Granite State Detachment 542, Marine Corps League

Greater Hillsborough County Area

What a year 2024 has been...we have brought in a number of new members and associate members while sadly losing some members having been called to their final duty.

Our last Saturday of the month FUNday breakfast is growing with the addition of trumpeter Glen Thayer joining with Pat Anthony to grace our FUNday breakfast with not only the Marine and Navy hymns but other fine musical pieces.

Please note that our December 28th breakfast is being moved to January 4th because the original date falls between the two holidays.

Glen Thayer, Antwon Scott and Steve White have agreed to take over the Toys for Tots program and refine what they learned about the 2024 T4T program to help make it a much finer tuned venue in 2025 and beyond.

Glen Thayer is also combining the Marine for Life program into the responsibilities of Junior Vice Commandant, that will fine tune this task in recruitment and retention, helping to make it much more interesting to both new and older members rebuilding the joy of comradery that we found lacking once we left active duty. 

Antwon Scott has jumped in as quartermaster to get a clear picture of what we will have available for uniform items for members, ordering new covers and EGA's for new members, and being sure that we will be well prepared for our fundraising activities as they come up.

Michelle Vanvalkenberg will be setting up fundraising activities both old and some new ones to help us better serve Marines, Veterans and our community at large. We will be interacting with other groups such as the Boys and Girls Club, and Roca Kidz Club, etc. to benefit our community.

This detachment is one for all and all for one, so please let us know what is working well, what might be improved, new ideas on donors, fund raising and fun activities, etc. 

I want to thank all members for their help and support in 2024 and look forward

to more of the same in 2025 as our detachment becomes the ONE in 2025 that other detachments and local groups will be looking up to for guidance and assistance where we can help.

The Marine ethos:

Alieni Semel, Saepius Exertus, Semper Fidelis, Fratres et Sorores in Aeternum!   

Strangers Once, Often Tested, Always Faithful, Brothers and Sisters Forever  

Quidam Dedit Omnibus 

All Gave Some, Some Gave All

Commandant - Gary Gahan

Happy New Year Marines of the 542 Granite State Detachment!

I hope that all our members have a wonderful holiday with family and friends. It’s that time of year to begin planning our 2025 Fundraiser! Our efforts support our fellow Marines, veterans, and the greater Manchester community.

This year we are proposing five opportunities to raise money and are currently working to secure the locations.

The first opportunity would be May 17^th (prior to Memorial Day Weekend) at the Bedford, Hookset, and Manchester Market Baskets and, Bass Pro Shops May 17^th and 18th.

The second opportunity would be June 28^th (near 4^th of July) at the three aforementioned Market Baskets and Bass Pro Shops Jun 28-29.

The third opportunity would be Aug 23-24^th at Bass Pro Shop.

Our fourth opportunity would the Manchester Car show Aug 31st.

Our final dates would be Nov 8-9^th at Bass Pro Shop.

If we can get each member to volunteer for two out of the five events (but, feel free to do more) we could raise extensive funds and blow past our 2024 fundraisers. However, this takes a commitment from all our members, and I know Marines are not afraid to commit and help out were we can!

We are only on site for six hours at each location, and I can tell you that the three hours shift flew by when I volunteered at our last event. These fundraising opportunities are great ways to make our presence known in the community, to share what we do, and to bring in potential members.

Please check your calendars and use the sign up sent to your emails or let me know at our January meeting which dates work best for you to volunteer.

Semper Fi,

Michelle Van Valkenburg

Senior Vice Commandant

My heart is filled with joy as I realize the holidays are near.

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving followed by Christmas & New Year.

I love this time of year because everything is so festive as we celebrate these holidays.

We should focus on things that truly matter & enjoy this time with our loved ones & friends.

We should remember our Veterans passed & present. Also remember our soldiers who are serving abroad & in Country.

A special remembrance for our elderly veterans who are fighting many different aliments. We should pray for them & remember the sacrifices they made for our country. 

Let's not forget all of the Veterans struggling with various issues.

Let's appreciate the wonderful country we live in & the freedoms we enjoy because of the Veterans who came before us.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen 

Joe Duquette, Chaplain

Paymaster Donation Report for Fourth Quarter 2024

During the fourth quarter of 2024, GSD #542 made two donations of $500 each to two very deserving non-profit organizations – Boys and Girls Club of Manchester, NH and the National Capital Council of the Navy League United States.   

Kudos to the members of GSD #542, as they should be very proud that each quarter of 2024 the Detachment made a significant difference in people’s lives with many donations to Veterans and community organizations.

Please remember that as a GSD #542 member when you support and volunteer at the Detachment’s fundraiser events, your donation of time and effort allows the GSD #542 to carry out its mission of helping many worthy Veteran and community organizations promote their programs and achieve their goals. 

SEASONS GREETINGS, MARINES!

Respectfully submitted,

Marge Romano

As the new quartermaster I have taken an inventory of the GSD #542 MCL clothing that we have in our storage facility.

These are all men's clothes. If there is anything in the list below that interests you, please email me directly with the link below and we will work out getting the clothes distributed.

Antwon Scott, Quartermaster

Granite Marine Corps Clothing Inventory

Dress Blue Trousers Size 34R

Black Trousers Size 42x30

Dress Blue Trousers Size 36R

Dress Blue Trousers Size 38R

Dress Blue Trousers Size 44R

Black Trousers Size 44x30 (2)

Short Sleeve Shirt White Neck Size 16

Long Sleeve Shirt White Neck Size 16 1/2

Black Dress Tie

Dress Blue Cover with EGA Size 7 1/8

We are happy to welcome our newest members to the Granite State Detachment #542 in 2024 that were sworn in at the various times in the last couple of months. We are looking forward to years of friendship, camaraderie, and fun as we help fellow Marines, Veterans, and the Community together!

Welcome

Michael Bergeron, Jr

William Donaghey

Margaret (Peggy) Fedor

Ahmad Martin

George Robinson

Antwon Scott

Bruce Soiett (Transfer from Seacoast Detachment)

Left to Right: Joe Duquette, Chaplain, Gary Gahan, Commandant, George Robinson, Antwon Scott, Michael Bergeron, Jr during the swearing in ceremony for new members.

Glen Thayer, Sr. and Gary Gahan during Glen's swearing in ceremony for new membership.

Ahmad Martin and Gary Gahan during Ahmad's swearing in ceremony on 12/10/24.

Every year, on the Marine Corps birthday, November 10, the MCL has the special privilege to have a special flag raising presentation over the NH State Capital building.

Gov. Sununu with our SVC Michelle VanValkenburg and her son Tom

Gov. Sununu with new member Glen Thayer and his son Glen Jr

Gov. Sununu with new member Sara Steffan and her two sons.

Those that wished to join in a breakfast after the flag raising at the state house, enjoyed a nice meal at a local restaurant in Concord. Cody Dumont, the Department of NH Commandant, is the one in the middle with the sword in the picture on the left.

November 10, 2024 USMC celebrated its 249th birthday, and the Marine Corps League celebrated at the Marine Corps Ball at the Double Tree Hotel, Manchester, NH on the evening of November 9th as well as a luncheon on November 10th. Looks like fun was had by all!

The birthday luncheon cake cutting ceremony made the Union Leader online newspaper!

The rifle above is an M1 rifle from WW2. The bayonet goes with it. There are 500 signatures on the rifle of WW2 veterans. This is owned and was produced by author Andrew Biggio and available for us to view during the luncheon.

Bill Rogers and Glen Thayer Sr.

These two vehicles were parked outside the luncheon facility.

The one that looks like a Jeep is a M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV)

The larger truck is a USMC M35 armored cargo gun truck.

Kevin Galeaz, Gary Gahan, Glen Thayer Sr.

Glen Thayer Sr. and Eric Anthony

Belle and Glen Thayer Sr.

Pat and Eric Anthony

Pat and Eric Anthony enjoying the dance floor!

We are starting a list of businesses in our area that offer discounts to Veterans. If you know others please email us at granitestatemarines542@gmail.com .

Bass Pro Shops - Hooksett

The Home Depot

Lowes

Tucker's Restaurant -Bedford, Hooksett, and Merrimack

T-Bones - Bedford, Derry, and Concord

For a list of Veteran Owned Business in NH please visit: www.veteranownedbusiness.com

WREATHS FOR BOSCAWEN,

NEW HAMPSHIRE VETERANS CEMETERY, BOSCAWEN, NH

As Paymaster of the Granite State Detachment #542 Marine Corps League, I attended the Blue Star Mothers of NH October 2024 meeting at the NH National Guard Armory in Manchester, NH. Representing the Detachment, I presented a GSD #542 donation check in the amount of $500 to President, Karen Thurston for the Blue Star Mothers annual “Wreaths for Boscawen” placement event to be held on December 7, 2024 at the NH State Veterans Cemetery. 

The GSD #542 donation will help the Blue Star Mothers of NH purchase the 22” Balsam Wreaths with a four loop red bow. The wreaths are purchased from the Three Rivers Wreath Company in Franklin, NH and delivered to the NH Veterans Cemetery on December 6, 2024.

The Blue Star Mothers of NH purchase the wreaths from a local vendor to ensure high quality and to support NH jobs and communities. Also, the cost of the locally purchased wreaths is significantly less than those purchased through the WAA program.

In addition to this event, the Blue Stars Mothers of NH organization also provides support for active duty service personnel, promotes patriotism, assists Veterans organizations, and is available to assist in homeland volunteer efforts to help our country remain strong. The organization also supports military families by packing and shipping care packages to deployed service members.

Marge Romano

GSD Paymaster

Some of you may have noticed that back in May our Facebook page was no longer published on the social media site. It seems that someone attacked (hacked) our page and made it so that it was unpublished and no mater what we did to fix it, nothing worked.

Therefore, we have had to recreate our Facebook page with a slightly different page name.

Below is the link for the new page, we ask that you go to the page and click the follow button so that you can see all of our posts.

At the November FUNday Breakfast we had a special celebration for this amazing woman, Pauly Labbe, associate member of GSD for years, who turned 94 and celebrated with song, friends, and gifts. Happy Birthday Pauly!

Pat Anthony & Glen Thayer

The gangs all here...but where were you? Hope to see you next time.

Our next FUNday Breakfast was scheduled for December 28th, but because that falls between the two major holidays at the end of the month, we have moved our breakfast to January 4th.

So please join us for our next FUNday breakfast on January 4th at 0800 at the Airport Diner for the FUNday meet-n-greet breakfast @ 2280 Brown Avenue, Manchester to join in on all this fun!

LIVE Music entertainment by our own Pat Anthony and Glen Thayer Sr.

We are planning to have our Holiday Yankee Swap during the breakfast as well!

Hope to see you there!

The January FUNday Breakfast will be held on January 25th at the same time and location.

Several of our GSD #542 members, including our Chaplain Joe Duquette, attended the McKelvie Middle School Veterans Day in Bedford, NH, event on November 11th. The children asked a lot of amazing questions through out the event. And some sent some great hand made thank you cards to our detachment. Thank you to McKelvie school for allowing our veterans to share their stories and answer questions about their time in service.

The eight-point Veteran’s Creed is:

1.   I am an American Veteran

2.   I proudly served my country

3.   I live the values I learned in the military

4.   I continue to serve my community, my country and my fellow veterans

5.   I maintain my physical and mental discipline

6.   I continue to lead and improve

7.   I make a difference

8.   I honor and remember my fallen comrades

Source:  https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/latest-releases/archives/2018/6/veterans-organizations-establish-veterans-creed

Click the below image to read the full New England Division Newsletter for December 2024-January 2025.

Fourth Annual Holt Avenue Community Christmas Block Party

Another successful Holt Avenue Community Christmas Block Party was held on Sunday, December 8, 2024. As in previous years, the delicious food was in abundance for all of the attendees to enjoy; mac and cheese, pulled pork sandwiches, chili, hot dogs and hot chocolate, coffee, etc. The donated cookies and desserts were amazing and were decorated in a festive holiday spirit.

With all the red lights a blazing, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus arrived via the Manchester Station 8 fire truck. A grand appearance by the grumpy green-furred Grinch snuck up behind Mr. and Mrs. Claus to try to steal some of Santa’s gifts for the children. Mr. Grinch tried to remain grumpy but, because all the children showed him so much kindness and attention, his heart grew and he suddenly became very cheerful and enjoyed the event with the rest of the guests.

Marines, Corporal Cameron Bisson and Lance Corporal Michael Barrett from Marine Corps Company B in Londonderry, NH helped the attendees place their gift toys in the “Toys for Tots” collection boxes. In addition to all the donated toys, folks donated $120 in cash to the T4T organization.

Attendees also donated a total of $600 to the Manchester Fire Station 8 which the firemen will, in turn, donate to several local families in need. The generous folks attending the event also donated over three dozen new blankets for the homeless in Manchester.

Daniel Mowrey, our committee’s “fearless leader” and organizer of the event did a stellar job making sure that all the details (big and small) were covered to ensure that all went smoothly throughout the evening. 

A huge “shout out” to all the committee members and volunteer kitchen folks for their holiday spirit of giving of their time and effort in planning, decorating, including their food and gift donations that significantly contributed to making the event an enjoyable, positive and fun experience for all attendees.  

Marge Romano

Kevin Brown and Gary Gahan present a check for $500 to the Bedford Community Food Pantry in October 2024.

GSD #542 Donates $1,000 to NH Food Bank for the

2024 Holiday Season

by Marge Romano, Paymaster

In early November 2024, representing the Granite State Detachment #542 Marine Corps League, Commandant Gary Gahan and I with Nancy Melitt, Director of Development of the NH Food Bank facility located in Manchester, NH. 

During the meeting, Commandant Gary Gahan presented Director Melitt with a GSD #542 donation check in the amount of $1,000 to help support the NH Food Bank in providing meals to families and individuals who are in need of additional food resources during the Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday season.

A huge “SHOUT OUT” to all the GSD #542 MCL fundraiser volunteers; your time and effort have made this donation possible for folks in our community. 

Semper Fi!!

Marge Romano, Paymaster, and Gary Gahan, Commandant present donation check to the Boys and Girls Club of Manchester on December 11, 2025.

Morning at battalion, still a touch cool

If 90 degrees can be called cool

Chatting with a tanker crew

Iron elephant well dug in

Young men telling stories, mostly exaggerated

Gazing across the valley

To the next hill we may climb

Bird Dog slowly flies his pattern

Patrolling along a ridgeline

A dip, then a sharp climb and over

Standing on his nose, hanging

Watch the rocket streak before the sound reaches

Willie Peter marker blazes white so pure

Tank radio crackles, “Fire Mission”

Crew jumps, engine rumbles to life

Turret rotates, elevates a bit

Round on the way, quick adjustment

And three more roar out the tube

Glasses tight, we watch

Young men or pieces take flight

Short, their last flight ever

Emotionless I watch, half a mile away

Radio squawks, “targets down and out.”

Celebratory cheers, on their way

To kill us, they were, threat gone

And I cannot silence that quiet voice

“Young men they were, just like you.”

Detachment, never quite foolproof

During the November 2024 Eagle Scouts Court of Honor, Kaylee Bass, GSD #542 Scouts Liaison and Joe Duquette, Chaplain, were honored to present Noah Babin with his Eagle scout award.

Kaylee Bass, Noah Babin, and Joe Duquette

GSD #542 members Gary Gahan and Jim Ambrose are also members of the NH Patriot Guard Riders. In September they participated in the escort of the Run for the Fallen event.

About the Mission:

The New Hampshire Patriot Guard Riders have been invited once again to provide escort for the runners/walkers at this year’s New Hampshire’s Run for the Fallen.  This is a great opportunity to meet and pay respects the Gold Star Families of our States fallen hero’s, Families of our Military Members who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty will line the course and gives us as well as the runners/walkers an opportunity to pay our respects and honor their loved ones.  

Once the runners/walkers have crossed the finish line, the NHPG will regroup at the start/finish line for a fun run through the White Mountains. We will start out in Lincoln and cruise over the Kancamagus Highway. From there Destination TBD some suggestions, North Conway, Ride to the Summit of Mt Washington, Hurricane Mountain road, lunch at Tuckerman’s Brewing company in Conway 

Below please find some links for the VA website that may be helpful to you.

Outreach events

VA benefits can help Veterans and their families buy homes, earn degrees, start careers, stay healthy, and more. Join an event for conversation and information.

Outreach Materials

Use our outreach materials to help Veterans manage their journey with VA and learn about their benefits.

State Departments of VA Offices

Select a state or territory below to visit the website for that location’s Department of Veterans Affairs office.

Download or Print out your VA Welcome Kit

Whether you’re just getting out of the service or you’ve been a civilian for years now, the VA Welcome Kit can help guide you to the benefits and services you’ve earned.

Monthly Member Meeting - Every 2^nd Tuesday at 1800 for the detachment meeting at the American-Canadian Genealogical Society at 1 Sundial Ave., Suite 317, Manchester, NH 03103.

Upcoming Meeting Dates

January 14, 2025

February 11, 2025

March 11, 2025

Monthly Breakfast -Every last Saturday of the month at 0800 at the Airport Diner for the FUNday meet-n-greet breakfast @ 2280 Brown Avenue, Manchester.

Upcoming Breakfast Dates

December 28, 2024 - Moved to January 4, 2025

January 25, 2025

February 22, 2025

March 29, 2025

Members of the Marine Corps League join together in camaraderie and fellowship for the purpose of preserving the traditions and promoting the interests of the United States Marine Corps. 

Our mission is to voluntarily aid and render assistance to all Marines, FMF Chaplains, FMF Corpsmen and former Marines, FMF Chaplains and FMF Corpsmen and to their widows and orphans. 

Our Membership Coverage Area is the greater Hillsborough County with some towns in Rockingham County. For the full list of towns we encompass, please check out our membership page on our website.

Monthly Meetings

When: Monthly Meetings of the Granite State Detachment are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month

Where: The American-Canadian Genealogical Society (ACGS), 1 Sundial Ave, Suite 317, Manchester, NH 03103

Time: Meetings begin promptly and 1800



Info: Membership is not a requirement for attendance and guests are always welcome to attend these events.

202 Officers

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