The Department of PA Marine Corps League, Chapel of the Four Chaplains Chairman Presents its Annual Semper Fi Award

On May, 19, Commissioning Day at Villanova University, Earle Drake, Department of PA Chapel of Four Chaplains Chairman, Marine Corp League, presented the Department of Pa's "Semper Fi" Award to newly commissioned Second Lt. Alfred Hwang. The Award includes a customized Marine Corps Ka-Bar fighting knife. Lt. Huang was commissioned following completion of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Program (NROTC) at the University. The lieutenant’s next duty station is the Basic School at Quantico, VA. The Basic School’s program is to train and educate newly commissioned or appointed officers in the high standards of professional knowledge, esprit-de-corps, and leadership to prepare them for duty as company grade officers in the operating forces, with particular emphasis on the duties, responsibilities, and warfighting skills required of a Marine rifle platoon commander.

The Chapel of the Four Chaplains is a national nonprofit organization, founded in 1947, which recognizes and encourages cooperation, brotherhood and selfless service. It memorializes the courageous act of four Army Chaplains who gave their life jackets to others when the troop ship Dorchester was torpedoed in the North Atlantic on February 3, 1943, and honors the 672 men, including the Four Chaplains, who perished. The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation’s vision is to impart the principle of selfless service to humanity without regard to race, creed, ethnicity, or religious

The top photo depicts Lieutenant Huang, Marine Drake who is a member of the Gen. Smedley D. Butler Detachment of the MCL, and Colonel Ken DeTreaux, Commanding Officer of the Villanova University NROTC Program. The second photo depicts another newly commissioned Marine 2nd Lieutenant and two newly commissioned Navy Ensigns.