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AZ Standdown
fundraiser, jeans & volunteering
TO
ALL...
Would love to see you either attend the
January Standdown Fundraiser or support
it with a inkind donation. We expect to
service around 1200 Homeless Veterans
this year. Due to the economy, lack of
jobs, foreclosures, cost of living, more
and more of our Veterans are returning
Home to NO HOME. Let us do what we can
to get them back onto their feet. Please
click on link below to see this activity.
http://www.standupandstandproud.org/
Also we are collecting NEW
& USED (female & male) Blue Jeans
Trousers and/or
shorts for
our Homeless Veterans. Contact Mike Roy @ 623-239-9061 for
more information or collection. These
will be needed before February 1, 2012.
Remember if you wish to Volunteer some
of your time to help out at the
Standdown, please click on the link
below
to sign up. Sign up as the Marine Corps
League so that we get full credit of
your valuable time.
www.azstanddown.org
Semper Fidelis!
Mike Roy
AZ MCL
Homeless Veterans Chairperson
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SEMPER
FIDELIS
Semper
Fidelis is more than a fancy slogan. It is truly
a way of life. My father retired from the Marine
Corps in the 90s, after serving over twenty
years and more than one tour of duty in a combat
zone. Therefore, my two brothers and I grew up
in a culture that demanded excellence and
loyalty of its members, and it showed. It is
partially for this reason, I am convinced, that
we all joined the Marine Corps when we were of
the appropriate age. Because of my upbringing,
it is somewhat difficult to imagine what life
would be like, had I not grown up surrounded by
living, breathing personifications of "Semper
Fidelis," and I am increasingly beginning to
realize that I do not understand the mindset of
those who had not. It is this realization
The first thing I questioned was
the Latin thing. Why
not simply make the slogan "Always Faithful,"
since that is what the Latin phrase literally
means? More people would certainly understand
it. Apparently,
whenever someone has something important to say,
he translates it to Latin, and that lends the
phrase credibility and respectability.
that led me to reflect on the
history of the phrase, and speculate the reason
it holds such weight with the members of the
Marine Corps.
The phrases are a part of our
culture, but not native to our language. Unless
we have been taught what they mean separately
from our education in English, we would have no
idea. I would wager that Semper Fidelis means
more to those who use it than just about any
other Latin phrase in use today.
Customarily, though, Latin has
also been the language of law. Habeas Corpus,
Stare Decisis, and Per Curium are terms one
commonly would come across if he did only a
precursory exploration of legal decisions. Even
the United States adopted the practice of using
Latin in its written Constitution, in spite of
the desire to create a Constitution that could
be easily understood by common people, who
typically could not read and write Latin.
However, America was a special case. The people
had already been governing themselves for some
time before the revolution. Unlike today, now
that apathy reigns, participation in local
politics was almost necessary for survival. That
atmosphere of social and political cooperation
was one that was replete with Latin phrases.
America was unique--set apart from the other
countries--for just that reason. It was a
province that was governed by the people, not
kings--and its people would not relinquish that
tradition without a fight.
When doctors started
translating ailments into Latin-Greek hybrids,
they were criticized for creating a language
that only
doctors could understand.
Of course, that was partly the point. It
set apart those who could understand from those
who could not--thus both signifying the value
that doctors provided as well as creating a
group of people who could identify one another
by their similar values and education.
The use of Latin in
the Marine Corps motto is not bred from a very
different motivation. Of course, the Marine
Corps has never experienced a mutiny. Marines in
England were revered for their loyalty to the
crown, just as United States Marines are now
revered for their downright fanatical dedication
to each other, their service, and their country.
Using Latin to characterize this quality
represents its legitimization--its codification.
Significantly, for Marines at least, it also
provides a caste--a group that is separate and
unique from any other--a group that has no
desire to be like any other.
“It is not
negotiable.
It is not
relative, but
absolute.”
What is left unsaid in the motto is also
notable. The phrase is "Always faithful." It
isn't "Sometimes Faithful." Nor is it "Usually
Faithful," but always. It is not negotiable. It
is not relative, but absolute. Who is always
faithful, though. and to what, exactly are they
faithful? Interestingly, the simplicity of the
phrase and the calculated neglect to specify its
parameters seems to strengthen it. Marines pride
themselves on their straightforward mission and
steadfast dedication to accomplish it. Things
do not need to be spelled out for them; they
know what it means and what to do about it.
The longer I am out of
the service, the more I recognize my draw to and
longing for the culture of "Semper Fidelis." I
suspect that reading this will impart nothing
significant to Marines, as they already are
aware of their glorious charge. It is my earnest
hope, however, that it may help others
understand the reason Marines hold the Corps in
such high esteem. All those references by former
Marines, in their new jobs, to "back when I was
in The Corps," will begin to make a little more
sense. Marines are imbued with Semper Fidelis,
and all it means, and because they lived it for
so long, they have difficulty accepting any less
from others.
Semper Fi
DR. L. George Hershey MD
LIFE MEMBER SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS
DETACHMENT
CEO/Medical Director
Capstone Health Plan
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distinguished
service award
presented to the department of arizona
marine corps
league
pRESENTED BY pnc
pATRICK cody
national vavs
representive

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National
Personnel Records Center address change
Please share this information with your
membership.
The National Personnel Records Center sent the information below concerning its new mailing address, tips on safeguarding personal documents and recommend ways to request documents from the National Personnel Records Center. Please distribute the information to as many veterans as possible.
The new address for the National Personnel Records Center is:
National Personnel Records Center
1 Archives Drive
St Louis, MO 63138-1002
USA
The
majority of personnel have moved to the
new location and the military personnel
records are in the process of moving.
The entire move should be completed by
the end of the Summer of 2012. |

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THE ORIGIN OF THE STARS AND
STRIPES
When the American
colonists rose in armed protest against
the British Government, the emblem they
first adopted signified both their unity
and the loyalty, which they still
retained towards the Mother Country.
Their Great Union Flag, also known as
the Congress Flag and the Cambridge
Flag, bore thirteen red and white
stripes, but the contemporary British
Union Flag formed its canton. This was
similar to the flag of the East India
Company, but whether it was deliberately
adopted from this is unknown. When,
however, the Americans decided on a
complete severance from Britain, they
needed a new flag to symbolize their
independence. While retaining the
thirteen stripes in the fly, they
replaced the Union in the canton by
"thirteen stars white on a blue field
representing a new constellation". The
exact arrangement of the stars in the
first American Flag is uncertain, but it
is reputed to have been a circle so that
one should have no precedence over the
other.
As
new States were admitted to the Union,
the number of Stars and Stripes was
increased accordingly, and during the
second Anglo-American war the flag
displayed fifteen stars and fifteen
stripes. It was the sight of this
"Star-Spangled Banner" still flying,
after a night's bombardment, over fort
McHenry "in the dawn's early light"
which led Francis Scott Key to compose
what became the National Anthem of the
United States. The increase in the
number of stripes threatened however to
destroy the flag's effectiveness. So, in
1818, congress decided to revert to the
original thirteen stripes but to
indicate the admission of a new State by
displaying an additional white star in
the canton. |

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ATTENTION:
Two new apps from the
Department of Veterans affairs
were just added to the
gallery at
apps.usa.gov
National Resource
Directory The National
Resource Directory is a mobile optimized
website that connects wounded warriors,
service members, veterans, and their
families with support. It provides
access to services and resources at the
national, state and local levels to
support recovery, rehabilitation and
community reintegration. (mobile
website)
PTSD Coach
is for veterans and military service
members wh have, or may have,
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
It provides information about PTSD and
care, a self-assessment for PTSD,
opportunities to find supoport, and
tools–from relaxation skills and
positive self-talk to anger management
and other common self-help strategies–to
help manage the stresses of daily life
with PTSD. |

ANOTHER POWERFUL TOOL FOR
OUR VETERAN COMMUNITY
FOR ALL VETERANS,
FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF VETERANS AND ALL AMERICAN
PATRIOTS:
THE FOLLOWING WEB LINK IS PROVIDED AS A POTENTIAL
TOOL TO ASSIST VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO SEEK
HIGHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES:
www.armedforcesedu.com is website dedicated to
military higher education. On ArmedForcesEDU.com
current military members, their spouses and veterans
can explore education benefits and utilize an
interactive School Finder to discover
military-friendly schools that match their interests
and location.
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MARINES HELPING
MARINES
Marines,
Marines Helping
Marines, the wounded warrior program of the Marine Corps
League is HURTING. At the present time 284 Marines, 200
of them are amputees are in hospital. MHM has less than
$10,000 to help these Marines. These men and women are
not the same ones all the time. They get shipped to the
Wounded Warrior Battalion or discharged and new people
come in.
We are asking that
your Detachment make a donation to this program. Some
Detachment's make large donations and some can only make
a small one. Every dollar we can send these Marines will
help.
The goal of the
Department of Arizona program is to have every
Detachment in Arizona participate. We could be the first
Department to have every Detachment make a donation.
Please send your
donation to:
Mike Bellard
8408 W. Alice Ave.
Peoria, AZ 85345-7921
Make your check to:
Marines Helping Marines
Mike will credit your
Detachment.
Semper Fi
Lloyd Dellacort
Chairman-Marines
Helping Marines
Department of Arizona
Phone: 928-284-3989 |

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FROM THE COMMANDANT
MCL DEPT. AZ. -- via,
The National
Executive Director
MARINE CORPS LEAGUE
Marines and Associate
The Marine Corps
Scholarship Foundation has provided more than 25,000
scholarships and $60,000,000 to children whose
parents are active duty, reserve, retired, veteran
Marines and Navy Corpsmen. Applications are being
accepted now for the 2011 school year. Marine
families can apply on-line now at:
http://www.mcsf.org/page.aspx?pid=326
The U.S. Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, its
Board of Directors, and the children who benefit
from this wonderful program are very thankful to
those Marines - past and present - who have built
this organization to become the nation's largest
provider of scholarships to military families.
Additional information is available by going to our
website at
http://www.MCLeague.com
and clicking on MCL Programs then on Scholarships.
Thanks and Semper Fi –
Michael A. Blum, Executive Director
Marine Corps League
P. O. Box 3070
Merrifield, VA 22116-3070
Tel: 703/207/9588
FAX: 703/207/0047
E-Mail:
ExecDir@MCLeague.org
Website:
http://www.MCLeague.com
PDD Alex Romero,
Commandant
Marine Corps
League
Department of
Arizona |


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NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2010
VA Proposes Change to Aid
Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange
Proposed Regulation Change
Adds Illnesses to List of Diseases Subject to Presumptive
Service Connection for Herbicide Exposure
WASHINGTON - Well over
100,000 Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam
and other areas will have an easier path to qualify for
disability pay under a proposed regulation published by the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that adds three new
illnesses to the list of health problems found to be related to
Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures.
"This is an important step
forward for Vietnam Veterans suffering from these three
illnesses," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.
"These warriors deserve medical care and compensation for health
problems they have incurred."
The regulation follows
Shinseki's October 2009 decision to add the three illnesses to
the current list of diseases for which service connection for
Vietnam Veterans is presumed. The illnesses are B cell
leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson's disease; and
ischemic heart disease.
The Secretary's decision is
based on the latest evidence of an association with widely used
herbicides such as Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, as
determined in an independent study by the Institute of Medicine
(IOM).
Even though this is a
proposed rule, VA encourages Vietnam Veterans with these three
diseases to submit their applications for compensation now so
the Agency can begin development of their claims and so they can
receive benefits from the date of their applications once the
rule becomes final
Comments on the proposed rule
will be accepted over the next 30 days. The final
regulation will be published after consideration of all comments
received.
"We must do better reviews of
illnesses that may be connected to service, and we will,"
Shinseki added. "Veterans who endure health problems deserve
timely decisions based on solid evidence."
Over 80,000 of the Veterans
will have their past claims reviewed and may be eligible for
retroactive payment, and all who are not currently eligible for
enrollment into the VA healthcare system will become eligible.
During the Vietnam War, the
U.S. military used more than 19 million gallons of herbicides
for defoliation and crop destruction in the Republic of Vietnam.
Veterans who served in Vietnam anytime during the period
beginning January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, are
presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.
Used in Vietnam to defoliate
trees and remove concealment for the enemy, Agent Orange and
other herbicides left a legacy of suffering and disability that
continues to the present.
The new rule will bring the
number of illnesses presumed to be associated with herbicide
exposure to 14 and significantly expand the current leukemia
definition to include a much broader range of leukemias beyond
chronic lymphocytic leukemia previously recognized by VA.
In practical terms, Veterans
who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a "presumed"
illness don't have to prove an association between their
illnesses and their military service. This "presumption"
simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.
Other illnesses previously
recognized under VA's "presumption" rule as being caused by
exposure to herbicides during the Vietnam War are:
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AL Amyloidosis,
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Acute and Subacute
Transient Peripheral Neuropathy,
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Chloracne or other
Acneform Disease consistent with Chloracne,
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Chronic Lymphocytic
Leukemia, (now being expanded)
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Diabetes Mellitus (Type
2),
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Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma,
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Porphyria Cutanea Tarda,
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Prostate Cancer,
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Respiratory Cancers
(Cancer of the lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea), and Soft
Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma,
Kaposi's sarcoma, or Mesothelioma
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THE GRAND CANYON REGIMENT
STATE OF ARIZONA
YOUNG MARINES
There are 11 units currently in the
state located in these cities:
Apache Junction,
Chandler, Glendale,
2 in
Mesa,
Phoenix, Prescott,
2 in
Scottsdale (one of these on the Salt River Indian
Reservation), Show Low, and
Yuma,
with 3 more
in the process of being formed in Maricopa, Window
Rock, and Stafford.
The State of AZ has One Regiment
(Grand Canyon Regiment, CO is George Meegan) and
Three Battalions ( Black Sheep, CO is Michael Roach;
Patriot Battalion, CO is Frank (Gunny) Alger;
Saguaro Battalion, CO is John Urban)
The Young Marines of the Grand Canyon
Regiment are very active helping to build stronger
communities and learning the skills that will make
them the future leaders of this great nation.
Some of the activities that they participate in are:
volunteering at the AZ veterans Home and both VA
hospitals, participating in the Navajo Nation Code
Talker Day Ceremonies honoring the Code Talkers for
their service, volunteering in Sept. 11th
ceremonies
helping us remember and NEVER forget, participating
in take a Veteran to school day, welcoming home
events for those service men and women retuning from
tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many more
events.
Remember that the Young Marines of
the Marine Corps League are always looking for
Marines to volunteer their time and help develop the
next generation of leaders. They are also
always looking for Detachments to support their
local Units through joint activities and they can
always use monetary donations.
For more information please check out the Regiment
Web site:
www.grandcanyonregimentyoungmarines.webs.com
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