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

New Jersey Members Support Airmen’s Attic

Volunteering is a way of life for Lakes and Pines (N.J.) Chapter members Capt. John Ulrich, USN-Ret., and his wife, Mildred. During the past three years the Ulrichs have solicited, picked up, and repaired thousands of dollars worth of furniture, appliances, and household items donated to Airmen’s Attic at McGuire AFB, N.J.

The base’s family support center runs Airmen’s Attic. All of the items found at the Attic are clean, of good quality, and provided free-of-charge to military families in need.

Mildred heard about Airmen’s Attic while working at Fort Dix’s Army Community Services, where she has volunteered since 1985. In late 2002, the couple started volunteering at the Attic. Soon after, they began passing out a wish list at yard sales and estate sales detailing the items needed.

Word about the Attic spread. Today, Airmen’s Attic gets donations from two estate liquidators, a furniture consignment shop, several area churches and temples, a retirement community, and a national moving company.

To date, the Ulrichs have delivered more than 224 truckloads of furniture. John also donated 578 hours of his time to Airmen’s Attic in 2004.

“The rewards are many,” he says. “This includes meeting many outstanding young servicemembers and their families, seeing the looks on the faces of the young airmen when they see what is available to them at no cost, and relaying that happiness to the donors.”

In addition to their volunteer work at Airmen’s Attic, the Ulrichs volunteer their time to help with the Army Emergency Relief Fund Drive each year. In previous years, they also helped out at the annual Stand Down, which helps homeless veterans in Cherry Hill, N.J.

The Ulrichs’ good deeds haven’t gone unnoticed, and in May 2003 John and Mildred were inducted into the Legion of Honor at the Chapel of the Four Chaplains in Valley Forge, Pa. That same month, the couple was honored again in a resolution from the New Jersey state Senate.

High Country (N.C.) Chapter Receives Charter

Members of the High Country (N.C.) Chapter received their official charter from MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., during the chapter’s Feb. 25 meeting.

Reporters from several local newspapers and an area TV station covered the event, which drew more than 72 people, including Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Gene Wilson (R-N.C.); North Carolina Council of Chapters President Col. Don Wood, USMC-Ret.; and members of the Catawba Valley (N.C.) Chapter.

Cmdr. Gordon Cook, USN-Ret., the immediate past president of the Catawba Valley Chapter, proposed starting a new MOAA chapter in the high country region of northwestern North Carolina in July 2004. Chapter leaders held a meeting to see if there was any interest, and several officers formed an organizing committee. Their efforts paid off, and in October 2004 the High Country Chapter was born.

Although the chapter initially had 15 members, it has grown rapidly and now has more than 52 members who hail from nearly every branch of the uniformed services. Some members are retired, while others still are on active duty. The diverse chapter also has members of the National Guard and Reserve in its ranks.

“Our membership goal is 200, and we hope to hit that number within a year,” says Second Vice President Col. Ben Covington, USA-Ret. “Plans are under way to put out a newsletter and create a Web site.”

Members of the High Country Chapter already have participated in several community projects, including helping sponsor a Christmas party for children of deployed servicemembers and supporting ROTC students at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. According to chapter President Col. Donald Doll Jr., USAR-Ret., members also are planning to host a Memorial Day event, create a coalition that will bring together area military and veterans organizations, establish an ROTC scholarship fund, and sponsor a Junior ROTC unit.

Calusa Chapter Hosts Scholarship Fundraiser

More than 180 people attended a Jan. 29 shrimp boil hosted by members of the Calusa (Fla.) Chapter. The annual event, which now is in its 15th year, raised $2,318 for the chapter’s scholarship program.
More than 20 chapter members worked to make the shrimp boil a success. Col. Joe Surico, USAF-Ret., purchased food and helped coordinate the event, while Lt. Col. Paul Sechtman, USA-Ret., solicited donations from area merchants for a silent auction. The silent auction, held during the shrimp boil, netted an additional $1,500 for the scholarship fund.

The chapter also hosts a fashion show every year, which raises approximately $3,000 for the scholarship fund. The event is coordinated and run by women who are members in the chapter.

The 200-member chapter gave away three $1,000 scholarships last year to Junior ROTC (JROTC) students who plan to participate in a college ROTC program. Another JROTC student received a $1,000 scholarship to attend a summer leadership training seminar in Tallahassee, Fla.

This year, members plan to award five $1,000 scholarships to area students, according to President Lt. Col. Gary Peppers, USAF-Ret. Peppers also is working to catalog the duties performed by individual officers and those involved in putting together the shrimp boil.

“I’d like to get more members involved in the event and spilt up the workload so no single person feels overburdened,” he says. “I’d also like to get a better handle on everything that goes into making the event a success so we can [perpetuate] this.”

Currently, Peppers is proposing the chapter change its bylaws to give members an incentive to pay their dues early. Between Jan. 1 and March 31, dues would be $10 for members and $5 for spouses. After March 31, dues would increase to $20 for members plus $5 for spouses.

Georgia Members Storm State Capitol

Members of the Georgia Military Officers Association of America Inc. (GMOAA) and the board of trustees of the Georgia Federal/Military Retiree Coalition Inc. (GFMRC) joined forces in Atlanta Feb. 24 for “Storming the Gold Dome.” At the one-day lobbying blitz, which is patterned after national MOAA’s Storming the Hill effort, 18 GMOAA members from different state chapters met face-to-face with their elected representatives and distributed fact sheets so they could learn more about the association. Members also reviewed several of the joint legislative objectives and priorities they share with the GFMRC, which include increased funding for the state veterans’ homes in Milledgeville and Augusta.

GMOAA members spent part of the day observing the legislative process in the House and the Senate. Members also met with officials from the Coalition on Aging and the Georgia Department of Veterans Services.

“Legislatively, this is an important year for us,” says Col. Jerry Johnson, USAF-Ret., GMOAA president. “Two years ago, a Republican was elected governor, and Republicans gained a majority in the state Senate for the first time since the Reconstruction. This year, the same happened in the state House of Representatives. As a result, our state government is undergoing remarkable changes. We believe it is important to be in tune with the changes and get acquainted with the new committee chairmen [who have] oversight and funding responsibilities of interest to us.”

GMOAA members hope to make Storming the Gold Dome an annual event, which will help them increase their legislative clout. The association already has achieved a number of legislative victories. During the early 1980s, GMOAA joined forces with the GFMRC to get military and federal retired pay exempted from state income tax—an exemption already enjoyed by retired state employees. Their efforts were successful, and retirees won a series of tax exemptions. By 2008, residents who are 62 and older will be able to exempt $35,000 of their retired pay from state income tax. Military and federal retirees also received a refund for the state taxes they paid from 1985 through 1988.

GMOAA members took time to thank those legislators who supported the state income tax legislation. While visiting with their elected representatives, chapter members also took note of several proposed redistricting plans that could affect the outcome of future state elections.

“So many changes are taking place right now,” says GMOAA member Lt. Col. Joe Barto Jr., USAR-Ret., who led this year’s lobbying effort. “We want to make sure we have continued support on legislative matters of importance to veterans.”