LtGen “Buck Bedard” (Ret) shares highlights from 37 years of elite USMC Service. In his final role, LtGen Bedard served as the Deputy Commandant Policies, Plans, and Operations, exhibiting true Esprit De Corps guiding over 45,000 Marines during his terms. Faith, Family, and Freedom are three top priorities that the General holds close to his heart as he remembers accounts from his tours in Vietnam, Desert Storm, Somalia, and countless other efforts where he put his literal life on the line to serve others. As a “Buck”, he played football and attended the University of North Dakota and while other men avoided the draft at all costs, General Buck Bedard decided to gain his Master Degree and swear in to fight willing and deploy to Vietnam.
LtGen Bedard’s love for his lovely wife, children and grandchildren, Fellow Marines, fine muscle cars, and sports, always comes first. Just as the Marine Corps motto exclaims, “Once a Marine, Always a Marine”, his ethics, and outreach continues to deposit motivation and empowerment into young and mature Marines globally from podiums around the world.
Education is key and so is the Marine Corps Hymn, Birthday, and Remembrance of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. On November 10, 2020, for the first time in our lives while masked and socially-distanced, we celebrated the Marine Corps Birthday and Cake Cutting Ceremony outdoors. LtGen Bedard laughed through his speech and shared jokes with morals while leading the audience with serious undertones on the mic. We learned about the serious nature of what Marines are facing today while deployed in this climate, with their health and lives on the line stateside peacekeeping missions, in cyberspace, and in civilian communities. Safety is no laughing matter. Service with PPE and realizing what duty and honor mean is what we learned that evening also by making sure Marines are mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually healthy during the holidays reaching out with helpful hands and with earned benefits information available on Post or at http://www.VA.gov.
Charging Marines with orders, and guiding them to family services is part of good leadership; but requiring Esprit De Corps and outstanding performance is what makes all of the ribbons, accolades, appearances, and honors come to pass with integrity one demonstrates. Marines accomplish no easy feat and from his honorable years moving up through the ranks as an OCS graduate in 1968 to his retirement in 2005, General Bedard never stopped believing in achieving higher goals with high education on his forefront from the field to the books. Marines are furious fighters, fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters that must gather to be connected and feel like family surrounded by unconditional love and acceptance. The epidemics of Suicide and PTSD among other traumas can occur one too many times once separated from the Marine Corps. The ability to open up and trust other Marines facing the same challenges saves lives and has a place to go such as The Leatherneck Club is to share hard stories to tell from the foxhole Marines may have been keeping secret until together again. Giving in to the wounds they may have suffered in battle, to the promotions they may have earned, recapturing and revisiting times of the greatest and worst moments of service can cause chronic fatigue, added trauma, and or triumph. We must confront the issues and as a community, we can accept social responsibility to help our troops. That is why we must embrace Educating Our Veterans about what Marines actually do while serving and how they and their dependent families deserve to be rewarded by our civilian love, thanks, compassion, and empathy.
Medals, Honors, and Flyovers at funerals are wonderful to cherish but each day a Marine awakes, their plight is real, therefore, we hope you’ll enjoy the broadcast that sheds a powerful light from the General’s perspective on American Patriotism and how we can make ourselves accountable to serve in charity, community, and the Holiday Spirit. To learn more about Lt General “Buck” Bedard’s voluntarism and contributions, visit the Nevada Outdoor Adventure Foundation website: https://www.nvoaf.org/photos.
Most notably, on November 10, 2020, after a wonderful speech by the General and introduction of the Mayor of Clark County, Mrs. Carolyn Goodman at the Leatherneck Club of Las Vegas, a declaration was unveiled and signed marking November 10, 2020, as the first Official ” United States Marine Corps Day” in Nevada. The Mayoral day was attributed to and in honor of the service efforts of Tom “Ghost” Martin, USMC Veteran of Desert Storm, at the special location and home of Marines, The Leatherneck Club, before a group of 250 Marines during the Cake Cutting Ceremony presented with PPE Gear and amidst the Pandemic. Year after year, Tom “Ghost” Martin and Leatherneck Staff host an amazing Marine Corps Birthday bash at the club filled with music, media, food trucks, stories, and an authentic, historic Marine Corps Salute of Taps and the Marine Corps Hymn played live by bagpipe and more. This Birthday Ball was uniquely designed with an outdoor historic film presentation from Headquarters Marine Corps, our Keynote Speaker, LtGen Buck Bedard, and was pulled off without a hitch during one of the most difficult times for Marines as a whole who are serving and during the unimaginable impact of COVID 19.
Leading by example, LtGen a.k.a. “Buck” commends Tom “Ghost” Martin, a USMC Veteran on The Christina Silva Show for exceptional service and skill while managing and directing his establishment titled The Leatherneck Club which celebrates the sacrifices, history, and memory of Marines from World Wars, the Civil War to present-day efforts to keep our United States of America safe and free from imminent dangers. In this episode of The Christina Silva Show, we are Educating Our Veterans Live through the portal of the Honorable LtGen “Buck” Bedard’s portal and a plethora of experience which contains the ingredients Marines of all Eras need to derive, survive, and thrive, in order to obtain higher education excellence, active duty and retired success, followed by charitable and corporate rewards. Have the intention at heart to reach out and connect to earned benefits and find fellow Marines to ensure lifelong connections that breed resilience at the Leatherneck Club.
As Director of the Leatherneck Club of Las Vegas, Tom “Ghost” Martin embodies the theme of “continuous service as a Marine” which is embedded into the establishment and standard operating procedures. All are welcome to frequent The Leatherneck Club and sights in Las Vegas such as the famous Mob Museum. The club is conveniently located adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip at 4360 W. Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas, NV 89102 to host meetings, weddings, and toasts to storytelling heroes in the bunker. It is a must seek, must find a destination! Follow and join the Leatherneck family via https://www.facebook.com/Leatherneckbar.
For the record, Marines bleed the same blood from their https://www.Camies2Civies.org (Marine Uniform/Civilian Attire) alike. The Leatherneck Club is home to many historical pieces of War History, depicting the cost of freedom only Marines can pay. The setting and environment are filled with rich stories of travail or triumph, murals, memorabilia, and shadow boxes, and one-of-a-kind art heirlooms that remind us that Marines are “Always Faithful”. Stand with us; thank General “Buck” and Ghost for their valor and their voices. Join us and become part of The Marine Corps League Detachment 186 or The Marine Riders to give back. All Veteran Services Organizations aim to help veterans and active duty service members of all branches of our U.S. Armed Forces realize their benefits and their priceless value. For information and Helpful Resources dial the Veterans Administration (800) 827-1000 & VA Crisis Hotline (800) 273-8255 24/7. Semper Fi, #Bee Safe. God Bless America.
