|
|
 |
Field Reports
By Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret.,
Director, and Col. Jim Pauls, USAF-Ret., Council and Chapter
Affairs, and Kris Ann Hegle
New Jersey Council Donates $1,000 to Build Memorial
When New Jersey Council of Chapters President Lt. Col.
Raymond Russell Jr., USAF-Ret, received a letter asking for
contributions to help build a memorial sculpture at the Brig. Gen.
William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, N.J., he
wanted MOAA to be part of the effort. Unfortunately, the minimum
contribution level was $1,000.
“I knew my own chapter couldn’t afford to make a $1,000 donation,
and I thought the other chapters in the state probably couldn’t
afford to donate that much either,” says Russell, who also is a
member of the Lakes and Pines Chapter. “So I decided to ask all five
MOAA chapters in New Jersey if they would each contribute $200.”
The Northern New Jersey Chapter, the Central New Jersey
Chapter, the Lakes and Pines Chapter, the South Jersey
Chapter, and the Jersey Cape Chapter answered the call
for donations, with each chapter donating $200. On May 20, Russell
presented a check for $1,000 to Col. Stephen Abel, USA-Ret., the
state’s director for veterans affairs. The money will be used to
build a bronze sculpture at the cemetery titled “The Companion,”
which will serve as a lasting tribute to the state’s deceased
veterans.
According to Russell, many veterans’ organizations in the state have
donated to the memorial building effort, and each donor will have an
inscription on the memorial.
“Our inscription will read, ‘Donated by the five chapters of the
MOAA New Jersey Council,’ ” says Russell.
In November, Russell will join a select group of chapter members
when he receives MOAA’s Chairman Award—the highest award given by
the association. Russell will receive the award in recognition of
his outstanding legislative efforts at the state and national
levels.
Chapter Recognizes New Officers
Members of the Texas Hill Country Chapter in Kerrville,
Texas, think young people should be encouraged to serve in the armed
forces. That’s why they set up an awards program to recognize newly
commissioned officers.
Since the program’s inception in 1988, the 150-plus member chapter
has recognized 47 newly commissioned officers and given a total of
$13,150 in monetary awards. All of the recipients, who have strong
ties to the Texas Hill Country area, receive $400 presented by a
chapter member who hails from their service branch. Most newly
commissioned officers use the money to offset some of the expenses
they incur as recent college graduates, buying household items or
applying it toward the purchase of a new car or furniture.
“The money for the recognition fund comes from several sources,”
says Capt. Jack Stevens, USN-Ret., who chairs the recognition
program. “At each dinner meeting, members and guests are offered the
opportunity to compete for a bevy of door prizes donated by members
or local individuals and businesses that strongly support our
chapter and MOAA’s objectives. Additional funds are raised from
memorials and direct contributions.”
Recently, three newly commissioned officers—Ensign Ryan Brown, USN;
2nd Lt. James White, USA; and Ensign Alan Van Reet, USN—received
$400 awards from the chapter. Stevens served as an advisor to Brown
and Van Reet when they sought and received appointments to the U.S.
Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
Brown will return to the naval academy for a temporary assignment as
a graduate assistant coach before going for flight training in
Pensacola, Fla., in November. White completed the Army Airborne
School while attending the U.S. Military Academy in West Point,
N.Y., and currently is stationed at Fort Riley, Kan. Van Reet was
selected as an Admiral Frank Bowman Scholar and was accepted for
training as a nuclear submarine officer. He currently is attending
the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.
Currently, the chapter is making plans to present another $400 award
to Ensign Lauren Carr, USN, who graduated and is stationed at the
U.S. Naval Academy. Members will present the award to Carr when she
comes home on leave later this year.
New Blood
Do you remember the words of the famous George Burns song, “Oh,
to Be 50 Again?” It doesn’t seem like so long ago that we were 50,
but in truth many of us are way beyond that age. Looking back, the
years have been well spent. Attending school, raising a family while
pursuing a full military career, and planning for retirement all are
things we wouldn’t change for a second.
Our membership in MOAA and in an MOAA chapter has been a major part
of our lives that has been very fulfilling. Many members joined a
local chapter right after retiring from the military and eventually
ascended to leadership positions. We nurtured the chapter, ran
recruiting programs and fundraisers, planned volunteer activities,
and put on interesting programs, all in an effort to make the
chapter grow.
It’s time to pass the torch to a younger generation. In years past
it seemed like our chapters were having trouble attracting younger
members. Fortunately, things seem to be changing. As I go out to
visit chapters, I’m beginning to see younger faces in the audience.
Not a lot mind you, but enough to encourage me that the future of
that particular chapter might be secure.
To help with this effort, MOAA’s headquarters staff has worked
diligently to develop a wide variety of products and services for
our members. Did you know The Scholarship Fund of MOAA can help you
pay for part of your child’s college education? That you can get a
discount on a Dell computer through MOAA? Or that The Officer
Placement Service can help you find a job when you retire from the
military? Well, you should! MOAA’s programs have something for
everyone, so don’t let the opportunity to take advantage of these
great services pass you by.
To the younger officers reading this piece, take the time to look up
your local MOAA chapter. Find out what activities it is involved in,
what members have to offer, and ask any member what it means to
belong to MOAA and an MOAA chapter. I think you’ll be surprised at
what we have to offer you.
Col. Chris
Giaimo, USAF-Ret.
Director, Council and Chapter Affairs
Tampa (Fla.) Chapter Operates Food Booth at AirFest
More than 37 members and friends of the Tampa (Fla.) Chapter
turned out to help operate a food booth at AirFest 2004, which was
held April 3–4 at MacDill AFB, Fla. Chapter members sold more than
$10,000 in hot dogs, chili dogs, chips, and soft drinks at the
aircraft show, which more than 500,000 people attended. The
chapter’s share of the proceeds was $2,546.45. Chapter President
Capt. Robert Silah, USN-Ret., says the money will be used to expand
the chapter’s scholarship program and allow members to offer
scholarships to college-bound students who participate in Junior
ROTC units the chapter supports.
Members also did a little recruiting at AirFest. The chapter
displayed its banner at the food booth, and pamphlets of information
about MOAA and the Tampa Chapter were stacked along the booth’s
counters.
Later that month, MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret.,
spoke at the chapter’s April 15 meeting. Ryan also met with key
commanders and their representatives at MacDill, home to U.S.
Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command.
“These meetings mean a great deal to our chapter in giving the base
active duty commands an insight into MOAA,” says Silah. “They will
be definite assets in our planning [and] our recruiting of new
members, and in building a rapport with these commands.”
Members of the Tampa Chapter also are reaching out to officers from
other nations who are stationed at MacDill and are working alongside
U.S. troops as part of an international coalition to end the war on
terrorism. Each month, members present a framed certificate of
appreciation to two coalition officers during the chapter’s regular
meeting.
San Antonio Chapter Helps Hospitalized Vets
Injured veterans recuperating in San Antonio aren’t lacking for
creature comforts, thanks to the generosity shown by members of the
San Antonio Chapter. For the past several months, chapter
members have collected, bought, or donated items such as prepaid
long-distance telephone cards, books, magazines, and movies and have
delivered them to troops who are undergoing physical therapy at one
of the medical facilities in Fort Sam Houston.
Lt. Col. Sumner Hudson, USA-Ret., is one of approximately 25 chapter
members who have been delivering goods to injured troops, many of
whom are amputees or have severe burns. Hudson, 82, says he decided
to get involved with the effort after he saw an episode of “The
Oprah Winfrey Show” about soldiers who had been severely burned
while serving in Afghanistan or Iraq.
“Many times during our monthly luncheon, this cause has been brought
up,” says Hudson. “Others just learn about it through word-of-mouth.
I’ve been surprised by the number of people who do help out.”
In addition to donating items, chapter members such as Col. Al Gozur,
USAF-Ret., have taken time to visit with injured troops, who often
get bored or restless between bouts of physical therapy. According
to Gozur, this is particularly true among servicemembers who don’t
have a family member in the area.
“If the soldier’s family is there, it’s great,” says Gozur. “But
even if their family is in the area, the soldier might spend the
better part of the day without them because their wife is at work or
their kids are in school.”
Chapter President Col. Ed McCarthy, USAF-Ret., says chapter members
currently are working with other area military and veterans’ groups
and service organizations so they can collect more goods for injured
troops. Hudson also is contacting area business owners to see if
they would be willing to donate goods or services to servicemembers’
families who have decided to relocate to San Antonio while their
loved ones are undergoing treatment.
A closer look at council and chapter achievements
Helping Homeless Veterans
Like most officers, Cmdr. Bill Malone, USN-Ret., was told to
“take care of the troops” while he was on active duty. Malone, a
member of the Cincinnati Chapter, has continued that tradition
during his second career working to improve the lives of
homeless veterans.
Malone began working with homeless veterans shortly after he
retired from the Navy in 1994. Initially, he took a job at the
New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Boston. Three years
later, he moved to Cincinnati and joined the board of trustees
at Joseph House, which provides treatment and housing for
homeless veterans. In 1998, Malone’s fellow board members asked
him to run the organization. Now in his sixth year as executive
director, Malone still remembers the time he encountered a
former shipmate at Joseph House.
“This guy served his country, and he served it well,” says
Malone. “He just didn’t deserve to end up like that.”
Encountering someone you once served with at a homeless shelter
is more common than you think. According to the VA, one-third of
the adult homeless population in our country has served in the
armed forces, and some 250,000 veterans sleep on the streets or
in homeless shelters every night.
Malone’s work has inspired other members of the Cincinnati
Chapter to reach out to homeless veterans. Many have served or
currently are serving on the board of trustees or the advisory
board for Joseph House. Others participate in events such as the
annual Armed Forces Day Golf Outing to fund programs at Joseph
House that help veterans who suffer from alcoholism, drug
addiction, or mental illness.
Last October, MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret.,
spoke to members of the Cincinnati Chapter and witnessed
firsthand the good work being done at Joseph House. The trip
left a lasting impression on Ryan as well as the 50-plus
residents he met.
“It showed me the power of what a small group of people can do,”
says Ryan. “If you can find a Bill Malone and a Joseph House, go
there and find out what you can do to help.”
As Veterans Day approaches, many chapter members will be looking
for ways to pay homage to those who have served. Chapter members
can help homeless veterans by:
- donating money to organizations that are working to end
homelessness among veterans;
- volunteering at local homeless shelters for veterans;
- donating food, clothing, or up-to-date computer
equipment to enable veterans to continue developing their
job skills; or
- volunteering to help at a local Stand Down.
Members also can take time to familiarize themselves with
veterans’ homeless shelters and programs in their
communities. U.S. Vets, for example, runs shelters in
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Texas, and Washington,
D.C. Founded in 1993 as an innovative public-private
partnership, U.S. Vets works with the VA and other
organizations to fill the gaps in the continuum of care for
homeless veterans by providing them with safe housing,
counseling, job assistance, and outreach referrals.
Now is the time to support homeless veterans who reside in
our communities. As we look forward to Veterans Day this
November, let us remember all of the people who have served
our country— including those who now are homeless.
|
