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GATOR DETACHMENT 990 - MARINE CORPS LEAGUE - GAINESVILLE/ALACHUA

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  • 26 Jan 2021 10:00 PM | Scott DuPree (Administrator)

    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!

  • 11 Nov 2020 2:35 PM | Scott DuPree (Administrator)

    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.


  • 10 Oct 2020 5:30 PM | Scott DuPree (Administrator)

    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


  • 28 Sep 2020 8:47 PM | Scott DuPree (Administrator)

    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.  

  • 30 Mar 2020 8:21 PM | Scott DuPree (Administrator)

    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.

  • 21 Dec 2019 3:04 PM | Scott DuPree (Administrator)

    Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!

  • 21 Dec 2019 2:47 PM | Scott DuPree (Administrator)

    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


  • 03 Nov 2019 12:40 AM | Scott DuPree (Administrator)

    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

  • 26 Aug 2019 10:57 PM | Scott DuPree (Administrator)

    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. 

  • 23 Feb 2019 6:56 PM | Scott DuPree (Administrator)

    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.

Phone: (352) 339-0597

Email: gator990@gmail.com 


Mailing Address:  
Gator 990 MCL
PO Box 14
High Springs FL 32655 

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