Commandant’s Corner

L E W I S G

W A T K I N S

D E T A C H M E N T Tip of the Spear N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 V O L U M E I X I S S U E 1 1

D ET A C H M EN T

O F F I C ERS

Commandant

Robert Walker (864) 884-3532

Sr. Vice-Commandant

Morris Carver(864) 882-2277

Jr. Vice-Commandant

Steve Slagle (864) 710-6739

Judge Advocate

Bill Thompson

(678) 296-6131

Past Commandant

Skip Wakeman (678) 300-4272

Paymaster

David Wessinger (864) 882-5538

Adjutant Del Williams (864) 903-2160

Chaplain

Del Williams (864) 903-2160

Sergeant-at-Arms

Charlie Brickett 864-557-0983

Historian

Detachment #1131 website is:

mcl1131.org

Fellow Marines:

At last the elections are over and we can watch TV in peace and not have a ton of mail each day. For some of us, the election may not have gone the way we would have liked. But we are still Americans and we need to heal this country in any way we can.

As Marines, we all have a duty to uphold the laws and Constitution of the United States of America. We may not like our future President but, he is still our President (maybe).

I hope to see everyone at the Ma-rine Corps Birthday Celebration Tuesday (November 10th).

There will be a gathering Wednes-day, November 11th at 2 PM at the Patriot’s Hall in Walhalla. Refresh-ments will be served.

Semper Fi,

Robert Walker

Upcoming Events.

2020 Toys for Tots Golf Tour-

nament. The Annual Toys For

Tots Golf Tournament will be on

Monday, November 9th at the

Cross Creek Golf Course. We need

five members to collect and bag the

toys that will be collected that day.

245th Marine Corps Birthday.

Lewis G. Watkins Detachment 1131

will celebrate the 245th Marine

Corps Birthday at Paesano’s at 6

PM Tuesday, November 10th.

Veterans Day. W ednesday,

November 11, 2020 is Veterans Day.

There will be a gathering of all vet-

erans at 2:00 PM at Patriots Hall on

Short Street in Walhalla.

Lewis G. Watkins Detachment

#1131 Business Meeting is sched-

uled for 6:30 PM Tuesday Novem-

ber 17, 2020 at the Am erican

Legion Hut, 575 N. Fairplay Street,

Seneca, SC 29678

Trustee's Meeting. Lew is G.

Watkins Detachment #1131 Trus-

tees will meet at 8:00 AM on Tues-

day, December 1, 2020 at the Amer-

ican Legion Hut, 575 N. Fairplay

Street, Seneca, SC 29678

Page 2

Tip of the Spear

Robert Walker, Detachment #1131 Comman-

dant, is the overall coordinator for the 2020

campaign. He is assisted by 16 volunteers,

three of whom are not members of the De-

tachment, who are responsible for distrib-

uting the collection boxes, signs and bro-

chures and for picking up toys from the 185

locations until December 3 on a regular basis.

So far, our volunteers are reporting that the

collection boxes are beginning to see more ac-

tion!

A centrally located Toy Store in Seneca serves

as the hub of the campaign and all toys will be

taken to the store once they are collected by

the volunteers. Another Detachment member,

Len Rock and his wife Carol, manage the im-

mense task of sorting and organizing the toys

and books based on age and gender appropri-

ateness and prepare them for the community

organizations that subsequently deliver the

gifts to the families.

In addition to his duties of picking up toys at several locations, Del Williams also manages the family application process, working with the seven community organizations that ac-cept, screen, and approve the applications. He also manages the Detachment’s Toys for Tots website at https://salem-sc.toysfortots.org. The website provides the public with infor-mation about the program, how it works, how to donate toys or cash, where the collections boxes are, and how families may apply to be considered. The Toys for Tots Annual Golf Tournament will be held at Cross Creek Plantation in Sene-ca on November 9 starting with a breakfast at 9:30 am. Participants donate money and toys and the community is also encouraged to bring toys to the Cross Creek Clubhouse that day. The tournament has been a highly suc-cessful event for the campaign each year. Ed-dy Brown and TJ Grove are the coordinators of the golf tournament, and the latest news is that more than 70 individuals have signed up to play. We encourage all MCL #1131 members to talk about the program to their neighbors and to any churches, non-profit organization with

Morris Carver Senior Vice-Commandant Marines, The Lewis G. Watkins Detachment

thanks you for your attendance at our prior

meetings and request you to secure new mem-

bers, and further, that you favor us at every

future meeting with your presence as far as

your circumstances will permit.

Semper Fi, Morris Carver

Steve Slagle Junior Vice-Commandant

2020 Toys for Tots

Campaign Underway

Our Detachment’s 2020

Toys for Tots Campaign which launched on

October 1 has been underway for five weeks.

The campaign concludes with toy distribu-

tions to seven community organizations on

December 15-17. Those organizations will in

turn provide the toys and books to the fami-

lies who applied for and are approved to re-

ceive gifts for their children.

We are expecting the requests and applica-

tions to be a bit higher this year due to the im-

pact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are

hopeful our efforts will result in more dona-

tions and toys to meet the needs.

Currently the campaign includes toy collec-

tion boxes at 185 businesses, restaurants and

stores throughout Oconee County, the Pickens

County towns of Central, Liberty and Clemson

and the Anderson County town of Pendleton.

We continue to add a few locations as busi-

nesses call asking to participate, and we’ve

eliminated a few at the request of our volun-

teers.

Volume IX Issue 11 Page 3

whom they are affiliated, and to any business-es they believe would serve as a good location for a collection box. Any suggestions for addi-tional locations may be given to me by calling 864-710-6739 or Bob Walker at 864-882-3532. Please support this program this year as we

really need to make sure that deserving chil-

dren can enjoy Christmas during a particular-

ly difficult time for our country. If you are

willing to volunteer and help us, call me. Do-

nate a toy, contribute money, or volunteer

your time to help ensure the Toys for Tots

campaign is a success this year. The program

has been a signature activity for the Marine

Corps, the Marine Corps Reserve, and now the

Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation since

1947. Detachment #1131 has been managing

and implementing this campaign in Oconee

County since 2004.

Steve Slagle Junior Vice Commandant MCL Detachment #1131

Every kid deserves a Little Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . . Your job is to make it happen !!

Bill Thompson

Judge Advocate

Greetings from the Judge Advocates’s

“bench”. I sincerely hope that you and your

Families are well as the Covid-19 pandemic

continues to linger. All of us must remain dil-

igent in protecting others and ourselves by

wearing masks, frequently washing our hands,

and social distancing. Fortunately, Judge Ad-

vocate issues from “Mount Stafford” have

been non-existent as well as the Department

in Columbia. Everybody must be playing well

together for a change. However, once a vac-

cine for Covid-19 is developed, I expect busi-

ness to pick up.

I wish to remind everyone that Lewis G. Wat-

kins, Det. 1131 continues to meet the third

Tuesday of the month! The Toys for Tots

Campaign is fully underway, local Christmas

Parades are being planned /announced, and

Charity day Sales at Belk’s have been success-

ful.

We need EVERY Member to help with these

projects, and support OUR Detachment. In

closing, I ask each Member to remember the

Pledge of Alliance we used to recite in School

every day, the Oath we took when we joined

the Marine Corps, the Oath we took when

joining the Marine Corps League, and most

importantly, our Faith in GOD! It appears

our great Country will be facing many chang-

es, but let’s remember what the “Founding Fa-

thers” established and why.

Semper Fi,

Bill Thompson

7th Annual Toys For Tots

Motorcycle Run Fifty Three (53) motocycles and two (2) classic

car participated in the 7th Annual Toys for Tot

Motorcycle Run on Sunday, October 27, 2020.

The riders meet at the WalMart in Central at

1:00 PM. After the collection of 75 toys and

$125.00 in donations the riders had a prayer

session.

After the prayer the riders all gathered and be-

gan a run from the WalMart in Central to the

Fire Department in West Union. The run was

escorted by Law Enforcement and Fire Depart-

ment vehicles. The Toys For Tots Train was the

lead vehicle in the run.

The motorcycle run ended at the West Union

Fire Department, where more toys were collect-

ed. The Town of West Union provided snacks

and bottled water for all who participated in the

Toys For Tots motorcycle run.

The Annual Toys For Tots Motorcycle Run is the

beginning of the Toys For Tots program in

Oconee County.

Pendleton Concert on The Green

Lewis G. Watkins Detachment #1131 had its Toys

For Tots Train at the Pendleton Concert on The

Green Friday, October 30, 2020. There were ap-

proximately 100 people at the concert. Bill

Thompson and Del Williams took the Toys For

Tots Train there to raise awareness that the 2020

Toy For Tots program is in progress.

We did not collect any toys, but we received a few

stocking stuffers and a $20.00 donation so the

day was not a total loss.

Belk's Charity Day Sale

Lewis G. Watkins Detachment #1131 is partici-

pating in the November Belk's Charity Day sale.

This is our best fund raising activity each year.

On Saturday November 7, 2020 "Skip" Wakeman

and Del Williams sold tickets from 2:00 PM to

4:00 PM. Things went very well. We had some

help from Santa Claus.

Page 4

Tip of the Spear

Lewis G. Watkins Unit Marine Corps League

Auxiliary Hello everyone and Happy birth-

day Marines!

Our unit continues to hold

monthly meetings every third Tuesday at 6:00 at

the Seneca American Legion Hut lower level.

Members have been busy assisting the detach-

ment with Belk Charity Days and Toys for Tots.

We participated in the ceremony to honor the

memory of Staff Sgt Lewis G. Watkins on October

7th at the Wolf Stake cemetery.

The week before Veterans’ Day members will be

placing USMC and American flags at all the cem-

eteries in Oconee County where there are Ma-

rines. Many of us will be attending the USMC

birthday celebration on November 10th.

MCLA face masks were worn at our October

meeting. They were gifts from our “sister” unit,

The Holy City Unit, located in Summerville.

What an awesome surprise!

Unit members hope that everyone stays safe and

healthy in the coming months.

Joyce Brickett, PNVP Southeast Division

Madam Big Flea 2020-2021

This Day in Marine Corps History

8 November 1990: President Bush announced

that he planned to add more than 200,000 U.S.

troops to those already deployed in Operation

Desert Shield in the Persian Gulf area. The num-

ber of Marines in the area would be doubled by

the addition of II MEF units from the Corps' east

coast bases, and the 5th MEB from California.

10 November 1921: This date marked the first

formal commemoration of the birthday of the

Marine Corps as 10 November. On 21 October

1921, Maj Edwin McClellan, OIC of the Historical

Section, HQMC, sent a memo to MajGen Com-

mandant John A. Lejeune, suggesting that the

original birthday of 10 November 1775 be de-

clared a Marine Corps holiday to be celebrated

throughout the Corps. Accordingly, on 1 Nov

1921, Gen Lejeune issued Marine Corps Order

No. 47 summarizing the history, mission, and

tradition of the Corps.

13 November 1982: The Vietnam Veterans

Memorial, containing the names of more than

13,000 Marines who lost their lives in Vietnam,

was dedicated this date at the Memorial site in

Washington, D.C.

17 November 1918: The 4th Marine Brigade,

as part of the 2d Division, American Expedition-

ary Force, began its march to the Rhine River,

passing through Belgium and Luxembourg, as

part of the American forces occupying a defeated

Germany.

20 November 1943: The 2d Marine Division,

commanded by Major General Julian C. Smith,

landed on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Is-

lands. After seventy-six hours of bitter fighting

during which almost 1,000 Marines died, and

more than 2,000 were wounded, MajGen Smith

declared the island secure.

27 November 1950: In a carefully planned as-

sault, eight Chinese Communist divisions in Ko-

rea launched a massive attack which had as its

expressed purpose, the destruction of the 1st Ma-

rine Division. This action led to the successful

southward Marine Corps attack out of the

Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir to the coastal port

of Hungnam.

Volume IX Issue 11 Page 5

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Time & Date Event/Activity Location Coordinator Uniform

10.00 pm Monday

November 9, 2020

Toys For Tots Golf

Tournament

Cross Creek Golf Course Seneca, SC

Eddie Brown None

6:30 pm Tuesday

November 10 , 2020

Marine Corps Birth-

day Celebration

Paesano’s Italian Rest. 1727 Blue Ridge Blvd Seneca, SC 29678

Robert Walker Red Blazer

6:30 pm Tuesday

November 17, 2020

Detachment Business

Meeting

American Legion Hut 575 N. Fairplay St. Seneca, SC 29678

R0bert Walker Basic

8:00 am Tuesday

December 1, 2020

Trustee’s Meeting American Legion Hut 575 N. Fairplay St. Seneca, SC 29678

R0bert Walker None

6:30 pm Tuesday

November 17, 2020

Detachment Business

Meeting

American Legion Hut 575 N. Fairplay St. Seneca, SC 29678

R0bert Walker Basic

Postage Lewis G. Watkins Detachment#11321, MCL Editor Del Williams 912 Stamp Creek Road Salem, South Carolina 29676