Dear MCA Member,

I am pleased to report that MCA just published our 2007 Annual Membership Report and our members and subscribers will be able to read it in the March edition of our flagship magazines; Marine Corps Gazette and Leatherneck. Additionally, for the convenience of our members, we have it posted on MCA's web site here.

Two things from the report in particular I would like to highlight here as well. First, MCA belongs to its members and we really do want our membership engaged in letting us know how to make membership more valuable to them. Additionally, we eagerly seek our member's help in recruiting new members and I urge you all to make it a professional goal to recruit at least one new member in the professional association for all Marines.

MCA's annual cycle of exciting professional events began in January with a series of book signings and a very well attended MCA Luncheon at MCAS Beaufort featuring Lt Gen James F. Amos, Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration as the guest speaker. We have more great book signings slated for the rest of February and March in a number of locations and in March, in the greater Washington D.C. area, one of the professional highlights of the year is the second edition of our MCA Annual Dinner featuring the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Gordon England as the guest speaker.

We expect this event will be very well attended and if you are in the area I encourage you not only to attend, but also to register for the event now. Click here to register for the dinner and click here to view the entire schedule of events MCA currently has arranged. MCA's professional dinners and luncheons are a great way to stay connected to the Corps as well as an enjoyable means of socializing with some great Marines. Check out the schedule, plan on attending and bring a friend!

As always, thanks for your support and do let me hear from you. You can do that by emailing MCA at comments@mca-marines.org.

Semper Fidelis,

Les Palm
Major General, USMC (Ret)
President and Chief Executive Officer

Leatherneck's February issue features the Battle of Hue City on this 40th anniversary of that bloody fight. That January and February 1968 battle was pitched urban combat such as Marines had not seen since Seoul in September 1950 and had not seen since, until Operation Iraqi Freedom. Just as in Seoul, tanks played a large role in Hue City, and our February article focuses on that aspect of the battle. Tanks have also been a big part of the hard-fought urban battles in Operation Iraqi Freedom too. Tanks continue to have a role in the combined arms team!

Upcoming in March, Leatherneck highlights the accomplishments of II MEF (Forward) in Iraq. The transfer of authority in Al Anbar province was completed on 9 February, and the II MEF headquarters staff came home to Camp Lejeune. Now I MEF (Fwd) has the conn and moving forward, building on the successes of the past year. Leatherneck will continue to tell the story of the Marines in the long war on terror and we look forward to sharing the accomplishments in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

This month marks the 63d anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima--an iconic battle which has helped define the Corps and Marines of today. To mark that anniversary, we encourage you to go to www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck and view our featured video on Iwo Jima, D+2. With the assistance of the Marine Corps History Division's oral history section, we bring you SSgt Vince Lonergan's February 1945 report from Iwo's beaches. Share the video with others.

The March Gazette contains articles for every reader no matter what their MOS is or was. Many articles will be of interest because they inform about current operations and challenges. In particular, we highlight the experiences of one advisor team. It is illuminating not only about the duties and challenges of Marine advisors, but also provides a fascinating window into the nature of the Iraqi forces they are training. Several articles offer thought provoking suggestions for change to current policies and practices in areas as diverse as recruiting and the physical fitness test.

Remember that all print readers also have access to the online version of the Gazette. In addition, online only subscribers will save on their dues as we forgo the expense of printing and mailing the paper magazine.

We think losing our members really stinks so we are doing something to keep some of the members we have smelling great when they renew their membership early! Renew early and we will give you a chance to win some fine smelling cologne!

Members who renew by the 10th of the month following their FIRST renewal notice automatically get included in a drawing to win a bottle of highly popular USMC Semper Fi Cologne. Our lucky January winners are:

Invoice Category: Mr. R.W. Giambattista USN from West Sayville, NY
Renewal Category: Corporal W.D. Dunning USMC Veteran from Mobile, Alabama

Congratulations to our winners! Enjoy the cologne. And even if you didn't win you can still get yourself some Semper Fi Cologne for yourself! Just click on the logo above!

www.usmccologne.com

The more MCA grows, the more we can do to fulfill our mission of supporting Marines. Most membership associations can use the open market to buy mailing lists to solicit new members. MCA has very exclusive membership requirements and can't use these types of lists to grow our membership.

That's why we'd like to encourage ALL MCA members to talk your Marine friends and acquaintances into joining you as an MCA member.

And if you succeed MCA will reward you by adding 3 more months onto your membership for each new member you recruit! Plus for every 100 new members MCA receives through our new Recruit a Marine program, we'll enter your name in a drawing to win one of the following 3 prizes!

1st Prize - $100 MCA Gift Certificate
2nd Prize - $50 Pre-Paid American Express Card
3rd Prize - $25 Pre-Paid American Express Card

It's easy to recruit new members! This is how to do it:

• Go to MCA's website: (https://www.mca-marines.org/JoinMCA/step1.aspx) and print out the membership application you find there.
• Forward the membership application to your friends and buddies and remind them to write your name on the line that says "Sponsor's Name/Who Introduced You to MCA"! Feel free to forward your friends an overview of member benefits as well:

• http://www.mca-marines.org/benefits.asp
• http://www.mca-marines.org/TMS.asp

If you need recruiting assistance or if your friends have questions before they sign up, please contact our marketing department at 703-640-0174, 1-800-336-0291, ext. 374, or email promotions@mca-marines.org and we'll be happy to help you!

There's no limit to the number of new members you can recruit and if you get enough Marines signed up you may not have to pay to renew your own membership for years! The membership extension(s) will be added as soon as we receive payment from your membership recruits.

Thanks in advance for your support in helping us recruit new MCA members! Your membership in MCA is greatly appreciated! GOOD HUNTING!

Visit Us In Person Or Online:
The Marine Shop
300 Potomac Ave
Quantico, Virginia
(703) 640-7195
www.marineshop.com

The Marine Shop is the Corps' most prestigious provider of professional Marine uniforms and accessories and has been helping Marines look their professional best since 1962.

Marine Swords -- Lethal, distinctive and highly coveted! Now you can get a handsome replica of either the scimitar like Mameluke sword or the classic NCO sword in an 11 1/2" letter opener configuration -- BOTH of which are simply perfect for slashing open your bills and letters! Eye catching desk ornaments, our letter openers are as practical as they are motivational AND, they make a great gift for special Marines!

$59.95 Reg
$53.96 Member

We encourage all transitioning Marines looking for employment to let our Career Center help you.

ALL Marines are welcome at MCA's Career Center and Marine job seekers do NOT have to be MCA members to post their resume or look for jobs. Our Career center has a rapidly growing and constantly changing bank of available jobs and any Marine who posts their resume with the Career Center has full access to search all of the jobs and can apply for them too.

Businesses seeking the best employees can't do better than a highly motivated and reliable Marine and MCA's Career Center helps you find them. Contact us now with your job openings. We offer unlimited job postings and resume searches for 3, 6, and 12-month increments and we offer significant discounts for members and MCA sponsors!

Click on the Career Center to get details on the posted positions, to post your resume, or to post a job for your company.

As we get older, our health needs change. Your professional association has taken some crucial steps to help you respond effectively to these changing needs. As a member of the Marine Corps Association, you are eligible to participate in the MCA Endorsed Group Benefits Program, which features an exiting package of products that offers plans tailored specifically for mature Marine Corps Association members, and was designed for Marines by Marines. It features affordable health care plans customized with your changing needs in mind as you mature.

If your current health care plan is TRICARE, you may want to increase your protection with TRICARE SUPPLEMENT INSURANCE. It can save you thousands in unpaid expenses not covered by TRICARE and it's easy to apply- you can download an enrollment form for TRICARE SUPPLEMENT online!

To help protect your vulnerable savings as you mature, we also offer INDIVIDUAL LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE. Responsive to your individual needs, you can even choose a plan with lifetime benefits. If you currently have Medicare coverage, MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT will help protect your assets by picking up where Medicare falls short. The program even has a CANCER CARE plan that provides you with benefits up to $300,000.00 for covering expensive treatment costs not covered by your existing health plan.

The program also includes flexible life insurance options, and members 50-54 may be eligible to receive SENIOR TERM LIFE INSURANCE, which offers benefit amounts of up to $50,000 (55-59, $25,000), and is renewable until age 95. To learn more about the Senior Term Life Plan call 1-866-340-4360.

If you are 50 and older, keep your eye out in the coming months for more new plans that will help meet the unique needs you have at this time in your life. To learn more about these comprehensive and affordable plans, go to www.mcainsurance.com or call 1-866-340-4360 today.

Plans are subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions, and limitations of the group policy. For costs and complete details of coverage, contact that plan administrator. Coverage may vary or may not be available in all states.

19100
3578674

Since 1951, Grantham University has contributed to the formal education of thousands of military service members and veterans. Its degree programs are flexible, portable and designed so you can fit education into your life instead of arranging your life around your education. In a new partnership initiative, Grantham offers all MCA employees, members and their families a special tuition rate of $250 per credit hour. Required textbooks and software are covered, at no additional cost to the student, by a Textbook and Technology Grant. Grantham offers associate, Bachelor's and Master's degree programs in a range of academic disciplines. For more information, please visit: www.grantham.edu/mca.

Apple Member Purchase Program
Apple continues to improve the Member Purchase Program (MPP) for MCA members. Check out the new MPP Store and when you get there, click on the graphic entitled "Exclusive Offer for EPP Customers". Members will easily find and view all exclusive MPP offers on this page.

http://apple.com/eppstore/mca

Dell also gives quality discounts to MCA Members. Throw out your clunky old junk and make way for a kicking new Dell.

Visit www.dell.com/USMC or call 1-866-257-4711. Member ID: DS62593492

MetroStar Systems, Inc.
Since 1999, MetroStar Systems has provided agile collaborative solutions designed to integrate people, processes, technology and learning across organizations. Our team of industry-leading engineers and business executives understand the requirements to mitigate the limitations of existing technology architectures by delivering a new level of performance on both small and enterprise-scale applications.

MetroStar Systems is dedicated to providing new foundations for the next generation of business architecture and technology solutions for data and knowledge management, automation and business intelligence and information superiority for your most critical and sensitive data.

In addition to the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State, MetroStar Systems is proud and honored to add the Marine Corps (MCEITS) to our list of distinguished partners.

Advertise on MCA's Home Page! Get the visibility you need for business! With over 90,000 members and over 75,000 web site visits each month, our web site is a GREAT place to advertise! If you would like us to put up a banner ad for your business or organization on our home page, send your request to promotions@mca-marines.org.

Barton Cotton Note Cards. By now all of our members should have received your annual set of Barton Cotton Americana themed note cards as a personal gift from MCA. We want to know if you like them? We also would like to know how you feel about changing to a set of post cards with Marine themed pictures for next year. Send us your reaction to comments@mca-marines.org.

COMMENTS? Please address your feedback to comments@mca-marines.org

MCA MAILING LIST. Would you like to be on the MCA Email mailing list? Send your name, address and email address to customercare@mca-marines.org. Nominate your friends while you are at it...

Semper Fidelis!

LeeAnn Mitchell
Director of Marketing and Communications
comments@mca-marines.org