presents
Carolina Museum of the Marine and Civic Institute
"The Draft" Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 8 August 2021
Carolina Museum of the Marine and Civic Institute

We understand the importance of preserving the legacy of Carolina Marines and Sailors and are excited to enhance that mission with The Civic Institute - an educational component founded by General Al Gray, 29th Commandant - that will teach citizens of all ages about the ideals that are the foundation of our nation as so ably demonstrated by Marines since 1775. Courses will be offered on location at schools and businesses, online and - when the museum is completed - onsite.
Honoring the legacy, sustaining the ideals,
keeping the flame burning brightly
for future generations.

Famous Women Marines

Rose Franco
Chief Warrant Officer 3
Rose Franco was born on January 22, 1934 in the Puerto Rico. She initially pursued business administration when she attended college, but when the Korean War began, Franco decided to change course by leaving college and joining the United States Marine Corps. Coming from a traditional family, they protested against Franco’s decision, but Franco believed it was her patriotic duty to serve.

On February 8, 1952, Franco enlisted and went off to basic training at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and later to Camp Lejeune for advanced training. Once she finished her advanced training, she was assigned as Administrative Supply Assistant at Camp Pendleton.
Franco completed her four year enlistment in 1956 and returned to Puerto Rico to work for Pan American Airlines. However she decided to re-enlist in the Marine Corps. Her new assignment took her to Garden City, Long Island, New York to the First Marine Corps District. After two years, she was assigned as an Administrator at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina.

In 1965, Franco became the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, Paul Henry Nitze by the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer by the recommendation of the Secretary of the Navy. She reported to work in The Pentagon, holding several important positions during her time in Washington, D.C.. At that time, she was only one of 11 women Warrant Officers in the Marine Corps.
Franco retired from the Marine Corps in 1977 with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3 and returned to Puerto Rico where she currently lives.
 
 
Source:
How Much Do you Know
about the Eighth Amendment?
CAROLINA MARINES AND
MANNED SPACE FLIGHT
by LtCol Lynn "Kim" Kimball, USMC (Ret)

Carolina Marines added another laurel to their proud history by their important contributions to our nation’s manned space flight programs, beginning in 1959 with the Mercury program and continuing through the Gemini and Apollo programs, including all the lunar landings, until the final launch, Apollo 17 in 1972.
The Genesis of manned space flight began at the Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia with the launching of various experimental rockets and unmanned Mercury capsules to test, among other preliminary concerns, a viable means to successfully separate the capsule from the launch vehicle, with the astronaut’s survival a principle issue, in the case of a launch failure. The Marine Corps was tasked with recovering the test rockets and capsules from the Chesapeake Bay for evaluation, a mission undertaken by Marine Corps Air Station New River’s Marine Aircraft Group 26, specifically Marine Helicopter Transport Squadrons (HMR) -262 and 461.
With the success of this phase of the program, Cape Canaveral became the launch site for the subsequent manned missions, and HMR-262 was a key participant in the first two American manned-space flights, having gained substantial experience at Wallops Island. Staging aboard the U.S.S. Lake Champlain (CVS-39), HMR-262’s (CH-34) helicopters recovered both our first astronaut, CDR Alan Shepard, and his Mercury capsule, “Freedom Seven,” from the Atlantic on 5 May 1961, followed by recovering our second, Capt Gus Grissom, on 21 July. The attached photo, one of the more iconic of the Mercury program, shows Shepard’s recovery.
At Cape Canaveral itself, another Carolina Marine unit, a detachment of LVTR-1s (Amtrack Recovery Vehicles) from Camp Lejeune’s 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion, stood ready during every manned space flight as a vital component of the Launch Site Recovery Force. Amphibious, and uniquely capable with their powerful winch and boom, their role was to recover in the ocean any capsules, and their crew, from a failed launch, within the immediate launch area, a task they, fortunately, never had to perform.
Guarding the Declaration of Independence. Alex Wong/Getty Images
August

Important Dates
in U.S. History
August 2, 1776 - In Philadelphia, most of the 55 members of the Continental Congress signed the parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence.

August 6-10, 1787 - The Great Debate occurred during the Constitutional Convention. Outcomes included the establishment of a four-year term of office for the President, granting Congress the right to regulate foreign trade and interstate commerce, and the appointment of a committee to prepare a final draft of the Constitution.

August 6, 1965 - The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

August 7, 1964 - Following an attack on two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin off North Vietnam, the U.S. Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting President Lyndon B. Johnson authority "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression."

August 9, 1974 - Effective at noon, Richard M. Nixon resigned the presidency as a result of the Watergate scandal. Nixon had appeared on television the night before and announced his decision to the American people. Facing possible impeachment by Congress, he became the only U.S. President ever to resign.

August 14, 1935 - President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act establishing the system which guarantees pensions to those who retire at age 65. The Social Security system also aids states in providing financial aid to dependent children, the blind and others, as well as administering a system of unemployment insurance.
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August 14, 1941 - After three days of secret meetings aboard warships off the coast of Newfoundland, the Atlantic Charter was issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The Charter, a foundation stone for the later establishment of the United Nations, set forth eight goals for the nations of the world, including; the renunciation of all aggression, right to self-government, access to raw materials, freedom from want and fear, freedom of the seas, and disarmament of aggressor nations. By September, fifteen anti-Axis nations signed the Charter.

August 14, 1945 - V-J Day, commemorating President Truman's announcement that Japan had surrendered to the Allies.

August 16, 1780 - The Battle of Camden in South Carolina occurred during the American Revolutionary War. The battle was a big defeat for the Americans as forces under General Gates were defeated by troops of British General Charles Cornwallis, resulting in 900 Americans killed and 1,000 captured.

August 18, 1920 - The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote.

August 21, 1959 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Hawaii to the Union as the 50th state.

August 28, 1963 - The March on Washington occurred as over 250,000 persons attended a Civil Rights rally in Washington, D.C., at which Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his now-famous I Have a Dream speech.

Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara in a post-midnight press briefing at the Pentagon points out action in Gulf of Tonkin, Aug. 4, 1964. Source: © Bob Schutz/AP.
Click on the Eagle, Globe and Anchor (above )
for our project update.

2020-2021 Board of Directors

Executive Committee
BGen Dick Vercauteren, USMC (Ret) - Chairman
Mr. Mark Cramer, JD - Vice Chairman
CAPT Pat Alford, USN (Ret) - Treasurer
Col Joe Atkins, USAF (Ret) - Secretary
Col John B. Sollis, USMC (Ret) - Immediate Past Chairman
General Al Gray, USMC (Ret), 29th Commandant - At-Large Member
LtGen Gary S. McKissock, USMC (Ret) - At-Large Member

Members
Mr. Terry Branton
Mr. Tom DeSanctis
MyGySgt Osceola Elliss, USMC (Ret)
Col Chuck Geiger, USMC (Ret)
Col Bruce Gombar, USMC (Ret)
LtCol Lynn "Kim" Kimball, USMC (Ret)
CWO4 Richard McIntosh, USMC (Ret)
CWO5 Lisa Potts, USMC (Ret)
Col Grant Sparks, USMC (Ret)
GySgt Forest Spencer, USMC (Ret)