At the 87th Annual National Convention, held August 9 through August 13, in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Marine Corps League elected Vic Voltaggio as National Commandant and several new members to its Board of Trustees.  More information about upcoming events, the National Elections, etc. is available on this website.

The Marine Corps League will be posting semi-monthly updates, online, from Sgt. Shaft.  But who is he?

Tallahassee, FL - Mike Sole, a former Marine Veteran of Desert Storm and Desert Shield has resigned is position as secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

This news comes on the heals of his leading the state's response to the BP Oil Gusher.

Marine Corps Operating Concepts; 3d Edition
Background. The third edition of the Marine Corps Operating Concepts (MOC) provides a conceptual guide for current and future force development and operations. Today’s complex security environment is marked by hybrid threats and a myriad of possible futures that requires an adaptable and forward deployed, multi-capable force like the Corps. You can download the full MOC text at http://www.quantico.usmc.mil/seabasing/index.htm.

Dear Sgt. Shaft,

I wanted to let you know that my friend was scheduled for surgery on his knee (RELATED: SGT. SHAFT: Delay in surgery putting troop's life on hold). He was still in the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Meade, Md., but at least he'll have his leg fixed up. That will get him closer to a normal life.

I don't know if what you did pushed this to a scheduled surgery, but the decision to schedule him came soon after I contacted you. I want to thank you. I know the military is busy these days, but they don't seem to care about the guys they use. I'm glad someone does.

- Thanks again, Steve G. via the internet

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WERE YOU STOP LOSSED?

Those eligible must submit their claim by Oct. 21, 2010.

The 2009 War Supplemental Appropriations Act established Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay (RSLSP), providing $500 for each month/partial month served in stop loss status.  Service members, veterans, and beneficiaries of service members whose service was involuntarily extended under Stop Loss between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 30, 2009 are eligible for RSLSP.

The Young Marines of the Marine Corps League is an organization that the members of this League can be proud of. The National Senior Vice Commandant Vic Voltaggio and I just returned from the 2010 National Young Marines Adult Leaders Conference. I can truly say that this conference was one of the best that I have attended.

I am pleased to report that the new database has been built and is now in the testing and refinement stage in our offices. Everyone at National Headquarters is spending time using their piece of the program and making suggested changes or signing off on their portion as "ready-for-prime-time". The work that is currently being done on the Ship's Store (now known as The Semper Fi Store) portion of the website is related to this also. The company that built the system for us has had their trainer in our office each week to work with our staff and teach as well as take our suggested refinements and needs back to them for action.

WASHINGTON: Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki announced today that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is offering bronze medallions to attach to existing, privately purchased headstones or markers, signifying a deceased's status as a Veteran.

OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO PUBLIC STATEMENTS MADE BY A PERSON OR PERSONS APPEARING TO REPRESENT THE MARINE CORPS LEAGUE IN SUPPORT OF CONNECTICUT ATTORNEY GENERAL BLUMENTHAL:

The Marine Corps League categorically disassociates itself from any comments made by a person who spoke at a press conference today in defense of Connecticut Attorney General Blumenthal and referred to himself as a member of the Marine Corps League several times, giving the impression that his statements were representative of the Marine Corps League’s position on the matter.

The National Bylaws of the Marine Corps League clearly state, in part:  “The Marine Corps League shall never take part in any labor or management dispute or issue, and it shall be ever non-sectarian, non-political, and non-partisan; nor shall it be used as a medium of political ambition or preferment”.

Whether or not the politician misspoke or distorted his military background is a matter for the citizens of his state to decide.  The Marine Corps League has not authorized any of its members to make a public statement on this issue in that doing so would violate our covenants.

Michael A. Blum
National Executive Director

WASHINGTON (May 5, 2010): Veterans will find it easier and faster to apply for their health care benefits now that the Department of Veterans Affairs has updated its online Form 10-10EZ, "Application for Health Benefits."

Still playing the name game with Navy and Marine Corps
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON: Rep. Walter Jones never expected changing the Department of Navy’s name would be a decade-long fight. But each year since 2001 - the first year he proposed adding the Marine Corps to the official title - the North Carolina Republican has found himself on the House floor making an impassioned plea for the simple three-word change. And each year the measure has failed in the Senate. "I don’t understand why anyone would be opposed," he said. "It shouldn’t have taken more than three or four seconds to fix this."
On Tuesday, the House passed the latest iteration of his proposal. The renaming bill had 426 co-sponsors, a record for legislation ever to get through the chamber.

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Snyder sued Westboro Baptist Church because its members waved signs saying "God hates Dags" and "God Hates the USA", defiling the funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who had been killed in Iraq.  The decision by a federal jury in Baltimore was that the group intentionally inflicted emotional distress on the family.  However, this decision was later overturned and the mourning father is now ordered to pay Westboro Baptist Church, instead.  The father whom Westboro Baptist Church would not allow to greive the loss of his son in peace, must now pay Westboro Baptist Church $16,510.80!

  For info on how you can help Click Here to visit Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's Website.

Washington, DC: Congressman Jones speaks on the floor of the House of Representatives to recognize the Marine Corps League's support for redesignating the Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps.

My name is Cpl Richard D. Penedo, and I would like to share with you the story of my visit back home, and all of the things that followed. I joined the USMC May 4th, 2004, and I'm currently serving my second term, or reenlistment, stationed in Quantico, VA. a month ago, I fell into a deep slump, and even though being a Marine is something to be very proud of, I didn't quite feel happy and proud with myself, that is until my visit back home.

Dear Colleagues, As an army grunt in August of 1967, on a mission with the ROK Marines in central I Corps, I had an experience that created a lifelong bond for me with the United States Marine Corps. Recently I authored a book for our troops, their families, and friends who are dealing with post traumatic stress.

I enlisted in the Navy in June 1975 attended Boot Camp in Great Lakes Ill., from there I went to Basic Electronics School and then on to Fire Control School. I thought Fire Control was something to do with Fire Fighting, but it was to fix guns and I was the type of person that was not interested in Killing someone, I was use to saving lives.  You see before entering the service I was a member of a Rescue Squad in Northern VA where I was from and so, I dropped out of school. I went to see a Navy Classifier, and he asked me why didn't I go into the Hospital Corps and I said that I wanted to follow in my fathers footsteps as a Sonar Tech, and instead I thought someone in the Navy had read my profile and saw that I was an Emergency Medical Technician from the state of Virginia.

My name is Chris Ott.  My son is LCPL John Doody.  He was shot several times in the leg last March while serving as a Marine in the Al Anbar province.  He was recovering at the NMCSD when he suffered from a stroke caused by an infection in his heart related to his gunshot wounds.  He was unconscious for a number of hours and then suffered from anoxic brain injury - lack of oxygen.

WASHINGTON: A new edition of the popular handbook Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) updates the rates for certain federal payments and outlines a variety of programs and benefits for American veterans.

Marines don’t leave Marines behind - the Marine Corps League didn’t leave this Marine behind and we thank Alessandra Kellerman and her organization - Homefront Hugs for bringing him to our attention.