Latest Blue Diamond News – February 2025

“Fight with a happy heart and a strong spirit.”

— Gen. James Mattis

79th Annual Reunion

Dear Marines:

It’s been awhile since my last message to you back in October. Been busy with typical year-end stuff along with both my wife and I being in hospitals recently – “old age” is catching up with us, but everything is being managed and I’m now close to full strength while she’s recovering on schedule.

I have maintained contact with Susan Finnigan regarding our August re-union in San Diego, and she has secured the DoubleTree Hotel, Bayside (in the downtown vicinity) for August 24-30.

Our Board of Directors & Officers for the Association met via Zoom in late January for a business meeting. Our main focus and top priority were the financial condition and projected future of the association. It was decided at the meeting to raise the annual membership dues up to $50 effective this year.

While we have sufficient funds for continuing operations at this time, our revenue has been declining, and like the rest of the country, we’ve experienced considerable inflation for our operating expenses. I learned a few years ago the 2nd Division Assoc had folded up due to both limited participation and lack of funds. It is the primary goal of our association’s leadership to continue functioning year-after-year for us and the next generation(s) of Marines and Corpsmen.

We’ve been partially funded in recent years by bequests from wills and estates of aging Marines that have passed away. I would like to encourage our members to consider establishing a plan to do this – I recently increased my allocation to Marine Corps “alumni groups”. However, this is not revenue that we, as managers can count on or predict – we need to have sufficient funding currently.

Only in the past few months have I become aware of the fact, that the over-whelming majority of our membership have in the past paid “lifetime dues” and only a small percentage are currently paying each year. This along with a declining membership (another concern of ours – but seems to be somewhat universal among society as a whole) we are now in a situation where, I’m going to ask those of you who have purchased and paid for “lifetime memberships” to consider remitting voluntary contributions to our association either monthly, quarterly or annually. I fully realize that not all of our members are in a financial position to do so, but would like those who are capable to help the association.

Late last year I visited both the So Calif and Colorado River (Arizona) chapters (which are 2 of 3 within 300 miles of where I live). Sadly the Colorado River chapter has ceased operations as of Dec 31st. I did sit with some of their members at the Birthday Ball here in Vegas back in November. They’ve had a declining membership with all but one current member being past 70 years old. Rent for their meeting place had increased, and not enough members actively participating. Last week, I visited the Desert Cities (29 Palms vicinity) chapter which is now the closest operating chapter (265 miles) to Las Vegas. They’re an enthusiastic group and were very welcoming to my wife and me, we expect to visit them several times a year.

As I’m sure you all know by now, we lost Paul Wojahn, a WWII veteran, and active member of our association in late December at the age of 104. I sat with Paul at a dinner during our 2023 re-union. Mark Bayuk, our Deputy VP – Central, traveled to Paul’s Funeral in New Ulm Minnesota. Mark spoke at the reception after interment and was informed all about Paul’s service in WWII.

I’m looking forward to this year’s reunion, and expect it to be the best we’ve had in recent years. Susan has been working diligently with the hotel and planning sight-seeing events, especially regarding Marine Corps & military history. I’ve made contact with several active-duty senior NCOs and Officers at Camp Pendleton and they seem to be willing to accommodate. We plan on attending the MCRD boot camp graduation that Friday morning, and hope to spend the better part of either Weds or Thurs at Camp Pendleton.

Our reunion dates will be August 24-30th, 2026. If you’d like to reserve your room today, you can do so at this link: Use this link to book your hotel room

We have a king room and double room available for $172.72 a night. Our group code is: 91J

It is important to use the group code because we’ve guaranteed so many ‘room nights’ to the hotel in order to get preferred rates for the hospitality rooms, banquets, etc.

We have scheduled a Business Meeting at the hotel next month, and will do a “walk-thru” with hotel staff and determine banquet menus, organize our needs for hospitality rooms, etc.

Finally, I am honored to welcome our newest Life Member: PltSgt Leon Walter McStine. His daughter, Associate member Inger Peterson-Jones sponsored his membership.

PltSgt McStine was with B/1/1 on Guadalcanal. Following combat on the Lunga River, his patrol of seventeen Marines and a Navy Corpsman was declared missing in action on 25 September 1942. The report was updated the next day to all killed in action. Read their piece of history here.  Thank you, Inger.

Semper Fi

RALPH WITKIN

President, 1st Marine Div Assoc

ReconBn70@gmail.com

203-536-7015

P.S. Since our last report, we added 17 new members, including PltSgt McStine, to our member roll. That exceeds the recent passings on this period’s Taps Report. This is our Association growing. Thank you all who are recruiting new members and friends.

FMDA 79th Annual Reunion

August 24-30, 2026

We meet this year in San Diego, California. Our base will be DoubleTree by Hilton San Diego Bayside.

4875 N. Harbor Dr, San Diego CA 92106

Hotel phone +1 619-224-3621

Group Code 91J

Book your room before 24 August.

Use this link to book your hotel room

Click here for more hotel information

Registration forms will be available online and on paper soon.

Welcome to new Chapter President Barron Mills.

Click here for their numbers.

Click here for the latest chapter newsletter, The “Ooh-Rah”

We provide college financial aid to dependents and grandchildren of First Marine Division Marines and Navy Corpsmen (and attached/support units) who were killed, are missing in action, or are 100% disabled.

This will be reviewed after a two year trial.

Read about it on Scholarship Fund’s new website: fmdascholarshipfund.org

CPL FREDRICK ‘RICK’ ALVIRA

SGT MICHAEL ANDUHA

E-8 MSGT REGINALD ANGELES

CPL JAMES ALBERT BARKO

E-5 SGT CHRISTOPHER ALAN CLINTON

1STLT GARY FERGUSON COOPER, Sponsor: Chuck Peck

CWO4 DOUGLAS B. CRAIG

CPL WILLIAM DAVIS

E-1 PFC ANDRIES ‘ANDY’ DEHAAN, Sponsor: Quintin Villanueva

CWO3 BRYAN EGUEZ, Sponsor: Robert Puentes

E-4 CPL KEVIN FRANCOEUR

SSGT RICHARD GROVES

E-4 CPL EARL HART

CPL JON ROBERT KLEE, Sponsor: Jim and Carla Hogan

1STSGT RICHARD ‘RICK’ LEWIS

PLTSGT LEON WALTER MCSTINE (Deceased), Sponsor: Inger Peterson-Jones

E-4 CPL DAVID REECE RAINEY

An important source is the VA’s Gravesite Locator database. Veterans and family will be listed there if the VA paid for a marker from 1997 on.

https://www.cem.va.gov/nationwide-gravesite-locator/

Please report the passing of any Marine, Association member or not, so that we may honor our comrades here.

More recent passings are indicated by boldface.

GLENN W. ALDAY, 16 Apr 2025

PFC JAMES P. ALLEN, 19 Jun 2022

SGT RAYMOND E. BEAULIEU, 24 Mar 1984

E. M. BECK, 6 May 2025

SGT ROBERT E. BENOIT, 16 March 2025

SSGT HERBERT L. JAHN, 13 Sep 2023

SGT ROBERT T. JARRETT, 19 March 2016

PLTSGT LEON WALTER MCSTINE, 25 Sep 1942

SGTMAJ ARTHUR W. NOTTINGHAM USMC(RET), 14 Sep 2024

CPL LAWRENCE S. NOVOTNEY, 23 May 2021

MRS BEATRICE J. NOWOCIENSKI, 7 Feb 2017

MAJ JAMES W. NUGENT USMC(RET), 6 Jul 2012

PFC RICHARD J. NUMMER, 8 Apr 2003

SGT PETER ESCALANTE- NUNEZ, 15 Feb 2017

CPL JACK E. NUNNALLY, 8 Apr 2009

CW3 KERRY  O’BRIEN, 10 Nov 2024

SGT JAMES M. OXLEY, 7 Nov 2015

COL HERBERT R. OXNAM, 13 Jul 2009

LTCOL GEORGE OZUNA JR, 19 Nov 2015

HOWARD W. PHILLIPS, 21 Nov 2025

1STSGT H. POMERANCE, 6 Mar 2010

MSGT RAYMOND C. RAU, 29 Apr 2015

GYSGT JOHN M. RICHARD USMC(RET), 18 Dec 2022

MAJ ROBERT K. RIGGS USMC(RET), 11 Jan 2022

CPL GABRIEL SALAZAR, 1 Mar 2020

GYSGT ERNEST A. SARMENTO, 30 Nov 2020

CPL NORBERT LEONARD SINGER, 31 Aug 2013

SGT RICHARD C. SINGER, 11 Jan 2022

PFC FREDERICK C. SPRING, 16 Jan 2026

LCPL DAVID R. STEFFENSEN, 18 Mar 2013

MRS ELVA STEFFENSON, 2 May 2020

SSGT LOUIS J. WASIRICK, 2 Aug 2011

SGT MARC C. WASZKIEWICZ, 12 May 2022

PVT PAUL W. WOJAHN, 14 Dec 2025

Taps Report last run 6 November 2025

Headquarters Office telephone numbers

(760)763-3267 June Cormier

(760)763-3268 Dennis Coady, and general information

(760)763-3269 SgtMaj Marty Vasquez

(760)763-3270 fax

President Ralph Witkin’s email: reconbn70@gmail.com

Please visit our website: www.1stMarineDivisionAssociation.org

Mailing address:

1st Marine Division Association

3784 Mission Ave Suite 148/608

Oceanside, California 92058

HQ Office: Building 33421, Camp Margarita, Camp Pendleton, California

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Semper Fidelis