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Year in Review – 2024

As 2024 comes to an end, we reflect on our detachment’s accomplishments, areas for improvement and our impact on our community.  As a method of reflection, we look at the mission of the Marine Corps League and then look at a summary of our detachment’s annual actions. The mission includes being guided by the principles of camaraderie, fellowship and service to country and community.    

Our accomplishments:

  • Growth in membership
  • Veteran essay competition
  • Donation of bench
  • Support local Taekwondo competitors
  • Birthday celebration
  • Marine of the year
  • Website
  • Toys for Tots collaboration with Tiny Tim

This year we’ve welcomed three new members to our detachment. Our detachment relies on new membership, active participation of members and commitment to one another. Growth in membership is not exclusive to the number of members who join. Growth includes those who step into leadership roles, attend meetings, represent our detachment and are a valuable contributor to the success of our organization.  

Early in 2024 our detachment reached out to local Essex County school career counselors. We offered high school seniors the opportunity to participate in our veteran essay contest. Four students won $500 prize money for their outstanding responses to address how a veteran effected their life growing up. Our membership enjoyed reading all the essays we received. We are honored to support some local youth as they embark on life after high school.

This year we celebrated the Marine Corps birthday in grand style. Approximately 50 of us enjoyed an evening of celebration and merriment. Together, we honored both our Marine Corps traditions and incorporated a few detachment traditions.  We were touched by unexpected handwritten thank you notes from local school children. For so many Marines, our youngest citizens and their future are what can keep us hanging on during seemingly impossible situations. All in all, it was a fine evening. As next year marks the 250th birthday of the Marine Corps, plans are already underway to make it a memorable experience.   

Thank you letter from elementary school student

We found an opportunity to support a local business. A member introduced a news article highlighting Avery Energy re-opening serving ice cream and proposed to the detachment to donate a bench. The organization concurred through a vote to offer a custom-made bench to the business in Crown Point for customers to sit for a spell and enjoy themselves.  A special thanks to Clayton D Menser Sr for donating the wood and to Bob Tompkins for building the bench.

Bench donated to local business

Our membership became aware of and voted to provide some financial support to two local Taekwondo students of the Moriah Martial Arts Center who qualified to compete in Nationals. Local instructor Master Nestor Rodriguez trained sisters Morgan Towns and Paige Towns.  Paige place first in three events and second in two events. Morgan placed second in three events and third in two events. Our detachment celebrates the excellence of these young ladies and their teacher.

The detachment Marine of the Year, Frederick Nadeau was recognized at the Marine Corps birthday celebration. We honored Frederick with a custom-made plaque (complete with a KA-BAR), a handshake and applause for his accomplishments as a member who takes selling detachment raffle tickets to an art form.

This year we stood up the essexcountyleathernecks.org website. This is the third website supporting our detachment (the other two are no longer). It is with special thanks to the prior web sergeants (Mike Forand, as one) for their prior work and support of this new site. We envision this site will be a way to fulfill the mission of the Marine Corps League, share information about us, our comings and goings and how we are leading our detachment. Of equal importance, we envision this site to connect to our community, veterans and to the Marines we have yet to meet. Whether you join us or not (and we would love to have you) may this website be a connection, a laugh or a memory that helps you remember the Marine in you and that you are always welcome here.   

Finally, we welcomed the opportunity to renew our partnership with local volunteer organization, Tiny Tim. Our detachment Toys for Tots lead Mike Forand collaborated with the New York State Marine Corps League Toys for Tots lead to add an age-appropriate toy to the necessities provided by Tiny Tim. Together the Marine Corps League and Tiny Tim supported 72 families and almost 200 local children in this season of giving.  

Toys for Tots staging area

An area we are still working on:

  • A physical home

This year was not without its disappointments. Over the years our detachment has sought a physical structure which we could call our own. Historically we had a false start or two to establish our home. However this year Essex County Leatherneck’s home seemed more real with detailed drawings, an area of land we’d started clearing…in essence a real possibility.  We had a vision this home would be for the detachment’s monthly meetings and a space for members to use for recreation, support and camaraderie. It was fortunate our planners were coordinating with stakeholders as we learned the New York Marine Corps League changed its bylaws and it left our detachment having to scrap our plans once again.

At present we will continue to split our meetings between the Ticonderoga VFW building and in the summer months in Crown Point. Despite this setback, we are regrouping internally and we are open to alternate suggestions from our local Essex County community. Are you aware of any local buildings which could help us find our home?

As we say goodbye to 2024 we acknowledge our successes and let go any disappointments. We know that old dogs can learn new tricks. Going forward, we are stronger from our experiences and ready to thrive in 2025. Our deepest gratitude to all the Marines, Marine Corps League members and Essex County neighbors who make our veteran’s service organization possible. We welcome your feedback on how we might serve you, our community, in 2025 and beyond. Please reach out to any of our officers (or detachment members if you know them) to start the conversation. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your interest in our organization.

Respectfully,

Essex County Leathernecks  

Detachment 791 of the Marine Corps League

The Marines have landed and have the situation well in hand.

Popularized by correspondent Richard Harding Davis

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