Lt. Alexander Bonnyman Detachment #924 Marine Corps League Meeting Notes Date – 5/27/08
The Lt. Alexander Bonnyman Detachment met this date at Navy Operational Support Center/Marine Corps Reserve Center, 2101 Alcoa Hwy., Knoxville, TN. Thirty-one members and two guests were present. Before the meeting began, Past Commandant George Sexton and Senior Vice Commandant Lee Rhinemiller presented a plaque containing the names of the current and former Detachment Commandants. The plaque shows the years when each individual served as commandant and has blank plates for the names of future commandants. All but one of the nine commandants was present for the presentation. The meeting was opened at 1835 by Detachment Commandant Jeff Tegzes.
I. Preliminary Business
A. Roll Call of Officers Commandant Jeff TegzesPresent Junior Past Commandant David HatfieldPresent Senior Vice Cmndt. Lee RhinemillerPresent Junior Vice Cmndt. Jim BurnettPresent Adjutant Virgil YoungPresent Paymaster Laimon GodelPresent Chaplain Leroy BrownPresent Sgt.-at-Arms Josh BurnettPresent Judge Advocate Bud FitzgeraldPresent Net Sergeant Laimon GodelPresent
B. Introduction of Guests Marine David Cates introduced Mike Wise, his former squad leader, who retired in from the Corps in 1998. Marine Lee Rhinemiller introduced Jerry Hulkey, a former paratrooper.
C. Presentations – None.
D. Applications for Membership – None.
E. Balloting on Membership Applications – None.
F. Ceremony of Initiation – None.
II. Old Business A. Adjutant Report 1. Minutes – The Adjutant reviewed the minutes of the previous meeting. The minutes were approved by voice vote.
2. Correspondence – Commandant Tegzes reported getting a “Thank You” letter from Mike Bachman of the Military Order of World Wars for participating in the Massing of Colors.
B. Paymaster/Net Sgt. Report Paymaster’s Report is attached. It was approved by voice vote. Net Sgt. Godel reported that the interest in our website continues to run high, primarily for the information on the Mud Run.
C. Chaplain Report The Chaplain reported that Associate Member Bud Bacon had recently suffered from a stroke and is still hospitalized. He reported that Marine Weldon Humphries had a recent foot operation and is at home recovering. He reported that our Auxiliary, the American Legion Post 10025, and the News-Sentinel have all agreed to buy a Cracker Barrel rocking chair for the East TN Veterans Nursing Home. He asked that a motion tabled at the last meeting be brought back up for a vote. That motion is as follows: That the Detachment buy two Cracker Barrel rocking chairs to donate to the East TN Veterans Nursing Home. Marine David Cates moved that the tabled motion be brought back up and Marine David Hatfield seconded the motion. After some discussion the motion was approved by voice vote.
D. Senior Vice Report Marine Lee Rhinemiller said he thought the Memorial Day Service was a real success and that the Detachment’s Honor Guard looked sharp. He said he believes the Detachment needs to do a better job on getting out information about events that come up on short notice, like BGen. Bud Bacon’s funeral. He said he has talked to our Net Sergeant about setting up a better method of broadcasting information.
E. Junior Vice Report Marine Jim Burnett noted that the 4th of July weekend Safety Break is coming up shortly and that he needs people to sign up to work a 6-hour shift for that event.
F. Judge Advocate Report – None.
G. Junior Past Cmndt. Report Marine David Hatfield reported he has gotten some goodies from the local recruiters to put in the Goodie Bags for the 2009 Department Convention that our Detachment is hosting but that every member of the Detachment needs to get out soliciting more. He reported he had presented a certificate to a midshipman at the Central High JROTC program in the last month. He advised that LGen. Robert Tiebout is to speak the coming Saturday at the Sevierville Detachment home. He said that he is working on getting a new trailer for storage at the Reserve Center. He advised that our Detachment will have a float in the Gatlinburg 4th of July Parade and that participants should be there between 1800-1900. He said that he has put 6 of the 8 decals on the new trailer and that he will bring it to the next meeting. He said that 1st Sgt. Wright has challenge coins available for $8.00. He said that there are also raffle tickets available from the Devil Dogs to help Childrens’ Hospital. Finally, he said that another former Young Marine is on his way to Iraq and that we need to support him with packages while he is there.
H. Sgt.-at-Arms Report – None.
I. Staff and Project Officer Reports
1. Historian and Americanism Award Report – Marine Roy Ashley said that our Americanism Book will be presented at the Memphis Dept. Convention so he needs any information or photos ASAP to go in it.
2. Newsletter Editor Report – Marine Virgil Young said that new Detachment/Auxiliary Directories will be available at the next meeting.
3. Honor Guard Commander – None.
4. Veteran’s Service Report – None.
5. Toys for Tots – None.
6. Supply Officer Report – Marine Bill Henson has covers and all sorts of other League paraphernalia available.
7. Young Marines Unit Commander Report – Marine Virgil Young discussed the up-coming Memorial Day Service as well as the results of the Fly-In and the two-night campout at the John Knox Center in the last month. He urged everyone to come to the Memorial Day Service in Farragut.
8. Fallen marine Program Report – Commandant Tegzes advised that two widows of former Marines had received the certificates, one in person and the other by mail.
9. Social Events Chairman Report – None.
10. Marine Mud Run Report – Commandant Tegzes said he will try to set up a Mud Run meeting before the next officers’ meeting.
11. Shooting Events Report – Marine Doug Calvert urged everyone to come to the Bill Gerst Memorial Rifle Match on 14 June. He said that only those using Garand rifles could compete for the Gerst trophy. He provided details of the shoot and advised that the club has rifles and ammo for anyone that needs them.
12. Homeless Stand Down Report – None.
J. Other Unfinished Business 1. Marine Leroy Brown advised that those interested in Garand rifles might be interested in joining the Carand Collectors Association. He said it costs $25 to join and to see him if you are interested. 2. Marine Karl Ekstrom reminded that we need to get our Department Convention delegates registered so our members going to the convention can vote our full membership strength. Marine David Hatfield made a motion that the Detachment pay the $50 delegate fee to register our maximum number of delegates at the 2008 Department Convention. The motion was seconded by Marine David Cates and was approved by voice vote.
III. New Business A. Reports – None.
B. Requests – None.
C. Information for the coordination or vote by general membership – None.
D. Good of the League Associate Member Art Arseneault advised he’d recently gone to a funeral where the minister said, “One of you will be the next to die. Are you ready?” Art reminded everyone to make sure their families are aware of your burial wishes.
Marine Bud Fitzgerald brought up the fact that Marine Bill Henson has been paying the postage costs of the CARE packages he’s been sending to Iraq out of his own pocket. After some discussion, Marine Virgil Young made a motion that the Detachment reimburse Marine Bill Henson for his past postage expenses for the CARE packages and that the Detachment authorize him to spend up to $200 in the future for the same postage expenses. The motion was seconded by Marine Karl Ekstrom and was approved by voice vote.
Marine Bud Fitzgerald advised that he had just turned in another 200 used cellphones to get the calling cards for servicemen and women overseas.
Marine David Hatfield advised that there would be a Devil Dog meeting at the Sevier County Detachment Building on Monday, 2 June.
Approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to remove unwanted plant life and leaves which otherwise provided cover for enemy forces during the Vietnam Conflict. Shortly following their military service in Vietnam, some veterans reported a variety of health problems and concerns which some of them attributed to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides. The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a comprehensive program to respond to these medical problems and concerns. The principal elements of this program include quality healthcare services, disability compensation for veterans with service-connected illnesses, scientific research and outreach and education.
These are the diseases which VA currently presumes resulted from exposure to herbicides like Agent Orange. The law requires that some of these diseases be at least 10% disabling under VA’s rating regulations within a deadline that began to run the day you left Vietnam. If there is a deadline, it is listed in parentheses after the name of the disease.
Chloracne or other acneform disease consistent with chloracne. (Must occur within one year of exposure to Agent Orange). Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Diabetes Mellitus, Type II Hodgkin’s disease. Multiple myeloma. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy. (For purposes of this section, the term acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy means temporary peripheral neuropathy that appears within weeks or months of exposure to an herbicide agent and resolves within two years of the date of onset.) Porphyria cutanea tarda. (Must occur within one year of exposure to Agent Orange). Prostate cancer. Respiratory cancers (cancer of the lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea). Soft-tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma).
What does “in-country” mean?
During the period 1/9/62 through 5/7/75, you must have physically served or visited in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), including service in the waters offshore if the conditions of service involved duty or visitation in Vietnam. This means the ship must have come to port in the RVN and you disembarked.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT - BLOOD DONATION PROGRAM DONATE BLOOD IN THE DETACHMENT’S NAME
A blood donation program has been set up by Marine Rhinemiller with MEDIC – when donating use ID NUMBER 11440 for the detachment to get credit for your donation of blood. You can donate at any MEDIC blood drive location and also at their main location at 1601 Ailor Ave. Knoxville, TN 37921-6702 Phone: 865.524.3074
Medic Regional Blood Center is the only blood collector & supplier for all eight Knoxville Hospitals and for 20 other hospitals in 21 counties in East Tennessee & Southeast Kentucky.
