About Us

 Mission Statement
Members of the Marine Corps League join together in camaraderie and fellowship for the purpose of preserving the traditions and promoting the interests of the United States Marine Corps, banding together those who are now serving in the United States Marine Corps and those who have been honorably discharged from that service that they may effectively promote the ideals of American freedom and democracy, voluntarily aiding and rendering assistance to all Marines and former Marines and to their widows and orphans; and to perpetuate the history of the United States Marine Corps and by fitting acts to observe the anniversaries of historical occasions of particular interest to Marines.

History of the League
The Marine Corps League perpetuates the traditions and spirit of
 ALL Marines and Navy FMF Corpsmen, who proudly wear or who have worn the eagle, globe and anchor of the Corps. It takes great pride in crediting its founding in 1923 to World War I hero, then Major General Commandant John A. Lejeune. It takes equal pride in its Federal Charter, approved by An Act of the
Seventy-Fifth Congress of the United States of America and
signed and approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 4, 1937. The League is the only Federally Chartered Marine Corps related veterans organization in the country.
 
Since its earliest days, the Marine Corps League has enjoyed the support and encouragement of the active duty and Reserve establishments of the U. S. Marine Corps.

Today, the League boasts a membership of nearly 70,000 men and women, officer and enlisted, active duty, Reserve Marines, honorably discharged Marine Veterans and qualified Navy FMF Corpsmen and is one of the few Veterans Organizations that experiences increases in its membership each year.

The Marine Corps League is headed by an elected
National Commandant, with 14 elected National Staff Officers who serve as trustees. The National Board of Trustees coordinates the efforts of 49 department, or state, entities and the activities of over 1200 community-based detachments located throughout the United States and overseas. The day-to-day operations of the League are under the control of the National Executive Director with the responsibility for the management and direction of all programs,
activities, and affairs of the Marine Corps League as well as supervising the National Headquarters staff.

The prime authority of the League is derived from its Congressional charter and from its annual National Convention held each August in different major U.S. cities throughout the nation. It is a not-for-profit organization within the provisions of the Internal Revenue Service Code
501(c) (4), with a special group exemption letter
which allows for contributions to the Marine Corps League, its Auxiliary and subsidiary units, to be tax deductible by the donor.

History of Detachment 1198
2005-2016 / Harford County Detachment 1198
2016-Present / Cpl Pete Arnold Detachment 1198

The Cpl Pete Arnold Detachment of the Marine Corps League has a rewarding history. For several years, Department of Maryland Sergeant-at-Arms, Guy Hall, had been trying to muster interest in forming a Marine Corps League Detachment in the Harford County area and sought the support of John Baker and Charles Lyons, local area Marines, to further that idea. In February 2005, three Marine veterans, namely John Baker , Jerry Brown , and Dick Lowe got together and decided to form a detachment of Harford County Marines. The Detachment was chartered as the Harford County Detachment 1198 in March 2005 under the leadership of temporary Commandant Gerald “Jerry” Brown, a past Department of Maryland Commandant from 1966 to 1967. The charter application was mailed in early March of 2005 with the signatures of 21 former Marines listed.

Our first meeting which was called Tun Tavern Night, as both the Corps and the Detachment started in a tavern/bar, was held at the Jarrettsville Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8672. John Baker was elected the first Commandant, Raymond Ayres as the Senior Vice Commandant, Gerard Biedronski as the Junior Vice Commandant, Gerald “Jerry” Brown as the Judge Advocate, and Charles Lyons as the Chaplain, Evelyn “Evie” Remines as Adjutant/Paymaster, and Edward “Mike” Eilerman, Jr. as the Sergeant-at-Arms.

Since the day this Detachment was founded, it has had many worthy projects under its sponsorship, our Fallen Marine Program where the Detachment recognizes and honors fallen Marines throughout northern and northeast Baltimore County and Harford County , and the acknowledgement and recognition of the county’s Gold Star Families. By the 2005 years end, the detachment was 41 members strong. In May 2005 the detachment participated in its first community event, the Bel Air Memorial Day Ceremony and ended the year with a very successful Toy For Tots program.

From the beginning our Detachment has held our meetings at the Jarrettsville Memorial Manor Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8672. 

On 21 July 2016 the Detachment was Re-Chartered with a new name, the Cpl Pete Arnold Detachment 1198, in honor of our Past Detachment Commandant Millard "Pete" Arnold who passed while serving as Commandant. 

On 9 October 2016, the Detachment held a Re-Chartering Ceremony where the name change was officially updated. A new new sign was donated by Marine Leonard Stielper that was placed near the East/West Highway (Route 23).