MINUTES OF MARINE CORPS LEAGUE

DETACHMENT 1280

August 21 2010

Sergeant-At-Arms declared the meeting open at 0830 hrs.

Order of Business

1. Roll call of Detachment Officers: Sr Vice, Jr Vice, Judge Advocate, Adjutant, Paymaster, Chaplain showed the Adjutant and Chaplain absent.

2. Applications for membership  Jerry Snyder is applying, awaiting DD 214.  Steve Smith, our initial Commandant attended and said he would renew.

3. Balloting on applications for membership.

5. Introduction of new members and guests.  Jeff Warren was visiting.  Award presented to Jeanne Hutto Smith for her raising items for the troops where she is a counselor at Pickens County Elementary School.  Laurie Sharwood and Ron West received the prestigious Legion of Honor from the Chapel of Four Chaplains.  Ms. Sharwood in with the Georgia National Cemetery where she "accompanies Veterans on their last journey with dignity."  Ron has been our Chaplain for the past 3 years and works with a prison ministry.  The Detachment was proud to issue these awards.

Old Business

1. Adjutant’s Report - none

2. Is there a motion to accept the last minutes?  passed

a. Correspondence received - Wayne Poore shared 7 letters from the troops that received boxes.

3. Paymasters Report - none, auditor has records.  Meeting of the Finance Committee next week.

4. Chaplains Report

Report of any member or member’s family sick, report of any Marine or Marine’s family in distress.

5. Report of the Officers: (Elected Officers)  Sr Vice, Jr Vice, Judge Advocate.  The Judge Advocate reported that our flag with gold trip is appropriate for all of our activities.

6. Report of project leaders or committees

7. Unfinished Business from previous meetings.

New Business

1. Reports, requests, information for business consideration, or any items needing a vote by the membership.

·        Recruitment - now at 35, goal for FY 2011 is suggested to be 50...individual business cards...motion rejected

·        Boxes to troops - 175 for FY 2010, is suggest to be 200 for FY 2011...motion passed.  It was mandated that the expenses for this project be closely monitored.

·        Formation of Marine Corps Birthday committee...accepted, Ron West to head committee and report at next meeting.  Ball to be held at the Crust Restaurant Saturday November 6.

·        Formation of Marble Festival committee...accepted, Gary Hammond to head committee and report at next meeting

·        Formation of Air Show committee...motion rejected

·        Formation of Golfathon committee...motion passed, Richard Wilson to head committee and report at next meeting.

·        2. Announcements

·        Marry calendar with budget, value each activity with estimated costs or incomes.

·        Chart of officers and committees, updated after 2 years was presented to Detachment.

·        New 'Member-at-Large' position for indirect discrete communication between a member and the officers.  References were made to this month's "Message from the Commandant"

·        It was suggested that the free local Wal-Mart $5 gift card in mail be contributed to the Detachment.

·        Annie's Restaurant has asked us to park at the rear of the restaurant for our meetings and we can use the side door.

·        It was suggested that members can access thewall.com and compare their boot camp and former Marine colleagues to see if there name appears.  A message can be rendered so friends and family can view your remembrances.

·        The Commandant issued a pledge to the Detachment that the northgamcl.com website would be keep current and would become a viable source of information.  It was pointed out by Steve Smith that we need to update our Detachment information on the National Marine Corps League website.

·        W Poore announced that the 'Order of Eastern Star' supports Veterans and will be having a 'Wheels for Mercy" motorcycle  ride September 11th.

3. Good of the League

Closing Ceremony

Sergeant-at-Arms declared the meeting closed at 0942 hrs.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Gary Hammond

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MINUTES OF MARINE CORPS LEAGUE

DETACHMENT 1280

July 17 2010

·         Sergeant-at-Arms declares meeting open at Annie's Restaurant 0830.

·         Roll call of officers has all present.

·         Past minutes were voted upon and accepted .

·         Correspondence indicates that all Devil Dogs should have membership cards.

o        Wayne Poore reported that he had received several thank you letters from troops receiving packages.

·         Paymaster's report showed our Certificates of Deposit at  $2088.47 and the checking account at $3041.33.  Report was accepted by detachment

·         Chaplain's report by Ron West informed the detachment that Jeff Warren's mother is still ill but near end of treatment.

·         Senior Vice Commandant Arlen Rens thanked Ken & Jennifer Bramlett for their services over the past 2 years.  He also reported that we may induce an activity director at senior centers to help with boxes and correspond with the troops.

·         Junior Vice Commandant W Poore reported that 175 boxes were sent this fiscal year.  'Going Postal' has offered to ship them free of charge and there was a discussion that we continue to pay some.  Boxes cost $12.50 each to ship.  He reported that we have taken in about $2500 on the raffle with a month to go.

·         Unfinished business

o        Ken Bramlett reported on the VA meeting at the Commissioner's office.  The VA wants volunteers to man an office, to be supplied by the county, and issue VA information.

o        Hunter Brown graduates August 15th and it was requested that the Detachment attend.

·         New business

o        R West told the Detachment that sponsors needed to be secured for the Golfathon

o        Elected officers were sworn in:  Commandant - Gary Hammond; Senior Vice Commandant - Arlen Rens; Junior Vice Commandant - Wayne Poore.  The appointed officer for FY '11 are:  Adjutant - Stanley O'Kelly; Chaplin - Steve Chance; Paymaster - Tom Connolly; Sergeant-at-Arms - Tony Chiavarini.

·         Sergeant-at-Arms declares meeting 0935.

Respectfully submitted:

Gary Hammond

 

 

 

Minutes of the 17 April 10 meeting of the

Sergeant at Arms declares meeting open at Annie's Restaurant 0830.

Hunter Brown delivers letter of appreciation for scholarship, which was well received.

Roll call of officers has Jr. Vice Commandant absent.

Past minutes were read by Stanley O'Kelley and accepted .

5 visitors from Rome detachment were recognized.

Pastor Mock and the Mt. Zion Church was awarded certificates of appreciation for supporting the boxes for troops. He spoke of continued commitment.

Correspondence to Tom Connolly from the Chapel of Four Chaplains seeking nominees of upstanding citizens to recognize at the national Marine Corps League meeting by June 8th.

Paymaster's report showed our the Certificates of Deposit at $2088.47 and the checking account at $5129.88. Report was accepted by detachment.

Chaplain's report showed past member Wayne Wilford's wife is undergoing lung cancer treatment.

Officer's report Judge Advocate Gary Hammond turned over action reports on past activities to Richard Wilson.Adjutant Richard Wilson informed the detachment that the remains of eight servicemen at a defunct mortuary were to be interned April 20 at 1100 hrs at the Veterans Cemetery in Canton. He shared that the new posters were from Wayne Poore (Richard did the excellent framing), which included a world map with pins denoting areas of Marine military engagements.

Committee Chair Report R West informed the detachment that the nominating committee will meet after the detachment meeting. The committee consists of R West, G Hammond, K Bramlett, and R Wilson.

Unfinished business  W Poore reported some of the prizes in the upcoming raffle which will launch Memorial Day with the drawing at the end of 4th of July festivities. Ticket formats and quantities were discussed.

New business W Poore proposed the detachment creating 50 crosses for deceased Pickens veterans at cemetaries. Motion passed. W Poore proposed the detachment compensate the florist who keeps our wreath. It was decided that be taken up in the next fiscal year. Hal Gosnell of the Rome detachment reminded all that the state convention is in Athens late april. H Gosnell informed the detachment that the Department of the Navy may be changed to the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. He suggested that all interested contact Senator Saxby Chambliss about their views. Chambliss is on the committee.W Poore reported that 141 packages have been sent to the troops this year.

Sergeant at Arms declares meeting 0920.

• Respectfully submitted:

  Gary Hammond

 

 

 

 

 

Minutes of the 21 November 09 Meeting of the

 

 

 

 

 

Minutes of the 15 August 09 Meeting of the

Marine Corps League North Georgia Mountains Detachment 1280

 

• The meeting was called to order by Commandant Kenneth Bramlett at 0830 hrs at Annie’s Restaurant at 1995 Talking Rock Road, Jasper, following established procedure.

• All elected officers and appointed officers were present with the exception of Jr. Vice Comdt Brandon Smith (at work) and Chaplain Ron West (on vacation). There were no new candidates for membership and no visitors.

• The Minutes for the meeting of July 18 had not been posted on the website, and William Pless was asked to read them aloud to the membership. Afterwards, with no objections, the Comdt made a motion that they be approved as read; motion was approved.

• Correspondence: A letter was received from the Young Marines in Crossville, TN, thanking us for the donation of $25.00.

• Chaplain’s Report: Ron West had not received any news of new health or unfavorable issues from members. Ms Munter was doing better, still having some problems, and Sonny Munter was appreciative of the detachment’s concern.

• Paymaster’s Report: Balance as of 18 July, $2,922.01. Ck # 1077, 17 July, to W. Poore, $149.99 (stickers, candy, parade). Deposit, 21 July, $1,465.91 (Brat Fest, dues, 50/50, donation). Deposit, 24 July, $30.00 (dues). Ck # 1078, 28 July, $222.50 (Daisy air rifles). Deposit, 31 July, $20.00 (dues). Deposit, 06 August, $380.00 (3 donations, dues). Ck # 1079, 06 August, $395.06 (W. Poore for Lions Club space, boxes to troops, flag insignia, etc.). Balance forward as of 15 August 2009, $4,060.37.

• Officer’s Report:  Sr. Vice Comdt Arlen Rens expressed his appreciation for the many members who do work for the detachment, stating that there are a number of guys who never get thanks and the detachment should recognize them for what they do.

   Adjutant Wilson passed out copies of an email letter about little-known veterans’ benefits from usmc.mil concerning long-time care expenses available for wartime veterans and their spouses. Wilson also discussed “The Ride Home”, a program to honor American POWs & MIAs on September 18-19 at the National Prisoner of War Museum at Andersonville, GA. They plan to bring up to 250 POWs and their families to this 2-day event and are seeking donations to help pay expenses for this memorial event. A motion was made and approved to donate $350 to the POW/MIA memorial event.

   The Adjutant passed out to members a draft of the Calendar denoting detachment events and activities for August through December 2009, asking members to let him know of other events not shown.

   On October 14, there will be an American Legion/MCL golf tournament at Bent Tree. More information is forthcoming.

Committee Chairmen’s Report: Arlen Rens has reserved a dining room for celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday at the Crest (old Sharptop Grill) in Jasper for the evening of Saturday, November 7, 2009. Rens will get with Crest management within a week to work out details and set prices per couple.

• New Business: Community Service---Former Navy corpsman Harris Green believes that the MCL missions, callings, and services are basically more important than the fellowship. He discussed how the detachment can get involved with the problems of veterans, in particular with hospitals and emergency rooms where many veterans need care and desires that this become one of the primary interests of this detachment. Specifically, he believes we should get involved at the Good Samaritan Hospital to help veterans with transportation and other assistance as Medicare doesn’t cover their expenses and these folks do not have the necessary resources. Veterans in life-threatening situations have many needs.

   Arlen Rens reiterated that we are a service organization that is supported largely by the community and we need to give back to the community.

   Gary Hammond suggested that we form a committee or group to pursue community service for veterans, and referred to Harris Green, Sonny Munter, and Dennis Loeb as good candidates for this task.

   Arlen Rens noted that this would be a monumental task for the detachment and we should develop a rough plan. Make this an agenda item and have a committee report at the September meeting. The committee will need the assistance of many others. Wayne Poore suggested that the committee members come to the next officers’ meeting and present the plan there (he will fill in for Adjutant Wilson at the next meeting).

Care Packages---Comdt Bramlett suggested that Wayne Poore can designate one day per month to work on filling packages for the troops. Then everyone who can will meet at Wayne’s house to assemble the boxes. Wayne passed around a letter from the detachment that will go into each box, addressed to the troops to identify ourselves and inviting a response.

Marble Festival---The detachment participation in the Georgia Marble Festival on Sept 3-4 was discussed, concluding that we would participate in the parade, parking lot directors, and operation of a sales booth. We will need members to volunteer for these three functions. A sales table can be set up in the parking lots where we can sell bottled water, drinks, bumper stickers & posters, while directing visitors to the buses to downtown activities. We should have a troop care package on the table to show visitors where our money goes. We need to establish a budget to allocate funds for purchase of items for sale and for Wayne to order the desired number of bumper stickers.

   Wayne Poore made a motion for the detachment to participate in the parade and operate a kiosk in the parking lot to sell water, cool refreshments and bumper stickers. The motion was seconded and approved by the members.

   In addressing the Festival budget, Hammond suggested we broaden our purchases to cover a year rather than just the Festival. By purchasing in volume, we may be able to save significant money, or save on shipping costs. We should come up with an inventory of items we need to purchase. Comdt Bramlett suggested a committee or a couple of members to look into what we need and report at the September meeting. Tom Connolly stressed that with few funds coming in and several obligations already made, he needs to have an idea how much we will be spending. Wayne Poore will find out about the bumper stickers and the cost for a hundred or more (35 stickers are left from the July 4 event).

   Rens made a motion to authorize Wayne to purchase 200 bumper stickers; the motion was seconded and approved. Wayne will decide what types to buy based on past popularity.

   Gary Hammond volunteered to take care of buying water and drinks out of pocket and seek reimbursement later.

 

“This was a very productive meeting today. By this evolutionary process, this time next year we should be a detachment every one of us can be proud of.”

 

• With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

 

Respectfully submitted by

William Pless

 

 

 

Minutes of the 20 June 09 Meeting of the

 

• The meeting was called to order by Commandant Kenneth Bramlett at 0830 hrs at Annie’s Restaurant at
  1995 Talking Rock Road
  , Jasper, following established procedure.

• The following officers were absent: Gary Hammond, Brandon Smith, Ken Smallwood, and Ken Hulsey. Only twelve regular members were present. Denis Loeb was appointed temporary Sargeant-at-Arms for this meeting. Jr.Vice Comdt Smallwood had indicated his intention to leave MCL membership.

• Two new members were sworn in after being approved for membership: Sonny Mumford and Gerald Faulkner.

• The Minutes for the meeting of 16 May were approved as posted on the website.

• Correspondence: No official correspondence had been received. Other correspondence included an email about a book that could be ordered; a thank-you card from Miss Kelly Pless concerning receipt of $100 donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for her October run in the Marine Corps Marathon; a letter from the “Roman Legion” in Rome inviting us to participate with them in the Memorial Day ceremonies; and a notice from the local Order of the Eastern Star offering us continuing help in accumulating items for Care Packages for the deployed troops. Wayne Poore stated that we need to get items from the community or start purchasing them. Arlen Rens suggested that we put Toys-for-Tots boxes in local churches and businesses to collect items; Tom Connolly will provide eight boxes and Ron West will provide posters to put on them for collecting items at designated locations.

• Paymaster’s Report: The paymaster’s report was approved as posted on the website. However, Paymaster Tom Connolly updated the posted report with the following actions: a donation from John Young for $50; a donation from Rev Walker for $40; a donation from Det/1280 for $25 to the Young Marine Detachment for the placement of the USMC wreath at the Canton Memorial Day service; and it was noted that the $1000 scholarship had not yet been sent out. The net fund balance is $4,235. 01. The new report was approved by the members present.

• Chaplain’s Report: Member Tony Cheviarini’s mother in New Jersey is reported to have cancer which may be of terminal seriousness. Member and Past Commandant Steve Smith has a painful case of ‘shingles’.

• Unfinished Business: Our Amicalola picnic planned for Saturday, June 27, was discussed in terms of a number of members who would not be able to attend at that time. Wayne Poore raised the question as to whether we should proceed with this date or postpone it. Comdt Bramlett suggested that we table the discussion until he had presented a new idea as described in the next item.

Ken Bramlett discussed the plan for a fund-raising ‘brat’ cook out as a detachment July 4 activity, as discussed at the past Officers’ Meeting. In association with Doc’s Restaurant, members would cook and serve brat sausage hotdogs to be sold to the public from our booth in Newton Park on the afternoon of July 4. Doc’s will provide the brats, a cook, grill and warmer; Det’1280 will provide serving personnel, chips, drinks and other necessary items. Plates would sell for $4.50 each, with expenses estimated at $2-2.25 per plate, leaving the remainder for our fund. In view of this plan, the members approved a motion to delay the Amicalola picnic until the Fall. Then a motion was made and approved to proceed with the plan to sell brat plates at the July 4 celebration in association with Doc’s Restaurant.

• A motion was made by Wayne Poore and approved by members to reimburse Richard Wilson for all expenses not paid by the USMC for his service as the detachment’s Toys-for-Tots agent and attending the certification program at Quantico, VA.

• Because it was thought that a quorum was required by the By-laws to elect the new officers, and a quorum of the membership was not present, Comdt Bramlett made a motion to postpone the election of officers until the July 18 meeting; motion was approved by members present. Appointed officers Ron West and Ken Hulsey stated their willingness to remain in these posts; Richard Wilson expressed his willingness to serve as Adjutant to replace Wayne Poore.

• New Business: Comdt Bramlett made a motion to donate $25 to the Young Marines for laying a USMC wreath at the Canton Memorial Day celebration.

• A motion was made and approved for Wayne Poore to proceed to get further information from the Drill Instructors’ Association at Parris Island relative to the detachment proceeding to purchase a memorial paving brick to be laid at the Marine Corps Memorial.

• Tom Connolly noted that no one has contacted him about providing rifles to the Young Marines shooting team for which a motion was made and approved at last meeting.

• Participation in the Jasper July 4 celebration was discussed. A motion was made and approved to participate in the parade and to operate a booth to sell brat plates and other items. Wayne Poore volunteered to be committee chairman for parade and booth, and Ron West and Denis Loeb volunteered to help him work out details. The payment of a $10 parade fee was also approved.

• A motion was made and approved to pay Doc’s Restaurant up-front for their costs for the food needed to sell brat hotdog plates at our July 4 booth.

• After reviewing the MCL By-laws, Ron West declared that a quorum was not required to vote for the election of the slate of officers and should be elected by the general membership in June and installed in July. The Commandant and members concurred in this conclusion. A motion was made and approved to proceed with the election of new officers.

• Election Committee Chairman Ron West read the list of officer nominees. These were the four positions that had been read at the May meeting, and there had been no other nominations, except that Sr. Vice Comdt Brandon Smith had sent out an email declaring that he would like to serve in the Jr. Vice Comdt position and asked members to vote for him. To comply, Comdt Bramlett opened the floor for nominations. A member nominated Brandon Smith for Jr. Vice Comdt., posing a contest with nominee Pete Huber for this same position. There were no other nominations from the floor. A secret ballot was taken for the members to vote for Smith or Huber. After the vote was made and ballots counted, Brandon Smith had won nomination to this position. Then the full slate of officer nominees was voted on by open show of hands. Acceptance of the slate was unanimous, confirming the new officers for 2009-10 to be as follows: Commandant: Ken Bramlett; Sr. Vice Commandant: Arlen Rens; Jr. Vice Commandant: Brandon Smith; and Judge Advocate: Gary Hammond.

• These newly elected officers will be installed at the July 18 meeting. Past Commandant Steve Smith will preside over installation of the new officers.

• Wayne Poore informed members that the cost of a pole for the POW flag will cost $31.95, and an eagle to attach at the end will cost $18.95, for a total of $50.90. There was a previous motion to purchase these items. A new motion was made to approve the expenditure of $50.90. Wayne Poore will proceed to purchase these items.

• A motion was made by Wayne Poore and approved by members to pay the $30 membership fee (September) for member Jason Williamson who is in Iraq and will not be rotated home before the due date.

• Wayne Poore suggested a plan to sell patriotic bumper stickers at our booth on July 4 provided they could be procured by then. These stickers can be purchased at $1 each and sold for $2.50 each to raise funds. A motion was made and approved for Wayne to order 100 bumper stickers (25 of each of four kinds) at $1 each provided they could be on hand by July 4.

• Wayne Poore urged someone to step up to head a committee to raise funds. This had been discussed at the Officers’ Meeting. Comdt Bramlett advised that this discussion be delayed until the July meeting. He also asked members to look into the possibility of getting a corporate sponsor for the detachment.

 

Adjournment. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

 

Respectfully submitted by William Pless

 

 

   

Minutes of the 16 May 09 Meeting of the

 

• The meeting was called to order by Commandant Kenneth Bramlett at 0830 hrs at Annie’s Restaurant at 1995 Talking Rock Road, Jasper, following established procedure.

• All officers were present except for Jr. Vice Comdt Smallwood and Paymaster Tom Connolly. Harris Green of Big Canoe, was sworn in as a new member of the MCL after a motion was made and approved by members present to accept him.

 

Minutes and Paymasters’ Report: The Minutes of the 18 April meeting were posted on our website. A motion was made and approved to accept the Minutes as posted. The Paymaster’s report was also posted on the website; a motion was made and approved to accept them as posted. [Balance as of 16 May Check#1068 (W.Poore for Det/1280.Banner $225.00, shelving $56.28, dinners for 2 marines $170.00, totaling $451). Balance is $4,146.75. We also have a $2,000.00 CD. Balance from 18 April 2009 was $4,598.03.

 

• Correspondence: A letter was received from MCL Maj. B. F. Hickey Detachment of St. Petersburg, FL concerning the raffle of a Springfield GI 45acp pistol, the drawing to be made at the celebration of the 234^th Marine Corps birthday on Nov 10, 2009 for donations of $10 each (entry form provided on back of minutes). The Minutes were received from the Quarterly Staff meeting, Department of Georgia, MCL, held on February 28, 2009 at Logan’s Restaurant in Athens, GA, copies of which were passed around for each member to take their own personal copy.

 

• Chaplain’s Report: Bob Heintzelman was present at the meeting after a long absence. Denis Loeb was expected to be present. It was reported that Wallace Tudor (from Gilmer Cty) had part of a big toe removed and that he had informed Thomas Paine that he would no longer participate in Det/1280 but may participate elsewhere more convenient to his home.

 

• Officers’ Report: Judge Advocate Gary Hammond reported on correspondence from the Department of Georgia, Marine Corps League, concerning changes to Section 150 of the Code that for each fifteen members each detachment is allowed one delegate to the State Convention with eligibility to vote for officers of the Dept of GA, MCL.

 

• Unfinished Business: Comdt Bramlett presented the $1000 scholarship to Miss Jessica Martin at the Pickens County High School Awards Night on May 6. Two other MCL members were present: Arlen Rens and Richard Wilson who served on the Scholarship Committee with Ron West.

The Officer Nominations Committee (Ron West, Richard Wynn and Steve Chance) presented those whom they had selected for the 2009-10 officer positions. The nominees will be presented at the June meeting, and the floor opened for further nominations. All nominations will then be open for vote by members present. Candidates for the appointed positions including Adjutant, Sergeant-at-Arms, Paymaster, and Chaplain, will be open for discussion. These will be appointed by the new commandant.

The Memorial Day observance at Jasper’s Sunrise Cemetery was discussed, but the date and time were uncertain. Members of the detachment are urged to be present; the detachment wreath will be presented at the veteran’s monument. It was later learned that the observance will take place on Memorial Day, May 30, at 1100 hrs.

The detachment picnic at Amicalola State Park, previously set to start at noon on May 30, was postponed until June 27, all other factors remain the same, upon approval by the members present.

 

• New Business: Wayne Poore received a correspondence concerning a new Young Marine organization of about eighty members in Marietta at Dobbins AFB which is trying to form a marksman rifle team. MCL member Mark Bennett has a couple of boys involved with that group, and discussed the organization’s need for four air rifles of a special type costing about $112 each, and the possibility of our helping them out with the purchase of one rifle. Ron West made a motion to buy rifles for this Young Marines rifle team, and the motion was seconded and approved by members present. [A check of $200 was approved and sent to the Marietta Young Marines organization by way of Mark Bennett]

Arlen Rens made preliminary reservations at the old Sharptop Grill for our 2009 Marine Corps Birthday dinner to be held on the Saturday before November 10.

Wayne Poore recently purchased a POW flag while at Parris Island,similar to the POW flag displayed this morning in our meeting room and on loan from the American Legion. We need a flag staff on which to display it. We can get a dowel pole at Home Depot, or rder one such as on the loaned flag. We need to get prices. Comdt Bramlett asked Wayne to get the prices for a dowel pole and and an ordered staff and present it next meeting.

William Pless discussed the participation of his niece Kelly Rene Pless in the Marine Corps Marathon to take place in Arlington/Wash DC on October 25 to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and noted that her personal goal is to raise $3800 for the Society. She has a website explaining her participation and asking for donations. W Poore stated that this would be a good thing for the detachment to support. A motion was made and approved by the members present to provide a $100 donation to the L & L S in Kelly’s name for the MC Marathon. [This was officially approved and a check has been sent to Kelly Pless at the address given on her website].

A lengthy discussion of the forthcoming fund-raiser pancake breakfast at Doc’s Restaurant was made among members, with the breakfast being on the morning of June 20 and the monthly meeting held immediately afterward. A suggestion was made to hold the meeting on June 13 to make final plans for the breakfast and elect our new officers. Ken subsequently learned during discussions with the proprietors that the amount they wanted to charge the detachment was greater than was practical for the detachment to realize a profit for our funds. So the pancake breakfast was cancelled and our June meeting will take place as usual on June 20.

Wayne Poore discussed the possibility of receiving grant money that is available to non-profit organizations from business and government, and the need for some member to investigate such opportunities for our detachment.

Commandant Bramlett Ken discussed whether we want to continue the 50/50 raffle we have at each meeting. A point was made that anyone winning the raffle is entitled to keep their half of the winnings and there is no obligation to give it back to the detachment. A motion was made by Ron West and approved by members present that the winnings from the 50/50 belong to the winner and he can do with it as he wishes with no obligation to the detachment.

 

Adjournment. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

 

Respectfully submitted by William Pless

 

 

Minutes of the 18 April 09 Meeting of the

 

• The meeting was called to order by Commandant Kenneth Bramlett at 0830 hrs at Annie’s Restaurant at 1995 Talking Rock Road, Jasper, following established procedure.

• All officers present except for Jr Vice Comdt Smallwood and Paymaster Tom Connolly No new applicants for membership. Five visitors were present: FMF Corpsman Harris Green, FMF Corpsman Gerald Faulkner, WWII Marine Vet Mike Giles, Marine Reservist John Marshall, and Navy vet and member of the Pickens County Sheriff Dept Kurt Condos. 

• The Minutes of the 21 March meeting, posted on the website, were approved as posted.

• The Paymaster’s report for 21 March, also posted on the website, were approved as posted except there was a revision in the amount of a check posted to pay Adjutant Poore for certain expenses which should be $56.28, and an additional check for the new banner and Mess Night dinners for two Marines will be forthcoming.

• Paymasters’s Report for 18 April: Balance forward 21 March 2009 was $4,485.03. Deposit 16 March of$113.00 [hat sales proceeds & 50/50 funds]. Balance as of 18/April 2009 was $4,598.03, plus a $2,000.00 CD.

• Correspondence. The MCL National Conference will be held in Rochester, MN, on May 1-8. Connolly has registration forms. The Marine Corps Memorial Heritage Museum offers the purchase of commemorative bricks for $300 (on website) states $300, for which a brick will be engraved with your name and placed in the winding pathways to rally points in Semper Fidelis Memorial park and Certificate. More information and registration forms can be found on the website www.marineheritage.org/ SemperFiSponsorship.ast. Jason Williamson in Iraq says he will be home by July 1 and will visit.

• Chaplain’s Report: Bob Heintzelman and wife are both doing better. Dennis Loeb is recovering from total knee surgery, in rehab. Wallace Tudor expects to have some toes removed (diabetic condition). Thomas Paine has recovered well enough to return to work. John Young still grieving wife’s death and has family concerns. Ron West will get update on all ill members and families.

• Kurt Condos of the Sheriff’s Dept and local Civil Air Patrol group informed group of “Dog Day” in Newton Park on 18 April, to introduce the Sheriff Depts new drug dog. Also encouraged participation of members in the CAP Cadets to help young drug offenders in the cadet program.

• Officer’s Report: 1) Ron West and the Scholarship Committee evaluated four very worthy Pickens County HS seniors for nominees to receive the detachment’s $1000 scholarship. They selected Miss Jessica Martin, who plans to attend Kennesaw College. The scholarship will be awarded during Awards Night at the school on the evening of May 4. 2) Richard Wilson has been officially approved as our detachments Toys-for-Tots Coordinator. 3) The Marine Corps Silent Drill Team will give a performance at Kennesaw Mountain High School football field in Marietta at 1730 hrs on the evening of April 18, members welcome to attend. 4) Mess Night, sponsored by the Marine Corps and Lawyers’ Association, is a special night to honor young enlisted Marines. Two Marines were sponsored at this event recently by our detachment. A motion was made and approved to sponsor two Marines at next year’s Mess Night, and annually. 5) Our new banner has completed and will be ready for use in the July 4 parade. 6) The detachment will have Pavilion #4 at Amicalola Falls Park on May 23 from morning to night for our annual get-together. Cost is $20 per couple. Members A-L should bring vegetable and salad side dishes; M-Z should bring deserts. 7) The Officer Nominating Committee has named four members as candidates for 2010 Det/1280 officers. These are Ken Bramlett (Commandant), Arlen Rens (Sr. V. Comdt), Pete Huber (Jr. V. Comdt) and Gary Hammond (Judge Advocate). Other positions are appointed by the Commandant. Alternate candidates will be accepted from the floor at the May meeting. Candidates will be voted on at the June meeting and the winners will be installed as the new officers in July. 8) Adjutant Poore suggested we need a committee to organize our efforts at recruiting new members from Pickens and surrounding counties. 9) After some members met for dinner at Doc’s Restaurante in Jasper, it was felt that this should become a routine event to promote member camaraderie. The motion was made and approved to meet at Doc’s on the Friday night before the Saturday meeting each month, spouses welcome. The next dinner meeting will be on May 15.

• New Business: Paymaster Connolly sent information to correct the amount of a check paid to W.Poore for shelving to store items for care packages for troops. Wayne suggested that payment for this and for purchase of the banner and bill for taking two Marines to Mess Night be held until final costs are in hand. A motion was made and approved to reimburse Wayne for the shelving; the expenditures must be approved by the Finance Committee. Comdt Bramlettt reported that Doc’s Restaurant will support us in giving a pancake breakfast at the restaurant until 1030 hrs on a Saturday morning. All members will need to assist at the breakfast. Ken will get further info. We need a committee to plan, organize and publicize it. A motion was made and approved to have the first breakfast in June. W. Poore suggested that we need a committee to plan a fund raiser to sell tickets during the July Fourth celebrations. Comdt Bramlett designated Sr. V Comdt Smith to put together a fund raiser committee

 

Adjournment. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

 

Respectfully submitted by William Pless

 

 

 

Minutes of the 21 March 09 Meeting of the

 

• The meeting was called to order by Commandant Kenneth Bramlett at 0830 hrs at Annie’s Restaurant at 1995 Talking Rock Road, Jasper, following established procedure.

• All officers present except for Ron West (Steve Chance filled in for him). No new applicants for membership. Two visitors were present: Marine veteran Sonny Munter (Cherry Point and Embassy duty in Tehran, Iran) and Progress reporter Jeff Warren.

• The Minutes for the meeting of 21 February had been posted on the website, and were approved by members present as posted.

• The Paymaster’s report also was posted on the website and approved as posted. However, by decision at the officer’s meeting, the report was read before the members present and each check identified as to number, amount, date, recipient and purpose, and posted in the minutes in like manner. The information as provided by Tom Connolly is: Balance on 21 Feb of $4,737.93; Chk # 1065, $202.90, 21 Feb to W. Poore for care package postage, PO box, and MC baseball caps; Chk # 1066, $30.00, 21 Feb to GA Secretary of State for incorporation fee; Chk # 1067, $20.00, 14 Mar to MCL/ GA Dept for Hospitality Suite at State Convention. New balance of $4,485.03, plus a CD for $2,000.00.

• Correspondence: 1) From Det/1260 in Albany, GA, concerning placement of ad in Department Program, which Det/1280 officers decided to forego future ads. 2) From Unicoi MCL detachment concerning trip in May to Marine Corps Museum and Iwo Jima Monument; Cmdt Bramlett has contact information.

• Officer’s Report: Notification of one applicant for Scholarship Program at Pickens High School has been received. We have agreed to provide our applicant selection by April 30. Scholarship Committee will meet with Ron West to make choice. A. Rens suggested scholarship program be broadened, discussion to be made later.          

          Several members have requested polo shirts and/or caps. The man who does the MC  insignia is again available, so members are encouraged to get their orders in to Wayne Poore. SVC Brandon Smith suggested that we should all be in same color and style of shirts and covers at public celebrations and we should decide on color.

           W. Poore reminded members of items that can be sent to troops in care packages and that we need to continually gather names of Marines and any branch serving in harm’s way. One elementary school in Jasper regularly helps in care package program. Wayne will contact churches to see if any will participate.

• Chaplain’s Report: (given by Wayne Poore) Member Dennis Loeb had knee surgery and is now in Bryant Center rehab in Canton for a couple of weeks. The phone number is 678-447-5099; the rehab center can be reached off of I-575 exit 19, Canton. Also, Bob and Lov Heintzelman are not doing well.

• Unfinished Business: A design for a new detachment banner was presented and discussed. The cost for the banner was given as $225. A motion was made and accepted to purchase the banner as discussed. An updated membership ledger was circulated for review and correction.

• New Business: Two items from the Marine Corps Coordinating Committee at Dobbins (Cmdt Bramlett)---1) There will be a “Top Gun” Motorcycle ride on 25 April (1100-1600 hrs) to raise money for childrens’ charities, starting at Hooters in Kennesaw to the Dobbins runway in Marietta. Will cost participants $15 (see Det/1280 website). 2) On 18 April, the Big Shanty Festival in Kennesaw will feature the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team at the Kennesaw Mountain High School at 1900 hrs, helicopter fly-in and static displays. A motorcade can be arranged if enough members are interested.

          The State Convention will be on April 15-17 in Albany. Comdt Bramlett has registration forms for those interested in attending. Forms are available on the website.

        Wayne Poore discussed our possible sponsorship of dinners for two enlisted Marines (Iraq/Afghanistan veterans) at Mess Night in late April, sponsored by the Marine Corps Coordinating Council & Georgia Lawyers Assoc, for $85 per person. A motion was made and approved for the detachment to sponsor dinners for two Marines.

        Tom Connolly reminded members to get ideas for future fund-raisers.

        A get-together at Amicolola Falls in May was discussed at the officers’ meeting. We can invite neighboring detachments to join us for chili or bar-b-que. We need to determine what foods will be served and a price per member or couple to be paid by April meeting.

        In an effort to look for another location to hold our monthly meetings, the new Doc’s Restaurant at the Kroger Shopping Center was contacted. The management was very receptive and helpful. We can “give this a try” for several months. Meetings can take place on Friday mornings or Saturday night when meals can be available to members at a reasonable price.

        Members need to submit names for candidates for the elective officer’s positions by next meeting. Suggestions can be emailed or phoned in to Ron West

        A motion was made and approved to provide $15 from the March raffle to the witresses at Annies’. Tom Connolly won the raffle.

 

Adjournment. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

 

Respectfully submitted by William Pless

 

 

 

 

 

Minutes of the 21 February 09 Meeting of the

 

The meeting was called to order by Commandant Kenneth Bramlett at 0830 hrs at Annie’s Restaurant at 1995 Talking Rock Road, Jasper, following established procedure.

 

One officer was absent: Jr Vice Commandant Ken Smallwood. There were no new member applications; one visitor: American Legion Post # 149 Commander Gary Green. The minutes for the 17 January 2009 meeting were approved as posted on the website. Members were asked to sign two Letters of Appreciation to be presented to Mr. & Ms Kish and to Annie’s Restaurant.

 

No official correspondence. Wayne Poore received a letter of appreciation from Merrimas Ministries for our help to children of battered women. Their letter to be posted on website.

The Paymaster’s Report had been posted on the website. A motion was made and approved to accept the report as posted.  Summary of report: Balance as of 17 Jan was $5,290.45; ck#1060 for $343.40 (T-f-T mileage & site rental); ck#1061 for $108.12 (hand-warmers for troops); ck#1062 for $225.00 (gratuity for dinner); ck#1063 for $54.00 (MCL Natl 3 renewals); ck#1064 for $12.00 (MCL GA, 3 renewals); deposit $90.00 (dues, 3 renewals); deposit $100.00 donation. Balance as of 21 February is $4,737.93 plus a $2,000 Certificate of Deposit.

Chaplain Ron West reported that Lov Heintzelman was suffering from a back problem and was being treated. Ron also asked the members to begin thinking of nominees for 2009-10 officers who will be installed in June 09 (March is the normal date for nominations, but he will be away at that time). Steve Chance and Richard Wilson volunteered to serve with him on the nominataing committee with Wayne Poore as backup.

 

Officers’ Report---Wayne Poore has received the Marine baseball caps that several had ordered at previous meeting ($15 each). Ron West stated that letters are expected soon for applicants for the Scholarship to be awarded in April to a Pickens County High School senior. These must be reviewed and a candidate selected by April 1. The selection should be disclosed in a newspaper article in the Progress.

 

New Business---Wayne Poore discussed the matter of getting a new banner for use in parades. Comdt Bramlett suggested he proceed with looking into it. Commandant Bramlett has written a letter to MCL National Headquarters describing Detachment 1280 activities for 4Q 2008. Ken expressed appreciation to those who helped make the February social dinner at the Sharptop Grill a success. Arlen Rens expressed the need for detachment members to get together regularly for such social events.

 

The owner of Annie’s Restaurant was escorted into the meeting room by the Sargeant at Arms to receive a Certificate of Appreciation for allowing the detachment to meet in her restaurant.

 

SrVComdt Smith made a motion to award half of the revenue from the 50/50 raffle to the waitresses at Annies’; motion approved. The raffle was won by Wayne Poore who received $19 and the remaining $19 went to Annies’.

 

William Pless discussed a possible fund raiser which would involve a book signing and speech by Medal of Honor winner, and former 6-yr Vietnam POW, USAF Col Leo Thorsness, which could possibly take place at a sufficiently large auditorium at Appalachian Tech or Pickens County High School in May. The event could be advertised widely and tickets sold to the general public to pay expenses and raise funds. The event would be a big boost for the detachment in the community. Further planning, organization and coordinating with Leo and community interests is required. A motion was made and approved to pursue investigating this possibility.

 

A member suggested that we have a “chili cook-off” or similar community event in May, perhaps on the 2^nd Saturday. A motion was made and approved to pursue plans for such an outing event.

 

Adjournment. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

 

Respectfully submitted by William Pless

 

 

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Minutes of the 20 December 2008 Meeting of the

 

·         The meeting was called to order by Commandant, Kenneth Bramlett at 0830 hrs at Annie’s Restaurant at

1995 Talking Rock Road

, Jasper, following established procedure. The meeting was preceded by a breakfast attended by all members present.

·         Three officers were absent: the SrV Commandant, JrV Commandant, and the Judge Advocate. There were no new member applicants and no visitors. A motion was made and approved to accept the minutes as posted on the website

 

·         Correspondence: There was no official correspondence.

 

·         Chaplain’s Report: Ron West had no new reports of health problems or injuries in the detachment. Judy Smith has a recurring problem with her back, and Chuck Mangrum may require surgery in early Jan 09 to correct a hearing problem. Put them on your prayer list.

 

Paymaster’s Report: The paymaster’s report had been posted on the detachment website. This is a copy of that report:  Balance forward November 2008, $5,318.06; 18 November check 1053 Ga.Power electric bill for tots site} $41.65; 18 November deposit (dues A.Rents) $30.00; 2 December  check 1054  (misc. expenses T.Connolly} $26.18; 15 December check  1055 (Ga.Power electric bill for tots site) $30.57 15 December deposit (donation from American Legion) $200.00. Balance (as of 20 December) $5,449.66.

 

·         Officers’ Report: Wayne Poore reported on the acquisition of MCL “ball caps” for interested members, which he can get for $10-12 each, with a $50 setup fee. A motion was made and approved for Wayne to pursue the acquisition of these caps for members who request them.

Tom Connolly reported on the Toys-for-Tots campaign: With about 600 toyson hand at the

      beginning, we have collected 2214 toys; 2597 toys have been distributed to 355 families and five

      organizations; $110 in cash was donated. Ms Melanie Kish of Jasper, who has a Marine family, gave two

      $100 checks, one to the Toys-for-Tots and the other to the Marine Corps League (her son is a crew chief

      on the Vice Presidential Helicopter).

            Members who had arrived at Annie’s Restaurant early on this morning, reported that several

      employees of the restaurant had departed to Atlanta Airport with food they had prepared along with other

      area  restaurants to give to troops departing for Iraq and or Afghanistan. The membership felt this act

      deserved a letter of thanks from us, and Commandant Bramlett said he would write such a letter for all

      members to sign at the next meeting.

 

·         New Business. There was no new business to discuss.

 

·         Unfinished Business The matter of concern for a new meeting place was discussed briefly. Ron West reported that no dialog has been established with Piedmont Mountainside Hospital concerning the possible use of a meeting area in their cafeteria and has concluded that the issue is dead. After discussing other factors, the membership felt we should retain Annie’s Restaurant as our meeting place. A motion was made and approved to continue meeting at Annie’s for the present time.

    Tom Connolly requested help from members to inventory new toys at the Toys-for-tots distribution center immediately after the meeting and for volunteers to help distribute toys on Christmas Eve and to box up remaining toys after Christmas. Several members volunteered their services.

    Wayne Poore reported on the get-together dinner planned for the evening of January 17. He has reserved the Sharptop Grill in Jasper and they agreed to forego the $250 cover charge. The meals remain at $25 per person and will be a choice of fish (salmon or trout), chicken, or beef (sirloin or filet).  A motion was made and approved for any charges in excess of the $25 limit would be paid out of detachment funds. Checks and money received for the cancelled Christmas dinner at the Savor Restaurant were returned to the members. Members who planned to attend the Sharptop dinner should provide their names and prepay for their family attendees.

    Ron West stated that there was nothing new to report or discuss concerning the Scholarship program.

    A lady who has a son in the Marines had purchased a $25 gift certificate from K-Mart and presented it to Wayne Poore. He discussed using this along with the gift card previously given by Publix for the cancelled basketball tournament to purchase items for care packages to be sent to deployed Marines. A motion was made and approved for him to use both these gift funds for the purchase of care package items. He also stated that he needs more help in gathering items, names and packaging the items to be sent out.

    There was a brief discussion for the need for a committee to plan detachment activities for the year. This will be an item for discussion at our next meeting.

    Commandant Bramlett expressed his thanks on behalf of the membership for the constant work performed by Wayne Poore to promote the interests of our MCL detachment and his work for the American Legion, and to Tom Connolly for the hard work and devotion to the Toys-for-Tots campaign to make it such a great success this year.

 

Closing. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned using traditional ceremony. Several members departed for the Toys-for-Tots distribution center to help de-sack toys and inventory them.

 

Respectfully submitted by William Pless, historian

 

     

 

 

Minutes of the 15 November 2008 Meeting of the

 

·         The meeting was called to order by Commandant, Kenneth Bramlett at 0830 hrs at Annie’s Restaurant at

1995 Talking Rock Road

, Jasper, following established procedure. The meeting was preceded by a breakfast attended by all members present.

·         All officers were present. There were no new member applicants. Two visitors were present: Corey Lanier of Ellijay, and Jeff Warner of Pickens County. The minutes of the 18 October meeting were read by William Pless. A motion was made and approved to accept the minutes as read.

·        

 

·         Correspondence: There was no official correspondence. A notice had been received from member Jason Williamson that he had received orders from his company to report to Houston, TX on November 30 and expects to depart from there for Dubai or Iraq within 2-3 weeks.

 

·         Paymaster Report. Tom Connolly---Balance from last meeting was $7, 291.60. A check (#1050) was written to Pete Huber for $37.54 for auditing expenses; a check (#1051) was written to MCL/National for $54.00 for dues; a check (#1052) was written to MCL/GA for $12.00 for dues. We had a deposit into the account for $30.00 from dues and a transfer of $2,000.00 into a CD for savings. This left a balance as of this date of $5,318.06. A motion was made and approved to accept the paymaster’s report.

 

·         Officers’ Report: Gary Hammond announced that the Pickens Chamber of Commerce facility would not be available for our detachment Christmas dinner as planned on Dec 6. Wayne Poore discussed his negotiations with Sharptop Grill for dropping a $200 cover charge and another suitable date, but no dates were open that were acceptable to all the membership. Richard Wynn suggested postponing the detachment get-together until after the holidays, which was acceptable to members. After further discussion, a motion was made and approved to pursue the Sharptop Grill on a firm date to be fixed at our next meeting and through negotiation by Wayne Poore, details to be announced on our website and email. Ron West and four other members attended the Marine Corps Dinner at the Naval Air Station in Marietta.

·        

 

·         Chaplain’s Report: Ron West---No member with any known serious illness or health problem. Steve Smith reported that his wife Judy had incurred a couple of ruptured discs in her lower back which gives her a lot of intermittent pain and will be repaired by surgery. Wallace wife will be treated for a hiatal hernia and a ring around her esophagus.

 

·          New Business: Wayne Poore made a suggestion for the detachment to install and decorate a Christmas tree for display in the library along with trees from other civic organizations. No motion was made to pursue this. He made another suggestion for a fund-raiser such as a ‘turkey shoot’ to raise funds for the purpose of reimbursing members for expenses incurred as a result of pursuing detachment official business. He particularly cited Tom Connolly who has accumulated at least 500 miles on his personal car in conduct of the Toys for Tots program so far, with much more to go.

Steve Smith and other members felt that detachment members were too busy with the T-f-Ts and

other projects to take on additional work. There was general agreement that members should be reimbursed for gas and other expenses for legitimate detachment  business. The motion was made and approved for members to keep accurate mileage records when pursuing MCL business so that they may be properly repaid.

      Ron West discussed the Veteran’s Day luncheon that was given to all area veterans at the Mountainside Hospital in conjunction with the Jasper Banking Company. This was held in the hospital cafeteria which has facilities for group meetings such as ours. Ron informally inquired about the possibility that we could secure one of the areas as a future meeting place. A motion was made and approved to investigate this possibility further, and Ron volunteered to negotiate with the hospital staff. This will be reviewed at our December meeting and a vote taken at that time. Commandant Bramblett will send a card of appreciation to the hospital and the Jasper Banking Co for their sponsorship of the luncheon for all veterans.

      The 2009-10 budget recommendations, the audit report, and updated roster handed out to  members at last month’s meeting were discussed. A motion was made and approved to accept the audit report and the budget recommendations.

      Ron West discussed the MCL Detachment Scholarship. A letter was completed by the Scholarship Committee with agreement on the $1000 scholarship to be awarded to a graduating senior, and was submitted to the Pickens High School for consideration. The applications will be received back by April 3, 2009, and the Committee will select a senior to receive the scholarship.

      Tom Connolly discussed deployment of pickup boxes for Toys-for-Tots, noting that we have 26 locations. Volunteers are needed to pick up items from these locations and take them to our storage facility at

315 N. Main Street

in Jasper. Recently, 35 boxes of about 400 toys had been received from MCL/National which, combined with about 600 toys we already have on hand, have an immediate need to remove them and inventory them into boxes according to age and sex. Volunteers were recruited to go to the facility directly following the meeting to do this. In December, the toys must be picked up from the various locations and brought to the facility and inventoried. Distribution to needy families will begin thereafter, and volunteers are needed to bag and hand out the toys.

·        

 

·         Closing. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned using traditional ceremony.

 

 

Respectfully submitted by William Pless, historian

 

          

Minutes of the 18 October 2008 Meeting of the

 

·         The meeting was called to order by Commandant, Kenneth Bramlett at the new location of Annie’s Restaurant at

1995 Talking Rock Road

, Jasper, at 8:30 AM, following established procedure including the Pledge of Allegiance and Chaplain’s prayer. The meeting was preceded by a breakfast attended by all members present.

·         All officers were present except for Adjutant Wayne Poore. One visitor who arrived during the course of the meeting---Marine Harold Wood from Gilmer County. The minutes had not been posted on the website and were not read at the meeting, therefore not approved by members present.

·         Correspondence: Comdt Bramlett received a letter of appreciation from widow of late Marine Jack Deazy. A letter from member John Young announcing a temporary withdrawal from active membership in detachment. A letter was received from the Atlanta Naval Air Station inviting all members to their annual Marine Corps Birthday dinner and ball. A letter was received from Hal Gosnell concerning the October 23 trip to Albany Marine Depot about registration, attendance and lodging.

·         Paymaster Report: Tom Connolly: Balance from 20 Sept was $7596.46. Amount of $60 was posted from membership dues; check for $264.86 was written to Wayne Poore for expenses incurred for detachment business. New balance of $7,391.60 as of 18 Oct. A 6-mo CD in the amount of $2,000.00 at 4% was purchased at Community Bank. Members reminded that all monies donated for Toys For Tots must  be converted to money order or cashier’s check payable to Toys For Tots Foundation. Motion made and accepted to approve paymaster report.

·         Officers’ Report: Gary Hammond: about 25 members participated in the Georgia Marble Festival in Jasper in the parade and/or as parking lot attendants. Participants were asked to submit plans for future improvement.. At a Chamber of Commerce dinner the evening before, the MCL Detachment 1280 was given a hearty round of applause by attendees.

·         Chaplain’s Report: Ron West: No reports of illnesses or health hardships. Two members are out of work and suggestions are solicited. Prayers were solicited for those traveling to Albany.

·         Special Committee Report: Ron West: Meeting will take place within a week to draw up guidelines from which Scholarship Plan will be based. It is due on November 1.

·         Kenneth Bramlett: Due to Savor Restaurant where our Marine Corps Birthday Dinner was to be held going out of business, alternative sites were discussed. Also, due to the late date, a suggestion was made to cancel the birthday dinner and replace it with a combined Christmas and Birthday dinner at a suitable location. This plan was generally acceptable by the members present and a date of December 6 was chosen and the Pickens County Chamber of Commerce building was suggested. Gary Hammond agreed to make arrange with the COC and a caterer. A motion was made and accepted to proceed with the combination dinner at the COC on the evening of Dec 6. About 35-50 attendees can be expected. Monies already paid in will be retained until the pricing is set..

·         Unfinished Business: A discussion ensued as to the desirability of retaining Annie’s Restaurant as our future meeting place. The current room is considered to be too small. However, if we can use the adjoining larger room for the meeting and the current room for breakfast, this arrangement can resolve the space problem. A motion was made and accepted to continue meeting at Annie’s.

·         Pete Huber distributed copies of the final audit report of detachment finance. The 6-page package included 1) the Internal Auditor’s Report, 2) a listing of checks written requiring approval by the board of trustees or membership, 3) the actual budget for FY 2008 and projected budget for FYs 2009 & 2010, 4) summary of all audit actions and conclusions, 5) listing of all income deposits, and 6) financial summary of income, assets, expenses, liabilities, net income, and net worth. An updated roster of membership was distributed and will be maintained by William Pless. An organization chart  showing vacancies for committee was also distributed.

·         Tom Connolly stated that all checks must be approved/confirmed by the Finance Committee and posted in the minutes; K. Bramlett stated that only checks of $1000 or more must be approved by the Board of Trustees and posted in the minutes. Any detachment acgion needing membership approval must be in the form of a seconded motion and a show of hands of members present and these must always be posted in the minutes.

·         Gary Hammond made a motion to review recommendations at the next meeting (November 15), and approved by members present. The $1000 cost of the scholarship will be listed in the budget for FY 09.

·         New Business: Tom Connolly reported in his trip to Quantico, VA to attend the Toys for Tots Program training. He reported that we currently have 7 drop-off box locations and our target is 25 locations and requested help from members. Boxes will be deployed at all locations on Nov 21 and we will work with the Lions Club. We need two working committees to deploy boxes and to collect the toys and bring them to the storage facility at

315 N. Main Street

. All existing and new items must be inventoried. All Chinese-made items must be examined for suitability. Any checks written as donation must be payable to the Toys-for-Tots Foundation, not to the MCL. All pickup locations must be announced in the local newspaper, radio stations, and TV community boards.

·        

 

·         Closing. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned using traditional ceremony.

 

 

Respectfully submitted by William Pless, historian

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

Minutes of the 20 September 2008 Meeting of the

 

·         The meeting was called to order by Sr Vice Commandant, Brandon Smith, at 8:00 AM, following established procedure including the Pledge of Allegiance and Chaplain’s prayer.

·         Three officers were absent: Commandant Bramlett, Jr. Vice Commandant Smallwood, and Paymaster Connolly. One visitor was present: Von J. Hinton. The minutes for the meeting of 16 August were approved as posted on the website.

·         Correspondence. There was no official correspondence. A “thank you” letter was received from a Marine who had returned from Iraq for a care package received while deployed in Iraq.

·          Chaplain’s Report. Wallace Tudor has returned after having an operation to remove two toes. Bob Heintzelman had a problem caused by a novocain shot in a dentist office.

·         Paymaster’s Report: Paymaster was absent. Fund balance as of 16 August was $7,596.46, which was carried forward to present date. Our bank statement declared a balance of $8,453.00. No additional checks have been written. Motion was made and approved to accept the report.

·         Officers Report. Adj Poore announced that today’s meeting is the final one at the Hill City Café due to closing of business. Det/1280 will need new meeting place for future meetings. One prospect is Annie’s Restaurant north of Jasper on N. Main St. Suggestion was made to meet at 0800 hrs for breakfast there and open meeting at 0830 hrs. Next meeting place will be announced on Det/1280 website.

The Finance Committee reports both recurring and non-recurring expenses. Suggestion was made to purchase a money market CD in the amount of $ 2,000 from present funds at Community Bank at 4.05 %. Input is requested from members before next meeting. Fin Cmte chairman will make recommenda-tions at October meeting.

Pete Huber has completed an audit of Det/1280 financial records and all is in order. All expenditures have been verified for first year. Final audit and sign-off will be made with Paymaster Connolly at his return. We need to establish a budget of $6,000 per year for expenditures.

      WWII Marine Jack Deazy of Jasper passed away and was buried on 20 September by Roper Funeral Home.

·         Unfinished Business. Ron West reported that the Scholarship Committee has not met but will meet before the October meeting. A draft proposal of scholarship plan will be submitted to the membership at the meeting for their approval.

Response from members to volunteer for parking lot service at the Pickens Marble Festival on Oct 4-

5 has been high. Participating members will direct visitors to festival activities while providing visibility

for MCL Det/1280. A number of members volunteered to be in the parade beginning at 1000 hrs on Oct 4, to be notified by phone of details.

·         New Business: (From Officer’s Meeting) A new fund-raising chairman is needed to replace successful Ken and Dolly Smallwood. If no member volunteers, a chairman will be appointed at next meeting.

Pete Huber announced that the Eighth & I Marine Corps Silent Drill Team will be in Albany, GA on October 23. Will be two day event. Room and meal package will be available for attendees. Det/1280 attendees will go by volunteer car or van transportation. Details will be announced.

Checks for the November 8 Marine Corps Birthday dinner were received following this meeting.

Members were asked to remain on site after the meeting to load items into boxes to be sent to our Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. (8-10 members remained to participate in packaging care boxes.)

Wayne Poore noted that the MCL advertising sign that will be on display at the Pickens County High School football stadium has been completed, but has only “Marines”, the globe & anchor emblem , and our website. This is not what we ordered, and corrections of the sign will be sought.

Our detachment needs to supply at least two members to assist the DAV in funerals for veterans. Visitor Von J. Hinton from the DAV stood to inform members about participation. List of names and phone numbers were requested for those who wish to participate.

·         Other Business. Adj Poore spoke of the need for “Community Service” Quote from the President of the national MCL: “the MCL has a mission (last but not least) to provide visible and active support in the community in which we live”. Members were asked to think about our role in this and submit suggestions to Finance Committee. He also urged members to contact their representatives to support bill HR 219, the Social Security Preservation Act to prevent Congress from raiding the SocSec funds.

·         Closing. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned using traditional ceremony.

 

 

 

Minutes of the 16 AUGUST 2008 Meeting of the

 

·         The meeting was called to order by Commandant, Kenneth Bramlett, at 8:00 AM, following established procedure including the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer by Chaplain, and Ken Hulsey, Sergeant-at-Arms.

·        All officers were present. Two visitors were present and both were candidates for membership; these were Stan O’Kelly and Dennis Loeb.

·        Correspondence. Cmdt Bramlett received notice of golf tournament in Haysville,NC on Oct 9 sponsored by MCL/Unicoi. Announcement in Semper Fi magazine that Marines who served at Camp LeJeune 1957-87 should contact them at 1-877-261-9782 relative to study about safety of water at the base, possibly only in married housing area. Adj Wayne Poore received a letter of thanks from Cpl of 7^th Marines/Iraq for care packages. Cmdt Bramlett informed members of links on our website for detachment announcements and communications that should be checked twice weekly.

·        Chaplain’s Report. Wallace Tudor is having a problem with diabetes that could result in operation to remove portions of his foot. Any death of a member must be reported to MCL/Corporate.

·        A motion was made and approved to accept the minutes for the July 19 meeting as posted on website.

·        Paymaster’s Report: Fund balance as of 19 July was $3,114.79. Revenues received from July raffle were $4,736.17 and from membership dues of $330, bringing total to $8,180.96. Checks for expenses were sent out, and an error of $600 was added back to fund, bringing balance of $7,988.46 as of 16 Aug. Motion was made and approved to accept the report. Charter members were reminded to pay dues now.

·        A Finance Committee was established to approve of all fund transactions. The Committee will consist of two officers and four regular members. The members-at-large are Charles Flemming, Lamar Walker, Pete Huber, and Richard Wilson. Adj Poore has secured a safe-deposit box for the detachment at the Community Bank at no cost.

·        Officer’s Report: Adj Poore---We need to continue looking for a place to store Toys-for-Tots collections. Judge Advocate Gary Hammond---Our by-laws do not state clearly what is meant by “a simple majority”. A motion was made and approved that a simple majority would be 50% of the members present if there is a quorum. (A precise wording has been given by the Judge Advocate Hammond according to the detachment and national bylaws as “A simple majority of a quorum carries any vote; minimum number for a quorum is three. This definition applies to a meeting of the membership and to committees. If there is a tie in a vote, the Commandant can break the tie with his vote.)

·        Old Business: 1. Ron West solicited two member volunteers to serve on the Scholarship Committee; these were Richard Wynn and Arlen Rens. With school back in session, Ron will meet with school officials at Pickens County High School to discuss parameters for setting up a scholarship. 2. Pete Huber passed out copies of the detachment organization chart featuring standing committee boxes for members to volunteer their names as committee members and or chairmen. The chart is based on specifications of the MCL by-laws. 3. Tom Connolly continues to ask for identities of area Boy Scout troups and their scoutmasters.  

·        New Business: 1. Gary Hammond discussed detachment participation in the Pickens Marble Festival during the first weekend in October. Beyond the parade which we may participate in, we need volunteers to serve in the three parking areas to assist visitors to get to the various activities and to recruit new members. A motion was made and approved for volunteers to serve in the parking areas on two-hour stints. 2. Marine Corps Birthday Dinner---A motion was made and approved to accept the current plan to have the dinner at the Savor Restaurant in Jasper on the evening of November 8, at $25/head. Those wishing to attend should bring their money at the next meeting for themselves and any guests. 3. The details for the upcoming trip to a Marine Corps facility will be posted on the website prior to next meeting. 4. Care Packages--- members are asked to get names of Marines from AnyMarine.com for future care packages. Items already collected will be brought to the meeting of September 20 and members are asked to stay after the meeting to assist in sorting and packaging these items to be sent to our Marines in the field.

·        With no further business, the meeting was adjourned according to established tradition.

 

 

 

Respectfully submitted by William Pless, historian