Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Brass Bulletin Newsletter One Powerful Voice

Transcription

1 Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Brass Bulletin Newsletter One Powerful Voice Portland, Oregon Chapter -- P.O. Box Portland, OR Volume XXIX, Number 2 October The President s Forum by Col Mary J. Mayer, USAF (Ret) I was delighted to receive notification that the MOAA Portland Chapter has once again received the Five Star Levels of Excellence Award from MOAA National for Exceptional Performance in Many thanks to my talented officers, board members, and committee chairs for all their hard work and dedication over the last year! It was truly a team effort! NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, 2 October 2012 Social: Dinner: 1830 The Gray Gables Estate 3009 SE Chestnut Street Milwaukie, Oregon Phone: PROGRAM: In addition, for the first time ever, the MOAA Oregon State Council of Chapters has won the Five Star Levels of Excellence Award for Congrats to Council President BG Norm Hoffman, AUS (Ret) and his team for their accomplishment! Part of his sterling Council team includes the following MOAA Portland Chapter leaders: Norb Murray, Immediate Past Council President; Larry Roberts, Legislative Liaison; Edie Rieken, Advisory Committee Liaison; Richard Lightfoot, TOPS Rep, and yours truly as Secretary/Treasurer and ODVA Advisory Council Liaison. The Military Order of the World Wars will hold its 49 th Annual Massing of the Colors and Day of Remembrance on Sunday, October 28, 2012 beginning at 1400 in honor of Veteran's Day. This event will take place in the Kliever Armory, Oregon National Guard Building, NE. 33rd Drive, Portland (by the Portland airport). The ceremony lasts about 2 hours and is free to the public. The Massing of the Colors and Service of Remembrance was initiated nearly 85 years ago to honor all veterans of our armed forces, living and dead. Please plan on attending and getting involved! Captain Bruce C. Jones, USCG, Commander Sector Columbia River, Captain of the Port Columbia River, and Commanding Officer Air Station Astoria. (Invited) (See bio on page 2.) MENU: Roast Turkey Breast Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Oven Baked Stuffing and Cranberry Relish Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables Rolls with Butter Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Cream Coffee, Tea, Decaf, Iced Tea Finally, I am again asking each member to seriously consider getting involved in the chapter; we need your help! Remember, many hands make light work! IN MEMORIAM! MAY HE REST IN PEACE! LT Peter F. Sandrock, Sr., USN (Ret) COST: $26.00 per person (includes 20% gratuity) Please make checks payable to PDX-MOAA. RESERVATIONS: To make your reservations, please contact Lt Col Boyd C. Yaden, USAF (Ret) at or b.yaden@comcast.net or online at our chapter website NLT 1200 on Thursday, 27 September No late reservations, and please call if you PRESIDENT S must FORUM cancel as (continued) we have to pay for no-shows. (Note: Please indicate if you have any dietary restrictions.)

2 MOAA PORTLAND OREGON CHAPTER BRASS BULLETIN NEWSLETTER 2 BIOGRAPHY OF OUR OCTOBER DINNER GUEST SPEAKER Captain Bruce Jones, USCG has served as Commander, Sector Columbia River since June Jones also serves as the Captain of the Port Columbia River and Commanding Officer Air Station Astoria. Captain Jones holds a B.A. degree from Washington and Lee University and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University. He graduated from Coast Guard Officer Candidate School in 1984 and Naval Flight Training in Captain Jones served most recently ( ) as Deputy Director, Enterprise Strategic Management (CG-095) and Chief, Office of Strategic Analysis (CG-0951) at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC. His responsibilities included oversight of the Coast Guard s long-range strategy development process, providing strategic counsel to senior leadership and managing the Commandant s and Vice Commandant s executive forums. From , Captain Jones was Commander, Sector Lake Michigan. He led 22 units in 4 states with 525 Active Duty, 225 Reserve and 1200 Auxiliary personnel. He also served as Captain of the Port, Federal Maritime Security Commander, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, and Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection. Captain Jones commanded Air Station New Orleans from Personally leading the first wave of rescue helicopters to return to New Orleans and begin rescue operations just hours after Hurricane Katrina s landfall in August From , Captain Jones served as Executive Officer of Air Station Traverse City, MI, where he oversaw aviation support to all Coast Guard missions in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Other staff assignments at Coast Guard Headquarters include Chief, Strategic, Business and Capital Planning Division (G-CPP-2) from Captain Jones has logged over 5,300 flight hours as an Aircraft Commander and Instructor Pilot in the HH-52A, HH-65-A/B/C, TH-57- B/C, and HH-60J. Earlier aviation assignments include Air Station Houston TX; Naval Air Station Whiting Field FL and Air Station Elizabeth City NC. His aviation awards for challenging rescues at sea include Aircrew of the Year recognition from the American Helicopter Society, Association of Naval Aviation, Helicopter Society International, and Naval Helicopter Association. He was also recognized as HT-18 Flight Instructor of the Year and Naval Helicopter Association (Gulf Coast Region) Pilot of the Year in His military awards include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal (4), Air Medal (3), and the Navy Commendation Medal. MINUTES FROM THE SEPTEMBER DINNER MEETING by Col Mary J. Mayer, USAF (Ret) On 4 September, there were 54 members and guests who came out for dinner at the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas, OR. During the social hour, raffle tickets were sold for some good bottles of wine; the proceeds were for the MOAA Portland Chapter Scholarship Fund. After the social time, Chapter President Col Mary Mayer USAF (Ret) called the meeting to order at The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, the National Anthem was sung, and Chaplain (LTC) Grant McAllister, USA (Ret) gave the invocation. Chapter President s Comments: President Mayer opened the meeting by welcoming those in attendance to the first meeting of the program year. She then asked for a moment of silence to honor those who gave their lives in the September 11, 2011 attack upon our homeland. She then congratulated both the MOAA Portland Chapter and the MOAA Oregon State Council of Chapters for receiving the Five Star Levels of Excellence Award from MOAA National for Exceptional Performance in From October 2012, she will be attending the MOAA Annual Meeting to receive the award. From September 2012, President Mayer, First Vice President Boyd Yaden and his wife Karon, Second Vice President Larry Roberts, and new member Maj Bill Tidd, USAF (Ret) (representing Dick Lightfoot) will be attending the MOAA Western Region Chapter Presidents Meeting in Las Vegas, NV. President Mayer then introduced the officers, board members, and committee chairs contact information for them can be found at

3 MOAA PORTLAND OREGON CHAPTER BRASS BULLETIN NEWSLETTER 3 our website, On 22 August 2012, Mrs. Edie Rieken was once again nominated for the 2012 Auxiliary Liaison Excellence Award. Save the dates! 4 October 2012 is the next MOAA Oregon State Council of Chapters Meeting at the Seventh Mountain Resort in Bend, OR; from 4-6 October 2013, the MOAA Oregon State Council of Chapters Biennial Convention will be held at the same location. The Military Order of the World Wars, Portland Chapter has invited the MOAA Portland Chapter to participate in the 49 th Annual Presentation of Massing of the Colors and Service of Remembrance to be conducted on Sunday, 28 October 2012 from at the Oregon National Guard Kliever Armory, NE 33 rd Drive, Portland, OR. This service honors all veterans both living and dead and those who are currently serving our great nation. (See page 5.) President Mayer indicated that we needed to fill two positions on the board: Secretary and a second Navy Rep. She then showed those in attendance an artist s rendition of the new Oregon World War II Memorial to be located on the grounds of the Capitol in Salem, OR and encouraged all to make a donation in the name of someone they knew who had participated in World War II. Scholarship Committee Report: Larry Roberts reported that we had almost $21,000 out of the $25,000 that we need to endow our chapter scholarship; see his column on page 7. Membership Committee Report: Boyd Yaden encouraged all to talk to their friends and colleagues about the MOAA Portland Chapter, bring them to our meetings, and encourage them to join and get involved. Colonel Rick Gano, USAF (Ret) won the Membership Appreciation Drawing for a free dinner. Microscopy Facility at the Portland VA Medical Center and Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience and Pathology at Oregon Health and Science University, who spoke on Of Mice and Parkinson s Disease: The Role of An Enriched Environment and Socializing in Disease Reversal. Dr. Meshul said that exercise, dance, caffeine drinks, and socializing in groups are powerful ways to mitigate the effects of Parkinson s. President Mayer and Lt Col Dick Lightfoot, USAF (Ret) presented the speaker with a gift. (See picture.) After the guest speaker s remarks, the following reports were given: Legislative Committee Report: CAPT Larry Roberts, USNR (Ret) asked the attendees to read his column (see pages 5-7). Special Events Committee Report: MAJ John Sampson, USA (Ret) said that his new committee would be responsible for such duties as ROTC/JROTC, Gold Bar Program, Living History Days, Massing of the Colors, and Veterans of Oregon Honorary Service Medal Presentations. Four chapter members received their Veterans of Oregon Honorary Service Medals: Maj John W. Christianson, USAF (Ret); CDR Michael J. Seiwald, USN (Ret); MAJ Dade Wright, USA (Ret); and CDR Robert E. Ervin, USN (Ret). (See picture) After dinner was served, President Mayer introduced the guest speaker, Dr. Charles ( Charlie ) Meshul, a research biologist and director of the Electron

4 MOAA PORTLAND OREGON CHAPTER BRASS BULLETIN NEWSLETTER 4 Auxiliary Committee Report: Mrs. Edie Rieken reported that the results of her MOAA Auxiliary Fundraising Luncheon on 19 June 2012 at her home resulted in $300 from 13 attendees for our chapter scholarship fund. The next Auxiliary Luncheon will be on Tuesday, 16 October 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at Albertina s. Auxiliary members and wives are cordially invited to attend! ESGR Outreach Committee: COL Bob Windus, USAR (Ret) gave an excellent summary of all the activities the committee is doing at its ESGR Office at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas, OR. In the For the Good of the Order portion of the meeting, CAPT Larry Roberts, USNR (Ret) selected the winners for two bottles of wine [COL Herb Hirst, USA (Ret) and Maj John Christianson, USAF (Ret)]; LTC Gary Brink, USA (Ret) said that he was proud of the fact that three chapter members were recognized at Keizer Stadium on 4 July 2012: MG Curt Loop, USA (Ret), MAJ John Sampson, USA (Ret), and Lt Col Richard Lightfoot, USAF (Ret); Maj John Christianson, USAF (Ret) also relayed a personal story on having been robbed and encouraged all to purchase alarm systems and personal safes; and LTC Bill Kroger, USAR (Ret) told a joke. In her closing remarks, President Mayer thanked our guest speaker, Dr. Charles Meshul; all members who attended; Mrs. Edie Rieken for the beautiful flowers on the tables; and BJ and the rest of the Monarch Hotel staff for the excellent dinner and service. The next chapter meeting will be held on Tuesday, 2 October 2012 at the Gray Gables Estate. Our guest speaker will be Captain Bruce Jones, USCG who is the Commander, Sector Columbia River. Reservations must be made by 12:00 noon on Thursday, 27 September 2012 to LTC Boyd Yaden, USAF (Ret). NOTE: Any dietary issues must be reported to Lt Col Yaden when making reservations. The next newsletter will be the October 2012 issue; the membership will be receiving the newsletter this week. In closing, President Mayer asked each member to fly the flag on the following days: 22 September (Patriot Day), 17 September (U.S. Constitution approved in 1787), and 21 September (POW/MIA Recognition Day) and wished the U.S. Air Force a happy 65 th birthday on 18 September. She finished with asking each member to remember our sisters and brothers in arms who are serving abroad in harm s way and say a prayer for their safe return. And pray for their families back home as well. The meeting was adjourned at AUXILIARY CORNER by Mrs. Edie Rieken, Liaison to the Auxiliary Member Advisory Committee Calling all Auxiliary members! (And members wives are also welcome to join us.) We ll start the fall season once again with luncheon at Albertina s on 16 October at 1:00 p.m. Please call me by the 12 th if you can come: (Edie at ) They have a new Chef, and his menus have been well received; not only that, you ll be with a wonderful group of women you ll enjoy knowing. And yes, we ll continue bringing diapers (or wipes ) for the Salvation Army s Home Front War Relief Program; coupons are plentiful in the newspaper ads. Also, you can still bring old cell phones that provide free phone calls home for soldiers overseas. The (national) Auxiliary Member Advisory Committee reports that our TRICARE benefits are under siege. Certain fees won t increase, some will. Pharmacy co-payments will not fare as well. If you still have the August issue of Military Officer Magazine, read the article on page 33 titled Changes Coming. These are updated in the current issue (September) on page 34. Start filling your piggy bank! A reminder: If you have changed your address recently, do contact MOAA. Call (800) 234-MOAA (6622) or MOAA s Member Service Center: msc@moaa.org It may well be to your benefit to receive information, legislative alerts, tips, and other useful content. I d also appreciate having any updated information.

5 MOAA PORTLAND OREGON CHAPTER BRASS BULLETIN NEWSLETTER 5 MEMBERSHIP CORNER by Lt Col Boyd C. Yaden, USAF (Ret) MEMBERSHIP! Last month I encouraged you to bring in new members. It occurred to me that some people are reluctant to spend the money to pay the dues, BUT our chapter dues are only $25 per year! SO to look at it another way, this comes to $0.83 a day over ONE month. That is less than a large coke at McDonalds. The dues are important to the chapter as the funds go to the chapter activities and administrative costs--such as postage, publication and mailing of the monthly newsletters, annual registration fees to the Oregon Secretary of State, membership in the MOAA Oregon State Council of Chapters, scholarships for the ROTC MOAA Award Recipients, and funds to pay for our quarterly Membership Appreciation dinners and dinners for our guest speakers and their spouses. Secondly, and most importantly, is YOU, the current member. We have set up TWO Saturday Brunches so that those of you who cannot make our dinner meetings can attend at least two meetings a year! WE really need your HELP and input as to what activities or projects you would like to see us doing. Also could YOU help with a committee or project? No one is too old or busy to help at least once during the year. If you would like, please send me an at b.yaden@comcast.net. We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting! SPECIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE REPORT by MAJ John Sampson, USA (Ret) I would like to invite chapter members who would like to spend less time and involvement in chapter activities to join the Special Activities Committee. Our last activity for this year will be the Military Order of the World Wars 49 th Massing of the Colors and Service of Remembrance to be conducted on Sunday, 28 October 2012 from at the Oregon National Guard Kliever Armory. It would be wonderful if we could get a member from the Air Force, Army, Navy or Coast Guard, and Marine. Your mission, if you decide to participate, would be to carry and post our colors. If you are interested, please let me know by the 21 September Another event will be the presentation of the Oregon Honorable Service Medal at the dinner meetings. We request those who have the medal to please wear it at our meetings. Congratulations to the following individuals who received the medal at the October dinner meeting: Maj John W. Christianson, USAF (Ret); CDR Michael J. Seiwald, USN (Ret); MAJ Dade Wright, USA (Ret); and CDR Robert E. Ervin, USN (Ret). LEGISLATIVE UPDATE By CAPT Larry Roberts, USNR (Ret) COLA Update: The July CPI nudged down, so that fiscal year-to-date, the CPI is up 1.0%. It looks as if there will be a COLA adjustment in calendar 2013 in the 0.5% to 1% range. Oil and natural gas prices ticked up recently so one can postulate being in the upper end of the range. Looking forward, inflation is likely to rise later this calendar year due to the drought still affecting farms. So, we likely will lag inflation with a small COLA taking effect in January and a potentially larger COLA adjustment in January 2014, while inflation in food prices hits in calendar This outlook is close to what I postulated last month, with more evidence that it may be correct. Congress is Coming Back from Vacation--Lots to Do and Little Time to Do It: Congress returns to what it self describes as work as this is being written. At least the House passed and sent to the Senate a Defense Authorization Bill. The Senate has less than three weeks to pass its version of the bill and then wrestle with the House to resolve differences. Ostensibly, this must be accomplished, passed, and sent to the President for signature before October 1st. MOAA points out that no action is presently scheduled in the Senate, so it looks as if a continuing resolution may be the short term outcome.

6 MOAA PORTLAND OREGON CHAPTER BRASS BULLETIN NEWSLETTER 6 TRICARE: There are areas of concern where the House and Senate differ in TRICARE co-pays and fees that affect many of us, so the lack of clarity is of concern, and the inability of Congress to accomplish its mission is of even greater concern. Further, the Medicare and TRICARE reimbursement rate cuts of 27% are still scheduled for implementation on the first of January You may recall the Congress has been kicking the can down the road on this issue for several years, anywhere from two to ten months at a time. Look for the same outcome this year. Of course, they could pass a bill to repeal the law that forces such cuts, but that is too simple, and therefore too difficult. Feel free to tell your legislators what you think of their inability to address the needs of their constituents. It is outrageous. Medicare to study feasibility of removing Social Security numbers from Medicare cards: Over the past several years, DoD has been engaged in a phased program to remove Social Security numbers from ID cards for active duty, reserves, and retired members--a program that I believe is close to complete at this time. Medicare has been urged to embark on a similar program, but has consistently demurred based on cost issues. Let me see, we can waste $1/5 billion of taxpayer dollars on failed Solyndra investments, but we cannot see the way forward to reduce ID theft losses among Medicare beneficiaries. We shall keep you apprised on this issue. The Sky is not Falling! Look at the facts on Military Personnel Spending: Over the past 2 years, MOAA and this column have chronicled the sob stories being presented to Congress by the Administration and the Pentagon regarding supposedly out of control military personnel costs, especially those associated with health care. Secretary Panetta and his surrogates in the Pentagon have spread the canard that Secretary Gates first stated, Health care costs are eating the Defense Department alive. This escalated to a statement authored by a think tank, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, that If personnel costs continue growing at that rate and the overall defense budget remains flat with inflation, military personnel costs will consume the entire defense budget by Such an assertion is sure to raise fears and generate headlines, but it is also patently false. The facts regarding TRICARE for Life (TFL): Unlike Social Security, which is a pay as you go scheme despite what masquerades as a Social Security Trust Fund, TFL actually has a Trust Fund with assets. The fund assets grew substantially in the last fiscal year, by $18.1 billion--which compares favorably with $8.3 billion in outlays in fiscal 2010, the last year in which data is available. Both DoD and the Treasury Department make annual contributions to the Trust Fund figured on an actuarial basis. The most recent contribution was $26.4 billion. Total personnel costs as a percentage of the DoD budget have oscillated around 31% for the past 32 years. In fiscal 1980, such costs were 33% of total, in 1990 they were 34%, and in fiscal 2012 the figure is estimated at 31%. That does not indicate that personnel costs are in danger of overwhelming total costs. By the way, defense expenditures have declined from 47% of federal outlays in 1960 to only 19% in 2012, and are projected to decline to just 13% in fiscal Guess what makes up the percentage changes? Medicare, Social Security. and other social programs. (I will get the data for next month, hopefully.) So, with Viet Nam, the first Gulf War, the second Gulf War and Afghanistan to fight, the Defense Department has dramatically reduced its burden on government spending as a percentage of total outlays. Increased Focus on Mental Health Issues: The President is said to be ready to sign an executive order establishing an interagency task force and directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to take a wide variety of initiatives to address issues related to a rising suicide rate and mental health among active duty, reserves, veterans, and their families. These initiatives include increasing capacity of the crisis hotline before the end of this year, providing mental health access within 24 hours of veterans self identifying as being in a crisis, establishing pilot

7 MOAA PORTLAND OREGON CHAPTER BRASS BULLETIN NEWSLETTER 7 programs to enhance access to mental health support in areas of high demand and low availability, and hiring more peer to peer support counselors and mental health professionals. It sounds like an interesting initiative, but one questions the ability to scale up quickly, especially when an executive order does not mean there are funds to support the initiative. At the earliest, funds would be provided when the next VA budget is passed and signed, and who know when that may transpire. Still, awareness of need is the first step toward improvements. Just for Fun: What sector of expenditures comprises more than half of TRICARE for Life outlays? Answer: Pharmacy outlays comprise 53% of TFL expenses. SCHOLARSHIP UPDATE By CAPT Larry Roberts, USNR (Ret) We have just been notified that the Portland Chapter Designated Scholar is Elizabeth A Renninger, who is attending Southern Oregon University. Lizzie was awarded a $5,000 interest-free loan and a $500 grant from the Scholarship Fund to partially fund her junior year. She was awarded a similar loan and grant in 2011, so we are major contributors to her college education. I have asked Lizzie to join us for a chapter meeting this year, now that she has settled on a major and is in her second year at SOU--having transferred from OSU last year. Over the past several years, MOAA Scholarship funds have been awarded to two Designated Scholars, one of whom has graduated and is now in graduate school, and at least four other Portland area students, so the Chapter and MOAA together are generously supporting our area youth. A Choice: Pay Federal Taxes or Contribute to the Chapter Scholarship Fund? If you have a heart for contributing to the higher education of our next generation of leaders, one has a clear choice. You can contribute on a tax deductible basis to the Scholarship Fund, which incurs zero overhead expenses and has a default rate of less than 1%, including the death of scholarship recipients. Or you can pay taxes to the federal government, which incurs substantial overhead in doling out its taxpayer backed loans, AND has a default rate approaching 10%. That seems like an easy decision to me. Our dollars generate much greater bang for the buck within the MOAA Scholarship Fund than they do wending their way through the bureaucracy of the US Government. With federal taxes going up in 2013, no matter what happens to the current tax rates, primarily as a result of the Affordable Care Act, the balance of impact will continue to swing toward charitable giving, especially the outstanding MOAA Scholarship Fund and our Chapter s piece of that sterling program. If you have any questions on our Chapter Fund, or the broader MOAA umbrella fund, please contact me directly. Thanks to the entire chapter for our continuing support of this initiative. Contact information is Larry@RocketVentures.com or If you write a check to the fund, please make it out to Portland Chapter MOAA Scholarship Fund. Remember, it is exceedingly easy to make a contribution with your credit card on the MOAA web site, Portland Chapter Officers President Col Mary J. Mayer, USAF (Ret): First Vice President Lt Col Boyd C. Yaden, USAF (Ret): Second Vice President CAPT Lawrence Roberts, USNR (Ret): Secretary Vacant Treasurer CAPT James H. Main, USNR (Ret): Immediate Past President LTC Gary S. Brink, USA (Ret): Note: Contact information for Chapter Board Members and Committee Chairs can be found on

8 RETURN ADDRESS: PORTLAND CHAPTER MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (MOAA) P.O. BOX PORTLAND, OR FIRST CLASS POSTAGE REQUIRED ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED MOAA PORTLAND CHAPTER UPCOMING EVENTS Mark your calendars! October 16, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 2, 2012 November 3, 2012 December 4, 2012 January 2013 Auxiliary Member Luncheon (Spouses are welcome!) (1300 at Albertina s) Massing of the Colors and Service of Remembrance (Time/Location: 1400 at Kliever Armory) Board of Directors Meeting Brunch Meeting with Guest Speaker (Location: Hayden s Lakefront Grill) Dinner Meeting with The John Bennett Trio (Location: Gray Gables Estate) No Dinner Meeting Scheduled October 4-6, 2013 MOAA Oregon State Council of Chapters Convention (Location: Bend, OR) NOTE 1: All monthly chapter meetings are held at the locations indicated. NOTE 2: All Board of Directors Meetings are held at 0930 usually at the Colwood Bar & Grill at the Colwood National Golf Course--and are open to all members! Alternate locations will be indicated. NOTE 3: All articles for the November 2012 Brass Bulletin Newsletter must be submitted to the editor, Col Mary J. Mayer, USAF (Ret), at maryjmayer@yahoo.com by 6 October 2012.