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Calendar Summary - click here for detail
March
13 - Officer Meeting
06 - Devil Dog Growl
16 - 19 75th S E Division Conference
28 - Monthly Detachment Meeting
April
10 - Officer Meeting
25 - Monthly Detachment Meeting
May
06 - McGivney Pistol Match
08 - Officer Meeting
13 - Rod 'n Hogs
27 - Rose Program
30 - Monthly Detachment Meeting
See event details by clicking on the Calendar tab above
Larry Winters

Robert Evilsizer

Detachment Member Robert Evilsizer of Loudon (age 87) passed on 3-21-2023.
Service will be 1300 April 15 at The Community Church at Tellico Village
130 Chota Center, Loudon, TN.
Our fellow Marine Larry Winters passed on March 7. Larry’s family and Marine Corps League Lt. Alexander Bonnyman Detachment 924 celebrated Larry in the chapel of the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery on March 16, 2023.
Larry's family gave an eulogy and tributes. His ashes were interred near the flagpole in the cemetery. A lone bald eagle flew above near the burial site.
Come show our colors at the service.
Department of Tennessee Convention
June 22 -25, 2023
Best Western Plus
130 Cracker Road, Morristown, TN 37015
Phone 423-587-2400
email: bwplusmorristown@gmail.com <=Cut & paste)
Rates are $94.95 per night, plus tax (Ask for MCL rate)
There will be a Full Free Breakfast, Parking is free. Amenities include outdoor pool, gym, and laundry facilities.
Click on links below
Commandant's Corner
March 20, 2023
With heavy hearts, we said a final farewell to Larry Winters this month. I was very proud to see the attendance of the League at his service. Larry left his mark on all those he came in contact with. As Unit Commander for the Young Marines, his influence and legacy will carry on far into the future. I recently attended the MCL Southeast Conference on Charleston and was very pleased to hear the Young Marine National Director, Col Bill Davis (USMC, ret) begin his presentation with comments about Larry and his impact on the Young Marines. We can all be very proud to have called Larry our friend. As Joe McCarter takes the reins as Young Marines Unit Commander, we wish him continued success.
Our leadership in the League suffered another loss this month as we found out that our Adjutant, Billie Joe McCarley has accepted a new job in Miami, FL. We wish her the best of luck in this new position. Our Judge Advocate, Robert Ballesteros, has accepted the invitation to serve as the new Adjutant. I’m confident he will do a great job.
Our first major fundraiser for the year is fast upon us. The 3rd Annual Rods and Hogs Car Show will be held on May 13th at Midland Plaza, Alcoa. Please step up and help us make this bigger and better than last year. Doc Billy and Doug Freeman are the co-chairs for this event. There are many tasks that need to be accomplished – most importantly is advertising and procuring door prizes. Flyers will be available at the next Detachment meeting (March 28). Please take some and get them to local auto parts stores, restaurants, etc. Please let Billy or Doug know if you can assist with this event. We need many hands to make this a positive experience for all.
May 5, we will be supporting Bug Run, a motorcycle ride beginning at the Dragon Pit on Hwy 129. We will be assisting in parking bikes. Contact Sr Vice Ric Freetage if you are able to help in this event. Half of the 50/50 will be coming back to the League. Let’s get out there and make it a positive event.
Last but not least, the Rose Program will be held over Memorial Day Weekend. Larry George will be providing details at the next meeting and signup sheets will be available.
As always, we welcome your comments, suggestions, and ideas! Remember, this is YOUR Marine Corps League.
Semper Fi.
Susie Schmidt

From the Chaplain
March 20, 2023
THE LAST LEAF
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:14
While in Northern Virginia to celebrate the Christmas holiday with our daughter and her family, a winter storm swept through the area bringing sub-freezing temper-atures and extremely high gusts of icy wind. Unfortunately, my responsibilities included taking the dog out for his early morning routine. My ordeal ushered in a bout of flu for three or four days, perhaps caused by exposure. As I shivered in the miserable cold, I noticed one single leaf on the tree in the front yard that was desperately hanging on while flapping violently in the wind. I scanned the tree carefully with frost covered eyeballs and confirmed that this was, indeed, the last leaf.
Immediately I recalled a story from the collections of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), pen named, O. Henry.
The Last Leaf is the story of two young aspiring artists, Johnsy, and Sue, who shared an upstairs apartment in Greenwich Village. The winter was extremely harsh during the December of this story’s setting. In addition to the severe weather, there was a flu and pneumonia epidemic that spread throughout the inhabitants of New York City. Johnsy was one of the statistics and became seriously ill. As the doctor left the girl’s apartment, he told Sue that Johnsy had pneumonia and there was nothing more he could do. Johnsy stared outside her bedroom window at the adjacent wall that had a vine growing on it with one single leaf. Johnsy told Sue that she was dying and had a premonition that she would die when the last leaf fell.
As she pulled down the window shade, Sue told Johnsy to focus on something other than the leaf and try to get a good night’s rest. Sue shared Johnsy’s prognosis with old man Behrman, who lived in a first-floor apartment and who was also an artist. Old Behrman never fulfilled his dreams of painting a masterpiece and had given up any hope of greatness. That night another cold front swept through the city with an abundance of wind, rain, and ice. On the next morning Sue reluctantly raised the shade at Johnsy’s request. The leaf was still there! It stood strangely still in the high wind, and its vibrant green and red colors were inspirational. Johnsy looked at the beautiful leaf, took heart, regained her strength, and began to improve. They found old man Behrman lying on his bed in wet clothes, mud on his shoes, and with green and red paint on his weathered hands and painters attire. He himself had succumbed to pneumonia while giving his life for a friend. Behrman had painted his masterpiece.
There are a couple of connected narratives in the Scriptures that are similar to O. Henry’s story. The first is from the Old Testament and found in Numbers 21:8, 9. “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole,
Drawing at the Detachment meeting
The member name drawn at the February 28 meeting for the $100 pot was Lee Rhinemiller. The pot for the March 28 meeting is $60. It will grow by $10 until it is awarded then will start over at $50. You have to be present to win. Come to the monthly meeting; you may go home with a fatter wallet.
February 28, 2023
Welcome to the Lt. Alexander
Bonnyman Detachment


Gabriel Wilson USMC
Past Commandant Ken DeBoer gives oath of office to incoming Commandant Susie Schmidt
February 28,2023 Detachment Meeting

February 28,2023 Detachment Meeting
February 28,2023 Detachment Meeting
Commandant Schmidt presents outgoing Commandant Ken DeBoer with a gift to represent the detachment's gratitude for his outstanding service to the detach-ment, his support for the fund raisers to top up our treasury during and after Covid and his presence at memorial services for fallen Marines all over East Tennessee.



Commandant Schmidt thanks Cathy DeBoer for sharing and supporting her husband Ken DeBoer for his term as Commandant by presenting her with a floral arrangement. None of us serve by ourselves; family support is priceless.
Click on photos

Commandant Susie Schmidt receives the 2022 Americanism award from Bryan Hudgins who received it at the National Conference on behalf of Detachment 924
Click on photos
The following article was submitted by Detachment Member Larry Dennis
The following article was submitted by Detachment Member Jay Holmes
'Paramarines': The Marine Corps Paratroopers of World War II
A Brother’s Journey: Five Decades to the Story of a Lifetime

Paramarines fought with Raiders at the Battle of Edson's Ridge, also known as the Battle of the Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal, in 1942
Military.com | By Blake Stilwell
The U.S. Army might have perfected the use of airborne troopers, but it wasn't the first branch to try out the tactic. In 1927, 12 Marines jumped from a transport plane flying over the Anacostia area of Washington, D.C. The Army wouldn't begin experimenting with jumping out of a perfectly good airplane until the next year.
Since that first jump, the Marine Corps liked the idea of "air-delivered" Marines, but never tried to train any until Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940. Germany's use of paratroopers to capture airfields and other tactical objectives was one of the world's first mass drops. A total of 4,500 paratroopers opened the way for Germany to conquer Holland and the Low Countries in a matter of days.

On Saturday, Oct. 21, 1967, David Jensen was working at a caterer’s office in Hales Corners, Wis. As the 18-year-old prepared orders for the coming week, the office owner entered the room.
“Dave, you need to go home.”
His terseness caught David off guard. He appeared somber and was obviously not playing around.
“Well, no,” David replied. “I can finish up this order, at least.”“No, Dave. You can’t linger. You
need to go home, now.”
He gathered his things and returned to his parent’s house. The staff car from the local Marine Corps recruiter’s office sat in the driveway. A recruiter’s presence was not unusual. David had known them since he was 12, the first time he entered their office with his older brother, Alan. Alan was a Marine, and David was determined to become one too.
David walked through the front door. A major and first sergeant in dress blues sat in the living room with David’s parents. A Bible lay open on the coffee table. Tears poured down his mother’s cheeks. His father approached him.
“David,” he faltered. “Alan is dead. He was killed.”
David moved toward the recruiters. His gut reaction came out as anger.“
Click on image below to enlarge
Click on image below for important information
Pistol Match Schedule
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Jack McGivney Memorial..... ..May 6, 2023
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Jim Peacock Memorial.........TBD
Windrock Shooting Range & Training Center
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Center fire matches are 9mm or above.
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Rim fire matches are .22 cal.
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Steel plate shoot at 25 yards.
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1911 45 Open match with "feel good" targets.
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When specified, 1911 matches are .45 ACP.
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Iron sights only. Max 6-inch barrel.
Click on flyer below to enlarge
Contact Jay to sign up. An accurate count is needed for providing lunch