MARINE CORPS ASSOCIATION
Since 1913... Tradition and Service™
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT & CEO
Dear MCA Member,
Over the last several months on these pages we have been advising our
membership of major changes coming to the MCA web site and to our two
signature magazines, Marine Corps Gazette and Leatherneck. I am pleased
to report that we will be unveiling the first of the major changes next
month. We will launch an updated website with improved functionality,
layout, and design which will be easier to navigate and more enjoyable
to visit. In an innovative development of particular use to deployed
members, both magazines will be fully accessible on-line starting in
November. Lastly, in December, the Marine Corps Gazette will reveal it’s
new look, which has been in development for many months. I am very excited
about the changes and there is no doubt that our readers and members
will both enjoy and benefit from the improvements.
Since my last report, MCA was pleased to host the MCA Ground Awards Dinner
and Retired Luncheon. The luncheon featured General James L. Jones Jr.
USMC as our guest of honor. I urge you to review the summaries at www.mca-marines.org.
We’ve received great support from our corporate sponsors for these
events.
And, speaking of luncheons, I hope to see many of our West Coast members
at the West Coast Retiree Luncheon on October 31. The event will be held
at the San Luis Rey Officer’s Club at Camp Pendleton and will feature
LtGen James Mattis, Commanding General I-MEF, as the guest speaker. An
inspiring and dynamic speaker who has been at the confluence of many
recent, key events, our members will not want to miss his remarks. If
you are on the West Coast – Don’t miss this! Please visit
our web site at www.mca-marines.org to make reservations.
As a final point, this long-awaited November is rapidly approaching.
In addition to celebrating our Corps’ birthday, this year is particularly
significant due to the grand opening of the National Museum of the Marine
Corps. Our November edition of the Marine Corps Gazette features the
new museum in several articles, which I urge any potential visitor to
read in advance of a visit. The grand opening day will be thronged in
an elaborate inaugural ceremony, which will include participation and
attendance by many important and famous people. We expect the museum
will be packed all month long in tribute to our Corps. MCA will be represented
at the Museum through the medium of a bookstore annex there, so we hope
that you will visit the Museum and stop in and see us as well.
It is always good to be a Marine but next month will be especially stirring for
all of us. Happy Birthday in advance Marines! As always, thanks for your support
of the professional association for all Marines.
Semper Fidelis,
Les Palm
Major General, USMC (Ret)
President and Chief Executive Officer
Your membership includes a subscription to the magazine of your
choice: either the Marine Corps Gazette or Leatherneck.
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through the association devoted to providing professional development
and select services to Marines.
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PLUS your membership qualifies you for discounts on our books and Marine-related
gifts. You will automatically receive our seasonal catalogs for your
shopping convenience.
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we'll add a free month to your subscription.
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New members mention code NEMTNA06.
Renewals mention code REMTNA06.
Leatherneck continues to tell the Marine Corps story, yesterday,
today and tomorrow. This month, part of the story comes from the
staff
of Leatherneck. They have a very special announcement about their
boss and editor, Colonel Walt Ford:
“It is always good to see members of our staff appreciated for the work they do. Most of the time it is members of the staff, not the editor, who get the kudos. And if you ask Walt Ford, our editor, he will say, 'That’s the way it should be.'
This time the Leatherneck staff proudly announces that Colonel Walter G. Ford, USMC (Ret) is the recipient of the United States Marine Corps Combat Correspondents’ 2006 Brigadier General Robert L. Denig Memorial Distinguished Service Award.
Our fearless leader was honored at a USMCCCA/USMC Public Affairs conference Aug. 31 in McLean, Va., for his 'professional efforts to dispense exceptional and factual portrayals of the ideas, performance, achievements and tradtions of the United States Marine Corps. Using his management skills and gentlemanly, yet firm demeanor, he has raised the magazine to an all-time high level of attractiveness and professionalism.'
Way to go Sir!”
The entire staff of the MCA joins together to congratulate
Colonel Walt Ford.
Our members are advised that the November issue of Leatherneck features
the traditional “Senior
Leaders of the Corps” insert. This is a 16 page special which contains
photos and names of all Marine general officers and the Sergeants Major
who work for them as well as all of the senior executive service civilians
who
work for
the Marine Corps.
In support of the November opening of the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the November issue of the Marine Corps Gazette features three articles on the new museum. The first will be of considerable value to prospective museum visitors as it gives detailed explanation of the museum’s organizational layout. Another article, of particular interest to our Viet Nam veterans, provides details on the development and layout of the Khe Sanh exhibit and display. A third article deals with the Museum’s exhibit treatment of Marine Corps pioneering efforts to develop and refine close air support through the ages.
The staff of the Marine Corps Gazette continues to work with enthusiasm and anticipation on the “New Look” for the magazine, which is scheduled for unveiling in the December issue. The staff eagerly await reader reaction and comments. Stand By!!!!
Have you read the latest online articles from Leatherneck and Marine Corps Gazette? Click on your magazine choice to read them now.
We keep improving the MCA web site and have additional major improvements on the way. By November, MCA hopes to have our web site completely revamped, retooled, rejuvenated and revised for your viewing ease and pleasure. In the meantime, we cordially invite you to visit us at www.mca-marines.org.
In particular, MCA invites our members and viewers attention to our UPCOMING EVENTS section which you can access on the right side of our home page. Check this section out often to view the key events we have planned for your benefit and enjoyment. Come see us soon. We encourage you to visit and save the MCA web site as one of your favorites.
MCA is pleased to announce an entirely new web site feature that will
prove a great benefit to Marines seeking jobs following retirement
or release from active duty. Also set to debut on 1 November 2006,
the Career Center will allow MCA members seeking jobs to post their
resumes for employers to review. The site will also display employment
positions available from prominent companies. MCA is really excited
about the new Career Center and expects the idea to really take off.
Exclusivity is key here as this will be a MEMBERS ONLY section of
the web site so that members will have a “leg up” on
available jobs. AND, many of the employer/advertisers will post positions
specifically because they seek Marines to fill them.
MCA is offering sizable discounts for advertisements from member/advertisers
and they will have ready and continuous access to the member/job seeker
resume bank.
Our goal is to activate the new web site, graced with our re-branded logo and
supported by a new retail system on 1 November. We are making substantial progress
and eagerly anticipate achieving this goal on time. Access will be through the
same web site address with which you are currently familiar: www.mca-marines.org. Check it out.
Wake Island (7-13 December 2006)
This 65th anniversary tour to Wake Island might possibly be the very last as the base, controlled by the USAF has been declared “excess” and scheduled to close next year. This year’s tour will be led by General Carl Mundy, USMC (Ret), 30th Commandant of the Marine Corps and a serious historian of the battle.
For more information about this historic commemoration tour visit Military Historical Tours web site at: www.miltours.com
Fall Recon to Vietnam (23-26 October 2006)
This “recon” will cover most of the important battlefields and cities in Vietnam and includes an optional post tour to Dien Bien Phu. This tour is conceived as a training session oriented towards those desiring to become battlefield tour guides. For more information about this historic commemoration tour visit Military Historical Tours web site at: www.miltours.com
Turning
Travel Disasters Into Minor Bumps In The Road
As generous as TRICARE and many TRICARE supplement programs are, too many military
families have discovered startling gaps in benefits while traveling or on PCS
moves. Now you can help fill those holes – with the valuable benefits found
in MCA’s exclusive Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+) Program. Imagine …
- You’re on a family vacation to Yellowstone when your child spikes a sudden fever. Should you just keep an eye on it or find the nearest emergency room?
- You return to your hotel after a busy day of sightseeing only to discover your luggage – and your identification – have been stolen. Where do you turn?
- You’re hurt in an auto accident hundreds of miles from home. What happens to your family while you’re in the hospital?
Much like
emergency roadside assistance for your car, MCA’s EA+ Program
stands by you with an iron-clad
safety net of benefits – designed
to kick in during some of the most common travel emergencies encountered
by
military
families.
PLUS, as a MCA Member, you and your family are guaranteed acceptance
in MCA’s
EA+ Program.
Click here to see how you can get help turning travel disasters into
minor bumps in the road with MCA’s EA+ Program.
Visit one of our four locations:
QUANTICO, VA - 715 Broadway Street - 703-640-0136
CAMP LEJEUNE, NC - Building 84, Hadnot Point Exchange
Annex - 910-451-7500
CAMP PENDLETON, CA - Vandegrift Avenue, Building T-1100
Main Exchange Complex - 760-385-0383
PARRIS ISLAND, SC - Bldg 283, Boulevard De France
- 843-522-9440
To order, call (24/7/365) toll-free: 1-888-237-7683
MCA is your Birthday Ball Supply Headquarters
Visit our website or look through our Birthday Ball Catalog online.
CLICK HERE TO READ REVIEWS OF THE FOLLOWING AUDIO BOOKS.
Are misplaced spectacles
keeping you from reading the Marine Corps’ Professional
Reading program AGAIN??? MCA can help. Listen to what the Marine
Corps Association has to offer and we mean that literally with
the operant
buzz word being LISTEN!!!! MCA has an expanding selection of audio
books that you can listen to at your leisure. The audio books listed
below are ALL selections from the USMC Professional Reading Program.
More to the point, they are all GREAT books. Turn off the TV, rest
your eyes and listen to some great books.
***
MOVIE RELEASE
20 OCTOBER 2006
***
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
0553712462
Regular $29.95
Member $29.96
LISTEN TO
THE
BOOK...
THEN GO
SEE
IT!
***
MOVIE RELEASE
20 OCTOBER 2006
***
THE ART OF WAR
1400100674
Regular $23.00
Member $20.70
RAPE OF NANKING
0786180935
Regular $63.00
Member $56.70
The
MCA World Points Platinum Plus MasterCard is available to MCA Members.
Click here for more information and to apply.
MBNA’s recent merger with Bank of America means additional member
benefits to you. Greater financial options for your consideration will
be forthcoming. We will soon be offering American Express cards to our
members. Look for more information in upcoming issues.
Airlines
are battling on prices now. With early fall vacation opportunities
or planning future holiday travel, look to Semper Fi Travel for your
travel needs.
Apple
Member Purchase Program
Marine Corps Association members and their families can now take advantage
of the Apple Member Purchase Program (MPP).
With
the Apple Member Purchase Program (MPP), you can purchase Apple products
at a substantial savings for your own personal use. This includes items
like the popular iPod music player and our award-winning PowerBook, iMac,
iBook, screamingly fast Power Mac G5 and MacBook Pro. Members will also
enjoy savings on Apple software and other third-party products, including
a multitude of speakers, cases and other accessories made for your iPod.
MCA Members receive:
• Special MCA Member discounts on Apple products, including iPods
• Free standard shipping on all orders over $50
• Free laser engraving on all iPods
• Quarterly promotions
• Online custom product configuration
Members click here to log-in to visit the MCA/Apple Government MPP online
store and receive your discount.
Or call 1-800-MY-APPLE (and mention that you’re an MCA Member).
Dell also gives quality discounts to MCA Members. With school starting soon,
these offers might be hard to pass up.
Click
here for Dell's promotion.
Visit dell.com/ghc/flyer or
call 1-866-257-4711. Member ID: DS62593492
The Marine Corps Association is ever grateful for
the generous support provided by our sponsors at all of our special events.
We eagerly encourage
sponsorship support from new sponsors. In that light, the 2007 Corporate
Sponsorship Brochures will be available at the end of November. For more
information or to customize a sponsorship package, contact Lisa C. Williams
at l.williams@mca-marines.org.
Gold: 
Silver: 
Bronze: 
For sponsorship information, contact Lisa C. Williams, Director of Professional Development, at 800-336-0291 X 360 or l.williams@mca-marines.org
MCA continues to sponsor a range of interesting events that support Marines
and, of course, our members. Here is a list of some of the key events
coming up. We cordially invite our readers to visit our web site
for a complete and updated list. Visit www.mca-marines.org to stay updated.
Book Signing at Quantico
On 16 October 2006, MCA will host Frank A. Schaeffer author of Baby
Jack and
AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from
Military Service-and How it Hurts Our Country. Mr. Shaeffer will
make a formal presentation in the MCA atrium from 1000-1100 and will then make
himself available to autograph
books in the MCA Bookstore from 1130-1300. For more information, visit our
Upcoming Events section of our web site at www.mca-marines.org/profdev/events.htm or call the bookstore staff at 703 640 6161 ext 336.
Book Signing at Camp Lejeune
On 17 October 2006, MCA will host Frank A. Schaeffer author of Baby
Jack and
AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from
Military Service-and How it Hurts Our Country. Mr. Shaeffer will
be available at the MCA Camp Lejeune Bookstore from 1100-1230 to autograph
books. For more information,
visit our Upcoming Events section of our web site at www.mca-marines.org/profdev/events.htm or
call the bookstore staff at 910-451-7500.
Book Signing at Quantico
On 26 October MCA will host David Brown, author of Battlelines.
The author will be available to autograph books at the MCA Quantico bookstore
from 1130 – 1300.
For more information, visit our Upcoming Events section of our web site at
www.mca-marines.org/profdev/events.htm or
call the bookstore staff at 703 640 6161 ext 336.
Marine Corps Marathon
MCA will partner with the Semper Fi Injured Marine Fund to staff a booth at
the Marine Corps Marathon Expo on 27 and 28 October. We cordially invite the
public to visit us there – EVEN if you don’t plan to run in the
race !!
West Coast Retiree Luncheon
On 31 October MCA will host the West Coast Retiree Luncheon from 1100-1300
at the San Luis Rey Officer’s Club at Camp Pendleton. The guest speaker
for the event is LtGen James Mattis, Commanding General I-MEF.
For more information, visit our web site at www.mca-marines.org .
For reservations, visit:
www.mca-marines.org/profdev/retiree_luncheon_west.htm .
Boots on the Ground Program at Pensacola, Florida
On 31 October the MCA Enlisted Development Department will present a Boots
on the Ground program. The program serves as a forum for recent returnees from
operational theaters to recount lessons learned and to relay first hand accounts
of experiences in the war on terror and related issues of significance today
to attendees. MCA will provide a summary of the event on the MCA web site in
November.
Book Signing at Quantico
On 6 November, the MCA Bookstore will host Jack Lucas, author of Indestructible:
The Unforgettable Story of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima. The author,
a Medal of Honor recipient, will be available to autograph books from 1130-1300.
For more information, visit our Upcoming Events section of our web site at
www.mca-marines.org/profdev/events.htm or
call the bookstore staff at 703 640 6161 ext 336.
The first person to e-mail the correct answer to comments@mca-marines.org will
receive an exclusive Mission: Essential coin. Please include your
name
and address in your e-mail. Good luck!
Who was the first Marine to rise through the ranks from Private
to General?
Here is the September trivia question reprinted for ready reference: “Tangibly
protected America in Cold War with Marine Corps service as a reservist
- moved on to intangibly protect the Big Apple twice, in thespian
service with nom de guerre of Winstone Zeddemore (who you gonna call?).
What is his real name and in what two big hit classics did he help
save NYNY from dreaded ectoplasmic weapons of mass destruction?
And the answer is… Ernie Hudson played Winstone Zeddemore in
Ghostbuster’s I and II. Clearly this one was too easy. Way
too many clues. Of the 70 or so answers submitted only ONE was incorrect.
The MCA Trivia Think Tank (MCATTT) is now hard at work developing
new and improved trivia to confound, amuse, amaze and befuddle our
members in an effort to keep us from running out of mission essential
coins.
Congratulations to Ron Dominiecki of Mechanicsville, Maryland for
being the first with the correct answer.
MCA Today readers: If you would prefer this newsletter in text format,
please click
here.
COMMENTS? MCA
would really appreciate your comments and suggestions about our content
here. Please address your feedback to comments@mca-marines.org
Semper Fidelis!
Bill Hughes
Director of Marketing & Communications
MCA Today Editor
comments@mca-marines.org
