December 2011 Commandant's Message

Well, here we are. Christmas is nearly upon us, and 2012 is just around the corner. The Marine Corps Ball was a great success with more than 145 persons attending. Sunriver did another great job with the meal, and the band was again right on tune. A number of people enjoyed the dance music after the formal program. Pat Lisi, Dave Estrovitz, Ken Olsen and Tom Cover along with their wives put in numerous hours making it happen. The final numbers are not in but we are very close to breaking even. The ad sale, like last year, started out slow but Pat Lisi took charge and the faithful few went out and sold the ads. We should clear more than $1,200.00 after we pay the cost of printing and the certificates of appreciation that we present to everyone who purchased an ad. We also need to thank Cherry Creek Radio for running a spot for the ball on all their stations.

The dedication of the Veterans Memorial Park at Sunriver on November 11 was a success. Many of our members took part in the dedication of the park and the lunch thereafter. Tom Cover was the MC at the event. Also, on November 11, a number of our members marched in the St. George Veterans Parade.

The speaker at our November 19 meeting was again outstanding. We need to thank Steve Ikuta for finding these great programs. At the December 10 meeting the program will be on Life Flight unless they are in the air on an emergency flight. I do hope more members attend this meeting to show that we appreciate the speakers giving up Saturday morning to attend our meeting.

The Toys for Tots details are forming and, if you can help, contact Larry Mineer, Jim Haney or me for details. We will also assist this year with the Shop-with-a-Cop breakfast at the Elks Club once I obtain what help they need. I will send out an e-mail as soon as I have all the information on the event.

We are still waiting for the M-1 rifles from the Army and, as I reported before, they will not give me a shipping date. We have purchased the white rifle slings and I have started the request to receive the free blank ammo from another Army Depot. I think that I have dotted all the “i”s and crossed all the “t’s,” so now we just have to wait till they ship the items. The members at the last general meeting approved the purchase of a gun locker which was required to store the M-1's. Les Covey was brave enough to go out at 5:20 a.m. and fight the crowds on Black Friday to get us a great deal on the locker. A couple members are going to pick up the locker and take it to our storage shed.

Now that we have pictures of our members at a few different events, we will move forward to complete a brochure which we can use to recruit new members and promote the league. We may also send a package this month to the Marine unit that we adopted in Afghanistan as soon as someone contacts me to volunteer to set up a committee to handle this project. This is the second time that we tried this type project. It ended last time because no one wanted to help. They may only be deployed a few more months and at this time of the year it would be nice to show our support. I just don’t feel good about asking the same few people to step up each time to get things done.

I do hope to see everyone at our meeting on December 10 at 8:00 a.m. at the Abbey Inn. We need at least 25 members to attend to break even. Your spouses are invited to attend and hear the speaker. A couple wives attended the last meeting.

I do wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and/or a happy holiday season along with a happy New year.

Carl Kulyk, Commandant

November Commandant's Message

The month of November is here. That means another year has nearly passed. It is also time to celebrate the 236th birthday of our Marine Corps on November 10. Pat Lisi and his committee have worked very hard on planning for the ball this year. We had approximately 62 persons at the ball last year but this year it may exceed 100. The Olsens, Estrovitzs, Lisis and Covers spent many hours planning to make the event a success. They kept me out of it to insure success.

The honor guard at the ball will be handled by Larry Mineer, Les Covey, Jack Stanfill and Terry Hansen. The cake cutting will be handled by Dave Houston, Rick Massey, Bryan Butas and Alfie Deming. For the members who could not find time to attend or attended another ball, you will miss an outstanding event. The ad sales were a little less this year but we raised more than $1,300.00 for the league. The less than 10% who care stood up and got the job done again. It used to be the 10% were the screw-ups, but now it seems it is the 10% who really try hard to make the league a success.

On November 11, the Veteran's Honor Park at SunRiver will be dedicated. A number of our members will be there to raise the flags, fire the rifle salute, provide the drum and bugle music and march in the opening event. The members planning to assist are Bill Toole, Rick Massey, Bryan Butas, Dennis Cory, Les Covey, Clyde Johnston, Ken Olsen, Larry Mineer, Terry Hansen, Jim Haney and Tom Cover.

We were asked to be part of the St. George parade on November 11 after we committed to be at SunRiver. Larry Mineer, the Color Guard sergeant, put out an e-mail asking other members to step up for that task. The only member at time of writing this article was D'Arcy who stood up, and he cannot carry two rifles and two flags with the banner. I hope that before the due date a few more members agree to help. I would particularly like to see the members who had one-half their uniform costs paid by the league take part in this event.

We have received notice that we have been approved to have use of ten M-1 rifles at no cost. We hope to have the rifles in the next ninety days. The Army will also provide the clips and blank ammo at no cost. The only cost thus far is for ten white rifle slings at $8.50 each. We do intend to purchase a secure rifle cabinet when we find a good sale. It is now time to expand the Color Guard so, in time, we will be able to do a full military funeral. We did provide a presence at two funerals this month for Marines. One was with less than two hours' notice thanks to Bill Toole, Jim Haney, Pat Lisi and our Chaplain, D'Arcy Grisier.

Because of the ball and use of our meeting room, the general meeting for November will take place on the third Saturday, this month only, which is November 19. Steve Ikuta has arranged for another great speaker as he has done the last couple months. We will be learning about staying well from an expert. You are all welcome to bring your better half to have breakfast and hear the speaker.

At the meeting, we will be discussing our involvement with Toys for Tots in December. We have two members who will handle the assignments at the Washington WalMart, but we need someone to handle the assignments at the Bloomington WalMart. Jim Haney has agreed to assist if someone will agree to help him. We intend to cover the doors from 0900 hrs to 1500 hrs two Saturdays and one Friday at both WalMarts. We also will help one night at the Bloomington Walmart from 1700 until 2200 hrs.

And lastly, we have picked up the new Dixie Direct Books to sell. The cost per book is $35.00 and the league receives $15.00 for each book sold. A few members took part last year and we sold sixty-four books. We picked up sixty books on Thursday October 27 and sent out e-mail to all members. By that Thursday at 1600 hrs, Clyde Johnston had orders for more than twenty books from his friends. Bryan Butus took thirty books to sell and the other staff members took a number to sell. We picked up an additional sixty books on Friday October 28. We got the books last year late, but this year we are ahead of the other groups. The books are not hard to sell but you have to ask people to buy them. D'Arcy Grisler has agreed to store the books to pass out to members for sale. You can reach him at 435-862-8883. We will have books at the general meeting, but hopefully you have read the e-mails which were sent out and you are already selling books. You should have any check for a book made payable to MCL #1270 and immediately send to the MCL 1270, P.O. Box 553, St. George, UT 84790.

HAVE A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY MARINES!
Carl Kulyk, Commandant

DD-214s

MILITARY RECORDS - DD-214s NOW ONLINE:
Get your DD-214

The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the above web site for veterans to gain access to their DD-214s. This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military files. Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents.

Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete the Standard Form 180, which can be downloaded from the online web site. Because the requester will be asked to supply all information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized. The new web-based application was designed to provide better service on these requests by eliminating the records center’s mail room and processing time.

October 2011 Commandant Message

Well, it’s October and all the snow birds should be home. At our last two General meetings the attendance was nothing but very poor. We had 19 in August and 14 in September. Steve Ikuta and Colin Harrison worked hard in having very outstanding speakers at those two meetings. We had Washington County Search and Rescue in August and two police officers who spoke on gangs and drugs in September. For those who did not attend, you missed two very informative programs. Steve Ikuta has an outstanding program ready for our October meeting. We have more than 65 members so we can have a better showing of respect for the speakers who give up their time to provide us with great presentations.

We have ordered ten M-1 rifles from the Army at no cost to the detachment. If everything goes through the first time, we should have them in about two months. We will order the ammo and slings once we know the rifles are on the way.

We need more members to stand up to serve on the Color Guard. Some of us are a little older and we cannot march a long distance but we can march fifteen to twenty steps and be part of the Color Guard at funerals. The families appreciate it when we attend the service for a fallen Marine. We are it unless active marines have time to come from Las Vegas.

We have a number of things happening on November 11 for Veterans Day which we need to discuss at the general meeting. The Toys For Tots program will be starting some and I have requested Rick Massey advise us at the meeting as to what assistance he would like us to provide. If we have time to prepare, things work much better.

The Marine Corps Ball will be held before our next general meeting on November 19. The committee continues to work hard so the ball on November 10 will be a great success. It is sad that they have to take time to make calls to a number of members to determine if they plan to attend the ball. At this time less than 30% have purchased tickets even when the committee lower the tickets by $10.00 each. If you miss their call, please return their call so they can determine a count.

At present time there is a small group of members who work very hard to make our detachment a success. Without them, I could get nothing done. And then there is a group that likes to snivel about everything. I remember when it was always posted “no sniveling” but I guess Marines now feel it is proper. If you see things that needs to be changed step up and help make it right. It is sad when people stay away because there is something they don’t like but they won’t step up to make things better.

Hope to see everyone at next meeting and the ball.

Carl Kulyk, Commandant

September Commandant's Message

Well, it is now September. It is time for some cooler weather and the near return of our snow birds. The turnout at last general meeting was a little low but it was also vacation time. We hope to see the regular turnout at the general meeting on September 10. We plan to have a speaker from the Saint George Police Department.

The purchase of six M-1's was approved and we are in final stage of sending in the order. We still need a few members to step up to join the color guard. We attend a couple funerals this month and our attendance is appreciated by the families. We hope to be able to provide a full funeral service in next few months. It all depends on each member doing his or her part.

The Marine Ball committee is working hard to finalize the event. The tickets will be available at the meeting for $25.00 each. It would make it much easier on the committee if you would purchase your tickets at this time so they can plan on a member certain. There will be no tickets sold at the door. If you don’t plan to attend they also would like to know. You should be getting call from a committee member soon about tickets, please be sure to return their call if they miss you.

I have been advised that our ad sales are slow at this time. The cut off date in mid October so it is now time to get out and get ads. You should report any ad sales to Tom Cover. We will have the ad sale forms at the general meeting. We all have our own doctor, dentist, barber and car repair person, and you don’t know if they will support our program unless you ask. Only a few members worked on selling ads last year and we cleared more than $1,600.

I have been advised that the Dixie Direct Books may be available the first part of October so it is time to advise your friends that we will be selling them again this year. Everyone should be able to sell a few if you just try. We are hoping to have a schedule for work this year soon for Toys for Tots so we can start getting prepared. You can see there is a lot happening at this time and that we need your help to be successful.

See you all on September 10 at the Abbey Inn.

Commandant Carl Kulyk

UPCOMING EVENTS:

9/10    8:30 Monthly Detachment Meeting; Abbey Inn
9/09    MCL Departmental meeting in Richfield Utah.

11/10  Marine Corps Birthday Ball @ Sun River

Commandant's Message - August

We had our first summer meeting and the turn out was a little light. The meal count was twenty-two and we need twenty-five to break even. The current officers were installed and one new member was sworn in. We had two new guests. One was a Marine who was not able to stay for the meeting but took an application to join. The other was a corpsman who I invited. He seemed very interested in joining. He was actually the one who sent the first mentioned guest who was not able to stay. The Detachment continues to grow in size but we are always looking for at least a few more.

Tickets for the Marine Ball are available from Ken Olsen and will be available at our next meeting. The cost is twenty-five dollars per ticket. We need everyone to attend and to bring a guest. Tom Cover is moving forward with the sale of the ads for the printed ball program. Each one of us should be able to sell a couple ads. We all have a doctor, dentist, barber or other business person to ask. There will be more information at August meeting or contact Tom Cover.

I think we have located a reasonable source to obtain M-1's for our color guard. I hope that all the information on obtaining them will be available next meeting.

As you should know from the e-mail sent out by Clyde Johnston, we were able to raise the $4.000.00 to upgrade a room at the new VA retirement home. Larry Mineer stood up to make the difference.

I have requested now twice from the membership any suggestions any member may have for a new project for the detachment this year. As of this date, I have heard from no one. It is hard for me to believe with the vast military experience of our members that there are no ideas.

I do hope you all are enjoying this summer and look forward to seeing you all at the August meeting on August 13 at the Abbey Inn.

Pioneer Days Parade

Marines!  Let's have a great showing of the Utah Dixie Detachment Marine Corps League - marching and leading the Pioneer Days Parade in Ivins Saturday 23 July.

All hands in your bvest uniform fall out in front of the fire station at 0830 to plan our march.  The fire station is about 100 or 200 West on the Snow Canyon Parkway.  We have a new Marine Corps League banner ready to display.  Terry Hansen will be there with his Civil War replica drums to give us a good cadence for marching.

Larry Mineer, Color Sergeant

2011 Birthday Ball

The Detachment's Marine Corps Birthday Ball Committee is work-ing tirelessly and relentlessly to put together the most memorable Birthday Celebration our Detachment has ever seen. We have things planned for this evening that you have not seen in the past. Some of these are surprises that I cannot divulge without ruining it for you. For example, we do not have a guest or keynote speaker for the party, but we definitely will have a surprise visitor! You won't want to miss him (or her?).

This does not mean that we don't have honored guests coming to the Ball, because we most certainly do. You and your guests will learn about the Marine Corps Hymn at the Birthday Ball. No, not like you learned in Boot Camp – this is a completely different approach to what you have heard in the past. Oh, the words haven't changed, not by any stretch of the imagination. What will change is how you all think about the Hymn; from that night on you will sing the words with improved vigor and enthusiasm, because we are going to give you a gift that will let you see the Hymn in a whole new light.

Along with the fun ideas and things that we have planned for you, the Ball will of course include all the usual and prescribed pomp and circumstance that you would get no matter which Marine Corps Birthday Ball you were to attend anywhere in the world - like the cutting and serving of the official cake ceremony, presided over and conducted by our Detachment's own Dave Houston and his select team of Marines - posting of the colors by our Detachment's Color Guard - and reading of the Commandant's Birthday Message.

There is a fantastic dinner planned just for you that you won't want to miss. There will be an interesting and informational way by which we determine the order the tables are excused to the buffet line, so be prepared like a good Marine should always be. Hint: It has to do with Marine Corps History.

The evening will culminate with a wonderful dance, so wear comfortable shoes and help us wear out the dance floor before departing at the end of the evening.

And, all this for just $25.00 per person! Why, that's so inexpensive it's almost a crime!

Here is what you need to do right now while you're thinking about this. Get away from your computer and find your calendar. Okay, got it? Now, go to November 10 and make a note on that square: "Marine Corps Birthday Ball, 1800 hrs." Next, sit back down in front of your computer and send an e-mail to: patlisigmac@gmail.com.

In your e-mail let me know that you have committed to coming to the Birthday Ball in November and state how many people you are bringing. Don't be shy; we have room for lots of folks! Don't send me any money, yet, we'll get to that later. For now we just want to start getting a head count which will make negotiating what we pay for your dinners easier and quicker. Yes, November is a ways off, but good Marines don't go into a mission without the full advantage of advanced training/planning. Did you sign up in the Corps and skip Boot Camp? No! That's why your Ball Committee is working hard right now, and we will be working right up through the Ball itself.

Thank You - Funeral Detail

Thank You for your expression of sympathy:

Bill and members of the Marines, thank you for honoring my beloved husband's passing.

Myrna Beardshear and Family

2011 July Message from the Commandant

Well, summer is here in St. George and the snow birds are gone for a few months. As noted at the June meeting, we will have staff and general meetings in July and August. Things come up on us too fast if we miss those months.

The color guard posted colors at the June chamber meeting. The governor was present at the meeting and he expressed his respect for the Marine Corps and your service. The Color Guard was well received. The Color Guard will post colors again this year at the Bloomington Stake House on July 3. We have not received any requests for the 4th of July at time of this writing.

This is my second month and I appreciate D‟Arcy Grisier and James Haney for stepping up and filling the two vacant positions. The minutes prepared by Jim Haney were in a great format and complete. D‟Arcy Grisier is working hard to learn his duties and he will make an outstanding Chaplin.

My focus this year will be to determine our objectives for the year and find the right people to chair the necessary committees to accomplish the objectives. If anyone has a project that fits into our detachment general goals, you should put it in writing and submit it as soon as possible. I feel there are many things out there that we can do for veterans and the community.

Larry Mineer, our Color Guard leader, would like to have seven or eight more members with uniforms to help with events. He would also like the detachment to obtain at least two M-1s so we don’t have to borrow them each event. I looked on the internet and they cost between $750.00 and $1,700.00. If you know where we may be able to obtain them at a better price, please contact Larry Mineer. We hope in time to have seven M-1s so we can provide a full formal funeral when request by a family of a fallen Marine. I feel each Marine family deserves it and active personal are not always available.

I am looking forward to the highway clean-up on June 25 and hope we have a good showing. Do your best to bring a guest to our next meeting. We still need a few good men and women.

Carl Kulyk, Commandant

2011 Benefit Golf Tournament

Dixie Detachment #1270, St. George, Utah, will hold its annual golf tournament at the SunRiver St. George Golf Course on Saturday, June 4, 2011.

4 Person Scramble (Team Low Net)
$85 per player (includes cart and lunch) [SunRiver residents $60]
8:30 a.m., tee time (shot gun start)
7:30 a.m., if not pre-registered

Contact Larry at Larry@constructionmonitor.com for more details.

Prizes galore:
Closest to the pin on all par 3's
Longest drive for men and for women (different age brackets)
Longest putt per team
Team low net (1st, 2nd, 3rd place)
Hole-in-one or double eagle - $500
And more!!!

All proceeds will benefit Veterans of Washington County Area.  Join us!  We support Devil Pups, Inc. Youth Program, Active Duty Marines and Families, Marine Appreciation Day, Marine Corps Birthday Ball, Nursing Home Marines and Toys for Tots.

Dine to Donate - Tuesday May 17

Tuesday, May 17, from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Please join us for a Dine to Donate night at Applebee's Restaurant, 156 So. River Road in St. George.  Applebee's, always so friendly to veteran groups, has agreed to donate 10% of the proceeds of the meals of those of us who come in with a certificate indicating we are participating in the Devil Pup fund raising project.  Get your certificate from your e-mail or contact Bill Toole at 652-3998.  Hand the certificate to your server and Applebee's will clip it to your bill and tally up the slips at the end of the evening, donating 10% to the Detachment for our Devil Pup project.  

This is not a 10% discount for your dinner; you will pay the regular price and Applebee's will donate 10% of your check to the Devil Pup project.  It should be a fun night - how could it be better?  No work, just food and fun.

Devil Pups, Inc. is a 10 day camp experience for young people, ages 14-17 and is a non-profit organization designed to help boys and girls from all backgrounds gain self-confidence and learn to take responsibility for their actions.  It is separate from the Marine Corps but is held at Camp Pendleton every summer as space allows. California kids are supported by Devil Pups, Inc., a California non-profit organization.  Marine Corps League detachments in states outside of California, including Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Oregon, support their own Devil Pups - and we've even had pups come to this outstanding program from Scotland.  It changes lives and has become a popular program in this area, with as many as 50-60 applicants for only 10-11 slots for our quota in St. George.

For an advance peek at the menu at Applebee's, go to 

http://www.applebees.com/MenuLandingStatic.aspx

Tuesday, May 17, from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m.  For those of you who LOVE to party, stay after 9:00 p.m. for Applebee's karaoke fun. 

Message from Commandant Cory

Greetings, being that this is my last message as the Commandant, I would like to take the time to thank a few people for their commitment to make this detachment a better and more productive one. When I agreed to take over the detachment my one thought was to make this detachment a better one when I left. I did not anticipate a bout with cancer or a stroke but as luck would have it both overcame me in the middle of my tenure. Carl Kuylik stepped up and filled my shoes more than capable. Thank you Carl. Ken Olsen stepped up and helped me with personnel needs. Thank you Ken. I think that some of my thoughts about making the detachment better took a good hold, the color guard, the booklet for the birthday ball ad campaign, Thank you Larry Mineer. A new place to have our monthly meetings. Committees for our projects and a different attitude about who we are and what our goals are. I feel very comfortable in stepping down and turning over the reins to the new commandant. I would also like to thank the entire detachment for their support and thoughts during my illness.

Semper Fidelis, Dennis Cory, Commandant

Highway Clean Up

Attention all hands. Highway clean-up between Exits 8 and 10 of the I15 freeway Saturday, 5 February. Meet at J.C. Penney parking lot at Red Cliffs Mall at 0730. Rick Massey will have safety vests, bags etc. you should bring gloves and a "picker upper" or "grabber" to save your aching back. Detail should secure before 1130 since we will be doing the northbound side primarily. C'mon out and meet some dedicated Marines.