Commandant's Wishes

My best wishes to the Detachment for

a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

K. D. Waters, Commandant

Tots for Tots Project in St. George News

Thanks to Bill Fortune, the Utah Dixie Detachment is again in the news.  Please check this link:
TOYS FOR TOTS

OOHRAH, MARINES!!!

14-17 December Toys for Tots Prep

The Toys for Tots warehouse is in need of help to get the toys ready for delivery.  Help is needed today, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Please call Steve Handy (435-619-5064) and let him know if you can help out. The warehouse is in back of the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant located near 2654 Redcliff Drive. They need all the help they can get.

10 Dec 2016 Last Breakfast Meeting of 2016

Monthly breakfast meeting Saturday, 10 December.  

Elks Lodge

0830 breakfast buffet, 0900 meeting.

Followed by WalMart door duty for Toys for Tots.
Four slots available.
SIGN UP HERE 

Pistol Range Fundraiser for TFT

Les Covey invited Steve Handy to the shooting event closing ceremonies 03 Dec to represent our Detachment and Toys for Tots.  This is a yearly event held here in Washington county at the Practical Pistol range.  Below is a photo of Steve Handy with a couple of Marines from back east at the Practical Pistol Range event that raised $1,036.16 for "Toys for Tots.  

Toys for Tots Gears Up

Time to sign up for door duty at three different WalMart stores for the Christmas toy drive in which we participate every year.  In the link below you will find a sign-up sheet.  There are three stores and four slots for each store for each time slot.  Look for the store of your preference and click in a slot and type your name.  Fill in as many slots as you can.  (The first page is for Saturday Dec. 3 and the second page is for Saturday Dec. 10.)  Just close the file when done and your info will be saved.

SIGN UP SHEET

Military Honors for Bill Toole

On the Marine Corps' 241st birthday, Bill Toole was given military honors by the Utah Dixie Detachment #1270, Marine Corps League at Spilsbury Mortuary in St. George.  The Toole family sends a huge thank you to the Detachment for a beautiful tribute to Col. Toole.  MCL 1270's Facebook page has a few photos posted, including these photos of the rifle detail and Devil Pup pallbearers.

MILITARY HONORS

News Coverage of 241st Marine Corps Birthday Ball in SunRiver

St. George News Coverage of Utah Dixie Detachment #1270 Birthday Ball

SunRiver Honor Park Veterans Day

Television actor, Wilford Brimley, was the speaker at Veterans' Day ceremony in SunRiver St. George. 

Galen Christian 1935-2016

Galen Bishop Christian, age 81, passed away October 25, 2016. Galen was born February 5, 1935 to Dale and Hazel Stewart Christian in Kansas City, Missouri.

Galen was raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended Bell Gardens High School and served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict. Prior to his retirement, Galen spent most of his professional career as a hair stylist and salon owner. He also worked as a U. S. Steel Worker.

Galen loved his yard and flowers and traveling to the beach with family. He was a lover of fine food. Galen became a member of the LDS Church is 1965, loved genealogy and Temple Work. Galen was a resident of the Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins, Utah at the time of his passing.

Galen is survived by his children, Kim Christian Lear; Karen Laser; Galen Bishop Christian, Jr; Nobel Daniel Christian, and Adam Collins Christian: nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews whom he loved dearly.

He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Laura Shillander; Lillian Miller; Dale Christian, Jr.; Benjamin Christian and his twin, Rosemary Craig.

We would like to take this time to thank the staff at Southern Utah Veterans home for their support and loving care to our Father, Grandfather, Uncle and Friend.  Services will be held Saturday, October 29, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Stonebridge Ward, 82 North Dixie Drive, St. George, Utah.  Visitation will be held at the Stonebridge Ward prior to services from 9:30-10:30AM. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Pine View Mortuary 435-986-4222.

Here is a photo of Galen when he visited Bill Toole.  Both were in the Veterans Nursing Home.

10 November 2016 - Remembering Bill Toole

LT. COL. WILLIAM C. TOOLE, USMCR (Ret.) Obituary

Visitation:2:00-4:00 p.m. November 10th, 2016 (Thursday)

Services:4:00 p.m. November 10th, 2016 (Thursday)

Address: Spilsbury Mortuary Chapel, 110 S. Bluff, St. George, UT

Devil Pup Awards Night Recognition

St. George News picked up the story of our Devil Pup graduates and Col. Toole's lifetime achievement award.  They missed some names and flubbed others - but we'll take the recognition!  You can read the story HERE.

 www.devilpups.com
http://soutahdevilpups.blogspot.com/

I will be posting an album of all the photos I collect.  Stay tuned!

10 Sep 2016 - Monthly Meeting Changes

Just a reminder that there will be no meeting this Saturday at the Elk's Lodge. Instead, we will all meet at the Harley Davidson Building just off exit 16 at 1000 to dedicate the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. If you are participating in the flag raising and firing detail, muster time is 0915.  Uniform is ceremonial.

We will have a booth set up to sponsor the League. Bring any unsold rifle/pistol tickets you may still have in your possession, so we can hopefully sell them off before the drawing that is scheduled right after the event.

2016 Sep 23 - Devil Pups Awards Night

2015 Graduates at Awards Night

Please remember our Devil Pup Awards Night program on Friday evening, September 23rd.  This year it will be held at the Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins, where Col. Toole is currently residing.  We will have food catered by Brick Oven in the Multi-Purpose Room, where we will also have an award ceremony for Col. Toole as he retires from Devil Pups.  Rich Linsday, President of Devil Pups, Inc. and  Col. Ray Blum, Devil Pups board member, both long time friends of Col. Toole, will attend, as will Heather Ham, Devil Pups, Inc. coordinator.  We are looking forward to honoring our seven new graduates and celebrating Col. Toole’s nearly 40 years of volunteer service to the Devil Pup program.

Doors open at 6:00, food at 6:30, program to begin at 7:00.  Please be aware that Col. Toole has had a couple small strokes and is suffering from dementia.  He may be overwhelmed by this evening - one that he’s poured his heart and soul into for so many years.

Please send me an e-mail if you plan to attend, letting me know how many will be in your party.  I want to make sure you don’t leave hungry.  Thanks to all of you - let me know if you have questions.

Donna Toole
SoUtah Devil Pup Coordinator
dtoole (at) sunrivertoday (dot) com (you know how to correct this)

1 Sep 2016 - Commandant's Corner

This past weekend I attended a reunion of the squadron I first served with in Vietnam during March ‘66 until April ’67, fifty years ago. What a great experience! The squadron was VMO-6 based at Ky Ha just a few miles from Chu Lai in Southern I Corps. For those of you who were in that area, our call sign was KLONDIKE. We flew the UH-1E gunship escorting troop transport helos, medevacs and providing close air support for troops in contact.  Of all the flying I did over thirty years, that tour was the most rewarding. We saved a lot of lives and we took out a lot of the enemy.

About a third of the original squadron attended the reunion, both officer and enlisted. We talked and laughed a lot, sharing stories, telling jokes, remembering different missions and remembering our fallen comrades. More than a few tears were shed. We were all reminded of what a special relationship we shared during that combat tour. We were special; we were Marines.  Today, I see similarities in our Detachment. Although we are not being tested as my unit was in combat, we have all faced similar tests in our military service and life after leaving the Corps. Our Marine heritage serves us well now. We all know the value of service together to accomplish the mission.

On September 10 we will render honors at the dedication of the new Vietnam Veterans Monument in Hurricane. I encourage all hands to fall out for that event, especially Vietnam vets.  Later that day we will announce the winners of the rifle and pistol drawings. We have sold almost all of the tickets. Thanks to all who helped with this successful fundraiser. We have a few tickets left if you missed out.