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Russell W. Savatt, Jr. MGySgt. USMC (Ret.) died peacefully on September 7, 2015, at his home in Poway, California. He was 87 years old. Services will be held Wednesday, September 30, 2015, at 11:00 am at the Miramar National Cemetery. Russell was raised in Kings Park, NY and is preceded in death by his parents Russell W. & Helen Savatt and his sister Sally (Joe) LaValle. Russell is survived by his wife Josephine, four children: Laura Reynolds (Jim), Russell W. Savatt III (Chris), Mark Savatt and Claudine Hagerstrom (Robert) and their beloved grandchildren.

General Carl E. Mundy, Jr., 30th Commandant of the Marine Corps and friend of the USMCCCA.

General Carl E. Mundy, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps, Retired, 30th Commandant of the Marine Corps, passed away on April 3, 2014. He was honored in a Military Tribute at The Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va., April 12th. Funeral and burial services will be held at the First United Methodist Church and Greenhill Cemetery, both in Waynesville, NC, at 1400, Saturday, 19 April 2014. LtCol Jim Diehl, US Marines (ret), recounts his experience at the tribute. Diehl is a loyal friend of the USMCCCA, earning a DPA for open category in 1988 and was a 2008 conference panelist (Beirut).

An archive photo of Lt. Col. and Mrs. Jim Diehl, USMC (ret) who were among the guests at the DINFOS Birthday Ball. Diehl, a career infantry officer, was a 1988 USMCCCA DPA recipient and a guest speaker for the 2009 Annual Conference in San Antonio. (Photo by Claire Kelly)

The question of how to honor exemplary members of a tribe or nation is not new.  Those familiar with Scripture may recall King Nebuchadnezzar asking Haman: “What shall be done to bestow honor upon one to whom the King wishes to honor?”  And Haman offers suggestions that involve horses, raiment, and a parade….

Well, I’ve marched in the funerals of two US presidents—but truthfully, my most vivid recollections are (1) that it is difficult to march at a dirge pace; and, (2) it was bitterly cold on one at least one of those events.  So I wasn’t sure what to expect on the lawn in front of the War Memorial for the funeral of General Carl E. Mundy, the 30th Commandant of the Marine Corps.  At least this was a clear, crisp Spring day; and it was just beginning to get warm as the crowd grew in the mid-morning sun.

To deal with the vagaries of Washington traffic and parking at the peak of cherry blossom time, LtCol Don Thieme and I got there early, which provided a chance to see many old friends and not a few giants of the Corps.

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Sadly, Stephen Gude lost his battle with cancer Feb 2, 2014. He was well-loved by many of our members. More information as it becomes available. Some Facebook posts: Victoria Turney: rest in peace my friend… Lynda Johnson Baker: I truly loved this man. My heart is broken. Victoria Turney: so sad Read more…

Barbara Ann Huskey Coleman or Ann, as she was called by everyone, was a vivacious, wise-cracking, loving wife, mother, grandmother, auntie, and friend. She loved to cook, sew, and do just about any kind of craft. She was involved in the Beta Sigma Phi organization for most of her adult life. She was also a member of the Fallon Elks Lodge where she raised record funds for charity which helped battered and neglected children. She worked for and retired from the Bank of America after 47 years. She began as a 17-year-old proof clerk and worked he way up to Senior Auditor and a Certified Fraud Examiner. She was also a patriot, giving talks on the history of the American flag and how to properly display it. She carried American Flag Pins to give to anyone who was not wearing one.

George Esper, the tenacious Associated Press correspondent who refused to leave his post in the last days of the Vietnam War, remaining behind to cover the fall of Saigon, has died. He was 79.
Esper died in his sleep on Thursday night, his son, Thomas, told the AP on Friday. Esper Read more…

Jackson, a World War II Marine Corps combat artist, is known for his Western paintings and sculptures, abstract expressionism and realist works. His art can be found at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Denver Art Museum and others, and in collections owned by the Saudi Arabian royal family, Queen Elizabeth II, the Italian federal government and the Vatican.

Retired GySgt. Benny Marrufo, 75, of Aurora, CO died January 1 of medical complications. Benny enlisted in 1953 and served as a combat correspondent in Vietnam in 1965-66 at the Danang Press Center and again in 1969-70 as a member of the Department of Defense MoPic Team.

CCHQ has been informed of the death of HLM Woody Clemmons, Goldfield, NV and of David X. Sharpe, Buffalo, NY.  Sharpe was a Stars and Stripes reporter in Korea during the Chosin Reservor breakout and later.  Association records do not show him as a member.

By Sgt. Juan D. Alfonso

HILO, Hawaii – There are few times in our lives that we meet someone who truly inspires us to be better. They’re the different ones. Men and women who live their lives on their own terms; brash and stubborn, but wise and interesting. On June 11, I walked through the house of such a man. I met his wife, met his friends, saw how he lived. I felt changed and inspired to be better, not just as a Marine but on a much deeper and rarer level, as a man. My only regret was…. It was too late to meet him.

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Millard Kaufman, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Bad Day at Black Rock” and the co-creator of Mr. Magoo who waited until he was 90 to become a first-time novelist, has died. He was 92. He was a life Honorary member of USMCCCA and one of the founders of the Los Angeles Chapter.