thedrifter
04-13-08, 09:58 AM
Marines to help dogs
By DAVE GOSSETT, Staff writer
WINTERSVILLE — Their hair is grey and in some cases thin. The group of older men may have been slowed a little by time, but they are all retired U.S. Marines who served their country from World War II to Iraq.
And these Marines who meet every Wednesday for breakfast were disgusted and upset by news media reports from Iraq last month that showed a video of a Marine on active duty allegedly throwing a puppy off a cliff.
The result of their pride and anger about the purported incident was the creation “Operation Devil Dog.”
“I know the Corps is still investigating the incident but if he did do something like that he besmirched his character and not the Corps. He dishonored himself, not the Marines,” said George Wilson, a retired master gunnery sergeant.
“It was this incident and Michael Vick and his dogs. We started talking about the incidents and decided we wanted to hold an auction to raise money for the Jefferson County chapter of the Humane Society,” Wilson explained.
The auction is set from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 10 at Zalenski’s Family Eatery and Pub restaurant on Cadiz Road.
“We also hope to have several dogs from the Jefferson County animal shelter available for adoption at the auction,” Wilson added.
“We are all donating and collecting military memorabilia from our past service in the Marine Corps for the auction. Among the several items, we have a couple Japanese flags from Iwo Jima, a white Japanese naval banner, a German dagger from World War II, a hand-carved wooden cane with Marine emblems, a book on the Marine Commandant’s home in Washington, D.C., and several sketches by a noted Marine historian,” said Wilson.
“Our group is unique and very proud of our Marine connection. We have nine guys in the group who served in World War II who collected a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and eight Purple Hearts. Most of our guys served in the Pacific. They didn’t want the Marines to serve in Europe and mix with the people in Europe,” Wilson said with a laugh.
Jim McClain served during World War II and he fought on Iwo Jima.
“When we heard about this Marine in Iraq allegedly throwing a puppy off of a cliff we felt it was a pretty despicable act. We all talked about it and felt we should do something positive. We have our own Marine pride and this guy belittled Marines everywhere,” McClain said.
McClain doesn’t own a dog. The former Island Creek Township trustee used to raise and train quarter horses.
“But I always had a special fondness for dogs. I was a front line scout with the Marines on Iwo Jima and we used trained dogs to help detect the Japanese hiding in the caves or bunkers. They helped us find the enemy and stay alive,” McClain recalled.
His friend Len Masci owns an Australian shepherd.
“My daughter is the former president of the local humane society, so I have been involved because of her,” Masci noted.
“We have a pretty close group here. We do allow one former Navy corpsman to have breakfast with us. But the rest of us are retired Marines. And we know, once a Marine, always a Marine,” explained Wilson.
“The Marine Corps is so small, you can usually meet a Marine and find out you have mutual friends. If I see someone wearing the Marine emblem of the globe, eagle and anchor, I make a point of talking to them. The Marines are a proud group with a long history and this one individual does not represent the real Marines,” said Wilson.
“We hope to raise some serious money for the humane society. In addition to the military memorabilia, we are also collecting donations from local businesses to sell at the auction. And Greg Zalenski has been a major help to us by allowing us to use one of his rooms at the restaurant for the auction,” stated Wilson.
“And anyone who has a military item they would like to donate for the auction can stop by Zalenski’s Restaurant on Wednesday mornings. We are looking for more donations and 100 percent of the money raised will be contributed to the humane society,” Wilson explained.
(Gossett can be contacted at dgossett@heraldstaronline.com.)
Ellie
By DAVE GOSSETT, Staff writer
WINTERSVILLE — Their hair is grey and in some cases thin. The group of older men may have been slowed a little by time, but they are all retired U.S. Marines who served their country from World War II to Iraq.
And these Marines who meet every Wednesday for breakfast were disgusted and upset by news media reports from Iraq last month that showed a video of a Marine on active duty allegedly throwing a puppy off a cliff.
The result of their pride and anger about the purported incident was the creation “Operation Devil Dog.”
“I know the Corps is still investigating the incident but if he did do something like that he besmirched his character and not the Corps. He dishonored himself, not the Marines,” said George Wilson, a retired master gunnery sergeant.
“It was this incident and Michael Vick and his dogs. We started talking about the incidents and decided we wanted to hold an auction to raise money for the Jefferson County chapter of the Humane Society,” Wilson explained.
The auction is set from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 10 at Zalenski’s Family Eatery and Pub restaurant on Cadiz Road.
“We also hope to have several dogs from the Jefferson County animal shelter available for adoption at the auction,” Wilson added.
“We are all donating and collecting military memorabilia from our past service in the Marine Corps for the auction. Among the several items, we have a couple Japanese flags from Iwo Jima, a white Japanese naval banner, a German dagger from World War II, a hand-carved wooden cane with Marine emblems, a book on the Marine Commandant’s home in Washington, D.C., and several sketches by a noted Marine historian,” said Wilson.
“Our group is unique and very proud of our Marine connection. We have nine guys in the group who served in World War II who collected a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and eight Purple Hearts. Most of our guys served in the Pacific. They didn’t want the Marines to serve in Europe and mix with the people in Europe,” Wilson said with a laugh.
Jim McClain served during World War II and he fought on Iwo Jima.
“When we heard about this Marine in Iraq allegedly throwing a puppy off of a cliff we felt it was a pretty despicable act. We all talked about it and felt we should do something positive. We have our own Marine pride and this guy belittled Marines everywhere,” McClain said.
McClain doesn’t own a dog. The former Island Creek Township trustee used to raise and train quarter horses.
“But I always had a special fondness for dogs. I was a front line scout with the Marines on Iwo Jima and we used trained dogs to help detect the Japanese hiding in the caves or bunkers. They helped us find the enemy and stay alive,” McClain recalled.
His friend Len Masci owns an Australian shepherd.
“My daughter is the former president of the local humane society, so I have been involved because of her,” Masci noted.
“We have a pretty close group here. We do allow one former Navy corpsman to have breakfast with us. But the rest of us are retired Marines. And we know, once a Marine, always a Marine,” explained Wilson.
“The Marine Corps is so small, you can usually meet a Marine and find out you have mutual friends. If I see someone wearing the Marine emblem of the globe, eagle and anchor, I make a point of talking to them. The Marines are a proud group with a long history and this one individual does not represent the real Marines,” said Wilson.
“We hope to raise some serious money for the humane society. In addition to the military memorabilia, we are also collecting donations from local businesses to sell at the auction. And Greg Zalenski has been a major help to us by allowing us to use one of his rooms at the restaurant for the auction,” stated Wilson.
“And anyone who has a military item they would like to donate for the auction can stop by Zalenski’s Restaurant on Wednesday mornings. We are looking for more donations and 100 percent of the money raised will be contributed to the humane society,” Wilson explained.
(Gossett can be contacted at dgossett@heraldstaronline.com.)
Ellie