Thursday, September 10, 2020

Our Next Reunion Annapolis Sep 10-13, 2020

Warning Order Det 4 Reunion Sep 10 through 13, 2020, Annapolis, Navy Academy

Situation: Reunion - Annapolis, Navy Academy

Mission: Tell sea stories, eat, drink, party, sail, watch Navy football, tour the Naval Academy.

Execution: This is mandatory Drill! Be There and Be Square, On Time and On Target, unless you have an excused absence from your Dr. and/or Spouse.

Administration/Logistics: Details to follow but will include a sailboat excursion, Navy football game, tour of the Naval Academy, eating and drinking, morning formation and run, and a PFT. Details on the meeting hotel to follow:

Command/Signal: Emails to follow, Info will be on our blog, http://det4.blogspot.com/

Drew and Margaret are putting this together. Our thanks to them. Check out the very cool website of the organization that Drew is running.

https://www.wwiifoundation.org/

https://www.wwiifoundation.org/about-us/ceo/

SMEAC

Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration/Logistics, Command/Signal

SMEAC is the five paragraph order and is used by the Marine Corps, Army and other parts of the United States Military. The five paragraph order stands for Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration/Logistics, Command/Signal.

We put this in for the pilots and grunts who forgot what it means.

Semper Fi

Thursday, December 05, 2019

Happy Holidays, Merry XMAS and Happy Hanukkah

usmc-merry-christmas-vietnam-war-1970-via-seal

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Thanksgiving Dinner Back in the Good Old Days - Finger Licking Good!

Thanksgiving Dinner Back in the Good Old Days - Finger Licking Good!

Our turkey dinner in Vietnam!

Add a heat tab.... and a veritable feast for our Boys!!!

Delicious and nutritious. It was better with hot sauce.

Some guys liked Nước chấm sauce with it. Nước chấm is a Vietnamese dipping sauce - an acquired taste.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Military Funeral Honors

Many families still do not know that since Jan. 1, 2000 every armed forces veteran and member on active duty or in the active reserve has had the right to be buried with patriotic flourishes provided by a military honor guard. On that date, Military Funeral Honors became a statutory benefit to all veterans with the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act. The law requires that, upon the family's request, every eligible veteran is entitled to receive a military funeral honors ceremony to include folding, presentation of the United States burial flag and the sounding of taps, at no cost to the family.

In addition, as opposed to a CD used to play taps, a not-for-profit organization Bugles Across America will even provide a uniformed bugler to play a live rendition of taps in recognition of the service these veterans have provided to their country. Their webpage request is www.buglesacrossamerica.org/requestabugler.aspx.

In the event of the death of a prior–service Marine or a retired Marine and a Marine honor guard is desired to provide military funeral honors the funeral home or next-of-kin must telephone HQMC at 866–826–3628. Be prepared to provide the following information:

Name

Rank

Social Security number

Service number (serial service number, if applicable)

Date of birth

Date of passing

Funeral home

Place of interment (cemetery)

HQMC must confirm the deceased is/was a Marine. For a retired Marine, the Social Security number should trigger the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) thus confirming retirement. In the case of a prior-service Marine a DD-214 or Honorable Discharge certificate must be available for transmission to HQMC.

Time is a critical element in obtaining an honor guard so as much of this information should be assembled now.

I hope this information will not be needed for a very, very long time. In the mean time keep this with your important papers.

Semper Fi,

Bob Dart

CWO-5, USMC (Ret)

https://www.hqmc.marines.mil/Agencies/Casualty-MFPC/Funeral-Honors/

https://www.military.com/benefits/burial-and-memorial/military-funeral-honors.html

Saturday, June 01, 2019

MSgt Ed Gabrenya Rest in Peace

With the deepest of regrets I have to inform you that MSgt. Ed Gabrenya assumed his duties as NCOIC of heaven's Marine detail today at approximately 1600 local Wed, Sep 2019. Services are pending. I will communicate the details of them when received.

Say a prayer to accompany Ed on his journey.

Semper Fi,

Bob Dart

________________

Very sorry to hear it. Ed was a great Marine and a plank holder with the Squadron. He always had a can do attitude and always got the job done.

He saved the day at Operation High Intercept at Cherry Point. The exercise was badly screwed up. The helicopters were on ships and we did not have the correct frequencies. Ed went out to the TRC-75 in the field and took it through the frequency spectrum until he found the Navy. Without Ed that exercise would have been a disaster.

Ed was the Squadron Comm Chief for many years. He was very knowledgeable about all that MWCS-48 did, and always worked hard to make sure we accomplished our mission.

Ed had a great Marine family as shown by the photo below. Rest in Peace, Marine.

Semper Fi

Craig Hullinger

MSgt Ed Grabenya, Sons, Son in Law, and Grandsons

MSgt Ed Grabenya, Sons, Son in Law, and Grand Sons

Christmas 2014

Ed is in the center. The first two Marines to his right are his sons. The Marine to his left is his son in law. The Marines on the outside, left and right, are his grandsons. And he has another Marine grandson, Ryan who enlisted in the Marines after this photo was taken.

MSgt Gabrenya spent almost 28 years in the Marines, Regular and Reserve. He was a member of Marine Wing Communication Squadron at Glenview, Illinois for 25 years. He was the Communication Chief of the Squadron.