Marine Corps League
Thomas A Payne #1248
MCL Detachment #1248 — Fort Smith, AR. A detachment since 1951 — Fort Smith, AR.
Meetings: 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 PM.From public listings; confirm before attending.
- MCL Detachment #1248
- Fort Smith, AR
- 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 PM
In 1951 a handful of veterans chartered Detachment 1248 — Fort Smith, AR. From that first meeting the detachment grew into a hall that still marks the year with a memorial service, a community project, and a table full of people who know one another’s stories.
Over the years the detachment has taken on the jobs a town actually asks for: rides to a clinic, a meal after a funeral, help with a ramp, a speaker for a school program. The members keep a notebook of what got done and what is still open, and they read it aloud before the meeting adjourns.
The regular meeting is 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 PM. Anyone planning to visit should confirm the night before they come, because a funeral detail or a weather delay can move it. Between meetings the members stay in touch the old way: at the hall, and through the officers listed on this sample site — Fort Smith, AR.
Programs
Our Programs
A few of the things the detachment keeps on the calendar — Fort Smith, AR. These write-ups are sample stories, in the voice the detachment might use.
Community
Scholarship evening
Each spring the detachment awards a small scholarship and invites the family to the hall — Fort Smith, AR.
Veterans
Veteran support
Thomas A Payne #1248. Each year the detachment sets aside time for local veterans: a ride, a meal, or a quiet check-in after a hard week — Fort Smith, AR.
Veterans
Memorial observance
The detachment leads a short observance each Memorial Day and again near Veterans Day — Fort Smith, AR.
75
Years on the calendar — Fort Smith
Charter story set in 1951
120 hours
Given to local projects
A sample tally from last year
51
Neighbors helped
Rides, meals, and the holiday drive
Calendar
Upcoming
| Fri, Mar 6, 2026, 7:00 PM | Regular meeting | Business meeting of Thomas A Payne #1248. The public directory lists it as 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 PM. Confirm before you travel. |
| Mon, May 25, 2026, 11:00 AM | Memorial Day observance | A half-hour observance, then coffee at the hall. The members read the names they have been given — Fort Smith, AR. |
| Wed, Apr 8, 2026, 6:00 PM | Scholarship evening | A short note on service, read by students, and then this year’s check from the detachment — Fort Smith. |
| Sat, Jun 13, 2026, 6:30 PM | Past officers’ night | A short program for people who have held an office, then the regular business of Detachment 1248. |
News
News
Jan 16, 2026
Notes from the first meeting
Thomas A Payne #1248. The year opens the usual way: a short meeting, a full pot of coffee, and a list of local families the detachment already knows. The members voted to keep the winter gift drive on the calendar and to pass the word person to person — Fort Smith, AR.
Apr 9, 2026
Showing up for the winter gift drive — Fort Smith
By spring the hall had the winter gift drive underway. Nothing about it was complicated. The Detachment 1248 set a date, split the jobs, and showed up. A few neighbors who are not members came for the afternoon and stayed to ask about the next meeting — Fort Smith.
Aug 21, 2026
What the notebook says so far
Late summer the detachment looked back at the notebook. The honor detail had been out more than once, the community table had fed a crowded room, and the officers reminded everyone that the next business meeting is 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 PM. This note is a sample of how the detachment might tell that year — Fort Smith, AR.
Officers
Officers
Commandant
Senior Vice Commandant
Adjutant
Paymaster
Chaplain
Sergeant at Arms
Membership
Become a member
Eligible veterans and their families are welcome at a meeting of Detachment 1248 — Fort Smith, AR. The application stays at the hall. The regular night is 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 PM.
Give
Gifts in this story go to the hall, the holiday drive, and quiet help for local veterans — Fort Smith, AR.
Sponsors
Our Sponsors
Two local businesses are written in here as sample sponsors — Fort Smith, AR. Thomas A Payne #1248. Sponsor names here are sample copy, not a list the group published.
Post Home Kitchen
Memorial Hall Bakery
Contact this group
This organization hasn't been claimed yet, so there is no contact information.