MOAA: Chapter Activities (Field Reports)

Tough Good-bye

Some 34 years ago I had the good fortune to meet a special individual at McGuire AFB, N.J. Little did I know that he would become my best friend — and for the past nine years my partner in MOAA’s council and chapter affairs world.

Those who read this column regularly or are involved in MOAA’s chapter and council efforts know Col. Jim Pauls, USAF-Ret. He has been a main-stay of all chapter and council activities. He and his wife, Marvella, have traveled the country visiting chapters and councils, urging them to stay in the fight we wage annually with Congress to maintain our entitlements, those benefits that have been promised to us and that we have earned.

Jim has been the main man behind our successful Storming the Hill council presidents’ seminars and our chapter presidents’ symposia. His multitasking ability has been nothing short of phenomenal, each year’s events being better than the last.

Now, despite my entreaties, Jim has decided to retire June 1. Life at MOAA HQ will not be the same. He leaves a record of accomplishments that will be hard to match. He brings zeal and passion to whatever he puts his hand to, whether resuscitating an ailing chapter or helping establish a new chapter. His drive to make things perfect and his devotion to ensuring that MOAA has the best damn chapter system of any organization are all hallmarks of his character.

On a personal note, Jim, though we’ll always remain friends, continue to live near each other, and play golf together, I’ll miss you greatly. Your ability to keep all of us in our department laughing and pulling in the same direction will be sorely missed. Most important, all of MOAA, and especially the legions of chapter members you’ve helped and worked with over the years, will miss you, too.

Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret.
Director, Council and Chapter Affairs

Field Reports

Active Duty Officer Heads Texas Chapter

Members of the Wichita Falls (Texas) Chapter have two active duty Air Force officers serving on their board of directors: Maj. Tony Lombardo, USAF, and Maj. C.J. Bausano, USAFR.

Lombardo, operations officer for the 364th Training Squadron at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, is the first active duty servicemember to be elected president of the 94-member chapter. Bausano is the membership chair, taking over from an active duty officer who transferred.

“I think MOAA has something to offer active duty members,” says Lombardo, who had never heard of the association prior to joining in 2005. “This organization gives a lot to the
community.”

Members of the Wichita Falls Chapter indeed are involved in many community-based activities, including supporting four area Junior ROTC units and presenting college scholarships on behalf of the MOAA scholarship fund to students who live in the area. Also, members have established an informal network that provides support to chapter members following the death of a spouse.

“We’re like a family,” says Lombardo. “Our chapter is filled with a great group of patriots who get together, enjoy each other’s company, and support one another and the community in time of need.”

According to chapter Vice President Lt. Col. Cleveland Pratt Jr., USAR-Ret., the Wichita Falls Chapter began recruiting more active duty servicemembers, such as Lombardo and Bausano, shortly after the association changed its name from The Retired Officers Association to the Military Officers Association of America more than three years ago.

“We find that because we have active duty members, we tend to think more of the military now and not [how it] used to be,” says Pratt. “Our conversations are now dealing with today’s happenings and problems and not quite so many war stories of the past.”

Lombardo and Bausano plan to continue increasing the chapter’s active duty membership by reaching out to fellow officers at Sheppard AFB. Lombardo says he also is searching for ways the chapter can support the families of deployed servicemembers who are in the Texas National Guard.

Montgomery (Ala.) Hosts Tuskegee Airman

Famed Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Herbert Carter, USAF-Ret., spoke to more than 100 members of the Montgomery (Ala.) Chapter at a recent chapter meeting. Carter was among the first airmen to complete pilot training at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in July 1942. Hundreds of other aspiring black pilots followed, and together they became known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

During World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen were part of a segregated unit, the 99th Fighter Squadron. Nicknamed the “red-tail angels” because of their airplanes’ brightly painted tails, squadron pilots compiled an impressive combat record, completing more than 200 combat missions without losing a single bomber to enemy fire — a record unmatched by any other fighter group.

“Clearly, the Tuskegee Airmen did extraordinary things, but if Colonel Carter is an example, they were extraordinary Americans,” says Col. Steve Linder, USAF-Ret., the chapter’s publicity chair.

Hosting interesting speakers at monthly meetings is just one of many activities members of the Montgomery Chapter have undertaken. Since 1991, they’ve presented 15 college scholarships totaling $38,000 to outstanding area students. The chapter also supports more than 12 Junior ROTC units and two ROTC units.

Chapter President Col. J. Ray Warren, USA-Ret., says he plans to increase the chapter’s legislative activism, improve member programs, and initiate more activities to help area veterans and the families of deployed servicemembers. Last year, members donated $1,000 in prepaid long-distance phone cards to deployed members of the Alabama National Guard.
Warren says he also is encouraging fellow chapter members to provide more assistance to the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), where he has volunteered for seven years. The ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between reserve component members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee’s military commitment.

State AG Elected Southern Maine Chapter President

National MOAA President Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., marked a historic first when he installed the Southern Maine Chapter’s new officers, including Maine Army National Guard AG Maj. Gen. Bill Libby, the first adjutant general to be a chapter president.

Libby joined the chapter when it was still a TROA affiliate and later went on to join national MOAA. “I’d like to get more national MOAA members who live in the area to join the chapter,” says Libby. “I also want to educate Guard and Reserve members, but I need to be careful, given my current position.”

More than 110 people attended the installation ceremony. Throughout his speech, Ryan focused on the importance of maintaining the National Guard’s end strength. Several members of the media, including reporters from two newspapers and the local CBS TV news affiliate, covered the event. Best of all, the chapter gained four new members.

The 453-member Southern Maine Chapter supports six Junior ROTC and two ROTC units in the area and runs its own officer placement program to help transitioning officers find employment opportunities in the area.

In addition, members from both MOAA chapters in Maine — Southern Maine and Pine Tree — have been waging a five-year battle to get military retired pay exempted from state income tax. Southern Maine Chapter member Rear Adm. Richard Rybacki, USCG-Ret., who also sits on national MOAA’s board of directors, chairs the Maine Military Coalition. Comprising veterans’ groups from across the state, the coalition has made significant progress this year in the state legislature. MOAA members hope the legislature’s appropriations committee will pass the exemption this year, as they are confident that the tax exemption will help Maine attract more skilled labor by giving military retirees an incentive to retire to the state.

Mendocino (Calif.) Helps Army Recruiting

Mendocino County Satellite members are working to help Army recruiters meet their goals. Lt. Col. Ben Booth, USA-Ret., commander of the 30-member satellite (one of four affiliates that fall under the auspices of California’s Redwood Empire Chapter), brought recruiting to members’ attention two years ago after reading an article about the Army’s difficulties meeting its quota for new recruits. Soon, he and fellow member CWO4 Stan Mckaig, USA-Ret., decided to visit the nearest Army recruiting office.

“We … took the recruiters to lunch and asked them what we could do to help,” says Booth. “We also began inviting Army recruiters to speak … at our bimonthly luncheon meetings.”

As it turns out, the satellite’s efforts were in step with national MOAA’s. In March 2005, Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., national MOAA president, signed a memorandum of understanding with Maj. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, then-commanding general of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC). Under the agreement, MOAA members were asked to help USAREC meet its goal of reconnecting with American communities and assist Army recruiters by helping them contact key “centers of influence” in their communities.

Booth, now in a second career as a realtor, has introduced Army recruiters to key business leaders, educators, and local officials in Mendocino County. He converted his 1926 Model T Ford into a mobile billboard, decorating it with the U.S. flag, several Army flags, and Army recruiting posters of Uncle Sam. Mendocino satellite members ride in the Model T during area parades, and Booth uses the vehicle to drive Army recruiters to meetings.

Members of the Mendocino County Satellite say they’re proud to support Army recruiting, and Booth says Army recruiters in their area are meeting their numbers now.

Give Me 10! Campaign Now On

National MOAA has challenged its 415 chapters to recruit 10 new members each during the 2006 Give Me 10! campaign, which ends Dec. 31, 2006.

Participating chapters will earn $10 for every new member they recruit and a $100 bonus after they recruit 10 members. Chapters will continue to receive $10 for each member they recruit — even after they’ve signed up the first 10. In addition, chapters will receive $20 for every member who signs up for a life membership. A $1,000 prize will be given to the top chapter in each size category. More than $25,000 in prize money was awarded to chapters that participated in the 2005 Give Me 10! campaign, with the 10 winning chapters earning almost $14,000!

All chapters are strongly encouraged to join the 2006 Give Me 10! campaign. To sign up, call the MOAA Member Service Center toll-free at (800) 234-6622.

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