Washington D.C. – Feb. 10, 2010 – The Marine Corps League will hold a press conference Thursday, Feb. 25, in Washington D.C. to announce legislation that would give the Marines Corps equal status with the Navy. The event was originally scheduled for Feb. 11 but is being postponed due to inclement weather.

The conference will now be held at 5 P.M. in Room 122 at the Cannon House Office Building. Press and interested parties are invited to attend.

Still tapped to headline the conference is R. Lee Ermey, a Golden Globe-nominated actor and Marine veteran. Ermey is host of The History Channel’s “Mail Call” and “Lock N’ Load with R. Lee Ermey” and star of major films including Full Metal Jacket, Dead Man Walking and the upcoming Toy Story III. Other speakers include:

•  Sgt. Eddie Wright, a Marine veteran and Bronze Star recipient who lost both hands in combat in Iraq in 2004. Despite his injury, he became a Marine Corps hand-to-hand combat instructor, later retired, and is now a defense contractor.

•  Dick Linn, a Gold Star father who lost his son Karl in Iraq in 2005.

•  U.S. Rep Walter Jones, who introduced H.R. 24, a bill that would change the name of the Department of the Navy to the “Department of the Navy and Marine Corps” and change the title of the Secretary of the Navy to the “Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps”.

•  Tracy Della Vecchia, MarineParents.com founder and executive director. Her website has 130,000-plus members and provides support for parents of Marines.

•  Michael Blum, Marine Corps League executive director.

Rep. Jones’ bill has garnered supporters including former Secretary of the Navy Lawrence Garrett, FedEx founder Fred Smith and Col. Oliver North.

For more information on the conference, campaign and legislation, go to the Marine Corps Identity Cause website at http://www.marinecause.com/.

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About Marine Corps Identity Cause

Marine Corps Identity Cause is a grassroots campaign founded in 2009 to give Marines equal status with the Navy. The campaign, sponsored by the Marine Corps League, has one simple—but important—goal: To get Congress to change the name of the Department of the Navy to the “Department of the Navy and Marine Corps.”

For information on how you can be part of this effort, visit http://www.marinecause.com.

About Marine Corps League

Incorporated by an act of Congress in 1937, the Marine Corps League perpetuates the traditions and spirit of ALL Marines who proudly wear, or who have worn, the eagle, globe and anchor of the Corps.

For more information, go to http://www.mcleague.com.