For months, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been complaining about how much the defense department spends on health care, and especially on health care for retirees. Headlines like these were making the news: “Higher TRICARE Premiums on Gates’ Cost-Cut Agenda” and “Advisory panels say military benefits unsustainable.”

Gates, along with the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have stated that retirees are going to have to pay more for their health care because they are, so they say, robbing from the active duty force. As far back as 2006 the Congressional Budget Office said that other than the cost of war and contingency operations, the greatest risk facing the military is health care costs.

With that in mind, this is the week that we finally got to see what Secretary Gates, as part of the President’s fiscal year 2012 budget proposal, has in mind for military retirees. The President’s budget proposal was released on Monday and TREA was at both the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to cover the announcements. You can read all about it, and more, below.

1) DoD Seeks Increase in TRICARE Prime Fees for FY 2012

2) Administration Proposes Increases in Veterans Budget

3) Updates on the Alliance for Military and Overseas Voting Rights

4) Congress’ Plate is Full



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1) DoD Seeks Increase in TRICARE Prime Fees for FY 2012-On Monday of this week, TREA National President Art Cooper and Legislative Director Larry Madison attended the Department of Defense FY 2012 health care budget “roll-out” at the Pentagon. The briefing was conducted by Dr. Clifford Stanley, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and by Dr. George Taylor, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.

The increases being proposed by DoD for the next fiscal year are as follows:

An increase in the TRICARE Prime enrollment fee for under age 65 retirees of $5 per month, so the new fees would be $520 per family or $260 for singles per year.
Starting in 2013, TRICARE Prime enrollment fees would then be raised annually by using an inflation-adjusted index.
It is important to note that medically retired personnel and survivors will be exempt from these increases.

DoD is also proposing to change TRICARE pharmacy copays as follows:

generic drugs:                  increase by $2 if purchased at a retail pharmacy

                                        no charge if purchased through mail order

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

brand-named drugs:         increase to $12 if purchased at retail pharmacy

no change in current charge ($9) if purchased through mail order

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

nonformulary drugs:         increase by $3 if purchased at a retail pharmacy

                                        increase by $3 in purchased through mail order

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

DoD also wants to force future retirees who are enrolled in the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan to enroll in Medicare/TRICARE for Life once they reach age 65. That is not now the case. Current USFHP enrollees over age 65 could remain in the plan.

Two things must be noted about these proposals. First, if the TRICARE Prime indexing is put into place as proposed, enrollment fees would rise from $552 per family in 2013 to over $2,802 per family in 2040. Second, DoD has the authority to implement all of their proposals right now with the exception of the USFHP proposal.

We will have more to say about these proposals in the coming weeks. However, if you are a TRICARE Prime user, we would like to hear what you think about them. You can contact us by email at treadmin@treadc.org or by phone at 703-684-1981. If you send an email, please put “TRICARE Prime” in the subject line.

Without a doubt, the DoD proposals were not nearly as severe as we had been expecting, based on the comments of Secretary Gates and others over the past year. However, we believe they are only the first of many proposals to make retirees pay more of their health care costs that will be put forth by the Department of Defense over the coming years.

The nation’s budget deficit has exploded and the defense budget is half of all discretionary spending. In addition, U.S. troops are coming out of Iraq and the President has committed to pulling out of Afghanistan by 2014. With those realities, and with all of the political pressure in Washington being on the side of cutting spending, it is naïve to believe the defense budget will escape. And because of the enormity of the federal debt, it is going to take many years of tight budgets to get things straightened out.

That’s why we believe this is only the first of many attacks to come on your earned military benefits.

2) Administration Proposes Increases in Veterans Budget-Also on Monday, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs unveiled the Administration’s fiscal 2012 budget request Monday at VA headquarters in Washington, D.C. TREA’s Deputy Legislative Director Mike Saunders represented TREA at the briefing.

The total budget request is $132.2 billion dollars, which is an increase of $5.7 billion dollars. This is one of the few federal departments that will possibly see an increase in its budget this year. Of the request, 53.2% is for mandatory benefit programs (programs that are automatically funded and do not require authorization by Congress each year), 41.2% is for medical programs, 1.5% is for discretionary benefit programs (programs that need to be funded by Congress each year), 2.4% is for information technology, 1% is for construction (and .7% falls under the “other” category).

The Administration is asking for a 19.5% increase in the amount of money spent on claims processing. This would result in $330 million more being spent on more staff, improved business processes and information technology improvements. In theory, this would make VA Secretery Shinseki’s goal of “breaking the back of the backlog” attainable.

The information technology budget includes $3.1 billion to support infrastructure, a high-performing workforce and modernized information systems, as well as $70 million for the development and implementation of the President’s Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) program. The concept behind VLER is that from the moment a servicemember is sworn in to the service, they would get access to their own medical database that they would keep for the rest of their life; it would allow for the seamless transition from the Department of Defense medical system into the VA’s.

There is construction funding to continue the development of 5 new national cemeteries and to expand the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. However, the overall construction budget is much lower due to the ending of numerous ongoing projects (such as the VA Medical Centers in Orlando and Las Vegas).

The VA is attempting to try multi-year planning in regards to their medical budget. They intend to do this by creating “contingency fund” of $953 million in order to balance the potential need for future funding with fiscal responsibility. In other words, they don’t think that Congress will be very forthcoming with money in future years, and they’d like to have their own source of funding to fall back on if they determine they need it. This fund would specifically apply to increased use of their medical facilities by veterans who may lose their jobs and health insurance, thus turning to the VA.

Secretary Shinseki’s team also hopes to use “carryover funding” of $1.1 billion from 2011 into 2012 and 2013. This is money that has already been allocated to the VA that they have not spent. It resembles the $100 billion in “increased efficiencies” that DOD Secretary Gates has spent a great deal of time talking about this year. The idea is to use savings found in VA to reinvest in the VA, rather than simply losing that funding.

Finally, VA is making a big push in regards to mental health. TREA is encouraged to see such an emphasis on improving mental health care, especially for our younger returning OIF/OEF veterans. The rates of suicide among the active duty and recently separated servicemembers is unacceptable.

3) Updates on the Alliance for Military and Overseas Voting Rights-TREA, represented by Deputy Legislative Director Mike Saunders, attended a hearing at the House Administration Committee on Tuesday, February 15, and a meeting of the Alliance for Military and Overseas Voting Rights (AMOVR) at Pew Charitable Trusts headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday the 16th.

Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department, told the House Administration Committee that for tens of thousands of other overseas service members absentee voting had improved. This was due to a 2009 law requiring that absentee ballots be mailed 45 days before an election.

After the hearing, Administration Committee Chair Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) notifying them of their failure to act to redress violations of servicemembers’ right to vote. Over a dozen states and territories had trouble mailing absentee ballots to service members after holding late primaries, and DOJ only took action over three of the violations.

Overseas troops who said they were unable to vote in last year’s election cited difficulties receiving or returning their absentee ballots, according to a review by the Overseas Vote Foundation. The problem was worse in 2008, when about half of overseas troops reported problems, according to the panel’s chairman, Rep. Lungren. “It is not good enough,” Lungren said. “We must do better”.

Overall, 82% of servicemembers that requested absentee ballots for the 2010 election got them, which was a 5% increase over the 2008 election. Oddly, internet ballot requests were the most likely to result in a non-delivered ballot; no reason was given as to why.

The hearing resulted in the introduction of several bills in both the House and Senate:

Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced a bill (S337) to allow the right of personal action (ie, to allow registered voters to sue) against any election official for failure to deliver a ballot.

Representatives Harper (R-Miss.), Lungren, Gingrey (R-Ga.), and Rokita (R-Ind.) introduced a bill transfer Election Assistance Commission (EAC) functions to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in order to eliminate funding for the EAC in the upcoming fiscal year.

Representative Roe (R-Tenn.) introduced a bill (HR702) that would extend by 10 days the length of time that amends the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to require States to delay certifying the results of regularly scheduled general elections for 10 days in order to ensure the counting of any marked absentee ballots of absent overseas uniformed services voters.

Since elections are largely run by the states, the Uniform Law Commission has taken the fight to more than 30 state legislatures to expand voting rights for servicemembers. Stay tuned for news from your state.

4) Congress’ Plate is Full-Now that the President’s budget proposals for FY 2012 have been presented to Congress, what’s next? Normally, Congress would hold hearings, receive testimony from the Administration and from interested groups like TREA, debate the merits, and vote yes or no. As simple as that sounds, it normally takes many months, and they usually work at it from February through August or September, and sometimes longer than that. But that’s not what’s going to happen this year.

First, Congress never managed to pass a budget for the current fiscal year of 2011 and the legal authority to keep the federal government running expires on March 14. That means Congress either must pass a Continuing Resolution to keep the government open, or pass a budget to fund the government through the end of September – or shut the government down. Right now, a lot of people are saying it looks like they may shut the government down because the Republican-led House and the Democratic-led Senate can’t seem to agree on much of anything when it comes to spending issues.

If they can get that issue solved, they then have to deal with the federal debt ceiling, which gives the federal government the legal authority to borrow money. No one knows for sure when the current debt ceiling will be reached, but it is estimated to be sometime between early April and early May. Many conservative Republicans have stated that they will refuse to increase the debt ceiling which would, if it happens, cause the government to default on many of its payments.

Senator Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) has introduced legislation that would make the government prioritize debt repayment over other government expenditures as a way of trying to avoid going into default if they don’t raise the debt limit. However, critics like Senator Kent Conrad (D- N.D.) say that would mean we would be paying China first and then pay Social Security and Medicare and other government programs second, if there was enough money left.

So if they can reach an agreement on the debt limit, they then have to deal with the Medicare cut in payments to doctors, an issue which we continually were dealing with last year as Congress passed a number of short term “fixes,” including the last one, which expires in November of this year. Fixing the problem is very expensive, and in this budget-cutting atmosphere it is anyone’s guess as to how they will decide to deal with the issue.

Finally of course, they have to then pass a budget for fiscal year 2012, which begins on October 1. How they will accomplish all of this appears, at this point, to be a real mystery. Nonetheless, TREA will be here fighting to protect you.

Marine Commandant Describes Progress in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2011 - Progress in Afghanistan's Helmand River Valley has been substantial, and Marines are making progress in Sangin, a stubborn Taliban stronghold in the far northeastern part of Helmand province, the commandant of the Marine Corps said here today.

Gen. James F. Amos updated the Defense Writers Group on Marine Corps activities in the province.

The Marines went into Now Zad and Marja last year and fought pitched battles against an entrenched enemy, the general said. This year, "we walked through there, through the market, with no body armor and no helmet and spent time in Marja," he said.

Marines are reinforcing success in the area, Amos said, with 17 M-1 tanks in Helmand, most of them in Sangin. Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are just south of Sangin.

"Marines have been fighting in the area hard for the past four months," Amos continued, "and we have met with great success in the area."

The Marine Corps' top officer added that he believes the effort has passed a "tipping point."

"The Taliban have been driven out," he explained. "Those that wanted to stay have been killed, and those who didn't want to stay have squirted out."

Local leaders in the area are working with provincial leaders and the Marines, Amos said, and they signed an accord to confront the Taliban and to show the Marines where insurgent bombs are located.

"So far, that has held," the general told the defense writers, adding that the violence is subsiding and the number of casualties has dropped.

Bringing a portion of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the area was to reinforce success, the general said.

"If you have the enemy on its heels and he's reacting to you," he explained, "you have the opportunity to reinforce that success, because it may be the opportunity to hammer the final nail in this thing, and we might not have to go back and fight in that same spot again."

But despite the Marines' success so far, Amos said, he is under no illusions that the war is won in Afghanistan.

"There will be hard times ahead," he acknowledged. "I'm not a Pollyanna about it."

While Afghanistan will remain the priority of the Marine Corps, Amos said, he must continue building the organization for the future. The general noted that he put out planning guidance last year to implement the vision, likening the Corps to a middleweight boxer.

"We don't want to be a heavyweight force," he said. "[They] have a hard time getting places -- it takes time and requires a lot of equipment. A lightweight force may get there quickly, but it may not carry the day when it gets there."

A middleweight force, he said, "can fight up [a weight class] or fight down," depending on the scenario, he said.

Amos also said he wants to return the Marine Corps to being a "frugal" force. In the last six years, he said, the military has been in the midst of "a culture of plenty."

"If you needed something, you got it," he said, with no need to choose from among different capabilities or pieces of equipment.

"Now we have to make choices, and they boil down to a choice between what we need versus what we want," he continued. "I've told Marines and senior leaders that we are going to get back to our frugal roots."

This doesn't mean he wants to trade in new weapons for M-1 rifles, the general said. Rather, he explained, he needs to be able to build a force in an ever-tightening budgetary environment that will require changes from the culture of plenty to a frugal mind set.

He used a discussion about water bulls -– water tanks on wheels for potable water -– as an example. The one the Marines have now is towed by a Humvee and holds 400 to 500 gallons. "We've had that one since I was a lieutenant, and it works just fine," Amos said.

But someone suggested a new water bull, he said, roughly three times the size. "It's huge," Amos said, noting that it takes up more space and is heavier than the existing one. When he asked why the Corps needed the new model, the general said, he was told a 7-ton truck in the inventory could tow it.

"[The answer was] 'Because we can,'" he said. "We cancelled that program."

Wow! Now this a weapon:

No hiding place from new U.S. Army rifles that use the radio-controlled smart bullets.

The XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System has a range of roughly 2,300 feet - and is to be deployed in Afghanistan this month.

The rifle's gunsight uses a laser rangefinder to determine the exact distance to the obstruction, after which the soldier can add or subtract up to 3 meters from that distance to enable the bullets to clear the barrier and explode above or beside the target.

Soldiers will be able to use them to target snipers hidden in trenches rather than calling in air strikes.

The 25-millimeter round contains a chip that receives a radio signal from the gunsight as to the precise distance to the target.

Lt. Col. Christopher Lehner, project manager for the system, described this weapon as a 'game-changer' that other nations will try and copy.

He expects the Army to buy 12,500 of the XM25 rifles this year, enough for every member of the infantry and special forces.

Lehner told FoxNews: "With this weapon system, we take away cover from the [enemy targets] forever. Tactics are going to have to be rewritten. The only thing we can see [enemies] being able to do is run."

Experts say the rifle means that enemy troops will no longer be safe if they take cover.

The XM25 appears perfect weapon for street-to-street fighting that troops in Afghanistan have to engage in, with enemy fighters hiding behind walls and only breaking cover to fire them occasionally.

The weapon's laser finder would work out how far away the enemy was and then the U.S. soldier would add one meter using a button near the trigger.

When fired, the explosive round would carry exactly one meter past the wall and explode with the force of a hand grenade above the Taliban fighter.

The army's project manager for new weapons, Douglas Tamilio, said: ''This is the first leap-ahead technology for troops that we have been able to develop and deploy."

"A patent granted to the bullet's maker, Alliant Techsystems, reveals that the chip can calculate how far it has traveled."

Mr.Tamilio said:  "You could shoot a Javelin missile, and it would cost $68,000. These rounds will end up costing $24.00 apiece. They are reatively cheap."  Lehner added: "This a game-changer.  The enemy has learned to get cover, for hundreds if not thousands of years.  Well they can not do that anymore."

"We're taking that cover from them and there's only two outcomes: We're going to get you behind that cover or force to to flee."

The rifle will initially use high-explosive rounds, but its makers say that it might later use versions with smaller explosive charges that aim to stun rather than kill.

One of the revolutionary bullets which can be pre-progammed to explode to hit & troops that are in hiding.

Semper Fi!!!

Tens of thousands of homeless military veterans live on the streets throughout the U.S. Over 20,000 homeless vets live in Los Angeles County alone. But in LA, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) owns enough property to house all the homeless and disabled veterans at the West LA Veterans Home. However, very few veterans are housed on this land.

With your help we can expose this tragedy and the reasons over 350 acres of veterans land in the middle of LA are not being utilized to house these veterans in need even though the property is deeded solely for this use.

Please go to our website and view the Video Preview

www.HomelessVetMovie.com

You can be a part of this production by purchasing a DVD in advance.

Your name will be included in the film credits.

The greater the participation in this team effort the quicker we can release the film AND

the bigger the public relations campaign we can generate to make the public aware of this homeless crisis in Los Angeles and throughout the U.S.

Thank you for your support!

Tillman Military Scholarship (UNCLASSIFIED)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Caveats: FOUO

Good Morning Families, Service members and Veterans:

From 1LT Katie McGovern. The Tillman Military Scholarship opens up for

applications on 7 March 2011.

The scholarship is open to the following individuals:

* Veteran and active servicemembers of both pre- and post-9/11 service

* Servicemembers who wish to start, finish or further their education

* Those enrolled as a full-time student at an American institution of higher

learning

* Those whose benefits have expired or do not meet their needs

* Servicemembers of all branches of the U.S. military: Army, Navy, Air

Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserve

* Servicemembers pursuing undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, 2-year,

4-year, public, private, vocational and trade degrees or certifications

* Dependents of servicemembers (children between the ages of 19 and 28 and spouses)

* Those whose benefits are insufficient or not transferable from their

mother/father/husband/wife

* Those who are survivors of a servicemember

For more details on required documents to apply, required essay and more, please click here:

http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/tillman-military-scholars/apply

1LT McGovern

NYARNG Education Officer

Phone: (518) 272-6349

Fax: (518) 272-6831

katie.a.mcgovern@us.army.mil

NYARNG Education Website/RIRP Application

https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/535774

FTA Application

https://minuteman.ngb.army.mil/benefits

CHOSIN

FILM SCREENING & DISCUSSION WITH THE PRODUCERS

SATURDAY, MARCH 5^TH 2011

2:00 P.M.

In the winter of 1950, 15,000 U.S. troops were surrounded and trapped by 120,000 Chinese soldiers in the frozen mountains of North Korea. Refusing surrender, the men fought 78 miles to freedom and saved the lives of 98,000 civilian refugees. After 60 years of silence, survivors of the Chosin Reservoir Campaign take viewers on an emotional and heart-pounding journey through one of the most savage battles in American history.

Admission is free.

Seating is limited and reservations are strongly recommended.

Navy-Marine Corps Unit Provides Numerous Capabilities

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2011 - A Navy-Marine Corps unit completed a wide range of missions across the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean in the past year, ranging from reclaiming a container ship that had been taken over by pirates to providing relief in the aftermath of flooding in Pakistan.

Marine Corps Col. Roy Osborn, commander of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Navy Capt. Dale Fuller, former amphibious Squadron 3 commander of the Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group, detailed some of those missions Feb. 9 during a "DOD Live" bloggers roundtable.

"I had about 2,300 Marines and sailors assigned to me," Osborn said. I had a pretty heavy command element, a battalion-landing team -- which is my infantry side -- that has everything from tanks, tracks, artillery and riflemen in it. My combat-logistics battalion is a logistics-heavy combat-service-support heavy element that has everything from bulldozers to water makers in it. And then I have an air combat element, which is composed of helicopters, jets, maintainers and air defense, as well as communications capabilities."

Fuller outlined the team's naval capabilities.

"We have three ships assigned in supporting 15th MEU during this deployment," he said. "We had the USS Peleliu, and Peleliu had approximately 2,000 sailors and Marines embarked. We carried and supported the helicopters on board. Along with that, we had four [utility landing craft] and, of course, the other capability, specifically, the surgical capability that we bring along with that ship by the fleet surgical team."

The USS Dubuque, one of the oldest ships in the Navy, and the USS Pearl Harbor, one of its newer ships, also were part of the team.

Osborn gave a rundown on the team's missions in 2010.

"We left in May, proceeded out to the Western Pacific, conducted operations in Timor-Leste and Indonesia, did a number of stops along the way, and then moved into [the 5th Fleet and U.S. Central Command area of responsibility]," he said, "and, in effect, conducted operations across the entire theater, to include operations in Africa as well."

Overall, the team operated in 22 countries and five continents. The only places the team never operated are South America and Antarctica.

Osborn said the team's missions were varied.

"We did the Pakistan flood relief," he said. "We did [Operation Enduring Freedom] close-air support with our jets. We did the recovery of the [container ship MV Magellan Star] -- the power takedown -- and we also provided support for the rescued persons at sea, the Somali-Ethiopians, [whom] the Navy hosted for about 38 days."

The recovery of the MV Magellan Star provided the perfect example of how the team can function effectively and efficiently, Osborn said.

"One of the things that we try to emphasize to everyone is [that] our MEU is a Navy-Marine Corps team," he said.

"The execution of the mission to recover the [Magellan] Star from the pirates probably was one of the best examples of the integration of the Navy and Marine Corps team.

The Navy and Marine Corps team integrated various capabilities, Osborn said -- "launching the aircraft, getting in with eyes on target, having the [USS] Princeton in overwatch, having the Marine snipers in the Huey [helicopter], having the Marine snipers on the bridge wing of the [USS] Dubuque, having the raid force and the naval special warfare boats moved in."

The recovery mission took place over less than 20 minutes from the moment the first boat touched the side of the MV Magellan Star, he added, noting that the mission was accomplished without firing a single shot.

Fuller spoke about the difficulties encountered while providing relief in the Pakistan flood.

"The flood in Pakistan was two separate disasters," he said. "The northern half of the country was a flash-flood tsunami-type disaster. It literally scraped the sides of the mountains off. In the south, the second part of the flooding that we supported, it was slow-inundation flooding."

Fuller coordinated the drop-off of supplies and the movement of 8,000 evacuees from the mountains in northern Pakistan. The team acted in support of the Pakistani military, and supplies were provided by the World Food Program, he added.

The relief program proved to be labor-intensive, Fuller said.

"We were covering just about every military operation you can think of -- all the same way [and on the same day], and for multiple locations," he said.

Even though the days were long, Fuller said, he remains proud of the work the Navy-Marine Corps team has accomplished, and sees it as a worthy investment.

"I think the sailors and Marines really did a fantastic job out there," he said, "and what we pretty much demonstrated during our seven months is the return on investment that this ... team gives our nation in supporting our national security concerns. ... You really get your bang for the buck for this capability that the taxpayers are paying for."

Osborn agreed.

"One of my old bosses used to say, 'You know, for every dollar you spend in peace is $10 in warfare.' And that's kind of the way we looked at it on this deployment," he said.

"We enjoy what we do," Osborn continued. "It's a fun job. But there's a very busy world out there, and there's a very insecure world out there, and so there's plenty of work left to be done."

Jim Lehrer's Speech at the Dedication Ceremony of USMC Museum

For it is necessary to remind all, with the politicians, what our beloved Corps is and always will be. The Marine Corps is the spearhead for the juggernaut of freedom which has protected America from her enemies both foreign and domestic for 235 years.

The disbanding of the Marine Corps has been attempted in the past, and appears that there is a presence now to possibly propose this again. Where again were their misplaced thoughts with previous spending involving 2009 stimulus with 9000 pork barrel earmarks, 2010 bills culminating with the unconstitutional-socialist healthcare bill, the taking from those that have earned to give to those whom do not, passing of bills before they were read, largest budget supporters for the UN, foreign aid, et al.  Where were they when this administration passed bills that contributed more to the national debt than all previous administrations combined.

In conclusion, it is recommended that all whom receive this forward their thoughts of support for our beloved CORPS to their respective U.S. Senators and Congressional Representatives.

For those whom would support the Marine Corps being disbanded............Remember what R. Lee Ermey, as a drill instructor turned psychiatrist, would say? Let's just chug over too Mamby Pamby Land you Jack Wagons!

Semper Fidelis.

Thursday February 17th at 9Pm HBO will show

the US Marines in the biggest single engagement  of the Afghanistan War.

"The Battle of Marjah." the area has been a Taliban stronghold for years

and the Marines HQ staff decided to take the fight to them. As anyone who knows

the Marines They do not like defensive battles much more preferring to take the offensive!

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a NY Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Aaron M. Swanson, 21, of Jamestown, N.Y., died Feb. 7 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, Buffalo, N.Y.

"LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND"

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of 11 U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

                 Army Air Forces Technical Sgt. Charles A. Bode, 23, Baltimore, will be buried on Feb. 11 in Arlington National Cemetery. On Nov. 20, 1943, Bode, along with 10 other B-24D Liberator crew members, took off from Jackson Airfield, Port Moresby, New Guinea, on an overwater mission near the northern coast of the country. During the mission, the only radio transmission from the crew indicated they were 20 miles northwest of Port Moresby, but they did not return to Jackson Airfield. Subsequent searches failed to uncover any evidence of either the crew or the aircraft.

                 Following the war, the Army Graves Registration Service conducted investigations and searches for 43 missing airmen including Bode and the other 10 airmen, but concluded in June 1949 that all were unrecoverable.

                 In 1984, the government of Papua New Guinea notified U.S. officials of a World War II crash site in a ravine in Morobe Province. A U.S. search and recovery team investigated the crash site in late 1984 and located B-24 aircraft wreckage. They also recovered human remains but were unable to complete the mission due to time constraints and the threat of landslides. From that time until 2004, multiple teams from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) attempted to access and excavate the location but the threat of landslides made recovery too dangerous to continue. During a site visit in 2004, local villagers turned over human remains they had previously removed from the area.

                 In addition to Bode's individual burial, the crew of 11 men, 1^st Lt. Richard T. Heuss, 23, Berkley, Mich.; 2^nd Lt. Robert A. Miller, 22, Memphis, Tenn.; 2^nd Lt. Edward R. French, 23, Erie, Pa.; 2^nd Lt. Robert R. Streckenbach, Jr., 21, Green Bay, Wis.; Tech. Sgt. Charles A. Bode; Tech. Sgt. Lucian I. Oliver, Jr., 23 Memphis, Tenn.; Staff Sgt. Ivan O. Kirkpatrick, 36, Whittier, Calif.; Staff Sgt. William K. Musgrave, 24, Hutsonville, Ill.; Staff Sgt. James T. Moran, 21, Sloatsburg, N.Y.; Staff Sgt. James B. Moore, 21, Woburn, Mass.; and Staff Sgt. Roy Surabian, 24, Medford, Mass., will be buried as a group on March 24 at Arlington National Cemetery.

                 Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of Bode's remains.

                 At the end of World War II, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. Today, more than 74,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.

The The Official Newsletter of Marine Corps League Detachment 614 Port Washington,, N.Y., is available for viewing. Please click here.

Here is a sneak peak of the Empire State Marine March 2011 Edition. To read the Department's newsletter please click here.

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

U.S. MARINE CORPS CASUALTY LIST

JANUARY 2011

“GOD REST THEIR SOULS”

Lance Cpl. Maung P. Htaik, 20, of Hagerstown , Md.

Cpl. Jacob A. Tate, 21, of Columbus , Ohio

Lance Cpl. Joseph R. Giese, 24, of Winder, Ga.

Cpl. Joseph C. Whitehead, 22, of Axis, Ala.

Sgt. Jason G. Amores, 29, of Lehigh Acres, Fla

2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment leaves Northern Marjah a safer place

Regimental Combat Team 1

MARJAH, Afghanistan - Nearly one year ago, Marjah was the scene of some of the deadliest fighting since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom. Now, after the persistence of 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, the area is lauded as proof that counterinsurgency operations can work.

Gen. James Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps, visited 2/9 in December and compared the battalion’s success to the victories in Fallujah and Ramadi.

“You have snow-plowed the enemy out of the northern part of Marjah!” said Amos, quoting Maj.Gen. Richard Mills, the commanding general of Regional Command Southwest.

When 2/9 replaced 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Lt. Col. James R. Fullwood, commanding officer for 2/9, gave his word to the people of Marjah. He said his Marines would stand up to all opposition to peace and prosperity for the Afghan people.

As months passed, the once empty streets of northern Marjah became full of life again. Officials said clearing operations were vanquishing the Taliban and interdicting their logistical routes. The Marines were having an effect on the enemy and locals noticed the change. School attendance skyrocketed and people went back to work, something locals said they thought would never happen.

The battalion spent countless hours on the battlefield, fighting against the insurgents for the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, whose perception of coalition forces was tarnished by years Taliban propaganda.

In the first months of their deployment, 2/9 undertook the task of reconfiguring their battle space and redistributing troops to increase security and push insurgents out of the area. In addition to the construction of numerous patrol bases and vehicle checkpoints, the unit increased the frequency and distance of their patrols.

According to 2/9, the redistribution and construction projects worked. The number of direct fire and improvised explosive device attacks dropped 75 percent from the time they arrived. The attacks remain comparatively low, allowing further and faster progress in the region – progress that spans governance, infrastructural development, and reconstruction in the area.

Marines with 2/9 began to collect census data from the locals. During this process, the battalion demonstrated that they were there to help – not occupy the region -- by refurbishing mosques and building new public schools, wells and clinics.

The unit tackled issues like the growth of opium and hosted an anti-drug summit, which was the largest in Marjah’s history. The summit resulted in a unified plan for all farmers in the region to halt the growth of illicit plants. The agreement was a huge step for Afghan government officials, who attributed nearly all problems in the area to the illicit drug trade.

The battalion partnered with the local government and began distributing vegetable and wheat seeds to thousands of farmers in the area. The seed and fertilizer drive allowed farmers to give up the growth of illegal crops and still maintain a livelihood.

The influence of 2/9 extended beyond Marjah. In December 2010, Echo Company, 2/9 was ordered to support combat operations with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, in Sangin, Helmand province. Through a month and half of operations in Sangin, Echo Company carried on the battalion’s legacy in what Mills’ described, in the Jan. 25 issue of the Los Angeles Times, as the last major Taliban stronghold in Helmand province.

Throughout the deployment, 2/9 had 15 of its brothers give the ultimate sacrifice. These Marines left a lasting legacy that will reside in the minds of every Marine and sailor in the battalion, Fullwood said.

As 2/9 prepares to reunite with loved ones back home, 2/8, a fellow battalion from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., looks to carry on their tradition in northern Marjah.

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For all of you history buffs that want to return to Tarawa, please click here. I am sure that everyone will find this very interesting.

Leveraging Leadership

By: Bill McGowan,

Department of New York Jr. Vice Commandant

Face it! We have an aging membership in the Marine Corps League and many of us are not capable of performing the same way we did as Marines in our “golden years” in the Corps.

This is a constant topic of discussion, and sometimes an excuse for not being more involved in the league and the community.   Although physically we . . . .

Click here to continue reading this very impressive article written by our Jr. Vice Commandant, Bill McGowan.

LetsGo School 2011

LetsGo School Class of 2011 will be held on May 14, 2011 at 0800 at the Staten Island Detachment. Tuition is $50.00 (fifty dollars) per person. Tuition will cover lunch and expenses for handouts, etc.

Arrangements are being made to reserve a block of hotel rooms for those requiring overnight accommodations. More information on the hotel, cost, and location is forthcoming and will be posted on the Department website.

Applications can be downloaded from the FORMS tab.

Please mail completed applications and tuition checks to the Department Jr. Vice Commandant, Bill McGowan, at 9816 Ray Road, Marcy, NY 13403 by April 15, 2011.

Questions can be directed to Marine McGowan at 315 796-6380 or via email at wmcgowan@me.com. First come, first serve.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2011 -

A coalition airstrike yesterday in the Pol-e Alam district of Afghanistan's Logar province killed a Taliban logistics leader, military officials reported.

Abdul Bari facilitated weapons and vehicles on behalf of Taliban leaders and was directly associated with leaders of the attack network in and around the Afghan capital of Kabul, officials said.

He also he collected information regarding coalition forces' movements to be used in attack coordination, officials added.

In other operations yesterday:

-- Afghan and coalition forces detained a Taliban leader responsible for suicide attacks, along with two other suspected insurgents, in Kandahar province's Maiwand district. He was responsible for coordinating and conducting roadside-bomb attacks against coalition forces, and recent reporting indicates he had started building a suicide vest for an upcoming attack, officials said.

-- In Wardak province's Sayyidabad district, Afghan and coalition forces detained a facilitator who manufactures roadside bombs and teaches other Taliban insurgents how to build them.

-- Afghan and coalition forces in Kandahar province's Spin Boldak district detained numerous suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader responsible for planning and executing attacks against coalition forces. The combined security force recovered assault rifles, chest racks, a pressure plate, a roadside-bomb detonation device, 35 blasting caps and ammunition.

-- In Khost province's Sabari district, Afghan and coalition forces detained several suspected insurgents while searching for a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator who supplies mortars and heavy weaponry to Haqqani leaders for attacks on Afghan and coalition forces.

-- Afghan and coalition forces acting on intelligence information in Nangarhar province's Sherzad district detained a suspected insurgent while searching for a Taliban leader who plans and conducts attacks against coalition forces and was subordinate to a recently detained senior Taliban leader.

The combined force found an assault rifle, a pistol, a chest rack, ammunition and a large amount of marijuana at the targeted compound.

In Jan. 22 operations:

-- An Afghan police patrol spotted an insurgent planting a roadside bomb in Kandahar province's Kandahar district and killed him.

—An International Security Assistance Force patrol detained numerous suspected insurgents in Paktika province's Ziruk district. One of the detainees was the Taliban's shadow governor for the Zerok area and reportedly was carrying a million Pakistan rupees, equivalent to about $11,800.

-- Acting on multiple intelligence reports and tips from local residents, patrols found weapons and bomb-making materials in Uruzgan, Helmand and Kandahar provinces. Among the items found were anti-personnel mines, mortar rounds, anti-aircraft rounds, artillery rounds, medical supplies, small arms, bomb components and red phosphorus. A suspected insurgent was detained in connection with the caches.

-- Afghan and coalition forces targeting a Taliban leader for a roadside-bomb cell detained five suspected in Farah province's Khak-e Safayd district. The targeted Taliban leader also is involved in intimidating and kidnapping Afghans who do not support the Taliban insurgency, officials said.

-- In Ghazni province, Afghan and coalition forces targeting a district Taliban leader who has direct connections with Taliban leadership and shadow governors in the area detained four suspected insurgents in the Muqer district. The district leader was involved with a complex suicide-bomber attack that killed four Afghan soldiers and wounded several other Afghan security forces members in Kabul on Dec. 19, officials said.

-- Afghan and coalition forces detained a Haqqani leader responsible for roadside-bomb attacks Khost province's Tanai district, along with six other suspected insurgents.

In Jan. 21 operations:

-- In Lagham province's Qarghahi district, an ISAF air weapons team killed several armed insurgents after an ISAF patrol declared an imminent threat and called for air support upon seeing the insurgents moving in a fighting location that's been used in the past.

-- Two insurgents planting a roadside bomb in Helmand province's Nawah-ye Barakzai district were killed when the device detonated.

-- In Uruzgan province's Chorah district, Afghan police and an ISAF patrol found an assault rifle, three rocket-propelled grenade warheads, four RPG boosters, 120 12.7 mm rounds, 60 14.5 mm rounds and loose ammunition.

-- An ISAF patrol found three mortar fuses, homemade explosives and bomb-making components in Logar province's Baraki Barak district.

-- In Helmand province's Now Zad district, an Afghan police patrol found 16 82 mm recoilless rifle rounds, 50 mortar fuses and 54 cans of 7.62 mm rounds.

-- Afghan civilians in Zabul province's Qalat district brought 120 pounds of homemade explosives, two mines and 29 fuses to Afghan government security officials in the district.

On Jan. 21, Afghan and coalition forces targeting a Haqqani facilitator killed numerous enemy combatants and detained several others in Khost province's Sabari district. Recent reports indicate the man had multiple weapons and roadside bombs that he planned to transport and store at another insurgent's location, officials said.

Intelligence reports led the security force to a compound where armed combatants shot at them with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns. The security force returned fire, killing several attackers.

While the security force was clearing one of the buildings, several women told them armed combatants were present. The security force found two combatants who had been wounded in the initial engagement, provided medical care to both, and evacuated them for further treatment.

After the compound was secure, security forces discovered that an Afghan child had been killed and two women and a child were wounded during the five-hour engagement. The coalition medical technician provided on-scene medical attention for the women and child.

"Afghan and coalition forces take every precaution to ensure the safety and security of the Afghan people during security operations. The insurgents fired on Afghan and coalition forces in the vicinity of civilians, including women and children, without regard to their safety," said Army Col. Rafael Torres, ISAF Joint Command's combined joint operations center director. "ISAF's thoughts and concerns are with the family of the child, and we hope the two injured women and child recover quickly."

After the compound was secure, numerous suspected combatants were detained. Security forces recovered a machine gun, multiple RPGs and launchers, numerous assault rifles, chest racks, a suicide vest, a roadside bomb and ammunition from the scene. Afghan soldiers met with local officials to explain the purpose of the mission and allay concerns.

In other Jan. 21 operations:

-- In Ghazni province, Afghan and coalition forces targeting a Taliban leader for the province's Gelan district detained four suspected insurgents. The targeted man and the insurgents he leads attack Afghan and coalition forces with roadside bombs and direct and indirect fires, officials said, and target aircraft with heavy machine guns.

-- Afghan and coalition forces detained a Taliban leader along with another suspected insurgent in Zabul province's Qalat district. The Taliban leader was responsible for the movement of bomb-making materials and planted roadside bombs targeting coalition vehicles along Highway 1, which connects many of southern Afghanistan's provinces.

-- Coalition forces targeting the Taliban's shadow governor for, Laghman province's Hisarak district killed more than 10 insurgents with two precision airstrikes. The targeted Taliban leader has attacked Afghan government officials and coalition forces, officials said, and recent reports indicate he has acquired bomb components, machine guns and rockets for future attacks.

ISAF officials later confirmed that the shadow governor, Maulawi Anwar, was among the insurgents killed.

-- Afghan and coalition forces detained a Taliban facilitator who operates in Logar and Paktia provinces during an operation in Logar province's Pul-e Alam district. The Taliban facilitator operated in both Logar's Pul-e Alam district and Paktia's Gardez district, where he distributes equipment to Taliban insurgents, officials said, and recent reports indicate he planned to provide another Taliban insurgent with bomb components.

In other news, an Afghan civilian turned in 19 82 mm mortar rounds, 12 81 mm mortar rounds, bomb-making chemicals and propellant for rockets to an ISAF forward operating base in Kapisa province's Tagab district Jan. 20, and ISAF Joint Command officials reported several recent incidents in which insurgents killed and wounded Afghan civilians:

-- Two Afghan children were killed and four others were wounded in Helmand province's Nahr-e Saraj district yesterday when insurgent indirect-fire rounds struck an area where villagers were congregated, killing one child and wounding five others. U.S. Special Forces coordinated immediate evacuation of the injured children. Insurgents continued firing when helicopters arrived to transport the wounded children to a hospital. An air weapons team provided security support for the medical evacuation, and one of the children died after arriving at the hospital.

-- In Badghis province's Qades district yesterday, villagers notified Afghan and ISAF forces, and special operations forces confirmed, that an Afghan boy was shot and killed by insurgents.

-- In Ghazni province's Muqer district Jan. 22, a combined coalition and Afghan patrol was attacked by insurgents with mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenades.

The insurgent fire hit Afghan civilians in the nearby Yarbi Kala village. After gaining positive identification, the combined patrol returned fire and immediately secured the site, rendering first aid to the injured. The insurgents fled after their rounds hit the village.

WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT

As I wish you a joyful and prosperous new year, let me thank you for your drive to carry new hope to heroes in 2011!

As Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) prepares to stand beside wounded warriors through a year of new challenges, it is great to have you by our side! Whatever 2011 brings, I know we can surely make things happen in the lives of wounded warriors.

Promising heroes a year of hope!

Steven Nardizzi
Executive Director
Wounded Warrior Project^®

TRACK Congratulates New Grads, Opens New Campus

WWP proudly congratulates the fourth cohort of warriors who graduated from TRACK, the nation's first education center designed exclusively for wounded warriors. As these warriors take their first steps toward bright new futures, a second TRACK center opens its doors in San Antonio, Texas, this month, empowering even more heroes!

Wounded Warriors Recognized as the "Real" Giants

Despite the high-profile guests in attendance at a recent benefit, the spotlight stayed fixed on wounded warriors like Lieutenant John Fernandez, who lost both legs in Iraq. NFL great David Tyree was thankful for the chance to give back: "Nights like tonight give me the chance to fill the soul of another human being."

In Memory of Stepson, Man Cycles for Wounded Warriors

Before he was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, Lance Corporal James Kimple had encouraged his stepdad, J.D., to take up cyclo-cross, an extreme cycling sport. Today, as a way of honoring James' memory and coping with his own grief, J.D. is cycling to raise money for wounded heroes.

12-Mile March Raises $55,000 for the Wounded

A group of businessmen recently swapped suits for military gear and set out on a 12-mile march to marshal support for wounded heroes. "There's nothing we can do to honor the sacrifice they give overseas every day, but for a bunch of 40-something men, it's the best we can do," said one participant.

Pan-Oston and NGA Launch Salute to Wounded Warriors

Pan-Oston and the National Grocer's Association (NGA) have announced a year-long fundraising effort
to benefit WWP and our nation's wounded heroes. Pan-Oston President Jim Vance declared, "We are humbled to play a small role in letting these heroes know their sacrifices will be forever remembered."

Give Heroes a Chance!

Even after making unimaginable sacrifices while serving this country, our wounded heroes ask for something incredibly simple: the chance to live active, productive lives. You can make sure our nation's injured heroes get this chance as you give $50 ... $75 ... even $100 today!

Airman Missing in Action from Korean War is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, has been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

            Air Force 1st Lt. Robert F. Dees, 23, of Moultrie, Ga., will be buried Jan. 22 at the Longstreet Historical Cemetery in Ozark, Ala. On Oct. 9, 1952, he was flying an F-84 Thunderjet, attacking several targets in North Korea. After he and three aircraft from the 430th Fighter-Bomber Squadron completed their attack on their primary target, they began their bombing run against enemy boxcars on the railroad near Sinyang. Other members of his flight reported seeing an explosion near the target they were attacking. They believed it to be the crash of Dees' aircraft and could not raise any radio contact with him. Airborne searches over the battlefield failed to locate him or his aircraft.

            Following the armistice in 1953, the North Koreans repatriated 4,219 remains of U.S. and allied soldiers during Operation Glory. In November 1954, they turned over remains which they reported were recovered from Sinyang. Accompanying the remains were portions of a pilot's flight suit and a pneumatic life preserver. But after two attempts, the Army's mortuary at Kokura, Japan, was unable to identify the remains. They were buried in 1956 as "unknown" at the Punch Bowl Cemetery in Hawaii.

            Beginning in the late 1990s, analysts from DPMO and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) undertook a concentrated review of Korean War air losses, as well as a review of the Kokura mortuary files. They made a tentative association to Dees, based on U.S. wartime records as well as the information provided by the North Koreans. These remains were disinterred from the Punch Bowl Cemetery in June 2010.

            Dees' remains were identified by making extensive dental comparisons with his medical records.

JUST AS A REMINDER THE PAPER CLOSING DATE IS "JAN 28" FOR ITEMS TO BE PUT INTO THE PAPER...IF YOU SEND A PICTURE BE SURE TO INCLUDE EVENT, DATE, WHO, AND PLEASE INSURE MEMBERS "MUST" BE IN PROPER UNIFORMS...

THANK YOU - SEMPER-FI...

Scientists Announce Discovery for Treating Tinnitus

This week scientists from the University of Texas announced in the scientific journal Nature that they have found a way to treat chronic tinnitus. Tinnitus, a chronic ringing in the ears is the most common service connected disability for enlisted Air Force retirees and veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan The VA pays approximately one billion dollars ($1 billion) a year for service connected disability payments for tinnitus.

Doctors believe that over 23 million Americans suffer from some degree of this condition including 10% of seniors and a whopping 40% of veterans.

The scientists believe that it is caused by the brain failing to adjust to nerve damage caused to exposure to loud or continual noise. Michael Kilgard, the co-author of the study said: “Brain changes in response to nerve damage or cochlear trauma cause irregular neural activity believed to be responsible for many types of chronic pain and tinnitus.

We believe the part of the brain that processes sounds- the auditory cortex-delegates too many neurons to some frequencies and things begin to go awry.”

The treatment (so far successful in rats) electronically stimulates the Vagus nerve (which runs from the brain to the abdomen) while playing a high pitched tone. Human clinical trials are expected to start in the next several months.

This technique called VNS is already used to treat approximately 50,000 people with epilepsy or depression. If the trials are successful this would be the first treatment that would eliminate rather than just mask tinnitus.

PROJECT MARINE CARE UPDATE 1/11/11

The latest newsletter with very welcome comments from the troops, especially from DARKHORSE battalion in AFGHANISTAN. To view this fantastic document and read the troops comments, please click here.

VIETNAM MISSING IDENTIFIED:

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

             Air Force Col. James E. Dennany, 34, of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Maj. Robert L. Tucci, 27, of Detroit, will be buried as a group Jan. 14, in the Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery.

             On Nov. 12, 1969, Dennany and Tucci were flying the number three aircraft of three F-4Ds escorting an AC-130 gunship on a night strike mission over Laos. After the gunship attacked six trucks and set two of them on fire, the AC-130 crew's night vision equipment was impacted by the glow from the fires.

They requested that Tucci attack the remaining trucks. During the attack, gunship crew members observed anti-aircraft artillery gunfire directed at Tucci's plane followed by a large explosion. No radio transmissions were heard from the F-4D following the attack and no parachutes were seen in the area. An immediate electronic search revealed nothing and no formal search was initiated due to heavy anti-aircraft fire in the area.

             Beginning in the mid-1990s analysts at DPMO and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) developed case leads they collected from wartime reporting and archival research.

              In 1994, a joint U.S.-Lao People's Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team led by JPAC analyzed leads, interviewed villagers, and surveyed five reported crash sites near the record loss location with negative results.

              In 1999, during another joint survey, officials in Ban Soppeng, Laos, turned over remains later determined to be human, two .38 caliber pistols and other crew-related equipment that villagers had recovered from a nearby crash site.

Between 1999 and 2009, other joint U.S.-L.P.D.R. teams pursued leads, interviewed villagers, and conducted three excavations. They recovered aircraft wreckage, human remains, crew-related equipment and personal effects.

             JPAC scientists used forensic tools and circumstantial evidence in the identification of the remains.

             With the accounting of these airmen, 1,702 service members still remain missing from the conflict.

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Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial, Jan. 8, 2011 - Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

Presented by:

MARINE CORPS LEAGUE, WESTERN LONG ISLAND DETACHMENT #561:

If you would like to view various videos and newsfeeds of the of the homeless Veterans Burial, please click

here.

Detachment 254 of Westchester County has published their newsletter which is now available for viewing. To view the newsletter click here.

Major General Robert E. Milstead, Jr.

Commanding General

Marine Corps Recruiting Command

requests the pleasure of your company

at the Relief and Retirement Ceremony of

Sergeant Major Fenton Reese, United States Marine Corps

and Appointment of

SgtMaj Michael A. Logan

on Friday, the Fourteenth of January

Two Thousand and Eleven

at ten o'clock

at the Expeditionary Warfare School

Quantico, VA 22134

R.S.V.P. by 10 Jan 10

Uniform of the Day Civilian Informal

(703) 784-9400 or  Email (Karen.hollings@marines.usmc.mil)

Directions to Mulligan’s:

Take I95, Exit 150 to Quantico. After coming through the main gate – Fuller Road, drive 2 miles and take a left at the Medal of Honor Golf Course Entrance (Mulligan’s sign) Park in available parking spaces.

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STATUS OF MCL

DEPARTMENT OF NEW YORK RAFFLE

TO:      MCL Department of New York Marines.

The purpose of this notification is to bring you up-to-date on our RAFFLE Program so that you can plan for the upcoming staff meeting on 14-15 January 2011 in Albany, New York.   We hope to see more of you there to pick up raffle tickets and turn in what you have received to date.

Please be advised that a decision has been made to add the following bonuses for detachment accomplishments.

1.      The detachment selling the most books will receive a bonus of $300.

2.      Second place will receive $200. And finally

3.      Third place will receive $100.

The monies are in addition to the 50% that you earn selling each ticket/book.

To date we have distributed 6,414 books out of 12,000 purchased. We are hopeful that more can be distributed at the January Staff Meeting.

As you know, the drawing will be held, at our State Convention, in June 2011 when all the remaining and final monies and unsold books are to be turned in. If you are not attending the January staff meeting, you can help our administrative task by sending your monies and unsold tickets to my attention as they become available to you.

This Raffle has been enhanced, from previous years. First prize is an all inclusive 6 days/5nights in Nassau or Cancun which includes Air Fare and Gratuities. It’s a strong prize with 9 additional prizes starting with 2^nd place at $600.

If you are not attending the staff meeting, I will be pleased to mail books to you. Please place the Raffle, on your meeting agenda, at your next detachment meeting, and let’s sell, sell, sell………… the remaining 5600 books.

If you have anything to turn in, you will be helping us to do so now.

Thank you for your time and attention in this matter.

Semper Fi!

James V. Mazzone

Chair, Raffle Program

34 Park Circle

White Plains, NY 10603

Jim@Mazzone.com

Cell: 914-843-6379

Regimental Combat Team 1

'To honor their blood...with our sweat': Marines honor the fallen