News|Obits|Obits

Marine Corps League Detachment’s founding commandant Dale Cook and president of the San Francisco Joe Rosenthal Chapter of the USMCCCA, was laid to rest recently.  (Photo from MCL1155)

By William Michels
(Bill Michel’s father served in the 4th MarDiv during WWII)

The funeral for Dale Cook was an impressive affair befitting an Iwo Jima veteran. In addition to Dale’s large extended family who attended from around the country, proudly assisting at the service were veterans from a number of local groups, led by a contingent of Marine veterans from the Delta Diablo Detachment 1155 Marine Corps League (1155 MCL), which Dale Cook founded. Ably assisting the 1155 MCL Det was Mount Diablo Det 942 MCL, VFW Post 10789, the American Legion Post 202, and staff of the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building. These veterans (including Marine veterans) coordinated flags, flowers and photographs for the Rosary Mass on the previous evening (Monday), and were prominent throughout today’s (Tuesday’s) full church service–many serving as pallbearers.

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Dale Cook, President of the USMCCCA, Joe Rosenthal Chapter, died at his home in Brentwood, Calif., February 29, 2019, at the age of 92. Cook is well known across Northern California for his seemingly tireless commitment to veterans’ causes and his pride in being a United States Marine. He was one of the few surviving Marines who invaded Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, 74 years ago.

A service for Josephine Savatt, wife of life member Russ Savatt Jr. (who passed away in 2015) will be held: Friday, March 8th at 2:30 pm Miramar National Cemetery 5795 Nobel Drive San Diego, CA 92122

Funeral service for Jack Paxton is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., May 14th for visitation, with service immediately following at Banks/Page Theus, 410 N. Webster Street, Wildwood, Fla. Burial will be at 12:30 p.m. at Bushnell National Cemetery, 6502 SW 102nd Avenue, Bushnell, Fla. Pat Paxton says there will Read more…

A celebration of life was held for Mawk Arnold in the American Legion hall in Fairhope, AL on Saturday and, as Tom Kerr of our organization reported, “the hall was filled to its rafters. I swear more than half of the town was there!” Kerr reported that Dale Dye and Read more…

A belated but sad note: Maj. Gen. Terry Murray, who served as the Corps’ Director of Public Affairs in the mid 1990s, died at home on June 17, 2017 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 31, 2017.

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 (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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Retired Marine Maj. Norman T. Hatch passed away, April 22, 2017. Hatch was a videographer in the Island Hopping Campaign during World War II. (U.S. Marine Corps Video by Cpl. Hunter L. Helis)

CCHQ heard from Ralph Austin that longtime member and former Leatherneck staffer Chuck Tyler passed away sometime last week. He served in Korea as a photographer with Jack Lewis and Ralph Austin. More info will be posted when it becomes available. From emails… “I will miss that raspy voice — Read more…

MGySgt. Bob Springer, 84, suffered a heart attack and died in San Diego, CA
on October 9. Services will be held at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery
on November 12. The information was passed to CCHQ by Bob’s oldest
daughter, Rusty Rodriguez who indicated that Bob had been in apparently good
health. As Rusty said “he was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather
and we all miss him terribly.”