The Bulletin. Silicon Valley Chapter. Luncheon 21 June 2018

Transcription

1 Silicon Valley Chapter Military Officers Association of America The Bulletin Volume XV Issue 6 June 2018 JUNE LUNCHEON SPEAKER O n July 17, 1948 one of the many airlift pilots flying into Berlin Tempelhof Airport walked over to a crowd of children who had gathered at the end of the runway to watch the aircraft. He introduced himself and they started to ask him questions about the aircraft and their flights. As a goodwill gesture, he handed out his only two sticks of Wrigley's Doublemint Gum. The next day, on his approach to Berlin, he rocked the aircraft and dropped some chocolate bars attached to a handkerchief parachute to the children waiting below. Every day after that the number of children increased and he made several more drops. Colonel Gail Seymour "Hal" Halvorsen is a retired officer and command pilot in the United States Air Force. He is best known as the "Berlin Candy Bomber or "Uncle Wiggly Wings" and gained fame for dropping candy to German children during the Berlin airlift from 1948 to Cont'd pg 3 Luncheon 21 June 2018 Gisela Zebroski The Berlin Airlift Social Hour: 11:00 AM Luncheon: 11:45 AM Luncheon is $26.00 See Back Page for Reservations Form and Directions CALENDAR OF EVENTS 7 June Board Meeting 10:30 AM 21 June Luncheon 11:00 AM 5 July Board Meeting 10:30 AM 19 July Luncheon 11:00 AM

2 PRESIDENT S PERSPECTIVE Hi All We celebrated National Poppy Day on May 25. Its origin dates back to World War I. Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D., wrote a poem, In Flanders Fields, while serving on the front lines. OFFICERS, BOARD, AND CHAIRS PRESIDENT:Cpt Charles McDougald USA st VP: LDCR J.C. Burns USN nd VP: Vacant Secretary: COL Warren Enos AUS Treasurer: CAPT Keith Ott USN Past President: CAPT Gil Borgardt USN DIRECTORS & COMMITTEE CHAIRS CALMOAA CAPT Gil Borgardt USN Chaplain Col Don Bradley USAF Chapter Outreach CWO5 Robert Landgraf USMC Commissary/Exchange Advisory CDR Ralph Hunt USN Friends-in-Need (FIN) Program CDR Al Mouns USN Navy League Liaison LCDR Tom Winant USN Membership/Recruitment VACANT Personal Affairs CAPT Robert French USN Programs CDR Ralph Hunt USN ROTC CWO4 Patrick Clark USA Surviving Spouse Liason LtCol Charlene Lee USA Scholarship LtCol Charles Curran USAF Capt Gio Picazo USAF CAPT Paul Barrish USN Travel (Space-A Advisory) vacant Veteran Affairs LtCol Neil Miles USAF Web Master LtCol Mike Sampognaro USAF Sergeant at Arms Capt Chris Kachulis USAF Strategic Planning Capt David Down ARNG Legislation LtCol Neil Miles USAF The Chapter Board meets at the Moffett Air Traffic Control Tower, Moffett Federal Airfield DIRECTORS EMERITUS LtCol. Jesse Craddock USAF CAPT Lloyd McBeth USN RETIREE ACTIVITIES OFFICE (RAO) Bldg 587 on Wescoat Court, Bulletin Editor LtCol. Mike Sampognaro, USAF mike@sampognaro.net In Flanders Fields In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row. That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. On September 27, 1920, the poppy became the official flower of the American Legion to honor our soldiers who fought and died during the Great War. In 1924, the distribution of poppies became a national program of the American Legion. They asked Congress to designate the Friday before Memorial Day as National Poppy Day, May 28 is Memorial Day, or Decoration Day, as it was first known. Its origin is unclear. The custom of honoring our absent warriors by cleaning cemeteries and decorating graves dates back to the Civil War. It became a national holiday in 1971, and it is now celebrated on the last Monday in May. I salute all of you. NEVER STOP SERVING CHUCK WELCOME NEW MEMBERS CAPT John Hassenplug USN In Memorium Jack Speciale, CDR, US Navy Retired Sept 27, August 25, 2008 (see pg 14) Capt Norman O. Flisram, USAF Retired June 2, April 29,

3 JUNE LUNCHEON cont'd children increased then lieutenant Halvorsen made several more drops. Soon, there was a stack of mail in Base Ops addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings", "The Chocolate Uncle" and "The Chocolate Flier". His commanding officer was upset when the story appeared in the news, but when Maj. Gen. William H. Tunner, the operation s commander, heard about it, he approved of the gesture and immediately expanded it into "Operation Little Vittles". Other pilots participated, and when news reached the US, children all over the country sent in their own candy to help out. Soon, major candy manufacturers joined in. In the end, over twenty three tons of candy was Clay (General Lucius D, Clay, American Military Governor in Germany and Commanding General of the American forces in Europe) gave the order to launch Operation Vittles. The next day 32 C-47s lifted off for Berlin hauling 80 tons of cargo, including milk, flour, and medicine. The first British aircraft flew on 28 June. At that time, the airlift was expected to last three weeks. By 1 July, the system was getting under way. C -54s were starting to arrive in quantity, and Rhein- Main Air Base became exclusively a C-54 hub, while Wiesbaden retained a mix of C-54s and C -47s. Aircraft flew northeast through the American air corridor into Tempelhof Airport, then returned due west flying out on through the British air corridor. After reaching the British Zone, they turned south to return to their bases. The Berlin Airlift dropped on Berlin, and the "operation" became a major propaganda success. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutsche mark from West Berlin. In response, the Western Allies organized the Berlin airlift (26 June September 1949) to carry supplies to the people of West Berlin, a difficult feat given the size of the city's population. Aircrews from the United States Air Force, the British Royal Air Force, the French Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the South African Air Force flew over 200,000 flights in one year, providing to the West Berliners up to 8,893 tons of necessities each day, such as fuel and food. The Soviets did not disrupt the airlift for fear this might lead to open conflict. On 24 June 1948 General Curtis LeMay appointed Brigadier General Joseph Smith, headquarters commandant for USAFE at Camp Lindsey, as the Provisional Task Force Commander of the airlift. Smith had been chief of staff in LeMay's B-29 command in India during World War II and had no airlift experience. On 25 June 1948 Approaches into Tempelhof, Berlin By the spring of 1949, the airlift was clearly succeeding, and by April it was delivering more cargo than had previously been transported into the city by rail. On 12 May 1949, the USSR lifted the blockade of West Berlin. The Berlin Blockade served to highlight the competing ideological and economic visions for postwar Europe. The chapter s June luncheon speaker will be Ms Gisela Zebroski, an eyewitness to the Berlin Airlift, and she will provide an illustrated presentation about one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. In 1939, when WWII broke, Gisela s privileged childhood came to an abrupt end. The cont'd pg 4-3 -

4 Soviet Union took over Latvia, the country of her birth. Her parents fled to Germany and were settled in Poland. In 1945, as the Red Army approached, the family fled west, to Germany. The author s father fell in battle. Her mother and four siblings landed in Austria where they found safety from the war zone. The family spent the post war years in Germany. At 19 Gisela emigrated to California where she married an American scientist who inspired her to attend college. She graduated with a degree in psychology and languages. Her novels, The Baroness and Mephisto Waltz reveal the world of her past, a Baltic German without a homeland. Her memoir, Selfie Sideways, completes the trilogy of 100 Years of Fortitude. SOURCE: Luncheon Speaker MAY LUNCHEON SPEAKER REPORT F or as long as there have been illegal goods, there have been those trying to sneak them past authorities; however, the Department of Homeland Security detects and systematically dismantles vast smuggling empires. There are so many stories how agents have been curbing the flow of kilos of Caribbean narcotics, permanently grounding a gang of human drug mules, and conducting Operation Hidden Idol: Stopping the raiders of other people s lost art. The chapter s May luncheon meeting speaker was Mr. Jeffrey Brannigan, Supervisory Special Agent, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the criminal investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Jose. He provided an illustrated presentation about how special agents/criminal investigators conduct criminal and civil investigations involving national security threats, terrorism, drug smuggling, child exploitation, human trafficking, illegal arms export, financial crimes, identity fraud, benefit fraud, commercial fraud and more. The focus was on international organized crime but specifically smuggling threats. Confronting smugglers on the Rio Grande A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that, Hundreds of technology firms raising money in the fevered market for cryptocurrencies are using deceptive or even fraudulent tactics to lure investors. After a brief description of organizational structure, Mr. Brannigan summarized the categories of international crime investigated, including Trade (commercial trade, fraud, export enforcement); Travel (human smuggling, anti-gang activities, migrant document fraud); and Finance (money laundering, finance crimes, cybercrimes, cont'd pg 5-4 -

5 workforce enforcement). The biggest concern is smuggling in its many forms including general smuggling, human trafficking, and child exploitation as examples, impacting all areas of national security. Investigators make arrest It has been reported that North Korea s hackers are now dangerously good; over the past 18 months the nation s fingerprints have appeared in an increasing number of cyberattacks, with skill levels rising and targets becoming more worrisome. Organizations are impacted by international smuggling operations in a number of ways including exposure to criminal and civil liability; delayed delivery of legitimate goods and services, supply chain exposure and vulnerabilities, and damage to reputations. Of special interest to investigators is unlawful proliferation of sensitive U.S. technology, with the most important being nuclear and military encryption. Red flag indicators of proliferation include payments in cash, a customer s willingness to pay much more than the current market value, and a refusal to disclose the intended end use of an item. On the basis that Washington wants people to know what a crypto currency scam looks like, regulators made one up recently by establishing a website that touts a fake initial coin offering. Mr. Brannigan described some of the tactics employed by criminal organizations including hacking, opensource information gathering, employee solicitations, so-called dumpster diving, requests for technical specifications, electronic surveillance of employees, and company visits. He provided a major example in trade-based money laundering, offering red flag indicators, including payments, wire transfers, and use of checks made by unrelated third parties; false reports such as commodity misclassifications; items don t match the business involved; the use of unusual shipping routes; double invoicing; and the use of inconsistent packaging. Smuggling operations are likely to increase in number and impact as we go into the future, Brannigan noted. Mr. Brannigan said that a Question and Answer (Q&A) period could be more valuable than a formal presentation and on that basis invited participation, (1) what are some of the most conspicuous cybercrime activities across the internet? Child pornography on line is extensive today; (2) tell more about cryptocurrency crime. It s a complex, technical thing with difficulty safeguarding Bitcoin transactions with appropriate documentation, an environment of wildly fluctuating values, and for example, the ease of stealing a so-called Bitcoin wallet; (3) What role does the U.S. Coast Guard play in all this? It s organizationally part of Homeland Security and is involved with customs and border protection, for example with cutters making anti-drug interdiction patrols on the high seas; (4) How is it possible to enforce smuggling regulations with so many small packages coming in, particularly from Asia? The resources are limited but efforts are made to police the borders and particularly UPS and other shipping company hubs; (5) What is a special agent? The Homeland Security Investigations definition is criminal investigator. Beware! Fake Ethereum Wallet App Spotted Mr. Brannigan said, There are lots of really bad people out there and yet there are plenty of good people, too. There is no shortage of work for us at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). SOURCE: Luncheon Speaker - 5 -

6 Free Webcast: Understanding Your Options with VA Burial Benefits Thursday, June 7, :00 p.m. Eastern MOAA invites you to join our Veteran and Survivor Services experts for a free webinar that will discuss the options on burial benefits along with allowances available for eligible Veterans and their loved ones. What we ll cover: Preparing for and scheduling a burial Military funeral honors Burial allowance Additional burial benefits Current eligibility requirements for the Arlington National Cemetery Unable to attend? That s not a problem. Register for the webinar now and we ll send you a link to the recording that will include the question and answer session. Register here. meeting=1u1nzvecan62l&campaign=1k mskxllj SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTATION Cadet Jonathan Thesing Santa Clara University Army ROTC Bronco Battalion Cadet Jonathan Thesing was presented a $1,000 scholarship during the May 17th luncheon meeting. The award was made on the basis of his university scholarship achievements and potential to serve as a United States Army officer. Having the opportunity to come to a MOAA meeting was a wonderful experience, Jonathan said. Hearing different stories from all branches of the military is mind-opening. I ve never had the chance prior to today to meet such kind people in one place. Thank you. Earlier this year, Cadet Thesing wrote, I plan on attending medical school either through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) or Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUS) and spend the majority of my life caring for United States soldiers. My goal in life is to become the Army s fittest and most talented orthopedic surgeon. Jonathan serves Bronco Battalion as squad leader of the 1st platoon, disseminating information across the chain of command, ensuring that squad members are on top of their duties, know what they are doing, and are happy in the face of the program. He is a Biology study major, with a focus on physiology, and he s plenty busy. Currently he s completing Biology 1A, Chemistry 13, Military Science 23, Political Science 2, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) certification course. He has completed 94.5 semester units to date. cont'd pg 7

7 Cadet Thesing played sports his entire life and the function of the human body has always been one of his greatest interests. By studying biology I am able to focus my learning on how the human body functions and how the environment can affect those functions. My favorite course so far was a biomedical ethics course where we talked about whether certain kinds of medical practices are morally right (i.e. assisted suicide). This class offered great discussions and pushed me to think about topics from every possible point of view. Bronco Battalion in the field Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Jonathan notes that there were many military people nearby as he was growing up. He liked to visit Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and it was there he developed an early interest in aviation; however, with time his interests have changed but it s clear his desire to serve has not. His grandfather served in WWII and died when he was young; other than that, there are no members of the family with military experience. During high school he attended both the Culver Military Academy summer and winter schools where he lived within a strict military community. Cadet Thesing concludes that, the fast pace lifestyle and close friends that he made further solidified his aspiration for serving in the military. Currently Jonathan is a member of Santa Clara Club Rugby and is active with Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) activities. SOURCE: Scholarship Questionnaire Homographs 1) The bandage was *wound* around the *wound*. 2) The farm was used to *produce produce*. 3) The dump was so full that it had to *refuse* more *refuse*. 4) We must *polish* the *Polish* furniture. 5) He could *lead*if he would get the *lead* out SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTATION Cadet Alexander Gabriel San Jose State student and Santa Clara University Bronco Battalion Army ROTC cadet Alexander Gabriel was presented a $1,000 scholarship at the Thursday, May 17th chapter luncheon meeting. Following the brief ceremony, Cadet Gabriel said, I am greatly appreciative to the MOAA for this award, and it was wonderful to meet the members of the Association. The Military Science Program at Santa Clara University, is open to students at Santa Clara, Stanford University, San Jose State University, and UC Santa Cruz. Cadet Gabriel comes from a law enforcement family and decided to major in Justice Studies. My favorite courses are anything in which we analyze the mindsets and motivations behind the actions of criminal offenders; for example, I find very fascinating the gangs class I am currently taking, as well as the criminology courses I have taken, in which we study why it is that people choose to join gangs. He currently is taking 5 courses for a total of 16 academic units. He has completed 105 units with a cumulative grade point average of 3.52 of Alex is a cadet first sergeant (C/1SG), maintaining accountability, fostering esprit-de-corps, ensuring enforcement of regulations and completion of tasks. He hopes to have a prosperous career as a U.S. Army officer, and perhaps have some role in law enforcement such as serving as an army installation fish and game warden. Although my family does not have anyone with military experience, I did achieve the rank of Eagle Scout with Boy Scouts of America, and I have known and been influenced by a number of great men and women of the military itself, he noted. On campus Cadet Gabriel is an active member of the Justice Studies Honor Society Alpha Phi Sigma and participates in numerous charity events and he helps facilitate the annual Association of the United States Army (AUSA) golf tournament. He participates on the SJSU archery team and the Students for Firearms Safety (SFFS). Perhaps more than anything, Alex will be married to his Amanda in July 2019, and at some point in life they would like to own a horse ranch where we will raise our children. SOURCE: Scholarship Questionnaire

8 Anti-nuclear policies increased global carbon by 18% and added 9.5 million air pollution deaths brian wang May 19, 2018 F rance uses about 80% nuclear energy for its electricity supply. The US has used about 16-24%. The US was on track to go to 80% nuclear energy but allowed this to be derailed with over-regulation. The spike in interest rates in the 1970s caused a problem but when interest rates went back down was when France built all of its nuclear reactors. According to Australian National University researcher Peter Lang, the 60s and 70s saw a transition from rapidly falling costs and accelerating deployment to rapidly rising costs and stalled deployment. Had the initial trajectory continued, he writes in the journal Energies, nuclear-generated electricity would now be around 10 percent of its current cost. Lang calculates that by 2015 it would have replaced all coal-burning and three-quarters of gas-fired electric power generation. Thus, over the past 30 years we could have substituted 186,000 terawatt-hours of electricity production, avoiding up to 174 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions and 9.5 million air pollution deaths. Cumulative global carbon dioxide emissions would be about 18 percent lower, and annual global carbon dioxide emissions would be onethird less. The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey opened in It cost $594 million (in 2017 dollars) and took four years to build. America s newest nuclear plant, at Watts Bar in Tennessee, opened in It cost $7 billion and took more than 10 years to complete. Rational policy revision could enable safe nuclear reactors, lower costs and faster displacement of fossil fuels. China has modern safety practices for its nuclear reactors but their costs are three times lower than the USA and Europe. Overnight construction cost (in 2010 US $/kw) plotted against cumulative global capacity (GW), based on construction start dates, of nuclear power reactors for seven countries, including regression lines for US before and after 32 GW cumulative global capacity. Abstract This paper presents evidence of the disruption of a transition from fossil fuels to nuclear power, and finds the benefits forgone as a consequence are substantial. Learning rates are presented for nuclear power in seven countries, comprising 58% of all power reactors ever built globally. Learning rates and deployment rates changed in the late-1960s and 1970s from rapidly falling costs and accelerating deployment to rapidly rising costs and stalled deployment. Historical nuclear global capacity, electricity generation and overnight construction costs are compared with the counterfactual that predisruption learning and deployment rates had continued to Had the early rates continued, nuclear power could now be around 10% of its current cost. The additional nuclear power could have substituted for 69, ,000 TWh of coal and gas generation, thereby avoiding up to 9.5 million deaths and 174 Gt CO2 emissions. In 2015 alone, nuclear power could have replaced up to 100% of coal-generated and 76% of gas-generated electricity, thereby avoiding up to 540,000 deaths and 11 Gt CO2. Rapid progress was achieved in the past and could be again, with appropriate policies. Research is needed to identify impediments to progress, and policy is needed to remove them Was thinking about old age and decided that old age is when you s3ll have something on the ball, but you are just too 3red to bounce it. Employment applica3on blanks always ask who is to be called in case of an emergency. I think you should write, An ambulance.' The older you get the tougher it is to lose weight because by then your body and your fat have gocen to be really good friends

9 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL After the success of the 2017 Vacation Bible School held at the Moffett Federal Airfield, chapel plans are underway for a July 16 through 19, day 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm session. Moffett Federal Airfield chapel Chaplain Efrain Avila was delighted that 40 young people ages 5 to 12 attended last summer. Parents and grandparents are invited to stay and enjoy the chapel and its stained glass while the young people hear wonderful stories from the Bible. Surviving Spouse Corner BUILDING A NEW SOCIAL LIFE By Sharon DeVaney, SSAC H ow do you fill the void in your life after you lose your spouse? Here are some ideas to help you become the outgoing person you once were. If you don t have to relocate, it could be possible to rely on your family and friends for a while. Your family members have suffered a loss as well. Try to brighten their days. You could meet for lunch or bring a salad and dessert to share a meal. If you have grandchildren who have school programs or sporting events, you can attend and be there for them. Perhaps their school needs volunteers or mentors. Maybe your church sponsors a grief support group. Listening to speakers and sharing with others might help you process your loss. Chaplain Avila Religious support offered at the chapel includes services, baptisms, funerals, and more. Full information about the summer program and chapel activities can be obtained from CH Avila at telephone number (925) or chaplainavila@gmail.com. SOURCE: Lt. Col. Paul Schaefer, USAF-Ret The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement. Calling another widow or widower and inviting them to a MOAA meeting will help you both to keep that connection to military life. Offer to help. You could represent surviving spouses if that position is not filled. Volunteering to help at your church or for a community function will bring you as much reward as you will give to others. Every group needs new faces and willing hands. Try something you haven t done before. I became a docent at our Fine Arts Center. I loved touring visitors of all ages. For many children, this was their only exposure to art. Also, other docents became my willing friends. cont'd pg 10-9-

10 Use your work-related skills. I volunteered to teach a life story writing class at the nonprofit in my community. That brought a group of strangers together who became new friends as they shared their amazing life stories. Discover a new talent. I moved this summer and joined the drama club at the senior center. I hoped to find people who wanted to attend plays. Instead I learned the club was producing the Fall Follies. All of a sudden I had bit parts in three skits and the opening and closing numbers. We closed with a Salute to Veterans, which moved the audience to come to their feet. New Shingles Vaccine Now Available Shingrex is a new and improved Shingles vaccine now available to all applicable retired military members. It is covered by Tri Care for Life (TFL), Medicare Part D and very soon by the VA. A recent call to Express Scripts by another MOAA member verified the TFL coverage in addition to conversations with the Wisconsin Physicians Service (WPS). WPS further suggested being vaccinated by a Pharmacy rather than an MD, resulting in lower copays and cost sharing with a Pharmacy. Both COSTCO and most pharmacies except CVS now have it. Recommend calling first to assure your druggist choice has it. TFL will cover it with a copay of $35 per shot, as two (2) are required. Incidentally COSTCO s Pharmacy is available to all hands as a membership is not required to access their Pharmacy. Finally, Shingrex is covered for Medicare Part D insured but it is recommended checking with your insurance provider to verify terms and copays. Spread cheer by visiting residents in a nursing home. A friend in Florida makes bouquets from her garden and brings them to residents. Consider getting a dog. It will need to be fed, walked, and loved. I guarantee that you will be visiting with other dog owners on your daily walks. SOURCE: MOAA Surviving Spouse Advisory Committee

11 OPERATION RESPECT: Migrating a National Shame to become a National Shrine - Mare Island Military Cemetery A s Memorial Day approaches, things are looking good regarding getting legislation to require the Veteran Affairs Department of the U.S. Government to assume ownership of the Mare Island Military Cemetery from the City of Vallejo. The legislation to accomplish the transfer has now been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Congressman Mike Thompson introduced a Bill (HR 5588) in the House and Diane Feinstein has introduced a Bill in the Senate (SB 2881). Both Bills require the VA to assume ownership of the Cemetery, restore it and include it in the National Cemetery System. Both Bills will be acted upon by the respective Veterans Affairs Committees. Because the Bills are similar, the required action is unopposed and uncontroversial and the VA s obligation is to provide Veterans with a respectful resting place in a National Cemetery, we expect the legislation will be approved. The question is WHEN? Our objective is to achieve passage in this current legislative year. In order to accomplish our objective we will need a significant lobbying effort to assure the representatives in Congress appreciate the magnitude of the interests of the veteran community and the general public in converting the Mare Island Military Cemetery, after restoration, into a National Cemetery illustrating the respect the United States has for its veterans. A major portion of the lobbying effort will be presenting our petition s success. Currently the petition has more than 54,500 signees. We need much more in order to demonstrate the interest in the change of ownership. That s where you can help. If you have not signed the petition please do so ASAP. In addition get your friends and family to sign it too. If you are reading this report on line, click on this link to reach the Petition site. It only takes about two minutes to sign the petition, no fee is required LEGISLATION HR 5452 On April 10, 2018, Congresswoman Julia Brown (CA), introduced H.R. 5452, the Reduce Unemployment for Veterans of All Ages Act of Currently, veterans with service-connected disabilities or other employment challenges are able to receive career development services through the VA's Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program up to 12 years after they separate from military service. H.R would eliminate the 12-year-period of eligibility. In accordance with DAV Resolution No. 250, we support this legislation to eliminate the 12-yearperiod of eligibility. By removing the limited eligibility, H.R will provide veterans the flexibility to receive the support they have earned and deserve throughout their lifetime and thus help reduce unemployment for service-connected veterans. Please use the prepared electronic letter or draft your own to urge your Member of Congress to support and cosponsor H.R (dav.org) Standing up for veterans is vital and we thank you for your advocacy. Your actions help make DAV a highly influential and effective organization in Washington. Thank you for all you do for America's veterans and their families. AB 2364 Veterans: Assemblyman Bill Brough, an Army veteran and legislator from Dana Point, CA, is authoring AB 2394 which seeks to exempt military retirement pay from the California income tax. The bill passed unanimously from the Revenue and Taxation Committee. The bill is now in the Assembly Appropriations Committee where it is on the Suspense Calendar where it will sit until the Assembly leadership decides if the bill is allowed to pass out of committee or dies. This decision will probably take place prior to May 17. Assemblyman Brough needs as many military retirees, veterans, and veterans supporters to send a letter to the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Lorena Gonzalez- Fletcher (D-San Diego) in support of the bill. A sample letter is cont'd pg 12

12 attached and instructions on how to send the letter are at bottom of message. Anyone from California can write a letter, especially people from San Diego which is the home district of Assemblywoman Gonzalez-Fletcher and one of the largest concentrations of military retires, active military, and veterans in the state. Please forward this to all of your fellow veterans and veteran supporters! (dav.org) 5 Things to Keep an Eye on During Defense Bill Debate The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) wrapped its annual defense authorization bill markup in the early hours of May 10, a hearing that included a range of personnel and benefits issues. Here are five things on MOAA's radar: 1. Active duty pay raise: In late April, the HASC Military Personnel Subcommittee supported the administration's request for a 2.6- percent pay increase. The proposal matches projected private-sector wage growth in The pay raise would be the largest increase since TRICARE: The subcommittee was silent on any new health care fees for TRICARE beneficiaries. It did, however, include a provision prohibiting DoD from closing or limiting services in any military treatment facility as it transfers administration to the Defense Health Agency from the respective service secretary. 3. Housing Allowances: Subcommittee members blocked scheduled cuts to housing allowances (BAH). The subcommittee also included language citing concerns about the impact of BAH cuts to military housing. For troops and families stationed on base, cuts to BAH could result in cuts to services such as trash pickup or delays in responding to emergency work orders. 4. Military Survivors: Servicemembers enrolled at less than full coverage in Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) will be covered automatically at the full $400,000 benefit. Because servicemembers get reimbursed for their SGLI premiums when deployed to a combat zone, the change comes at no cost to servicemembers. The subcommittee did not include language to eliminate the widows tax, the dollar-for-dollar deduction of DoD's Survivor Benefit Plan from the VA's Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. MOAA is looking for lawmakers to file an amendment to eliminate the widows tax. 5. Concurrent Receipt: The draft text of the defense bill currently does not contain language to expand concurrent receipt. In April, MOAA members from across the country visited legislators on Capitol Hill to tell Congress to end the deduction of service-earned retirement pay from VA disability compensation. MOAA is looking for lawmakers to file an amendment to include language to expand concurrent receipt. Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is mobilizing behind a bill to assign DoD responsibilities related to veterans exposed to open burn pits and toxic chemicals. H.R Two Army combat veterans support federal legislation would direct the Secretary of Defense to include in periodic health assessments, separation history and physical examinations, and other assessments an evaluation of whether a member of the Armed Forces has been exposed to open burn pits or toxic airborne chemicals, according to the text of the bill. The legislation, H.R. 5671,Burn Pits Accountability Act,introduced by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), an Iraq veteran, and cosponsored by Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), an Afghanistan veteran and double amputee, addresses this important topic - especially to our veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is the first proposed legislation to address the burn pit issue within DoD and would mandate DoD responsibilities regarding accountability at several checkpoints before a servicemember leaves service. MOAA strongly supports this legislation, and we are working closely with several of our partner organizations in The Military Coalition as well as with Reps. Gabbard and Mast to see it become law

13 Weinstein s Housing Freeze is Bad for Veterans T wo years ago, Michael Weinstein tried to pass a statewide initiative that would have increased prescription drug costs for veterans, putting at risk a benefit veterans earned through their service to our country. Now he is back with an initiative that threatens affordable veterans housing projects, veteran jobs and the nest eggs of senior veterans. Our state needs to do more to address our housing crisis, but Weinstein s Housing Freeze will only make it worse. What it does: The poorly-drafted measure repeals decades-old rent control rules that help ensure continued investment in rental housing construction. Independent experts agree that policies contained in the initiative reduce the availability of affordable and workforce housing, and lead to higher costs and more evictions. Low- income veterans and others who need the most help finding affordable housing will suffer greatly. Hurts Affordable Housing for Veterans Affordable housing projects are already extremely difficult to build due to the limited availability of funding and affordability requirements. The Housing Freeze would put new burdens on affordable housing developers and take away an already limited ability to operate the property. With no protections for affordable housing development and no requirements that it be built, the initiative puts already challenging and tenuous projects further at risk. A USC Study found that 40% of veterans were unable to find housing upon military separation, and many that did found themselves in unstable living arrangements. The Housing Freeze will further discourage construction and exacerbate the crisis. CalVet partners with affordable housing developers on programs like the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Program to build much-needed housing for veterans. The Housing Freeze will create more barriers for affordable housing developers that jeopardize their ability to build veteran housing. Housing affordability is still a major concern for veterans 34.5% of veterans pay too much for their housing, and 67% of homeless veterans in California are living unsheltered, the highest numbers in the nation. The Housing Freeze does nothing to help our most vulnerable populations because it fails to target those most in need. Could Reduce Property Values & Result in Loss of Supplemental Income The Weinstein Initiative changes existing law to open the door for imposing rent control on single family homes, impacting veterans: Over 71% of veterans are homeowners. Single-family homes subject to rent control will not be as valuable as homes in jurisdictions that do not impose rent control ordinances. The Housing Freeze could reduce property values on impacted properties by 20 percent, and on all other properties by 14%. This will have a real impact on their economic well-being as homes are most people s single biggest financial investment. Almost half of California veterans are 65 and older. Many veterans and seniors choose to rent their single- family homes for supplemental income in their retirement years, or when they are in assisted living facilities. The Weinstein Initiative will threaten their nest eggs and safety-net income. Takes Jobs Away from Veterans in the Construction Industry Last year, California veterans held 63,900 jobs in the construction industry. The State s Independent Legislative Analyst has said that expanding rent control or instituting vacancy control would not increase supply and would likely discourage new construction. These jobs would be threatened if the Housing Freeze were to pass

14 Jack Speciale, CDR, US Navy Retired Joachim F. Speciale, Commander, USN (Ret), of Los Altos, CA died at home on August 25, 2008 at the age of 85. "Jack" was born September 27, 1922 in Willow Glen, CA and graduated from Campbell Union High School in He attended San Jose State College before enlisting in the Navy in October, Jack married Betty Rea Greaves in Yuma, Arizona in They remained married 58 years, until Betty's death in He greatly missed the love of his life. Jack proudly served his country for 23 years as a naval aviator. Early in his career, he served aboard aircraft carriers in the Pacific, then participating in the testing of jet aircraft as well as the development of air attack, air defense and anti-submarine warfare systems. Jack was involved in the development of the F-4 Phantom II jet fighter and was a Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Jack also served a tour of duty in London as an advisor to N.A.T.O on aircraft carrier operations and air defense. Upon his retirement from the Navy in 1965, Jack became a successful licensed real estate broker in the Los Altos/Sunnyvale area, associated with Whitecliff Realty. Jack is survived by his five devoted children; Debbie Speciale of Sunnyvale, John Speciale of Calabasas Hills, Susan McMahon of Fremont, Kitty Walker of Mountain View, and Michael Speciale of Campbell. He was blessed with 11 grandchildren and 4 great grand children. Jack will always be loved and greatly missed by his family and friends. Funeral services were held August 29, 2008 at 11:00 at The Chapel at Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, Cristo Rey Drive, Los Altos

15 A Rebuttal to the Article on Global Warming Fraud in the May 2018 Bulletin F irst off, a quote from MediaBiasFactCheck.com. "Investor s Business Daily (IBD) is an American media company covering international business, finance, economics and the stock market. IBD allows lobbyists and PR reps for right wing think tanks like the Heartland Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute to write pseudoscientific propaganda. (6/14/2016) Updated (1/5/2017)". I ed the article to NOAA s climatology section. I received a reply from Howard Diamond, PhD, Climate Science Program Manager at NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory; a very long response from which I ll give excerpts. If anyone would like to see the entire , contact me at ohsix@bikerider.com. The data homogenization we do is a frequent target for people accusing us of manipulating data to show temperatures warmer than they are, but this is simply not the truth. The folks that like to put down what we do base it on cherry picking one or two things, and then frankly, generally mis-characterize the technique or data to make something look evidently silly or stupid; data homogenization (or "scientists playing with data to prove their pre-determined outcome") is one of those; data homogenization just ensures that we are comparing apples-toapples in the long historical record and it is done using well-vetted, peer reviewed, and globally accepted scientific techniques.. The data that NOAA has calculated that showed 2016 being so warm, has also been replicated by NASA ( gov/gistemp/), the Hadley Climate Centre in the United Kingdom ( uk/cru/data/temperature/), as well as from the Berkeley Temperature Study (http: //berkeleyearth.org/).. As for satellite temperature data, that is collected from a number of satellites orbiting and providing daily coverage of some 80% of the Earth's surface. Each day the orbits shift and 100% coverage is achieved every 3-4 days. The microwave sensors on the satellites do not directly measure temperature, but rather radiation given off by oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere, is used and processed to infer temperatures. The intensity of this radiation is directly proportional to the temperature of the air and is therefore used to estimate global temperatures. Estimates of global warming from both Earth and space are consistent.. The World Meteorological Organization has guidelines for data homogenization, the methods used vary from country to country. Homogenization can be necessary for a range of reasons: sometimes stations move, instruments or reporting practices change, or surrounding trees or buildings at a site are altered. Changes can be sudden or gradual. These can all introduce artificial jumps (in either direction) in the resulting temperature records. If left uncorrected, these artifacts could leave the data appearing to show spurious warming or cooling trends.. Data homogenization is not aimed at producing a pre-determined outcome, but rather is an essential process in improving weather data by spotting where temperature records need to be corrected, in either direction. This is what some people sometimes accuse us of "fudging the data", but rather it is a scientifically-vetted process intended to make sure that we are able to accommodate changes that occur in the record due to things like station moves. Without homogenization, it would be impossible to do any apples-to-apples comparisons of temperature throughout time and across different terrain. The data homogenization work and techniques are fully documented and vetted in the scientific literature; if anything, areas that would have shown warmer temperatures are actually shown to be cooler after homogenization. A good link to explain this can be found at com/understanding-adjustments-to-temp-data. html. There have been several times in Earth s past when Earth's temperature jumped abruptly, in much the same way as they are doing today. Those times were caused by large and rapid greenhouse gas emissions, just like humans are causing today. Those abrupt global warming events were almost always highly destructive for life, causing mass extinctions such as at the end of the Permian, Triassic, or even mid-cambrian periods. The cont'd pg 16

16 symptoms from those events (a big, rapid jump in global temperatures, rising sea levels, and ocean acidification) are all happening today with human-caused climate change. So yes, the climate has changed before humans, and in most cases scientists know why. In all cases we see the same association between CO2 levels and global temperatures. And past examples of rapid carbon emissions (just like today) were generally highly destructive to life on Earth. As for the greater issue of climate change, there is a pretty large and bona fide body of peer-reviewed scientific climate literature citations that cover a lot more than just a warming atmosphere, but involves a warming ocean, ocean acidification (even if you don't believe the CO2 involved in that is from human emission), sea level rise, sea ice receding in both the Arctic and Antarctic, the loss of land ice in Greenland and Antarctica, species migration, greater weather extremes (e. g., longer droughts, heavier rain events, longer heat waves), increases in the spread of infectious disease and invasive species, coral reef bleaching, etc. I really would suggest that you should consult the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report at https: // NAL.pdf; it will give you a rather detailed and very well cited report on the various aspects of climate change from a physical science perspective. There is also some other very good information to be found on the IPCC web site at These reports were put together by hundreds of scientists from across the world, and they base their evaluation on the entire body of climate scientific literature; there is nothing political here, it is completely based on science. We at NOAA do not overstate the effects of carbon emissions on global warming - these results have been repeated over and over again in literally thousands of independent studies across the globe, not just NOAA, not just NASA, but from scientists at institutions from Australia to Japan to Europe to North and South America. With respect to climate, it is clear to us from the work of 97-99% of climate scientists around the world that have come to very similar conclusions related to carbon emissions and global warming as noted and synthesized by the IPCC. The DoD is very concerned about climate change and how it will impact their ability to carry out missions given threats to infrastructure; a recent DoD funded study on sea level for instance can be found at the following link at Areas/Resource-Conservation-and- Resiliency/Infrastructure- Resiliency/Vulnerability-and-Impact- Assessment/RC-2334/. Keith Giles Col, USAF (Ret) Meteorologist

17 Captivating personal account from a Doolittle Raider cont'd from May issue pg 22 Colonel Doolittle let each crew pick its own target. We chose the Yokosuka Naval Base about twenty miles from Tokyo. We loaded 1450 rounds of ammo and four 500-pound bombs. A little payback, direct from Ellis County, Texas! We checked and re-checked our plane several times. Everything was now ready. I felt relaxed yet tensed up at the same time. Day after tomorrow, we will launch when we are 400 miles out. I lay in my cot that night and rehearsed the mission over and over in my head. It was hard to sleep as I listened to sounds of the ship. Early the next morning, I was enjoying a leisurely breakfast, expecting another full day on board, and I noticed that the ship was pitching and rolling quite a bit this morning more than normal. I was reading through the April 18th day plan of the Hornet, there was a message in it which said, "From the Hornet to the Army - Good luck, good hunting, and God bless you." I still had a large lump in my throat from reading this when, all of a sudden, the intercom blared, "General Quarters, General Quarters, All hands man your battle stations! Army pilots, man your planes!" There was instant reaction from everyone in the room and food trays went crashing to the floor. I ran down to my room jumping through the hatches along the way, grabbed my bag, and ran as fast as I could go to the flight deck. I met with my crew at the plane, my heart was pounding. Someone said, "What's going on?" The word was that the Enterprise had spotted an enemy trawler. It had been sunk, but it had transmitted radio messages. We had been found out! The weather was crummy, the seas were running heavy, and the ship was pitching up and down like I had never seen before. Great waves were crashing against the bow and washing over the front of the deck. This wasn't going to be easy! Last minute instructions were given. We were reminded to avoid non-military targets, especially the Emperor's Palace. Do not fly to Russia, but fly as far west as possible, land on the water and launch our rubber rafts. This was going to be a one-way trip! We were still much too far out and we all knew that our chances of making land were somewhere between slim and none. Then at the last minute, each plane loaded an extra ten 5- gallon gas cans to give us a fighting chance of reaching China We all climbed aboard, started our engines and warmed them up, just feet away from the plane in front of us and the plane behind us. Knobby, Campbell, Bourgeois, and me in the front, Williams, the gunner was in the back separated from us by a big rubber gas tank. I called back to Williams on the intercom and told him to look sharp and don't take a nap! He answered dryly, "Don't worry about me, Lieutenant. If they jump us, I'll just use my little black broomsticks to keep the Japs off our tail." The ship headed into the wind and picked up speed. There was now a near gale force wind and water spray coming straight over the deck. I looked down at my instruments as my engines revved up. My mind was racing. I went over my mental checklist and said a prayer. God please, help us! Past the twelve planes in front of us, I strained to see the flight deck officer as he leaned into the wind and signaled with his arms for Colonel Doolittle to come to full power. I looked over at Knobby and we looked each other in the eye. He just nodded to me and we both understood. With the deck heaving up and down, the deck officer had to time this just right. Then I saw him wave Doolittle to go, and we watched breathlessly to see what happened. When his plane pulled up above the deck, Knobby just let out with, "Yes! Yes!" The second plane, piloted by Lt. Hoover, appeared to stall with its nose up and began falling toward the waves. We groaned and called out, "Up! Up! Pull it up!" Finally, he pulled out of it, staggering back up into the air, much to our relief! One by one, the planes in front of us took off. The deck pitched wildly 60 feet or more, it looked like. One plane seemed to drop down into the drink and disappeared for a moment, then pulled back up into sight. There was sense of relief with each one that made it. We gunned our engines and started to roll forward. Off to the right, I saw the men on deck cheering and waving their covers! We continued inching forward, careful to keep my left main wheel and cont'd pg 18

18 my nose wheel on the white guidelines that had been painted on the deck for us. Get off a little bit too far left and we go off the edge of the deck. A little too far to the right and our wing-tip will smack the island of the ship. With the best seat on the ship, we watched Lt. Bower take off in plane number 12, and I taxied up to the starting line, put on my brakes, and looked down to my left. My main wheel was right on the line. I applied more power to the engines, and then turned my complete attention to the deck officer on my left, who was circling his paddles. Now my adrenaline was really pumping! We went to full power, and the noise and vibration inside the plane went way up. He circled the paddles furiously while watching forward for the pitch of the deck. Then he dropped them and I said, "Here We Go!" I released the brakes and we started rolling forward and, as I looked down the flight deck, you could see straight down into the angry churning water. As we slowly gained speed, the deck gradually began to pitch back up. I pulled up and our plane slowly strained up and away from the ship. There was a big cheer and whoops from the crew but I just felt relieved and muttered to myself, "Boy, that was short!" We made a wide circle above our fleet to check our compass headings and get our bearings. I looked down as we passed low over one of our cruisers and could see the men on deck waving to us. I dropped down to low level, so low we could see the whitecap waves breaking. It was just after 0900, there were broken clouds at 5,000 feet and visibility of about thirty miles due to haze or something. Up ahead and barely in sight, I could see Captain Greening, our flight leader, and Bower on his right wing. Flying at 170 mph, I was able to catch up to them in about 30 minutes. We were to stay in this formation until reaching landfall and then break on our separate ways. Now we settled in for the five hour flight. Tokyo, here we come! Williams was in the back emptying the extra gas cans into the gas tank as fast as we had burned off enough fuel. He then punched holes in the tins and pushed them out the hatch against the wind. Some of the fellows ate sandwiches and other goodies that the Navy had put aboard for us. I wasn't hungry. I held onto the controls with a firm grip as we raced along westward just fifty feet above the cold rolling ocean, as low as I dared to fly. Being so close to the choppy waves gave you a true sense of speed. Occasionally our windshield was sprayed with a little saltwater. It was an exhilarating feeling, and I felt as though the will and spirit of our whole country was pushing us along. I didn't feel too scared, just anxious. There was a lot riding on this thing, and on me. As we began to near land, we saw an occasional ship here and there. None of them close enough to be threatening but, just the same, we were feeling more edgy. Then at 1330, we sighted land, the eastern shore of Honshu. With Williams now on his guns in the top turret and Campbell on the nose gun, we came ashore still flying low as possible and were surprised to see people on the ground waving to us as we flew in over the farmland. It was beautiful countryside. Campbell, our navigator, said, "Mac, I think we're going to be about sixty miles too far north. I'm not positive, but pretty sure" I decided that he was absolutely right and turned left ninety degrees, went back just offshore and followed the coast line south. When I thought we had gone far enough, I climbed up to two thousand feet to find out where we were. We started getting fire from anti-aircraft guns. Then we spotted Tokyo Bay, turned west and put our nose down diving toward the water. Once over the bay, I could see our target, Yokosuka Naval Base. Off to the right, there was already smoke visible over Tokyo. Coming in low over the water, I increased speed to 200 mph and told everyone, "Get ready!" When we were close enough, I pulled up to 1300 feet and opened the bomb doors. There were furious black bursts of anti-aircraft fire all around us but I flew straight on through them spotting our target, the torpedo works and the dry-docks. I saw a big ship in the dry-dock just as we flew over it. Those flak bursts were really getting close and bouncing us around when I heard Bourgeois shouting, "Bombs Away!" I couldn't see it, but Williams had a bird's eye view from the back and he shouted jubilantly, "We got an aircraft carrier! The whole deck is burning!" I started turning to he south and strained my neck to look back and at cont'd pg 19

19 that moment saw a large crane blow up and start falling over!. Take that! There was loud yelling and clapping each other on the back. We were all just ecstatic and still alive! But there wasn't much time to celebrate. We had to get out of here and fast! When we were some thirty miles out to sea, we took one last look back at our target and could still see huge billows of black smoke. Until now, we had been flying for Uncle Sam, but now we were flying for ourselves. We flew south over open ocean, parallel to the Japanese coast all afternoon. We saw a large submarine apparently at rest and then, in another fifteen miles, we spotted three large enemy cruisers headed for Japan. There were no more bombs, so we just let them be and kept on going. By late afternoon, Campbell calculated that it was time to turn and make for China. Across the East China Sea, the weather out ahead of us looked bad and overcast. Until now, we had not had time to think much about our gasoline supply, but the math did not look good. We just didn't have enough fuel to make it! Each man took turns cranking the little hand radio to see if we could pick up the promised radio beacon. There was no signal. This is not good. The weather turned bad and it was getting dark, so we climbed up. I was now flying on instruments through a dark misty rain. Just when reaching land looked really hopeless, we suddenly picked up a strong tailwind. It was an answer to a prayer. Maybe, just maybe, we can make it! In total darkness at 2100 hours, we figured that we must be crossing the coastline, so I began a long slow climb to be sure of not hitting any high ground or anything. I conserved as much fuel as I could, getting really low on gas now. The guys were still cranking on the radio but, after five hours of hand cranking with aching hands and backs, there was utter silence. No radio beacon! Then the red light started blinking indicating twenty minutes of fuel left. We started getting ready to bail out. I turned the controls over to Knobby and crawled to the back of the plane, past the now collapsed rubber gas tank. I dumped everything out of my bag and repacked just what I really needed, my.45 pistol, ammunition, flashlight, compass, medical kit, fishing tackle, chocolate bars, peanut butter, and crackers. I told Williams to come forward with me so we could all be together for this There was no other choice. I had to get us as far west as possible, and then we had to jump. At 2230, we were up to sixty-five hundred feet. We were over land but still above the Japanese Army in China. We couldn't see the stars, so Campbell couldn't get a good fix on our position. We were flying on fumes now and I didn't want to run out of gas before we were ready to go. Each man filled his canteen, put on his Mae West life jacket and parachute, and filled his bag with rations, those "C" rations from the Presidio. I put her on auto-pilot and we all gathered in the navigator's compartment around the hatch in the floor. We checked each other's parachute harness. Everyone was scared without a doubt. None of us had ever done this before! I said, "Williams first, Bourgeois second, Campbell third, Knobloch fourth, and I'll follow you guys! Go fast, two seconds apart! Then count three seconds off and pull your ripcord!" We kicked open the hatch and gathered around the hole looking down into the blackness. It did not look very inviting! Then I looked up at Williams and gave the order, "JUMP!" Within seconds they were all gone. I turned and reached back for the auto-pilot but could not reach it so I pulled the throttles back, then turned and jumped. Counting quickly, thousand one, thousand two, thousand three, I pulled my ripcord and jerked back up with a terrific shock. At first I thought that I was hung on the plane, but after a few agonizing seconds that seemed like hours, realized that I was free and drifting down. Being in the total darkness, I was disoriented at first but figured my feet must be pointed toward the ground. I looked down through the black mist to see what was coming up. I was in a thick mist or fog and the silence was so eerie after nearly thirteen hours inside that noisy plane. I could only hear the whoosh, whoosh sound of the wind blowing through my shroud lines, and then I heard a loud crash and explosion. My plane! Looking for my flashlight, I groped through my bag with my right hand, finally pulled t out and shined it down toward the ground, which I still could not see. Finally I picked up a glimmer of water and thought I was landing in a lake. We're too far inland for this to be ocean. I hope! I relaxed my legs a little, thinking I was cont'd pg 20

20 about to splash into water and would have to swim out, and then bang. I jolted suddenly and crashed over onto my side. Lying there in just a few inches of water, I raised my head and put my hands down into thick mud. It was a rice paddy! There was a burning pain as if someone had stuck a knife in my stomach. I must have torn a muscle or broken something. I lay there dazed for a few minutes and, after a while, struggled to my feet. I dug a hole and buried my parachute in the mud. Then started trying to walk, holding my stomach, but every direction I moved the water got deeper. Then, I saw some lights off in the distance. I fished around for my flashlight and signaled one time. Sensing something wrong, I got out my compass and to my horror saw that those lights were off to my west. That must be a Jap patrol! How dumb could I be! Knobby had to be back to my east, so I sat still and quiet and did not move. It was a cold dark lonely night. At 0100 hours I saw a single light off to the east. I flashed my light in that direction one time. It had to be Knobby! I waited a while, and then called out softly, "Knobby?" and a voice replied "Mac, is that you?" Thank goodness, what a relief! Separated by a wide stream, we sat on opposite banks of the water communicating in low voices. After daybreak, Knobby found a small rowboat and came across to get me. We started walking east toward the rest of the crew and away from that Japanese patrol. Knobby had cut his hip when he went through the hatch, but it wasn't too awfully bad. We walked together toward a small village and several Chinese came out to meet us They seemed friendly enough. I said, "Luchu hoo megwa fugi! Luchu hoo megwa fugi!" meaning, "I am an American! I am an American!" Later that morning, we found the others. Williams had wrenched his knee when he landed in a tree, but he was limping along just fine. There were hugs all around. I have never been so happy to see four guys in all my life! Well, the five of us eventually made it out of China with the help of the local Chinese people and the Catholic missions along the way. They were all very good to us. We found out afterward that they were made to pay terribly for it For a couple of weeks, we traveled across country. Strafed a couple of times by enemy planes, we kept on moving, by foot, by pony, by car, by train, and by airplane. But, we finally made it to India. I did not make it home for the baby's birth. I stayed on there flying a DC-3 "Gooney Bird" in the China-Burma-India Theatre for the next several months. I flew supplies over the Himalaya Mountains or, as we called it, over "The Hump" into China. When B-25s finally arrived in India, I flew combat missions over Burma and then, later in the war, flew a B-29 out of the Marianna Islands to bomb Japan again and again. After the war, I remained in the Air Force until 1962 when I retired from the service as a Lt. Colonel, and then came back to Texas, my beautiful Texas. First moving to Abilene and we then settled in Lubbock, where Aggie taught school at MacKenzie Junior High. I worked at the S & R Auto Supply once again in an atmosphere of machinery, oil, and grease. I lived a good life and raised two wonderful sons whom I am very proud of. I feel blessed in many ways. We have a great country, better than most folks know. It is worth fighting for. Some people call me a hero, but I have never thought of myself that way, no. But I did serve in the company of heroes. What we did, will never leave me. It will always be there in my fondest memories I will always think of the fine and brave men whom I was privileged to serve with. With the loss of all aircraft, Doolittle believed that the raid had been a failure, and that he would be court-martialed upon returning to the states. Quite to the contrary, the raid proved to be a tremendous boost to American morale which had plunged following the Pearl Harbor attack. It also caused serious doubts in the minds of Japanese war planners. They, in turn, recalled many seasoned fighter plane units back to defend the home islands which resulted in Japan's weakened air capabilities at the upcoming Battle of Midway and other South Pacific campaigns. Edgar "Mac" Mc Elroy, Lt. Col., U.S. AF. (Ret.) passed away at his residence in Lubbock, Texas early on the morning of Friday, April 4, 2003

21 MORGAN HILL IN AUGUST familiar Santa Clara Valley icon is the A apricot orchard and the colorful fruit which ripens in early summer, making possible a delightful apricot wine. This wine has a perfect semi-sweet apricot taste, fresh aroma, and a superb drinkability. It goes very well with seafood and pasta, especially when served with shrimp dishes or fruit desserts. Enjoy it chilled. Morgan Hill Cellars winery in August is a perfect place to taste and enjoy this fruit wine, especially in the company of good friends and acquaintances. Chapter board members once again have decided to schedule a special general membership meeting August 16th, which will be the third such event at the south county winery. In past years attendance has been strong as the opportunity to explore a small business, tour a contract winery and learn about wine-making, gather for a social time in the gift shop or on the patio, and enjoy a high quality catered barbecue luncheon under the grape arbor has proven attractive. It s an informal time with no scheduled speaker, just good conversation, an exchange of information, and perhaps a few laughs. Morgan Hill Cellars, located just east of Highway 101 in Morgan Hill, is owned and operated by chapter past President Lt. Col. Mike Sampognaro, USAF-Ret and his wife, Maryclaire. The winery is a bonded wine warehouse and contract facility for wine production including custom crush, custom bottling and labeling, bulk wine storage, and bottled wine storage. Just inside the main entry is a very attractive welcome center and tasting area and opposite is a well-stocked gift shop with items almost guaranteed to appeal to everyone. On one side of the property is the production area; an almost new and maturing vineyard is located to the rear; and, in a shady central location is a spacious and reasonably cool patio with privacy and comfortable seating for a splendid barbecue buffet luncheon. Mike will be pleased to provide a personallyguided walk through much of the property with a focus on the production area, beginning with product delivery to storage and continuing through bottling and labeling right into a finished goods warehouse. His description about how he and Maryclaire, after Mike s years as an information technology professional with IBM and Apple Computer, made a major life vocational change and purchased the winery, is a story about courage at a time fraught with risk. For those who might be interested, Mike will provide his favorite winemaking recipes and explain the processes and procedures involved. Morgan Hill is at the southern tip of Silicon Valley, primarily an affluent residential community for Silicon Valley, as well as the seat for several high-tech companies, including Anritsu, Flextronics, Velodyne LiDAR, and TenCate Advanced Composites. It s a prominent dining, entertainment, and recreational destination, owing to its Michelin-star chefs, luxury hospitality, nature parks, and wineries. According to Forbes, Morgan Hill is among the most expensive places to live in within the United States. Business Insider ranked the city as the 17th most expensive housing market in the United States, owing to its concentration of wealth and restricted population growth. SOURCE: Morgan Hill Cellars

22 SVC WEBSITES Our Chapter website is org, a shorter link is You can also get to it from the national MOAA site: Put the cursor over Chapters and select Chapter Locator, CA, then Silicon Valley Chapter. From there you may link over to our primary website above. Our home page has links for The Bulletin and ebulletin. B TRICARE FOR LIFE SERVICE For assistance, contact the Wisconsin Physicians Service Members can report the death of a retiree locally through the Retire Activity Office (RAO). The phone number is You can also notify a MOAA member s death to: MOAA, Attn: MSC, 201 N Washington St, Alexandria, VA Or: Call Or: msc@moaa.org. Notify SVC-MOAA by phoning the Membership Chair see listing on page 2 of The Bulletin. B FREE Membership Members who have achieved 90 years are not required to pay membership dues donations gratefully accepted Please Contact Your Senators and Urge Them to Vote YES on Critical Legislation to Expand Caregiver Benefits and Strengthen Veterans Health Care Earlier this week the House passed legislation to expand caregiver benefits to pre-9/11 veterans as well as begin a major reform to strengthen the VA health care system, but now we need to be sure it passes the Senate next week. The legislation, called the VA MISSION Act, developed in collaboration with DAV and other VSOs has strong bipartisan support in the House and Senatepassing the House by a vote of 347 to 70. The bill is supported by virtually every major veterans organization, including DAV, PVA, VFW and The American Legion. Now we need to ensure that every Senator understands how important this legislation is to DAV members, their families and caregivers. As you know, DAV has long advocated for extending comprehensive caregiver benefits to veterans injured and ill prior to September 11, Thanks to all of your efforts supporting our Unsung Heroes Initiative over the past year, this legislation would take major strides to provide equity to thousands of family caregivers currently ineligible for that benefit because they served prior to 9/11. This will be the most important vote for caregivers in almost a decade and we must be certain that Congress hears our voices. The legislation would also consolidate VA's community care programs and develop integrated networks of VA and community providers to supplement, not supplant VA health care, so that all enrolled veterans have timely access to quality medical care. In addition, it would provide VA with new tools to hire and retain quality health care professionals to expand VA's internal capacity. Finally, the bill would require the development of a long-term plan to realign and modernize VA's health care infrastructure so that its hospitals and clinics are located where veterans will need them in the future. Please use the prepared electronic letter, or draft your own, to urge your Member of Congress to support and vote for the VA MISSION Act. Thanks for your continuing support of America's injured and ill veterans, their families and caregivers. Write Your Senators Tweet Your Senators

23 Membership Application and Renewal Form ( Revised 10/17 ) Please complete form fully Silicon Valley Chapter Military Officers Association of America Mail to: SVC-MOAA P.O. Box 2 Moffett Federal Airfield, CA Date Annual Dues: $30.00 (Surviving Spouse - Emeritus - New member - Dues are not charged, donations gratefully accepted) Enroll Me As: New Member Renewing Member Emeritus( over 90yrs) Surv Spouse Donations to SVC Fund $ Donations to Scholarship Fund $ Donations to PAWS $ Donation to USO $ (All Donations are Tax Deductible) Total: $ Make checks payable to SVC-MOAA and mail to above address. Status: Active Reserve Guard Retired Former Officer If you are a new chapter member, please advise us how you learned about this chapter. Name: / / / / Last First MI Rank Service Your Date of Birth Spouse s Name Address: / Number Street (P.O. Box, etc.) Apt/Suite City State Zip / 5 Digit 4 Digit Phone( ) SVC Dues are due 1 January and are separate from National MOAA Dues. SVC Dues support the Bulletin and Administrative functions. Luncheons are self-supporting

24 Silicon Valley Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America P.O. Box 2 Moffett Field, CA NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID SAN JOSE CA PERMIT NO May 2018 <Field Missing> <Field Missing> <Field Missing> <Field <Field <Field Missing> LOCATION BILTMORE HOTEL LAURELWOOD RD, SANTA CLARA, CA DIRECTIONS: Going North on Hwy 101: Exit at Montague/San Tomas, then Montague; then Right on Laurelwood. Going South on Hwy 101: Exit at Montague/San Tomas, then Montague, then Right on Laurelwood Cut Here Cut Here ****LUNCHEON RESERVATION FORM**** Deadline to reach SVC no later than 15 June. If you have not sent in your reservation form by the above date and still wish to attend, please call Keith Ott LUNCHEON PRICE - $26.00 Times: Social Hour 11:00 AM, Luncheon 11:45 AM Please reserve places for the 21 June Luncheon A TOTAL of $ including a donation of $ for (circle one) Scholarship, PAWS, USO, or undesignated donation Make checks payable to: SVC MOAA Mail to: SVC MOAA, PO Box 2 Moffett Federal Airfield, CA RESERVE IN THE NAME OF: Telephone: MENU: Buffet - Two hot entrees with vegetables. Assorted breads and rolls. Desserts. Coffee and tea. NAMES OF PERSONS WHO ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR PAYMENT: