WMA Molly Marine Chapter LA-1
We held our first meeting of the year on 19 January 2013 at the Chateau de Notre Dame, the residence of our eldest member, Marian Landry (93 yrs old/WWII veteran). She was thrilled to have the meeting at her home. Attendance at this meeting was one of the best yet, with 11 members and 5 Loyal Escorts! Another meeting filled with passing exciting scoop, enjoying good company and eating delicious refreshments with one of our favorite beverages… mimosas!
On 28 January 2013, the Marine Forces Reserve brass band performed in front of our beloved Molly Marine during the U. S. Department of Transportation’s dedication ceremony! This was in celebration of President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The New Orleans’ Regional Transit Authority was one of the organizations to receive funding for construction of the Loyola Streetcar. The dedication ceremony consisted of four landmark stops to celebrate with many VIP’s and on-lookers. The third stop was Molly, where visitors had the opportunity to hear the musical excellence provided by the Marine Forces Reserve Brass Band! Prior to this event, the area surrounding Molly underwent a huge facelift (trolley car tracks were laid, new sidewalk, etc.). The city beautified the monument with a new landscape, gorgeous embroidered flags and pressure washed her. Chapter members that attended the dedication ceremony were Angela Merrell, Vicki Haynes and Melanie Young.
On 7 February, we were still heavy into the Mardi Gras season, one of our favorite times of the year! The season was as exciting as ever with 15 Chapter members rolling in a parade with the Krewe of Muses, an all female krewe! This is the fifth year our Chapter has been invited to roll with Muses and look forward to many more.
Happy 70th Anniversary! This years’ celebration was one of the best ever. We celebrated the anniversary on 16 February 2013 at the Stage Door Canteen, National WWII Museum, New Orleans, LA. Our Special Projects Officer, Cpl Elizabeth Damron, did an outstanding job of coordinating the day’s festivities. She couldn’t have done it without her committee; Angela Merrell and Mary Whittington (LE)! It began with a delicious brunch and camaraderie shared between the many distinguished guests and members of other veterans organizations in attendance. We were honored to have all three of our WWII veteran members present; Marian Landry (93), Frances Hoffmann (89) and Marian Ives (89). The best part of the celebration was the Program! Chapter members and Loyal Escorts participated in the Program. Monica Lewis (LE) sang the National Anthem. The Guest Speaker was Mrs. Sheri Hummer, Chapter member and wife of LtGen Steven A. Hummer (Commander, Marine Forces Reserve). Her speech was awesome! We also had the pleasure of showing a DVD that Senator David Vitter sent from Washington DC speaking on our 70th anniversary. A few veteran organizations supported our celebration; the Marine Corps League, Montford Point Marine Association and the Marine Support Group, Greater New Orleans, Inc. The featured photograph is of the motivated members and Loyal Escorts of the Molly Marine Chapter LA-1 who attended this most memorable event!!!!!
On the 15th and 18th of March, we held our Annual Easter Egg Fundraiser at Marine Forces Reserve, New Orleans. As usual, the fundraiser was a huge success! During the fundraiser several active duty members expressed an interest in joining our Chapter, along with a male MGySgt asking if he could join. We gave MGySgt Lawrence Chavez a Loyal Escort application right away. He completed it on the 18th and it’s in the mail!
The New Orleans Mission is having an Easter Celebration where they are feeding hundreds of homeless families. Our Chapter decided to contribute to this celebration by making a monetary donation. On 21 March, Karen Williams, CWO2 Jamila Moore, GySgt Deidra Chapman and Melanie Young presented a check, on behalf of the Chapter, to the New Orleans Mission’s Executive Assistant. Our donation will help to feed over 10 meals and purchase candy to fill eggs for the homeless children in the community. “The Mission is where hunger ends and hope begins”. The Molly Marine Chapter sends Easter greetings to all WMA members and Loyal Escorts….Happy Easter!
Melanie Young
President WMA LA-1 Molly Marine Chapter.