Marine Corps League Gator Detachment 990 News

Spring Conference Enjoyed By All

Scott DuPree — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 01:50:10 GMT

From 10 April to 13 April, the Department of Florida Spring Conference was held here at the Best Western Gateway Grand. Being the third year in a row, the hotel had our event covered very well.

The conference had the usual events, including a good turnout for the Professional Development Program. The Hospitality Room was enjoyed by many.

The members and guests came from all over the State of Florida, and a few of our guests were from out of state. As everyone mingled, it was clear that these people understood they were part of a bigger family. The conversations were had regardless of how old you were or where you came from.

Our Guest of Honor, Lin Williams (Col, Ret, USMC) gave a good talk to explain to our non-Marine guests how we were made into Marines and why it is that we all have the warrior ethos. His talk brought back memories of the rigorous training and the sense of pride we all felt upon completing our training. He explained that the person you become serves you well with your Marine team as well as for the rest of your life in all you do.

The Conference concluded after a formal banquet on Saturday night - well, for some it was after some continued celebrating together in the Hospitality room. But as I left as it wrapped up, I felt that those who worked this event did a great job.

Kudos to Jim Hutto who, as usual, did an outstanding job as liaison to the hotel and in charge of all the details. Commandant Matt Yakubsin secured the generosity (and products) of the High Springs Brewing Company to anchor our hospitality suite. There were a handful of rock-steady volunteers. I won't try to name them as I might leave someone out. But you know who you are. Thanks to all who made the weekend possible.

GATORDET hosts the Spring Conference

Scott DuPree — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 22:53:41 GMT

On April 10-13, the Department of Florida Spring Conference will be held here in Gainesville. The Conference will be held at the Best Western Gateway Grand. This will be the third year in a row that the event is held here.

Many thanks to Jim Hutto and his team for taking care of all of the details. Commandant Matt Yakubsin, who is responsible for all League activity in the area, has ensured that all involved have what they need to succeed.

We look forward to the conference where our members and friends will be executing all of the plans to make the conference work smoothly.

Members & friends say farewell to Jim Yakubsin

Scott DuPree — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 01:28:19 GMT

On Friday, 6 December 2024, services and honors were rendered to Jim Yakubsin who was responsible for starting up Gator Detachment in the late 90's.

Marine Willie Pintos (1stSgt USMC Ret) has put together a tribute.

Click here to access it.

GatorDet Honors High Springs Brewery

Scott DuPree — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 00:13:47 GMT

Gator Detachment 990 hosted the Fall 2024 Hot Rodding For Heroes Car Show on October 12th, 2024 at the High Springs Brewing Company. With nearly 70 cars on display, the event was a success for the competitors as well as spectators. A DJ played (and sang) music, the brewery had the refreshments and food trucks provided meals. The proceeds from the event enabled the Gator Detachment to provide a donation to the local Toys For Tots program.

To the right, before the event, the High Springs Brewing Company is presented with a Tun Tavern sign created by Jim Hutto and presented on September 6, 2024. The brewery facilitates a number of our events and creates special drinks to honor our Marine Corps heritage.

Spring Conference, Car Show and Birthday Ball

Scott DuPree — Mon, 27 May 2024 14:00:45 GMT

From Thursday April11 to Sunday April 14, Gator Detachment 990 joined Devil Dogs of First Coast Pound 263 in hosting the Department of Florida's 2024 Spring Conference. The effort, spearheaded by Jim Hutto from Gainesville and Bill Nantz from Jacksonville, was a qualified success and drew lots of compliments from attendees. Volunteers from both groups provided spaces and services to the conference while the Best Western Gateway Grand Hotel staff accommodated rooms, catering and other services to the event. It was a job well done by all involved.

On May 18th, the North Central Florida Veterans Foundation sponsored the Hot Rodding For Heroes Car Show at the High Springs Brewery. Gator Detachment members helped at the event which saw about 100 entries and hundreds of visitors.

There will be other events this summer and fall, but one event already in the planning is the Gator Detachment 2024 Birthday Ball set for Friday, November 1st at the Best Western Gateway Grand. The forms for advertising and sponsorships are already on our website. We will announce when we are ready to begin taking reservations. Attendees will pay $50 per person. We will have the ceremony, dinner, live music, dancing and a raffle. Mark your calendars now to attend.

Hosting the 2024 Spring Conference

Scott DuPree — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 21:06:36 GMT

Gator Detachment 990 will join forces with the First Coast Pound 263, Military Order of the Devil Dogs to host the 2024 Department of Florida Spring Conference April 11 - 14 at the Best Western Gateway Grand.

We will utilize the ballroom for the big meetings and banquet, and will use smaller rooms for committee meetings. The Presidential Suite will be converted to a Hospitality Room.

Proceeds from the event will be pledged to two Children's Hospitals - one in the Jacksonville area and one in the Gainesville area.

We have a core committee setting up the basic event. We will need members to help us run the registration tables and raffle ticket tables.

There will be more talk about this event. Please consider putting this on your calendar and helping us make this a success as Marine Corps League members from all across our state come to Gainesville.

For more information, contact Adjutant/Paymaster Jim Hutto.

25 YEARS

Scott DuPree — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 03:47:30 GMT

I have had the good fortune to be a part of this detachment since its inception. It began with an idea by Jim Yakubsin in 1997. We were assisted by two Department of Florida officers at the time: Northwest District Vice Commandant Preston Freburger and Department of Florida Judge Advocate Joe Tisone. We were grateful for their guidance and assistance.

Jim Yakubsin became the recruiter. We had Marines who were law enforcment and reservists. They had friends. We had our meetings at the VFW and Marines from there also had friends. I think we needed 20 to get a charter but we had a few more than that.

In February 1998, at the National Mid-Winter Conference, the charter was issued for Gator Detachment 990. We held a meeting in March at the Fraternal Order of Police building where Department of Florida Commandant Ralph Fredette presented us with our charter. We had a cookout, took pictures and ate some cake.

One old Marine in a motorized scooter was approached during recruiting and was asked if he wanted to join. He said no, that they tried to get a unit here back in the 50's and it didn't last. He told us, "You won't make it five years." That made our resolve even stronger. And here we are 25 years later, still going strong.

We have come a long way. I would like to think we have had a positive impact on the life of each of our members and those people in the community we have assisted. I have met so many fine Marines, veterans and supporters who are great to be around. My life is better for having met them and getting to know them. Those we meet share their stories with us and allow us to talk to someone who shares that bond that we all have, regardless of our age or color or religion. We are all brothers and sisters. Indeed, we are all Marine family.

Our members have stepped up over the years to help lead other veteran organizations, county committees and VA Hospital positions. After the creation of Gator Detachment 990, there came Tri-County Detachment 1018 in Chiefland and the Suwannee Valley Detachment in Lake City (now the SgtMaj Thomas H. Griggs, Jr. Detachment 1086.)

It was out of this group that the Milton Lewis Young Marines was founded. Members of the the Gator Detachment also helped stand up the Military Support Group of Alachua County. Later, our Marines were key in forming the Vietnam Veterans of America Post 182 in Alachua. Most recently, our members have formed a foundation providing assistance to veterans in the VA Hospital and other places in Alachua County.

We are making a difference. To our members and friends, thank you for helping us to help our community. We look forward to the next 25 years.

Birthday Ball Great, Thanks To Our Sponsors

Scott DuPree — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 03:13:16 GMT

The 2022 Birthday Ball was held on 12 November 2022 at the Best Western Gateway Grand. It was a great event. Our 207 guests were treated to a traditional ceremony, a plated dinner, live entertainment, raffles and dancing. Our Guest of Honor was the Marine Corps League Department of Florida Commandant Scott Westervelt.

The Ball does not happen without some dedicated workers and generous sponsors. For sponsors, our premier sponsor ($2,000) was the N.FL/S.GA Regional Health System. Our Eagle Sponsors ($1,000) were Bass Assassin, Jeffrey Meldon and SkyFrog Tree Service. Our Globe Sponsors ($500) were Campus Credit Union, Dan Newlin, Vernon Kisling and Milam Funeral Home. Our Anchor Sponsors ($250) were Adam Stout, Charles Berg, ComfortTemp, Trenton Animal Hospital, WastePro and Affordable Chiropractic. Between these sponsors and our program advertisements, there were over $9,000.00 in donations to help support this event.

No matter how much money you throw at it, the success of the event will be in the hands of those planning and executing. The staff of the Best Western Gateway Grand were super in the preparation of the event and then brought superior service at the Ball.

The Ball Committee paid attention to the details, even when the Chairman was out of town. Jim Hutto excelled on point for many of the preparations and planning. This included the major task of receiving all payments and assigning all seating. Sandra Torres-Pintos oversaw the traditional ceremony and the team members it took to carry it out. Sandy Golden added her touch to the decor - table cloths, flags, meal cards, table numbers, final room preparations.

Linda Yakubsin once again took on the task of acquiring and assembling the gifts for the raffle with the value of each item being at or above $200. She and her volunteers helped raise over $3,300 for the detachment.

Other Ball Committee members who met throughout the year for planning include Commandant Vernon Kisling, Past Commandant Jim Yakubsin and Chairman Scott DuPree.

The band Crooked Counsel provided us with great song selections which kept people on the dance floor.

Everyone enjoyed the venue. So we have secured the Best Western for our next Ball on November 10, 2024, which will also celebrate 100 years of the Marine Corps League and 25 years of the Gator Detachment. You can mark the date on your calendar, but when we open it for reservations, be quick to pay so you do not end up on a waiting list.

Birthday Ball Sold Out

Scott DuPree — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 19:32:25 GMT

With the Birthday Ball just two months away, our annual event is sold out. We sold to the limit of 200 tickets. We are grateful for the sponsors and advertisers who are graciously supporting us. We look forward to putting on a great event.

The Birthday Ball serves a couple of purposes. First and foremost, it serves as the Marines' celebration of 247 years of the Corps. It includes a traditional ceremony and this event is celebrated every year by Marines in every clime and place.

On a local level, we typically observe a secondary relevant theme or historical observation. In previous years we have celebrated Marines of World War II, Korea, Vietnam or Iraq/Afghanistan. We have highlighted Women Marines and FMF Corpsman. We have acknowledged notable members of our society who served wearing the Eagle, Globe and Anchor.

This year, we will be observing 75 years of rebuilding under the National Security Act of 1947, under which the Marine Corps was affirmed after a couple of years of push by some in our government to dissolve the Corps.

We invite the community to attend and observe our celebration so that they may observe those of us who hold the Marine Corps and the military branches of our country in high regard. We let them see the Marine Corps family, our dedication not only to the service but also to each other and to our community. While all understand the Marine Corps is the strongest fighting force on the planet, we aim to show that the men and women of this force go on to serve in our community. We are law enforcement, businesses, doctors, nurses, accountants, farmers. We are young and old. We are citizens with the Marine Corps in our hearts and we are all around you.

We look forward to our birthday celebration and all that goes with it.

If you did not get a reservation this year, please keep an eye out for our messages next year and get your reservations in up front.

Ball '22 Update

Scott DuPree — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 02:30:48 GMT

Your birthday ball committee has been working fast. We have the ball scheduled for November 12th at the Best Western Gateway Grand - always a great location! Really excited about that.

Your Guest of Honor is the current Marine Corps League Commandant for Florida. Scott Westerveldt served 38 years on active duty, from Private to Lieutenant Colonel. Just a great guy and I know you'll enjoy having him there as much as he will meeting all of you.

You will get a veteran (no pun intended) crew running the traditional ceremony. They always do such a great job.

We have Crooked Counsel coming back to provide the live music so bring your dancing shoes! You can dance right up to either of the two cash bars when you need to recharge your dancing talent.

For our out-of-town guests, the hotel is right off of I-75. Even though there will a college football game in Gainesville that day, the hotel is only charging our guests $109 per night plus tax. See our birthday ball page for the reservations desk number.

You will leave with your own piece of commemorative glassware. And if you want to leave with more, you can get tickets for the raffle items. The items are so nice we hire a security guard to watch over them during the event!! Bring your money and even your credit cards - we got you covered! More about that as the time gets closer.

I will meet with the ball committee again on April 2nd to cover more details and solidify assignments. We all need to get people in our community to put ads in our program book and help us with their sponsorships.

Attendance will be $50 per person by reservation form with payment and we will only be selling 200 so that we don't overcrowd the event. Look for those to be available in April. We will announce.

So I'm really excited and the ball committee members are already working diligently to make sure this event is one to remember!!

- Scott

2022 Birthday Ball Planning

Scott DuPree — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 04:36:39 GMT

I am excited to announce that our 2022 Marine Corps Birthday Ball will have us going back to the Best Western Gateway Grande. The ball will be on Saturday, November 12, 2022. Social Hour will start at 5pm and the ceremony will begin at 6pm with dinner and dancing to follow.

Dinner will provide you with a choice of Prime Rib, Herb Roasted Chicken, Herb Crusted Salmon, or a vegan option (which is being selected). Included with your dinner is salad, rolls, water, coffee, tea and dessert.

Our Guest of Honor will be Scott Westervelt. Scott is currently serving as the Commandant of the Department of Florida, Marine Corps League. Scott served on active duty for 38 years, serving as a Private through Lieutenant Colonel.

We are bringing back the band Crooked Counsel, since they were enjoyed by many in 2020 and 2021.

Seating will be limited to 200 guests. The hotel will also have a favorable room rate. Details, including ticket price, will be published as soon as those details are settled.

Looking forward to an awesome ball.

Scott DuPree
Birthday Ball Chairman
GatorDet 990 MCL

Birthday Ball

Scott DuPree — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:41:47 GMT

It has been a while since I have updated you. The Birthday Ball was held on 6 November at Clark Plantation. The venue was well decorated and our guests were treated to great food and excellent music from Crooked Counsel. Of course our ceremony was special. Thanks to Dennis Wait for stepping up in the unavoidable absence of our expert MC, Sandra Torres Pintos. Our ceremonial unit was excellent. We had raffle winners and lots of dancing.

MARINE OF THE YEAR - we made two presentations at this event. The Marine of the Year for 2020 was Junior Vice Commandant Matt Yakubsin, who put together the birthday celebration in 2020 at the High Springs Brewery and lined up future events there.

The 2021 Marine of the Year was presented to Adjutant/Paymaster Jim Hutto. He has been instrumental in getting a lot of things done this year and volunteers to help everyone. He also volunteers regularly at the VA driving a golf cart for those who need help getting to their cars or across the campus to another building.

As soon as we get the links to the photos from this event, we'll get that posted.

Birthday Ball Sales

Scott DuPree — Thu, 27 May 2021 02:52:04 GMT

We are now taking reservations for the birthday ball. It will be on Saturday, November 6th, at Clark Plantation in Newberry. (We will soon have directions on the website.) Tickets are $50 each and we have a maximum capacity of 250, so don't wait.

We have a beautiful venue, a live band, great prizes, a great ceremony and great catering. You're going to enjoy it!!

To make reservations, call Vernon Kisling 352-727-1961, Jim Yakubsin 352-222-8837 or Jim Hutto 386-984-6925.

Meetings to resume in Alachua

Scott DuPree — Thu, 27 May 2021 00:34:44 GMT

For a few months, Commandant Kisling allowed us to meet in Gainesville and Alachua in alternating months. The premise was to allow those from each city to attend the general meeting in their town, which would expand our participation.

What we found was that pretty much the same people traveled to the meeting, wherever it was being held.

Therefore, beginning in June, we will return to the schedule where all of our general meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the First United Methodist Church in Alachua. We will resume the schedule of having our social hour from 1800 to 1900 including a covered dish dinner. The entree will be provided and announced each month. The general meeting will begin at 1900.

Passing of Emory Gouge

Scott DuPree — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 02:02:07 GMT

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Emory Gouge. He has been a member of the Gator Detachment for many years. He often provided insightful opinion, usually along with some comedic relief. He enjoyed being happy with his Marine buddies and you could always count on him for a good laugh.

He was active in other organizations as well. He was a Korea Marine, so he held memberships in the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Korean War Veterans and the American Legion. I am told that he was active in their fundraising activities along with his buddy Jack Harris.

He was a member of the Military Order of the Devil Dogs. We took field trips and Emory usually made his way, even if there were just a handful of us. We have visited a few military museums and even Blount Island.

When we had a party for our group, it was Emory who insisted on having a Turkey Shoot with a pop gun that shot corks. Of course you had to pay to shoot (there's the fundraiser.) But that is just Emory. We actually had fun but we did not keep score. I'm quite certain we were all qualified snipers with his cork gun.

There will be a service honoring him at Forest Meadows Cemetery Central in Gainesville on Friday, April 16th at 3:00pm. Reception will follow at the American Legion Post 16.

Fair winds and following seas, Marine.

-SD

From the General Meeting

Scott DuPree — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 03:00:25 GMT

Just to let everyone know we are back to meeting and getting some business done. These are not the official minutes - just casual notes.

First we welcomed new member Marine Joe FERNANDEZ.

ACCOUNTS: the Commandant announced that we now have one bank account instead of three, to reduce fees and improve efficiency.

NEW GENERAL MEETING SCHEDULE - Commandant Kisling announced that the General Meeting will alternate between Gainesville and Alachua. In the odd months (Jan, Mar, May, etc) we will meet in Gainesville.
In the even months (Feb, Apr, Jun, etc) we will meet in Alachua.
* In Alachua, dinner will be 6pm to 7pm and business meeting at 7pm.
* Meetings in Gainesville will only be the business meeting at 7pm.

Just watch the event calendar and reminders.

AWARDS - the Commandant awarded Matt Yakubsin the Distinguished Citizen Award for his hard work with the 2020 Ball. He presented Past Commandant Jim Yakubsin with a Distinguished Service Award for his seven terms as Commandant. He awarded Forest Hope with the Distinguished Service Award to recognize him for Most Volunteer Hours for 2018 and 2019.

Reminder: Detachment Social at Gators Dockside on Feb 1st.

UF NROTC: Gator 990 will pay for the annual leadership award.

Chaplain Bob Wright: John Murdoch's wife Barbara has passed and Sandy Golden's mom has passed. We are remembering those folks.

THE BALL was successful. High Springs Brewery would like to see us come party with them again. So we are tentatively planning a Social event there on June 12th with food trucks available.

We are looking to have the ball on Saturday, November 6th at the soon-to-be rebuilt Clarke Plantation.

Scott DuPree mentioned that the detachment's hard drive was located with content from 2009/2010. DuPree invited people to share their photos that could be placed on the hard drive.

NOMINATIONS: we opened nominations for the February elections. So far the current slate of officers are nominated and for the vacant Jr. Vice position, Marine Matt Yakubsin has been nominated. Nominations will reopen at the February meeting, followed by an election and installation.

Sgt At Arms Bill Beck spoke about the Color Guard and the need for practice.

Forest Hope mentioned that the annual Veteran Stand Down has been pushed back to October.

That's pretty much it. Hope to see YOU at a meeting soon.

Semper Fi!

2020 Birthday Ball

Scott DuPree — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 19:35:42 GMT

We held the Gator 990 celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday on the evening of November 10th. During a week leading up to a tropical storm, this one evening turned clear and comfortable. Just as the first Marines gathered at Tun Tavern, about 180 of our Marines and guests gathered at the High Springs Brewing Company for an evening of outdoor celebration.

The Birthday Ball Committee did a great job, with Matt Yakubsin and Dennis Waite doing most of the heavy lifting. Guests were treated to a flagpole dedication at 5pm, the Commandant of the Marine Corps' video message, a traditional ceremony at 6:15pm featuring Marines in Dress Blues and black masks, and a generous barbecue buffet at 7pm. Live music was provided by the local band Crooked Counsel.

There was a drawing for the Marine Corps Special Edition Colt .45 M1911. We had sold all of the tickets for this drawing and the winner was Stephen Homewood.

We had six prizes claimed by guests, including a smoker, a grill, a wooden flag and cross, a Birthday Edition Ka-Bar knife with two Bass Assassin drink containers, a Medal of Honor dog tag display with guidebook, and a gift basket.

The ceremony was streamed live on Facebook and the recording can be viewed at any time on our detachment's Facebook page.

2020 Birthday Celebration Nov 10th

Scott DuPree — Sat, 10 Oct 2020 21:30:41 GMT

Gator 990 will hold an outdoor Marine Corps Birthday Celebration at High Springs Brewing Company on November 10th. This the the Tuesday evening before Veterans' Day. We will have the entire property for our party. Social hour at 5pm and Cake Cutting Ceremony at 6pm. Dress is casual. Two 30'x60' tents to provide shelter with lights. Heaters will be there if it is a cool evening. Admission $25 includes meal catered by David's BBQ.

Masks are mandatory and expected to be worn when not actively eating or drinking. Set up for safe distancing. Temperature will be taken at admission. Big items in raffle. Bring a toy for Toys For Tots and get a special raffle ticket. More raffle tickets for sale. Credit cards accepted. Live music provide by the band Crooked Counsel.

Brewery has beer and wine and non-alcoholic drinks for sale. No liquor. All of the brewery's proceeds from that night will be donated to the local Toys For Tots drive.

BY RESERVATION ONLY. DEADLINE FOR RESERVATIONS IS NOVEMBER 1ST. No more than 200 reservations will be accepted.

For reservations, mail in Name, Email, Phone Number, number of guests and $25 per person to:

Gator 990, PO Box 14, High Springs, FL 32655-0014.

HOTEL: for anyone traveling from out of town, the Holiday Inn Express in Alachua (near the I-75 interchange) has a special rate of $89 for our guests. Just mention this event to receive the discount.

If you would like a registration form or just have questions, please direct them by email to Adjutant Jim Hutto gator990@gmail.com.

Reminder: Political Events

Scott DuPree — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 00:47:54 GMT

Just a quick reminder to all of our members and friends. The Marine Corps League holds a Congressional Charter. As an organization, we are restricted from endorsing political parties or candidates.

All of us, as individuals, are encouraged to participate in the political process, from campaigning to voting.

The Marine Corps League asks that you respectfully refrain from wearing any of the MCL uniform items that might give the appearance of the MCL support of a candidate or party. To do so is in violation of Marine Corps League bylaws and enforceable by a hearing. But we would rather just ask that you refrain from violating this rule.

If attending a rally, it is appropriate to wear your attire that shows your military service. But please do not wear a Marine Corps League cover or uniform. To do so not only gives the appearance of support by the League, it also puts in jeopardy the charter of your unit, department or national organization.

So please feel free to support your political process and be careful out there. It's quite a ride in 2020.

A String of Cancellations

Scott DuPree — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 00:21:30 GMT

With this pandemic continuing to affect more people with every passing day, even our little group in northcentral Florida is doing its part to help.

Beginning in mid-March, just about every event has been cancelled. Many businesses are either closed or working on skeleton crews providing only essential services.

As Marines, we are typically part of the solution, not the problem. So we are acting in the best interest of our members and our community in cancelling our events. We can make up for lost time in business. We can take care of issues and paperwork later. But we can't bring you back to life if we inadvertently contaminate you with a deadly virus.

So as much as we will miss the gatherings, we will all regroup when it is safe to do so. We'll wear our "I survived Covid-19" tee shirts and drink beer and share stories about having watched every possible show on Netflix. And then we'll get back to business.

Stay Safe.

Happy Holidays!!

Scott DuPree — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 20:04:14 GMT

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!

2020 Elections

Scott DuPree — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 19:47:08 GMT

We enjoyed a good year in the Detachment but time keeps marching on. For the League, every year is an election year. The upcoming elections will be held in February at the general meeting. Your four elected offices are Commandant, Senior Vice Commandant, Junior Vice Commandant and Judge Advocate.

Current Commandant Jim Yakubsin has served seven consecutive terms and is ready to pass the torch. Senior Vice Commandant Vern Kisling has announced his intention to run for Commandant. Anyone else may also throw their hat in the ring. At this point, Junior Vice Commandant Gary Van Cleef and Judge Advocate John Murdoch have agreed to run, but they have not announced which positions they'll run for.

Once the Commandant is elected, their will be appointments to the appointed positions. This includes Adjutant/Paymaster, Sergeant at Arms, Chaplain, Quartermaster, Honor Guard Commander, Social Director, Veterans Service Officer, and others. If you have an interest in serving, contact any of the officers.

At the January meeting, nominations can be submitted on the floor. Likewise, if anyone is interested, you could simply announce your intention to run and someone can nominate you at any point before the election for that office begins. At the elections, we will ask for any other nominations right before voting.

See you all at the January meeting.

Scott

Happy Birthday at the Ball

Scott DuPree — Sun, 03 Nov 2019 04:40:00 GMT

The Gator Detachment held its annual birthday ball on 2 November 2019 at the Turkey Creek Clubhouse. Nearly 300 guests enjoyed a traditional ball ceremony, dinner, dancing and raffles.

Sandra Torres-Pintos once again served as emcee for the ceremonies while Jim Yakubsin and Scott DuPree made announcements.

Guest of Honor LtGen Jack Bergman (USMC Ret) once again attended and gave a nice talk on the values of honor, courage and commitment and living a life of integrity.

Cary and Jamie Hill of the Milton Lewis Young Marines made their presentation to YM MGySgt Nathan Crawford, their unit Young Marine of the Year. They also made a special presentation to the unit co-founder Scott DuPree.

Scott DuPree made the presentation for Associate of the Year to Linda Yakubsin, and Jim Yakubsin presented the award for Detachment Marine of the Year to John Murdoch.

Groove 41 provided live music for the dancing crowd and Chris Robinson was onhand to take photos throughout the event, which will be posted on our site when we receive them.

Guests also won raffle prizes which included and handgun, a 50" TV, a Smoker, a cooler full of fishing gear and beer, another cooler which included a football signed by Dan Mullen and tickets to the FL/FSU game, and many other prizes. A 50/50 drawing provided a lucky winner with over $300.00 cash.

A good time was had by all. Our birthday ball committee will be meeting within the week to begin planning the next ball to be held on 7 Nov 2020. We expect to have details about that in the spring.

Semper Fi.
Scott

Birthday Ball honors Iwo Jima

Scott DuPree — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 02:57:38 GMT

Our Birthday Ball Celebration will be held just three months before the 75th anniversary of the Battle on Iwo Jima. So we will pay tribute to that battle and those Marines. At this event we will miss our good friend Bob Gasche who has served 5 terms as Commandant (2000 - 2005), 4 terms as Junior Past Commandant (2005-2007, 2009-2011) and 8 terms as Junior Vice Commandant (1999, 2013-2019). He embodied the humility and patriotism that defined The Greatest Generation. The victory at Iwo Jima was decisive in leading to the end of the fighting in the southern Pacific. We are forever indebted to Mr. Gasche and his fellow Marines for their brave contribution to the world.

While our online ticket sales have ended, you can certainly add your name to our Waiting List. There are almost always cancellations so let us know about you and your party who would like to attend. Go to the Birthday Ball page for more info.

2019 Birthday Ball - Mark Your Calendars

Scott DuPree — Sat, 23 Feb 2019 23:56:02 GMT

The 2019 Marine Corps Birthday Ball will be held on Saturday, November 2nd, 2019 at Turkey Creek Clubhouse. Tickets will be $40 per ticket or $280 for a table of 8.

Retired LtGen Bergman, now in Congress representing the First District of Michigan, will be returning as our Guest of Honor.

Meals will once again be provided by Chef Brothers and the band Groove 41 will return for a repeat performance.

We will begin taking reservations in late March. I expect we will get reservations for over 300 seats within a couple of weeks. We will be asking that all payments are made within 60 days of the reservation.

We will also begin selling ads for our program. Advertisers and sponsors will be featured in our program book and on signage. Proceeds of ads and sponsorships will help pay our expenses so please reach out to those you know who may help us.

Photos of the Ball - They're Here!!

Scott DuPree — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 04:22:49 GMT

We had another exciting Ball this year. It was a very nice event for everyone who attended and the Ball Committee is to be commended for another job well done. (As Chairman, it seems self-serving, but really the work was done by the committee members and they really did a great job.)

The photographer this year was Chris Robinson. He captured several hundred pictures and they are now available on our site. Go to the 2018 Birthday Ball page and you'll find the links to three photo albums.

Enjoy the photos. The Committee is already working on next years' event.

Semper Fi.

Scott DuPree

Ball Sold Out - Waiting List

Scott DuPree — Wed, 09 May 2018 02:30:00 GMT

We mentioned recently that reservations would go quickly for the annual Birthday Ball to be held on November 10th. You all did not disappoint this year. As of April 26th, we had to halt online ticket sales as our reservations topped 300 guests.

Now this means people have contacted us and told us they are coming. Some have paid and some have not. We will set a deadline for people to pay and beyond that deadline, we will remove reservations for unpaid seats and we will add reservations from our Waiting List.

There are also other conflicts that cause people to cancel their reservations, so it is important to sign up while you can.

You can get on our Waiting List either on our website or by calling Jim Yakubsin 352-222-8837.

Ball Tickets On Sale

Scott DuPree — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 03:51:12 GMT

After a lot of work on the website, it has a different look. As mentioned before this was all necessary moving forward to maintain support for the site. One of the changes was to swap out the PayPal financial feature for another credit card payment processor.

Now that this is in place, I have put all the other items in place to begin taking registrations and payments for the 2018 Birthday Ball. We are very excited about this event. I have created a web page for the 2018 Ball and I will continue to update information there as needed.

Scott

Update on 2018 Birthday Ball

Scott DuPree — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 03:22:19 GMT

Just to give everyone a quick update: we had intended to get tickets and ads rolling in May. But we have received so many phone calls and emails from people letting us know they want tickets for this year's event. The list is now over 250. So we have already produced ad forms and auction gift solicitation forms. We'll add those soon to this site. I am still creating the mechanisms to sell ball tickets through this site, which just underwent some major changes. I am switching out the credit card processor to make it easier for you. As soon as that is done, and the tickets are all set up online, I will make those public and put the word out to everyone.

New Look to the Website

Scott DuPree — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 01:49:34 GMT

FROM THE WEBMASTER: If you have visited the site before, you'll notice it looks like a completely different site. Well, it does look very different but underneath the hood it is still the same site.

WHY? As technology rolls ahead, many features are at our disposal. But the coding that made up our site was older and will not support some of the new features. So, I had some choices and this was the design I went for. Most of the improvements are things I will be able to use and you will not see them directly. It will be good to have the options.

So, making the transition takes a little bit. I have to pull up each page and either straighten things up or just re-enter them. But in the end, you will have a site that looks good (as long as you like black and white.)

Semper Fi

Scott

Commemorative Bricks

Scott DuPree — Sun, 25 Feb 2018 13:55:44 GMT

With Memorial Day just three months away, it is a good time to think about honoring the memory of a special veteran in your life with a commemorative brick that would be placed at the veterans memorial in Alachua at City Hall.

These are special bricks designed to withstand time. They are engraved with the name and message you request. It is a timeless gift for that veteran, one that is tangible and one that you and others can visit for years to come.

The cost of the brick is $110. You get three lines of text. Brick forms and more information can be obtained from Jim Yakubsin at 352-222-8837.

Getting Into 2018

Scott DuPree — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 01:15:03 GMT

We hope everyone is having a good start to 2018. Commandant Jim Yakubsin had a much-needed knee surgery and he is currently recovering. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Elections are next month for the Board officers - Commandant, Senior Vice Commandant, Junior Vice Commandant and Judge Advocate. At the January general meeting we will allow time for anyone to announce their intention to run for office. Nominations and Elections will be held at the February general meeting.

The Annual Veteran Standdown is this week (January 17th.) Anyone wanting to assist, just contact any detachment officer.

The NHRA Gatornationals will be here in March. We always have some volunteers who can work for Security and it will earn some money for the detachment (like $100 per day.) If you are interested contact Scott DuPree by email at ssgtd@cox.net.

Hope to see you all soon.

Marine Corps Birthday Ball 2017

Scott DuPree — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 03:15:46 GMT

On Saturday 4 November 2017 we celebrated the 242nd birthday of the United States Marine Corps.

The room was sold out to 275 guests as we held the party at the Best Western Gateway Grand in Gainesville.

After a traditional ceremony led by Sandra Torres-Pintos, we had dinner followed by a tribute to World War I veterans and a dedication of the ball to Marine Bill Cummings, who wanted to attend but passed on October 19, 2017.

Our Guest of Honor was Colonel William F. "Lin" Williams III (USMC, Ret) from Lake City. His talk was about Marine leadership and living up to the Marine Corps legacy.

Linda Yakubsin was presented with the Jim Yakubsin Vision Award and Marine Bob Wright was awarded the 2017 Marine of the Year.

Our Master of Ceremonies for the evening was TV 20's Dave Snyder. We appreciate his continuing support for our group and veteran groups in the community.

Perhaps the biggest difference this year was the entertainment. Those Guys is a band out of Orlando that play a variety of music. They were exciting, engaging, energetic and had the dance floor crowded.

It was a grand evening. We look forward to hitting this high standard next year on November 10th.

Ball Update October 2017

Scott DuPree — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 23:33:03 GMT

The countdown continues ... As of this writing we are just under two weeks away from the ball. The Birthday Ball Committee has been busy with all of the details. We have been coordinating with sponsors and advertisers. We have been in touch with the band and we have procured a professional photographer. We have about 275 guests coming and we have set the bar high with previous events.

No silent auction or live auction this year. We will run a raffle where you buy your tickets and put them in the box by the item you want. All good prizes so tickets are $5 each and 6 for $20. Among the baskets of gifts, we also have a brand new smoker and a commemorative KBar knife.

We will also have $10 tickets and drawing for a .38 caliber handgun. Winner must be over 18 and pick it up at the gun shop after they determine you are eligible.

We look forward to having a great event.

And for 2018? Yep, we are already making arrangements! We'll get to that later!

Ball Update September 2017

Scott DuPree — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 02:16:57 GMT

The Ball is rapidly approaching. The Ball Committee is dedicated to bringing all the details together for a quality event.

For any who would like to help, we could use items for the auction/raffle. There is a form you can print from the home page of our website to donate items.

We could also use more photographs related to World War I. It goes with the theme this year. It could be photos of relatives who served or places in the war. No originals, please. Scans would be great. Ideally, you can provide us with digital photos on a disc or thumb drive. But whatever you have, we can work with.

Looking forward to November 4th.

Scott

Ball Update July 2017

Scott DuPree — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:11:41 GMT

Your Birthday Ball Committee continues to work on details of the Birthday Ball scheduled for November 4th. As mentioned before, we sold out in May but with cancellations, Jim Yakubsin is drawing from those on the waiting list to give them the opportunity to attend.

Jim has also worked with the hotel to increase the seating to 270.

We are asking everyone: if you have advised us that you are attending but you have not paid yet, please pay as soon as possible to reserve your commitment. There are many people with money in hand standing by for open seats. This is going to be an outstanding event with a formal plated meal and live entertainment, and the tickets are only $35.00. It just doesn't get any more awesome than that.

We continue to receive support from the community in the form of advertisements and sponsorships. We are grateful for their support.

Enjoy the rest of summer! Semper Fi.

Scott DuPree
2017 Birthday Ball Chairman
Gator 990, Marine Corps League

Eagle Scout Josiah Moody recognized

Scott DuPree — Sat, 27 May 2017 13:27:07 GMT

At the General meeting on May 23rd, Eagle Scout Josiah Moody was recognized for achieving the highest rank in the Boy Scouts program. The Marine Corps and the Marine Corps League recognize and reward those Scouts who demonstrate the initiative and drive it takes to accomplish the requirements of the Eagle Scout rank.

Josiah's maternal grandfather served on active duty for over 15 years before his battle with cancer ended. Josiah's mother Kemberly said this is very special to Josiah and even more special to her as she rekindled her connection with Marines since her father's passing when she was 16. Josiah's father expressed his sincere appreciation not only for the recognition, but also for the contribution by our Marines and members to the United States.

The award was presented with about 30 members and guests present and his sisters watched proudly as he received the Marine Corps League's Distinguished Citizen Award designed specifically for Eagle Scouts.

This family is part of our Marine family and we were honored to be a part of their story. The Marines say Semper Fidelis; always faithful.

Scott DuPree
Past Commandant
Eagle Scout Liaison

Birthday Ball just about sold out

Scott DuPree — Sun, 21 May 2017 15:41:41 GMT

I have posted messages and mentioned at meetings that you should get your tickets quickly as we thought the event would sell out well before the November date.

All of our tables are already accounted for and there are very few seats available for the November event.

If you haven't bought tickets or notified us that you will be attending, you should contact Jim Yakubsin as soon as possible at 352.222.8837.

So long, Anthony Marquez

Scott DuPree — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 03:45:43 GMT

Marine Anthony Marquez has been at our meetings consistently for quite a while now.

Anthony, a sports marketing major at UF, spearheaded our challenge coin program which is on course to raise over $1000 for us by November. Last year, Anthony was the "Youngest Marine" in our ball ceremony.

Anthony has been hired by the Denver Broncos in their marketing area and may be departing in May. We wish him great success in the NFL and look forward to his future visits to tell us how it is going.

Ball Committee Update - April

Scott DuPree — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 03:35:06 GMT

The Ball Committee met recently. The menu this year will be similar to last year's but the Prime Rib is being replaced with a Roasted Sirloin served with a port wine sauce. We all agreed it was very good. And it allows us to keep our tickets at $35.00 each.

We are all excited about having a live band this year. We have hired Those Guys Jazz out of Orlando. We went to St. Augustine to hear them play and it was unanimous that they will bring a lively atmosphere to this year's event.

Our ad forms have just been published. Fliers will be out shortly and tickets should be available in May. Online ticket sales will begin May 1st.

This year we will be conducting a raffle instead of a true silent auction and we will not have a live auction. We will also have the classic 50/50 where someone will walk away with half of that money!

A slight change in our configuration will allow us to bring in nearly 250 guests. But we expect the ball to sell out early again. We have plenty of people returning, as well as commitments from Marines and guests in Lake City, Chiefland and Ocala.

When tickets go on sale, please don't put it off. We want you to be there.

Officers Installed for 2017-2018

Scott DuPree — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 01:31:39 GMT

At the General Meeting on March 28th, our elected officers were installed for their one-year term of office. The current Board of Trustees remains active as Commandant Jim Yakubsin, Senior Vice Commandant Vernon Kisling, Junior Vice Commandant Bob Gasche and Judge Advocate John Murdoch were all installed. Junior Past Commandant Dick Lester remains on the Board as well.

Our detachment has been involved in a variety of activities during the year and we look forward to our officers leading us through the next year. Come to the meetings on the fourth Tuesday of each month. You might hear about some activity that would interest you. Help our officers as they take care of our detachment business.

Ball Committee Update

Scott DuPree — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 01:09:46 GMT

Our birthday ball committee works a lot during the year to bring you a great event. We met recently with the initial planning of the November 4th ball which will once again be at the Best Western Gateway Grand.

We have made some early decisions about the ball, such as keeping the $35 ticket prices, so we are now in a position to roll out our fliers, ad forms and tickets by the beginning of May. We will be finalizing the menu shortly. We are scouting some live bands for entertainment as that is what we want to do this year.

Our theme this year will be 100 years since America's entry into The Great War, later known as World War I and we will have some information and decorations at the event to support the theme.

We are excited to have a retired Marine Colonel coming as our Guest of Honor. He lives in Live Oak and we will ensure he experiences a top notch birthday ball.

When tickets go on sale (hardcopy and on-line) I will let everyone know. We will only have 240 tickets, so I know they will sell quickly. We already have commitments for a good number of tables. In addition to local guests, we will see people coming from Lake City, Live Oak, Chiefland and Ocala, to name a few. So when you hear tickets are on sale, please take the opportunity to purchase them before the event sells out.

The Birthday Ball Committee wishes you a good year as we develop this great annual event for you. Semper Fi.

Scott DuPree
Gator 990 Marine Corps Birthday Ball
Chairman

Social Events are now every first Monday

Scott DuPree — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 01:04:18 GMT

We have had enough positive feedback that we are now scheduling our social events once a month. We meet up somewhere on the first Monday of the month. We want to meet with our friends from the Vietnam Veterans of America, so we wait until they set the location and we meet up with them.

We have been to Gators Dockside, World of Beer, Sal's Place and a few other locations. We get to see our fellow members as well as some good folks from the VVA.

It will be every first Monday starting around 5:30pm, so mark your calendars. Then you just have to watch to see which location we will go to.

Hope to see you at the next one on April 3rd (location to be announced.)

Birthday Ball - What A Great Event

Scott DuPree — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 20:30:00 GMT

Thanks to the dedication and diligent work by your birthday ball committee, the ball held on November 5th was a premium event. Our Guest of Honor, MSgt Duane King - Drum Major of the U.S. Marine Band - said he has attended more than 500 birthday balls in his 22-year career, including many in Washington DC and that this our ceremony was "as good or better than any of them, really first class." He spoke highly of all those who led and participated, and the environment of celebration which was created for all in attendance.

I have to thank Jim Yakubsin for his success in selling tickets, sponsorships and seating assignments. Assistant Chair Sandy Golden was responsible for the decoration and atmosphere in the room and procuring the items for the auctions. Sandra Torres-Pintos was the narrator and in charge of the traditional ceremony. Many thanks to Dave Snyder (TV20) once again for his support in entertainment (and bringing our old friend Ron Burgandy back to the stage.) Our DJ was "DJ Tibbs." Our photographer was Eric Borkowski. All of our audio-visual support was handled by Fred Judkins. We had volunteers who participated in the event and worked in positions of support during the evening and to those we said "Job Well Done."

Without our sponsors we would not have had the money to give you this superior event for only $35.00. ComfortTemp was a major donor. Joe Vasquez, SkyFrog Tree Service, donated many services. Kelly Harris, Kelly's Kreations, created and donated the valuable centerpieces. We also thank World of Beer, Hitchcock's Markets, Santa Fe College Subway, and Wade & Christie Wheeler for their generous donations.

Last year the bar was set high. This year we cleared it. As Marines do, we will move the bar a little higher and plan to meet that challenge on November 4th, 2017 at the next Marine Corps Birthday Ball at the Gateway Grand.

Semper Fi

Scott DuPree
Chairman, Birthday Ball Committee
Gator Detachment 990, Marine Corps League

The Night Before the Ball, and all through the house...

Scott DuPree — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 19:47:56 GMT

One day until the Ball. You have to give props to your Birthday Ball Committee. They have pulled together a heck of an event. They have procured sponsorships and sold ads for the program book in order to provide you with a very nice Ball. They have used their resources to get things we need such as gifts and decorations and still allowed us to get a great meal and event to you for just $35.00!! As the Chair, all I really have to do is watch them do their magic and help with decisions. So this Ball is really their fine work.

Yes we are sold out at 242 seats. There's a little fluctuation with emergencies here and there but there always seems to be someone standing by waiting for a seat to come open. Our guests will enjoy a traditional ceremony, some USO Show style entertainment, a silent auction, a live auction, dinner and dancing, and two bars featuring free beer. The Marines know how to throw a party.

Looking forward to tomorrow. Once that is done, we will take a break to enjoy our holidays, then begin work on next year's event which will be on November 4th at the same location. Semper Fi. - Scott DuPree

Birthday Ball Tickets Nearly Gone

Scott DuPree — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 01:49:36 GMT

Commandant Jim Yakubsin has been working diligently to assign people to tables and seats as he manages the ticket sales for the Marine Corps Ball scheduled for November 5th. While we have seats for nearly 240 guests, the majority of the tickets were committed with purchases of tables. At the end of August we only had about 40 tickets left. We are down to just a handful of tickets and anytime we have a cancellation, Commandant Yakubsin is making adjustments.

The tickets can be purchased at the general meeting on October 18th or through our website as long as they are available. You may also contact Jim at any time to obtain tickets or be put on a waiting list.

Looking forward to the party!

Birthday Ball Tickets Now Available

Scott DuPree — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 18:16:38 GMT

We will celebrate the Marine Corps Birthday in November with our friends and now you can buy your tickets for the big event!

Don't wait too long. We have a limited number of tickets and before we have even sold the first one, we have commitments for nearly half the seats already. But money talks. Purchase your tickets to ensure you get a seat at our annual gala!

Birthday Ball Committee is planning ...

Scott DuPree — Sat, 21 May 2016 23:31:58 GMT

Just letting you know that the planning of the 2016 Birthday Ball is in full swing. We have identified a theme and we are procuring advertisements for our program book and major sponsors. The event will be at the Best Western Gateway Grand and we are fortunate to have General Manager Ron Gromell, a Marine, joining us for meetings.

We are looking forward to having 230 guests (perhaps a few more), a superior traditional ball ceremony, a great meal, an interesting program and an active and engaging entertainer. We will once again feature a silent auction and we will have an auctioneer to auction off a few large items.

Tickets should be available in June after we solidify a few details. Tickets will be limited in number. We are expecting guests once again from out of state as well as a few other Marine Corps League detachments. So when tickets are available, don't put it off. Make your purchase and reserve your tickets to the big event. Semper Fi!!

Thanks to those who supported our Relay For Life team

Scott DuPree — Sat, 21 May 2016 23:29:01 GMT

Gator Detachment raised over $600 for the cancer society in our community at the annual Relay for Life event. SrVice Commandant Vernon Kisling led the effort as usual and did a superb job. He solicited the support of members, citizens and businesses. Job well done, Vernon!

Detachment Officers Installed

Scott DuPree — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 23:05:43 GMT

As promised, the officers elected at the February general meeting were installed at the April general meeting. Past Commandant Scott DuPree was the Installing Officer.

The existing incumbents had been reelected and will continue for another term in their positions. Commandant Jim Yakubsin said he was pleased that his staff had the dedication to assist him for another year. Senior Vice Commandant Vernon Kisling has taken the monitoring of community service hours to a new level. Junior Vice Commandant Bob Gasche has worked with the membership to combat delinquency and helping to round up those who have not been attending. Judge Advocate John Murdoch, who also serves as the District 2 Vice Commandant, completed revisions in the past year to our bylaws and has been regularly attending Department events.

View our list of officers to see the other members who have accepted roles on the staff to help the Detachment take care of business. And remember we can always use your help and your talents. Come be part of a very cool team.

Again, thanks very much to our officers for dedicating their time and efforts in leading us for another year.

INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS AT APRIL MEETING

Scott DuPree — Sun, 24 Apr 2016 00:23:36 GMT

Due to the Commandant and the Adjutant/Paymaster being out of state for a funeral at the time of the last general meeting, which would have been the installation of officers, the installation was postponed until the April general meeting on April 26th.

Attendance is encouraged to show our support for our detachment leaders.

RELAY FOR LIFE - Fundraising and event

Scott DuPree — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 02:16:56 GMT

RELAY FOR LIFE Contribution Opportunity

Our Detachment contributions to the local Alachua-High Springs Relay for Life cancer walk can be enhanced by the following activities. The restaurants listed below will contribute a percentage of your bill to our team when you eat at their restaurant on the day specified below. When you go to the restaurant tell the representative there which team you want your contribution to go to [our team is the Marine Corps League]. This offer applies to lunch or dinner (up to 7:00 PM).

Tony & Al's Italian Restaurant (Downtown Alachua) / March 16 (WED)

Bev's Burger-BBQ Café (High Springs) / March 22 (TUE - also our meeting date)

Great Outdoors (Downtown High Springs) / April 14 (THUR)

Brown's Country Buffet (Alachua) / April 22 (FRI)

RELAY FOR LIFE Event is on MAY 13 (FRI), 6:00 PM - 12:00 Midnight at High Springs Civic Center. Come out and help us walk the event (does not require constant walking and you do not have to stay for the entire event - come early is best since one of the first laps is devoted to veterans and first responders).

RELAY FOR LIFE Contributions can now be made at : relayforlife.org/alachuafl

Search for our team [Marine Corps League] and then click the donate button/text. Checks (made out to American Cancer Society) and money can be given to Vernon Kisling at our March and April meetings.

Update on Gunner Vasquez

Scott DuPree — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 23:54:46 GMT

As of 15 January, Gunner is undergoing rehab in his home. He has a few medical professionals that come to his house daily for treatment and rehab. He still has pins in his hands but they hope that maybe they will come out in a few weeks.

For anyone who wishes to send a get-well card or other items, his address is 10125 NW 8th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32606.

If you have questions, you can either ask them on his Facebook page here or send text message to Amy Alexander (the SkyFrog's Angel) at 352-328-9434.

Update on Gunner Vasquez

Scott DuPree — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 19:16:48 GMT

As of about 6pm, January 8, 2016, Gunner Vasquez is in Shands Rehab 4101 NW 89th Blvd Gainesville , FL, Room 1912B. If you've wanted to send flowers or whatever, now is the time.

Please honor Gunner's wishes and coordinate visitation with Amy Alexander. She will have the schedule for therapy and find opportunities for all to visit without being overwhelming and trying on him. Also, until he is stronger, they must limit the time of visits to 20 minutes and only 2 people at a time.

This is only here at the start. As he gets better, they may remove the restrictions altogether. Text Amy Alexander at 352-328-9434 to schedule a visit.

Joe "Gunner" Vasquez injured

Scott DuPree — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 17:23:55 GMT

Many of you know Marine Joe Vasquez, retired Warrant Officer known to us as "Gunner." His generosity has continued with us for years, including providing the trucks and garrison flag at our recent birthday ball.

Joe owns SkyFrog Tree Service. On December 28th he was involved in a serious accident on the job. It involved an oak tree breaking, which broke the cherry-picker bucket he was in. He was thrown from the bucket, impacted a tree and fell twenty-something feet to the ground. He was wearing safety equipment.

He has a number of injuries - broken bones in his face, ribs, hips, hand ... He is in ICU at the Shands Trauma Unit and I understand he was having a partial hip replacement surgery today. His daughters are here and they have said he will be recovering from this, although it may be extensive.

I don't know that he can receive visitors yet, but if you are one who prays, now would be a good time to lift one up for Gunner.

UPDATES on Joe's condition will be posted on a new FaceBook page. The name of the page is Joseph "Gunner" Vasquez USMC. We will have a link on the Gator 990 site so you can follow it.

As Joe will tell us: Stay Motivated!

Officer Elections coming up

Scott DuPree — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 01:58:08 GMT

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday break. Even though we don't have any meetings in December, we can be thinking about our upcoming elections.

At the January meeting, we will accept nominations for the offices of Commandant, Senior Vice Commandant, Junior Vice Commandant and Judge Advocate.

Then elections will be held at the February meeting. Installation may follow the election at the February meeting or be held at the March meeting.

If you want to help the detachment, have someone nominate you. It is customary in the Marine Corps League to run first for Judge Advocate, then progress through the chairs as Junior Vice, Senior Vice and then Commandant.

If you have any questions, contact any of the officers.

BIRTHDAY BALL: FANCY AND FUN

Scott DuPree — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 20:32:46 GMT

On Saturday, 14 November 2015, Gator 990 hosted the celebration of 240 years of the Marine Corps. After a social gathering, over 200 guests took their places in the ballroom to watch the traditional ceremony, comments and awards, a USO Show featuring entertainment in the 60's theme, inspiring videos and dancing to the music of DJ Tibbs.

Pictured above is the cake cutting featuring our Guest of Honor, LtGen John W. Bergman, USMC (Ret), our oldest Marine Bob Gasche who is an Iwo Jima veteran born in 1924 and our youngest Marine Stephen Carlisle who was born in 1987.

About 40 items were out for the silent auction which raised valuable dollars for our missions of supporting the Young Marines and Marines in need.

Also recognized during the evening was our selection of Forest Hope as our 2015 Marine of the Year. Forest has been instrumental in leading our detachment's efforts to help veterans in need and our missions in the community with honor guards and color guards. His proactive approach has forged some alliances with businesses in the community that help us accomplish these missions. We say thank you to him and job well done.

Guests attending the event came from Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, South Carolina, and locally from Chiefland, Trenton and Ocala, in addition to our guests from here in Alachua County.

Thank you to the people who made this a successful event. Jim Yakubsin and Sandy Golden did a lot behind the scenes in preparation. Sandra Torres-Pintos orchestrated the entire traditional ceremony and served as our emcee. Fred Judkins ran the video portions. "DJ Tibbs" ran the music for the evening. Ken Beasock donated many of the auction items. Forest Hope, Vernon Kisling, David Nettles, Martha Brown and others were instrumental in the planning of this event.

To see a collection of photos from the event, view our 2015 Birthday Ball Page.

Mark your calendars now: November 5, 2016, Best Western, 5pm, be there or be square.

BALL UPDATE

Scott DuPree — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 02:54:40 GMT

As I write this, I say to all Veterans: Happy Veterans Day.

This year our Birthday Ball was sold out with over 200 guests purchasing tickets by early October. I want you to know that as we get cancellations we have plenty of people standing by to pick up those seats. As we plan the 2016 Ball, we hope you will all remember to get your tickets early - they really can run out.

The Birthday Ball preparation has been exceptional this year and I believe that will translate to a great evening of tradition, dining and fun. Our USO Show and entertainment helps us honor our Vietnam Veterans. Our sponsors make it possible for everyone to get a nice piece of glassware to keep. And we replaced the raffle with the Silent Auction. We look forward to everyone having friendly fun in bidding on the items you would like to have. See our Ball Page for some of the items.

If you are attending the Ball, we will see you soon. The Birthday Ball Committee and our sponsors hope you have a marvelous evening.

BIRTHDAY BALL IS SOLD OUT

Scott DuPree — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 01:27:37 GMT

As previously announced, the Birthday Ball tickets were selling fast. As of October 6, 2015, we have 216 reservations, so we are SOLD OUT. We have reached our maximum seating capacity.

If you do not have a ticket or you have not paid for your ticket, and you have spoken to Jim Yakubsin about a reservation to attend, please contact Jim to see if you have a reservation. He can be reached at 352-222-8837.

We regret that we had this limitation.

Scott DuPree
Chairman, GatorDet 2015 USMC Birthday Ball Committee

September General Meeting was fun

Scott DuPree — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 23:50:59 GMT

On September 22nd, the Gator Detachment met as usual. We had a guest speaker, Stephen Dodd, who read a very touching piece about the American Flag. Stephen also joined us as an Associate Member (served in the Army) and is active in the veteran community. The recipient of three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts, we welcome Stephen to our group.

It was good to see our members doing business. Commandant Jim Yakubsin ran the meeting with his officers - Senior Vice Vernon Kisling, Junior Vice Bob Gasche, Judge Advocate John Murdoch, Sergeant At Arms Bill Beck and Adjutant/Paymaster Martha Brown. Also attending was Junior Past Commandant Dick Lester, members Forest Hope, Sandy Golden, Paul Clendenning, Stephan Homewood, Ken Beasock, David Nettles, George Gibbs and yours truly, Scott DuPree.

These people were glad to be at the meeting. Everyone chatted it up before the meeting while enjoying a potluck dinner. During the meeting, the mood remained light and everyone seemed to have a good time discussing the items that Commandant Yakubsin was bringing up. In discussion it came up that next month, Stephen Dodd is taking 90-year-old Iwo Jima Veteran Bob Gasche skydiving!! Yes, I said skydiving. OMG! I mean, Ooh-Rah! Go get 'em, Bob. During the meeting we also voted in two other new members and spent a good bit of time talking about details of the upcoming birthday ball.

Well, if you have not been coming to the meetings, put it on your calendar and come join us. You'll be glad you did.

BIRTHDAY BALL - buy your tickets before they are gone

Scott DuPree — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 17:50:51 GMT

The Birthday Ball is bound to be a big event this year. At a time when we would have only sold a couple of dozen tickets, we have already sold about 140 tickets. We can only sell so many (the number is being reviewed now) so don't be caught off guard - go ahead and get your tickets now.

Our Guest of Honor, LtGen Bergman, is locked on. Our DJ and photographer are locked on. Our glassware table gifts are being ordered. Our USO show is still in development. This will be a great event. Don't miss it.

We will have some hardcopy tickets at the general meeting. But you can buy them online on this website. Act now.

Scott DuPree
Chairman, GatorDet Birthday Ball Committee

A CALL FOR HELP!

Scott DuPree — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 02:03:42 GMT

Marines, we need some helpers. Need to be able to lift 15 pounds.

Marine Forest Hope is leading us as we partnered up with Hitchcock's to provide food for the Veterans Standdown. On Thursday September 10th, at about 9:00am, he will be at the Martin Luther King Jr Recreation Center in NE Gainesville, near Citizen's Field off of 8th Avenue near Waldo Road. He will need help moving about 200 bags - about 15 pounds each.

Time to show that your membership means something to you. Contact Forest Hope to find out what you can do to help. 386-462-5400 or email to foresthope@usa.net.

Change in Department of Florida Leaders

Scott DuPree — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 00:49:53 GMT

As Junior Vice Mike Stewart has stepped down, Department Commandant Bill Cona made the necessary appointments to keep the house intact.

George LaMont of Brooksville has moved from his position as Judge Advocate to serve as the Department Junior Vice Commandant. Filling the position of Judge Advocate is Scott Westervelt of Middleburg. Scott is an outstanding energetic Marine who currently serves as Commandant for his detachment and District 3 Vice Commandant.

Also, Janis Beale of Palm Harbor has been appointed Paymaster. I have met Janis is she is a spectacularly pleasant person. The Department's financial records will be in great hands.

As a detachment, we want to see our Department level staff managing the League with competence and confidence. With these recent appointments, we have a good team in place going into the future.

- Scott DuPree

Color Guard Back in the Community

Scott DuPree — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 22:22:28 GMT

Thanks to a handful of GatorDet Marines, our color guard (and honor guard) is back in action. With Marines David Nettles, Forest Hope, Bill Beck and Bob Wright carrying out the duties on July 4th in Micanopy, the American and Marine Corps Colors once again fly in a parade route.

Color Guard Commander Nettles says they are all proud to provide the service but they could sure use a few extra bodies for when one of them is not available. These Marines also work as an honor guard, usually with Marine Dick Lester in the configuration.

If you are interested in helping out with the Color Guard or Honor Guard, contact David Nettles 352-442-2551 or Jim Yakubsin 386-462-0493.

Good evening at Gators Dockside

Scott DuPree — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 12:26:05 GMT

Despite a little rain, we had a good turnout at our gathering at Gators Dockside on Friday night, July 24th. As always, the staff at the restaurant made sure we had adequate space for our group and provided great service.

Joining Commandant and his wife Linda, a variety of members and guests attended. A Marine Corps League member named George was there. He is a member in Michigan but moved here and is looking forward to being part of our group. He is quite a character and was able to meet a number of our members. Officers Vernon Kisling, Bob Gasche and John Murdoch were there. Social Director Sandy Golden had arranged the event and she was there as well talking with everyone.

Others attending included Chaplain Bob Wright and his wife Bonnie, Honor Guard Commander Dave Nettles, Willie Pintos and Sandra Torres-Pintos.

These get-togethers are fun. I encourage all to try to make it to these when they are scheduled.

Former GatorDet Chaplain Ben Kinard passes

Scott DuPree — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 11:14:15 GMT

When Gator 990 was chartered, an energetic former Navy chaplain was the ideal choice as detachment Chaplain. Ben Kinard attended all meetings and most events. He used to sell watermelons on his own outside of Publix and donate the money to the detachment back when our budget was still coming out of our wallets.

Our friend Ben passed away on March 16th at 90 years old. Ben is affectionately remembered for his recital of patriot and inspirational poems. He was sometimes a little long-winded because he was so passionate and we enjoyed his constantly positive outlook on everything.

Ben was very proud of his brother who, as a Navy dive-bomber pilot, was awarded the Navy Cross at 21 years old in 1944 for bravery in the Pacific. His brother was killed in a training accident one year later.

Having grown up in Lake City, Ben was proud to attend the dedication of the Veteran Domiciliary in Lake City, to Cpl Robert H. Jenkins Jr., USMC, Medal of Honor recipient, in 1999.

FROM THE GAINESVILLE SUN:
Chester 'Ben' Bennett Kinard age 90, passed away on Monday, March 16, 2015.
He was born in Moultrie, Georgia on March 12, 1925, and grew up in Lake City, Florida. Ben attended Columbia High School before joining the U.S. Navy and proudly served our country during World War II. Ben continued his education at Gordon Military College in Barnesville, Georgia and also attended UF and FSU. Ben was an independent contractor involved in various aspects of the produce industry. He is survived by his wife of fifty nine years, Dorothy Bailey Kinard, daughters Lori (Richard) Thawley, Marcia Hall and son Monte Kinard. Ben is also survived by seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Ben enjoyed volunteering with the Marine Corp League where he served as Chaplain for many years.
He enjoyed spending time with family and friends and was an avid Gator fan. Ben will always be remembered for his captivating smile, energetic personality and zest for life.

Funeral services were held on Thursday, March 19th at Milam Funeral Home where Commandant Jim Yakubsin and other members attended.

Installation of Officers at the March Meeting

Scott DuPree — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 10:30:00 GMT

Join us on Tuesday March 24th at the general meeting. The 2015-2016 Officers will be installed. The Installing Officer will be Past Commandant Dick Lester.

The incumbent officers are returning for another term. This includes Commandant Jim Yakubsin, Senior Vice Commandant Vernon Kisling, Junior Vice Commandant Bob Gasche and Judge Advocate John Murdoch. Junior Past Commandant Dick Lester retains his position on the Board of Trustees.

We are looking to increase our participation in community events and show the support our group has in this area. What are your talents? What can you do? How can you help? Come to our meetings and find out how you can make a difference.

Garage Sale !!

Scott DuPree — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 02:58:00 GMT

Our main fundraisers are our garage sales. We have 22 storage bays at Alachua Self Storage and we just open them up and pull the items out on display. We have everything from golf balls to entertainment centers.

Help if you can. We'll be setting it up at about 5:30am but if you can't make it that early, come when you can. We just need help setting it out so the public can get some great deals while supporting this worthy veterans' group.

The storage facility is at 14024 NW U.S. 441, Alachua. It is on 441 just south of the bridge on the south end of Alachua. We could sure use some help.

Thanks and see you there.

Officers for 2015-2016 Elected

Scott DuPree — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 11:44:55 GMT

GatorDet held its annual elections at the General Meeting on 24 Feb. Congratulations to our current slate of officers who were nominated and agreed to serve for another term. Commandant Jim Yakubsin will lead his team, consisting of Senior Vice Vernon Kisling, Junior Vice Bob Gasche and Judge Advocate John Murdoch for the coming year. Rounding out the Board of Trustees is Junior Past Commandant Dick Lester.

Thanks to those who were elected for your willingness to serve and to lead our group. The Installation of Officers will be held on 24 March at the General Meeting. Installing Officer will be Junior Past Commandant Dick Lester.

Help Us At The GatorNationals

Scott DuPree — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 03:46:23 GMT

Here is an opportunity to help your detachment and have a little fun. It's that time again and we are looking for volunteers to work with EKG Security at the NHRA Gatornationals. No training or experience necessary. The job is basically crowd control - checking credentials and steering people in the right direction.

Shifts are one day long - 9 to 13 hours, depending on the day and the weather. Your efforts will earn money for the detachment - $8 for every hour you work.

During your breaks, visit the pit of your favorite racer. See and hear the thunder of drag racing cars accelerating to over 300 miles per hour in 4 seconds. It is insane speed!

SrVice Vernon Kisling has already signed up for two days. Who else will step up? We will publish the names of all those who participate.

ELECTIONS at the meeting on Feb 24th

Scott DuPree — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 01:58:27 GMT

Among the other monthly duties, we will have our annual Election of Officers at the February meeting.

At the January meeting, the incumbents all indicated their desire to continue to serve in their positions. But all said if anyone is eager to serve, just get nominated and put it to a vote.

Come join us. We will have covered dish from 6pm to 7pm (ham is the entree) and the meeting starts at 7pm. Of course it is at the First United Methodist Church in Alachua.

Update for the history pages ...

Scott DuPree — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 01:50:26 GMT

A database can prove to be a big deal. After converting all records in, we noticed subtle differences in the membership levels. So another trip through all of the records in the database to ensure every record was correct. Putting finishing touches on each of the web pages that you see on the site. Populating the Events - now that's pretty cool - so much functionality with the event calendar. Making sure the PayPal payments functionality is working properly - and it is!

It is your website. Let us know what you think. Now I am off to figure out how to put our sponsors' ads on our front page.

Semper Fi.

Database Loaded, Release Soon

Scott DuPree — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 04:03:35 GMT

I know you are reading this AFTER we roll this site out, but it is exciting to go in this new direction. What we hope to gain is better communication and a site that will keep you more up to date on events and your own membership status.

I was working with Sandy Golden this last weekend to export all the data out of our existing database and into this one (while the Commandant was on vacation in Hawaii, thank you.) We accomplished the mission. After a little housecleaning with the new data, we will roll this out and we hope we can count on our members to activate their accounts and help us out by updating your profile (such as phone number and address) which is strictly for our database and nobody else.

-Semper Fi

December 2014 ALMAR

Scott DuPree — Sat, 20 Dec 2014 15:03:57 GMT

Read the latest detachment newsletter. Click here.

Member Database and New Website

Scott DuPree — Sun, 07 Dec 2014 01:08:42 GMT

As I write this, the transition is taking place, bringing us to the new membership database by Wild Apricot, and the new website.

If you are reading this, then that means the transition has been completed. Sandy Golden and I hope to provide you with a nice website. Be sure to click on EVENTS to see our calendar of upcoming events and significant dates.

Look for links to news items right on the front page, just like you followed this one.

If you are a member, click on the JOIN US tab and enter your email address. If it matches the email address in our database for you, it will let you create an account. If it does not, simply contact us via the CONTACT page and let us know your email address and that you want to create an account. We'll take it from there.

Member access will allow you to see pages meant only for members, such as the Directory of members and the Forums where topics or surveys may be posted for comment. It will also give us a reliable way to send you information right to your email box, including the ALMAR newsletter and event reminders. If you pay annual dues, our system will send you emails automatically to advise you when your expiration date is approaching.

We hope you enjoy the site.

2015 Birthday Ball Taking Shape

Scott DuPree — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 01:26:53 GMT

The 2015 Birthday Ball will be held on November 14, 2015 at the Best Western Gateway Grand in Gainesville, just west of the I-75 interchange on NW 39th Avenue.

Lieutenant General John Bergman has accepted our invitation to return as our Guest of Honor for this ball, which will have the theme of Honoring The Vietnam Veterans.

TV20's Dave Snyder has agreed to return, with the support of his colleagues, for the third year as host of our USO Show.

We look for this Ball to be more involved and therefore we will be looking for volunteers to step up to help with subtasks. Working together we will assemble the best Birthday Ball to date.

Scott DuPree
Birthday Ball Chair

Guests Enjoyed Birthday Ball 2014

Scott DuPree — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 01:25:35 GMT

They arrived in uniforms, dresses, coats and ties. They were Marines and other veterans, Associate members, community leaders and supporters. They were tall, short, young and ... more mature. But they were all there for the Marine Ball.

As the social hour yielded to the formal ceremonies, all attending witnessed a formal birthday ball with the traditional cake cutting. This year the oldest Marine was John Murdoch while the youngest was Jamie Yakubsin. Master of Ceremonies Sandra Torres-Pintos narrated the ceremony that she also directed. The ceremony was highlighted by remarks from our Guest of Honor, Capt Reiss Tatum (USMC, Ret.) His presence was special as members of his rifle company (Lima, 3/5, Vietnam 1966) were in the audience.

We missed many at the ball, but two in particular: Bob Gasche, our perpetual "oldest Marine", and Mary Hildebrand, our rough and tumble Korea-era Marine. Bob was serving as Guest of Honor at a Ball in Brunswick Georgia and Mary was recovering from a bout with the flu.

The Commandant made some remarks and the Jim Yakubsin Vision Award was presented to Susan Dickinson.

As dinner was served, a USO Show was performed to honor our Korean War Era Veterans. TV20's David Snyder led the group with comedy, singing, dancing and music. The show was enjoyed by all.

Cody Anderson was our DJ and he took the evening over with his great mixture of old and new music. Raffle gifts were won. Our photographer took plenty of pictures of couple in front of the flags.

At the end of the night, we called it a good birthday ball. As we were tucking things away into boxes for the journey home, we began to talk about what we will be doing at next year's ball. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARINES.

Semper Fi.

GatorDet Members provide over $2500 in assistance at Veteran Stand Down

Scott DuPree — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 04:15:24 GMT

Marines Forest Hope and Pete Briggette of our Ways and Means Committee were instrumental in acquiring $2500 worth of healthy food and flyers about healthy nutrition for the Alachua County Veteran Stand Down on September 11, 2014.

Our members set up a table at the Honors Center where many other participants were also providing services and items for the homeless veterans. Marine Hope was joined by SrVice Commandant Vernon Kisling and Marine Bob Barnas.

The Gator Detachment intends to seek grants to continue this generous work in our community. We are thankful for the dedication and leadership of our Marines on this project.

GatorDet acquires new database, creates new website,

Scott DuPree — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 03:30:27 GMT

The Gator Detachment has moved to a new membership database. With this move comes features we previously did not have. The Adjutant will be working on the setup of this database over the next couple of months and we hope to roll out the carpet for all features in January 2015. We will keep you posted.