John Basilone Detachment #190 Marine Corps League

John Basilone Detachment #190
Marine Corps League
Detachment Bi-Monthly Newsletter
Volume 11 Issue 3
May 1, 2013
Mel Meszaros Commandant
May/June 2013 Newsletter
Jim Velcheck Editor
Detachment Web Site: www.johnbasilonedetachment.org
Detachment E-Mail: johnbasilonedetachment@gmail.com
NJ MCL Web Site: www.njmcl.org
National MCL Web Site: www.mcleague.com
Editor Jim Velcheck: 732-752-6358; JimVelcheck@msn.com
1722 W. 4th St, Piscataway, NJ 08854
MEETINGS ARE HELD THE FIRST (1ST) MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT THE
AMERICAN LEGION POST 25, MILLTOWN, NEW JERSEY AT 1930 HRS
Support Our Corporate Sponsors; see page 8. Thank them for their support when you use them
From the Editor
Quite a few notices this time:
The NJ state MCL convention is coming up in Atlantic City June 13, 14 & 15. If anyone wants to go but is hesitating
because of the $99 per night room cost, I am looking for someone to share a room and split the cost with - my original room-sharing plans didn’t work out. If you need a registration form let me know and I will get one to you.
Our next meeting is May 6 and will be held at the Menlo Park Veterans Home. The June meeting will be on June 3
in Milltown. Come on out if you can make it.
Our state commandant sent out a notice recently stating that the May NJ Staff meeting (May 19 at 12 noon) will be
held this one time at the VFW, Post 4703, 54 Magnolia Dr, Jackson, NJ 08527.
Anyone who would like to join Ed Sphatt and other members at the New Brunswick/Highland Park Memorial Day
Parade on May 27 are invited to do so. Streets in HP will be dedicated to 2 HP residents killed in Vietnam. This has
been a project of Ed’s and all who are able to make it are encouraged to join us at 10:30 AM in New Brunswick.
If you still need scholarship applications for children/grand children let me know and I will help you get them.
The new membership application is included on pages 5 & 6. Go out and get some new members. Basilone Bowl
info and flyer is on page 7.
A lot of information (some of it noted above) comes from our state MCL officers and gets distributed by email to
Basilone members who have email. If you have email and do not get this info (mostly from me) that means we don’t
have your correct email address. If you don’t have email do you have someone who does who could receive email
and pass the info on to you? Send me any email addresses, corrections or comments.
Semper Fi,
Jim Velcheck
From the Membership Officer:
There are quite a few of our members whose dues are due or overdue. Your NJ MCL plates could be in jeopardy.
Any corrections or questions please contact me: John Heacock, Membership Officer
Email j.c.heacock@comcast.net
Phone 609/924-0074
Semper/Fi
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Officers and Staff
November 2012 - November 2013
Commandant:…………. Mel Meszaros
Sr. Vice Com:……….... Rudy Persaud
Jr. Vice Com:………..Vincent Schlesier
Judge Advocate: ..........Jim Velcheck
Adjutant:…………………... Fred Billand
Paymaster:……………….John Heacock
Chaplain:…………………. Stan Szumel
Sgt. At Arms:………........... Gil Castro
Food For The Needy: . Harriet Sosley
Membership: ………….. John Heacock
Honor Guard: ……….... Mel Meszaros
VAS Officer: ……....... John Heacock
Fund Drives: ………...... Stan Szumel
Ed Sphatt
Phone Squad:……. Vincent Schlesier
Quartermaster:…... Norm Bloomfield
Aide De Camp:……...… Ruth Lincoln
Eagle Scouts…... Ray Skarzynski, PC
Web Sergeants:………... Cliff Walling
Doug Rattazzi
Newsletter:……….….... Jim Velcheck
732-718-6460
908-783-7325
732-710-0418
732-752-6358
848-218-6638
609-924-0074
732-752-3846
732-248-1915
732-469-0005
609-924-0074
732-718-6460
609-924-0074
732-752-3846
732-247-5792
732-710-0418
609-409-1110
Menlo Park
732-257-4582
732-613-0441
609-296-2345
732-752-6358
Honor Guard Report
Our Honor Guard has performed ceremonies in Edison: a flag retirement at Menlo Park Veterans Home
and honoring the 10 year dedication of the CCC
monument and the Meszaros family at Roosevelt
Park. The Honor Guard will be performing in the So.
Amboy (May 25, 12:30 PM), Metuchen (May 27,
9:00 AM) and New Brunswick/Highland Park (May
27, 10:30 AM) Memorial Day Parades.
Honor Guard: May 19 (Memorial Day) and June 9
(Flag Day) Middlesex County ceremonies at Roosevelt Park; 1:30 muster both days. Come on out.
Ten members and spouses attended the luncheon at
The Pines for Menlo Park Veterans Home. The
Honor Guard posted colors.
Anyone who needs flags and/or grave markers can
contact me. I will be picking them up from Middlesex
County on May 13 and 14.
It has been my honor to lead the John Basilone
Honor Guard. I have retired my post and Mel
Meszaros has assumed command.
Former H/C Guard Capt. Norm Bloomfield
Commandant’s Report
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Nyles Thorne May 4
John Zilinski May 5
Robert Hockenbury May 5
Gary Wistuba May 6
Ruth McArthur May 7
Ralph Lauro May 13
Kermit Levine May 18
Ray Quesnel May 23
Andrew Domanski May 24
Ski Makowski May 29
Ralph Meade May 30
John Donnelly June 8
Lou Zullo June 10
James Smith June 13
Wes Beers June 22
Robert Weiss June 28
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Michael & Sue Gianetti May 1
Donald Murphy & Wife May 7
Charles & Eileen Behme May 18
Joe & Lucille Duh May 21
Joe & Rosanne Perrone May 24
Al & Elaine Cirelliy May 27
Gil & Narda Castro May 30
John & Irene Nemetz May 31
Robert & Lynn McCall June 1
Robert & Terry Gardiner June 14
Thomas & Michele Farrell June 16
Stan & Joy Szumel June 25
John & Mickey Pfeiffer June 26
If your birthday and/or anniversary does not appear here when it
should it means we don’t have your info. Call or email it to me (732752-6358 or JimVelcheck@msn.com) or give it to me at a meeting.
The last chance to nominate your choice for Marine of
the Year will be at the May meeting. This year’s recipient of the award will then be announced. Come on out
and nominate your choice!
At the fundraiser on April 19 twelve members put in a
total of 66 hours and collected $1200. Good job by Ed
and Stan and all members who participated.
Please mark your calendars and plan to come out for
fundraisers at Shop Rites in Spotswood (May 18,
Armed Forces Day, 9:00-5:00), Hamilton (June 7) and
Sayreville (June 14). Call Ed or Stan for specific info.
Help is always appreciated at Menlo Park bingo (May 9
& June 13) and sing alongs (May 20 & June 17).
May 5 is the motorcycle run sponsored by the Edison
Elks. Contact Mel for info.
Our thanks to Norm Bloomfield for his excellent leadership of the John Basilone Honor Guard. I have assumed command upon Norm’s retirement from the post.
Commandant's motivational message: "God gives each
and every one of us a special "gift'....It is up to each and
every one of us to find that 'gift' and use it to our fullest
potential ".
S/F, M. Meszaros
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For Spring Break the last few years we have been taking the 3 older grand kids on a trip to get them out of
the house for a while. This year we went to Richmond, VA and stopped at the Marine Corps Museum for a
couple hours on the way down. This is a picture of them entering the Hill 881 South mockup that you enter
through this helicopter. It was an amazing experience to have my grand kids arrive on this Hill 881 South
the same way I had arrived on the real Hill 881 South in 1968 in Vietnam. If you ever have the chance, take
some young relatives to the museum and show them about your time in The Corps. (Photo by the Editor)
John Basilone Honor Guard Flag Retirement Ceremony conducted by the Elks at Menlo Park Veterans Home. Our Honor Guard also performed at a ceremony honoring the 10 year anniversary of the
dedication of the Civilian Conservation Corps monument at Roosevelt Park. The monument had been
erected by the efforts of Commandant Meszaros’ father. Check out videos of these events at http://
www.edisonnj.org/edison_tv/latest_videos.php. (Photo by Marge Heacock)
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Dressed in their desert camouflage uniforms the six Marine four-star generals share coffee in the Home of
the Commandants in Washington, D.C., April 19, 2013. From left to right:John F. Kelly, James N. Mattis,
Joseph F. Dunford, James F. Amos, John R. Allen, and John M. Paxton Jr. (U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Sgt. Mallory S. VanderSchans)
The Marine Corps is the military service that keeps the smallest ratio of brass to troops.
But for a brief moment —actually only until Wednesday—there are, for the first time, six
four-star generals in the Corps.
Earlier this month [April 19], the officers gathered at the Home of the Commandants at the
Marine Barracks Washington, the only time six active-duty four star generals have gathered together, according to the service. Except for a handful of five-star admirals and generals in American history, four-stars is the highest attainable rank in the military. And for
the Marines it is unusual to have four or five, much less six.
The Corps thinks of the gathering as historic. But for the generals, the April get-together
was simply a reunion of a group of men who have worked with each other and off for four
decades.
The Marine Corps can count on having two four stars at any one time: the commandant,
currently Gen. James Amos, and the assistant commandant, currently Gen. John Paxton. In addition, the Marines currently have four joint force billets: the current and former
Afghanistan commanders, Gen. Joseph Dunford and Gen. John Allen, the head of Southern Command, Gen.John Kelly, and the former head of Central Command, Gen. Mattis.
With Gen. Mattis due to take off his uniform in June and Gen. Allen formally retiring this
week, the time of six four stars won’t last long. And with the entire military poised to
shrink with continuing budget cuts, it may not happen again for a long while.
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Plans for the first ever Basilone Bowl are progressing well. Articles have appeared in local papers ‐ see links below. The first link below is to a recording of a WCTC radio interview about the Basilone Bowl that was broadcast last week.
http://www.wctcam.com/BertPodcasts.aspx
Here are the links to newspaper articles about the bowl:
http://bridgewater.patch.com/articles/marine‐corps‐county‐holding‐first‐ever‐basilone‐bowl
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201304231924/NJNEWS/304230055
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Corporate Sponsors for John Basilone Detachment MCL
Let these sponsors know you saw their ad in our newsletter.
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Glenn J. Scarponi, Manager
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528 Bound Brook Rd.
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Dedicated to the memory of our Fallen Marines
Cub Liquors
Full Service Liquor Store
M.A. Maliszewski Funeral Home
Beer · Wine · Liquor
218 Whitehead Ave., South River, NJ
Party & Wedding Favors
732-254-0428
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242 Lincoln Blvd. Middlesex, NJ
(Next to Pathmark)
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121-123 Main Street, Sayreville, NJ
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