On May 14, 2014, active duty, former, reserve and retired Marines will gather at Semper Fidelis Memorial Park at the National Museum of the Marine Corps (NMMC), located just south of the main gate to Marine Corps Base, Quantico on US 1. Their mission will be to dedicate a monument that will serve as a tribute and memorial for all past and present USMC engineers and related occupational specialties. It is fitting to dedicate the monument because Marine Corps engineers have been serving for over 100 years since establishing our first organization, Company H, 1st Regiment, 1st Advance Base Brigade, formed in 1913. Marine engineers have served well and faithfully from then, up to and including recent service in Iraq, Afghanistan and recent disaster relief operations in the Philippines.
The monument has been a three-year project of the Marine Corps Engineer Association (MCEA), a non-profit organization founded in 1991 and sanctioned by Headquarters Marine Corps. The objectives of MCEA are to promote Marine Corps engineering by:
– Renewing and perpetuating fellowship/camaraderie among retired, former and current military men and women who served with, or were attached to, USMC engineer units;
– Locating those who served and preserving their legacy;
– Preserving an accurate historical record of USMC engineers and units, especially those conducted during combat operations; and
– Fostering solidarity among Marine Corps engineers.
MCEA also recognizes the superior achievement of active duty and reserve Marines at an annual awards banquet.
The monument, in final stages of construction, will be formally "donated" to the NMMC in May. The MCEA began raising funds for the monument project in 2012 and has collected the $65,000 total required. For anyone interested, it is still possible to contribute to this effort by going to the MCEA website at http://www.marcorengasn.org/modules/Monument/index.htm. All contributors will be listed on the website as well as in the dedication ceremony program; copies will be provided to all contributors and attendees. Additionally, contributors will receive unique monument mementos commemorating the occasion. Everyone interested in attending the monument dedication on 14 May, 2014 or needing more information should contact Ken Frantz at email: execdir[at]marcorengasn.org, or by phone: (936) 273-4830.
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