July / August / September 2021 MMS 586 NEWS

Melvin M. Smith Detachment #586 & MCL Auxiliary Unit #305

DETACHMENT Greetings! AUXILARY OFFICERS OFFICERS First, I would like to thank Kari for a “Job well

COMMANDANT done” as Commandant and now Marine of the Year PRESIDENT TIM KRUSE for the Detachment. You inspire every one of us! LORI OTT

SR VICE COMMANDANT Now we are moving past the Covid break and back

JAMES BROWN to business. Looking forward to getting back on SR VICE PRESIDENT JR VICE COMMANDANT mission with the gun shows and Hoopfest. Our GLORIA ESPARZA MIKE O’FLAHERTY ability to aid others needs a little boost!

CHAPLAIN Moving forward I encourage each one of you to JR VICE PRESIDENT DENNIS DRESSLER help support our committee chairs, we aren’t getting TEE FITZGERALD JUDGE ADVOCATE any younger. This Detachment has such a large GUILLERMO ZARAGOZA membership but small turnout. Let us work together CHAPLAIN to make this the best Detachment in the PNW! Tell ADJUTANT DONNA JAMIESON RANDY OTT JR me what you need from the leadership to make this

PAYMASTER a better example: A MCL night or breakfast at the CARL SCHAUPPNER VFW (cribbage, cards, bingo, or just hang out) with SECRETARY JACI KRUSE SERGEANT-AT-ARMS no official business meeting attached. MANNY ESPARZA JR I look forward to your input. Thanks for your

TREASURER JR PAST COMMANDANT support. SAM DRESSLER KARI SOBISKY Semper Fidelis,

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tim Kruse RANDY OTT Commandant

Visit our websites: www.mclspokane.org www.mclaspokane.com www.mcldeptwa.org www.mclnational.org Birthdays of the 586

July John Brown 1 Craig Meidl 4 (50) Marilyn Closson 9 (80)

Charles Bodey 12 Tim Kruse 12 Stacia Bowers 13

Ivan Urnovitz 13 Renee Raidt 17 Joan Morse 18 (80)

John Gill 19 Timothy Fitzgerald 20 Dennis Dressler 21

Bill McGehee 21 (70) Gene Ball 22 Deanna Willoughby 23

Doug Shurtleff 30 Peter Gilbertz 31

August

Kari Sobisky 3 Ed Thew 6 Graham Crutchfield 11 Donald Peters 12

Barry Blackerby 15 Bob Manion 15 Daniel Hefner 18 James Swindel 18 (75)

Tyler Wermann 19 Joe Sullivan 25 Mathew Howard 28 (50) Roscoe Tidd 28

September

Joe Wilson 1 Stephen Ashworth 2 (75) Larry Tanneberg 5 Sylvia Passe 8

Larry Rosenberg 9 Jon Dunne 10 (50) Celeste Morton 15 Gary Heath 17 (75)

Grant Deeble 19 Bob Lonn 20 Morris Clark 23 Mike Brown 29

Larry Hughes 29 Travis Westbrook 29

Page 2 This Day in Marine Corps History

JULY 4 July 1801: President Thomas Jefferson reviewed the Marines, led by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, LtCol William W. Burrows and the Marine Band, on the White House grounds. The smartly uniformed Marines performed drills and fired various salutes in observance of the new nation's 25th anniversary. 6 July 1990: One of the oldest and most versatile attack aircraft in Marine Corps history, the A-4 Skyhawk, retired from the Corps' active aviation structure after over 30 years of service. The last two Skyhawks from MAG-32 flew their initial flight from Cherry Point to NAS Patuxent River on this date. 7 July 1941: The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing was activated at Quantico, . Within a year of activation, the Wing would par- ticipate in the Marine Corps offensive at Guadalcanal. That bitter campaign would be the first in a series of legendary battles in which the Wing would add luster to its reputation. The 1stMAW would earn five Presidential Unit Citations for gallantry in cam- paigns spanning World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. 11 July 1798: President John Adams approved "An Act for Establishing and Organizing a Marine Corps", and it became law. The following day, the President appointed William Ward Burrows the Major Commandant of the new Corps. In August, Major Bur- rows opened his headquarters in Philadelphia, at that time still the capital of the new nation. 14 July 1993: The USS IWO JIMA was decommissioned after over 30 years of service in a ceremony at Norfolk Naval Base, Vir- ginia. The ship was named for the World War II battle during which three Marine divisions ousted 20,000 entrenched Japanese troops. The Iwo Jima was commissioned 26 August 1961, and it was the first ship specifically designed as an amphibious assault ship from the keel up. 18 July 1918: The 4th Brigade of Marines began an attack near Soissons, France, as part of a three-division counterattack against the Germans. In the first two days of battle, the brigade sustained 1,972 casualties. 24 July 1944: The V Amphibious Corps, commanded by Major Harry Schmidt, landed on , in the . The following morning, the 2d and 4th Marine Divisions began a shoulder-to-shoulder southward sweep of the island. Orga- nized enemy resistance faded within a week, and on 1 August, MajGen Schmidt declared the island secure. 26 July 1947: The National Security Act of 1947 became effective, reaffirming the status of the Marine Corps as a separate mili- tary service within the Department of the Navy. The Act Provided for Fleet Marine Forces, and confirmed the Corps' mission of seizing and defending advanced bases, as well as land operation incident to naval campaigns. 28 July 1918: Brigadier General John A. Lejeune assumed command of the 2d Division, U.S. Army in France, and remained in that capacity until August 1919 when the unit was demobilized. He was the first Marine officer to hold an Army divisional com- mand, and following the Armistice, he led his division in the march into Germany AUGUST 1 August 1944: After nine days of fighting in a battle termed "the perfect amphibious operation of World War II," MajGen Harry Schmidt, commander of V Amphibious Corps, declared the island of Tinian secured. The combination of surprise, heavy preas- sault bombardment, and effective logistical support was responsible for Tinian's recapture with a much lower casualty rate (344 killed and 1550 wounded) than had been experienced in previous landings. 3 August 1950: Eight Corsairs of VMF-214, the famed "Black Sheep" squadron of World War II, launched from the USS SICILY and executed the first Marine aviation mission in the Korean War in a raid against enemy installations near Inchon. After the F4Us delivered their incendiary bombs and rockets on their targets, the Marines concluded their greeting to the Communist troops with a series of strafing runs. 7 August 1990: President Bush ordered U.S. military aircraft and troops to Saudi Arabia as part of a multinational force to de- fend that nation against possible Iraqi invasion. One week later the Marine Corps announced the commitment of 45,000 troops

Page 3 This Day in Marine Corps History to the Persian Gulf area as part of Operation Desert Shield which would become the largest deployment of U.S. forces since the Vietnam War. 9 August 1942: With the Guadalcanal airstrip secure after heavy fighting with the Japanese, the 1st Engineer Battalion com- menced work on the runway using captured equipment. Three days later, on 12 August, the first plane landed on Henderson Field, a Navy PBY which evacuated two wounded Marines. Nearly 3,000 wounded Marines would be evacuated from Henderson Field during the battle. 17 August 1942: Just prior to dawn, the 2d Marine Raider Battalion under LtCol Evans F. Carlson landed on Makin Island from the submarines NAUTILUS and ARGONAUT. The next day the Marines left the island after destroying a seaplane base, two radio stations, a supply warehouse, and killing about 100 Japanese soldiers. 21 August 1968: PFC James Anderson, Jr., was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by Secretary of the Navy, Paul R. Ig- natius, for heroism in Vietnam while serving as a rifleman with Company F, 2d Battalion, 3d Marines in February 1967. This was the first Medal of Honor presented to an African-American Marine. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Anderson, Sr., received the award during ceremonies at Marine Barracks, 8th and I. 23 August 1984: The last Marines to serve peace-keeping duty in Lebanon arrived home. The 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) arrived off the coast of Lebanon on 9 April to relieve Marines of the 22d MAU who were guarding the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. The 24th MAU left Beirut on 31 July, marking the last presence of U.S. combat troops in Beirut since Marines entered almost two years earlier. 24 August 1814: Captain Samuel miller's 100-man detachment from Marine Barracks, Washington, fought in the battle of Bladensburg for the defense of the national capital. After helping to fight back three British charges, Captain Miller was wound- ed and the enemy began to work around both flanks of the American force. Almost encircled, the force of sailors and Marines was forced to retire to avoid capture. The Marines lost 8 killed and 14 wounded. SEPTEMBER 2 September 1945: The Japanese officially surrendered to the Allies on board the battleship MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay. With Gen- eral transferred home in July 1945, the senior Marine Corps representative at the historic ceremony was LtGen Roy S. Geiger, who had succeeded Smith as Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. 5 September 1956: Eleven Marines from the 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division, stationed near Naha, Okinawa, drowned while swimming, from an undercurrent caused by Typhoon Emma. The violent storm, with 140 mph winds, struck the Philippine Is- lands, Okinawa, Korea, and Japan, causing some 55 deaths and millions of dollars in property damage. 6 September 1983: Two Marines were killed and two were wounded when rockets hit their compound in Beirut, Lebanon. Heavy fighting continued for the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit peacekeeping force in the area near their positions around the Beirut International Airport. 8 September 1942: On Guadalcanal, the 1st Raider Battalion and the 1st Parachute Battalion, supported by planes of MAG-23 and two destroyer transports, landed east of Tasimboko, advanced west into the rear of Japanese positions, and carried out a successful raid on a Japanese supply base. 11 September 1992: Hurricane Iniki devastated the island of Kauai in Hawaii in one of the worst storms the islands had seen in over a century. Marines of the 1st Marine Brigade based at Kaneohe Bay, spearheaded Operation Garden Sweep, the massive cleanup effort. 15 September 1950: The 3d Battalion, 5th Marines landed on Wolmi-do Island in Inchon Harbor and secured it prior to the main landing. The 1st Marine Division under the command of Major General Oliver P. Smith landed at Inchon and began the Inchon- Seoul campaign.

Page 4 This Day in Marine Corps History

16 September 1814: A detachment of Marines under Major Daniel Carmick from the Naval Station at , together with an Army detachment, destroyed a pirate stronghold at Barataria, on the Island of Grande Terre, near New Orleans. 18 September 1990: A new 40-acre training facility for Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) was dedicated at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, by General Alfred M. Gray, Commandant of the Marine Corps. 20 September 1950: Marines of the 1st Marine Division crossed the Han River along a six-mile beachhead, eight miles north- west of Seoul, Korea. Five days later, the 1st and 5th Marines would attack Seoul and the city would be captured by 27 Septem- ber. 24 September 1873: One hundred and ninety Marines and seamen from the USS PENSACOLA and BENICIA landed at the Bay of Panama, Columbia, to protect the railroad and American lives and property during the revolution. 27 September 1944: The American flag was raised over Peleliu, Palau Islands, at the 1st Marine Division Command Post. Alt- hough the flag raising symbolized that the island was secured, pockets of determined Japa- nese defenders continued to fight on. As late as 21 April 1947, 27 Japanese holdouts finally surrendered to the American naval commander on the scene. 30 September 1945: Marines of III Amphibious Corps, commanded by Major General Keller E. Rockey, began landing in North to assist the Chinese Nationalist government in ac- cepting the surrender of Japanese forces and repatriating Japanese soldiers and civilians.

Chaplain’s Report

Ann Whitney, Bill Town and Dick Jamieson are settled in at the VA Home on 5th. Jim & Judi Bennett were at the Memorial Ceremony looking good. Dean Ladd and Norman Rubin are doing well as our only Centurions at 100 and 101 respectfully. Keep it up gentlemen, you are an inspiration to us all.

Respectfully,

Dennis Dennis receiving an award from George Hilbish II, Dept. of WA Commandant for his work as Dept. Chaplain.

Page 5 MCLA President’s News

Can you believe we’re looking ahead to the second half of the year already? This year has flown by for sure. The Melvin M. Smith Auxiliary would like to thank everyone who attended the White Elephant Auction in May. The group was small but mighty! You helped us raise vital funds to help our community. The fun memories of the evening will go down in history for sure! We would also like to thank everyone who joined us for the Department Convention in June. It was a great weekend! We installed department officers for the 2020-2021 year, tackled issues at hand, and discussed ways to better serve our fellow units and communities. We even shook it up a little with a paint night that was a huge hit and some bead- work during the Flea meeting. Great memories are made when the ladies get crafty together! Looking ahead, we have the fall staff meeting. As a group, the ladies agree that incorporating a fun craft or something that gets our creative energy going is something we would like to continue. So, please be on the lookout this summer as you wander our beautiful country for the perfect rock to paint. And we’ll see you this fall to hear about the journey that brought your stone to our meeting and what it means to you.

Melvin M Smith Auxiliary Meeting Update! Date & Location Change: July 15th at 7pm

We’re going on a field trip for the July meeting! Please join us at a fellow member’s home on July 15th. Refreshing beverages and snacks are provided. Please contact me at [email protected] for the address. Last but not least, it’s hot out there. So please take care of yourselves and stay cool. If you need help, contact us!

We’re here for our community!

Above L-R: PNP Caroline Ruhmshottel installing the Dept MCLA Officers: Sena Moreland, President; Rebecca Corpuz, Sr. Vice; Vickie Brown, Jr. Vice; Sandy Falter, Judge Advocate.

Below: You missed the fun of Paint Night. Everyone had a great time and created some nifty artwork. L-R: Dennis & Sam Dressler, John & Paulie Stofiel, Renee Raidt, Randy & Lori Ott, Andy Rogers, Gloria Esparza, Susan Douglas, Sandy Falter, Caroline Ruhmshottel.

Page 6 From Ivan Urnovitz

Page 7 My Vietnam: Lawrence Plager

Attitude Check By Lawrence Plager Marines complain and they say, “Don’t worry about morale, unless they stop complaining.” I learned about Attitude Checks after arriving in Vietnam. When someone felt upset about anything—lack of food or smokes, assigned shit burning detail, any perceived injustice or just pissed off about being in Nam— they would call out, “Attitude Check!” Those who heard him would reply, “Fuck it!” This fell in with other complaining like calling the Marine Corps the Green Machine, the Crotch or the Suck, and saying, “It don’t matter,” or if warned about getting in trouble, “What they gonna do? Send me to Nam.” Lieutenant Butcher, our Platoon Commander, thought our response to Attitude Checks vulgar and smacked of crudeness. If he called an Attitude Check, he wanted us to reply, “Aaahhhh Shhiiit!” He stated this was more refined. Butcher was the only black officer in our company and he was liked, respected and most importantly, trusted. Currently between operations, the four companies of our battalion bivouacked on a flat grassy beach area just north of the little town Namo. We did our best to find sticks to create shade with our ponchos. They were few and far between. We ate C-Rations and hadn’t bathed in a month, though we received clean uniforms. Uniforms? That’s an oxymoron. There was nothing uniform about them. It was a mix of olive drab and jungle camouflage trousers and fatigue shirts, along with a few stateside utilities. Underwear was not a problem. None of us wore it. One day, we were called to formation to await an inspection by our Battalion Commander. Rumor had it, there was discord between our lieutenant and the Battalion Commander about how often our company led combat as- saults. The Battalion Commander approached our company and the Company Commander called us to attention. Each Platoon Commander followed suit, with Lieutenant Baker calling our platoon to attention. As the Battalion Commander entered the space in front of our platoon, Lieutenant Butcher called out, “2nd Platoon – Attitude check!” We loudly responded in unison, “Aaahhhh Shhiiit!” and tried not to laugh. This stopped the Battalion Commander. With his head cocked to one side, he looked at us and spotted Lieutenant Butcher. Then looking down, he slightly shook his head and moved away from us to continue his inspection. We never noticed any punitive response and never heard if our Lieutenant ever paid a price. A few days later, our platoon and company led another combat assault.

Page 8 Department of Washington Annual Convention

Above Photos: Kari Sobisky, Dennis Dressler and Doug Shurtleff ready for the Dept. of WA business meeting to start.

Center photo: Arra Lutz enjoying lunch with her Dad, Larry Lutz during the convention.

Bottom Photos: Commandant Hilbish presenting the Unit award to Melvin M. Smith’s Kari Sobisky. The Dept. of Idaho was rep- resented by Dennis Oliver and Tom Wambolt. Sitting with them is our very own NJA TJ Morgan. Great minds sharing great ideas.

Page 9 Old Corps, New Corps, Same Corps...

- My time in the Corps - By Renee Raidt-Rogers

July 1988 was spent at Parris Island, SC. My 18th birthday arrived, and someone from my family bought a subscrip- tion to a teen magazine. You can imagine how the DIs LOVED that – NOT! The first time it came, they sent a couple of back-issues. I didn’t leave the quarterdeck for a week. I was a quarterdeck favorite already, so no big deal. I went in at 129 lbs, which put me on the Diet Private list. July of 1989 was spent on Mt Fuji, Japan throwing gre- nades and engaging in Mountain Warfare with the mountain survival team. Any of you who know me, know that I was on Search and Rescue team in Colville in high school. So tromping around Mt Fuji was FUN. I loved it, but really wanted to go UP the mountain instead of up and down the foothills. We dug fighting holes on Fuji - - have you ever tried using an e-tool on lava rock? There is only about 4 inches of actual dirt. Iwakuni Japan was my favorite duty station, because it had Harrier Jets. I used to run on the flight-line as they were taking off, hovering, flying back- wards, etc. I love that aircraft! I also love F-111, F-15, and A-10s from being stationed with the USAF in England and Germany. My biggest question for the League is – who else wants to visit Belleau Wood?! Ooh Rah!

Above Photo: MCL Honor Guard at the Memorial Day Ceremony standing at the ready for the event. From left to right is John Brown, Larry Lutz, Timothy Fitzgerald, Mike O’Flaherty, Bob Lonn, Walt Lindgren and Randy Ott.

Right photo: A great ceremony was held at the Garden of Valor, Fairmount Memorial Park on May 31, 2021. From left to right is Dennis Dressler, James Bennett, Larry Lutz, Sheriff Ozzie, Timothy Fitzgerald, Kari Sobisky, Bob Lonn, Walt Lindgren, John Brown, Jim Brown, Randy Ott, Bryan Smith and Mike O’Flaherty.

Page 10 July

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

8th - MCL/MCLA Meetings VFW 1435, 6pm (POC Tim Kruse) No Auxiliary Meeting

10th - MODD Pound Growl VFW 1435 at 0830 for Kibbles N Bits

21 & 22 Gun show/rifle raffle Spokane Fairgrounds (POC Alvin Parker)

Page 11 August

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

MCL National Convention Springfield, IL 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

12th - MCL/MCLA Meetings VFW 1435, 6pm (POC Tim Kruse or Lori Ott)

26-28th - Lincoln County Fair with rifle raffle Lincoln County Fairgrounds (POC Doug Shurtleff)

Left: Our newest Detachment Marine of the Year! Way to go Kari Sobisky!

Right: SCYM Color Detail at the Memorial Day Ceremony looking sharp and making it a great event.

Opposite page: MCL Honor Guard looking sharp and ready to render honors for the Memorial Day Ceremony.

Page 12 September

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

9th MCL/MCLA Meeting VFW 1435, 6pm (POC Tim Kruse or Lori Ott)

11 & 12 Hoop Fest - Downtown Spokane Set up Friday, working Saturday/Sunday (POCs Randy Ott & Bryan Smith)

Page 13 Melvin M. Smith #586 Marine Corps League C/O Randy Ott 3924 N. Sunderland Ct Spokane Valley, WA 99206

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INSIDE THIS EDITION:

BIRTHDAYS

THIS DAY IN USMC HISTORY

PHOTOS

STORIES WORTH SHARING

Marine Corps League

North West Division

Department of Washington

Melvin M. Smith #586 & MCLA Unit #305

MMS 586 NEWS