rapid fire, at targets
two hundred, three hundred, and
five hundred yards away. Each shot
was worth a maximum of five
points, for a bulls-eye. Riflemen
could qualify in three categories:
marksman, sharpshooter—and very
rare, requiring 305 points out of a
possible 330—expert rifleman. I
knew I would do well. My M1 was
zeroed to perfection. I had steady
hands; I could hold my breath indefinitely, steadying the muzzle; I
could fold my right ankle under my
buttocks for the kneeling shots;
and I had 20/10 vision...Record
Day was clear and windless. I hardly missed anything. My score was
317. A colonel congratulated me
and told me 317 was unprecedented...My world brightened a little.”
William Manchester, Goodbye
Darkness-A Memoir of the Pacific War, Little, Brown and
Company, 1980
RIGHT: Wash Day at Parris Island on
the old wash rack.
PAGE 9
A drill instructor passes the word to his platoon
in 1941. More than anyone else, the DI was the
key Marine in shaping new recruits into basically
trained Marines. His influence was so great,
many Marines identified him as the most im-
PAGE 10
RECRUIT TRAINING IN WARTIME
LEFT: Marines in 1940 run
through the obstacle course at
MCB, San Diego. In the era
before the introduction of the
utility uniform, they wear the
winter service "B" uniform for
field training.
RIGHT: Recruits draw rifles
during their forming days. Generally, it took no longer than six
days for a platoon to form and
LEFT: Cpl Mortimer Cox of Birmingham, Alabama, inspects his platoon of recruits at Montford
Point Camp, North Carolina. Life Magazine
RECRUIT TRAINING IN WARTIME
PAGE 11
LEFT: Inspections served an important role
in boot camp. Under the sharp eyes of Marine officers and NCO's, recruits learned attention to detail and teamwork. In this photo, boots stand a personnel inspection conducted by one of their company officers.
ABOVE: A drill instructor corrects a private's carriage at the position of attention. The DI served as
role model, task master, and gatekeeper for the
Marine Corps. He was directly responsible for the
success of his recruits and spent almost every waking hour with his platoon.
ABOVE: One young recruit among the nearly
670,000 Americans who served in the Marine Corps
during the war. This one, although not well-known
then, would later become instantly familiar to most
Americans. His name was Lee Marvin. He enlisted in
August 1942 and went to Parris Island for recruit
training. In January 1944 he was assigned to the 4th
Marine Division. Marvin first served with Co D, 4th
Tank Bn. He was later assigned to Co I, 3rd Bn, 24th
Marines. He fought in the Marshall Islands, and on
Saipan, where he was wounded in action. Marvin
died in 1987 and is buried in Arlington National
Cemetery.
PAGE 12
TOYS FOR TOTS 2015
TOYS FOR TOTS
Under the outstanding leadership
of our Sr. Vice Commandant Rita O’Reilly
Kollias, DuPage County Toys for Tots Coordinator and a team of hundreds of
great volunteers, another Toys for Tots
campaign has come to a close and lots of
hard work sure paid off! We are proud to
announce that 24,116 children in need
were not forgotten on Christmas 2015.
Our team proudly launched collection
sites, sponsored events, hosted house
parties as well as public fundraisers.
Some of the team even sold crafts, challenged merchants to match purchases,
created promotions and never lost sight
of the Marine Corps Reserve’s mission.
An outstanding contribution of
58,816 new toys enabled us to distribute
to 70 agencies registered with Toys For
Tots. These agencies collectively serve the neediest families in DuPage County, working
through schools, churches, community food pantries, early learning centers and women’s
shelters to name just a few. They often combine the toys with food and clothing to make
the Christmas gift packages extra special.
A campaign such as ours cannot succeed without its volunteers. We wish to
acknowledge and extend sincere appreciation for all our team members’ tireless efforts in so
many ways and remind all of how important our team members are. Our team delivered
supplies, picked up toys, then counted, sorted and packed them for outbound orders. Some
of the team prepared documents,
wrote letters, answered phone
calls, replied to emails, delivered
food, attended events, helped to
open our warehouse in October and
even stayed long enough to close it
down at the end of the campaign in
December.
We collected a total of
75,994 toys, books and stocking
stuffers and distributed 79,036! We
could not have accomplished what
we did without the hard work of
our dedicated team members.
A GREAT BIG THANKS TO ALL!
TOYS FOR TOTS
PAGE 13
LEFT: PNC volunteers take
a break for group shot.
TOP; Marine veteran from Woodridge VFW
drops off one of many loads from his collection sites.
LEFT: A giant bear greets visitors at entrance
to the warehouse. The bear ended up at a
children’ hospital.
RIGHT: Sorted toys await orders to be
filled.
PAGE 14
TOYS FOR TOTS
LEFT: D-Day at warehouse with help from
our friends at Morgan
Stanley and others.
RIGHT: D-Day at warehouse
with volunteers from Net App,
Capitol One and many others.
LEFT: A visit from the
Bear from Bear Paddle
who was a drop site for
TFT.
TOYS FOR TOTS
PAGE 15
LEFT: Don Kenyon and Paul
Casazza on D-Day.
RIGHT: Warehouse Closing with
help from Corrigan and Ed
Weingartner, Javier Martinez,
Larry Olson and
Marty Bourgeois.
LEFT: Boy Scout
Troop 89 with family after sorting and
filling toy orders.
PAGE 16
HINES VA BINGO
Jack McInerney has been our Hines Bingo Chairman for almost ten years and has finally
retired from that position. Marine Greg Adamiec has stepped up to take over he chairmanship and keep our Bingo program going at Hines. Many thanks to this young Marine for
taking on this role. Bingo will continue to run on the second Sunday of each month from
March through December. It is a great feeling to show up on Sunday and help our disabled veterans enjoy and hour or so of fun. We here many thank you from those guys as
they finish Bingo and head back to their rooms. In addition to winning money and other
prizes, our vets have a chance to win ten dollars as the result of our raffle drawings held
throughout the time our Bingo is running. Come out and see the pleasure you get from
helping others.
LEFT: Former detachment member Eileen
James foreground and
Steve Collins in red
shirt with black cover
helping out at the VA.
RIGHT: Detachment members Dominic Ferrara
(foreground) and Helen
Ehlers (background) helping our veterans with their
Bingo cards.
HINES VA BINGO
PAGE 17
LEFT: One of the traditions
Jack McInerney established is
the Veterans Day celebration
with a cake and patriotic decorations.
RIGHT: Jack McInerney and
our veteran caller George
Bornmann prepare for the
start of Bingo this past November.
RIGHT: Action at Hines VA
Bingo this past November.
PAGE 18
CHAPLAIN’S REPORT
Prayers are heard in heaven in proportion to
our faith. Little faith gets very great mercies,
but great faith still greater. -- Spurgeon
TAPS
JAMES A LUCAS—March 12, 2016.
Served 61’ to 65’. Life Member since
2002 and member of 399 Color
Guard for 14 years. Buried with full
honors at Abraham Lincoln National
Cemetery with detachment members as pallbearers.
JAMES F. PIERCE, Jr.—March 26, 2016. Served 57’60’. Life Member since 1985 and served as Commandant in 1989.
Joseph F. Cantore
April 7, 2016. Life Member since 2000.
Elizabeth Gunther—March 11, 2016, sister of detachment member John Meschie.
Eleanor Duka—March 30, 2016, sister of detachment
member John Meschie.
PRAYER LIST
DETACHMENT MEMBERS
MARINES:
Vito Markas, John Olejnicki, Helen Ehlers, Edward Godfrey, Richard Nazimek, Ron Gnech,
Joseph Chido, Thomas Stuckey, Carl Baker, Bill Saelinger, Noel Daley, Frank Jurek, Robert
Poqwizd, John Burface, John Finn, , Read Rogers.
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS:
Rosemary Collins
FAMILY MEMBERS and FRIENDS:
Harper Orbell, Charlie Castino, Gail Shilkaitis, Kilyn Winquist, Rira Morales, Muriel Underwood, L/Cpl Andrew Bucur, Colonel Mark A. Smith, Anthony Myrick, Sgt. Dan Tsutsumi
ANONYMOUS MARINES: Anonymous Marines are our brothers and sisters M arines
who have health issues or are going through difficult times but do not want to ask for any
help. Our prayers go out to all of you Anonymous Marines whomever and wherever you
are. “Anonymous Marines” will be a permanent name on our Prayer List .
Don Kenyon
Chaplain
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMADANT
PAGE 19
Greetings Marines:
Farewell to all. It has been an honor to serve
the members of this detachment, for the last 2
years. The membership has continued to
excel in all department activities: Toys for Tots,
Chaplin Services, Eagle Scouts, Color Guard,
Scholarships, Valentines Party, Veterans Assistance
and Community Support.
To maintain this level of efficiency we need
to bring in new and younger Marines into our detachment. Our detachment will survive only if all
members actively look for new members.
Our detachment is getting on in age and has
lost a number of members over the years due to
relocation, sickness and death. Our future lies with
the infusion of new members. If you know or see
younger Marines do your utmost to recruit them
as members in our detachment.
I wish you all the best of Health and Happiness now and in the future. Remember we are Marines, “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome!”.
Improvise
Adapt
Overcome
John Olejnicki
Commandant
PAGE 20
FUND RAISING—FLAGS
LEFT: Detachment Associate Member Bob Kulseth working our Flag
Fund Raiser in 100 degree heat.
RIGHT: Detachment Trustee John
Meschi working another Fund raiser
for the detachment.
LEFT: Detachment members Ralph
Fleischman and Dominic Ferrara
may look like they are loafing but
they are working our Flag Fund
Raiser in 100 degree heat in
Downers Grove.
FUND RAISING—CORN
PAGE 21
LEFT: Another Fund Raiser at the DuPage County Fair in July 2015.
RIGHT: Counting the profits at the
DuPage County Fair.
LEFT: Rich “Mike” Mikulecky working in our booth at the DuPage
County Fair.
PAGE 22
DETACHMENT MEETINGS
WWII Past Prisoner of
War Howie Chittenden
addresses detachment.
RIGHT: Detachment Trustee
John Meschi presents framed
arrangement of medal and
ribbons to widow of detachment member Don Slapak.
LEFT: Sargent At
Arms Roger Gaden
and Assistant Sargent At Arms Frank
Foster make sure
meeting is orderly.
INSTALLATION DINNER
Installation and Awards Dinner
DuPage Marines - Detachment #399
Marine Corps League
Friday, May 13, 2016
****
Bohemian Crystal Restaurant
630 N. Blackhawk Drive
Westmont, Illinois 60559
(630) 789-1981
****
Cash Bar starts at 6:30 pm
Family Style Dinner starts at 7:30 pm
****
Cost is $21.00 per person
Send checks to arrive before 5/13/2016
To:
Paymaster Chuck Wingard
719 S. Lombard Avenue
Lombard, Illinois 60148-3453
(630) 627-1766
Or:
Bring money/checks to our Detachment meeting
on April 26, 2016
PAGE 25
The DuPage County Marines
Once a Marine…Always a Marine
DuPage Marines Scholarship Fund
In Memory of SGT Thomas M. Gilbert, USMC
PURPOSE:
The DuPage County Marines Scholarship Fund is established to grant college or vocational school scholarships to qualified applicants.
WHO IS QUALIFIED TO APPLY:
Priority will be given to applicants in the order listed below. Example: League members and family will be
given first priority.
A. Members and family members, children and grandchildren of members of the DuPage County Marine
Corps League in good standing or the surviving spouse and/or children of a deceased member.
B. Family members (residing in DuPage County) of Marines who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Children and grandchildren of Marines who reside in DuPage County.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants must complete the entire Scholarship Application Form and return it by the due date indicated on
the form.
A. A transcript of the applicant’s grades and class standing must be attached. If the applicant is presently enrolled in a college/university/vocational school, these grades should be included. Photocopies must bear an
original signature of the proper school authority.
B. A letter from the applicant introducing him or her and indicating their reason for applying must be attached.
C. Proof of acceptance and enrollment into an accredited institution of higher learning must be attached.
D. In order for the application to be considered, all necessary paperwork must be submitted by the required
due date. Any request for an extension of the due date must be submitted to the scholarship committee for consideration.
ALL DOCUMENTATION MUST BE ASSEMBLED AND SUBMITTED BY THE APPLICANT POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN JUNE 30, 2016 AND MAILED TO:
Victoria Cobbett
733 Singer Avenue
Lemont, IL 60439
1. The scholarship will be paid in two installments. The first payment of 50% will be paid upon selection of
the student and the second payment of 50% will be made upon notification from the school of the completion
of the grading period.
2. The payment check will be made out jointly to the recipient (student) and the learning institution, and
mailed directly to the school. When the student endorses the check, the institution will then endorse the check
and credit the amount of the check to the students account. The scholarship will be applied to the student’s tuition and/or books. No cash or check is to be paid directly to the applicant, either by the Detachment or the institution at which the recipient is enrolled.
The DuPage County Marines
Once a Marine…Always a Marine
DuPage County Detachment
Marine Corps League
Scholarship Application
(Please print or type all information)
Applicant Name (Last, First MI) ____________________________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Date of Birth
________________________________
Age ____________
High School
_________________________________________________________________________
High School Address: ____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Name and address of College/University/Vocational School you have been accepted to or currently are enrolled at:
Institution’s Name: ______________________________________________________________________
Address:
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Your Marine Corps affiliation: (Name) ____________________________ (How related)________________
Are you receiving any scholarships or grants? (Y/N) ______Do you have a Student Loan (Y/N) ________
Extra-Curricular Activities (Attached additional sheet if needed
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
I understand that the decision of the Scholarship Committee is final, and that the information I have provided is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. All information that I have provided will be kept confidential and will be used strictly for determining the qualifications of the applicant. Applications become the sole
property of the DuPage Marine Corps League. It is my understanding that if awarded this scholarship, it
must be used towards payment of tuition and/or books only.
Signature: ________________________________________
Date: ____________________________
Proudly Serving Our Community Since 1977
PAGE 24
EVENTS
HINES VA BINGO
The Detachment conducts Bingo for the disabled veterans at Hines VA Hospital in
Maywood. Bingo starts at 2:00 PM and runs to 3:30 PM the second Sunday of the
month from March through December. Bingo Chairman Greg Adamiec welcomes
your help and further information can be found on our website at
WWW.MCLeague399.org. The upcoming dates for 2016 are: April 10, May 8, June
12, July 10August 14, September 11, October 9, November 13 and December 11.
**************************************************
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Final Election of Officers is Tuesday evening April 25. 2016 at our monthly detachment meeting held at 1930 at the Wheaton VFW post. We have openings for all positions. If you are interested in an office please let one of the Board members know.
We need you in person for our meeting on April 25th.
***************************************************
ROSE & FLAG DAY FUND RAISERS
Our first Rose and Flag Day will be Saturday April 30, 2016 mostly likely at a Jewel
Store in Downers Grove and Lombard. In addition we will be doing local train stations on Friday mornings and Rose & Flag Days at Jewel in Carol Stream and Naperville along with two Caputo locations in Carol Stream and Naperville. Larry Olson
heads up our Fund Raising Committee and needs our help. The Rose & Flag Day
event is one of the easiest to work (2 to 3 hours one day) and produces the highest
net return on our investment.
***************************************************
ROTARY FEST
Rotary Fest in Downers Grove runs from June 24th to June 26th at our same location
across from the Beer Garden. We will setup Thursday evening June 23rd. Scheduling
will begin in May for work times, all volunteers needed and welcome.
***************************************************
DU PAGE COUNTY FAIR
DuPage County Fair will run from Wednesday July 27th to Sunday July 31st. Set up
will be Sunday July 24th @ 1330. Scheduling for set up tear down and all work
shifts will begin In June. This is our largest fund raiser and we need everyone’s help
to make this event a success. We are open to adult help from your friends and
neighbors. Any questions call Larry Olson at 630-569-7395.
Scuttlebutt -The Poop -The
PAGE #
NOTICE
Meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of the month at
1930 in the Wheaton VFW located at 0N731 Papworth Wheaton,
IL 60187
UPCOMING EVENTS :
Bingo Hines VA
April 10, 2016 13:45
Detachment Monthly Meeting
April 26, 2016 1730
MCL 399 Board Meeting
May 9. 2016 0700
Installation & Awards Dinner
Friday 13, 2016 1830
Scuttlebutt : (SKUT-l-but) noun 1. Rumor, gossip. 2. A drinking fountain or a cask of drinking water on a ship.
Etymology: From scuttle (a small opening in the deck or hull of a ship) + butt (cask)
Editor’s Fighting Hole
Attendance at our monthly detachment meetings has
been done. Hopefully this is because of the weather. WE
need all members able to attend to make an effort to attend
and offer their input on detachment business. We also need
new members and some young Marines willing to carry on
the tradition. Make sure you are doing your part on attendance and recruiting.
A shout out to the Adamiec family! Our Jr. Vice Commandant Larry, has done a great job with our web site and
in keeping it current. Larry’s son Greg has taken over the
leadership of our Hines VA Bingo program . Thanks for stepping g up to the plate Greg. And while I am at it, another
shout out to our Jr. Past Commandant Vicky Cobbett who has
taken over the Marine Scholarship program.
Finally, it is Fund Raising season. Larry Olson heads
up our Fund Raisers and can use everyone’s help. We start
April 30th with our Rose & Flag Day kickoff and we have the
Rotary Fest in June and the DuPage County Fair in July. We
need, “All Hands on Deck” for our fund raising activities!!