The Straight Skinny
Detachment #482
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January 2013 Vol. 11 #10 Olympia, WA
Commandant: Steve Ostrander (253)847-3905, Sr. Vice Commandant: Jim Sims (360)791-1401, Jr. Vice Commandant: Gary Waer (360)705-1049, Sergeant At Arms: Chuck Lang (360) 264-4190, Paymaster: John Britcher (360) 888-4475, Judge Advocate: Ev Brown (360)754-7946, Adjutant: John Moysiuk (360)584-8373, Chaplain: Dave Grundl (360) 786-8052, PAO/Editor: Ken Clark (253) 964-8326, Quartermaster: Gary Waer (360)705-1049. COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN: BOY SCOUTS – John Sager, COLOR GUARD – Russ Russell and Gilman Pelkey, PARADE MARSHAL – Russ Russell, ROSE PROGRAM – Alan Hoover, AWARDS COMMITTEE – Tim Collins, FUNERAL COMMITTEE - Jim McCallum, Dept. of WA Representatives to the WA Veterans Legislative Coalition: Primary – Dick Marcelynas, Secondary – Ev Brown, Toys For Tots – John Moysiuk, Web Sergeant – Gary Waer. Website: www.olympiamarines.com
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From the Commandant
January Commandant’s Letter
As I think we are all wondering, where did 2012 go? As a detachment we did a lot of good. I’ll speak for John and thank all those who helped with Toys for Tots. It just keeps getting bigger each year. But with the help of the detachment, the Boy Scouts, their parents, and this year some active duty Marines, a lot of kids were able to have a Christmas. I also want to extend thanks to those who helped at Cabela’s. This includes the recruiters, active duty and reserve Marines. We were able to collect over $5000.00 in two days. And another big thank you to Shanin Brennan who organized the Veteran’s Christmas program and those who helped her make this program successful.
Now we have a little time to recharge our batteries and plan for the new year. This will include selecting or promoting new officers to lead the detachment. Gilman has stepped up to the plate and is spearheading our raffle of the television that was donated to the detachment. I think this is a step in the right direction and will better allow us to use these funds for detachment needs as well as the causes we support throughout the year. Keep up the good work and share any ideas you have to keep us growing and giving back to the community and veterans.
Have a great New Year.
Steve
Muster Minutes
Minutes of January 5, 2013:
Commandant Steve Ostrander opened the meeting at 0837. Sergeant At Arms Chuck Lang secured the quarters and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Chaplain Dave Grundl was still in Illinois, so Chaplain John Britcher offered an opening prayer.
Previous Minutes. Jim Sims moved that the minutes of December 1, 2012 be approved. Ken DePretto seconded the motion, which passed with only one nay vote; thanks Ev.
Guests. Marine Chuck Downen, a member of the Skagit Valley Detachment visited with the intent of transferring his membership to our detachment. Chuck served in the Corps from 1954 to 1957 in the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Division. Welcome aboard Chuck!
OFFICER REPORTS:
Report of the Paymaster. John Britcher reported that we have $3051.57 in savings, $251.39 in the uniform fund, and a total of $3653.39. John has the jackets that were ordered for the honor guard with funds from the uniform account. Mike Partridge moved that we accept the report of the Paymaster. Ken DePretto seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
Report of the Quartermaster. Gary Waer reported that he has several green polo shirts for sale at $30 each.
Report of the Adjutant. John Moysiuk wished the membership a Happy New Year!
Report of the Toys For Tots Director. John Moysiuk reported that T4T this year was a resounding success. He has 861 toys left over, and John urged us to get any left-over toys to him. The T4T program served 1253 families and 3974 kids this year. He thanked Paul Klenk for securing our distribution location and for bringing in 150 volunteers. It was the fastest "bag and drag" ever! We served 103 more families this year than in 2011. John's operation is being inspected this year because it is one of the top 6 in the nation and the inspectors want to see what we are doing so well. The new recruiters had a big impact in their dress blues. We also had help from Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other volunteers. Dick Marcelynas suggested that we thank the nearby businesses for their patience with the long lines that formed outside our facility. Sizzler catered lunch, which was an improvement over bringing in pizzas. We had 165 drop sites; Tim Collin's daughter Austin had 17 sites as part of her senior project. We also picked up toys in Mason County to help 500 families there; we have recently found someone to take over in Mason County. There was a round of applause for the good work John did this Christmas season.
Report of the VLC Liaison. Jim Sims reported that the State House will continue under Democratic control. In the State Senate the Democrats had a 2 seat majority until 2 Democrats joined the Republicans, giving them control of the Senate. The good news for Veterans is that Steve Conway of Tacoma is the chair of the Government Operations Committee, and he is a great friend of Veterans. A Supreme Court decision said that the Legislature is not performing its constitutionally mandated duty of funding K through 12 sufficiently. Pending legislation would allow military members first crack at registering for popular college survey courses, which typically fill quickly. Dick Marcelynas added that the VIP raffle did not go well this year, selling only 119,000 of the 200,000 tickets that were printed. Dick, as a member of the Veterans Advisory Committee, intends to improve advertising for next year's raffle.
Report of the Parade Marshal. Russ Russell reported that he is gearing up for the 2013 parade season. He expects that we will take part in two new parades this year, one in Yelm and another as yet to be determined. Russ added that he has jackets for the Color Guard ready to go.
OLD BUSINESS:
T4T at Cabela's. Alan Hoover reported that there were 8 or 9 young Marines there, and the store manager told Arlen's replacement to get a photo because they looked so sharp. The unofficial count of funds raised for T4T at Cabela's was an astounding $5100.
NEW BUSINESS:
Memorial for Korean Veterans. Jim Sims announced that next Sunday the 13th at 1100 there will be a memorial for Korean Veterans at the Legislative Building.
JROTC. Jim Sims reported that the JROTC at Shelton High School has been struggling with low enrollment for the last several years, despite being run by an outstanding Sergeant Major who was just voted the number one ROTC instructor on the West Coast.
Valentine's Day Program. Tracey Lundquist announced that she is doing a multicultural/Veterans program on Valentine's Day this year, and she invited all of us to attend. We should let her know ahead of time so she can reserve seating. The program begins at 1230, and there will be a reception afterwards. Jim Sims added that Valentine's Day is the anniversary of the Marines landing on Iwo Jima.
Nominations. Ken Clark nominated John Moysiuk for Commandant; Chuck Lang seconded the motion. Ken Clark nominated Jim Sims for Senior Vice Commandant; Al Gomez seconded the motion. Ken Clark nominated Gary Waer for Junior Vice Commandant; Ev Brown seconded the motion. Ev Brown nominated Bill Watkins for Judge Advocate; Jim Sims seconded the motion. John Britcher moved to close the nominations and cast a unanimous ballot; Dick Marcelynas seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Swearing in the new officers will happen at Muster next month.
Payment Obligations. Paymaster John Britcher reminded us of our annual obligation to donate to Michael Reagan for the work he does drawing fallen Veterans and the VA golf hole we maintain, and with $3000 in savings this would be a good time to do so. Russ Russell moved that we write a check for $300 for Michael Reagan and a check for $500 for the VA golf course. Ken DePretto seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
GOOD OF THE LEAGUE:
Ev Brown reminded the membership that VA benefits are available for all who served, and we should find out what we are eligible for. We can speak with Ev or Mike Partridge for help. The last few months Ev has seen a lot of Vets who didn't know what they rated. Also, the VA has recently fired 14 raters for working so slowly, averaging only 1.4 claims/day.
Following a prayer from acting Chaplain John Britcher and a rousing verse of the Marines Hymn, the Commandant closed the meeting at 0947. Our next Breakfast/Muster will be held at 0800 at the VFW at 2902 Martin Way East on February 2nd of 2013.
SEMPER FI!