Legion of Honor Awarded to Gen. Smedley D. Butler Detachment, Marine Corps League Member Benjamin R. Sides

The General Smedley D. Butler Detachment of the Marine Corps League is headquartered in Newtown Square. At its August 1 meeting Marine Earle Drake, Chairman of the Chapel of Four Chaplains Committee of the of PA Department, Marine Corps League and also a member of the General Smedley D. Butler Detachment, presented the Chapel of the Four Chaplain’s prestigious “Legion of Honor Award” to Marine Benjamin R. Sides. Marine Sides is also a member of the General Smedley D. Butler Detachment. Ben was presented the award for his selfless service to the community. The Chapel of Four Chaplains has reviewed and approved Marine Sides’ receiving the Award.

Committee Chairman Drake indicates that for many years Marine Sides served honorably as the Chairman of the General Smedley D. Butler Detachment’s Honor Guard Committee. As the Chairman, Ben was responsible for assembling teams from the General Smedley D. Butler Detachment and also from the Marple/Newtown Combined Veterans Alliance to serve as an Honor Guard at graveside Honors Services for deceased veterans. In addition to the General Smedley D. Butler Detachment, the Alliance includes members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. At the June 6 meeting of the General Smedley D. Butler Detachment, Ben reported that the Honor Guard had participated in fourteen burials so far in June and for the year to date, in 84 burials. Ben is now retired from the position of Honor Guard Chairman. With the time and effort Ben devoted to the Honor Guard and in honoring deceased local veterans over many years, Marine Benjamin R. Sides is very much a prime example of one deserving of the Legion of Honor Award.

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 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 affiliation.

One photo above shows Marine Jim Herbst on the left with Legion of Honor awardee Marine Ben Sides, both members of the Gen. Smedley D. Butler Detachment.

The other photo above shows, left to right, Marines Jim Herbst, Bill Kinney, Ben Sides and Earle Drake, all members of the Gen. Smedley D. Butler Detachment..