President O'Neal Salutes Merit Award Judges

USMCCCA President Don O'Neal has recognized the work of  volunteer civilian judges in the Association's annual Merit Awards competition. In his letter to 11 judges participating in this year's program he wrote: "We recognize that the judges we choose for this program are normally busy but we also recognize that your expertise assures that our program is a success and that our Marines are being judged by professionals with a proven track record in their own areas of expertise."

O'Neal added that he hoped that at some future time the  judges could attend  an annual awards banquet "and see the pleasure these young Marines exhibit in what could be their own 15 minutes of fame as they come to the stage and receive the plaudits of their peers."

O'Neal's  letter was accompanied by a certificate commending the recipient for "excellence and professionalism" as a judge. Several of the judges worked over a two-day period reviewing hundreds of   submissions from Marine combat correspondents in news and feature writing, photography, broadcasting and in production of base newspapers.