News

CC Hank Ehlbeck is in physical therapy near his home in Orange Park, Florida following a stroke last week. “Hank is coming along,” reports companion Ramona Hall (who Hank refers to as his “special, special lady”). At this writing, the entire CC Family also continues to keep watch on the Read more…

CC Family, UPDATE: Our do-it-all Executive Director Jack Paxton moved to hospice Sunday – the highly regarded Cornerstone House in The Villages, Florida. The family requests “no visitors, please” at this time but cards are always welcome. Pat says best to send to the home address/CCHQ: Capt. Jack Paxton, USMC Read more…

CC Family, Just off phone with Pat Paxton – she says tough ol’ Jack is hanging in. But Pat is very clear that they are in a hard place right now. So far, Jack has been able to respond to Pat with a squeeze of his right hand. The medical Read more…

Our executive director Jack Paxton is at the Regional Medical Center, Leesburg, Fla. having suffered a stroke over Easter weekend. We will keep you posted in this space and, on behalf of Pat and the entire Paxton Clan, thanks to everybody for your continued prayers and support. In the interim, Read more…

Send in your tale of landing your first (or favorite) photo or byline in Leathernenck – for 100 years “The Magazine of the Marines.” First to respond receives a pair of free tickets to the Welcome Reception at the 2018 USMCCCA Professional Development and Training Symposium in New Bern, N.C. Read more…

Marine Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer (left) was among those attending USAA’s Military Appreciation Night with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs on March 15. Sgt. Meyer is pictured with USAA’s Mike Kelly, retired Air Force PAO and DINFOS instructor – and one of the USMCCCA’s truest corporate friends for Read more…

Marine Combat Correspondents gather at the bedside of Dickey Chapelle, recovering from a parachuting accident in a New York hospital, in 1964. (L-R) Maj. Bob “Mo” Morrisey, Lou Lowery, Dick Phelan, Steve Stibbens, and Ron Lyons seated with Dickie. Lowery, Lyons and Stibbens were were all members of the Leatherneck Magazine staff. The following year, Chapelle went to Vietnam to be with her beloved Marines in combat.

By Bob Bowen
Author, “My Life and Lens, the story of a Marine Corps Combat Correspondent”

The Marine Corps Combat Corespondents Association had its origins in World War Two. Following that war, the group was held together in an informal way through the volunteer efforts of Gladys McFarland of the Marine’s New York Information Office and the civilian staff at Leatherneck Magazine.

Col. Don Dickson, Editor-Publisher of Leatherneck, along with director of photography Lou Lowery, the Marine who made the first photo of the flag raising on Iwo Jima, and Ron Lyons, assistant editor, were the principle supporters of the CC’s at the Magazine.

Dickey Chapelle was killed in November 1965 while covering Operation Black Ferret. Sgt. Frank Beardsley, Leatherneck Magazine Correspondent, was there and captured her final departure from the battlefield.

When the Marines landed in Vietnam in 1965, there was a renewed focus on the Corps’ informational services field and that spread to a rejuvenation of the CC’s. At HQMC, Maj. Bob Morrisey, CMC Wally Greene’s personal information officer, joined with McFarland and the Leatherneck stalwarts to encourage all Marine Corps writers, past and present, to join the loosely organized USMCCCA.

SSgt Steve Stibbens of Leatherneck Magazine was one of the first to heed the call. He joined the CC’s in 1964. Stibbens covered the Vietnam War first as a correspondent for the Pacific Stars and Stripes in 1962 and later for the magazine. And, after his discharge, the Associated Press.

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Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens says she uses her “background in PR and journalism,” both courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps, as executive director of the Plymouth Historical Museum in Michigan. The longtime CC member’s organizational skills are enhanced by Corps-funded bachelor’s and master’s degrees along with her insatiable interest in history. This Read more…

Dale Dye: Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award Tribute Video from Beaufort Film Society on Vimeo. National USMCCCA Board Member and 2017 Dickson Award recipient Dale Dye visited South Carolina’s Lowcountry last month to receive the inaugural Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award at the Beaufort International Film Festival. The trip included Read more…