MOAA: Chapter Activities (Field Reports)

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

Minnesota Chapter’s Ranks Swell

One person certainly can make a difference. Take Lt. Cmdr. Donald Gugisberg, USN-Ret. He had every reason to be discouraged in 1999 when he agreed to head the Minnesota Chapter’s membership committee.

“We had a real problem with attrition back then due to nonrenewals, deaths, and whatever else,” says Col. John Abrahamson, USA-Ret., current membership committee chair and first vice president. Recruiting new members also was challenging. Minnesota is nearly devoid of military facilities, and the state isn’t a popular retirement spot.

It would’ve been easy to make a token effort, but Gugisberg took the task to heart. He reached out to the chapter’s snowbird members and developed new ways to keep them better informed. Gugisberg also called members who were late renewing their dues and asked for feedback. With his leadership, the chapter became more visible in the community and members began distributing information at state and local retiree events.

In time, Gugisberg’s recruiting efforts paid off. In 1999, the Minnesota Chapter had 337 members. Today it has nearly 800, all of whom also belong to national MOAA.

Chapter members recognized Gugisberg’s contributions recently by awarding him a citation and making him an honorary life member of the chapter.

“Gugisberg constantly challenged his counterparts, urging all to reach out to new horizons,” says President Lt. Col. John Nowicki, USA-Ret. “He set the example by presenting innovative ideas and programs, and the chapter will forever be in his debt.”

The chapter plans to keep the momentum going in 2003 by offering prospects a free, one-year chapter membership. Members also will appeal to area reservists.

First Flight (N.C.) Chapter Hosts Council Meeting

Members of the First Flight (N.C.) Chapter hosted the quarterly meeting of the North Carolina Council of Chapters. The event, held April 25, drew more than 70 people, including many presidents from the state’s 16 chapters.

At the meeting, Maj. Richard Swift, USAF-Ret., council president, announced that Council Comments had taken top honors in national MOAA’s newsletter contest. Swift praised Cmdr. William Overman, USN-Ret., the newsletter’s editor for the past nine years, for his outstanding efforts.

Each person who attended the joint chapter-council meeting also received a personalized painting from noted local artist and First Flight Chapter Member Maj. Glenn Eure, USA-Ret.

Participants also learned about the upcoming First Flight Centennial, which will mark the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight. More than 50,000 people are expected to attend the celebration, which will be held Dec. 12–17 in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., and feature a flyover of more than 100 historic aircraft.

On April 26, the North Carolina council held its quarterly meeting. Chapter leaders in attendance discussed upcoming issues and shared ideas about projects that currently are being undertaken by their chapters, including distributing information on TRICARE For Life to nursing home residents throughout the state and starting a neighborhood watch program to help spot and deter terrorism at the local level.

Recently, the council was instrumental in getting former servicemembers’ DD 214 forms removed from public databases in every county in the state. Several identity theft cases have been linked to these forms, which contain Social Security numbers and other personal information.

Arizona Chapter Supports ROTC, Hosts Former Air Force Chief of Staff

The Arizona Chapter recently awarded five $1,000 scholarships to local high school students. Of the five recipients, four participate in an area Junior ROTC program. Currently, the chapter supports 16 Junior ROTC programs.

“We’re very much into supporting young people,” says Lt. Cmdr. Terry Tassin, USN-Ret., a former Junior ROTC instructor and secretary of the chapter. “We view it as an investment in our future.”

The chapter raises money for its Junior ROTC programs and scholarship fund by hosting a silent auction every December. Members bid on items donated by their fellow chapter members and area merchants.

At a chapter meeting in April, Former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF-Ret., spoke about the transformation of our nation’s armed forces. More than 74 members turned out to meet Fogleman.

The Arizona Chapter has hosted several activities for members in recent months. In May, members participated in a biannual golf tournament that helped raise money for the chapter’s scholarship fund. Members also are making plans and collecting money for the chapter’s 50th anniversary celebration, which will be held in 2006.

Local Heroes

Many Americans drive by their local National Guard and Reserve centers without much thought about who works there, what they do, or how they do it. Given recent events, however, that has most assuredly changed. Everyone knows the folks at those centers represent the finest in our tradition of citizen-soldier, ready to fight for America’s security.

Just a few years ago we reduced all of our armed forces—active duty, Guard, and Reserve—in the midst of how comfortable we felt now that the “evil empire” was no more. It seems like centuries ago, doesn’t it? Little did we know that within a few short years these citizen-soldiers would represent more than 25 percent of the forces called on once again to defend our freedom on foreign soil.

But now that the conflict has eased and our troops are returning home, what does the future hold for them—and us? Will the officers serving in your local centers fade from your thoughts, or will you proactively pursue them to become members of the national organization and your local chapters?

In addition to being your friends and neighbors, Guard and Reserve personnel are a vital part of America’s national defense structure. Their contributions in Iraq are now the stuff of legends—just as the deeds and accomplishments of many chapter members still bring a sense of awe to those who lived through this nation’s major conflicts.

But how do you make Guard and Reserve officers part of your organization? Do you invite a state adjutant general to a chapter meeting? Do you even know his or her name? Do chapter members ever volunteer to help families of Guard and Reserve members during deployments? Is there communication between your chapter and these officers? If not, why not?

These questions deserve your consideration. A positive answer to any of them will no doubt benefit your chapter, national MOAA, and those Guard and Reserve officers who serve in your hometown. Think about it.

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

Southern Maine Chapter Revitalized

Longtime members of the Southern Maine Chapter are likely to encounter a sea of new faces the next time they attend a chapter meeting. That’s because the chapter picked up 150 new members during 2002 and an additional 22 members during the first three months of 2003.

“We currently have more than 460 members in our chapter, 85 of whom are auxiliary members, and the numbers just continue to grow, thanks largely to Col. Rob McAleer, a retired Marine who serves both as our membership chair [and] our homeland security chair,” says President Lt. Col. K. Scott Berry, USA-Ret.

Recently, McAleer designed and launched the chapter’s new Web site (www.moaasouthernmaine.org), which contains a history of the organization, the chapter’s newsletter, and a membership application. The site will help increase communication with chapter members, who are scattered from the southern border of Maine up through Augusta.

Increased numbers and communication might help the chapter win its fight to exempt military retired pay from state income tax. Rear Adm. Richard Rybacki, USCG-Ret., who serves as the chapter’s legislative chairperson, is working closely on this issue with MOAA’s Pine Tree Chapter in Bangor, Maine, and other military and veterans’ groups in the state.

Rybacki thinks second-career retirees who retire to Maine can have a positive impact on the state’s work force. However, retired military members have little incentive to live in Maine because their retired pay is taxed. Nearby New Hampshire has no state income tax, and Massachusetts doesn’t tax retired military pay.

In addition to its legislative activities, the Southern Maine Chapter has a program that helps former military members transition to a second career, and members support seven Junior ROTC and two ROTC units in the area.

Florida Chapter Awards Scholarships

Members of the Bradenton (Fla.) Chapter recently demonstrated their support for area youths by awarding five $1,000 scholarships to college-bound students. The 155-member chapter is proud of its thriving scholarship program, which began only three years ago.

“We have a number of businesses that donate to our scholarship fund,” says CWO4 Don Courtney, USA-Ret., chapter secretary. “However, most of the money collected is contributed by our members.”

Courtney thinks the scholarship fund has helped transform the Bradenton Chapter from a social club into a community-minded organization. This year, chapter members contributed $50 to the county’s historical society and donated $650 to help support a Junior ROTC camp at Camp Blanding, Fla.

The chapter also is developing a recruiting brochure to be distributed to prospective members. The brochure will explain the chapter’s mission and provide details about the scholarship fund and other community service projects undertaken by chapter members.

IN FOCUS

A closer look at council and chapter achievements

I’m sorry, but your ID card has expired.”

Those are words no military dependent ever wants to hear. Having an expired ID card is more than a mere inconvenience, however. An expired ID card can create a host of problems for a military dependent who is a TRICARE For Life (TFL) recipient.

TFL is the secondary payer after Medicare. Once a medical bill is sent to Medicare, a computer automatically checks for TFL eligibility. That data is stored in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System database, which contains military members’ and dependents’ ID card data. If the ID card has expired, the person no longer is considered eligible for TFL. To regain eligibility, the ID card must be renewed.

Maj. John T. Massey, USAF-Ret., knows all too well the problems military dependents face because of expired ID cards. Massey, who sits on the board of directors of the Tampa (Fla.) Chapter, has worked as a volunteer in the customer service section of the military personnel center at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., for the past five years.

“I think the straw that broke the camel’s back came when I received a call from a woman who lives in Fort Myers, which is probably about an hour and a half away,” says Massey. “The woman had [TFL], and she was going to the hospital the next day for a very serious operation, one that needed to be done right away. During the preregistration process, they discovered her ID card had expired, and she needed a new one right away. The hospital wanted some sort of guarantee, but there was no way she could get a new ID card that day, and she was crying.”

Massey never heard the outcome, but the incident inspired him to take action. He approached the board of directors of the Tampa Chapter and asked for their support in instituting a voluntary, no-cost program for members who wished to be reminded when their dependents’ ID card was about to expire. The board enthusiastically approved the idea, and in March 2003, the chapter launched its ID Card Program, which is promoted in the chapter’s newsletter and on its Web site (www.moaatampa.com).

To date, more than 110 chapter members have registered for the program by filling out a short form. Those who participate can opt to be notified by phone or by mail. As a safeguard, a secondary contact also must be listed.

Massey is overseeing the notification program and has a database that alerts him to contact participants who need to renew their ID cards. A second database prompts him to recontact those who fail to notify him once they’ve successfully renewed their ID.

Although the Tampa Chapter’s ID Card Program is still in its infancy, it already has been picked up and implemented by other MOAA chapters, such as the Suncoast Chapter in Port Richey, Fla. The Military Wives Club in Tampa, an auxiliary club of the Tampa Chapter, also is participating. President Earlene Gravis, a lifetime auxiliary member, is encouraging military wives and widows who participate in the club to register for the program.

Gravis is helping to spread the word to other chapters. Recently, she contacted CWO Shel Miller, USA-Ret., about the program. Miller, webmaster of the Atlanta Chapter, now oversees an ID card program he set up to help members of his chapter.

Massey says he’s glad other chapters are following his lead, and he thinks the program will prove beneficial to others, particularly those who are sick, suffer from memory problems, or reside in a nursing home. Indeed, the program appears to be filling a niche that has been overlooked far too long.

“When it’s time for your driver’s license to be renewed, you get a notice in the mail,” says Massey. “When it comes to your car tags, you get a notice in the mail. The same thing happens with magazine subscriptions. [A military ID] is the only thing where you don’t get any kind of notification whatsoever that it’s about to expire.”