MEGA OFFICERS,
DIRECTORS
&
CHAIRMEN
PRESIDENT
Ed Vasgerdsian
VICE PRESIDENT
Charles M. McKinney, III
Board Liaison Officer to MSG
Battalion
Board Liaison Officer to the Historical
Committee
TREASURER
William J. Stanson
SECRETARY
Alfred E. Smith, III
DIRECTOR
James K. Harkins
Board Liaison Officer to the Financial
Committee
DIRECTOR
James K. Riekena
DIRECTOR
Guy L. Lennon
Newsletter Publisher
Editor-in –Chief
DIRECTOR
Charles D. Ledbetter
2004 Reunion Chairman
Mission of the Marine Embassy Guard Association
To inspire love of Corps and Country
To encourage Marines to aspire to a career in the Marine
Security Guard program
To render aid to Marines and others when in need
To promote camaraderie and esprit de corps
To provide a forum in which to assemble for social interaction
To serve as a catalyst for communications on matters of mutual
interest
To revere the memory of our departed shipmates
To assist in preserving the historical records of Marine Security
Guards and their achievements
To perform any other lawful purpose or purposes
DIRECTOR
Andrew J. Buzzo
Board Liaison Officer to the
Technology Committee
LEGAL COUNSEL & REUNION
ADVISOR
Thomas Butler, Esq.
ELECTION
Otto W. Haversat, Jr.
TECHNOLOGY
Fred Samarelli
HISTORICAL
Jack McGarry
Ship’s STORE
Kenneth S. Rapp
INSIDE THIS EDITION
MISSION STATEMENT page 2
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK page 3
MEGA MARINE HOUSE page 4
MEMBER’S CORNER page 5 - 6
6th ANNUAL REUNION UPDATE page 6 – 7
BATTALION NEWS & INFO page 7
MSG SCHOOL GRADUATIONS page 8
ELECTION STATEMENTS/BIOS page 11
MEGA ELECTION BALLOT page 10
FROM THE
EDITOR’S DESK
MEGA NEWSLETTER
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief:
Guy Lennon
Lennon_G@msn.com
MEGA Newsletter:
Published 4 times a year by the
Marine Embassy Guard
Association:
WINTER; SUMMER; SPRING;
FALL.
Cut-off for submission of material
for publishing in a specific issue is
the 1st day of the second month of
that issue.
Caveats:
Opinions of authors whose articles
appear in the MEGA Newsletter do
not necessarily express the opinion
of the MEGA.
Greetings MEGA!
This issue has two very important and timely items – the 6th annual reunion information and
the Board of Directors election. This is the last MEGA newsletter before both of these two
important events.
The reunion is not only a time to renew old friendships, and make new ones, but also to
participate in the annual general membership meeting. Make those reservations now so you
do not miss either of these activities.
The ballot for the election of our Board of Directors is also contained in this issue. This is
your only opportunity to vote in this important election. Please follow the directions on the
ballot and ensure its timely return.
Guy Lennon
Director
Newsletter Editor-in-Chief
Publisher
Articles, photos and any other
documents should be accompanied
by a stamped, self-addressed
envelope if the material is to be
returned.
Publication of advertisements does
not imply the endorsement of the
MEGA, except for such products
that are clearly offered by the
Association.
Advertising Rates (per issue)
Full Page - $125.00
Half Page - $75.00
Quarter Page - $50.00
Business Card - $30.00
Inside First Page, add $25.00
Inside Back Page, add $25.00
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
WINTER 2004
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MEGA
MARINE
HOUSE
By Ed Vasgerdsian
MEGA Marine House is dedicated to
bringing you bits of info about the
past, present and future. After all, if
there was anything happening, it
happened at the Marine House.
Let me pass on another word about
medals from David Hackworth by way
of a MarCorps League newsletter. An
Army general put himself in for a Silver
Star; Air Force crews dropped bombs
from 30,000 feet and were awarded
Distinguished Flying Crosses. And
more, the Air Force has approved 5,000
medals for operations in the Middle
East and the Army has given out 5,000
Bronze Stars. Marines got a paltry 56
Meritorious Bronze Stars. I’ve said it
before and I’ll say it again, it’s a
disgrace.
The military is getting off cheap with
these bogus awards; hand out a medal
and maybe the recipient who’s got a
couple of kids in an on-base school will
forget about the attempt being made to
close the school down? I overheard this
as a conversation piece between two
Marines in Quantico.
FLASH, as of August 2003 there was
still prostitution in Korea. Hard to
believe but there it is. After a survey
made by 13 (odd number for odd
people), U.S. Congressional and
Senator types have that found efforts
were made to stop the trafficking of
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
women. Meanwhile the Inspector
General’s aka IG recommendation was
to have more acceptable on base
diversions. Although no specific were
mentioned, Bingo, Darts, and
Meditation may be in the offing.
This all reminds of a Marine in my
MSG class who failed the program
because when asked what he was going
do to in Sweden in the off hours he
said, “I have my study courses, Sir.”
“Yes, I understand Sergeant, but after
you study. After all, Sweden has
beautiful women.”
“Oh”, answered the Sergeant, “I’ll be
too busy studying, sir.”
This poor guy was gone before evening
chow.
Racism in Moscow? You bet and
according to the N.Y. Times
12/18/2003, “Racist attacks on
foreigners here – Asians, Arabs and
especially blacks- have been a
continuing problem whose victims have
included diplomats and American
Embassy Marine guards as well as
students”. Joe Stalin use to send people
whose origin he may have disliked to
Siberia, WOW what progress. The
driving force in today’s Moscow is
white-supremacist skin-head groups. I
got a feeling the Moscow detachment
can handle this situation quite well.
will be guarded by a private security
company. The concern was that Army
was doing a poor job and anyone who
wanted to gain entry into the grounds
could do so with out any problem. The
Army’s response is to hire civilians to
do their job: standby for the next salvo.
Don’t be surprised if the US Army
starts hiring Hessians to do their
soldiering.
By the way, half-assed civilians were
guarding the American Embassies
before you know who took over.
I’m looking forward to our Biloxi
Reunion. Dave Ledbetter and his
Committee have promised an
outstanding spread of good food, plenty
to drink and affable conversation.
Affable in plain old American means
we’re going to have a great time.
Semper Fi,
edV
Acting President
There are fewer and fewer military
bases both here and abroad whose entry
gate is guarded by our own military. On
May 1st West Point, otherwise known
as the United States Military Academy,
WINTER 2004
4
The Phoenix
MEMBER’S
Chapter of the
1st Marine
CORNER
Division
Association's
Editors Note:
This corner of our newsletter is
dedicated to those members who
have made the news and shown
MSGs and/or MEGA in a positive
light. In this issue we have two
members who have made
significant impact in their local
communities – Tom Cleary (LM
524) and Norm Yager (LM 568).
2003 Semper Fi Award was awarded
to our very own MEGA member
Thomas V. Cleary. Tom currently
serves as a Detective with the
Scottsdale (AZ) Police Department and
holds the rank of Gunnery Sergeant
from his days in Corps.
for a biography of the individual
selected. The criteria is that
the candidate must be a Marine who has
made a significant contribution in
his/her profession after leaving the
Corps, one who has brought the core
values of the United States Marine
Corps to their current endeavor.
The award is to Former Marines for
their contribution to public service. The
chapter solicits nominees from various
professions. They contact individuals
of responsibility within these
professions and inquire as to their
The candidates’ biographies are
distributed and read at the chapter
meeting. A vote is taken as to who will
be selected for the current year’s
Semper Fi Award.
The members of the Phoenix Chapter of
the 1st Marine Division Association,
founded this award to show our
appreciation to those who have served
our beloved Corps and have continued
to make contributions in other
professions. Past recipients have
included the county attorney for
Maricopa County, AZ ; the Director of
Veterans Services for the State of
Arizona, an Arizona Supreme Court
Justice, a former Arizona State Senator
and an educator.
Pictured above at the award ceremony
are three local Association members,
Detective Cleary, the Scottsdale Chief
of Police, the Captain from the Phoenix
Reserve Center I&I unit, a Master
Gunnery Sergeant and Staff Sergeant
from the recruiting station.
Editor’s Note: As you can see our
MEGA member Tom Cleary, aka
Seamus O’Malley, made the most of his
MSG experiences and continues to
honor his community, country and
those serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
He was heard to state during his
acceptance speech that he owes all he
is to his two O’Malley Brothers as they
helped form, “the man you see before
you today.”
The event w ill be published in the
Phoenix chapter newsletter and also in
a future issue of the Old Breed News,
the publication of the 1st Marine
Division Association, which has
approximately 14,000, members.
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
WINTER 2004
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State Senator Steve Buehrer, the bill
sponsor, said the law is needed
because Korean War veterans deserve
the diploma in honor of the sacrifice
and dedication that they gave to the
country.
On 09 December 2003 Ohio
Governor Bob Taft signed into
law House Bill 75. This bill
permits school districts in Ohio
to issue high school diplomas
to veterans of the Korean War
who left school early to serve
in the armed forces of the
United States.
Our thanks to Norm Yager for his
devotion to duty, tenacity, and
leadership in giving the Korean War
veterans the recognition and honor
they deserve.
This important event is
highlighted by the fact that
MEGA member Norm Yager
was instrumental in getting the
law passed.
REFER A FRIEND TO MEGA
http://www.embassymarine.org/Refer.htm
6TH ANNUAL
REUNION UPDATE
David Ledbetter
Director
As of January 31, 2004 61
members and guests are registered
for the MEGA 6th Reunion in Biloxi,
Mississippi. Plans are being
finalized at this time. We need all
interested to go ahead and register.
Please note that in order to receive
a MEGA Shirt your Registration
Forms must be received by
February 28. If you have any
questions please contact David
Ledbetter at DavidL@seark.net or
(870) 352-2109.
Remember – the telephone number
for hotel reservations is 800.4410882 code name: MEG. Also, the
reunion fees need to be mailed to
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
WINTER 2004
Bill Stanson
MEGA Treasurer
98 Chelmsford Dr.
Aurora, OH 44202-8811.
6
Reunion Brochure
Once again we will be publishing a
brochure for the reunion. This has
always been one of the highlights of the
reunion as we old timers dig out the
photos of our youth and try to prove
that we once were young, good looking,
and served in such exotic posts as
Bamako, Port of Prince, and Sofia.
Ed Vasgerdsian was so taken by last
year’s brochure that he was heard to
utter, “I didn’t ever get to see anyone
famous like John Wayne in Cairo.”
This drew the following retort from Bill
Stanson, “Maybe it was you and not
Cairo, Ed.”
So let’s see those pics from our glory
days hanging around the Marine House,
fam firing, entertaining visiting
dignitaries and/or celebrities, and
general mischief out in town.
Guy Lennon
6328 Gallaher Court
Loveland, OH 45140
Who among our membership can outdo
the Dominican Republic Detachment
and their now famous photo with John
Wayne? I can’t but how about me and
another Marine in a photo with Jimmy
and Rosalind Carter in August 1981?
Doesn’t quite cut it but it’s the best I
have.
All photos with captions, or other
advertisements you would like to take
out, and check payable to MEGA must
be to Guy Lennon by 01 April 2004 to
be included in this year’s Reunion
Brochure.
The following are the prices for this
year’s brochure:
Full page
$210.00
Half page
$110.00
Quarter page
$50.00
Business card
$25.00
For color please add $10.00 for each ad.
Please send your photographs either via
email to Lennon_G@msn.com or via
U. S. Postal Service to:
BATTALION
NEWS & INFO
I was hoping that you could help me out. We are creating a wall
of honor at the Battalion. The wall will include a shadow box
with the four medals and the names of Marines who earned
these awards while serving on the MSG Program. The four
awards that we are going to have displayed are the Bronze Star,
the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, and the Navy/Marine
Corps Medal.
Can you solicit through MEGA the Names, Location, and Date
of Award, anyone who has received one of these? Additionally,
if they have a copy of the citation we would like that as well.
Again, we are looking for awards that were received while
serving on MSG Duty.
Capt Rory L. Nichols
Assistant OIC, MSG School
Marine Security Guard Battalion
2007 Elliot Rd, Quantico, VA 22134
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
WINTER 2004
7
MSG SCHOOL
GRADUATIONS
MSG School graduations occur on Fridays usually beginning at 0900 in Little Hall. As a rule, the class social is held the Tuesday before
graduation starting at 1800 at the Quantico Club. MEGA members are invited and urged to attend. Below is the current graduation
schedule through September 2005:
Class
2-04
3-04
4-04
5-04
1-05
2-05
3-05
4-05
5-05
Graduation Date
20 Feb 04
23 Apr 04
25 Jun 04
17 Sep 04
19 Nov 04
25 Feb 05
29 Apr 05
01 Jul 05
16 Sep 05
Bill Steeves, Chairman
MSG Battalion Liaison Committee
MEGA
STUFF
Have you moved? Changed email addresses?
Please send your updated information to:
Marine Embassy Guard Association
c/o Alfred Smith III Secretary
Post Office Box 3371
Carmel, IN 46082-3371
Email: Secretary@embassymarine.org
ADVERTISE with MEGA NEWS!
Full Page-$125.00
Half Page-$75.00
Quarter Page-$50.00
Business Card-$30.00
Inside First Page, add $25.00
Inside Back Page, add $25.00
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
WINTER 2004
8
$15 a year
From Jan 1 to Dec 31
Dues Reminder
Life Member
$250.00 age 40 and below
$200.00
41—50 Years old
$75.00
$150.00
51—60 Years old
$100.00
61—70 Years old
70 and older
Your work is not done
until the paperwork is finished!
Send payment to
D
MEGA
P O BOX 3371
CARMEL IN 46082-3371
onations to MEGA are now tax deductible!
You can make a donation to the MEGA general fund. If you wish, you can designate your donation
to a specific function or activity.
Tax time is near and you may be looking for a
good nonprofit organization to make a donation to lower
your taxes. MEGA is now eligible.
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
Make check out to MEGA
I need your:
_______________________
NAME
———————————
MEMBER NUMBER
Bill Stanson
WINTER 2004
9
MARINE EMBASSY GUARD ASSOCIATION
http://www.embassymarine.org
MEGA ELECTION BALLOT
Print Your Name
Member Number
(Candidates listed in alphabetical order.)
PRESIDENT (Vote for one (1) with check X)
(Presently Vice President)
Charlie McKinney
Ed Vasgerdsian
President)
(Presently BOD, Acting
Write In: _________________________________
TREASURER (Vote for one (1) with check X)
Charles Smith
Life Member
Write In: _________________________________
DIRECTOR (Vote for FOUR (4) with check X)
Virgil M. Johnson
Life Member
Guy Lennon
(Presently a BOD & Newsletter Editor)
William J Stanson
(BOD & previous Treasurer)
Chris Tuvell
Life Member
Write In: _________________________________
Signature of voting Member_________________________________________________
Return to:
Otto W Haversat JR
110 GARDNER DR APT 104
HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC 29926-4280
pappah@adelphia.net
BALLOT MUST BE SENT TO OTTO HAVERSAT BY 01 APRIL 2004
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
WINTER 2004
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Election Statements
Charlie McKinney
I've been encouraged by many of you to seek the presidency and I sincerely appreciate your
confidence in me to provide effective leadership. I've held several senior leadership posts in
government, politics, charities, civic groups and as MEGA's Vice President. I consider MEGA the
most important organization I'm currently associated with. If elected, I will bring forth an aggressive
vision for implementation ensuring MEGA's future as a national leader among Marine Corps
associations. Semper Fidelis
Ed Vasgerdsian
I have served as Board member since MEGA started. During two periods of difficulty I was
asked to step in and serve as your Acting President. During that time, I demonstrated
qualities I believe necessary to lead MEGA by providing management skills, strength,
integrity and devotion. I will continue to work on behalf of our members in order that their
service as Marine Security Guards is not forgotten.
Charles Smith
MEGA elections ballot application for Treasurer Marine Embassy Guard Association.
I have an accounting background with over 20 years with the Internal Revenue Service.
Virgil Johnson
I served 4 years in the USMC from May 1955 to September 1959. I am currently the
managing partner in the educational consulting firm of Cram, Galasso, and Johnson, LLC. I
have spent the last 37 years in education in New Jersey working in public education, higher
education, and the private sector – the majority of which has been in administration and
supervision. I feel I could be a productive member of the Board of Directors.
Guy Lennon
My name is Guy Lennon (Charter Member 258) and I am running for Director. I have served
as a Director this past year and taken over the duties of Newsletter Editor. I believe the
Board of Directors for an organization like MEGA is here to serve the members of the
organization and I keep that in mind in each decision I make as a Director. Another term as
Director will enable me to continue serving our membership.
William J. Stanson
I am a charter member and the founding treasurer of MEGA. I have served five years as
your treasurer and I believe it is time to turn the position over to another member. I would
like to continue working for MEGA as a director and ask for your vote.
Chris Tuvell
I would like to run for the position of Director, Board Liaison Officer to Technology
Committee. I believe I can fulfill this position as I have been working in the technology field
since 1989. I have held many different positions while working in the technology field from
field technician, phone technical support, 1st, 2nd and 3rd level network support and most
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
WINTER 2004
11
recently as a Senior Technical consultant for HP Professional services and
now with International Networking Services. I believe my background in
the industry makes me perfectly suited for this position. My member
number is 569.
Voting Ballot
To:
Members Marine Embassy Guard
Association, Inc.
From:
Board of Directors, Marine Embassy
Guard Association, Inc.
Subject:
Proposed amendment to By-Laws;
Section 6-17
Date:
February 20, 2004
Article VI
Section 6. Resignation of Officers and Directors
Background
Holidome & Conference Center, Skokie, IL
Marine Embassy Guard Association, Inc. Board of
Directors semi-annual meeting held September 19-21,
2003. It was decided by unanimous vote, to send to
the general membership, for approval by majority vote
of the membership the following proposal for
amendment and inclusion into the Marine Embassy
Guard Association By-Laws as approved by the
membership 04.26.01:
Section 6-17 Resignation of Officers and Directors
Officers/Directors who resign from elected office prior to
fulfillment of their elected term of office shall not be
eligible to hold elected or appointed office for a period of
five (5) years from the date of their resignation.
Additional Note
Acceptance by the membership will render this article
effective immediately.
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
WINTER 2004
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The Amendment Process
Article XII
Amendments to the By-Laws
Section 12-01. Amendments. The Board of Directors
of the Corporation shall make recommendations to
alter, amend, replace, supplement or repeal these
Bylaws. All changes to these Bylaws must be
approved by a majority of the votes cast by the voting
members of the Corporation. Voting shall be by
written ballot, either cast in the U.S. Mail, or in the
event that the vote is taken at the Annual Meeting, cast
in the U.S. Mail as absentee ballot or presented at the
annual meeting of the membership. All voting
members shall be notified of the proposed action at
least thirty (30) days in advance of the date of the vote.
The notice sent shall contain the amendments or
supplements proposed and a ballot. In order to be
counted, absentee ballots must be received by
midnight of the day prior to the day of the vote.
Voting Ballot
Instructions: Please circle your choice for the proposed
amendment Section 6-17
Do you approve of the proposed amendment to
the By-Laws as outlined?
NO
YES
Mailing Address
OTTO W HAVERSAT JR
110 GARDNER DR APT 104
HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC 29926-4280
MEGA Newsletter Vol. 5 No 5
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