|
|
 |
Services in Action
Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters in U.S.
history. The continuing rescue and recovery efforts are making
history of their own.
All branches of the uniformed services have taken on key roles in
recovery efforts. Within days of the disaster, DoD set up Joint Task
Force Katrina at Camp Shelby, Miss., to support FEMA’s relief
efforts along the Gulf Coast.
As we go to press in the second week after the hurricane struck,
more than 38,000 Army and Air National Guardsmen, almost 16,000
active duty troops, and 3,000 Coast Guard members were on duty in
the region. In addition to the strong ground and air presence, 23
Navy and Coast Guard ships were on station, with more, including the
hospital ship USNS Comfort, en route. Together, these forces were
conducting search-and-rescue operations, delivering supplies,
providing security and medical services, draining floodwater, and
assisting with waterway management. They had assisted in the
evacuation of more than 75,000 people from devastated areas.
As recovery efforts continue, all uniformed services are providing a
full range of coordinated support. “We will be here helping these
communities as long as it takes,” said Rear Adm. Robert Duncan, the
Coast Guard’s incident commander.
From MOAA HQ
Like so many of you, I am deeply saddened by the extent of the
damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Many of those affected are MOAA
members and their families. We will continue to pray for and support
our members in any way we can.
Our prayers also go out to members of the uniformed services from
across the country who have answered the call, playing pivotal roles
in humanitarian missions, search-and-rescue operations,
peacekeeping, and rebuilding. MOAA will continue to support them by
fighting for equitable benefits and compensation and by fighting for
troop strength increases.
To all whose lives have been altered by Hurricane Katrina, we at
MOAA offer our prayers and continued support.
Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., President
Join Us for MOAA’s Annual Meeting
Come to MOAA’s Annual Meeting at the Crowne Plaza Riverwalk Hotel
in San Antonio,
Resources
For hotel reservations, call (888) 623-2800 by Oct. 17 and identify
yourself as an MOAA member to receive a special rate.
Nov. 19. The morning session will feature reports
from association officers on matters of current interest to MOAA
members. After lunch, members can attend seminars on such topics as
MOAA’s legislative outlook, benefits information, and chapter
affairs. Look for a
registration form and more information on page
37 of Military Officer.In Review
Gallant Lady: A Biography of the USS Archerfish By Ken Henry and Don Keith. Forge Books, 2004. $25.95. ISBN
0-765-30568-2.
In 25 years of naval service (1943-68), the submarine USS Archerfish
set an unparalleled standard for hard work, achievement,
unconventional performance, and wild parties.
Ken Henry and Don Keith cleverly tell the dramatic and funny story
of
a submarine and its crew who fought bravely in World War II. A crew
clad in Bermuda shorts then took the submarine on a two-year party
cruise for oceanographic research.
During its seven wartime patrols in the Pacific, the Archerfish
destroyed the largest warship ever sunk by a submarine. Later years
found its wacky crew playing practical jokes on Russian spy ships;
stealing spare parts to keep their renegade vessel afloat; and
entertaining Boy Scouts, royal princes, and Playboy bunnies.
Lincoln’s War: The Untold Story of America’s Greatest President as
Commander-in-Chief By Geoffrey Perret. Random House, 2004. $35. ISBN
0-375-50738-8.
After award-winning
biographies of MacArthur, Grant, Kennedy, and Eisenhower, noted
historian Geoffrey Perret offers an intriguing view of Abraham
Lincoln as a wartime president and commander-in-chief with this
entertaining and critical analysis of Lincoln’s crucial role in the
Civil War.
According to Perret, Lincoln defined the war powers of the
presidency as no other president ever has, even though many of his
most important actions were either illegal or
unconstitutional — suspending habeas corpus, initiating a naval
blockade, conscripting troops, emancipating slaves, and issuing
greenback currency.
Perret describes Lincoln’s openly contentious relationships with
Congress, the press, his generals, and even his own cabinet. Best is
his portrayal of Lincoln as a shrewd politician and an honorable man
willing to do
anything, at any cost, to preserve the Union.
—William D. Bushnell
Support the Guard and Reserve
In July MOAA signed two agreements with the National Committee for
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) that will provide
strong support for Guard and Reserve efforts. MOAA will work with
the ESGR to provide information to servicemembers and employers
about their rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). MOAA also committed to upholding
the laws governing the correct treatment of employees who are
members of the Guard and Reserve.
On the Web
To learn more about MOAA’s efforts, visit
www.moaa.org and click on
Guard /Reserve under My Group.
Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., MOAA’s president, right, says
these agreements are significant because of the increased challenges
and deployments the Guard and Reserve are taking on. Bob
Hollingsworth, executive director for ESGR, left, says, “MOAA brings
tremendous value in support of the ESGR mission and will enable us
to reach our customers in a very effective manner.
TRICARE UPDATE
TRICARE Retail Pharmacy (TRRx): Under the TRRx
program, it typically takes one or two days for your request for
prior authorization to be decided. Once a decision is made, both you
and your provider will be notified of the outcome; you will receive
a letter and your provider a letter or fax.
If your prescription is denied under the TRRx
program because you do not meet the prior authorization criteria,
you will receive a letter stating a reason for the denial. Under the
certain circumstances, you have the right to appeal denial
decisions. The denial letter will include information on your appeal
rights and how to file an appeal.
If you have a question about the DoD TRRx program,
call (866) Dod-TRRX (363-8779). Customer service representatives are
available around the clock.
Wheelchair Games
More than 500 disabled veterans competed in the 25th National
Veterans Wheelchair Games, June 27–July 1 in Minneapolis. Veterans
from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan joined the other
competitors this year.
The games, presented by the VA and Paralyzed Veterans of America,
are open to all U.S. military veterans who use wheelchairs because
of spinal cord injuries, certain neurological conditions,
amputations, or other mobility impairments. Veterans competed in
track and field, swimming, basketball, weight lifting, softball,
handcycling, wheelchair slalom, and more.
Actress Bo Derek, honorary chair of the VA’s National Rehabilitation
Special Events, presented the medals.
Get Your Read On
Want to keep up with current thinking in national security? Are you
looking to further your
On the Web
To access the reading lists, go to www.moaa.org, click on Active
Duty under My Group, and choose National Security Professional
Reading Lists.
professional development? MOAA offers a link
from its Web Base to a compilation of reading lists from the Joint
Chiefs of Staff chairman, service chiefs, and other national
leaders.
Spouse Spotlight
Deanie Parrish joined the Women Airforce Service
Pilots during World War
II. WASPs were stationed
at domestic Army air bases and performed training and ferrying
missions to free
up male pilots for combat. Parrish now is associate
director of Wings Across America, an organization she and her daughter founded to preserve
WASP history.
How did Wings Across America get started? In 1993 my husband, a
career Air Force pilot, died, and my daughter realized she had never
asked him his story. She began asking me what I had done and said
she was going to do a documentary. We now have interviewed more than
100 WASPs in 19 states.
Your efforts are focused on building the National WASP World War II
Museum. Yes, it will
be at Avenger Field in
Sweetwater, Texas. That
is where all of us but the first class graduated from. The city has
given us 55 acres of land on which
to build.
What do you envision the museum being like? The videotapes will be
the nucleus. We want the WASPs to tell their own stories. We want
the other parts of the museum to be state-of-the-art, hands-on so
children will come.
How can people get information about the museum? The Web site,
www.wasp-wwii.org/wings, is the best way
to get information.
—Cindy Culp
Attention!
Check out these military-related entertainment offerings.
No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah
(Bantam Dell, 2005): In his book, Bing West looks at the struggle to
liberate the city. He offers a close-up look at the nature of the
insurgency and the politics of the war still raging in Iraq.
Spy Treasures of Hollywood: Icons of the fictional spy world,
including Dr. Evil’s ring, Maxwell Smart’s shoe phone, and James
Bond’s Walther PPK handgun, are on display at the International Spy
Museum’s new exhibit. The exhibit opens Oct. 7 and runs through
spring 2006.
The Big Red One — The Reconstruction (Warner Home Video, 2005):
A
newly released two-disk DVD set features the classic war movie
directed by Samuel Fuller, plus more than 40 minutes of added
footage; a documentary, “The Real Glory: Reconstructing The Big
One”; and a War Department film, “The Fighting First.”
Beware the
Timeshare Trap
Here’s the pitch: two weeks in paradise each year for the rest of
your life, plus the chance to
On the Web
The Timeshare User’s Group, www.tug2.net, offers sound advice on
buying, selling, and renting timeshares.
trade your weeks for time at other
great resorts. But are timeshares a good investment? Many new
timeshares lose 50 percent to 70 percent of their initial sales
value within the first year of purchase, although some brand-name
timeshares in resort complexes might only see 10 percent to 30
percent declines. Still interested in a timeshare? Consider buying
used, and do your homework. Do you get the same rights as the
original owners? What are the maintenance and assessment fees? Has
management changed recently and why? Don’t be afraid to negotiate,
and ask an attorney well-versed in timeshare contracts
to review the paperwork before signing.
On Leave: Texas
European cuisine is my weakness, but the continent in winter? Brrr!
So Bonnie said, “How about the Texas Hill Country? It’s warmer, and
Old Country ‘colonies’ abound.” I made a beeline for the suitcases.
Resources
Military installations in
the area allow retiree Space-A reservations: Kelly, Lackland, and
Randolph AFBs, (888) 235-6343; Fort Sam Houston, (210) 357-2705, ext.
5006.
We established our hub at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, staying Space A
on the base. First, we headed downtown for a stroll on the Riverwalk.
Often described as the “Venice of the West,” San Antonio has a
network of canals flowing past sidewalk restaurants with
mouth-watering menus. (It also is the site
of
MOAA’s Annual Meeting this year; see page 37.)
After visiting “Italy,” we were ready for “Germany.” We took I-10
northwest out of San Antonio to Comfort, a town that oozes German
heritage, Civil War history (including a monument to German settlers
executed during the conflict), and antique shops and is home to one
of the oldest general stores in Texas. We continued north on U.S. 87
to Fredericksburg, where we found antique shops galore and some of
the best German libations and cuisine.
The next morning,
we swung 16 miles east
on U.S. 290 to just beyond Stonewall, where President Lyndon B.
Johnson maintained his “Texas White House.” We took
the 90-minute tour, which goes through 600 acres
of the property and makes clear why LBJ loved the Texas Hill
Country.
We continued on to Boerne (pronounced Bernie), another town settled
by Germans in the mid-1800s. The sounds
of the Boerne Village Band, one of the oldest active German bands in
the country, can be heard during the local festivals and concerts in
the summer.
After lunch, we headed back to San Antonio, where we found a
wondrous
trail of Spanish missions, including the Alamo, Conception, San
Jose, San Juan, and Espada. The storied Alamo is a national shrine
honoring the men who died defending it in 1836 — most notably Davy
Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Travis. Stepping through the Long
Barrack where the Texans spent their last moments before being
overrun by Santa Anna’s Mexican troops sent chills up my spine,
as did the stirring displays inside the mission. After dinner along
the nearby Riverwalk, we returned to the Alamo. The facade is lit up
at night,
a no-calorie, visual dessert sure
to please any eye.
On subsequent days, we headed 20 miles west on U.S. 90 to
Castroville, best known for its Alsatian roots. The historic
Landmark Inn and Museum, where Robert E. Lee stayed, is a must-see.
Sixty-five miles southeast of San Antonio is Panna Maria
(Virgin Mary in Polish), where the Church of the Immaculate
Conception serves as the centerpiece of the oldest Polish settlement
in America. In 1966, Johnson presented the congregation with a
stunning mosaic
of Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as the Black Madonna, patron
saint of Poland.
Next was an east-northeast circuit that looped through Shiner for a
tour of the local Czech/Bavarian brewery. Best have a designated
driver along, as they offer free tastings of all Shiner beer
varieties! Then we worked our way back through Austin to
visit the LBJ library, where there is
a replica of the oval office. Before heading back to San Antonio,
though, we parked lakeside and took a stroll along the jogging path
to work off all the good grits and thirst quenchers that had been
the order of the day — make that week!
—Ben Voyage travels the world
to gather tips for MOAA members.
|
