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The Houma Terrebonne Marine Corps League Det. 475 marches in close formation to patriotic orders. They ‘about face,’ focusing on the need to serve veterans and their families. They ‘about face’ again, also concentrating on dignified duties that recognize sacrifice and allegiance.
“We’re made up of some active duty, but mostly local veteran Marines, Navy Corpsman, and Navy Chaplains. Basically, we are a veteran’s organization that helps other veterans and their families. We do a lot of funeral details. We do a lot of recognition for some of our veterans. We do a recognition dinner for Purple Heart recipients. We raise money for other organizations like Wounded War Heroes. We offer scholarships for graduating seniors that have a veteran family member. That’s just some of the things we do,” Allen explained.
Allen Leblanc is the Commandant of Det. 475. He served in 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines and was stationed in Camp Pendleton. LeBlanc now oversees loyal logistics. He leads troops over local fields, advocating noble duties of the Marines.
“One of the biggest things is promoting the Marine Corps itself. We want to get youngsters involved and maybe even thinking about joining the Marine Corps. We promote it the best we can,” Allen said.
The Marine Corps League entails a league of members that stay true to the saying, “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” That dedicated mentality has maintained the Veterans Park located on Highway 311. Volunteers pressure wash and repaint when necessary to preserve respect for the fallen.
Respect will also be renewed on May 31 at 11:30 a.m. The Marine Corps League will be performing their annual Memorial Day Ceremony to remember those that gave their lives for ours. They ‘fought the good fight’ under desert stars, amidst thick jungles and slopping sands of beaches.
“We’re going to do a 21-gun salute. We’ll be in formation and either me or one of the state officials in the front of the formation. We do a roll call of who’s there and we also do a roll call of either Marine or any other veteran that we know of that we served with that was killed in action. When we don’t hear an answer from the roll call, we ring a bell for them,” Allen said.
Eugene Pete, Vietnam Veteran, will be ringing the bell once again for lost soldiers.
“I’ve been doing it for over twenty years. There’s three Marines that I served with that didn’t come home, and every Memorial Day around noon, I would go to the Veterans Park after they built it in honor of them. I carry their names with me at all times,” Eugene stated.
Before the annual ceremonies, Eugene would toll the bell to salute his three friends, William K. Downing, Charles P. Alexander, and Miguel F. Najar, who lost their lives in Vietnam.
“There were times I couldn’t make it because I worked offshore, but when I was in for Memorial Day during my work years, I would go to the park to ring the bell since the park was established,” he added.
During one Memorial Day Commemoration, a previous Commandant, Tim Neal, noticed the solemn gesture that humbly rang with notability during the ceremony.
“That’s how I met Tim Neal. They were doing a function at the park on Memorial Day, and I walked up and did my thing. He asked me why I was doing that, and I told him. That’s how I became involved with the Marine Corps League,” Eugene explained.
As Memorial Day approaches, Eugene wants the public to remember the fallen with integrity and compassion.
“I want people to remember that they went when their nation called them. During the 60s we weren’t treated really well like they are today, but they called upon us and we went with no regrets except for the guys that didn’t come home…58,289 of them didn’t come home. Some of them came home, but they weren’t walking,” Eugene said.
The Houma Terrebonne Marine Corps League is marching in with the sound of honorable horns to commemorate fallen soldiers and their duty to America.
“These men and women have sacrificed their entire life for us for our freedom. In my opinion, we’re not only remembering the ones you served with in combat on one day, but you remember them all year. This is just a day we shoot the rifle for them. In my opinion, it’s also a day for their families as well. They pay just as big, if not more, a sacrifice having to live on without their family member,” Allen said.
Upcoming events:
The Houma Terrebonne Marine Corps League Det. 475 will also be holding a Flag Disposal Ceremony on June 11 at 6 p.m. located at their building on 206 St. Pius Street in Houma.
Troops will be attending along with boy scouts who will learn how to properly fold the American flag and dispose of it. The boy scouts who attend and learn this honorable duty will receive ribbons, etc.
Contact information/ Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/MCL475
