Help WW II Marine Receive Recognition in D.C.
Donation protected
After several Marines (Active, retired & separated) submitted Mr Larry Diggs name to Headquarters Marine Corps to be honored at the Commandants Ball, General Berger selected Mr. Diggs to be the oldest Marine at his Cake cutting ceremony on November 7th. Additionally, he and his wife will attend the Commandant's Marine Corps Birthday Ball (two days later) where he will be seated with the oldest Marine there, a 99 year old WWII Marine Raider. His tickets to the Commandant's Ball are paid for by the Marine Corps, but the cost of the entire trip is not.
Mr. Diggs joined the Marine Corps in 1943 and became one of the first African-American Marines to wear the Marine uniform. He was subsequently deployed to the Pacific where he participated in the "Island Hopping Campaign" and served on Guadalcanal, Peleliu and Guam. After separating from the Marine Corps in 1946, he worked in the steel mills in Chicago and later retired to Columbia, Missouri, where he current lives.
The schedule of the trip is as follows:
11/6: Travel day from Missouri to Washington D.C.
11/7: USMC Commandant's Cake Cutting Ceremony
11/8: Visit to The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA
11/9: USMC Commandant's Birthday Ball
11/10: Travel day from Washington, D.C. to Missouri
The money raised in this gofundme campaign will pay for the airfare, lodging, transportation, meals and incidentals for Mr. and Mrs. Diggs and 2 escorts from Columbia, MO who will accompany them on this trip to ensure it is a safe and worry free experience.
Details of estimated expenses are listed below:
Hotel: $2,793 UPDATE: -Covered- Separate fundraising effort by local Service organization raised to cover the cost of Hotels
Airfare: $2,710 UPDATE: -Paid- Total amount raised from gofundme campaign as of October 1 = $2,348. This was used to cover airfare expenses @ total cost of $2,710, and a private donor covered the remaining balance. Thank you all!!
Food Estimates: $1,520
-- Conservative estimate based on 4 people in Washington D.C. for 5 days at the government per diem rate of $76/day
Rental Mini van: $350. 1870
Parking fee For the Hotel: 62.50 daily (with taxes) x4 = $250
Mr Diggs’ Tuxedo Rental: $180
Getting Medals mounted is $100
Remaining balance needed to cover trips as of October 2nd is $2,400
****UPDATE #1: Separate fundraising effort by local Service organization raised to cover this cost of Hotels
****UPDATE#2: Initial gofundme amount of $2,348 raised PAID to cover cost of airfare @$2,710. (Remaining amount covered by private donor).
****UPDATE #3: Mr. and Mrs. Nick and Jessica Holman have volunteered to be the escorts for this trip, and will be accompanying Mr and Mrs Diggs to Washington D.C. Mr Holman is a USMC veteran and Mrs Holman is an Air Force Veteran.
________________________________________________________________________
Compliance Information for GoFundMe
Question #1: How I am related to the beneficiary?
I have been friends with Mr Diggs since I was the MIZZOU Student Veterans Association (MSVA) President in 2011 -2012. MSVA held a Birthday ball in 2011 locally in Columbia, MO and Mr Diggs was our guest of honor there. I since moved away from Missouri to Washington D.C., but have not forgotten how significant Mr. Diggs is to the Marine Corps and the United States. Accordingly, I along with several other Marines in the D.C. area (Active, retired & separated) submitted Mr Diggs name to Headquarters Marine Corps for attendance to the 2019 Commandant's Ball. In turn General Berger selected him to be the oldest Marine at his Cake cutting ceremony.
Question #2: State you will be withdrawing the funds in your name to your own personal bank account
Given the relationship I have with Mr Diggs and my position as the coordinator for this trip, I will continue to coordinate the logistics of Mr Diggs, Mrs Diggs and two escorts. Given this I will be withdrawing the funds into my personal bank checking account (which is in my name) in order to pay for the associated items.
Question #3: How exactly you will be delivering the funds to your beneficiaries (i.e. cash, Paypal, check, etc - Please be specific!)
In addition to paying for the plane tickets, rental car, and hotel accommodations for Mr Diggs, Mrs Diggs and the two escorts, I will be delivering the rest of the funds in cash to Mr Diggs, Mrs Diggs and the two escorts once they arrive in Washington, D.C. for them to pay for meals and incidentals.
Mr. Diggs joined the Marine Corps in 1943 and became one of the first African-American Marines to wear the Marine uniform. He was subsequently deployed to the Pacific where he participated in the "Island Hopping Campaign" and served on Guadalcanal, Peleliu and Guam. After separating from the Marine Corps in 1946, he worked in the steel mills in Chicago and later retired to Columbia, Missouri, where he current lives.
The schedule of the trip is as follows:
11/6: Travel day from Missouri to Washington D.C.
11/7: USMC Commandant's Cake Cutting Ceremony
11/8: Visit to The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA
11/9: USMC Commandant's Birthday Ball
11/10: Travel day from Washington, D.C. to Missouri
The money raised in this gofundme campaign will pay for the airfare, lodging, transportation, meals and incidentals for Mr. and Mrs. Diggs and 2 escorts from Columbia, MO who will accompany them on this trip to ensure it is a safe and worry free experience.
Details of estimated expenses are listed below:
Hotel: $2,793 UPDATE: -Covered- Separate fundraising effort by local Service organization raised to cover the cost of Hotels
Airfare: $2,710 UPDATE: -Paid- Total amount raised from gofundme campaign as of October 1 = $2,348. This was used to cover airfare expenses @ total cost of $2,710, and a private donor covered the remaining balance. Thank you all!!
Food Estimates: $1,520
-- Conservative estimate based on 4 people in Washington D.C. for 5 days at the government per diem rate of $76/day
Rental Mini van: $350. 1870
Parking fee For the Hotel: 62.50 daily (with taxes) x4 = $250
Mr Diggs’ Tuxedo Rental: $180
Getting Medals mounted is $100
Remaining balance needed to cover trips as of October 2nd is $2,400
****UPDATE #1: Separate fundraising effort by local Service organization raised to cover this cost of Hotels
****UPDATE#2: Initial gofundme amount of $2,348 raised PAID to cover cost of airfare @$2,710. (Remaining amount covered by private donor).
****UPDATE #3: Mr. and Mrs. Nick and Jessica Holman have volunteered to be the escorts for this trip, and will be accompanying Mr and Mrs Diggs to Washington D.C. Mr Holman is a USMC veteran and Mrs Holman is an Air Force Veteran.
________________________________________________________________________
Compliance Information for GoFundMe
Question #1: How I am related to the beneficiary?
I have been friends with Mr Diggs since I was the MIZZOU Student Veterans Association (MSVA) President in 2011 -2012. MSVA held a Birthday ball in 2011 locally in Columbia, MO and Mr Diggs was our guest of honor there. I since moved away from Missouri to Washington D.C., but have not forgotten how significant Mr. Diggs is to the Marine Corps and the United States. Accordingly, I along with several other Marines in the D.C. area (Active, retired & separated) submitted Mr Diggs name to Headquarters Marine Corps for attendance to the 2019 Commandant's Ball. In turn General Berger selected him to be the oldest Marine at his Cake cutting ceremony.
Question #2: State you will be withdrawing the funds in your name to your own personal bank account
Given the relationship I have with Mr Diggs and my position as the coordinator for this trip, I will continue to coordinate the logistics of Mr Diggs, Mrs Diggs and two escorts. Given this I will be withdrawing the funds into my personal bank checking account (which is in my name) in order to pay for the associated items.
Question #3: How exactly you will be delivering the funds to your beneficiaries (i.e. cash, Paypal, check, etc - Please be specific!)
In addition to paying for the plane tickets, rental car, and hotel accommodations for Mr Diggs, Mrs Diggs and the two escorts, I will be delivering the rest of the funds in cash to Mr Diggs, Mrs Diggs and the two escorts once they arrive in Washington, D.C. for them to pay for meals and incidentals.
Organizer
Keith Widaman
Organizer
Springfield, VA