November is here and holidays are right around the corner. Happy Birthday to the US Marine Corps which was established on November 10, 1775. There have been approximately 281 Marines throughout history that have been awarded the Medal of Honor, but one enlisted man, Sergeant Major Daniel Daly received two awards for separate incidents in 1900 in Peking and 1915 in Haiti. We gain back the hour of sleep on November 3rd that we lost in the spring. A pivotal election for this country happens on November 5th, so please vote. The beginning of the festive and family-oriented holiday season kicks off with Thanksgiving on November 28th. Many families come together but there may very well be someone without family that you know and the holiday season is no time to find yourself alone and isolated. If you can, invite someone destined to be alone to share Thanksgiving with your family. We know what it was like when we were deployed and now when we are not, it is a good time to practice not leaving anyone behind!
The Rogue Chapter has now awarded over 1,400 Medallions. I know that there are many of you who served during a period that would qualify for one of the Medallions. Headquarters will very shortly be making a push to seek suggestions for the Global War on Terrorism Medallion design as well as a Medallion to cover all of the Campaigns between Vietnam and 9/11. For the last year I have been encouraging each of you to let me know if you or a member of your family would qualify for a Medallion and very few of you have ever responded. I have traveled all over the state of Oregon and am willing to ensure that you are properly recognized with one of these magnificent Medallions. They are a great teaching tool for our younger generation, so please let me know if I can help. I have members from New England to Hawaii and from Alaska to Florida and I don’t care where you are, if you deserve a Medallion, let me know and I will get one to you!
Thanks to a friend of mine, a retired Navy Chief, the idea for VeteRun was born back in 2017. With a small group of dedicated members and community partners, VeteRun has flourished through 8 years. To date we have raised and given away over $188,000 to veteran charities that focus on veteran suicide prevention and mental health matters. This project has survived the COVID pandemic and many other hurdles. The first 6 years it was just a 5K fun run and last year another community group partnered with us and introduced a golf tournament into the mix. This year we added a Bowl 4 Vets event and even had a PBA Champion come and support the event. The first year we raised $8,000 and this year we raised over $56,000 and the local Chamber and even businesses from all over Oregon and California have joined us. In Fact, Grand Canyon University, one of our national conference sponsors reached out to us and sponsored our 5K & Bowl 4 Vets. Every one of you who has supported this event or just sent words of encouragement, thank you!
I would love to hear from all of you with your thoughts and suggestions. If you have any ideas or suggestions, either contact me at retiredveteran89@outlook.com and I can assure you that your leadership will take note.
Strength in Unity & Leadership By Example,
MCPO (SCW) Terry M. Haines, USNR Retired
Chairman, Rogue Chapter #1260