Fellow Marines, Corpsmen, and Associates,

At the MCL Spring Conference, I spoke a bit about what it takes to recruit and retain new members to the Marine Corps League.  I talked about a proven method that has been working for eons. It is as simple as talking to people that you see around town, wearing either a T-shirt or a baseball cap that has Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard emblazoned on it.  I also mentioned placing a business card or a recruiting flyer on the windshield or driver’s window of any vehicle displaying any service icon or bumper sticker.  Attending street fairs and going to places where Veterans congregate was another option.

I may have mentioned several other things; we all know what has to be done, but the main problem is going out and doing it.  Several Marines came to me and said that they had tried everything that I had mentioned and it did not work for them.  Their Detachment needs members or the Detachment will cease to exist so they need a foolproof way of growing their Detachment.  New ways have to be implemented, like using the social media, the internet, yada, yada, yada.

For a while, I wondered how behind the times I must be but decided to set out and use the old proven method of “talking to people”.  I invited 14 people to attend the next 597 meeting in April.  Know from the very onset, that not everyone you invite is going to show up. Not at the next meeting, the next one or the one after that!  It took me one year to get Ben Pfister to finally attend his first meeting and look at him now. Ben is a very productive member of the 597.  He has served as Adjutant, Ship Store Captain, and now is the Poundkeeper of the Ventura County Devil Dogs…and Ben has further aspirations to gain a position with the MODD at the State level.

To prove to myself that using the old proven method of talking to people still works, in spite of the internet, of the 14 people that I invited to our April meeting, here is the result.

Members of the 597 sponsored by Matt E. Valenzuela, Past Commandant April 2018
1. Ivone Quintero-Cagnacci, Marine, became a regular member
2. Jeffrey Cagnacci, Marine, became a regular member
3. John Calderon, Past Commander of DAV Chapter 55 became an Associate4.
4. Wendy Calderon will wait until she is through school to become an Associate
5. Doug Bamforth, fellow Chaplain of VFW Post 10049 became an Associate
6. Jo LeFevre Bamforth, Auxiliary member, VFW Post 10049 became an Associate
7. Paul Lopez, Veterans Chair at the VA, became an Associate

This means that 7 people said ‘yes’ to my invitation and 7 people said ‘no thanks” at
this time.  Some people may fear “rejection”, being told “No, thanks!” and quit inviting people after the first ‘No’.  So it may be a personal thing and not the “old method” that doesn’t work. Out of 61 people at our April meeting, 18, or 29.5% were personally sponsored by yours truly using the “old method” of talking to people.

I wrote this article not to brag and not to complain, but to prove to myself and to the ‘naysayers’ that the things we already know how to do and have in our head, work, but they have to be implemented.

Matt E. Valenzuela
Jr Vice Commandant
Marine Corps League
Department of California

JrViceMCLDeptofCA@gmail.com
310-768-2847 Office  Mon-Fri 0800-1800
310-308-7015 Mobile Mon-Sat 0700-2000
Sunday – Fo’get about it.

Thanks to Mardu Lydick, Chapter Director of Pets for Vets for sending in the above info.

HE SAID THAT HE COULD DO IT.
HE SAID THAT HE HAD DONE IT BEFORE.
HE VOLUNTEERED TO DO IT,
AND BY JOVE, HE DID!!!

WHAT A FORMIDABLE TASK DICK JENNINGS TOOK ON WHEN HE VOLUNTEERED TO BECOME THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GOLF TOURNAMENT AND THE MCL DEPT OF CA STATE CONVENTION 2017.
DICK SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH A GOOD GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS TO HELP CARRY OUT THE VARIOUS DUTIES NECESSARY TO PUT ON THE GOLF TOURNAMENT AND THE CONVENTION, AND HELP THEY DID!

ALL TEAM MEMBERS WORKED TOGETHER TOWARDS THE COMMON GOOD AND IT SHOWED IN THEIR POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND THE GLOW AND SMILES ON THEIR FACES AS THEY HELPED MAKE THE MCL DEPT OF CA CONVENTION 2017 A GREAT SUCCESS.

I WAS RECEIVING EMAILS FROM DICK AT PAST MIDNIGHT AND EVEN AT 0400; I REALLY DO NOT KNOW WHEN HE SLEPT, IF AT ALL. KUDOS TO YOU DICK JENNINGS!!!

IT WAS GREAT TO SEE FAMILIAR FACES AGAIN, AS THE MARINES AND THEIR BETTER HALVES BEGAN ARRIVING FROM POINTS NORTH AND SOUTH. NEW FRIENDSHIPS WERE MADE; OLD FRIENDSHIPS WERE RENEWED, AND STORIES FLOWED AND EXPERIENCES WERE SHARED.
ALL IN ALL, EVERYONE THAT I TALKED TO EXPRESSED THAT THEY HAD A GOOD TIME.

OF ALL THEY EXPERIENCED DURING THE CONVENTION, TWO THINGS THAT STUCK WAY OUT IN THE MINDS OF THE CONVENTIONEERS WAS, ONE, THE SPEAKER ROBIN HUTTON. SOME WERE NOT AWARE OF THE WARHORSE, SGT RECKLESS. SO THEY LISTENED, BOUGHT BOOKS AND NOW THEY KNOW ALL ABOUT THE HORSE THAT WAS NOT A HORSE , BUT WAS A MARINE!!!

THE SECOND THING THAT BOTH THE VIETNAM VETS AND THEIR WIVES WERE VERY EMOTIONAL ABOUT WAS THE PRESENTATION OF THE LAPEL PINS FOR THE COMMEMORATION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR.
THEY MENTIONED THAT THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THIS COMMEMORATION BEING “OUT THERE” AND ENJOYED THE “WELCOME HOME, VIETNAM VETS!!!” PRESENTATION.

THEY ACCEPTED THEIR PINS FROM DEPARTMENT COMMANDANT BOB VILLALOBOS AND PAST NATIONAL DIVISION VICE COMMANDANT, GENE RIVERS.

THE MC MENTIONED THAT THEY SHOULD WEAR THOSE PINS PROUDLY ON THEIR CAPS OR LAPELS FOR THEY SERVED THEIR COUNTRY WELL AND WITH HONOR, AND ON BEHALF OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE USA, THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, THEY WANTED TO THANK ALL VIETNAM ERA VETS AND SAY THANK YOU, AND “WELCOME HOME, VIETNAM VETERANS!!!“.
MANY OF THE VIETNAM VETS, INCLUDING MYSELF, ACCEPTED THEIR PINS WITH TEARY EYES OF GRATITUDE, FOR IT WAS THE BEST WELCOME WE HAVE HAD SINCE WE CAME BACK TO CONUS…THE GOOD OLD U.S.A.

ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRMAN, DICK JENNINGS, A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED… ESPECIALLY THE COLOR/HONOR GUARD COMPRISED OF THE FOLLOWING MARINES AND ASSOCIATES: COLOR GUARD COMMANDER RUY PENA, FAUSTO GALVAN, BEN PFISTER, KEN ‘DOC’ HONAKER, LARRY FISCHER, DAVE OPFER, JOHN MILLER, JOHN COLEY, HARRY HODGES, RAMON AREVALO, AL LANSDALE, RAY VALENZUELA, AND WHOEVER ELSE I MAY HAVE MISSED; GOING FROM MEMORY.

HOSPITALITY ROOM:
I HAVE NEVER SEEN A HOSPITALITY ROOM RUN SO PROFESSIONALLY AS VALERIA’S TEAM DID ON THIS ONE!
ON VALERIA GALVAN’S TEAM WERE CHRIS KRONE, CINDY MERAGER, SUE PFISTER, AND TONI REED. THEY RAN AROUND MAKING SURE THAT EVERY ONE HAD AMPLE TO EAT AND DRINK AND HAD A SMILE ON THEIR FACE AND MADE ALL THAT CAME FEEL WELCOME.

VALERIA GALVAN BROUGHT FORTH SOME SUMPTUOUS HOME-COOKED TAMALES AND OTHER DELECTABLE GOODIES TO EAT. THE TAMALES WERE GOBBLED UP ALMOST IMMEDIATELY; I WAS LUCKY TO GET SOME ALONG WITH VALERIA’S HOME-MADE SALSA!!!
MR PHIL HERNANDEZ, THE BARTENDER, WAS ALSO VERY PROFESSIONAL. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THERE WAS PLENTY TO EAT AND DRINK.

RECEPTION DESK:
THE PAYMASTER, TAJ O’TOOLE WAS AT THE RECEPTION DESK AND ALSO HAD ENOUGH HELP TO GET EVERYONE CHECKED IN AND READY TO GO. THANKS GO TO RUDY CORDERO, CINDY MERAGER, ALLISON MC KOWEN, MATT VALENZUELA AND OTHERS WHO STEPPED UP AS NEEDED.

RECEPTION AT DINNER TIME:
A HUGE BIG ‘THANK YOU’ GOES TO TAJ O’TOOLE AND MARY ANNE KREUTZ WHO MANAGED THE CHECK-IN RECEPTION TABLE AT DINNER TIME…IT WAS HECTIC, BUT PLEASANT. AND AND MAY I SAY, THE SALMON WAS PREPARED IN SUCH A CULINARY WAY AS TO MAKE IT A DELICIOUS AND TASTY DISH. I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT!

THE SHIP STORE:
THANKS TO LARRY FISCHER AND BEN PFISTER FOR HAVING ALL THE SHIPS STORE ITEMS ON DISPLAY AND READY FOR SALE.
SIDE TABLES AND YOUNG MARINES THANKS TO HARRY HODGES, JOHN COLEY, DR TONY SAUNDERS, AND THE YOUNG MARINES FOR MANNING THE SIDE TABLES WITH ALL THEIR PARAPHERNALIA AND HAVING IT READY FOR SALE.

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN SELLING THE GLOCK 17 RAFFLE TICKETS. THE GLOCK RAFFLE WAS A GREAT SUCCESS.
THANK YOU BEN PFISTER FOR DONATING THE 9MM GLOCK. THE WINNER OF THE GLOCK 17 WAS MARGIE NAVARRO FROM BAKERSFIELD, CA. CONGRATULATIONS, MARGIE!!!
AND THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING.

UNTIL THE NEXT BIG EVENT,

SEMPER FI,

Matt E. Valenzuela
Communications Officer
PresIdent Ronald Reagan Detachment 597
Marine Corps League
Department of Calfornia
310-768-2847 Office
310-308-7015 Mobile