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Spring Meeting - April 16, 2005:

Mr. Michael Blum, the Council Chairman, called the meeting to order at 0830 at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Chairman Blum welcomed and thanked the Council for their time and commitment and led the Council in the Pledge of Allegiance.

He then announced that Colonel Walt Davis, USMC (Ret) had stepped down as Executive Chair of the Council in view of his added responsibilities within the Marine Corps Association and The Marine Shop.  The Executive Committee has earlier accepted the nomination of Colonel Walt Ford, USMC (Ret), Editor, Leatherneck Magazine, for the position.  It was so moved, seconded, and unanimously approved by those present. Mr. Blum asked if any Council members were interested in nominating candidates for two positions – the terms of each expires in the fall.  The Secretary’s position – currently held by Lieutenant Colonel John Hales, USMC (Ret) and the At-Large position held by Mrs. Susan Hodges.  Both incumbents were nominated and approved by the Council.  Elections will take place at the Fall Meeting.
           
Mr. Blum then introduced Major General Stephen Johnson, USMC, Deputy Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command as General Conway’s representative for the Council’s update.  General Johnson provided a comprehensive overview of the ongoing efforts with the global war on terror, lessons learned and the integration of these lessons into the training and education of our Marines, the implications and challenges of the “plus up” in manpower goal toward the 202,000 force size, and several other items that the Commandant and the senior leadership are interested in and are pursuing.
           
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Hughes, USMC from the Public Affairs Division then spoke of ongoing PA efforts in support of the Corps. He noted that more PA Marines are being shifted to the operating forces and encouraged all Marine veterans to continue to reach out in the local communities. A copy of the Commandant’s letter to all Marines was passed out to the attendees with the request to further pass the letter to the members of the Marine-related organizations.
           
Lieutenant Colonel David Lofgren, USMC, Executive Officer, Wounded Warrior Regiment, then briefed the Council on the newly established Regiment’s mission and status.  He provided an overview of its responsibilities; interfacings with many other DoD and government agencies, as well as, other organizations like the Council to ensure our wounded Marines and Sailors are being cared for, as is our tradition.  He related several heartfelt stories of the bravery and character of the young Marines currently serving.
           
Mr. Fred Lash, Vice-Chairman, then summarized the attendance record of the Council’s members and asked if members had any insights into some of the organizations that have been absent in the past.  The Council decided to try to contact these delinquent organizations to see if they wish to continue their membership and, if so, remind them of the attendance expectation.  Colonel Ford then surfaced the desire and need for all Council members to identify other organizations that might meet the membership criteria and may be interested in joining the Council, and to pursue their attendance at the Fall meeting with the hope of increasing our membership over the course of the next several years. A copy of the NMCC by laws and standing rules was provided to each member organization.
           
The Fall Meeting was tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 20, 2007, again at 8:30 and at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. All organizations are encouraged to register as early as possible for the upcoming Fall Meeting.  Contact Mrs. Catalina Rivera, administrative secretary at 800-336-0291, ext 303 or by e-mail at: c.rivera@mca.marines.org.  Mr. Blum then introduced Colonel Dick Camp, USMC (Ret). Operations Officer for the Museum and Mr. Pat Mooney, the Manager of Docent and Visitor Services, who gave a brief overview of some the opportunities at the Museum and the continuing need for docents.  The Council was then invited to tour the Museum.
           
Prior to the tour, the Chairman thanked the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for providing the meeting location and the refreshments and praised Mrs. Rivera’s efforts in updating our NMCC Web site www.marinecorpscouncil.com/, organizing the meeting and providing necessary administrative support. The meeting adjourned at approximately 12:00 p.m.

Very Respectfully,

Mike A. Blum
Chairman

HANDOUTS & FILES:
CMC Message to All Marines - April 2007 (PDF Format)
Please feel free to download and use for your newsletters!!
Department of the Navy and Marine Corps Bill (PDF Format)
US Drill Instructors Association Handout (MS Word doc)
US Marine Corps Engineer Association Handout (MS Word doc)
(To save on your computer, right click on any of the files above, select save target as)