More than 200 U.S. Marines (both active and retired) and their families are expected to converge on the Charleston Town Center Marriott this weekend for the Marine Corps League State Convention in Charleston, according to a news release from the group.
The convention will be held Friday and Saturday.. A flag-raising and memorial service will be conducted on Saturday morning to honor Gold Star Mothers and families as well as Marines and veterans. U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Kari Blankenship, promotions manager for the West Virginia Lottery, are scheduled to welcome and address the delegates during the general business meeting. State officers for the Marine Corps League will be elected. Dr. Shane Arnett. chief of mental health services at the Huntington VA, will speak during the convention to provide guidance on veteran suicide awareness and prevention.
The league is an all-volunteer Marine veterans organization that has been active in the state since 1947. There are 13 detachments and more than 800 members in the state. The programs they support include several veterans services, Toys-For-Tots and the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument Foundation. The group also works with the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance "West Virginia 22" suicide prevention program.