Mizzou Marines Detachment
May 2006 Issue	Marine Corps League v Columbia, Missouri Incorporated by Act of Congress 1937
Calendar of Events: June 7 - League Meeting Chain of Command: Cmdt GySgt Cortez Pree Sr. V Cmdt John Weant Jr. V Cmdt Bill Hassard Adjutant Craig Zoellner Paymaster Bill Ridge Sgt at Arms Gary Ledbetter VAVS Mike Hoeferlin Chaplain Greg Knox Judge Ad. Bruce Beckett Past Commandants: Ben Cutler 2006 Bill Brown 2003 2005 Michael Beaudry 2002 2003 Dannie Weddle 1999 2001 Bill Ridge 1997 1999 Bill Rajewski 1994 1997 Larry Vest 1994 Marty Walker J. P Com. 2003-2004 Detachment Dinner 1800, followed by Detachment meeting first Wed of each Month held at VFW Post #280, 1509 Ashley, Columbia, MO. The Newsletter Staff can be reached at E-mail bkridge3@wmconnect.com Senior Newsletter Editor: Bill Ridge Junior Assistant: Marty Walker Web Page Editor: Steve Callis E-mail SCALLIS@socket.net	May Minutes We are seeking the Detachment ribbons! If anyone knows where they might be, please speak up... On Sunday, May 7th, 2006, the first annual Ten Commandants Day will be held. It will be televised, and as of yet, not known what channel it will air on. Most every prominent religious leader now has signed on to endorse the event including Dr. James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn, Chuck Colson, D. James Kennedy and scores of others. They are seriously reexamining the role of the Ten Commandments in the life of the Christian, church and nation. Their principal purpose is a noble one, to “counter the secular agenda and help restore the Ten Commandments and Judeo-Christian values to their rightful place in our society.” The alarm clock that woke up many Christians was a serious of court rulings seeking to delete the words “Under God” from our national pledge and systematically remove the Ten Commandments from public displays. On May 5-6, another denomination will air a satellite broadcast explaining the importance of the Ten Commandments, including the sanctity of the Sabbath day. The program is called “Ten Commandments Truth,” and it will explain the blessings of God’s law in relation to the new covenant. It will also explain the dangers of trying to legislate the first four commandments that guide our personal relationship with God, and show how laws that force worship violate the basic civil liberties we cherish but fulfill the prophesies of Daniel and Revelation. There is also a website that will answer commonly held questions about the Ten Commandments, the covenants, and especially, the Sabbath truth at— www.TenCommandmentsFacts.com On a lighter note Gerald A. Moorehead, our Midwest Div. Vice Commandant is running for Nat’l. Judge Advocate, Bryson L. Allen from the Air Capital Det. Dept. of KS, will be sworn in as our next Div. Vice Commandant. P.D.D. Robert Box, our Midwest Div. Vice Chief Devil dog, is also stepping down due to his wife’s health. He will submit P.D.D. Rex A. Canton from the Two Eagles Det. Dept. of Minnesota at Natina Dept. Spring Convention 2006 NW Det. 180 St. Joseph, MO. June 16-18, 2006. Location is the Ramada Inn of St. Joseph ($621 nite). Rates are good for one night before and two nights after the convention dates. Rates include complimentary full hot breakfast for guests. The Ramada Inn of St. Joseph is a full service hotel and the Convention Center is conveniently located at the intersection of 1-29 and Frederick Blvd., Exit 47, in the center of St. Joseph’s commercial, entertainment and retail district. Sword Presentation One of this year’s Mameluke Swords was presented on behalf of the League by Sr. Vice Commandant John Weant to his son, Matthew Weant, who graduated from USNA May26, 2006. Matt will be reporting to Quantico, VA for TBS the first part of July. Also, Jared Templeton, graduate of UMC NROTC, received the officers Mameluke sword. A third sword will be presented to the graduate of the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY Mizzou Marine Auxiliary New officers for the women this year are: President Charlotte McKenney-Knox, mckenneyc@health.missouri.edu (573) 356-8057 Sr. Vice President Claire Rajewski Jr. Vice President Janet Pack Judge Advocate Sue Vest Filing annual reports may seem like a task that no one would want to tackle. For the Mizzou Auxiliary going through all the notes taken for the whole year gave us a chance to remember all the good things we do as a unit! I mean besides the usual hours spent at Bingo every week, the annual garage sale (that take months of preparation), volunteering at the VA Hospital, monthly deliveries of food and clothing to the Rainbow House, contributions to our Little Angels Program, Girl Scouts and Toys for Tots. One new activity is a monthly visit to the H.S. Veterans Hospital with a special gift delivered to each of the patients there. In January, ditty bags (a ribbon tied cloth bag sewn by the Auxiliary) filled with personal care items; Valentines day each patient received a valentine card with a bag filled with paper tablet and pen; in March, to celebrate St. Patrick’s day, a white carnation edged in green was delivered along with The Legend of St. Patrick’s Day. Then for Easter lilies were delivered with a special greeting. We are looking forward to a very wonderful Memorial Day visit with the patients. The evening cumulated with the Installation of officers for the 2006-2007 year. A very special Thank You to Jennifer Davidson for her extraordinary leadership as President of the Mizzou Auxiliary last year. We would love to tell you more. Feel free to call or just come to one of our monthly meetings. Words From The Commandant Greetings and thank you for this wonderful opportunity to serve as your Commandant. It is a special time and marks a milestone in the history of the league as being the first active duty Marine to be the commandant for the Missouri Marine Corps League Detachment! Being a part of this organization and sharing this very important duty with you all is a pleasure. Make no doubt about it; this is a significant duty in the passing of the colors that signifies a change in leadership for the Marine Corps League and its members. I would like to congratulate and thank Ben Cutler for a job well done as the previous commandant. Your leadership, and staff’s detailed planning, hard work and untiring efforts have made a significant and measurable increase in the ability of the league. The voluntary efforts in several programs, such as the Toys for Tots, Marine Corps League Ball, Roadside clean-up and numerous events have set the standards for other Marine Corps Leagues to follow. You all can rightfully be proud of your efforts. Many of you have extensive simulation experiences; and skills that cannot be found anywhere else in our league today as we have some very distinguished members. The tour of duty for the Commandant is a brief event, gone almost before it begins. I look forward to serving along side you all and making the necessary changes to create a proficient and positive unit. Regardless if you are active duty, retired, or discharges, I hold you to the standards that we have breaded with from OCS to MCRD. Marines, I look forward to a good time and serving with you all with distinct pleasure. C.L. Pree GySgt USMC Commandant Our Comrade Lance Corporal Leon Bertrand Deraps served his country, but was called to higher ground on May 6^th, 2006. He was born November 13^th, 1986, to a family whose Marine Corps veteran father taught them how to hit the deck running. Leon pre-enlisted in the USMC in the fall of 2004. Because of his Eagle Scout achievement, he entered the Marines as a PFC, and left for the MCRD San Diego in June of 2005. Graduating from Basic Training in the fall of 2005, he went on to complete Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton, CA and Engineers School, Camp LeJeune, NC. With his training completed in February of 2006, he was deployed with members of his engineering unit to Iraq. Leon died while on duty May 6, 2006. However, “If the Army and the Navy ever look on Heaven’s scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines.” Marine Corps Leagues from Columbia and Jeff City, and Columbia NROTC were all represented at the funeral and performed the visitation ceremony for LCPL Leon Bertrand Deraps. Quotable Quote “I can’t say enough about the two Marine divisions. If I use words like brilliant, it would really be an under-description of the absolutely superb job they did in breaching the so-called impenetrable barrier... Absolutely superb operation, a textbook, and I think it’ll be studied for many, many years to come as the way to do it.” --General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, US Army, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 27 Feb., 1991 O-o-RAH! Meet our League’s officers for 2005-06. Commandant GySgt.Cortez Pree Senior Vice Commandant John Weant Junior Vice Commandant Bill Hassard Judge Advocate Bruce Beckett, Jr. Past Commandant Ben Cutler Adjutant Craig Zoellner Paymaster Bill Ridge Chaplain Greg Knox Sergeant-At-Arms Gary Ledbetter. This Month in USMC History Brought to you by wwww.MarineCorpsPins.com 12 May 1970 Major General Wendell Cushing Neville, 14th Commandant of the Marine Corps and Medal of Honor recipient, was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. 14 May 1917 Marines from the USS Arizona landed at Constantinople to secure the American Consulate. 15 May 1862 Corporal John Mache became the first Marine awarded the Medal of Honor. 16 May 1917 Secretary of War requests a regiment of Marines be made available for service with the American Expeditionary Force in France. The 5th Marine Regiment, then at Philadelphia, was selected. 17 May 2002 R. Lee Ermey received an honorary promotion to Gunnery Sergeant by the then Commandant of the Marine Corps, James L. Jones, becoming the first retires in the history of the Marines to be promoted. Ermey a former drill instructor, later made a career as an actor playing the roles of military or authority figures, such as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal jacket and now hosts mail Call on the History channel. 18 May 1902 Marines from the USS Ranger landed in Panama City to protect Americans. New Member Associate member Raymond Johnson is a freshman at UMC NROTC. Raymond is originally from Chicago.
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