Halifax Area Chapter - Military Officers Association of America P.O. Box 2093, Daytona Beach, Florida

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1 Halifax Area Chapter - Military Officers Association of America P.O. Box 2093, Daytona Beach, Florida Halifax.MOAA.Chapter@gmail.com OFFICERS CALL Volume 26 No.5 May 2014 Chapter Officers PRESIDENT COL Victoria Leignadier USA (Ret.) FIRST VICE PRESIDENT / TREASURER CAPT. Mark Leary, USN (Ret.) SECOND VICE PRESIDENT LTC Terry Mularkey, USA (Ret) SECRETARY Gloria Keay USN (Aux) CHAPLAIN Vacant DIRECTOR Maj. James Bannerman USAF (Ret.) CDR Janet Marnane USN (Ret.) Maj Don Amiotte, USMC (Ret) IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT COL Ronald Giampietro, USAF (Ret) MEDICAL LIAISON CAPT. George G. Telesh, M.D. USN (Ret), LEGISLATIVE LIAISON CDR JanetMarnane, USN (Ret.) VCVC Representative COL Victoria Leignadier USA (Ret.) ROTC LIAISON CDR Mike Marnane USN (Ret.) Col Ronald L. Giampietro, USAF (Ret.) Col Skip Keating, USA (Ret.) PUBLIC AFFAIRS CAPT. Mark Leary, USN (Ret.) TRANSITION LIAISON Col. John L. Jones USA (Ret) OFFICER S CALL EDITOR / PUBLISHER MAJ Jim Bannerman, USAF (Ret.) AWARDS COMMITTEE Col. Joan Campanaro USA (Ret.) LTC. Janet Stoffel USA (Ret.) PERSONAL AFFAIRS/BENEFITS CAPT. Mary McLendon USN (Ret) PROGRAM CHAIR MEMBERSHIP CHAIR Vacant Vacant President s Message COL Victoria Leignadier USA (Ret.) I ve been reading a lot lately about the challenges and opportunities in the areas of service, advocacy and volunteerism. We are in a constant state of flux and MOAA members play a critical role in this dynamic climate whether at the local level by pushing for in state tuition for veterans in Florida to nationally reversing the COLA cap for retirees. We are looking at other ways for our members to be involved so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming articles. I am happy to report that our Officers Call received an award for last year. Our legislative updates won for best updates from MOAA. Congratulations to Bill Knehans and Janet Marnane. Also our recruiting brochure won for best recruiting brochure. We had an article in last month s Officers Call that raised some concerns. While we encourage our members to submit articles it should be remembered that the author has the responsibility to ensure correctness of the facts. We would like to be able to review in detail every article but we are not manned to do in-depth reviews. Articles, particularly those written in the first person, are the product and opinion of the author and do not carry any endorsement by MOAA, our Chapter or the editor. If a reader disagrees with the facts or opinions expressed what a great opportunity to write a letter to the editor expressing those concerns. See the editors note on page 9 for details. This is the last Officers Call until our summer baseball addition (18 June). Don t forget that although we don t meet during the summer our Bagels and Bingo at the VA Nursing Home and Coffee and Donuts at the VA Clinic continue so if you stay in town please join us. My sincere thanks to all our volunteers, you are doing a great job. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming volunteer opportunities. I hope you all enjoy the summer.

2 Leglestative Report CDR JanetMarnane, USN (Ret.) Let s face it; the United States is in a debt crisis of epic proportions, so bad that it s hard to decide what issue to tackle regarding military issues without sounding like every other special interest group who wants the deficit reduced, but not by stealing from their rice bowl as we always called it in budget discussions at the Naval War College. So when we look at military health care, especially for retirees, there are hard choices to make. What are the options for the government? Raise copays, cut payments to doctors, or, in the case of the current VA scandal, apparently just refuse to treat veterans in a timely fashion, hoping they will go away. Well, death certainly makes them go away. While retirees do have some options because of Tricare, many vets rely on the VA for all their health care. When that health care is no longer made available, a sacred trust has been broken between the government and those who suffered to keep it, and the country it serves, free. There is a suggested on the MOAA webpage, which urges your elected officials to fix the 1 April 24% fee cut to doctors accepting Medicare and Tricare. While I searched in vain to see what actually happened on 1 April, I did find two bills of interest. One has already passed in the House (HR 4015), but the Senate bill, S.2000, is apparently still in the finance committee. Both these bills repeal the current formula for figuring out compensation to doctors called the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). Patches to the current system has already cost over $164 billion, according to fixmedicarenow. org, not to mention the uncertainty it causes in the system. Another site which tracks Congressional action gave the Senate bill, which is identical to the already passed House bill, a 2% chance of making it out of committee. While there is nothing in either bill that specifically mentions Tricare, the SGR has been used to determine physician reimbursements for many years. It appears options for medical care are becoming less available, and less attractive, for military vets and retirees. Thanks to cuts in the Tricare Prime program, I now see a doctor in Orange City instead of Ormond Beach. I tried getting an appointment for my husband at the local VA clinic to follow up from an extended hospital/skilled nursing facility stay, and was told the first available appointment was August! A four month wait. I don t have answers, or even suggestions, except that all MOAA members need to become well-informed about these matters, and actively participate in the legislative process. The minimum is exercising the right to vote, but contacting members of Congress, especially in an election year, becomes even more crucial. The picture in the local newspaper of a doubleamputee getting a tandem parachute jump as part of a Wounded Warriors weekend should be all it takes to gain recognition for what our military does. Another recent edition showed the picture of a Deltona native who was killed in Afghanistan. What does this country owe to those willing to lose their life or become permanently altered in service to it? Another broken promise? The MOAA team entertains residents of the Emory L Bennett Veterans Nursing Home, with Bagles and Bingo, at 10:00 AM the first Monday each month. Please come out and join us. Call Skip Keating ( ) for more inforamtion Page 2

3 Comrades in Arms Several years ago the Chapter started a program to collect member biographies that could be displayed in a binder and shared with each other at our regular membership gatherings. Currently we have 175 members but only 21 biographies. Undaunted by the lackluster response, we blame the messenger not the message, and would like to try again. I can think of four reasons for us to undertake this individual effort: 1) Our service life is part of our life story and is of interest to others; 2) Part of our Chapter mission is to facilitate camaraderie among our members, and individual biographies contribute to that effort; 3) The accumulated knowledge base of service assignments will aid in our ability to explore speaking opportunities and veterans in the classroom programs; 4) The information relative to current work and volunteer status in the community can become the basis for networking activities and assist our fellow officers in transitional status. The hardest part is getting started, but no one else can do it for us. The template below provides a helpful outline, but you are free to tell your story your way. If you (or your spouse) need help in organizing, recording and typing the biography you can call me at or me at rgiampietro@cfl.rr.com and I ll be glad to assist. I believe you will reflect on your past with renewed pride and feel a sense of accomplishment when you participate in this project. Thank you. Ron Giampietro BIOGRAPHY TEMPLATE BRANCH OF SERVICE(S), INCLUSIVE DATES OF SERVICE, RANK HELD AT TIME OF SEPARATION DATE AND SOURCE OF COMMISSION (If prior enlisted, rank at time of commissioning) CHRONILOGICAL LIST OF ASSIGNMENTS (For us Air Force types, spell out the meaning of the acronyms and describe the fancy duty titles SERVICE AWARDS RECEIVED A SUMMARY OF YOUR LIFE AFTER SERVICE (Similar to a resume of jobs and professional activities). EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS PROFESSIONAL/COMMUNITY AWARDS/ RECOGNITION RECEIVED CURRENT WORK/FAMILY/RESIDENCE STATUS AND COMMUNITY/PROFESSIONAL/LIESURE INTERESTS Page 3 ********************************* TRICARE Pharmacy Contract Extended MOAA Legislative Update April 25, 2014 DoD announced on April 18 that Express Scripts won an extension to its TRICARE Pharmacy contract. The contract can be renewed annually for an additional seven years, and could be worth up to $5.4 billion. Express Scripts who has managed the TRICARE pharmacy contract since 2003 provides pharmacy services for active duty servicemembers, retirees, and their families. A key component of the Express Scripts contract is the mail-order pharmacy benefit, which has grown in size over the years, and will continue to grow through a pilot program that began in March. Express Scripts processed more than 4.3 million mail-order prescriptions for TRICARE beneficiaries in FY 2012, and a DoD Inspector General report found it to be more accurate than retail pharmacies. Promoting use of the mail-order pharmacy is one example of MOAA supporting efforts to boost budget savings without penalizing beneficiaries. MOAA will continue to work closely with our contacts at Express Scripts to ensure that the pharmaceutical needs of TRICARE beneficiaries are being satisfied.

4 New Member Spotlight Robert O. Barker Esq. Bob Barker is a Life member of MOAA, the Navy League, and American Legion. His grandfather was a retired as a Brigadier General, his Dad served in the Army Air Force and he has two Uncles who flew P-38s. He graduated from Michigan State University where he played football and was on the swim team. He received his commission through the ROTC program and served as a Plane Captain on a TBM in the VA-60 Squadron on the USS Cabot. He also served as a Navy Physical Training & Swimming Instructor at Great Lakes, where he played on the Base Football & Swimming teams. His civilian life included being the CEO of BARKER PR/MARKETING CONSULTANTS, Inc., Licensed CAM/Realtor of nine Daytona area Condos and two Timeshares. He retired from The National Association of Manufacturers, as a Federal level Lobbyist. He still practices Law, as a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator, 7th Circuit District. He is an active Volunteer & Professor Emeritus at Daytona State College where he taught for 12 years. He still mentors DSC student/athletes and offers $500- scholarships. He is the recipient of two distinguished DSC Faculty Awards. Stan Brittingham CDR USN (Ret.) Stan graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned an Ensign in June He served on three destroyers: the David W. Taylor (DD551), the O Hare (DDR889) and the Hunt (DD674). He served on three battleships; The Alabama (BB60), the New Jersey (BB62) and the Missouri (BB64). He participated in the initial occupation of Japan at Yokasuka, Tokyo Bay in August He retired from the Navy in 1965 after serving as Staff Commander Naval Forces, Europe, London England POI. After retirement he attended post graduate school at Penn State University receiving a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering, and Perdue University earning a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering. He taught electronics, mathematics and computer science at Daytona State College from 1966 through He and his lovely wife Alice live in Daytona Beach and have three daughters, Marion, Susan, and Holly. He has never given up his love of the sea and has made three trips around the world on the MS Amsterdam. New Member Spotlight continued on page 5 Page 4

5 New Member Spotlight (continued) Bill Rankin I attended high school in Philadelphia, PA, and graduated in June 1945 and was immediately sworn into the Navy V-5 (aviation program). I was stationed at Macon, GA,Antlanta, GA, Dallas, TX, Ottumwa,Iowa, Pensacola, FL, and received my wings of Gold September 1948 at Corpus Christi, TX. I attended Fleet electronic school at San Diego,and then traveled to Saipan to join VP-46, flying Martin PBM-5 seaplanes. I was then deployed yokosuka Japan, Tsingtao,China, Okinawa, Hong Kong, Sangley Point South of Manila eventually back to Saipan while doing ASW exercises, search and rescue, transporting personel and delivering supplies and mail to Naval units in the Western Pacific. The squadron returned to San Diego in As a result of the military downsizing, (sound familiar?) my group that had been designated flying Midshipmen during training and prior to commissioning, suffered heavy attrition via discharge, prior to the Korean ( Korean police action). When recall was not initiated I completed my schooling and received a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Miami. I joined Pan American Grace Airways (Panagra) as a DC-3 co-pilot,living in Lima, Peru and flying routes from Lima to Panama, Santiago, and Santa Cruz, Bolivia. After a year of flying we experienced a furlough and returned to Miami. I was subsequently hired by United Airlines and flew for 33 years, prior to retirement. Bases included Denver, New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. and included Convair 340 s, DC-6, DC7, Boing 720, DC-8, Boeing 727 and DC-10 aircraft.. My wife and I recently moved from our 40 year residence on a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay to a community near Valley Forge, PA. We are card carrying snowbirds living in the Spruce Creek Fly in during the Winter months. I enjoyed the luncheons I attended and look forward to the Winter of 2015 to rejoin the Halifax chapter of MOAA. This space reserved for your letters, articles or stories. See the Editors note on page 8 for submission guidelines. Plan to attend the MOAA picnic at the ball park on JUne 18. See page 11 for details Page 5

6 10 April 2014 Letter to the Editor I was humbled and honored today to receive the LTC Harry A. Kinney Scholarship Award. I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to you and the MOAA for your generous award. I will strive to have a career in the Army worthy of this recognition. Very Respectfully, Hunter Locke C/LTC, ERAU Army ROTC ******************** Charitable Donations for April: Steve Maas Hal Butts Wade Fowler John & Bobbie DiMuro Genevieve Larsen Bill & Isabelle King Paul & Mary-Jo Bilzor Joe & Dorothy Favaloro 980 International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL Scholarship Donations for April: Mark & Paula Leary Chuck Murphy Ed Kufeldt Ms. Dorothy Jaglowski All 50/50 Contributor The MOAA team serves coffee and donuts to veterans at the V.A. Clinic on Dunn Ave. at 8:00 AM the fourth Wednesday each month. Please come out and join us. Call Ron Giampietro for information. Page 6

7 ERAU AWARDS US ARMY ROTC (Presenter: COL Skip Keating) The Spring Awards Ceremony, held on April 10, 2014 Challenger Award: Cadet Thomas Wheatley Scholarship Awards: Daniel Redner award: Cadet Andres Guerrero ($250) presented by Louise Redner Harry Kinney Award Cadet Hunter Locke ($1400) Cadet Patrick Lydon ($400) MOAA Medal: Cadet Gretchen Krantz 2. US NAVY ROTC (Presenter: CAPT Mark Leary) The Spring Awards Ceremony, held on April 17, 2014 Challenger Award: MIDN 1/C Russell Maloney Scholarship Award: MIDN 3/C Tyler Bryant ($400) MOAA Medal: MIDN2/C Bradley Leonardi 3. US AIR FORCE ROTC: (Presenter: COL Ron Giampietro) The Spring Awards Ceremony, held on April 15, 2014 Page 7 The MOAA Medal

8 Naval ROTC Battilion assembled for the Awards Ceremony Cadet Robert Grochalski, LTC Ronald Roberts, and Cadet Ryan Jan Cadets Julia Frassettio, Mathew Webster and Captain Alexander Corby Our Guests at the ROTC Dinner on April 24. If you were not there you missed a great night. Midshipmen Roy Zarefoss, Russsell Maloney and CAPT. Randy Lynch Page 8

9 The New Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) CAPT Mary McLendon, US Navy (Ret) The US Veterans Affairs Department will replace millions of ID cards for veterans who use the Veterans Health Administration system for medical care. The VA will mail the new cards to current holders of the Veteran ID card starting in April. The VHIC will feature updated security measures and will not contain the holder s Social Security number or date of birth. The new Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) provides: Increased security of your personal information - no personally identifiable information is contained on the magnetic stripe or barcode. A salute to your military service the emblem of your latest branch of service is displayed on your card. Several special awards will also be listed. The VHIC replaces the Veteran Identification Card (VIC) and will be issued only to Veterans who are already enrolled in the VA health care system. The purpose of the VHIC is for identification and checkin at any VA appointments. It cannot be used as a credit card or an insurance card and it does not authorize or pay for care at non-va facilities. Important!! Veterans who are already enrolled should ensure their address on file with the VA is correct. To update or to confirm your address, please call VETS (8387). If you are not currently enrolled with the VA for your health care and desire to do so, you are encouraged to apply for enrollment online at BENEFITS/apply or by calling VETS (8387). You may also apply for enrollment in person at your local VA medical facility. The VA wants Veterans to have a Veteran Health Identification Card that protects their personal information. Until Veterans receive the new, more secure VHIC, Veterans are encouraged to safeguard their old VIC, just like they would a regular credit card, to prevent unauthorized access to their identity information. If your VHIC is lost or stolen, contact the VA Medical Facility where your picture was taken to request a new card be re-issued, or call the VA at VETS (8387). You will be asked certain personal information questions to ensure proper identification. Editors Note As noted in the Presidents Message, we had an article in last months Officers Call that raised some concerns. While we encourage our members to submit articles it should be remembered that MOAA and the Halifax Chapter have no responsibility for the correctness of the facts or the opinions expressed in the articles. Those articles, particularly those written in the first person, are the product and opinion of the author and do not carry any endorsement by MOAA or our Chapter. If a reader disagrees with the facts or opinions expressed; What a great opportunity to write a letter to the editor expressing the concerns. Articles are best sent to me via at: Jimmybannerman@cfl.rr.com. I prefer MS Word format but can accept any format. I prefer pictures in JPEG format but once again can accept them in almost any format. If you are notb able to use the internet you can always mail mateials to me at: Jim Bannerman 761 Marina Point Dr. Daytona Beach, FL Page 9

10 Constitution 101 by Chris and Carol Corbin Jones How well do you know the Constitution? If you want a meaningful and enjoyable learning experience, try the free, online course, Constitution 101 The Meaning And History Of The Constitution, offered by Hillsdale College. One can look over and sign up for the ten lecture program at The course features a new lecture every week, presented by the same professors who teach Constitution in regular course work. The President of Hillsdale, Dr. Larry P. Arnn is one of the lecturers. The course from 2012 had hundreds of thousands participants. The updated 2014 course began in February, but the entire course can still be taken. You can register online and sign up to get the companion text, which Hillsdale created directly from over 100 primary source documents. Hillsdale also offers a myriad of free courses. They include, History 101- The History of Western Heritage - from the book of Genesis to John Locke. Also,offered is a companion course of the Constitution course, History 102 American Heritage from colonial settlement to the Reagan Revolution. Hillsdale College was founded 1844 in Michigan and was the first college in the United States to establish a charter that prohibited discrimination due to race, gender or national origin. Today, they have over 1,400 undergraduate students and maintain a 10: 1 student faculty ratio. In the 1970s the federal government tried to impose quotas on the college, even though Hillsdale far exceeded any quota. Hillsdale protested and fought the interference in the courts until the 1990s. The Supreme Court ruled that if the college accepted any federal aid, the federal government could direct any controls they deem necessary. The college decided to curtail accepting any federal aid including federal student loans. Through private funding, they offer extensive need based financial aid and work study programs. As such, they are producing well informed graduates without heavy levels of debt. COLAs and Military Retired Pay MOAA Web site April 18, 2014 Issue: Government retired pay promises must be kept, including annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to prevent erosion of retirees purchasing power by inflation. Background: Despite previous prospective changes that reduced future retired pay value by 25% since 1980, and subsequent retention problems that led Congress to repeal those changes in 1999, some government and private sector critics continue to allege the military retirement system is overly generous. During the 1990 s, legislators proposed or enacted multiple changes or delays in annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), singling out retired servicemembers for discriminatory COLA penalties. Too often, critics wrongly equate federal retirement compensation--earned by decades of selfless service and sacrifice--with unearned federal welfare programs. Civilian retirement standards don t apply to the military, which entails far more arduous service conditions: 20 to 30 years of hazardous duty, frequent moves, extended family separations, overseas service, long hours of overtime without extra pay, forfeiture of many personal freedoms most civilians take for granted, and an upor-out promotion system. The vast majority of military members face forced departure from service before age 50, with no vesting before 20 years. Retaining a highquality career force over the long term requires a strong reciprocal commitment between member and service. Retired pay increases, provided for in statute since 1871, are part of the commitment. Since 1963, COLAs have been tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a Bureau of Statistics metric that measures changes in inflation. Without COLA protection, inflation would erode nearly half of real retired pay value for a 20-year retiree by age 62. The 2009 COLA, announced in October 2008, was an incredible 5.8% for most recipients of military retired pay, VA disability compensation, Survivor benefit Plan annuities, Social Security, and other federal annuity programs. However, inflation in 2009, 2010 and 2011 (when compared to the 2008 baseline) actually declined providing no COLA for 2010, 2011 and A quick reminder: the law doesn t allow a negative COLA. Modest COLAs of less than 2% followed in 2013 and Page 10

11 MOAA Picnic Night at the Ball Park Daytona Cubs vs Tampa Yankees. Wednesday, June 18, 2014 Radiology Associates Field at the Jackey Robinson Ballpark Picnic Menu: Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Pulled Pork, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Green Salad, Peanuts and soft Drinks. All you care to eat!! Picnic: 5:30 to 7:30. First pitch 7:05 $18.00 per person. Payment deadline Monday, June 16. You may pick up your tickets at any gate the night of the game. Mail Check to: CAPT. Mark Leary, USN (Ret) 100 Centennial Park Drive Daytona Beach, FL call or Name: May Luncheon Meeting May 22, 2014 Halifax River Yacht Club 1100 hrs. Social Noon: Luncheon Summer Salad with grilled Chicken Garden Salad with Ham Steak # # All entries served with salad, vegtables, drink and desert Total $20.00 per person Charitable Donation $ $ Total $ Deadline for Reservations: May 19, 2014 Make Checks Payable to: Halifax Chapter MOAA Mail Check to: CAPT. Mark Leary, USN (Ret) 100 Centennial Park Drive Daytona Beach, FL call or learymm4@gmail.com Page 11

12 Halifax Area Chapter Military Officers Association of America P.O. Box 2093 Daytona Beach, Florida, Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Daytona Beach, FL. Permit No. 169 Please check your membership expiration date on the mailing label above. To renew your membership mail a check for $15 for one year, $28 for two years or $39 for three years to: Halifax Area Chapter MOAA, P.O. Box 2093, Daytona Beach,FL Officers Call Page 12 May 2014 Looking Ahead MOAA Picnic Night at the Ball Park Wednesday June 18, 2014 See details on page 11 First Tuesday Each Month MOAA Board meeting Halifax River Yacht Club 1000hrs Fourth WednesdayEach Month Coffee & Doughnuts VA Clinic, 0800hrs. Call: Ron Giampietro First Monday Each Month Bagels & Bingo Bennett VA Nursing Home 1000hrs. Call: Skip Keating