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Ozark Chapter Innovates RecruitingMembers of the Ozark Empire Retired Officers Association Chapter in Springfield, Mo., turned a politician's visit to his district into a way to recruit new members. Last fall, chapter President Capt. Danny Tervol, USMC-Ret., invited U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to speak at the chapter's monthly dinner meeting. Blunt accepted, and chapter members quickly set out to make the most of the opportunity. "We decided to invite the Air Force Association and Reserve Officers Association to the event," says Tervol. "We figured they would come because they're interested in a lot of the same legislation we are. They're also a source of potential members for us, and we felt having them at the meeting would give us a good opportunity to talk with them one-on-one." The chapter's officers then contacted several potential members who lived in the area and invited them to attend the meeting. The chapter also received some assistance from the Council and Chapter Affairs Department at national MOAA, which sent out letters of invitation to national MOAA members in the area who hadn't yet joined the chapter. A week prior to the meeting, members sent out press releases and invited area tv newscasters and members of the local press to attend the event. Chapter Vice President Col. Glenn Israel, USA-Ret., and Treasurer Lt. Col. Dan Murphy, USA-Ret., also plugged the event at a chapter-sponsored reception, which was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the ROTC program at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. More than 82 people turned out to hear Blunt speak, including several members of the press. Tervol announced the chapter would pick up the cost of dinner for anyone who turned in a chapter membership application before they left. Four attendees made good on the offer, and more than a dozen others picked up applications. One new member, Lt. Col. Larry Lathem, USA-Ret., agreed to serve as the chapter's assistant secretary/treasurer for 2003. "This event really helped increase public awareness for our chapter," says Tervol. "We made contacts in the press, and it gave us a chance to network with other military groups in the area." Ryans Attend Georgia State Council ConventionNational MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., and his wife, Judy, were special guests at the recent Georgia State Council of Chapters Convention. Members of the Golden Isles Chapter in Brunswick hosted the event, which was held on nearby Jekyll Island. A total of 130 attendees from 15 chapters in Georgia attended, as did 32 chapter members from Florida. "This was the first state council convention Admiral Ryan and his wife had attended, and they made quite an impression," says Lt. Col. Bob Carlisle, USAF-Ret., immediate past president of the Georgia State Council. "He and Judy are very people-oriented." Capt. J.C. Williams, USN-Ret., former national board member and chaplain, delivered the invocation at the banquet, and Capt. Leonard Sapera, USN-Ret., reviewed the accomplishments MOAA had made during the past six years, when he served on the national board of directors. Shelia McNeil, president-elect of the Navy League of the United States, introduced Ryan to chapter delegates at the next day's luncheon. Ryan told delegates about MOAA's future goals and promised to work with Congress on concurrent receipt and other pressing issues that affect military members and their families. He also installed the council's new officers for 2002–2003, including new Council President Cmdr. Lee Thompson, USN-Ret. The next Georgia State Council Convention will be held Oct. 2–4, 2003, in Columbus, Ga. Ark-La-Tex Chapter Members Draw Medal of Honor ConventionThe idea seemed a little ambitious, but Col. Steve dePyssler, USAF-Ret., thought he might just be able to pull it off. In 1999, dePyssler, a member of the Ark-La-Tex (La.) Chapter, decided to convince the Congressional Medal of Honor Society (CMOHS) to hold its 2002 convention in the Shreveport-Bossier City, La., area. Soon after, dePyssler approached fellow chapter members Brig. Gen. Peyton Cole, Lt. Col. Lees Broome, Maj. Micah Hackler, and Maj. Don Mooring, all retired Air Force officers, and convinced them to form a convention planning committee with him. In time, that committee grew to include 49 more chapter members and more than 140 area volunteers. During the CMOHS 2000 convention in Pueblo, Colo., dePyssler learned the Shreveport-Bossier City area had been chosen to host the 2002 convention. The committee's work, however, had just begun. "We had to go out and raise $440,000 so we could pay all the expenses for the Medal of Honor recipients and their guests," says Broome. "We not only did that, we gave $90,000 back to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society when the event ended. They told us that was the largest amount ever returned to them by any organization that put on the convention for them. They also told us we put on the best convention they ever had." The 2002 convention drew 78 of the 142 living Medal of Honor recipients and many notable speakers, including Anthony Principi, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, USA-Ret. A number of entertainers performed at the convention, including Tony Orlando, the 156th Army Band and Centenary College Choir, the Shreveport-Bossier City Choral Ensemble, and the Louisiana National Guard Band. The Ark-La-Tex Chapter also cohosted a dinner with the Barksdale Air Force Base (La.) Retiree Activities Office during the convention. Chapter members donated $2,700 to help cover the cost of the dinner, which was held at Harrah's Hotel in Shreveport. "It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime honor to work with our true American heroes and legends," says dePyssler. Pikes Peak Chapter Cosponsors Health Fair
The Pikes Peak (Colo.) Chapter teamed up with members of The Retired Enlisted Association (trea) Club and Pfizer Inc., a major pharmaceutical company, and hosted a health fair for veterans called "Together We Stand." The fair, held Nov. 2 in Colorado Springs, Colo., attracted more than 200 veterans, active duty servicemembers, and retired military members who live in the region. "The idea to hold a health fair actually came from national MOAA," says Capt. Dick Spearel, USNR-Ret., president of the Pikes Peak Chapter. "This is a pilot program. Who knows, maybe in the future other chapters will hold health fairs as part of their chapter's community outreach program." Health care experts were on hand to educate veterans and military members. Attendees received information about Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, prostate disease, hormone replacement therapy, and other health-related concerns. Pfizer provided free blood screenings to 84 veterans and military members, who received information about their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. The results of the blood screening tests were available immediately, and several attendees were encouraged to follow up with their local physician. Representatives from TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp., the local tricare contractor, also were on hand to answer questions. The Pikes Peak Chapter promoted the health fair by publishing announcements in the chapter's newsletter, sending out press releases to members of the local media, and distributing posters and contacting public affairs officers at nearby Peterson Air Force Base, the Air Force Academy, and Fort Carson. The chapter also mailed out letters of invitation to 19 area veterans' organizations, and members from the Pikes Peak Chapter and trea Club promoted the event on a local radio talk show. Chapters and the CongressIn November, we elected members to the 108th Congress. In many cases (but not all) those elected had served in the 107th Congress. As a group, they represent a cross section of America. Some have had military experience, but most have not. We should be most concerned with this latter group. Each year we move further from a time when the vast majority of our congressional representatives knew what it meant to be in the uniformed services. This is not to fault anyone; it is simply a matter of arithmetic. Our last long-term, large-scale military involvement, the Vietnam War, ended some 30 years ago. Many of today's representatives were in grade school or high school during those tumultuous years. They never had a need or opportunity to serve. And, with a massive drawdown of our armed forces as a result of the Cold War's end, the need and opportunity to serve have lessened even more. To a large extent, veterans and military retirees are at the mercy of Congress. Retiree cost-of-living allowances, health care, commissaries, Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, etcetera, depend on congressional appropriations for funding. It's a little scary to think that our elected officials, the folks we rely on to do the right thing for those who have served, know little of the sacrifices we have made. It is, therefore, incumbent on our chapters to take on the duty of educating these new representatives. Call their district offices, write letters, and invite them to visit your chapter. If that fails, take the initiative and visit them. Let them know who you are and what you stand for. It's most important to politely, graciously, and tactfully let them know of your needs as military retirees and what you would like them to do for you - namely, to live up to the promises their predecessors made to us. If they do support you as you requested, support them. But it all begins with education. It's a new Congress. The rest is up to you. Don't pass up this opportunity. Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret.
IN FOCUS
A closer look at council and chapter achievements
Annual Meeting Attracts Chapter MembersChapter members turned out in force for the 2002 Annual Meeting, which was held Oct. 5 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Members discussed topics ranging from the association’s name change to moaa’s legislative agenda. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers, usaf, also spoke. During the annual meeting, several members accepted Chapter of the Year awards on behalf of their chapters. Each year, national moaa recognizes outstanding chapters and runners-up in five categories based on the size of chapter membership. (A complete list of chapters that received a Chapter of the Year Award can be found in the October 2002 issue of The Retired Officer Magazine.) |
