A pontoon boat for Camp American Legion

On Tuesday, July 16, Camp American Legion took delivery of a 1980s vintage, 20-foot pontoon boat that was donated to the camp by U.S. Marine veteran and his friend.

Kirk Schlenz of Manitowish Waters served in the Marine Corps from 1975 until 1978 and his motivation to make the boat donation was “friends who served together are friends forever.”

“That’s what’s so important about this,” he said. “The other important thing is it’s a tribute to Mike Loomer.”

Schlenz served with Loomer, who died of cancer in January, in the Marines. 

Schlenz said after the two were stationed together at Marine Corps base on Okinawa, he was sent to the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton in California while Loomer was sent to Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. 

“We were friends for 47 years,” Schlenz, wearing a T-shirt with a photo of Loomer in his Marine Corps dress blue uniform, explained.

The pontoon boat itself was owned by Bob Larrabee of Rhinelander, another friend of Schlenz’s. 

His family has had a cabin on Squash Lake for years. 

“He had eight brothers and sisters,” Schlenz said. “So, now, the kids are grown up and their kids don’t do the things we use to do when we were kids.”

He said Larrabee was going to sell the pontoon boat until he heard what Schlenz mentioned he’d like to do with it. 

“Bob only charged me half when I bought the boat,” Schlenz said. “He wanted to be part of it.”

Essentially, it was a joint effort. 

“Yeah, absolutely,” Schlenz said, noting that another of his Marine Corps buddies who owns a sign and graphics business in Chicago did the signs and red, white and blue decorations that are on the exterior of the boat’s railings. 

“I was looking to sell the pontoon because we’re probably going to sell our place on Squash Lake,” Larrabee said. “So, I called him (Schlenz) up and asked him if I could park the boat by his house until I figured out what to do and he said ‘Fine.’”

He said Schlenz called him “about a week later” and told Larrabee he had a friend who was interested in the boat and wanted to know how much Larrabee wanted for it.

Larrabee told him he wasn’t sure but would let Schlenz know. 

“About a week later, he (Schlenz) calls me and says ‘I wanna buy it,’” Larrabee said. “I said ‘What the hell do you want to buy it for? You already got a boat’ and then he told me what he was going to do with it and I had to get in on that. So, that’s where it started.”

Schlenz credited Darrell Kautch of Nekoosa, the veteran hunt coordinator for the United Special Sportsman Alliance (USSA), for the pontoon boat ending up with Camp American Legion. 

Kautch said he’s taken Schlenz on a few events.

“He’s been deer hunting, turkey hunting, fishing several times with our organization and we became close friends,” he said. “When he started this pontoon boat effort, he was having some struggles so I started making some calls.”

Kautch said Schlenz originally wanted to donate the pontoon boat to the USSA as a first place award in the organization’s bass tournament. 

“I said to him, ‘Listen, one person would have it but if you donate it to Camp American Legion, they’re gonna use it five days a week, all summer long,’” Kautch said. “I’m just glad it worked out.”

In the weeks leading up to the formal presentation of the pontoon boat to Camp American Legion, members of the Marine Corps League’s Detachment  353, known as “The Leathernecks Of The North,” cleaned up the pontoon boat. 

Detachment commandant Larry Haling said for him, helping out on the project meant “helping out a fellow veteran with their dreams and wishes.”

“In keeping with the esprit de corps,” he said. “Helping one another. Getting the guys together and working together as a group.”

Camp American Legion director Jim Klement said additional boat will bring the camp’s pontoon boat fleet up to eight. 

“This will enhance our capability to take care of veterans,” he said. “This particular pontoon will be on Big Carr Lake. Veterans and their families can just sign this out and go out on their own.”

Klement said what’s been done by Schlenz and Larrabee “has been amazing.”

“For them to even think of Camp American Legion as far as a pontoon boat for it ... they could easily have sold it for personal gain,” he said. “It’s amazing that people think of us.”

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].