Ripley’s Raiders

Monument Dedication Ceremony

March 2, 2012

Shortly thereafter the “Colonel John W Ripley Memorial Trust” was formed by a steering committee made up of Raiders Chuck Goggin, Al Niece, Dave Schwirian, and John Solbach. This trust is organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and, as such, is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions pursuant to 170(b)(2)(iii) for both federal and state tax purposes. The trust’s principal purpose provided funds for creating a Memorial and installing it on the grounds at the USMC Museum in Quantico, Virginia.

The project required approximately $70,000 to complete requiring the trustees to negotiate an obstacle course made up of numerous hoops, each of which were wrapped in layers of red tape, but by November 2011 they were able to announce that the monument dedication was scheduled on the 45^th anniversary of their March 2^nd battle.

Chuck Goggin starting the dedication ceremony

L. Steven Moore was the Company CO of the Army Duster unit with L/3/3 in 1967

Tom Baily was the XO of L/3/3 under John Ripley’s command

Paul Galanti was a classmate of John Ripley at Anapolis and a POW during the Vietnam war.