TeamDykeman Blog

2nd Annual Captian Phil Golf Tournament – This Weekend!

teamdykeman — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:59:32 +0000

The 1st Annual was such a huge success that we’re going to do it again! This Saturday, July 10th at Greenview Country Club, family and friends will hit the links to benefit the Captain Philip J. Dykeman Memorial Scholarship. Its not too late to join the fun! Golf fees, door prizes, longest drive, closest to the pin, plus steak dinner all yours for $75.

Everyone is welcome! Please join us Saturday at 1:00 at the Greenview Country Club, 87 Whig Hill Road, West Monroe, NY 13167.

For more information click here!

June 4th – Join Us and Welcome Home Heroes from Afghanistan

teamdykeman — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:05:40 +0000

Heroes Homecoming

June 4, 2010

Please come out and stand along the travel route to show your support for a convoy of Military Personell returning home to Central New York from Afghanistan!

We will be meeting at the Northbound Welcome Center on Rt 81 at 3 pm.

Fly your flags, wield posters, wave your hands, and salute the troops as they pass.

Let them know we appreciate every sactrice they’ve made for us.

Any questions feel free to e-mail us kathrynshoults@aol.com or asrs0812@windstream.net

2nd Annual Golf Tournament – Hotel Information

teamdykeman — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:52:50 +0000

Rooms have been reserved at the Comfort Suites for both FRIDAY, JULY 9TH, and SATURDAY, JULY 10TH..with a room rate of $115.00 per night (plus tax).

You can contact the hotel or Lisa at 315-752-0150 to book your room. Be sure to mention the Team Dykeman/Andrew Bateman block of rooms for you discount.

Date has been set for the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament

teamdykeman — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:21:54 +0000

The date has been set for the 2nd Annual Captain Philip Dykeman Memorial Golf Tournament! Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 1:00 will be the the shot gun start at the beautiful Greenview Courty Club, West Monroe, NY. Click on the Tournament link at the top of this blog for all the details and information on how enter. Bring your friends! Our goal is to make more then last year, so we need your help!

Information from Andrew — Golf and Marathan planning!

teamdykeman — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:12:46 +0000

Happy New Year!

I had the best end of the year, and a great holiday!

Now it’s time to look forward in this new year. I have a lifelong mission to support Ginger and the Kids. Last year we choose to run the Marine Corp Marathon. Wasn’t that great; I can’t help but smile looking back. We did it, we really did it! Please share any stories. Keep in contact. We raised over $3,000. That’s awesome.

In June we are issuing another scholarship in honor of Captain Dykeman. This year the date for the 2nd Annual Captain Philip Dykeman Memorial Golf Tournament is July 10th, 2010. The golf course is in Central Square, NY at Green View Golf Course. Golf, whether you are good or bad, isn’t as difficult as Running 26 miles. So, keep it in mind if you are not going to run this year!(hahaha)
This year the Marine Corp Marathon is October 31st. Halloween! I bet that will be fun. There is also a very small marathon in Fulton NY. It is very near the Dykeman family. It is up to the Team where we run this year. Also, if Ginger asks me to run the MCM, I will run it, no questions asked.

Please let me know what you are up to, how are your Families? We are doing great, very busy with the kids. They are both doing indoor soccer, and Morgan is doing Girls on the Run with her school, and will be running a 5k in April. Very proud of her! Julie is still very busy with Real Estate. I have put on a little weight, but have been running the last few weeks. Going to be ready for the warm weather!
Please feel free to call me at anytime at (919)795-3971!

Always Faithful,

Andrew Bateman

Veteran’s Day Salute to all who serve!

teamdykeman — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:48:06 +0000

As I wrote the headline, I paused for a moment on the word serve. Should it be serve or should it be served? I quickly decided that serve was the right, as service to our country never ends. To all those who have died, to all those who have retired, to all those currently in the armed forces — all continue to serve! We at Team Dykeman thank you for your service and all the freedoms your service provides us.

I was passed a link that I thought very appropriate to a include on Veteran’s Day.

WE DID IT!

teamdykeman — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:29:06 +0000

I want to say Thank You!   All of you made this very successful. Hopefully we have raised a lot of money for the Captain Philip J. Dykeman Memorial Scholarship. If we did not, i still wouldn’t have changed a thing from this weekend. Each of you made it very special to me. That was an amazing run. I will never forget it, that’s for sure. Each of us ran for different reasons, but i certainly felt united at the dinner.   It is great being on a Team. Whether you ran or not we are still in this together. Thank you for all of the effort in traveling and help through out the weekend.

I made many new life long friends this weekend, but my hat goes off to Rick, Nora, and Jacob Roebuck. He was scheduled to go to Texas to do the Longhorn IRONMAN Triathalon the same date as the MCM. They changed their plans. They didn’t know anybody. But Rick and Phil served together in the Marines. He came to run with us. I am honored that he did! Rick posted the best time of 3:32:59. That is awesome. It was a pleasure meeting Nora. Jacob even missed his tackle football game to be with us.

Jason Finch and Captain Aaron Brusch were close behind.

Everybody finished. I felt responsible for everyone that ran with us. Whether you run again next year or not you will always be a Marathoner. So get the sticker for your car “26.2″ so when somebody asks what passage in the bible is that from….. you can laugh and tell them your story about your marathon.

Meghan, Congratulations, you did it. Please forward this email to the rest of your table that joined us for dinner. I do need their email address’s so i can thank them myself. I did see that Chris Seegar posted a message on TeamDykeman.com that is great.

Wanda, You spoke to many of the team and i did get all of your messages, i am truly sorry that we did not get to meet. We will someday.

To Mary and Peter Bateman, without your help none of this would have happened, and Team Dykeman would have only been a wish. But it is real and tangible because of you both. Thank you, I love You.

Thank you to Mary’s Parent’s for help greeting everyone at the door.
Thanks Dan and Jane McGrath.

To Paul and Jacqui Handly for stepping up and organizing the spectators during the race, and having an open house for an after Party. Which was great.

There are so many individual thank yous. I Individually thank you all for your
dedication and hard work.

Kevin Handly has announced the date for the sign up for next year. April 7 2009. Some are still feeling that they will never run again, some are ready to sign on the dotted line. I promise that i will run this race next year!

A special thank you to my wife Julie! She sacrificed a lot for me to train.   Pushed me out the door when i didn’t want to run, and listened to me complain the whole way. Without her i couldn’t have done it. Seeing her on the course was awesome. Julie hates to miss events like this, i believe she is going to run next year!   I hope so.

Love to All
Always Faithful,

Andrew Bateman
(919)795-3971

ps To Kevin Voss, Rusty Sneeden, Dewayne Malpasse, and Brent Crane Congratulations, did you guys get the license plate number of the bus that hit Brent. I would hate to see what the bus looked like. Bent was at least still running! Whoo Raa

Please respond!

Team Dykeman goes 17 for 17!

teamdykeman — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:15:02 +0000

What a weekend! This past Sunday Team Dykeman entered 17 runners into the 2009 Marine Corp Marathon. All running to honor the memory of Capt. Phil. I am most please to announce that all 17 runners completed the 26.2 miles. Way to go team!

The weekend kick-off with a Pre-Marathon dinner. Runners and supports gathered for dinner, a few speeches but

Andrew finishes the marathon holding Phil's dogtags

mostly to enjoy each other’s company and prepare for the marathon. Team shirts were handed out to the runners and by 8:30 pm all had retired to their rooms to mentally prepare.

Sunday was a beautiful, temps in the low 60′s sunny with light breeze. Runners wound there way through the streets of Arlington, Georgetown, District of Columbia, back into Virginia to finish appropriately at the Iwo Jima Memorial.

By the end of the afternoon all 17 Team Dykeman runners had finished and recieved their medals. Over the next several days I hope to get pictures posted! Runners please leave comments detailing your experience!

Congratulations to all!

Marine Corp Marathon – Announcement Letter!

teamdykeman — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:37:26 +0000

Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you know, my friend and cousin, Captain Philip J Dykeman, USMC, was killed in action on June 26, 2008, while serving our country in Iraq. Phil died at the young age of 38 leaving behind his wife of 10 years, 3 children – Austin, 10; Emilee, 8; Ashley, 8 – and an extended family stretching across the country that miss him dearly with every passing day.

Personally, Phil and I shared so much through our lives – his mom and my mom are twins (we grew up together); I introduced him to his wife, Ginger and I am the Godfather of his daughter Ashlee. I struggled to deal with the tragedy of the death of my cousin and friend. I needed an outlet – a way to handle the pain and to show the world my pride in his service and my love for this great man. I decided to run a marathon – ‘Team Dykeman’ had its first member.

I started running a few weeks after Phil was killed – it felt right, but I still needed a true purpose.
Thanks to the support and help from many people, the Captain Philip J. Dykeman Memorial Scholarship was formed. Through fundraising efforts during my first marathon last November, continued contributions throughout the year and the very successful first annual Captain Philip J. Dykeman Golf Tournament, we have raised almost $9,000 and are proud to have issued the first scholarship this past June to Ryan Martin of Paul V More High School (Phil’s alma mater) who is now attending college for Physical Therapy – congratulations, Ryan!

We are tremendously grateful for the success that has been achieved and the support – both moral and financial that we’ve received. Team Dykeman has grown to well over a hundred members with runners joining in from all over the country. Our next big race is the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC on October 25, 2009. Team Dykeman has 14 runners participating and we are again seeking your support.

I have listed below the mailing address for Paul V More High School. Please help make the second year for Team Dykeman perpetuate this amazing first year by making a monetary contribution to the Captain Philip J Dykeman Memorial Scholarship. We truly need your support to ensure this scholarship fund can and will continue. Once again – this is your opportunity to show Phil’s wife and kids and all of Team Dykeman how much America appreciates the sacrifice that Captain Dykeman has made for our country.

You can make donations by check to:

Paul V. Moore HS Endowment Fund*

Please notate in the Memo: ‘Dykeman Scholarship’. Please fill out the donation form below and mail to:

Central Square School District
Attn: Mrs. Lisa Fox, Treasurer
642 South Main Street
Central Square, NY 13036

*Don’t forget to check to see if your company has a matching program – you may be able to double the impact of your contribution!

If you’d like to learn more about Captain Philip J. Dykeman you can visit www.teamdykeman.com. Here you will find information about:

•Phil’s service in the Marines
•Phil’s numerous awards and recognitions
•Phil’s incredible experiences in Iraq
•Phil’s emails to ‘Cousin Andrew’ during his time in Iraq
•Photos
•Comments / memories from Phil’s family and friends
•More about ‘Team Dykeman’ and our purpose and goals

You can also keep up to date on the upcoming races that Team Dykeman will be running on Facebook! If you have any questions, you can email me at andrew_fsi@yahoo.com or call me at (919) 795-3971.

One last note – I want to extend an invitation to all of you to come to the marathon on October 25th in Washington DC – it will be an event to remember! There are 30,000 runners, and over 300,000 spectators.

On behalf of my cousin Phil, his family, and everyone who believes in supporting our troops, fallen soldiers and the families they leave behind – I thank you for your time; for your consideration and for your support.

I am not a Marine, but I run for one.
Always Faithful,

Andrew J. Bateman – Raleigh , NC
Proud Cousin of Captain Philip J Dykeman, USMC

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Yes! I would like to show my support for Captain Philip J. Dykeman and his family:

Name(s) ________________________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________________
Phone _________________________________________________________________
Email _________________________________________________________________
Check Enclosed #_______________
Date _______________

______$25 ______$50 ______$75 _____$100 ______$500 ________$1000

______Other $___________

Make Check Payable: Paul V. Moore H.S. Endowment Fund
Important: Note “Dykeman Scholarship”
Mail to: Central Square School District, Att: Mrs. Lisa Fox, 642 South Main Street, Central Square , NY , 13036

A lasting Legacy

teamdykeman — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:16:45 +0000

On June 26, 2008, the life of Phil Dykeman came to a sudden end. A father, a Marine, a cousin, a friend. There are many around the world today who will pause to remember. Phil touched the hearts and minds of everyone he met. Phil was my cousin. I believe there is about 11 years separating us so we weren’t really close growing up. But in 1998 when he attended Marine Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Quantico, I got to know Phil, the man, a little better.

On leave weekends, Phil and sometimes a couple of buddies would make the 30 mile drive up I-95 to our house in Alexandria, VA. Exhausted from their week of training they would sit on our deck, polishing boots and belt buckles, folding laundry, smoking, drinking coffee and then a beer or two. Throughout the weekends there was never anything but smiles, laughter and good natured ribbing. I could tell these guys loved what they were doing. I was always amazed when I got up on Saturday mornings; the “boys” were already up, out on the deck. Sleepy eyed I ventured out there and asked how everybody slept… that’s when the good natured ribbing came my way. Even thought it was only about 8:30, I got it hard for sleeping in, and why I didn’t join them for the 10 miles they had already completed – running not in Nike’s but their combat boots. These were the best of the best and I was proud to host them.

There were a couple of weekends when Phil visited alone. Those were the times when we would talk. He always wanted to hear stories about his Dad, my Uncle Henry. Most stories centered around family events, mostly at the Dykeman house in Bernard’s Bay. Clam bakes and Christmas parties, boat rides on Oneida Lake, riding the snow mobile. Thanksgivings at our house! I told him how my Dad and his were best friends. We laughed and sure we cried…

During this past year there haven’t been many days when I haven’t thought about Phil. Whether it’s talking with Andrew about Team Dykeman or just looking out on to my deck. I miss Phil, I miss knowing he’s out there watching out for all of us. While this is a sad day as we remember Phil, it is also a day to reflect on his impact. After his death the local Sheiks and Civic Leaders that worked alongside Captain Phil, as he was known to his Marine comrades, petitioned Baghdad to have a local primary school renamed in his honor. Today in northern Karmah, Iraq there is a primary school that bears the name “Captain Phil”; a lasting legacy – he made a difference over there!

Rest in peace Phil…

Love, Cousin Peter