Marine Corps League Newsletter-1

MARINE CORPS LEAGUE slattery detachment newsletter HONOR • COURAGE • COMMITMENT V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1 J U L Y 1 , 2 0 0 9 OFFICERS: Commandant John W. Andrews Senior Vice Commandant Thomas Richardson Junior Vice Commandant Frank Gargano Paymaster Arthur Bowie Judge Advocate/ Adjutant James Nash Chaplain Daniel Danzi Sergeant at Arms Anthony Oszmianski NEXT MEETING: 1 JULY 2009 1930 Hrs Location: American Legion Post 155 Whippany, New Jersey Join Your Marine Brothers the First Wednesday of Every Month Commandant’s Message Watch for the Commandant’s Message in Future Issues. Marines and Supporters, The Slattery Detachment has been hard at work during these past few months supporting our wounded fellow Marine brothers and Comrades from the Navy, Army, and the Air Force. We have made many visits to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC and Bethesda Naval Hospital. We have supported veterans in the VA Hospital and participated in our Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, and Flag Day parades and ceremonies. We have raised money for very good causes. Congratulations on your hard work! Your individual efforts, have contributed to making this Detachment a very effective TEAM. If you are not as involved as you would like to be, it’s time to do so NOW. We can use all of the help we can get. We need to raise more money so that we can reach out and help more Marines who need us. If we are not there, who will be? We hope you enjoy reading about some of our recent activities in this, our Inaugural, Issue of the Slattery Detachment Newsletter. We look forward to making improvements in future quarterly issues. Please feel free to correct our errors, give us your advice and criticism, and be sure to send in NEWS—any news that might be of interest to fellow members. Semper Fi, Bill Freeman, Editor Third Annual L/CPL Chris Cosgrove III Golf Outing Update GO T’S ES! LE IN R MA We need your help! The Detachment’s largest fundraiser is considerably behind last year’s year-todate participants at nearly every level: Donations, Hole Sponsors (we only have 16 and could use 36 or more), Devil Dog and Total Sponsors. If every member brought in just one more donor, sponsor, or golfer (or better yet, a foursome), we would have a banner fundraiser year. Each additional donor of $25 - $50 would raise another eight to ten that we currently have 27 total sponsors to-date, compared with 36 last year. Additionally, we have nearly 80 golfers signed-up, the near-minimum required at Picatinny. Previous years the event has drawn approximately 130 golfers. Everyone knows someone who might be interested in golfing or donating to this very important cause. Please take the time to reach out to your friends, family, and co-workers to help make this year’s golf outing a success! See related story on Page 6. Chris Cosgrove III 1983-2006 Forever in Our Hearts thousand dollars. We need another 50-60 golfers to register for this year’s event to meet or exceed last year’s event. Art Bowie reports P AGE 2 Upcoming Events: July August 5th: Slattery Detachment MCL Meeting, 1900 Hrs, American Legion Post 155, Whippany, NJ 19th: Walter Reed and Bethesda Medical Center Visit 20th: “Chucky” Blazure’s Lunch Bunch Luncheon 1200 Hrs, The Exchange, Main St. Rockaway, NJ 30th: Veteran’s Appreciation Night, Honoring SgtMaj Eddie Neas,USMCR (Ret.) Somerset Patriots Ballgame, TD Bank Ballpark, Somerset, NJ 1st: Slattery Detachment MCL Meeting, 1900 Hrs, American Legion Post 155, Whippany, NJ 2nd: Picatinny Arsenal’s 10th Annual Skyhawks Miltary Appreciation Baseball Game. Doors Open, 1730 HRs, Gate Starts 1830 Hrs. Augusta, NJ at Skylands Park (off Rte 15N). To Order Tickets Call: (973) 300-1000, ext 21 5th: Annual Detachment Memorial Mass for L/Cpl Robert J. Slattery, 1100 Hrs, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, Whippany Rd. and Eden Ln, Whippany, NJ 15th: Walter Reed and Bethesda Medical Center Visit 16th: “Chucky” Blazure’s Lunch Bunch Luncheon 1200 Hrs, Poor Henry’s, Rte. 202, Montville, NJ 23rd: Third Annual L/Cpl Chris Cosgrove, III Golf Outing, Picatinny Arsenal Golf Club R YOU S! R RK MA ENDA CAL September 2nd: Slattery Detachment MCL Meeting, 1900 Hrs, American Legion Post 155, Whippany, NJ 13th: Slattery Detachment MCL Annual Picnic American Legion. $10/person. Kids under 12 are free. 17th: “Chucky” Blazure’s Lunch Bunch Luncheon 1200 Hrs, IHOP, Arlington Plaza, Rte 46, Parsippany, NJ 24th: John Basilone Parade, Raritan NJ, “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they make a difference. The Marines don’t have that problem.” ~Ronald Reagan Trip Report: Quarterly Visit to Lyons VA Hospital Nursing Home Reported by Pete Gallo On June 13, 2009, we made our quarterly visit to the nursing home patients at Lyons VA Hospital in Basking Ridge, New Jersey to serve the veterans brunch. We had a great turn out of members for the event. And Dan Danzi found a new shortcut to the Lyons! Upon our arrival, we were treated to a large cheer and roar as we entered the recreational room. Don’t know if it was because they were glad to see us or because we finally showed up with the food. It didn’t take long to start serving the OJ, buttered rolls, donuts, crumb cake, coffee, bananas, and two coupon books to each patient to use at the canteen. I am not sure who enjoys these visits more, US or the Patients! It is amazing how much good is done in just two hours time. We have been told numerous times that the veterans are always waiting for our next visit. Some of them sing the Marine Corps Hymn to us during our visits. Hats off to Dan Danzi for all of the hard work he does in preparing this great event! MA RINE CORP S LEA GUE SLA TT ERY DET A CHMENT NEW SLETT ER V OLUME 1, ISSUE 1 P AGE 3 Walter Reed & Bethesda Medical Center Trip Report Reported by SgtMaj Eddie Neas, USMCR (Ret) Well it’s been a month or so since our last visit. The past few months have been kind of quiet in both Iraq and Afghanistan. So that is good news as there have only been a few or no wounded at the hospitals. There are patients who come in for therapy or are there on an outpatient basis. This is the good news, but as we all know, this could change in a heartbeat. It’s good to see that our military services have a good handle on things in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let’s hope and pray that it will keep up in the coming months. That’s a good reason not to make a visit, no wounded at the hospitals. Keep those prayers coming. Following are the names of the Marines from the Slattery Detachment who made this month’s trip: Bob Stalzer, Marc Purcelli, Steve Bliss, Eddie Neas and Shirley Parrello. We had a very special visitor with us this month; Shirley Parrello is a Gold Star Mother who lost her 19 year old son, Brian on 1 January 2005 in Iraq. He was a US Marine. She met Art Bowie at Picatinny Arsenal and he told her about our monthly visits. She said she was interested and would like to make a visit with us. I contacted her and told her the who, what, where and why we do this and she told me she would love to make a visit. She met me at Newark Penn Station at 0515 and we took the train down to Walter Reed to meet up with Don Patterson. The rest of the guys, Marc, Bob and Steve left about 0730. We met them at Bethesda around 1230 and had chow in the cafeteria prior to making our visit on the 5th floor. We met Don at Walter Reed and proceeded to the MATC (Military Advanced Training Center) location where we met with one Marine, a few Soldiers and one Air Force Special OPS guy who was working out with a vengeance. He was a double leg amputee and was not missing a beat. More on him in a minute. We also got to talk to a brother of a Soldier from Staten Island, NY who had lost all or some parts of both his legs and arms. He was heading to another section of the hospital and we did not get a chance to talk to him. But his brother stopped and talked to us as he left. I gave him an Army insignia blanket, gift card, Detachment coin and all of the other gift items that we give out. I told him about who we are and why we do this. He expressed his appreciation for what we do. We made a visit to another Air Force Special Ops guy named Marc. He had two badly damaged legs. We talked to him for about 15 minutes. He described in detail of the vehicles in the convoy and what type of weapons they had on each one. It is amazing the focus “Everyone in the room is looking for some type of help or support, not just the man or woman who is lying in the bed.” that these young men and women have after being badly wounded. Don had already given him an Air Force insignia blanket and one of his canes. We gave him all the other gift items we had with us and it was appreciated. While we were there, a few more Air Force personnel from the Liaison section and other units showed up. We met with some of his family and they appreciated the fact that we stopped by. Shirley and his mother talked outside and I know each tried to do what mothers do to make things better and to comfort each other. You could see the look on everyone’s faces when we left; grandfather was there and his grandson is a Marine and getting married on Saturday. So I broke out a Detachment coin and a USMC Blanket...You know, to keep them warm on the wedding night…OOH RAH! One of the Airmen told us about the Special Ops guy we met earlier on the Rehab Floor. This guy is unique to say the least. He does not want to use a wheelchair or a cane. He is pushing himself beyond what is expected of him as he rehabs. He attended a ceremony a few weeks back and they were going to provide him with a wheelchair. He would not have any of that. He told them, “If I go, I WALK IN.” He walked in and when he finally sat down, he turned to a buddy and said, “that was ugly.” His buddy said, “you have always been ugly,” LOL. Another story they told us was about when he was on a fishing trip and one of his prosthetic legs broke. He repaired it as best he could. It broke again, so he just took off both legs and walked around on the ends of both amputated stumps. Yes, he added some more abrasions to his legs, but he was not about to lie around and wait for the trip to end. Do you know the old saying, “Pain is weakness leaving the Body?” I saw a new one a few weeks ago while at the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico. It said, “Pain is Good, Extreme Pain is Extremely Good.” As they say, if the shoe fits wear it. Well, he is wear-ing it well. As I have asked before, ‘where do we get men and women like this?’ Shirley, Don and I then packed up to head over to Bethesda to meet with the rest of the Members from the Slattery Detachment. We then headed up to the fifth floor and split into two groups so we could cover everyone on the floor and spend some quality time with them. We were joined by two members from the Maryland Marine Corps League, JR and Wayne. We were able to visit five Marines and two Soldiers. One Soldier we wanted to visit was sleeping, so we talked to his wife. We gave her all of the stuff we normally give out and told her why we do this. Tears welled up in her eyes and she thanked us for taking the time to see her. Almost all of the Marines were from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines and 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines who are stationed in Afghanistan. We saw a young Marine from Buffalo, NY that had lost both of his legs. His mother and father appreciated that we stopped by. The last Marine we saw was from California. We met his Mother and wife and spent a little bit more time with them. They appreciated all we did for them and his Mother and Shirley hugged. You could see and feel all of the eyes starting to get wet. Shirley asked her if she would take a walk outside and they went down the Story continued on Page 4 P AGE 4 Marine Corps League Apparel Available For Sale Quartermasters Ben Tucker and Rich Labelle report that the following Marine Corps League Apparel and accessories are available for sale. Contact Ben at bentucker55@comcast.net or make your purchases at any of our monthly meetings. Show your spirit and support our cause! Available items include: Marine T-Shirts (grey, red, green). Sizes: Kids M through Adult XXL: $10.00 Marine Hats (black, red, dessert tan). Adjustable, One Size Fits All: $10.00 or Two for $15.00 MCL Detachment Collared Shirts. Sizes: Adult S-XXL. $20.00 Marine Fleece Pullover (red). Sizes: Adult S-XL: $30.00 Blankets (Army, Navy, Marine, Iwo Jima): $40.00 MCL Coins: $5.00 Marine Corps Flag Pin: $2.00 MCL Stickers: $2.00 Walter Reed & Bethesda Medical Center Trip Report Story continued from Page 3. Reported by SgtMaj Eddie Neas, USMCR (Ret.) down the hall. Not sure what was said, but I can tell you, it was two mothers helping each other out in a big way. This is something us guys can’t bring along, so having Shirley there helped in a big way this visit. We all received a big hug from the man’s mother and to say it was a tight hug would be putting it mildly. Both of these Marines have a rough road ahead of them, but hopefully with what we do, it will be a little bit easier. I have said in the past, that when our group makes a visit and we have a mom, dad, sister, brother along on the trip and we walk in a room each one of us in our own way can connect and relate to someone in the room. Everyone in the room is looking for some type of help or support but just the man or woman lying in the bed. Almost all of who we saw have injuries from IED’s or land mines. The make a donation, please do so. It will be greatly appreciated by the men and women we get to visit. Again, the next time you are in church or your place of worship, say a BIG prayer, for these men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. Or do like I do once in a while. When you pass the place you go, DON’T PASS IT. Drop in and say a prayer and continue on where you are going. It will make you feel better. “The morale of soldiers comes from three things; a feeling that they have an important job to do, a feeling that they are trained to do it well, and a feeling that their good work is appreciated and recognized.” ~General Bruce C. Clarke. That’s it for this month’s visit. Enjoy the day and hope all is well on your side of the FEBA… Semper Fidelis, Eddie Neas, SgtMaj/USMCR/RET “ The morale of soldiers comes from three things: a feeling that they have an important job to do, a feeling that they are trained to do it well, and a feeling that their good work is appreciated and recognized.” ~ Gen. Bruce C. Clarke one Airman we saw at Walter Reed told me he stepped on an unmarked land mine left over from the Russian Afghanistan war. We saw a number of men who had amputation of their arms and legs. Hopefully with all of the support they get from hospital staff, family, friends, and groups like us, it will be a little easier. Just want to pass on a big thank you for all that everyone does in our Detachment to help make all this possible. So if you are reading this report for the first time and want to know what we do with the money we collect and where it goes, well now you know. If you want to NEXT VISITS SCHEDULED FOR: JULY 15TH AUGUST 19TH V OLUME 1, ISSUE 1 P AGE 5 Washington D.C.—Marine Corps Museum Trip Report Reported by Pete Gallo Everyone had a fantastic time touring the Nation’s Capital and the new Marine Corps Museum at Quantico, June 5-7, 2009. Forty-one detachment members and their wives were in attendance along with the following invited special guest: SSgt. Mark & Kristy Peer and their daughter, Cpl. Danny Augilera and his wife Suheyla. Both SSgt. Peer and Cpl. Augilera are Golf Company Marines that just returned from deployment in Iraq. SSgt. Michael Rios, his wife and two daughters also attended. SSgt. Rios is also a Golf Company Marine who was deployed with LCpl. Chris Cosgrove III as part of C Company 2006. Events during the trip included: Friday, June 5th Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen met us on the Capitol steps and he and he and members of his staff treated our group to a private tour of the Capitol building. Later that evening we attended The EVENING PARADE at the Marine Barracks 8th & I, "the Oldest Post of the Corps" where we witnessed the performances of the two rifle companies, silent drill platoon, USMC Color Guard, The President's Own USMC Band, and The Commandants Own Drum & Bugle Corps. It was aweThe National Museum of the Marine Corps, Washington, D.C. some…and this was only the first day! Saturday, June 6th we arrived at the New Marine Corps Museum at Quantico for a long visit. What a great place to visit! At the Vietnam exhibit Eddie Neas described the battle of Hue City, of which he was a participant. A stop was made at the PX in Quantico then back to our hotel. Later we went to dinner followed by a night tour, stops at the John F. Kennedy Center, and the Iwo Jima Memorial. Sunday, June 7th our tour continued with visits to the World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial and Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where we read the name of LCpl. Robert J. Slattery on the wall. Before heading back home, we stopped at the Baltimore Inner Harbor for lunch. Upon our return, I received a short note from Rodney Frelinghuysen, it read: Dear Pete, Thanks for your visit and your kind words. And, all that your members do. All the best, Rodney MA RINE CORP S LEA GUE SLA TT ERY DET A CHMENT NEW SLETT ER P AGE 6 V OLUME 1, ISSUE 1 Presentations to be Made at L/CPL Chris Cosgrove III Golf Tournament Dinner Reported by Gunny Monaco, Chairman, Marines Helping Marines, In Memory of L/Cpl Chris Cosgrove, III Fund The following, and their families, have been invited to attend the dinner following the golf tournament to accept a presentation from the Marines Helping Marines In Memory of L/CPL Chris Cosgrove, III Fund. They have accepted depending on their respective health conditions and their ability to travel. • Cpl. Visnu Gonzalez, USMC. On April 21, 2004, while serving in Iraq, Gonzalez was shot by a sniper severing his spinal cord. Despite surgery to stabilize his vertebrae, Gonzalez remains paralyzed from the upper chest down. Volunteers are currently building him a house in Hillsdale, New Jersey. The detachment has already donated three exterior doors which have already been installed. He will be presented with a $1500 Gift Certificate for the purchase of a kitchen or dining room set. Sgt. Eddie Ryan, USMC. Ellenville, NY - On April 14, 2005, while serving in Iraq, Eddie was shot twice in the head, once in his lower jaw, and once above his eye. Eddie suffered severe brain injury Eddie and is confined to a wheelchair. He has made great strides during rehabilitation. Eddie will be presented with a $2000 check to be used as needed to further his rehabilitation. Sgt. Mike Minard, US Army. Union Beach NJ. We are waiting final confirmation from Mike regarding his ability to attend, as he is still spending weekdays at Walter Reed Hospital. Army Sgt. Minard was on his third tour in Iraq when he was the victim of an enemy explosive device. The explosion resulted in the loss of both of his legs. Volunteers will either be renovating his current home or building a new one which has yet to be decided. Mike will be presented with a $2000 Gift Certificate from Jaeger Lumber Co., Madison, NJ, to be used for mate- Editor’s Note: Those members not golfing, are encourrials for his new home. aged to sign up and attend the dinner to honor these courageous men. • • In Memoriam—TAPS Reported by Pete Gallo Deceased members (2008-2009) of the Slattery Detachment whose names were read at The Marine Corps League Department of New Jersey Interfaith Memorial Service at the 2009 State Convention held in Woodbridge, New Jersey on Saturday, 20 June 2009: Arthur J. Abene J. William Bell John “Buddy” Culotta Bernie Femminelli Marion J. Lombardi James Mabin Joseph A. Manda, II The muffled drum’s sad roll has beat James P. Reilly The soldier’s last tattoo; Alfonse “Al” W. Scerbo No more on Life’s parade shall meet That brave and fallen few. On Fame’s eternal camping-ground Their silent tents are spread, And Glory guards, with solemn round, The bivouac of the dead. ~Theodore O’Hara, “The Bivouac of the Dead,” 1847 MA RINE CORP S LEA GUE SLA TT ERY DET A CHMENT NEW SLETT ER V OLUME 1, ISSUE 1 P AGE 7 Officer Contact Information: John W. Andrews,* Commandant Tom Richardson,* Senior Vice Commandant Frank Gargano,* Junior Vice Commandant Jim Nash,* Judge Advocate/Adjutant Art Bowie, Paymaster Tony Oszmianski, Sergeant at Arms Dan Danzi, Chaplain Pete Gallo,* Past Junior Commandant bmwtd524@aol.com usmc1950@verizon.net johnwandrews@verizon.net usmc19561@verizon.net fwgargano@aol.com nash071202@aol.com artbowie@aol.com (973) 543-6559 (973) 736-0882 (973) 228-1983 (973) 256-4147 (973) 734-1689 (973) 226-1351 (973) 335-7788 (973) 267-5496 * Trustees Newsletter: Please send any news, photos, or upcoming event information to: William E. ‘Bill’ Freeman wraf@comcast.net (908) 832-5440 We Need Your Help! Our mailing list is not completely up-to-date. Some information needs to be corrected/updated. We have e-mail addresses for only about one-third of our members. While we realize that not everyone is online, for those of you who are, PLEASE SEND US YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS!! Also, please update all of your contact information using the form provided below, including e-mail address. E-mail saves money and it saves paper, and facilitates the transmission of news instantly. Please e-mail the following information to wraf@comcast.net, or fill out the form below and mail it to: Slattery Detachment #206 P.O. Box 306 Whippany, NJ 07981-0306 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------NAME: LAST:_____________________________ RANK (IF ACTIVE): ________________________ STREET ADDRESS:_________________________________________________________ APT/ OTHER INFO:________________________________________________________ CITY:___________________________________ STATE:_______________________ ZIP:___________ FIRST:________________________ MI____________ SPOUSE NAME:__________________________________________________________________________ HOME PHONE:___________________________ CELL PHONE:_____________________________ E-MAIL ADDRESS:____________________________________________________________________ Semper Fi, Bill Freeman, Editor Marine Corps League Slattery Detachment #206 P.O. Box 306 Whippany, New Jersey 07981-0306