Sean Downey currently resides in McAllen, TX with his wife Rachelle, a highly decorated educator who has a passion for her students’ success and has one son name Tristan who lives in California.

He grew up in the Rio Grande Valley the son of a Vietnam Marine Captain. He enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 17 and upon graduation from high school, he attended Marine Corps Recruit Training in San Diego from August-December 1993. After boot camp and MCT, Sean received his MOS training as a Maintenance Management Clerk at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Virginia Beach. After school, he was assigned to HQ Btry, 3rd Bn 12th Marines in Okinawa where he held the billet of Maintenance Management Chief (an E-6+ position) as a PFC, then Lance Corporal. A year later, he was transferred to HQ Co. 5th Marines in Camp Pendleton and assigned to the Regimental Maintenance Management Office and S-4.

He was honorably discharged in 1997 and settled with his wife in Fullerton, CA. Sean Worked for five years with a steel fabrication company in Irvine and Westminster until leaving the company. He accepted a job within the marketing department at Avery Dennison Office Products North America (Avery Labels, Marks-A-Lot markers, etc) in Brea, CA. He later left to become the Marketing Manager for a small manufacturer, then decided to move back to Mission, TX after his divorce in 2009. Sean has worked as a freelance marketing consultant and in the newspaper industry for 15 years in South Texas. Currently, he works full-time for the world’s leading Advertisement Management software for the newspaper industry. Sean is also a Co-Founder and Co-Owner of 5×5 Brewing Co, a craft beer brewery, along with seven other veterans.

He founded the Rio Grande Valley Detachment in 2018 and served as its Commandant for five years, had one year off, and was elected again in January of 2024. He was the Department Conventions Committee Chair for four years and has been the Department Web Sergeant for six. He served as the Department Adjutant Paymaster from 2020-2022, helping to guide the department through COVID-19, and then as Department Junior Vice Commandant from 2022-2024.

Greg Sumner will serve as Adjutant Paymaster for the 26/27 Fiscal Year. This will be his third year in the position. He is always available to help, and it’s best to reach him by email or text to take care of any issues.

He served active duty from 1980 to 1994 and spent his formative years in Okinawa. Primarily with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, he had numerous adventures off Island including Team Spirit and Camp Fuji. Back at Camp Lejeune, he then taught weapons at ITS at Camp Geiger. He moved on to I&I duty in Harlingen TX and spent the remaining years of his commission with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines where h commanded 2 different Rifle Companies and was the S-3 Officer as his last position.

During this time, he had numerous Deployments, ACB & 29 Stumps. He also served in Desert Storm as the Commanding Officer of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines along with a follow-on float back to the Gulf for 6 months. During his time serving, h went to numerous professional development schools in Quantico, including TBS/IOC and AWS. Upon his end of commission, he managed cold storage warehouses where his last position was a 22-acre facility with 250,000 sq foot capacity.

He is a Charter member of Detachment 1456 Rio Grande Valley in 2018. He has served in various capacities over the years. I became a member of the RGV Diablo Dogs in 2025. He holds the Pedigree Devil Dog rank and has served in various billets there as well. He married Belinda Sumner in 1989. Her love and guidance have been the driving factors in his ability to accomplish many things. She is also one of the members in the RGV Detachment and the RGV Diablo Dogs. She also holds and has held many positions in these organizations

Colonel Poletti and his wife Kathleen reside in Bastrop, Tx. They have two children, Amanda Kate and Andrew Evan, Sgt, USMC, and three grandkids.

Colonel Tony Poletti was commissioned a Second Lieutenant through the Officer Candidate Program in 1978 at Quantico, Virginia. In 1979, he graduated from The Basic School as a Motor Transport Officer, he reported to his first assignment in Okinawa, Japan with 3RD Battalion, 4TH Marines, 3RD Marine Division (MARDIV). Colonel Poletti served as the Battalion Landing Team Motor Transport Officer, Asst Embarkation Officer, and a Platoon Leader in Headquarters and Service Company.

In Aug of 1980, he reported to 1ST Force Service Support Group (FSSG) at Camp Pendleton, Ca and was promoted to First Lieutenant. He was assigned to 7TH Motor Transport Battalion as the Fuels Platoon Leader, then Executive Officer for Transport Company, then the Battalion Maintenance Management Officer, and Logistics Officer. Poletti was later selected as the Group Staff Secretary to the Commanding General of 1ST FSSG.

In 1981, he transferred to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Schools Battalion and became the Executive Officer and Academics Officer at the Motor Transport Schools (West Coast). In 1982, he transferred to 1ST MARDIV, Camp Pendleton, Ca and was assigned to as the Executive Officer for Truck Company, Headquarters Battalion. Colonel Poletti was promoted to Captain in 1983 and assumed Command until his release his release from Active Duty in Nov 1983.

In 1985, Poletti joined the Selected Marine Corps Reserves and reported to 2ND Battalion, 23RD Marines, 4TH MARDIV in Encino, Ca and served as the Battalion Motor Transport Officer. Colonel Poletti then transferred to 4TH Tank Battalion, 4TH MARDIV at Miramar Air Station, San Diego, Ca in 1987. Duties include the Battalion Motor Transport Officer, Maintenance Management Officer, and the Tank Maintenance Officer. During 1990, he was mobilized with the Battalion and deployed to 29 Palms, Ca to reconstitute the Battalion in preparation for deployment to Kuwait. In May 1991, he demobilized and was promoted to the rank of Major. Later that same year, he transferred to 5TH Battalion, 14TH Marines, 4TH MARDIV and was assigned as the Headquarters Battery Commander.

Poletti returned to 4TH Tank Battalion in 1993 and served as the S-4 Logistics Officer, and in December of 1996 he transferred to 3RD Civil Affairs Group Camp Pendleton, CA and served as the Psychological Det Officer-in-Charge, and Asst S-3 Operations Officer. During this tour, he participated in several operations in South Korea and St Lucia, West Indies.

In June 1998, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and transferred to 4TH FSSG (Forward West) at Camp Pendleton, CA and served as the Operations Officer. Working closely with the 1ST FSSG in the G-4 Branch (Logistics) as the Reserve G-4. Later as the G-3 Branch (Operations) as the Reserve G-3. He returned to Active Duty the summer months to support operational requirements during the summer 1ST FSSG Officers’ rotations in addition to participating in several operations in South Korea.

In Aug 2001, Poletti transferred to the Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) Command, Camp Smith, HI and on September 12, was called to active duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His billets included Current Operations Officer, Crisis Action Team Cell Supervisor, G-4 Pacific Command Reserve Branch Head and Reserve Deputy G-4. Colonel Poletti also represented the MARFORPAC G-4 as the Liaison to the Pacific Command CINC J-4 Staff. Upon completion of twelve months, he returned to California and was demobilized, Aug 2002.

Colonel Poletti was again mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sept 2002. He was assigned to 1ST FSSG as a Combat Service Support Officer. In January of 2003, he arrived at Camp Coyote, Kuwait as a Plans Officer and began working on the Operation Plans as 1ST FSSG prepared to support combat operations for I Marine Expeditionary Force. Colonel Poletti entered Iraq; March 2003 supported operations in Jaliyah, An Nasinyah, Ad Diwaniyah, and Al Hillah. Upon Colonel Poletti’s return to California, he was demobilized Oct 2004.

Colonel Poletti was promoted to his present rank in 2004 and was assigned to the 4th Marine Logistic Group, Marine Forces Reserves, New Orleans, La as a Combat Service Support Officer in the G-3 as a Future Plans Officer. Colonel Poletti retired in October 2007 with thirty years of service.

Colonel Poletti’s professional military education includes Reserve Amphibious Warfare School, Reserve Command and Staff College, Reserve Component National Security Courses, and Top-Level Professional Military Officer Education at the Army War College.

Concurrently, in 1989, Colonel Poletti began his teaching career in the Corona-Norco Unified School District at the Corna Fundamental Middle School until 1996. He transferred to Santiago High School and taught there until 2007. He became a School Administrator in 2007 and worked in the Chino Valley Unified School District until his retirement in 2015.

Colonel Poletti earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and Education from South West Texas State University, San Marcos, Tx, a Master’s in Business Administration from Webster University, Camp Pendleton, Ca, a Master’s in Education Administration from California State University, San Bernardino, Ca, and a Master’s in Strategic Studies, Army War College, Carlisle, Pa.

Colonel Poletti’s personal awards include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Commendation, and Navy-Marine Corps Achievement medal.

Sergeant Major Robert D. Way, USMC (Ret.) was born April 1, 1942 in St. Louis Missouri. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on March 16, 1960 and went to Recruit Training at MCRD in San Diego on June 20, 1960. Sergeant Major Way served 30 years with the Marine Corps. Upon retirement from the Marine Corps in 1990, Sergeant Major Way became a MCJROTC instructor at the Marine Military in Harlingen, Texas, where he formed Fox Company as the newest unit in the Academy.

In 1993, he moved to El Paso and became an NJROTC instructor at Socorro High School until his retirement in 2005. During his tenure, Socorro NJROTC was selected as the No. 1 Unit in their area for several years. In his final year as a NJROTC instructor at Socorro High School, Socorro NJROTC was selected in 1995 as the No. 1 NJROTC in the whole nation.

Sergeant Major Way has been an active member of El Paso’s Deane Hawkins Detachment, Marine Corps League since 1993. In 2012, he was selected as the Department of Texas Marine of the Year. He has served as the Detachment Chaplain, as the Adjutant and as Detachment Commandant from 2005 – 2017. He was elected from 2015-2016 to serve as the Department of Texas Senior Vice Commandant and was elected as the State Commandant from 2017 to 2018. Sergeant Major Way is also involved in many youth and veterans related community service activities in El Paso. Sergeant Major Way was one of four brothers in the Marine Corps and is the youngest of – and the last of – 14 siblings. He met his wife, Mildred (Ricki) at the American Embassy in Cyprus, where she worked with the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Ambassador’s Suite. They have two sons.

Belinda joined the Marine Corps in 1981-1989 as a 3451, Financial Accounting Analyst, and was stationed at Camp Lejeune and Okinawa. Upon returning home, she met and married Greg Sumner and had 2 children. In civilian life, she mostly worked in the property tax financing industry as the Director of Sales & Business Development in Texas, Virginia, Nevada, and Costa Rica. She met Sean Downey and he was starting a new Marine Corps League Detachment (Rio Grand Valley Detachment) and became a charter member as well. She has held the positions of Detachment Senior Vice Commandant, and Detachment Adjutant/Paymaster. She later met PDD Cory Dressler and joined the MODD RGV Diablo Dogs #956. She became a PDD and has served as Pound Keeper and Sr Vice. and Pack Smart Dog.