Lewis & Clark Young Marines were asked by the Optimist Club of NE Portland to assist with the annual Remembering America’s Heroes dinner. We are always happy to assist in any event that honors our Veterans and were quite eager to meet some of the evening’s honored guests. We had 8 Young Marines and 7 adults eager to do whatever was asked of us. We posted 2 Young Marines at each entrance with the Patriot Guard Riders to open doors and greet our guests as they arrived. Four more Young Marines were assigned to assist our guests to their tables and make sure they had every thing they needed. The adults just did whatever we were asked. Our Young Marines did an awesome job and received a lot of compliments and gratitude from our war heroes and their families.
Lewis & Clark Young Marines, Staff & parents assisting event coordinators and Patriot Guard Riders
Honored guests included:
Marcella was awarded three bronze stars and is the only Native American to receive the French “Legion of Honor” Medal on June 6, 2004 in Paris, France, at the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. She is also the recipient of the American and ETO Campaign Medals, and World War II Victory Medal.
Upon returning to South Dakota, LeBeau continued her nursing career and raised 8 children with her husband Navy Veteran Gilbert LeBeau.
Tuskegee Airman, Lt. Col. Alex Jefferson, age 95, WWII, EX-POW, Purple Heart recipient from Detroit, MI. On September 23, 1942, Alex Jefferson was sworn into the United States Army Reserves, volunteering but not accepted for flight training. Taking a job as an analytical chemist for three months, he entered the graduate school of Howard University, applying again to the US Army Air Force.
Called up for flight training in April 1943, Jefferson received orders to report to Tuskegee Army Air Field to begin flight training. Receiving his pilots wings and officers commission at Tuskegee, he was assigned to the 332rd “Red Tail” Fighter group flying the P-51 Mustang. Assigned to a fighter escort wing protecting bombing missions of the US 15th Air Force, his job was to attack key ground targets and guard the bombing mission against enemy Nazi Luftwaffe fighters.
During his 19th mission over southern France on August 12, 1944, while attacking a radar installation he was shot down. Parachuting to safety and landing within a forest, he was immediately captured by Nazi ground troops. He was sent to prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III in Poland, a special camp for captured Allied Air Force personnel. He was later moved to Stalag VII-A, just outside Dachau and then to Munich where they were freed by General George Patton’s US Third Army.
He remained in the US Air Force reserves, finally retiring in 1969. In 1947 Jefferson received his teaching certificate and began teaching elementary school science for the Detroit Public School System. He received his M.A. degree in education in 1954, and was appointed assistant principal in 1969. He retired in 1979 as an assistant principal, after over 30 years service.
Hattie Kelley joined the U.S. Marine Corps Women’s Reserve in 1943 during World War II and completed her basic training at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Kelley served Stateside in public relations and recruiting capacities. She sits on the Marine Corps Coordinating Council at Swan Island.
- Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor EX-POWS
- NABVETS (National Association for Black Veterans, Inc.)
- The United Mexican American Veterans Association of Los Angeles
- Blackfeet Veterans Honor Guard from Montana
- Seminole Veterans Honor Guard from Oklahoma
- Yakima Warriors from Washington
- Sioux Warriors from South Dakota
- VUMS (Underage Veterans of Military Service)