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thedrifter
06-05-08, 07:31 AM
Marine Corps League dedicates new memorial

Wednesday, Jun 4 2008, 9:53 pm
staff


SHELBY - Semper Fidelis, or "Semper Fi" for short, means "always faithful."
To Marines, it's more than a saying - it's a way of life.

For members of the Foothills Detachment No. 1164 of the Marine Corps League, it means continued service and support to Marines and their families - even for those who have fallen.

On a steamy Tuesday evening at its meeting spot on Grover Street, the league met for the dedication of a long-awaited new Marine memorial.

Detachment members, led by Jerry Webb and J.C. Saunders, worked for months completing the memorial, which includes signage designed to remember not only those who served in the Corps, but all those veterans who served in wars of old.
Webb, who also served as the project spearhead, said the memorial was built with the blood, sweat and tears of himself and other members.

To buy materials for the project, detachment members donated resources, held raffles and even cashed in any available scrap aluminum.

The league held its formal dedication ceremony with a prayer offered by Detachment Chaplain Toney King, a salute and pledge to the flag, a "Taps" rendition and a traditional 21-gun salute by the League's rifle detachment.

Two engraved bricks - remembrances of Marines' past service and dedication - already adorn the new memorial.
The bricks are in memoriam of members Gilbert Noblitt, who died in 2005, and Truman Clary, who died last year.
Clary's daughter, Ashley Clary Smith, was moved by the Marine Corps League's commemoration.

"I can't say enough about these folks in the league," said Smith, who attended the ceremony with family and friends.
"They are dedicated to their fellow Marines like my father. Members visited my dad nearly every day during his illness and stay at Hospice. They didn't forget."

Detachment Commandant Danny Harrill said that though the memorial is a bit off of the beaten path at the garage where they meet on Grover Street, people can still visit.

For a small donation to cover costs, a brick can be placed at the memorial site in a Marine's honor.

Ellie