NEW PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES OFFICERS AND SETS GOALS. Schedule of Events KOS Board Meeting 12:30 P.M., at Ocala Elks

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1 Vol. XL No. 4 Upon the recent resignation of Bud Smith, I have become the President of KOS. My plan is to continue pursuing the aggressive Chapter membership goals set by Bud at our early KOS meetings. I ask for your support as we transition to a revised slate of officers approved by the Board of Directors for the balance of President First Vice President Second Vice President Treasurer Secretary Immediate Past President JULY No meetings Enjoy summer! AUGUST 11 - KOS Board Meeting 12:30 P.M., at Ocala Elks Arlo Janssen Bob Schlegel Carol Walker Linda Byrd Betty Hayes Sharon Murry Schedule of Events SEPTEMBER 3 - KOS Luncheon at Ocala Elks, $14 12 Noon, Cocktails 12:30 P.M., Lunch 11 - KOS Board Meeting 12:30 P.M., at Ocala Elks Visit our website at: July/August 2015 NEW PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES OFFICERS AND SETS GOALS LTC Arlo Janssen, US Army (Ret.) President, 2015, Kingdom of the Sun Chapter, MOAA The Chapter Directors (Term Ending in 2015) include John Rose and Tom Dann with one vacancy to be filled by the Board of Directors. The Chapter Directors (Term Ending in 2016) include Bonnie Morris, Phil Johnson, and Ralph Spiller. While President of KOS, Bud outlined his program for 2015 with four major topics, SERVE: Stuff The Bus is our program to serve the Ocala/Marion County area. Stuff The Bus will take place at a number of different locations this summer. John Rose heads the program and will need you to help the needy children of Marion County. See the Stuff The Bus summer schedule on page 7. REACH OUT: The Scholarship Dinner on May 7, 2015, was a great success. We awarded four scholarships to some outstanding ROTC High School seniors for a total of $4, Larry Fagan did a great job with our Scholarship Committee this year. Bill Murry presented four JROTC Leadership Awards at the meeting. RECRUIT: I will work hard at having our chapter in a number of upcoming events. An Officer s Call is planned for October and December We will be working hard on our membership program for the rest of the year. We are planning a fun-filled Halloween Dinner/Dance in October and our annual Veterans Snowflake Ball in December. One future KOS Event in 2016 is our 40 th Anniversary party. We have set the date with the Elks Club for June 2, The KOS BOD will start the planning for this great event. LOBBY: I will visit current Congressional Representatives and ask for their support of the major issues highlighted by MOAA. I also plan to attend the National MOAA Convention in Orlando on October 28-31, (see page 2) OCTOBER 1 - Halloween Dinner Dance Make your costume. NOVEMBER 5 - Annual Meeting Dinner Memorial Service September luncheon program: Superintendent of Schools George Tomyn. Reservations by September 1: Bob Schlegel (352) , RFSCHLEGEL45@cox.net

2 SUNBEAMS PAGE 2 July/August 2015 SUNBEAMS WINS NATIONAL AWARD Kingdom of the Sun Chapter, MOAA PO Box 114, Ocala, Florida SUNBEAMS is published bimonthly for the information of the members of Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Chapter, an affiliate of The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of either organization. SUNBEAMS is printed by the Concord Press of Ocala, Florida. KOS is a nonprofit organization, incorporated under the laws of the State of Florida on 13 April It is not associated with the Department of Defense. Editor: Lt. Col. Sharon M. Murry (Air Force), Photo Editor: Dennis Rose (Air Force), Legislation: LTC Philip Johnson (Army), Publisher: Kingdom of the Sun Chapter of MOAA Chapter Officers: President: LTC Arlo Janssen, (Army) st V.P.: COL Robert Schlegel (Army), nd V.P.: Lt. Col. Carol C. Walker (Air Force), SECRETARY: Mrs. Betty Hayes, Auxiliary, TREASURER: Mrs. Linda Byrd, Auxiliary Directors: LTC Philip Johnson (Army), CDR Thomas W. Dann (USCGR), CPT John Rose (Army), CW03 Ralph Spiller Jr. (Navy), Mrs. Bonnie Morris, Auxiliary, Birthday Representative: Mrs. Marilou Truitt, Auxiliary, Distaff Representative: Mrs. Betty Hayes, Auxiliary, Immediate Past President Lt. Col. Sharon M. Murry (Air Force), Meetings: The Kingdom of the Sun Chapter (MOAA), meets monthly on the first Thursday of the month. Dates, times and occasions are announced in advance in the SUNBEAMS. Members are encouraged to attend and guests are always welcome. Meetings are usually suspended during the summer months of July and August. The KOS Board currently meets monthly on the second Tuesday of each month at 12:30 P.M. at the Ocala Elks Club. Officers and Board Members are required to attend. President Arlo Janssen displays MOAA 2014 Second Runner-Up Marvin J. Harris Communications Award presented for Sunbeams. One of my first actions as President was to attend the 38th annual Florida Council of Chapters (FCOC) convention in St. Augustine, FL, in May, At the convention, our chapter received the 2014 Second Runner-Up Communications award for our Sunbeams Newsletter. I d like to thank and congratulate Tilford Smith whose work with Sunbeams was responsible for this award. More details about the FCOC Convention will be posted on the KOS Website in the next few weeks. In other news, our chapter received a $ check from MOAA Headquarters to recognize our 95% plus retention rate of Chapter members under the Retention Program during LTC Arlo Janssen President KOS/MOAA KUDOS to COL Til Smith for a well-deserved communications award. Til made Sunbeams the heart of KOS. He plans to move north but will continue to manage the KOS website. KUDOS to the Stuff The Bus team --- CPT John Rose, Lt. Col. Carol Walker, CDR Jim and Kay Chandler --- as they plan to spend long, hot days in big box store parking lots collecting supplies and back-toschool clothes for homeless children. If you plan to help, KUDOS to you, as well. KUDOS to the new KOS officers who all stepped up to new positions when President COL Bud Smith resigned for medical reasons.

3 SUNBEAMS PAGE 3 July/August 2015 THE DISTAFF SIDE by Mrs. Betty Hayes There were 68 attendees at the May Scholarship dinner. It was a great turn out. The young scholarship recipients looked so handsome in their uniforms! Did they almost make you feel that you would like to be young again and in uniform? The Scholarship program is just one of the many Outreach Programs sponsored by your Kingdom of the Sun chapter of MOAA. Are you aware of all of the many Outreach Programs that KOS participates in? Check out the following list: Junior ROTC Awards given out at eight Marion County High Schools Sponsorship of cadet competitions Gift certificates to the fifth grade flag essay contest winners Monetary donations and other support to Francis Marion Military Academy Awards to Regional Science Fair Winners Attendance at the quarterly memorial recognition at Veteran s Park Representative at the Veteran s Court Process Art Materials donated to the Veteran s Building at UCF Officers Call to recruit new members (second one coming up in October) Operation Stuff The Bus (coming up in July and August) KOS responds to Marion County veterans and their families who make special requests A yearly joint luncheon with the Citrus County Chapter is sponsored by KOS All of these Outreach Programs are current and on-going. Thanks to all of our many members who help in various ways with these programs. If you have an idea for a needed program, let any Board member or Officer of KOS know about it. Or come to a Board meeting (We generally meet on the second Tuesday of each month) and present your idea. You are always welcome to come. STUMPKNOCKERS Restaurant Featuring Our Famous ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT Catfish Casual Dining on the Scenic Withlacoochee Fresh Grouper, Snapper, Shrimp, Scallops, Oysters, Crab Legs, Frog Legs, New York Strip, Ribeye, Grilled Chicken Breast Full Liquor Bar Highway 200, at the Withlacoochee River in Dunnellon Phone KOS reaches out to Francis Marion. Together at the June luncheon were (standing) KOS Treasurer Linda Byrd, a Francis Marion Military Academy donor; Mary Kirkpatrick, a new KOS social affiliate who chairs Friends of FMMA; her son, Matt, who was the FMMA Outstanding Freshman cadet; and Col. Bill Murry, an FMMA Board member. Seated were Lt. Col. Sharon Murry, who is also a Board member, and grandson Devin Murry sporting a new military haircut because he is an incoming FMMA freshman. MEMORY JOGGER: Our Declaration of Independence is 239 years old on July 4 th. CELEBRATE FREEDOM!

4 SUNBEAMS PAGE 4 July/August 2015 KOS HONORS OUTSTANDING CADETS And young scientists Scholarships At the annual Scholarship dinner, CAPT Larry Fagan, Chairman of the Scholarship Committee, awarded a combined total of $4,000 in KOS scholarships to the following individuals: Nicholas Levay of Lake Weir High School, Dustin Rodriguez of Vanguard High School, Nathan King of Vanguard High School, and Sergio Aponte of Dunnellon High School. After graduation, Nicholas Levay and Dustin Rodriguez will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. They both were honored with Second Lieutenant gold bars at the dinner. Nathan King and Sergio Aponte received Navy Ensign bars since they will be attending Navy ROTC college programs in the fall. Outstanding Juniors COL Bill Murry honored four MOAA JROTC Outstanding Juniors: cadets Desmond Carson of North Marion High School, Joseph Rodriguez of Belleview High School, Brett Mayes of Dunnellon High School, and Joseph Lombardi of Francis Marion Military Academy. Bill presented the MOAA awards and medals at JROTC ceremonies or military balls at all eight high schools that have JROTC. Bill is shown here at the Lake Weir Military Ball with Junior award winner Estevan Diaz (right) and scholarship winner Nicholas Levay. As an eighth grader, Nicholas asked Bill what he needed to do to get into West Point. Nicholas worked diligently toward his goal for five years and reported to USMA in June. Science Fair Awards The Big Springs Regional Science Fair was held in Ocala at the National Guard Armory on February 12th. A team of KOS/MOAA judges consisting of COL Bill Murry USA and CDR Tom Dann USCG, after careful review, as there were several very good projects, selected two KOS award winners: Senior Division - Kathy Nguyen, Villages Charter High School, for her project, Immersive Virtual Environment; and Junior Division - Christopher Bradshaw, Osceola Middle School, for his project, Need More Speed? Cold Air Induction. Kathy Nguyen is pictured here with her project. CDR Dann presented the KOS awards of $35 each to the winners at the Awards Ceremony held February 13th.

5 SUNBEAMS PAGE 5 July/August 2015 SEE AND BE SEEN Uç WxÇÇ á eéáx a MONTH BY MONTH 2015 PHOTO HISTORY OF KOS. are YOU IN IT? Scholarship dinner may Left photo- Bill Murry with MOAA medal winners. Right photo- Larry Fagan with KOS MOAA scholarship award winners. Left photo from left to right LTC Jonathan Watson Cadet Joseph Lombardi John Lombardi MSGT Rob McCormack Cadet Joseph Rodriguez Lt Col Terry Dickensheet Ocala Elks KOS-MOAA June Meeting

6 SUNBEAMS PAGE 6 July/August 2015 LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS (Excerpts from MOAA s updates, Copyright Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) or from other sources as cited). PAY AND BENEFITS ARE UNDER SIEGE The FY13 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) established a nine member independent commission to review all military compensation, benefits and retirement. The MCRMC spent nearly two years studying military compensation and benefits before releasing its long anticipated report in January The commission put forth 15 recommendations for Congress and the administration to consider regarding military pay and benefits. The report is separated into three sections: Pay and Retirement: At the top of the list is replacing the current 20- year cliff-vesting military retirement system with a blended defined benefit and 401k-style retirement package. The proposal would be optional for the current force, and mandatory for new service entrants. Current retirees will not be affected by recommendations. The MCRMC recommendation would allow servicemembers who don t reach the 20 year threshold to leave with a personal retirement account, but it would also create more uncertainty for the retirement benefits of those who serve a full career. Key facets of the retirement proposal include: reducing the defined benefit multiplier; automatically enrolling all servicemembers in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); and providing an automatic government contribution to TSP. Health Care: In a controversial recommendation, the MCRMC wants to eliminate TRICARE for military families and working age retirees and replace it with a selection of commercial insurance plans similar to those available for federal civilian employees. For key segments of the military community, the proposals include: Active duty families: creating a new Basic Allowance for Health Care (BAHC) to purchase commercial health care and cover most out of pocket expenses Retirees under 65 and dependents: Eliminating TRICARE options and replacing them with a number of commercial health insurance options (similar to the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program) Retirees over 65 and dependents: Keeping TRICARE For Life as-is. Quality of Life Programs: The MCRMC has a series of recommendations to change quality of life programs. Notable recommendations include consolidating the commissary and exchange systems; expanding Space-A travel benefits; and creating a four star Joint Readiness Command. The commissioners testified that their mandate was not to cut costs, or reduce compensation and retirement benefits, but to modernize the system in order to ensure the long -term viability of the all-volunteer force. It s important to note that the MCRMC put forth recommendations. At this time these recommendations are not legislative proposals. The Commission s recommendations will be heavily scrutinized by Congress as it prepares the FY 2016 budget. If enacted, these recommendations would have a profound impact on the compensation, benefits and quality of life of active, Guard and Reserve service members, retirees and their families. MOAA urges all members to stay involved and informed through our weekly legislative updates and participate in our calls to action to communicate with your members of Congress. WHO PAYS FOR YOUR SURVIVOR BENEFIT PLAN? If your answer is I do, that s only part of the story. Unlike civilian life insurance or annuities, the law requires a significant federal subsidy for Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) benefits. Retiree premiums do, in fact, cover most of the benefit cost for nondisabled retirees who spend at least 20 years on active duty, but DoD picks up the rest of the tab. For Guard and Reserve retirees, who usually don t draw retired pay until age 60 or reasonably close to that age, the DoD share of the cost is higher. In the case of members who die while on active duty or active duty for training, the Pentagon covers 100 percent of the survivor s SBP benefit. The proof of this is that, every year since 1989, the amount of SBP annuity payments to survivors has exceeded the amount of SBP premiums collected from retirees. For FY 2013, payments to survivors totaled $3.8 Service@concordprintocala.com billion vs. $1.25 billion collected in retiree premiums. Many retirees believe the government is somehow making money in those cases when a spouse pre-deceases the retiree. But in fact, every single dollar of SBP premiums paid by today s retirees goes to fund survivors benefits... and the total of the premiums falls significantly short of covering the SBP benefit cost. Unlike civilian insurance programs, SBP is a special benefit for military people who complete a career or die in service. A federal subsidy for the program is a recognition that military people pay far more for their benefits than their cash premiums. It s partial recompense for the vastly greater premiums servicemembers and their families pay in service and sacrifice over the course of an arduous career in uniform. 600 S. Magnolia Avenue Ocala, Florida (352) Fax: (352)

7 July/August 2015 STUFF THE BUS COLLECTIONS START THIS MONTH by CPT John Rose Summer is here again and our Chapter is preparing for this year s Operation Stuff The Bus. THE COLLECTION SCHEDULE July 7: Kick Off presentation, Marion County Commissioner s meeting; July 18: 9AM to 5PM: Walmart on East Silver Springs Blvd.; July 25: 9AM to 5PM: Walmart on Maricamp Road in Silver Springs Shores; August 1: 9AM to 5PM: Walmart on Hwy 200 south of On Top of the World; August 8: 9AM to 5PM: Walmart on Easy Street. We will also be doing our Super Tuesday collections. We are setting up volunteers to assist us with collection and loading. As the weather will be hot we would appreciate seeing you and your donations, but only volunteer to assist if you are able. Many of you have already performed your sweat equity. We are hoping to see some of our School Officials at our sites this year to see in person the great work we do. Since last year, we have established at KOS a Committee for Stuff The Bus consisting of Kaye & Jim Chandler, Carol Walker, Suzanne McGuire and myself who get together at the monthly KOS meetings where we discuss our Chapter s plans for Stuff The Bus which helps us keep an eye on this important program. As you probably know, the number of homeless students in need of our help continues to grow with over 2,600 expected this year. Again we thank all of you who play a part in our continued support and success of this vital project. WHERE DOES YOUR MONEY GO? Treasurer Linda Byrd received $1,490 in dues in 2014 and a similar amount this year. She wants you to know how the Board spends your money. Expenses listed are from 2014: Publications (SUNBEAMS and the membership directory) $ 960 Postage 1,060 Advertising 155 Hospitality 100 State Fees for Incorporation 61 Florida Council of Chapter Dues 85 Flag Day Essay Awards 100 Sponsor of Award at the Belleview JROTC Drill Team Competition 100 Science Fair Awards 50 MOAA Outstanding JROTC Junior Award gift cards 200 Support of Francis Marion Military Academy (FMMA) 2,000 Scholarships 1,000 Note: In 2015, KOS did not donate to FMMA. We awarded $4000 in scholarships. Linda says, We cover meal expenses with what we charge and there is a little bit left over. We fund the rest of the expenses with dues, the KOS half of 50/50 tickets, and advertisers who pay for ads in our newsletters. KOS dues are minimal and haven t gone up since I ve been treasurer. We spend only what we must to maintain the chapter. The rest goes to charitable giving. We are extremely thankful to those generous individuals who give additional money for our scholarship fund. There is also a cushion from previous donations that allows us to give generously to deserving students (as we did this year). Some charitable giving, like the $17,000 KOS donated to Stuff the Bus last year, is supported by fundraising events. If you would like to add a scholarship or charitable giving contribution when you pay your dues, the money you donate will be used only for KOS scholarships or for charitable giving.

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