Commandant: John S. Rutovich Chartered November 28, 1945 Editor: Marc S. Dunne Volume 73, Issue 4 Chartered May 23, 1949 April 2012

Message From The Commandant:

Between 7 February and 11 March, the members of Detachment 141

stepped up for final call duties:

Feb. 7/8 Marine William Daley

Feb. 9 Marine Paul Porter

Feb. 26/27 Marine Christopher Arzola

March 9 Marine Frank Moderski

March 11 Marine John Siedel

All the families were grateful that the Marine Corps League was

there for them.

In the near future a new home will be built for Marine Joshua Bou-

chard and your help will be needed. Watch for call to duty, further in-

formation forthcoming.

Our goal to sell over 100 Scholarship Dinner tickets has been

achieved. 124 tickets were sold and my personal thanks to all the partic-

ipants who answered the call to duty.

May God be with the Warriors of yesterday and today as they serve

the United States of America.

Semper Fi,

John S. Rutovich

Commandant

Scuttlebutt Newsletter of the Westfield River Valley Detachment 141

Serving the Greater Springfield Area

Hampden & Hampshire Counties

Commandant

John S Rutovich

“The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle”

General Pershing, U.S. Army

2 About Us: The Westfield River Valley, Detachment 141 and Aux-

iliary are located in Westfield, Massachusetts. The

Detachment’s Charter was signed on November 28,

1945. The Auxiliary unit received it’s Charter on May

23, 1949, but was misplaced and on October 25, 1979

received their new Charter.

Fundraisers: The Detachment and Auxiliary work close together in

support of the principles of the Marine Corps League.

We hold several annual fundraising events including: a

scholarship dinner, flag pin sales on Mother’s Day and

Father’s Day, July 4th pig roast, a baked potato and

chili booth at the Westfield Fair, a motorcycle run and

a July 4th and Christmas calendar raffle. The Detach-

ment hands out 4 scholarships totaling ($1200.00) eve-

ry year. Our motorcycle run is entering its fourth year,

and this year we donated 100% of the proceeds

($5700.00) to the Marines Helping Marines/Wounded

Warriors Fund.

Financial Support: The Detachment provides and has provided financial

support to the following:

Captain John Maloney Fund

Sgt. Joshua Desforges Fund

The Chapel of Four Chaplains

Tree of Lights

Marines Helping Marines

Wounded Warriors

Holyoke Soldiers Home

Veterans Hospital—Leeds

Westover Young Marines

Marine Corps League Youth Fitness Program

Korean War Memorial

Local Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs

Westfield Veterans Council

Americanism Program

In December, we host a Children’s Christmas Party at

the barracks and a Kid’s Skate Party at Amelia Skate

Park during school vacation, along with serving break-

fast for all veterans every Saturday morning from 0600

-1200.

Meetings: Detachment meetings are held at 1900 on the 2nd Mon-

day of each month at the Marine Barracks located at 71

North Elm Street, Westfield, MA. Social hour is at

1800.

Community Involvement: Our members are actively involved in the Greater Spring-

field area. We provide:

Color Guards for Memorial Day and Veterans Day

services, parades and other patriotic occasions.

Honor Guards for funerals of military veterans.

Care packages to deployed Marines and FMF Corps-

men.

Speakers for local and area schools for patriotic occa-

sions.

Certificates of Appreciation to leaders of community

organizations and private citizens who demonstrate

patriotism.

Good Citizenship Awards to Boy Scouts who attain

the rank of Eagle Scout.

Flag Retirement Ceremonies.

Marine Corps Birthday Ceremonies.

Assistance to Marines, families and Marine Units.

The Detachment also sponsored the 2010 Department of

Massachusetts Convention at Westover Air Reserve Base.

Detachment Awards: Distinguished Detachment Award (2006)

National Jr. Vice Commandant’s Citation for 100%

Membership (2007, 2009)

Meritorious Unit Commendation (2009)

Honorable Mention for Americanism Book (2011)

Certificate of Participation, National Newsletter

(2011)

Detachment 141 Marines of the Year: The following members have been honored as Detach-

ment Marines of the Year:

1998 Arthur Fisher

1999 Don Dorrington

2005 John S. Rutovich

2008 Thomas D. Pirnie

2009 Frederic R. Hoekstra

2010 Daniel J. Bishop

2011 Brian Dupee

3 Detachment 141 would like to thank all our sponsors from the community and our membership

for their continued dedication and support of this monthly newsletter.

You can place your ad

HERE, find out how, call

413-250-5515.

Upcoming Detachment 141 Events

Come see us every Saturday for breakfast, hours are from 0600-1200. (depending on food) Our menu in-

cludes eggs, sausage, toast, SOS, home fries, hash, juice, milk, coffee, (regular and decaf), donuts, pastry,

and breakfast bars. Enjoy the company of your fellow members, watch the news on the big screen TV or

mingle with the vets from the Soldiers Home or Leeds. Why watch history on TV when you can sit right

next to it at the barracks.

Sun. April 1: Vietnam Memorial Ceremony, Court Square @ 1:00

Mon. April 9: Detachment 141 meeting

Fri. April 13: MCL Night at the Springfield Falcons @ 7:30 p.m.

Sun. May 6: MA Pack Growl @ Worcester Detachment @ 1:00 p.m.

Fri. May 11: Flag pin sales at Geissler’s Market (Fri. Sat. Sun.)

Sun. May 13: Pound 276 Growl @ Detachment 141 @ 1:00 p.m.

Mon. May 14: Detachment 141 meeting

Mon. May 28: Memorial Day Parade in Westfield

***Saturday Breakfast ***

Come on down

4

Scuttlebutt Scuttlebutt is the official newsletter of the Westfield River Valley, Detachment 141, Dept. of Mass. Ma-

rine Corps League, and is intended only for the information of its members. Articles and photos do not

necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Marine Corps or the Marine Corps League. Detachment

Headquarters is located at 71 North Elm Street, Westfield, MA. 01085. Items for publication should be

dropped off at headquarters or by contacting the editor. For current events and up to date calendar items,

go to our Web Site at www.mclwrv141.com. The Detachment phone number is 413-562-4850

Detachment 141 Officers:

Commandant: John Rutovich sakejack61@comcast.net 413-222-2684

Senior Vice: Marc Dunne MarcDunne@comcast.net 413-250-5515

Jr. Vice: Roger Beer rbeer4@comcast.net 413-437-7542

Adjutant: Geoff Croteau geoffcroteau@gmail.com 413-222-4883

Judge Advocate: Don “Doc” Rivette devildoc734@hotmail.com 413-583-8931

Paymaster: Mike Burke mapabarkingdog@aol.com 413-568-3689

Sgt. at Arms Aldo Mancini manscruffy@comcast.net 413-789-0830

Jr. Past Commandant: Brian Dupee bdupee6281@charter.net 413-527-6281

Chaplain: J.B. Stern jarhead2squid@hotmail.com 413-530-2391

Asst. Chaplain: James Bouchard jamesbouchard@comcast.net 413-687-9262

Photos: Matt Knas tatra@charter.net 413-525-6270

PAO: Frank Real fgreal@aol.com 413-348-7885

5

Warriors by Day, Lovers by Night, Professionals by Choice and Marines by the Grace of

God.

Membership—182 Marines/Corpsmen—90

Associates—30

Paid Life Members—60

Honorary—2

Upcoming Dues:

April Dues James Graham, Jr., Lawrence Latour, Lynn O’Neil, Barbara Rivette, Benjamin Surprise

May Dues James Bouchard, Francisco Duncan, John Foley, Stephen Jemiolo, John Johnson, Jeffrey Johnson,

Richard Montagna, Richard Tyrell, Daniel Walsh, III, Waldo Rankin

Dues Reminder Remember, if you are delinquent for more than 1 year, you can and will be dropped from the De-

tachment roster. You will need to pay ALL dues in arrears in order to be considered a member in

good standing, or you can become a NEW member again and pay the initiation fee.

Life Membership Dues

Members age 35 and younger……..$500

Members age 36-50…….$400

Members age 51-60…….$300

Members age 61 and over…….$150

Happy Birthday to the following members: (1st) Matt Knas, (3rd) Paul Tessier PLM, (4th) James Graham PLM, (7th) John Rhodes PLM, (18th)

Geoffrey Croteau, (20th) Waldo Rankin, Bill Chandler, (23rd) Dan Bishop PLM, (25th) John

Knapik PLM, (28th) Benjamin Surprise, (30th) Roland Boissonault PLM, James Laverty

Congratulations to our 2012 New Life Members: J.B. Stern

Welcome Aboard to our New Members: Robert Wargo

Marine Spotlight

Paul Rubera

Where were you born? Hartford, CT.

Graduated from? (High School) Windsor High School, Windsor, CT

Married? Children? Divorced, 2 sons—36 and 34

Graduated from? (Boot Camp) Parris Island, 2nd Battalion, Platoon 239

MOS 2854/9940

First Duty Station? MCAS, El Toro, California

Last Duty Station? MCAS, El Toro, California

What did you do after leaving the Corps? Went to college and got married

Favorite meal? Sushi

Current occupation? 100% Disabled, Chairman of Agent Orange

Assoc. for Vietnams Veterans of America

Where were you on 7 December 1941? Not of this world yet

Favorite President? George Washington

Favorite movie? It’s a Wonderful Life

Favorite actor? John Wayne

Favorite comedian? Don Rickles

Favorite book? 5000 year Leap

Favorite vacation place? Anywhere near the ocean

Favorite subject to talk about? History

Favorite quote? “I know not what course others may take, but as

for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

What do you think of today’s Marines? The finest, that there ever has been

Most memorable lifetime event? Besides becoming a Marine, the birth of my son’s

Did you make the Corps your career? No, but I wish I had

Would you do it all over again? Yes, no doubt!!

Should politics be kept out of the military? Yes, definitely!!

All time favorite Marine? Chesty Puller

6

MACG-38 was activated on 1 September 1967 at MCAS El Toro, California. The group relocated to

MCAS Miramar in October 1998. MACG-38 took part in the 2003 Iraqi Invasion and most recently was

deployed to Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan in 2010. MAG-16 is currently composed of one CH-46 Sea

Knight squadron, four V-22 Osprey squadrons, four CH-52 Super Stallion squadrons. Both groups falls un-

der the command of the 3rd MAW and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (1 MEF). On the evening of 12-

13 August, helicopters from MAG-16 participated in the first night helicopter assault of the Vietnam War.

All 245 Marines returned to Da Nang without incident.

7

“Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweiler’s and Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and

mean or skinny and mean. They are aggressive on the attack and tenacious on the defense. They’ve got

really short hair and they always go for the throat.” RAdm. “Jay” R. Stark, USN; 10 November 1995

3 April 1945: On Okinawa, Marines of the III Marine Amphibious Corps continued to make good progress,

all along their front, clearing Zampa Misaki and seizing the Katchin Peninsula, thus effectively cutting the is-

land in two. By this date (D+2), III AC elements had reached objectives thought originally to require 11 days

to take.

5 April 1947: Five Marine guards were killed and 8 wounded when attacked by Communist Chinese raiders

near Hsin Ho ammunition depot in Northern China. The last major clash between Marines of the 1st Marine

Division and Communist forces occurred shortly after withdrawal and redeployment plans from China were

issued for the 1st Division and 1st MAW on 1 April.

10 April 1959: Lieutenant John H. Glenn, Jr. was named as one of the original seven Project Mercury astro-

nauts selected for space training. The seven astronauts, all volunteers, were selected by NASA from an initial

group of 110 leading military test pilots. Three years later, on 20 February 1962, Col. Glenn would become

the first American to orbit the Earth.

12-13 April 1918: Marines from the 4th Brigade suffered their first gas attack on the night and early morning

hours of 12-13 April when the Germans bombarded the 74th Company, 6th Marines near Verdun with mus-

tard gas. Nine Marine officers and 305 enlisted Marines were gassed and evacuated, and 30 Marines died

from the effects of the gas shells which hit in the middle of the reserve area cantonments in which they were

sleeping.

15 April 1962: Marine Corps operational involvement in the Vietnam War began on Palm Sunday when

HMM-362 with it’s Sikorsky UH-34s arrived Soc Trang in the Delta south of Saigon. The task unit was

called “Shufly” and it’s first operational employment involved lifting Vietnamese troops into battle.

18 April 1983: One Marine security guard was killed and seven were wounded when a large car bomb ex-

ploded just outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. Lance Corporal Robert McMaugh was standing

guard at Post 1, just inside the front entrance when the bomb exploded outside the door. The explosion killed

61 people including 17 Americans. L/Cpl McMaugh was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on 26 April.

21 April 1951: Marine carrier-based airplanes made their first aerial contact with enemy planes over the Ko-

rean front lines. Capt. Phillip C. DeLong shot down 2 YAK fighters and 1st Lieutenant Harold D. Daigh de-

stroyed one more and damaged another in the heavily defended Pyongyang-Chinnanpo area. Both pilots were

with VMF-312 flying from the USS Bataan.

27 April 1805: First Lieutenant Presley N. O’Bannon, who with seven other Marines was part of a force with

Greeks and Arabs led by American Consul William Eaton, raised the United States flag for the first time over

a conquered fortress of the Old World at Derne, a stronghold of the Tripolitan pirates. Two Marines were

killed and one wounded in the assault on the walled city.

28 April 1993: The last A-E6 Intruder departed from Marine Corps service. Marine All Weather Attack

Squadron 332 transferred the last A-E6 Intruder to St. Augustine, Florida, and prepared for the squadron’s

transition to the F/A-18D and eventual movement from Cherry Point to Beaufort, South Carolina.

This Month In History….

8 Detachment 141 names Matt Knas “Associate of the Year”

Detachment 141 Commandant John Rutovich, right, presents the plaque and citation to Matt

Knas. “He is an asset to our Detachment,” said Commandant Rutovich.

Matt Knas, from East Longmeadow was named the “2011 Associate of the Year”, by the West-

field River Valley, Detachment 141, Marine Corps League at its monthly meeting on 12 March.

Matt was honored for his contributions as the Detachment photographer and historian. Matt also

participates with the Americanism Book.

Born in northern Poland in 1958 to a family that only knew oppression from World War I, the

Polish Russian War of 1920, the German Invasion in 1939, and the communist takeover after World

War II, Knas was a freedom fighter in the underground and at one point was threatened when a Rus-

sian officer held a gun to his head. He and his family were thrown out of their native land in 1983

under another threat of prison.

After a time in Washington, D.C., the family including his father, mother, brother and brother-in-

law, relocated to East Longmeadow and Ludlow.

Besides working full-time, Matt makes himself available to take photos and put together a history

of the Detachment that was incorporated in 1945.

He also re-enacts World War II history by leading a contingent of Polish Calvary in local pa-

rades, wearing the uniform of a Captain, the same his grandfather wore when he and more than 100

cavalry members were captured and executed by the Germans as they tried to escape to Romania.

In 1980, Matt and his father joined the illegal Solidarity Union. Matt also joined the Polish Con-

federacy, an underground military group aimed at overthrowing the communist regime. Photo and

story by PAO Frank Real.

9 Homes for our Troops, Joshua Bouchard’s New Home

Help Joshua Build His House

A Color Guard detail will be needed for Joshua’s Open House, Volunteer for this Great Event.

MODD Birthday Bash, Worcester Detachment on 17 March

Worthy MA Pack Leader

Francis Curnow

PDD Orville Antilla

Pound 318 Pound Keeper

PDD Thomas (Smiley) Pirnie

PDD Norman Dobson, PDD Robert White, PDD Gerry Boutin

Military Order of the Devil Dogs

Pound #276, MA Pack Pound Keeper: Mike “Speedy” Burke

WHAT IT IS

The Military Order of Devil Dogs is the Fun and Honor Society of the Marine Corps League.

1. WHAT IT DOES

It promotes good fellowship amongst the members of different Marine Corps League Detachments. The

Order provides amusement and entertainment at all gatherings of the League, when and where advisable.

It assists in the accomplishment of all programs and objectives of the League, preserves and strengthens

the principles and ideals of the League, and maintains true allegiance to the United States of America and

its Constitution and laws. It fosters and extends American institutions of freedom and defends America

against all enemies whatsoever. The Order is also VERY active in raising funds for different charities.

WHO BELONGS

The Military Order of the Devil Dogs is made up of only members of the Marine Corps League. The Or-

der accepts only the most worthy of League members.

HOW TO JOIN

You must be a paid-up member and in good standing in the Marine Corps League with at least one year's

membership. The applicant must be active in his or her Detachment in the League, and must request

membership in the Order. He or she must be recommended by his or her Detachment Commandant and be

sponsored by two Devil Dogs or Pedigreed Devil Dogs. The applicant is then interviewed by the members

of the Pound at the Pound Growl. (A meeting is called a Growl.) If accepted, the applicant must undergo

an initiation and swearing-in ceremony. Then he or she becomes a Pup in the Order.

ORGANIZATION

The Pound is on a local level and is usually made up of members of different Marine Corps League De-

tachments. On the State level there is the Pack, and on the National level there is a Kennel. There are

three different degrees in the Order. The lowest degree is that of Pup. The next degree is that of Devil

Dog. The highest degree is that of Pedigreed Devil Dog. The Pup wears a black ribbon, the Devil Dog

wears a red ribbon, and the Pedigreed Devil Dog wears a gold ribbon. The ribbon is worn around the neck

and a Dog Tag is attached to it.

The head of the Pound is called the Pound Keeper. The head of the pack is the Pack Leader. The head of

the Kennel is also the head of all Devil Dogs and is called Chief Devil Dog.

The Order's many charitable donations not only help people in need, but also build good public relations

for the Order, the League, and the United States Marine Corps.

Next Growl on 13 May @ 1300 at Detachment 141

Westfield River Valley Detachment 141

MCL

71 North Elm Street

Westfield, MA 01069

www.mclwrv141.com

From the East, take Exit 3 off the Mass

Pike, thru toll booth and stay right on Rt.

202, N. Elm Street. Go down the hill thru

the lights and straight ahead. Stay right,

1st building on left after parking lot.

Saepe Expertus, Semper Fidelis, Fratres Aetern, Often Tested, Always

Faithful, Brothers Forever