Dear Member,
Here is your latest edition of The Old Breed News.
We are calling this a combined issue of Oct-Nov-Dec 2019/Jan-Feb-Mar 2020.
With June's medical issues last fall we did not have time to put together The Old Breed News for Oct-Nov-Dec 2019. June is still at home recovering, under doctor's care. She is regaining her strength every day. She thanks you all for your prayers and support.
Members have noted the extra long Taps Reports in recent editions. Here is the long explanation, if you are interested.
Last year we started planning for the Last Man Bottle opening this August. We needed to identify those still among us who served in the Pacific Campaign of World War II.
We have routinely had our database "scrubbed" by services that match our members to Post Office and Social Security files to identify address changes and the deceased. Those services are good, but not perfect. Also, we sent only "Active" status records out to be matched. Last year we included "Archive" status, where a member's dues lapsed, or mail had came back "Return to Sender - Unable to Forward". This added many to the Taps Report that had not been found earlier.
Knowing that these matching services are imperfect, we then took the next step. The database was sorted by date of birth, and starting with the oldest born in 1912, we search the internet for an obituary or other listing.
You may have noticed the dates on the Taps Reports go back as much as twenty years. These were not matched through the years, and are finally being reconciled. We
are losing old members faster than signing up new members, but not to the degree that counts of the New Members and Taps Reports might imply.
An up-to-date membership roster saves postage in sending out ballots. More importantly, a listing in the Taps Report might be the final honor those listed will ever receive.
Click on the cover page below to download your copy.
Hope you enjoy reading it.
Semper Fi
Dennis J. Coady
Administrative Assistant
1st Marine Division Association
(760)763-3268
dennis.oldbreed@fmda.us
