Field Reports
Contributors are Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret., Director, and Col. Jim Pauls, USAF-Ret., Council and Chapter Affairs, and Kris Ann Hegle

Montana Members Get New State Veterans’ Cemetery

Members of the Western Montana Military Officers Association won the battle to get a new state veterans’ cemetery built last year after former Gov. Judy Martz signed an executive order transferring 23 acres of land from the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) to its Department of Military Affairs. The unused land, which was part of the DNRC’s campus in Missoula, will be used for the new Western Montana State Veterans’ Cemetery.
 
The 71-member chapter, which is the only MOAA chapter in the state, led the three-year fight to get the cemetery built. To gain support for the initiative, the chapter started a coalition called the Western Montana State Veterans’ Cemetery Committee, which was composed of chapter members, enlisted personnel, and members of other military and veterans’ organizations. Chapter member Lt. Charlie Crookshanks, USNR-Ret., chaired the committee, whose members spent hundreds of hours trying to find a free parcel of land that could be converted into a cemetery. The chapter assisted in the effort by donating the money needed to print and mail an informational brochure explaining why a new state veterans’ cemetery was needed in western Montana.

Montana previously had only two state veterans’ cemeteries located in Helena and Miles City in the eastern part of the state. Veterans and their family members who lived in western Montana often had trouble reaching these cemeteries during the winter because they had to drive as much as 300 miles through snow and rugged terrain, says Col. Gary Sorensen, USA-Ret., a chapter member who served on the committee.

The VA will assist and fund the new cemetery’s construction, and the state will maintain it upon completion. A ground-breaking ceremony is slated for this fall.

Hawaii Chapter Celebrates 45th Anniversary

Capt. Gerald Coffee, USN-Ret., was the guest speaker at the Hawaii Chapter’s 45th anniversary celebration Nov. 14, 2004. Coffee, who lives in Hawaii and is a member of the chapter, received numerous decorations during his 28-year military career, including the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Stars, the Air Medal, and two Purple Hearts.

In 1962, Coffee flew several low-level reconnaissance missions over Cuba and took the photos ultimately used by America’s U.N. ambassador to prove the existence of Soviet missiles in that country. Four years later, his RA5-C reconnaissance jet was shot down over North Vietnam, and he spent the next seven years as a prisoner of war. Now an author and professional speaker, Coffee travels the country sharing his personal experiences and insights with others.

More than 180 chapter members turned out to hear Coffee speak. Five guests who attended the meeting expressed interest in the chapter’s many programs and joined as a result.

The Hawaii Chapter has a number of different programs that help both members and the community. The User Group (TUG), which was started by the chapter, is one of the oldest computer user groups in Hawaii. The chapter also has numerous committees, ranging from the Legislative Affairs and Veterans Affairs Committee, which works to protect members’ interests on the state level, to the Personal Affairs Committee, which assists members who are having trouble navigating the military’s benefits system.

Last year, the chapter adopted an Army platoon in Iraq. Members support the 27 soldiers in the platoon by sending cards, letters, and comfort care items.

The chapter also supports numerous Junior ROTC and ROTC units. In fact, the Hawaii Chapter has presented 472 individual awards to students in high schools and colleges in American Samoa, Guam,
and Hawaii since 1981, and cadets have received a total of $21,000 in college scholarships from the chapter since 1993.

“Right now, we’re focusing on recruiting more active duty [and] Guard and Reserve officers,” says chapter President Col. John Harms, USMC-Ret. “Our chapter just created a new office for 3rd Vice President Cmdr. Sam Tate, USN, who is working to help us reach this group of potential members.”

MOAA President Visits El Paso (Texas) Chapter

MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., was the keynote speaker during a Nov. 13 special meeting of the El Paso (Texas) Chapter. The chapter, which has the distinction of being the only MOAA chapter in Texas to receive a five-star Levels of Excellence Award two years in a row, presented Ryan with a check for $250 for the El Paso Armed Services YMCA. Ryan, who sits on the national board of directors for the Armed Services YMCA, accepted the check on the organization’s behalf.

Members also presented Ryan with a letter showing an additional contribution of $750 to the 75th anniversary campaign to benefit The Scholarship Fund of MOAA. In April 2004, chapter members presented MOAA’s then-Chairman of the Board Adm. Jerry Johnson, USN-Ret., with a $250 check for the campaign.

The members of the El Paso Chapter have a long history of helping organizations that benefit military members and their families. They support 26 area Junior ROTC and ROTC units, are active in the Fort Bliss Retiree Council, and work as volunteer greeters at the Fort Bliss Air Defense Artillery Museum.

Last year, members donated $300 to the local chapter of the Society of Military Widows in support of its 2004 national convention and contributed $500 to Fisher House at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, which used the money to purchase a new washing machine. The chapter also donated $200 to support the Fort Bliss Army-Navy football game. During the event, members staffed a table and passed out information to prospective members, as well as brochures that would allow eligible military dependents to apply for an interest-free loan or scholarship from MOAA’s scholarship fund.

Chapter members still promote The Scholarship Fund of MOAA. In fact, an article titled “Military officers promote, offer college aid” recently appeared in The El Paso Times, increasing the chapter’s profile.
“We’re trying to get the word out about the scholarship fund because a lot of people here don’t know about it,” says Maj. Edward Dexter Lyerly, USA-Ret., the chapter’s immediate past president. “Last year, only three students from El Paso applied for financial assistance through MOAA’s scholarship fund.”

The El Paso Chapter currently is working harder to recruit more active duty and National Guard and Reserve members. To help with that effort, the chapter changed its bylaws and authorized an additional officer position—vice president for active duty, National Guard, and Reserve. Lt. Col. Joseph Simonelli, USA, currently is filling that position and also serves on national MOAA’s Active Duty, Guard, and
Reserve Committee.

MOAA’s 75th Anniversary Campaign Gets Results

To commemorate MOAA’s 75th anniversary in 2004, the association launched the 75th anniversary campaign to raise money for The Scholarship Fund of MOAA.

The 75th anniversary campaign ended Dec. 31, 2004, and MOAA’s chapter members led the charge to collect donations. According to Cindy Amos, development officer for The Scholarship Fund of MOAA, approximately 32 percent of all donations came from chapter members, and 394 of the association’s 419 chapters participated.

“Some chapters took the initiative to send solicitation letters to each chapter member and had the members send the donations to headquarters,” says Amos. “Others solicited money at monthly meetings and sent in the donations. One council collected donations from each chapter and sent in the entire amount, but made sure each chapter’s donation was recorded correctly to give the chapter the recognition it deserved.”

In the coming months, MOAA will present battle streamers to chapters that demonstrated outstanding support and participation during the campaign. Three chapters will receive gold battle streamers for achieving 75 percent participation, one chapter will receive a silver streamer for 50 percent participation, six chapters will receive bronze streamers for 25 percent participation, and 54 chapters will receive white streamers for 10 percent participation.

Last October, the five chapters that contributed the most to the campaign were recognized during MOAA’s 2004 National Convention in Nashville, Tenn. These chapters competed against other chapters with similar-sized memberships to take top honors in their category. The Ark-La-Tex (La.) Chapter took top honors in the Large Category (900 or more members), while the Riverside March Field (Calif.) Chapter placed first

in Category I (500-899 members). Other award-winning chapters were the Middle Tennessee Chapter in Category II (200-499 members), the Pen-Mar (Pa.) Chapter in Category III (75-199 members), and the Verdugo Hills (Calif.) Chapter in Category IV (less than 75 members).

Each chapter received a blue battle streamer and a red battle streamer for having the highest amount in donations and for having the highest number of donors, respectively. For a complete list of chapters that participated in the 75th anniversary campaign, or to check your chapter’s final standing, visit www.moaa.org/education/75th.asp.