“OCASIO” & “ZINS” TEAM TROPHIES
14 September ’24 BOG Meeting
INDEPENDENCE DAY
Memorial Day 2024
MCDSA 2024 Reunion
Proposed changes to Constitution & Bylaws
The Passing of Ray Anti
UPDATE: 4 May Reunion/Cookout
General Al Gray, Jr. – RIP
RSVP NLT 26 April 2024
2024
Oct
13

“OCASIO” & “ZINS” TEAM TROPHIES

Two of our own have been honored by the United States Marine Corps.

With the annual National Capital Region (NCR) matches being established as a regular part of the Marine Corps Competition-In-Arms Program’s annually-held regional competitions, there was a need to establish new Team Trophies to be awarded each year to the winning Rifle Team and the winning Pistol Team at the NCR matches, and two of our own were chosen to be honored by having the Team Trophies respectively named in their honor:

Nelson Ocasio and Brian Zins

This amazing honor was conferred and announced earlier this year, and so for the first time in history the National Capital Region “Ocasio Rifle Team Trophy” and the National Capital Region “Zins Pistol Team Trophy” will each be presented and awarded to the NCR winning teams at the upcoming National Capital Region competitions’ Awards Ceremony on 25 October 2024.

Individual members of each winning team will also be awarded either an “Ocasio Rifle Team Trophy Badge” or a “Zins Pistol Team Trophy Badge” and the name of the winning Team will be inscribed on a plate affixed to the base of their actual, respective trophy.

                     

It is with great pride that we give a loud “Ooorah!” and hearty congratulations to both Nelson Ocasio and Brian Zins on the occasion of this great honor in recognition of their own individual achievements within the Marine Corps’ Competition-In-Arms Program!

 

 

Nelson Ocasio and the National Capital Region Ocasio Rifle Team Trophy while at the NCR Awards Ceremony held in Quantico, VA (25 October 2024)

Congratulations to Team  WTBN SCARLET

(A. Grissom, P. Liu-Gorman, M. Martinez, J. Stewart, P. Williams) which WON the

2024 National Capital Region Rifle Team Match!

 

     

       Brian Zins and the National Capital Region Zins Pistol Team Trophy while at the NCR Awards Ceremony held in Quantico, VA (25 October 2024) 

Congratulations to Team  WTBN GOLD

(M. Andre, J. Flessner, D. Hannigan, C. Schilling) which WON the

2024 National Capital Region Pistol Team Match!

 

================================================================================

USMC FY25 CIAP Schedule

The Marine Corps FY 2025’s Competition-In-Arms Program (CIAP) regional Marine Corps Marksmanship Competitions (MCMC) kick off THIS week with the start of the first regional match in the series of FIVE regional marksmanship competitions which then culminate with the Marine Corps Championships held 07 – 18 April 2025.

#1 – MCMC National Capital Region (NCR):  17 – 25 October 2024 – hosted by CO, WTBn, Quantico

#2 – MCMC Far East: 05 – 20 December 2024 – hosted by CG, MCB Smedley D. Butler

#3 – MCMC Pacific: 23 – 31 January 2025 – hosted by CO, MCB Hawaii

#4 – MCMC West: 06 – 21 February 2025 – hosted by CG, Marine Corps Installations West, MCB Camp Pendleton

#5 – MCMC East: 27 February – 14 March 2025 – hosted by CG, Marine Corps Installations East, MCB Camp Lejeune

#6 – Marine Corps Championships: 07 April – 18 April 2025 – hosted by CG, Training Command, Quantico

2024
Sep
15

14 September ’24 BOG Meeting

Board Of Governors Meeting

The MCDSA Board of Governors met on 14 September 2024 and formalized acceptance of the updated Constitution and By-laws which had been earlier approved by a majority of the voting members of the Marine Corps Distinguished Shooters Association.

Whereas the updated Constitution calls for there to be a Vice-President/East Coast (east of the Mississippi) and a Vice-President/West Coast (west of the Mississippi), Harry Harrison was nominated and approved to fill the position of VP/West Coast. The position of VP/East Coast will be filled at the Board’s next meeting which is currently scheduled to be held on 12 April 2025.

The date and place for our 2025 Reunion was also established:

Date: 17 May 2025

Place:  Bittersweet Farm’s Pavilion

Unionville, VA

 

Mark your calendars and start planning your trip – 17 May 2025 will be here before you know it!

2024
May
11

MCDSA 2024 Reunion

What a great opportunity to re-connect for all who attended the MCDSA 2024 Reunion!!! We missed those who could not make it, and hope that next year more folks will be able to join those who will be returning.

 

NOTE:  PhotoBucket is experiencing a technical difficulty, and that problem prevents the Administrator from uploading photos to our account. In the interim — while PhotoBucket works on resolving the problem — here are some photos from the Reunion which have been thoughtfully provided by Gene Rucks.

 

 

2024
Apr
27

Proposed changes to Constitution & Bylaws

Posted: Proposed changes to Constitution and Bylaws

Please click on the link provided and review the proposed changes to our Constitution and Bylaws.

Link to Proposed Constitution and Bylaws

Regular and Associate Members in good standing are asked to cast their votes on the proposal. Voting can be accomplished in person at the upcoming Reunion, or by mail using the ballots which will be mailed out to those who are not able to make this year’s Reunion.

Please note that in addition to formally establishing an “Auxiliary Membership” and providing for two new positions to the Board of Governors (an East Coast Vice-President and a West Coast Vice-President), the Board wanted to more strongly state in Article III  (Objectives) that membership in our Association is to assuredly include those Armorers and Ammunition Technicians who have tirelessly served in support of the United States Marine Corps Shooting Teams — many of them have been our friends, and without them, many of us would not be Distinguished. 

2024
Apr
25

The Passing of Ray Anti

33 years in the Corps, Double Distinguished (Rifle – 1984  Pistol – 1987), and 45 years a volunteer for the National Shooting Championships, Ray Anti was the head Rifle Coach at the Naval Academy following his retirement from the Corps, and later served our Distinguished Shooters Association for many years as the purveyor of Fraternal Items which Members of our Association wanted available for purchase. His dedication and complete commitment to his volunteer duties was admirable and it is with great sadness that we announce his passing.

Ray was honored with a plaque at our 2022 Reunion — he will be greatly missed.

Semper Fi, Ray!

2024
Apr
7

UPDATE: 4 May Reunion/Cookout

Hello my fellow Distinguished Shooters,

Have I told you lately what an honor it is for me to serve as your President?  It can be a busy
responsibility when things have to happen, especially during this time of the year.  As you know, things
don’t just happen on their own…unless you are referring to ice melting or battery terminals corroding.  I’m
sure you can think of several more, like sunrises and sunsets.  But on the other hand, there are things
that we need to take care of on our own, like renewing our annual memberships.  Walk with me here, it’s
uncomfortable having to spend my time reminding the 29 of the current 31 Annual Members that their
memberships have expired.  Really?!?  Annual dues are only $15.00 per year, and due every January
1st of the new year.  It’s been suggested that we should raise our annual dues, but instead I really feel
that we should encourage our Annual Members to become Life Members.

We currently have 279 Life Members, and for those of you who have upgraded your
memberships, I thank you immensely.  I sure would like to see our remaining Annual Members upgrade
to Life Members.  Remember, if necessary, you can pay the cost of Life Membership in four installments
within a year.  The Life Membership is only $100.00 if you’ve reached the half century mark, and $150.00
if you haven’t yet reached that milestone.  Upon upgrading to a Life Membership, we will send you a
package including a welcome letter, an MCDSA Life Member card, and your Life Member sticker.

We have many members that would love to be able to join us at our Reunions/Cookouts, but
have difficulty traveling at the ripe old ages of 88, 90, 92, 94 and 96 (Clyde MacElrath will turn 96 on May
4th , the day of our Reunion/Cookout).  I have a unique opportunity getting to speak to many of the more
seasoned veterans in our association simply because I put out emails and reminders of our annual get
togethers.  We all have contact information for everyone in our association via the Directory, so why don’t
you look through it, find someone you shot with and call them to see how they’re doing?

Bob Maguire from Princeton, New Jersey recently called me again and asked me to please pass
along his sincere apologies to everyone because he cannot travel to attend and share in some of the
storytelling with us personally.

I also spoke to Col Willis who told me that if he is able to make it this year, he certainly will.

We don’t want to lose track of any of our members.  Your active membership will keep you
abreast of all of our activities, to include our annual Reunion/Cookouts, Banquets, Badge newsletters,
and getting you the MCDSA Membership Directory – published every two years with an update page
every other year – now being provided to all members in good standing.  I would like to challenge
everyone to look up and contact at least five other distinguished shooters that you shot with, and ask
them to: 1) join the association if they aren’t currently a member (become current or upgrade); and 2) get
off their behinds and come enjoy some great chow, and camaraderie with some old friends.  Let them
know we had 116 people last year, and I believe we may surpass that number this year.  Look for our
MCDSA Reunion notice in the quarterly Semper Fi Retired newsletter.

We will have both volumes of the Red Book available for sale at the Reunion/Cookout, along with
a new batch of miniature Distinguished Pins (Rifle, Pistol and Double “D”).  We have also ordered more
coffee mugs and steins.  The last order went really fast.  Please consider purchasing copies of the Red
Books for your family and friends, especially if your name is in the book.  We ordered the larger quantity
because they were less expensive by volume.  We still have approximately 1400 Vol II’s, and about 110
Vol I’s for sale.  Member price is $24.95 plus $5.00 shipping if they are mailed.

The cost of the Reunion/Cookout this year will be $30.00 in advance for Life Members and
Annual Members in good standing, and $35.00 at the event.  For Annual Members in arrears, the cost will
be $45.00 in advance, and $50.00 at the event.  Both costs for the Reunion/Cookout for Annual Members
in arrears will bring their dues up to date till 1 January 2025.  We are looking at a record crowd this year,
and I again want to thank Randy and Leslie for volunteering to host our Reunion/Cookout.  Any GPS, Google, or Waze will get you there.  Randy’s address is listed in our Association’s Membership Directory, and folks can also get Randy’s address by reading the email which I recently sent out concerning our upcoming Reunion (or, by contacting a member of the Board of Governors). When you get to Randy’s black gate, go through to the right, and down the long driveway.  …follow the signage.

     The preferred method of payment is by check or money order.  You can mail your payment to:

MCDSA; PO Box 134; Quantico, VA     22134

     Don’t miss out…in addition to the 50/50 Raffle and Silent Auction items, your Board of Governors
has approved to spend up to $1000.00 for door prizes.  Please look around your place, and think about
something you wouldn’t mind parting with and donating to help raise funds for future events.  You’d be
surprised how that helps our association financially.

     One more thing, your Board of Governors has proposed changes to our Constitution and By-laws
and will be posting those proposed changes on our website and at the check-in desk at the
Reunion/Cookout.  There will be voting cards upon checking in to either allow or not allow the proposed
changes to take effect.  We must have 2/3 of the membership responding agree with the proposed
changes in order for them to be instituted.  We will be mailing out the Badge newsletter to all members (in
good standing) who do not attend the Reunion/Cookout, so that every member will have the opportunity
to vote on the proposed changes.  The final count will be conducted on 14 June 2024.  Please complete
the voting page as per the instructions, tear it out, fold it in half and place it in the box on the check-in
table.  For those of you who get mailed your Badge, please complete your voting page, tape the corners
closed, and mail it back to our PO Box.  We ask that all ballots be postmarked NLT 04 June 2024.

      Which reminds me…if any of your information has changed, such as your email, your address, or
phone numbers – or if you know of any of your fellow Distinguished members’ information that has
changed, please let us know, so we can update our data base.

     The last thing I’d like to share is this…if you haven’t recently, I would encourage you to visit our website
@ www.marinedsa.com or www.marinedsa.org to read up on things that may be of interest to you, and to also use our website links to PhotoBucket to view the many photos of our past events (you will need to use the password to access the photo files on PhotoBucket).

     If you are looking for lodging, last year Capt Bartlett stayed at the Microtel by Wyndham in
Culpeper, about 2 miles from Col Willis’ farm.  I have contacted the management, and Kim said she can
offer us a nightly rate of $125.00 plus tax for rooms with two queens.  Capt Bartlett said he booked his
room for 3 and 4 May for $211.00 total.  Other hotels in the area are priced higher (about $10.00 or
more).  The Best Western at the Thornburg exit (Exit 118 off of I-95) starts at $134.00 plus tax per night. If
you need a place, I wouldn’t wait.

Looking forward to seeing you all on 4 May!

Semper Fi,
Danny

Daniel E. Burke, Sr.
MGySgt, USMC (Ret.)
President, MCDSA
b12daniel@aol.com
540-287-3833

2024
Mar
23

General Al Gray, Jr. – RIP

General Al Gray, Jr. in Colonel Willis’ office at MTU  WTBn  Quantico

 

A Moment with “The Man”

(Reflections from Colonel D.J. Willis)

The word comes down, “CMC will visit WTBN on Friday.”

Everything is put into high gear! Nothing is overlooked. Our Leader lands and proceeds to the Col’s office for a sit-down rest and a cup of coffee.  His first question…”Are you getting everything you need to place winning teams on the firing lines?” His second question…”Is Marine Marksmanship on the right track?” Within minutes, he has nailed the critical points for all concerned. Once again, he has demonstrated he is our Leader, and he stands ready to guide and support us.

Feeling comfortable with the meeting, Col Willis asked the General a question: “Sir, now that you are nearing the end of your tour as the 29th CMC, is there any one thing that stands out in your memory while serving as the CMC?” The General never hesitated…he said, “Yes there is.  I will always remember the smell of fresh paint. Where ever I went, everything had just been painted.” Col Willis assured the General that every drop of paint applied was done with the utmost respect and admiration.

The General just smiled…the meeting was over.

General A.M. Gray, Jr.
Born:  22 June 1928 – Rahway, New Jersey
Died:  20 March 2024 – Alexandria, Virginia
29th CMC:  1 July 1987 – 30 June 1991
41 years in the USMC
95 years old upon his death

2024
Mar
17

RSVP NLT 26 April 2024

Our 04 May MCDSA Reunion/Cookout is fast approaching!

 

Please look at your calendars and make plans to join the ranks of those who have already provided an RSVP for our upcoming REUNION IN UNIONVILLE, VA.

 

TICKET PRICE INCLUDES ADMISSION, FOOD AND ALL REFRESHMENTS

Our chow will be catered by Mission BBQ so that all members have the freedom to kick back and enjoy the camaraderie and the vittles. There will be a Silent Auction and 50/50, as well as an MCDSA Reunion photo, and the opportunity to purchase miniature Distinguished Pins and our recently-minted MCDSA coffee cups and mugs.

  

 

Donations for the Silent Auction will be gratefully accepted!

 

In-advance ticket purchase for those with a current Membership and their guests:

$30/per person

Make your advance payment by sending it to:

MCDSA

PO Box 134

Quantico, VA  22134

Day-of-Event ticket purchase for those with a current Membership and their guests:

$35/per person

 

Note:  Whether you pay for your tickets in advance, or you buy your tickets on the 4th of May (i.e. Day-of-Event ticket purchase),

PLEASE  RSVP  NLT 26 April 2024

 

Those in arrears on their membership dues can bring their membership current, purchase tickets and attend with their guests. Please contact Danny Burke (MCDSA President) to get that done.

 

Here is a breakdown of the day’s schedule:

1000 – Dedicated Volunteers Set Up

1200 – Arrival of Guests/Cocktails/Social Gathering/Bids on Silent Auction/50-50 raffle ticket purchase/purchase of MCDSA mugs, cups, and miniature Distinguished Badges

1400 – Shared Blessing/Chow served

1500 – Introductions

1600 – MCDSA Photo

1630 – Silent Auction Winners Announced

1700 – 50/50 and Special Raffle Winners Announced

1730 – Cleanup/Breakdown of Tables, Chairs/Tents

1800 – Secure

(Note: If you plan on bringing an RV or Camper, please coordinate with Leslie Cook.)