Dallas Military Order News

Transcription

1 Dallas Military Order News Volume 24, No. 2 Best Large Chapter in the Nation February 2016 Dallas Chapter Staff Chapter Commander LTC Ken Boatman, USA ken3393@hotmail.com Senior Vice Commander Capt Paul Brown, USAF paul@paulbrown.com Junior Vice Commander LTC Jim Blunk, USA blunkjames@yahoo.com Adjutant LT Jim Gooch, USA jamesgooch@gmail.com Assistant Adjutant MAJ Milt Henderson, USA milthenderson@hotmail.com Treasurer MAJ Bill Coleman bill.coleman@php-agent.com Marshal Lt Col Phil Hardin, USAF phil.hardin@hotmail.com Assistant Marshal CPT Tom Garriss, USA tomgarriss@gmail.com JAG COL Tod Almquist, USA tfalmquist@sbcglobal.net Surgeon MAJ Lannie Hughes, USA hughes7220@aol.com Historian LTC Charles Alford, USA grampsalford@aol.com Chaplain CPT Weldon Estes, USA estesweldon@gmail.com Companions - This past month was a very good one for our chapter. It started with our luncheon. Col Tony Wood gave a captivating, and previously, Top Secret, presentation on his experience and duties during his last days in Vietnam in We had 82 members & guests present for his fascinating briefing. We are averaging 80 members at each luncheon. That is a record for monthly headcount. COL Tony Woods recounts the final days... I gave a Silver Patrick Henry award to Karen Plunkett at the Dallas Veterans Day Parade Awards Luncheon. Presenting awards is one of Commander's best duties. On 28 January, I represented the chapter to honor the DCPAC Officer of the Month, Senior Corporal Terrance Hopkins. We inducted 5 new members and received 5 new applications for membership. Hearing great speakers is a major attraction of our Luncheons, however, I believe the fellowship and warm Karen is the Sweetheart of the Parade Committee welcome that we give to new members is the key ingredient in our continuing growth and is reflected in the number who choose to become PERPETUAL Companions. (Commander's Comments continued on page 2) ATTENTION ALL MOWW COMPANIONS IMPORTANT REQUEST!! We are 90 DAYS into OPERATION PATRIOTIC LEADERSHIP to fund our objective of sending 75 students to the 2016 Youth Leadership Conferences. The Chapter has preliminarily reserved slots for these students and must make its final commitment by MARCH 1 st - or give up slots. We have raised only 75% of the necessary amount and need an additional $5, Do you remember when you became a Companion? You raised your right hand and pledged to continue to support the precepts of the Preamble to the Constitution of our Order, to the best of your ability, "so help me God. We will end this Campaign on March 1. We need every Companion to make their donation of some amount NOW. If you can afford to sponsor one or more students at $250 each, please do so. If you cannot, then at least make a donation in some amount. MAKE YOUR CHECK PAYABLE TO TX PEF, INC. or MOWW and send to Major Bill Coleman, 381 Casa Linda Plaza, #148, Dallas, Texas Reach into your pocket as deep as you are financially capable and make your contribution NOW. For additional information, contact Paul W. Brown, Dallas Chapter Senior Vice Commander. Dallas Chapter (069)

2 Last Month s Program, January 2016 Many were saved; many were left behind As a relatively junior field grade officer, Tony Woods was surprised to be called into the Old Man's office. Even more surprising was the order he was given: - to plan, in total secrecy, for the mass evacuation of Saigon. Had the word spread that the US Military Headquarters was formulating plans to evacuate US Embassy personnel and literally thousands of South Vietnamese who had worked closely with the Americans, historians agree the result would be wholesale panic. And, in hindsight, it was. COL Tony Wood is credited with saving thousands The fact that so many were saved is a tribute to Tony and his team of planners. The obstacles were staggering. Foremost among them was to identify the address of so many people, scattered throughout the nation's capitol. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than just talented. Tony related how a local taxi company's records resulted in recovering addresses of hundreds of US personnel. Absent these records, they would have been Left Behind. Commander's Comments (continued from p.1) One area that is critical in continued growth is for members to become involved. If you have not done it yet, try interviewing YLC students, presenting JROTC awards at a local high school, or serving on the chapter's Youth Leadership committee. We will be interviewing at over 40 local schools, YLC students learn valuable Leadership skills & put them to practice this April & May. We will send two Companions to each school. Or you might prefer visiting one of the 45 Junior ROTC programs in the area. Our Companions present MOWW medals & citations to top cadets at each school.. "Volunteers, take one step forward!" The Nominating Committee for next year s staff will meet, this month. If you are interested in serving, please check with me, or Capt Paul Brown, our incoming Commander, or Col Joe Cordina, the 2014 Commander, Ken Boatman, Dallas Chapter Commander This Month s Program, February 2016 On My Honor, I Will Do My Best... Major General Gary Bunch is the Chapter's Chairman of the BSA & GSA Scouting Committee. He is perfect for the job because he is the quintessence of what a good Scout should aspire to become. Gary has presented MOWW Eagle Scout Certificates to dozens of MG Gary Bunch awarded MOWW Eagle Scout Citations to 3 Eagles of Troop 41. Scouts, at BSA Troops throughout Dallas and the North Texas area. This year the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Council (GSNET) has announced that over 150 girls have earned the coveted Girl Scout Gold Award, the GSA equivalent of the Eagle Scout Award. This year's GSA Gold Award ceremony will take place in the Curtis Culwell Center, 4999 Naaman Forest Blvd, Garland, Texas, this MAY. You are invited. Your Dallas Chapter has been such a generous supporter of this event that the President of GSNET singles us out, each year, for praise and recognition. Joining Gary at our Luncheon this month will be several Scout Masters and a flock of young Eagles, representing the best of the best from their troops. Next Quarter s Programs Speaker Programs Just Keep Getting Better 2 Feb 16 Major General Gary Bunch, US Army To do my duty to God and my Country 1 Mar 16 Richard Fisher, Fed Reserve Bank, Dallas The Fallacy that Banks are too big to Fail" 5Apr 16 - BG David Hill, Commander, SWD, ACE "Water: our most precious resource" Dallas-MOWW on-line Visit your Chapter's website Click HERE to visit your Chapter's on-line website. Listen to Ken Boatman's welcoming message and his challenge for you to "Remember the Preamble".

3 Happy Birthday One Year Older; A Whole Lot Wiser 1 February LT COL Robert Little, Jr 2 February BG Thomas Kula 2 February MR Stephen Neumeier 3 February CPT Al Lisi, Jr 4 February COL James Vineyard 7 February MAJ Lannie Hughes 7 February MAJ GEN Harvey McCarter 7 February LT Starke Taylor, Jr 9 February LTC Edwin Dumas 9 February CAPT John Kutch 9 February 1918 LTC Anthony Tuberose 10 February MAJ William Coleman 12 February LTC Robert Dorsey 15 February MAJ Robert Pierce, Jr 16 February COL Paul Beaty 16 February COL Ken Cordier 18 February CAPT David Darelius 18 February COL Roger Neumann 19 February LTC Thomas Donnelly 19 February CAPT Richard Lethe 20 February MAJ Jessie Murray 20 February CAPT Claude Williams, Sr 25 February LT Lewis Willis 27 February BGEN J. R. Brown 28 February LT Charles Rice Dallas-MOWW in the News Texas A&M YLC Top Student Wins again Tristan Dunn, a Senior at Naaman Forest High School in Garland, was sponsored by the Dallas Chapter to attend the Youth Leadership Conference at Texas A&M, where he was selected as the Number One student. When Garland ISD heard of his accomplishment, he was awarded their "Evidence of Excellence" award. CW33 (Ch 3) featured Tristan in their "Class Act" segment which highlights student leaders. In the video clip, Tristan praised the Dallas Chapter of MOWW for giving him the opportunity to attend YLC - and demonstrate his talent. Click HERE to watch Tristan's TV interview.. Membership Fifth Blockbuster month in a row Chapter Commander Ken Boatman continues to be riding the Bonsai Pipeline wave of inductions, with 5 more new members. Four of the five have requested to join our growing Dallas Chapter as PERPETUAL Companions. Col Peter W. Malik, US Army,, will be inducted as our 508 th Perpetual Companion. Peter served for a span of 31 years, from He is now the Military Liaison for the Dallas Police Department, Special Events Division. Peter lives in Plano. His sponsor is Dallas Chapter Commander LTC Ken Boatman. Justice Lana Myers will be the chapter's 509 th Perpetual. Lana sits on the 5th District Court of Appeals. She is the daughter of Ensign Jack Sloan Rolf, US Navy. Lana and her husband, David, live in Fort Worth. She is sponsored by Colonel Joe Cordina. Mrs Gayle Westapher, will be our 510 th Perpetual. She is the daughter of Colonel (MD) Alonzo M. Donnell, Jr, US Air Force. and is currently the Asst. Director of the Coppell Family YMCA. Gayle and her husband, Geoff, live in Coppell. Her sponsor is Tracy Fisher. Amy Le Blanc, will be our 511 th Perpetual. Amy is the wife of Captain Ken Le Blanc, US Army, who has been on active duty from 2005 to the Present. Ken and Amy live in Coppell. Their sponsor is COL Ron Forest. Ron has now sponsored 32 new chapter Companions. Welcome our newest Regular Companion COL Jon Magee, US Army, became our 63 rd Regular Companion. Jon served on active duty from COL Magee received his commission upon graduation from Texas A&M University. He served from He lives on Brookhaven Club Drive, in Dallas. Jon's sponsor is Captain Allen Clark. This is Allen's 26th new Companion...

4 DALLAS COMPANION PROFILES Major Ralph Hodge, US Air Force (Ret) Major Ralph L. Hodge was born in Washington, DC. Following graduation from high school, he enlisted in the US Army and fought in the Korean War, , during which he was awarded the coveted Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Bronze Star for Valor. He also earned a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. After the war, Ralph enrolled in the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, and graduated with a BS degree in Construction Management. He later earned a Masters degree in Business Management from Central Michigan University and is a graduate of the US Command & General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, KS. Upon graduation, he was commissioned in the US Air Force and served on active duty for the next 30 years ( ). Among his many assignments, he was the Base Civil Engineer-at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.; the Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil Engineering at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO; and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil Engineering at the Alaskan Air Command, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. In addition to his combat awards (he proudly boasts of being the only US Air Force Officer with a Combat Infantryman's Badge), Ralph was the recipient of three (3) Legion of Merit Medals; two (2) Air Force Commendation Medals; as well as a Bronze Star Medal, for Meritorious Service. Following his retirement from the US Air Force, Ralph became the President and Owner of AFA Construction Group, a heavy civil construction firm. Ralph is a widower, having lost his beloved wife, several years ago. He currently lives a well-earned life of leisure in McKinney, Texas. 1 st LT Tommie R. Williams, US Marine Corps Lieutenant Tommie Williams was born in Shreveport, LA, and grew up in Jefferson, TX. He attended North Texas State University and graduated with a Bachelor s Degree in Biology. After graduation, Tommie completed the USMC Officers Candidate School in Quantico, VA, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. He completed Infantry Basic training at Quantico and specialty training as an Air Support Control Officer at Twenty Nine Palms, CA. After completing MOS training, he was assigned to Marine Air Support Squadron 3 (MASS-3) in Orange County, CA. While serving on active duty, he completed courses at Pepperdine University and received a Master s Degree in Human Resources Management. After active duty in the Marine Corps, Tommie spent 22 years in Supply Chain Management, 12 of which were with McDonald s Corporation, in both domestic and international assignments. A highlight of his career came when McDonald s assigned him responsibility for Logistics & Supply Chain Management for a zone that included the Middle East and Eastern Europe. During his tenure in this position, he traveled extensively throughout the zone and contributed to opening of the company s first restaurants in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Egypt and Dubai. He was then promoted to Director of Logistics, and later to Senior Director of Supply Chain Management for the Northeast Division of the company. He resigned from McDonald s to pursue his goal of entrepreneurship. He invested in a Miller Coors distributorship, in Oklahoma City, and is, currently, co-owner of the business. Tommie and his wife, Velisse, and their three children, live in Frisco.

5 YOUR DALLAS CHAPTER SUPPORTS THE DALLAS VETERANS DAY PARADE. King Moss, Chairman of the 2015 Dallas Veterans Day Parade, presented Certificates of Appreciation to eight of his Parade Committee Chairmen, during the annual Awards Luncheon at Frontiers of Flight Museum, 21 Jan 16. Note: All of the men pictured above are Companions of the Dallas Chapter, except Col. Jim Wolfe (who is a Companion in the North Texas Chapter, in Richardson). Left to Right: LTC Don Munson, Capt Bob Dickson, CDR Nick Harper, COL Jim Wolfe, COL Ron Forest, Col Ken Cordier, LTC Walt Capps, Parade Chairman LTC King Moss, and Brigadier General Larry Patterson. YOUR DALLAS CHAPTER INDUCTED FIVE NEW COMPANIONS AND RECOGNIZED DISD'S TOP CADET l to r, Maj Jeff Hauser, LT(jg) Win Padgett, & CPT Fred Aurbach, seen with their sponsors, Capt Paul Brown & LTC Don Munson. (missing: Jeff's sponsor, Capt Dave Darelius) l to r, COL Ralph Hodge, USAF, COL Ron Forest, & LT Tommie Williams, USMC. (Ron Forest was the sponsor for both of these distinguished former officers) Jr Vice Cdr & ROTC Chairman, LTC Jim Blunk (right) presents a special Plaque to Cadet Colonel Shelli Sierra, DISD Brigade Commander (& her Senior Army Instructor)

6 The Dallas Military Order of the World Wars The Chaplain s Corner Chaplain (Capt.) Dr. Weldon Estes "One of these Days" Sometimes we live as though the temporal concerns of life will last forever. But One of these days the plans we have to make, schedules to work out, finances, work, how to handle this and manage that, the bridge we crossed before we got to it, all will be over. What will matter then will be how things stand between us and God. One of these days all restless nights of worry, all of the grief that dims our days, all the regrets that plague our memories, all the blunders and mistakes, the aches and pains, the hurts and slights that once loomed so big -- all will be forgotten, for the former things will have passed away and shall not come to mind. If One of these days God will be all that matters, why not live that way today? Our Savior lived that way and He would have us follow His steps. Someone has said that Paul's calendar listed only two days! Today and That Day. Let us live Today in the light of That Day Basilwood Drive Coppell, TX Address Service Requested To Bring a Guest!! Texland Printing, , P.O. Box , Carrollton, Texas 75011