Jason Fudge

A Tribute to Major Mawk Arnold USMC (Ret) 1924-2018

Retired Major Mawk Arnold (center) is joined by lst Marine Division Snuffies, retired Captains Russ Thurman (left) and Dale Dye, during a visit to the Denig Memorial at the Marine Corps Museum during the 2016 annual conference. (Photo by former Captain Debbie Thurman)

Retired Major Mawk Arnold (center) is joined by lst Marine Division Snuffies, retired Captains Russ Thurman (left) and Dale Dye, during a visit to the Denig Memorial at the Marine Corps Museum during the 2016 annual conference. (Photo by former Captain Debbie Thurman)

(Editor’s note: An additional obit was published on http://www.gulfcoastnewstoday.com)

By Capt. Dale Dye USMC (Ret)

It’s indisputable that I would not have survived my service in Vietnam if it hadn’t been for a rugged, rawboned mustang officer who enlisted in the Marine Corps nearly a year before I was born. In fact, none of the seriously twisted bull-goose loonies that served as Combat Correspondents in the 1st Marine Division under Captain Mawk Arnold would have lived through their combat tours — much less avoided serious brig time — without the guidance, patience and protection of the man who was then and continues to be our Skipper. 

Mawk Arnold USMC (Ret) 1924-2018

Mawk Arnold USMC (Ret) 1924-2018 (Photo courtesy of Bob Bowen)

Mordecai R. Arnold, out of Texas via Alabama and practically all points east and west where Marines have planted boondockers, is my hero, but the noun fails to convey what he really means to those of us who served with The Skipper. There aren’t enough terms in a thesaurus to cover the depth of gratitude, emulation, admiration and devotion we feel for the gentle giant in whose shadow we spent the most seminal times of our lives. For the double handful of us Marine Corps combat correspondents who made it through the crucible of frenetic combat operations in northern I Corps circa 1967-69, only one term fits when we talk about The Skipper: love. We loved The Skipper unashamedly and unabashedly and we’ll gleefully rip the lungs right out of any macho sonofabitch that wants to challenge that emotion. We learned that from The Skipper who often threatened to do something similar — if less violently — to anyone who messed with his wayward boys in or out of combat. 

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By Jason Fudge, ago

Dale Dye to Receive Inaugural Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award

Dale Dye will be presented the inaugural Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th annual Beaufort International Film Festival. The festival dates are February 21-25, 2018 with the Red Carpet Reception and Awards Gala taking place on Sunday, February 25th at the University of South Carolina, Beaufort, Center for the Arts.

Dale Dye will be presented the inaugural Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th annual Beaufort International Film Festival. The festival dates are February 21-25, 2018 with the Red Carpet Reception and Awards Gala taking place on Sunday, February 25th at the University of South Carolina, Beaufort, Center for the Arts.

The Beaufort Film Society is pleased to announce that Dale Dye will be presented the inaugural Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th annual Beaufort International Film Festival. The festival dates are February 21-25, 2018 with the Red Carpet Reception and Awards Gala taking place on Sunday, February 25th at the University of South Carolina, Beaufort, Center for the Arts.

“If you look at his body of work in the film industry over the past three decades, read the stories from the directors he has worked with like Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg, and Oliver Stone, you’ll see why we’re so very honored to present the first Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award to Hollywood Legend Dale Dye,” stated Beaufort Film Society President Ron Tucker.

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By Jason Fudge, ago

Shawn Rhodes is back aboard

Tampa, Florida CC, former Sgt. Shawn Rhodes, rejoined his former Devil Dog colleagues in the USMCCCA this fall. An international expert in creating high-performing organizations, Shawn is a Tampa-based TEDx speaker whose work studying organizations in more than two dozen countries has been highlighted in TIME, CNN, NBC and INC. Read more…

By Jason Fudge, ago

Progress for Rosenthal Chapter on naming ship

Progress continues on our effort to honor Joe Rosenthal with a Navy ship. While Joe earned the Pulitzer Prize and many other awards during his long career, newer generations of San Franciscans and Americans deserve to know the name of the creator of the most significant photograph ever taken. While some of us may have faded over the decades, Joe’s photo shines just a brightly as it did 72 years ago!
 
Our current efforts fall into three categories:
 
1. Outreach and signature collection during Veterans Day Weekend, when numerous public events take place, more than we can hope to attend. But we will represent the USS Joe wherever we can in the Bay Area, and this year, in Philadelphia.
 
2. Increased contact with the Press. Joe’s birthday, Fleet Week, and now Veterans Day, all provide opportunities for the Press to run the story. Last week I was interviewed for  www.ConnectingVeterans.com and their show on CBS radio. 
 
I am now contacting organizations and websites serving the photography community. While we think of Joe in the context of history, he was, after all, a successful photojournalist for most of his life, and his name is up there with the other photography greats. In addition to his Pulitzer Prize, Joe was a longtime President of the San Francisco Press Club, a member of the USMC Combat Correspondents Association, is in the International Photography Hall of Fame, and Time Magazine ranked his Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima among the 100 greatest photos ever taken (Personally, I would say it’s in the top five.). Our outreach to date has been largely aimed at the veterans community; we are now connecting with a new audience. 

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By Jason Fudge, ago