Marine Corps League meets in Rehoboth
Maj. Bill Farley, U.S. Marine Corps (ret.), represented the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs April 17 as guest speaker for the closing banquet of the Marine Corps League Mideast Division Convention in Rehoboth Beach.
Hosted by the MCL Department of Delaware, the event included representatives from Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and national officers.
Farley spoke about the problems leading to the alarming rate of veteran suicide and about the Crisis Awareness Challenge initiated by Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen in conjunction with the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs. This initiative follows the successful model of the Mayors Challenge to End Veterans Homelessness launched in 2014 and nationally recognized as a standard since 2016. About 22 veterans die by suicide each day. Farley highlighted the ongoing effort to reach out to current and former military and family from all branches. He distributed brochures and lapel pins to inform veterans and the public about federal, state and local resources available to assist veterans in crisis.
Rehoboth Beach Mayor Stan Mills also presented a proclamation recognizing the Marine Corps League, a national service organization founded in 1926 and chartered by an Act of Congress in 1937. The league’s membership is open to all Marines and FMF corpsmen and chaplains who have served honorably.
