2005 Second Quarter Commandant's Message

MARINES, I’ve been thinking.

We all have been strung out to the nth degree at least once in our lifetime. I am not referring to drug induced incoherence; I mean we have been pushed to the greater limits of our psyche, even though we somehow manage to return to a sense of normalcy (?) only to find that we made more difficult the underlying problem that confronted each of us, agreed?

You get an incomplete message about a person or an event and immediately conjure up all possible negative thoughts when in reality the message might readily develop into a positive conclusion. Even though we believe that for the most part there is good in all that happens, or feel what happens, happens for the best, it is difficult to assume a possible positive outcome. Maybe its just me, but I believe that progressively, because of, our inherent desire to be helpful especially to our Marine counterparts we look for the worst case scenario in order to ensure that any outcome is gratefully accepted to be better than we had imagined, this happens when we don't know the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say.

What is this leading to?

Marines don't give up no matter the complexity of the situation and I for one am not giving up any ground to impede my quest for more detachments and membership growth. I hear around the department that detachments are failing because: some leadership is too old and set in their ways, or are no longer interested, Grimm reaper is calling our Marines to further duty with our maker, we are doing too many community spirit issues, we are spreading ourselves too thin, you see folks membership growth adds more volunteers to the staff. In the last leaguer I outlined ways to encourage growth. It's up to you individually to clone yourself by bringing new Marines into the League. To those who have differences of opinion within the detachment with respect to protocol, ritual and community, I say stop for a minute and think hard.. Protocol is exact and does not lend itself to interpretation Ritual is control community is what we make of it., therefore, it behooves all to look closely at ourselves and look for the simple positive aspects of this scenario.

1. Gather together those of agreeing points and separate into a new detachment and bring in new members to follow your course

2. Hold a special skull session void of protocol and set down your interests for the detachment.

3. Hold a special guest night of Marines in the community to encourage younger membership.

4. Remember the preamble to and Oath of Office make very clear the reason we are MARINE CORPS LEAGUE is because of our Marines and their families, not the community, are our most important commodity.

Special note:

I am offering myself up for election to an additional year as Department Commandant of the utopian State of California.

Semper Fidelis

Robert W. (Bob) Sennett, Commandant
Department of California