Why A Marine Corps League?

It occurred to me over the past week that while most Americans know the what and why of the U.S. Marine Corps, many people are far less familiar with our Marine Corps League, how it exists and why it exists. Like all such organizations, it's partly a social organization for retired, and discharged from active duty, Marines to get together. In the process, each detachment tries to do some good locally. There's probably no better way to describe the League than to use the words directly from the Marine Corps League official web site, with some minor editing on my part. As a one-time corporal, I'm not sticking my big toe too far into the hot water here.

"The Marine Corps League perpetuates the traditions and spirit of all Marines and Navy FMF Corpsmen, who proudly wear,or who have worn the eagle, globe and anchor of the Corps. It takes great pride in crediting its founding in 1923 to World War I hero, then Major General Commandant John A. Lejeune. It takes equal pride in its Federal Charter, approved by An Act of the Seventy-Fifth Congress of the United States of America and signed and approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 4, 1937. The League is the only Federally Chartered Marine Corps related veterans organization in the country. Since its earliest days, the Marine Corps League has enjoyed the support and encouragement of the active duty and Reserve establishments of the U. S. Marine Corps. Today, the League boasts a membership of more than 76,000 men and women, officer and enlisted, active duty, Reserve Marines, honorably discharged Marine Veterans and qualified Navy FMF Corpsmen and is one of the few Veterans Organizations that experiences increases in its membership each year."

For those inexperienced in Marine Corps lore, FMF stands for Fleet Marine Force.

The League is a non-profit organization that uses fund raising events of various kinds to support itself and a number of local charities. In our Bedford Detachment, we've emphasized Toys for Tots for the Bedford County area in recent years. T4T is an organization usually handled by Marine Corps Reserve units. Bedford County has no USMCR unit, so we take up the slack, each year providing thousands of toys for local children.

We are coming up on a new event for us, a car show, one that we hope will become an annual event helping to support two worthwhile local arms of extremely worthwhile organizations. Our Bedford Detachment is among the smallest in the country, but thanks to the generosity of local folks and businesses we've managed to do a credible job of supplying entertaining toys to a lot of children in the years of our existence.

As the photo shows, we'll be welcoming stock and modified motorcycles to the car show, as well as all kinds of cars.

Semper fi!

Bedford Marine Corps League joins the Internet age

While a number of our Detachment members have been using computers, and the Internet, for many years, our Bedford Marine Corps League Detachment has always been so small that we've not set up a web site.

While this is a blog and not a web site, it serves the purpose of presenting information about the Bedford, Virginia MCL group's activities, what we're doing, why we're doing it, and how readers can help or simply enjoy the activities we present in support of Toys for Tots and other programs. We're also open to new members at any time.

We've just finished what has been our prime money raiser for many years, a golf tournament held at Mariners' Landing. At one time, this was a twice annual event, but it's been on hiatus for a few years. It's now back, with the Combat Hole and other special Marine features!

The Combat Hole lets you play golf wearing a flak jacket and a helmet. Most entrants are glad that it's a single hole. There's also one hole played with a five iron and nothing else. One par three offers a $10,000 prize for a hole-in-one.

Keep your eyes open, because the Bedford Marines will again present a golf tournament in the fall of 2010. It's a worthy cause, and an interesting twist on an ancient game.

Advance notice is hereby given: as of now, the planning phase for a Marine Corps League Car Show is over. We'll hit the beach at the Mayberry Diner in Moneta, VA on July 17, starting at 9:30 a.m., ready to present awards to vehicles in a dozen or more categories.

Signs and entry blanks will start to pop up a few weeks before then. Check your local diner or restaurant or convenience store for more information and entry forms.

It's closer than you think, so crank up that antique or roll out your custom or shine up the headers on your hot rod and get ready to roll. Because the Mayberry Diner has a drive-in movie as part of its complex, the set up is ideal for car shows, with long rows already defined, along which cars can park. We'll assign rows to classes when show time arrives.

Keep an eye on this space!