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Boy Scout Program
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Funding is provided for a Troop to provide a military
presence, dressed in Civil War
uniforms, at the funeral of Veterans.
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BSA Venturing Program Venturing
is the name for the Explorer Program of our youth. It is described in the
Venturing brochure as... "a new, comprehensive program developed with the needs
of teenagers in mind." Tell me more...
Sponsors and Helpers of the Detachment:
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- Father Augustine Koeune (CR) is the public representative for the
Venturing Program. He is
pastor of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. St. Patrick’s was chosen because
the Knights of Columbus of that parish will become the main sponsor of the
program. As the parent organization the Knights will apply for the charter
from the BSA to become a public organization under the laws of the United
States.
The Knights will serve as the committee with one member as the chairman of
the committee. The committee may consist of a workable number of Knights who
will act as the directing force for the program.
 From the
Knights organization a Crew Advisor
will be selected. The Crew Advisor will select two assistant Crew Advisors,
one male and one female. The purpose is that male or female. Venturing
participants require gender protection for each member. It is imperative
that a female advisor be available at all functions.
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- With Senators Enzi and Bunning, a Baseball Hall of
Fame Pitcher
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- St. Patrick's Parish will provide a meeting
place for the program. A gymnasium is available
for a variety of activities. A large parking
lot will serve as a grinder (parade ground) for
military drill. The physical layout of the
Church property presents a drill space for
perfecting military movements and place for
formal ceremonies and parades. There is grass
area for physical conditioning classes, a gymnasium, showers and classrooms
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 Parish Secretary
The parish secretary will answer requests from
morticians and other interested parties for
services of the detachment. The secretary will
have a procedure for assignment of duty when
required for the burial of veterans or other
civic duties.
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Detachment at dedication of Hospital addition
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Marine Corps League will be responsible for
training and logistics. The Platte River
Detachment will be composed of a platoon
sergeant, four squad leaders. Two fire teams per
squad, two fire team leaders, with up to
fourteen members per fire team.
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- The platoon sergeant will run the platoon and
delegate authority to squad leaders.
 The squad
leaders will be responsible for constant
communication with the members of his squad.
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- Each squad will be assigned one week a month for
which that squad leader will be responsible for
assigning funeral duties to the members of his
squad. First squad
will be assigned the first week of the month,
the second squad the second week and so on.
- Detachment at Dedication of Operation Enduring
Freedom Monument dedication
Each squad will have a morning and an afternoon
fire team. By designating a morning or
afternoon fire team the squad may easier cover
funeral assignments in conjunction with
classroom assignments. This will allow fire
team members to be excused from school with a
minimum of conflict with the task of gaining an
education. Each fire team member may sign up of
morning or afternoon duty which ever will allow
the Trooper to attend the more pertinent
classes. The welfare of the student and their
responsibilities of education shall not be
interfered with by their membership in the
Platte River Detachment.
The ranks of the detachment will mirror the
ranks contained in the Marine Corps. There will
be one Gunny Sergeant, four First Sergeants,
eight Sergeants, eight Corporals, the rest will
be Private First Class or Privates.
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Flag ceremony at Casper Rockies baseball game
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The laws of the United States, the state of
Wyoming, the County of Natrona, the City of
Casper and the rules and regulations of the
school district will not be violated. Any
indiscretion, which brings a member of the
detachment into conflict with a legal authority,
will bring about a Captains Mast to determine
eligibility of the student to continue as a
member. A Captains Mast is a Naval tradition
for securing resolution of minor infractions
within the detachment.
 The Captains Mast will consist of members of the
Marine Corps League, the Knights of Columbus
supervising committee and the Crew Advisor. The
assistant Crew Advisor shall stand by the
student as an advocate of the student in the
hearing. Usual procedures of the Naval
tradition will be followed by the detachment to
insure a fair and satisfactory conclusion to any
conflict.
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- Members of the detachment shall be required at
all times, to present themselves, whether in
school, at home or in public, to conduct
themselves in a manner, both as to comportment,
dress and demeanor in a way that will not bring
shame upon the Detachment, the school district
or the family of the Trooper.
Marine at Attention at public ceremony
The laws of the United States, the state of
Wyoming, the County of Natrona, the City of
Casper and the rules and regulations of the
school district will not be violated. Any
indiscretion, which brings a member of the
detachment into conflict with a legal authority,
will bring about a Captains Mast to determine
eligibility of the student to continue as a
member. A Captains Mast is a Naval tradition
for securing resolution of minor infractions
within the detachment.
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- The Captains Mast will consist of members of the
Marine Corps League, the Knights of Columbus
supervising committee and the Crew Advisor. The
assistant Crew Advisor shall stand by the
student as an advocate of the student in the
hearing. Usual procedures of the Naval
tradition will be followed by the detachment to
insure a fair and satisfactory conclusion to any
conflict.
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- Members of the detachment shall be required at
all times, to present themselves, whether in
school, at home or in public, to conduct
themselves in a manner, both as to comportment,
dress and demeanor in a way that will not bring
shame upon the Detachment, the school district
or the family of the Trooper.
This requirement incorporates a civil manner;
courtesy to all that the student may encounter;
polite and proper manners, especially when
addressing an older person or a person in
authority; and no classroom grade below a "C."
Grades of a "D" or "F" will not be tolerated.
A copy of report cards shall be required to be
delivered to the assistant crew advisor at the
end of the grading period, for inclusion in the records of the Trooper
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- If an unsatisfactory mid-semester grade is
received by the student, the student has an
agreed upon time frame to restore the grade to the approved level with verification from the
teacher. The time frame will be decided upon
after meeting with the assistant crew advisor.
Failure to improve the grade will cause a
Captains Mast to be convened for the benefit of
the student. Parents may witness the Captains
Mast but may take no part in its proceedings.
Suspension of privileges may be incurred as a
result of the Captain’s Mast.
There will be a "boot camp" conducted for all
recruits. Physical fitness is a requirement and
all members of the detachment will have
standards they must meet in a specified time
frame that they will develop after conferring
with their assistant crew leader. This program
of physical fitness will be continued by the
detachment and individually by the member.
Physical development and discipline will be a
requirement for every member of the detachment.
Proper Marine Corps standards will be imposed.
The purpose is to instill pride, confidence and
personal achievement to the membership of the
group. This will be an organization that will
take pride in everything it encounters as a
mission or task.
Professional drill instructors, professional
military drill, American tradition and military
protocol will be the curriculum. Former members
of the Armed Forces of the United States will
instill these core values. The Marine is
required to demonstrate progress in attaining
success in that curriculum.
Extended activities may included obstacle
course, hiking, camping, primitive camping,
canoeing, sailing, water sports, skeet and
target shooting, mountaineering and other
traditional scouting skills. A competition
rifle and drill team may be created. A musical
program will be pursued. Included in this
portion of the detachment may be drum and bugle
proficiency, a fife and drum unit and even a bag
piper program.
Arms, such as the breech loading, trap door
carbine circa 1873, will be eventually acquired
for used by a firing squad. The Marine Corps
League will teach proper etiquette for a
ceremonial firing squad when presenting a salute
at a military funeral. Flags that will be in
constant display with this detachment will be
the National Ensign and the Wyoming State Flag.
Available for inclusion at various programs and
ceremonies will be the flag of the City of
Casper, the Boy Scout banner, the Marine Corps
League, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the
American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans,
and the Navy League. The inclusion of these
banners will be achieved with the sponsorship by
the various organizations.
United Veterans Council will be the presiding
authority as to the utilization and use of the
Platte River Detachment. In no funeral will the
detachment participate in without the approval
of the United Veterans Council. This Council
will be final arbiter of our performance
procedures in participating in the burial
ceremony. The United Veterans Council is to be
supported and respected at all time by the
Detachment.
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- School District will be solicited to allow the
dismissal of students from school for fulfilling
the mission of the detachment. It must be with
the permission of the parents or guardian and
teacher of the student. Proper transportation
will solicited in accordance to school district
requirements. Student will be required to make
up class time or assignments missed in their
absence.
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- Faithful participation will secure for the
individual detachment member a recommendation
for the prestigious Congressional Award, given
to students who volunteer in activities for the
improvement of their community. This award and
membership in this unique and different program
will provide the participant with an enriched resume for scholarship and job
opportunities.
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- Specific insignias will be designed to identify
the unit, our place of residence and the
mission. New uniforms will be purchased more
in keeping with the changing weather conditions,
such as heavy coats for cold and blouse for hot
weather. There will be different uniforms for
burial duty, ceremonial duty, parade duty,
physical training and extraordinary activities.
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- This unit, once completed will be unique
throughout the entire Untied States. We will be
a Casper unit only. Other communities may
implement similar programs such as this. This
detachment will serve as a pilot program for
others to emulate and will provide advice and
recommendations when asked.
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- BASIC DUTIES
Burial Detail will salute veteran as the casket
enters the chapel.
The Fire Team will provide a rifle salute
The Fire Team leader will provide a live version
of Taps.
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- There is no charge for this service. Travel to
areas outside of Casper may require aid in
travel expenses. Retiring
the Colors after Veterans Day Program
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Color Guard
The Color Guard will, in parades, carry the
different sponsoring veterans organizations
flag. Physical conditioning is required for
this unit to participate in parades that will
demand great physical endurance. Care will be
maintained to provide medical services by the
addition of a Corpsman to act as medical
officer. A complete physical examination will
be required of all recruits.
Ceremonial Guard
This is not to be a Marine Corps League program
but a community program for the benefit and
honor of our veterans and community. The Platte
River Detachment will be available to city,
county, state or federal ceremonies and
programs. Private organizations and service
organizations may also request the services of
the detachment.
The motto of the detachment is God, Country, and
Family.
This is Marine Sergeant Brandon Reiss’s
Remembrance Ceremony. Sgt. Reiss was buried in
a national cemetery in Georgia where his wife
lives.
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church was nearly filled
with people who came to mourn Sgt. Reiss. The
Color Guard made an impressive appearance and
presented colors as an ROTC firing squad gave a
salute. Members of the Marine Corps League wear
Marine Dress Blues or their Navy Uniform for
such ceremonies. Included is the newspaper
article concerning the ceremony.
 The Burial detail would normally meet the
funeral cortege at the Chapel. If the detail is
able it will lead the motorcade to the door of
the Chapel using a drummer to give the cadence
for the procession to the entrance of the
Chapel. At the gravesite the color guard may
stand at attention. At the present time this is
the only manner in which the unit is able to
salute the veteran as the casket is prepared for
burial.
Future acquisition of rifles and blank
ammunition will allow a rifle salute to be
fired. A bugler will be an integral part of the
ceremony as protocol may dictate but the
expenses of the rifle require a period of time
before such a burial unit may be realized. With
adequate funds a rifle squad and a bugler will
be present at every funeral of a veteran in
Central Wyoming. The type of rifles required
cost in excess of a thousand dollars each.
 At present time the United Veterans Council has
a small group of veterans who participate in
funerals. The average age of this group is well
over sixty-five and few younger men see
interested in continuing the program. It is
desirable to have someone in a military uniform
to present the Flag. This is not always
possible.
The Flag is presented, in this case, by a
veteran wearing his uniform and presents the
Flag to family.
 At present time there is no
rifle squad to fire a final salute nor a bugler
to play Taps. Presently, Taps is a recording
from the Chapel.
One must remember that the funeral is for the
family, not for the veteran. The presence of a
formal military presence is essential to honor
the veteran and console the family. The Burial
Detail of the Platte River Detachment of Marines
is designed to supplement the devotion of the
veterans now performing this service.
The detachment will be drawn from the schools of
Natrona County, both male and female and taught
the proper etiquette of military protocol for
providing the last salute to the veteran and his
family. This will be a different, disciplined,
organized and proud unit. The students will
not only perform a public service but will also
learn patriotism, tradition,
American History and respect for those service
men and women who have given and preserved out
liberty.
The Platte River Detachment of Marines, Oregon
Trail Veterans Cemetery will be operational by
Memorial Day, 2004. The Detachment will serve
as an example to young people in the community
and a feeling of pride by the entire city.
 This shows the Detachment at one of the many
ceremonies held on Patriotic occasions. This
was a Yellow Ribbon Rally to show support for
troops in Iraq.
 This
picture shows a dedication of the Guardians Monument in adverse weather
conditions. The Detachment will have proper clothing for all year round
temperatures. At this time we purchase old Trooper Drum and Bugle uniforms. It
takes two hundred dollars to outfit a member of the Detachment. When new
uniforms are acquired the cost will escalate to more than
five hundred dollars a Marine.
A program is contemplated to solicit funds from private sources until the
Memorial Wall project gets underway. The Sun Up Ridge program will fund this
Detachment and other Veteran needs far into the future. The funds will be
repaid. It is the intention of the Marine Corps League that the contemplated
agenda be self sufficient in financial needs.
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Donate above to the Special Olympics Colors unit for
Wyoming being formed by the Central Wyoming Detachment #807,
Marine Corps League
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