Marine vets to hold meeting

It’s real.

The Gaffney Marines have completed the application for charter in establishing a Marine Corps League Detachment in Gaffney.

The organization was formed by an Act of Congress in 1932 and has a membership of 60,000 former and active duty Marines. Currently there are 22 Detachments in South Carolina with a membership of approximately 1,400 members.

An organizational meeting will be held at noon Feb. 19 at the VFW Post No. 3447. State Commandant Ed Hammons along with State Judge Advocate Kim Dewey, State Junior Vice Commandant Wayne Stinnett and Past Commandant of the Spartanburg Detachment Jim Smith will conduct the meeting.

“I’m very excited about Gaffney coming onboard,” Hammons said. “We’ve been working for more than a year to complete this mission and it’s obvious the interest to serve the community in Gaffney by a Marine Corps League Detachment is certainly here. We do so many different things but the one thing we have that no other branch of the service has is “brotherhood,” and Gaffney will be filled with that on Saturday, Feb. 19. Our main purpose Saturday will be naming the detachment. I strongly encourage all eligible Marines or Corpsmen to attend this meeting.”

Any former Marine or Naval Corpsman who served with the FMF, and discharged with 90 days or more honorable service is invited to become a member of the newly formed detachment. For more information contact organizer Frank Sossamon at 487-4116 or e-mail him at fws111@bellsouth.net.