Lash, Mayo to emcee banquet

Yolanda Mayo took center stage at Eastern North Carolina’s “Dancing with the Stars” tribute.

Stand by for fun!  A pair of USMCCCA notables —  Fred “Flash” Lash and Yolanda Mayo — will emcee the annual awards banquet in New Bern, North Carolina next month.

Each has handled the chore before, as well as countless other high-vis events, but this marks the first time in a number of years that our Association audience will be regaled with tandem talents at the podiums.

Fred Lash

Fred, recently retired from the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, is a retired Marine major whose duties included company command in Vietnam (recon) and Camp David; JIB director in Beirut; and DoD spokesman for Latin American Affairs.

A “Silver Owl” (25 year member) at the Washington Press Club Lash is also an accredited PRSA member and has held leadership positions in the USMCCCA, the National Marine Corps Council and National Defense Industrial Association.

In addition to a robust speaking and narrating history, the Flash is a longtime thespian whose stage credits in Washington area community theatre include “West Side Story,” Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” “Our Town” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Yolanda Mayo

Mayo, a retired Sergeant Major USMCR and veteran of Operations Iraqi Freedom (two tours) and Desert Storm, is an Engineer School honor grad whose leadership billets saw her serving in civil affairs, logistics, public affairs and Marine aviation – usually marked by individual and unit awards and her own meritorious promotions.

A mainstay in Eastern North Carolina, she is well known for her creative work as an MCCS marketing champion and community leader as well as for her excellence on both sides of the camera (and stage).

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