|
|
 |
Field Reports
By Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret.,
Director, and Col. Jim Pauls, USAF-Ret., Council and Chapter
Affairs, and Kris Ann Hegle
Veteran Shares Experiences With Schoolchildren
Former Air Force Maj. Eugene McDowell is a hero. Just ask the
fifth-grade students at Corkscrew Elementary School in Naples, Fla.,
who have listened to him detail his experiences as a B-24 pilot in
the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.
McDowell, the treasurer of the Platinum Coast (Fla.) Chapter, first
spoke to students after school officials invited area veterans to
share their stories. During the past year, he’s visited twice armed
with photos, memorabilia, artifacts, and medals—including a Purple
Heart—and shared his memories. One teacher documented his speech and
converted it into a Power Point presentation.
“It’s been very rewarding,” says McDowell. “So far, I’ve spoken to
125 students and received 117 thank-you notes. A lot of students
even asked me for my autograph.”
Educating area schoolchildren about the military and what it means
to be a veteran is a tradition among members of the Platinum Coast
Chapter. During the past few years, several members have taken time
to talk to area students and share their experiences as veterans,
including former Air Force 1st Lt. Gil Erlichman; Lt. Col. Gateley
Daniel, USAR-Ret.; and Capt. Paul Weber, USMCR-Ret.
The chapter also supports students who participate in 14 local
Junior ROTC (JROTC) units located in Collier and Lee counties. Each
year, members present medals to the outstanding cadets in these
units. The chapter also awards two $500 JROTC scholarships
annually—one to a Collier County student and one to a Lee County
student.
Chapter members predict their JROTC support program will expand
during the coming school year, as four new high schools are being
built in the area.
Disabled Soldier Support
Chapter and council members are being asked to help get the word out
about the new Disabled Soldier Support System, or DS3. Army and VA
officials announced April 30 the formation of the DS3, which will
serve as an information clearinghouse for all severely disabled
military members, their family members, and medically retired
personnel.
Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee says he hopes the DS3 program
will serve as a pilot for other branches of the military. In the
meantime, the Army will help all severely disabled military members,
regardless of service affiliation.
Those in the DS3 program or their family members can call for
assistance any time. Program officials periodically will contact
disabled military members who are registered with DS3.
The goal of DS3 is to cut through much of the red tape wounded
military members face by providing them with a single starting point
for accessing the financial, administrative, medical, and vocational
services they might need. DS3 also will help eliminate any barriers
servicemembers might face as they move from the care and services
provided by the military to those provided by the VA.
While the initial focus for the program has been on those who were
injured in recent conflicts, any veteran who thinks he or she is
qualified for DS3 is urged to call the Army Information Line at
(800) 833-6622. You also can get more information by visiting the
DS3 program’s Web site at
www.armyds3.org.
Principi Visits Louisville (Ky.) Chapter
Sometimes long shots pay off. At least that’s what happened to
Maj. Kenneth Slye, USA-Ret., when he invited VA Secretary Anthony
Principi to speak to members of the Louisville (Ky.) Chapter. Slye,
who is the chapter’s president, program chair, and newsletter
editor, thought his invitation would “go to the bottom of the
drawer.” To his surprise, Principi accepted his invitation within 24
hours.
Chapter members invited state and local dignitaries, members of the
media, and more than 20 veterans’ groups to hear Principi. All told,
more than 150 people attended the chapter meeting, which former Miss
America Heather French Henry opened by singing the national anthem.
Principi outlined the VA’s recent expansion of services. Then he
presented two former World War II veterans—former Army Staff Sgt.
James Miller and former Army Air Corps 1st Lt. Allen Jones — with
POW medals.
“It was very emotional,” says Slye of the ceremony. “Everybody stood
up out of respect for what was happening.”
Earlier this year, MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret.,
visited the chapter. After that meeting, chapter officials signed up
five new members.
Currently, members are working to enhance their personal affairs
program and educate spouses of deceased military members about
TRICARE For Life. Members also recently awarded medals to
outstanding cadets in 18 local ROTC and Junior ROTC units that the
chapter supports.
What the Future Needs
In late March council and chapter presidents from every state in
the union and Puerto Rico Stormed the Hill on behalf of retired
servicemembers. Although the subject of this legislative effort—
improvements to the Survivor Benefit Plan—is vital to every military
retiree and his or her family, it is not the subject of this piece.
Rather, I would like to focus on the team members.
Some of these grassroots activists are young, far more are older;
some are in Washington for the first time, others are veterans of
past efforts. They share one thing—the desire to get MOAA’s
legislative message across to their elected representatives. And
they don’t stop there. They return home to spread the word to their
state chapter presidents and continue the effort where it counts—in
their representatives’ hometowns.
For more than a decade this effort has paid dividends, and it will
again this year. But we are worried about the future. Who will be
there to carry on the fight? Are we doing enough to convince the
guardmember, the reservist, and the younger retiree how important it
is to join MOAA and a local chapter? Are we communicating to these
young officers, some just embarking on second careers, that
legislative activism is most effective at the local level? Have we
convinced them that if they expect to continue to enjoy the benefits
and entitlements they so richly deserve, they are going to have to
fight for them; that nothing is free, and that promises are not
always kept?
These are questions that must be posed to those still on active duty
and to younger retirees. We have to convince them that joining
national MOAA and a chapter is more than a social activity. It means
joining a team that is devoted to protecting what we have earned. We
have to suggest to them that if their local chapter isn’t meeting
their expectations, legislative or otherwise, then change things!
We’re counting on them to do just that. Someday they will be
carrying our message to the Hill. Col. Chris
Giaimo, USAF-Ret.
Director, Council and Chapter Affairs
Junior ROTC Scholarship Awarded
Members of the Atlanta Chapter recently awarded two $1,000
college scholarships to cadets who are in JROTC units the chapter
supports. Cadet Col. Lindsey Peacock, who plans to attend the
University of Georgia, received her scholarship during an award
ceremony at Forest Park High School in Forest Park, Ga., April 14.
Cadet Cmdr. Kevin Medert received the second scholarship during a
ceremony May 6 at Henry County High School in McDonough, Ga. Medert
plans to attend The Citadel in Charleston, S.C.
Previously, chapter members awarded a personal computer and printer
to one outstanding area JROTC student. However, falling computer
prices led members to restructure their awards program last year,
according to Maj. Cathryn Vaught, USA-Ret., who heads the chapter’s
ROTC and JROTC programs. Vaught said the novelty of winning a
computer had worn off.
Supporting area students who show an interest in the military is
important to members of the Atlanta Chapter. Currently, the chapter
supports four ROTC and 70 JROTC programs in a 13-county area. Each
year, members award an
MOAA
medal to the outstanding cadet in each
of these programs.
VCOC Hosts Congressional Luncheon
The Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., was the site of the
19th annual Virginia Congressional Delegation Luncheon April 28. The
event was hosted by members of the Virginia Council of Chapters (VCOC).
More than 100 people attended the luncheon, including Reps. Randy
Forbes (R), Bobby Scott (D), Virgil Goode Jr., (R), Jo Ann Davis
(R), Eric Cantor (R), Bob Goodlatte (R), and Frank Wolf (R) and Sen.
George Allen (R). VCOC members turned out, as did MOAA President
Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., and national staff members.
Col. Frank Rohrbough, USAF-Ret., deputy director of MOAA’s
Government Relations Department, received the VCOC’s leadership
award, given annually to recognize the hard work of the national
staff.
During the luncheon, VCOC members personally thanked their
congressional legislators for their support on key legislative
issues last year. VCOC members also asked for congressional members’
support on several issues still pending in Congress, including
expanding concurrent receipt legislation, eliminating the Survivor
Benefit Plan widows tax, and increasing the Army’s end strength.
“We put a limit on the number of issues we discussed so we could be
more effective,” says VCOC President Brig. Gen. Raymond Edwards,
USMC-Ret. “We also distributed position papers on each issue.”
Several members of Virginia’s congressional delegation outlined key
points on legislation they support. Legislators also thanked members
of the VCOC and MOAA’s staff for their support and lobbying efforts.
A closer look at council and chapter achievements
MOAA’s Students Need You
Whenever something important needs to be done, national MOAA
looks to the people who can deliver—its council and chapter
members. Such was the case when association leaders decided to
celebrate MOAA’s 75th anniversary in 2004 by launching a
campaign to raise funds for The Scholarship Fund of MOAA. This
money will be used to provide several hundred additional
students with interest-free loans each year.
Many chapters have answered the call, including the Verdugo
Hills (Calif.) Chapter. Members began sending in contributions
early, with one member, Lt. Col. Walter Winner, USAF-Ret.,
sending in a donation in December 2003. Another member, Lt. Col.
John Brown, USAF-Ret., who is a director for the Los Angeles
Breakfast Club Foundation, got the foundation to donate $1,000.
Members of the Verdugo Hills Chapter raised an additional $1,000
through 50-50 drawings, theater parties, and other fundraising
efforts.
The Kingdom of the Sun Chapter in Ocala, Fla., has rallied to
the cause, with 43 percent of the chapter’s members contributing
to the campaign. Other chapters in Florida also are doing their
part. During a recent visit to the South Central Florida
Chapter, MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN-Ret.,
received a $750 check for the campaign from the chapter’s
members.
Giving back is important to members of the Middle Tennessee
Chapter, who received the first 10 percent participation ribbon
in Category 2. The chapter began contributing to The Scholarship
Fund of MOAA in 2003 when members established a designated
scholarship that allows them to contribute $25,000 to the fund
over the next five years.
Rear Adm. Paul Kaufman, USN-Ret., scholarship chair for the
Northeast Florida Chapter, also is drumming up support for the
campaign. Starting in July, Kaufman will begin donating $1 in
the name of each member of his chapter who has not yet
contributed. He also plans to recognize donors by publishing
their names in the chapter’s monthly newsletter.
It’s not too late to begin a chapter drive for the 75th
anniversary campaign. For more information, call Cindy Amos at
(800) 234-6622, ext. 169.
Ribbons are awarded to chapters that donate to The Scholarship
Fund of MOAA, based on the percentage of chapter members who
contribute. Here are the top-ranked chapters as of May 7.
To get more detailed information or to find your chapter’s
ranking, visit MOAA’s Web Base at
www.moaa.org and click
on the 75th Anniversary Campaign link.
Chapter Standings
Large Chapter (more than 900 members)
1. Ark-La-Tex (La.) Chapter
2. San Antonio Chapter
3. New Hampshire Chapter
Category 1 (500–899 members)
1. Northern Virginia Chapter
2. Pensacola (Fla.) Chapter
3. Riverside March Field (Calif.) Chapter
Category 2 (200–499 members)
1. Kingdom of the Sun (Fla.) Chapter
2. Orange County (Calif.) Chapter
3. Middle Tennessee Chapter
Category 3 (75–199 members)
1. MOAA Lehigh Valley (Pa.) Chapter
2. Nathan Hale (Conn.) Chapter
3. Military Officers Club of Northeastern Wisconsin Inc.
Category 4 (less than 75 members)
1. Verdugo Hills (Calif.) Chapter
2. Fort Clark (Texas) Chapter
3. Lower Eastern Shore (Md.) Chapter
|
