Manley Notes
Reach Out And Feel The Pride
Page 4
support of Marine units, and to their
families, to help defray expenses in-
curred during hospitalization, rehabili-
tation, and recovery.
Take a second to visit the website of
the IMSFF at www.semperfifund.org
to learn more about this much
needed at the right time organization.
When making your charitable dona-
tions, remember them and send your
check to:
Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
825 College Blvd, Suite 102
PMB 609
Oceanside, CA 92057
It is not what the
politician may say; it is
what the people hear. It
is not the act of the
politician but the
perception of the people
toward that act.
Prez Retires After Eight Years At Helm
It began in 1998 when I raised my hand during the closing minutes of the
Virginia Beach reunion. My act of volunteerism was limited to the job of
“assisting” but by the time we arrived in Baton Rouge in 1999, I discovered I
had the “con.” After staging four more reunions and acting as your leader for
nearly eight years, time has arrived to pass command off to a much younger
“volunteer” to steer this little -- but great -- organization. Not only is it time to
renew batteries, but a fresh imagination and perspective will do wonders to
take our progress several more steps further.
When you graduated from high school in ‘52, did you ever want to attend a
reunion for the class of ‘72? Of course not and I understand why. Unlike
any other group or branch of service, and even unlike other Navy reunions,
the Manley Association has been successful in erasing the lines that
separate crews. We have become a crew of our own and it was never more
evident than in Norfolk. Shipmates have become closer shipmates; friends
have become dear friends.
I never knew Joe Bolden or Doug Mateja or Tom Young or Bill Ryan or many
of you before the Manley Association, we never served together; yet, Shirley
and I have been invited to so many towns and into so many homes that we
could not accept all of the invitations in our lifetime. That really gets to us.
I cannot express sufficiently Shirley’s and my gratitude to Priscilla Ryan for
the beautiful quilt she created over eighteen months of
pure labor. It has been assigned a place of honor in our
home. When I walked into the banquet on Sunday
evening after a my unplanned but brief hospital stay, I
was greeted with a standing ovation. That will stay with
me for a very, very long time.
As I said then, I repeat now: right back at you! The
success of any organization depends primarily on the
people who make up the organization. Your importance
cannot be diminished by the acts of one or two
individuals who guide the ship. It wasn’t the
commanding officer who made Manley; it was the crew.
Leadership plays a role, an important one, but the
enthusiasm and energy comes from the people and
makes the mission doable.
I give thanks to quite a number of people who worked
very hard to make The Homecoming Reunion a success
and they will understand when they are not listed here because the list is too
long. Suffice it to say that my appreciation has been appropriately
expressed.
Because of my medical evacuation to the hospital Sunday morning and the
circumstances, the business meeting planned for that afternoon was
canceled. Now we need to carry on in the fairest and most practical mode to
achieve an election of officers and select a slate of cities to be considered
for the next reunion in ’09. It is considered impractical to ask for nominations
from the “floor” because the “floor” now extends from Maine to Texas and
from California to New Jersey.
Quilt presented by Priscilla Ryan to the Dennisons
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