NEXT MEETING THURSDAY,

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1 HOUSTON AREA PO BOX 1082 HOUSTON TX Newsletter to Members Vol. LIV No. 11 Novermber 2017 NEXT MEETING THURSDAY, November 16, 2017 RUDI LECHNER S RESTAURANT President s Message Ask not what your country can do for you.... As many of us grew up in those years when the mood of the country was wholly supportive of national service, it is natural for us, who have served in the armed forces, to again revisit that prime directive now that we ve retired into the civilian world. I, myself, have just completed a Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) schooling, as part of a Homeland Security program of study, to be a first responder for the City of Houston. Upon my graduation from the course, I was offered numerous volunteer opportunities to serve. But even without such training, you can find many opportunities for service on the website SERVE.gov. While we all answered the call to serve and initially chose the military; now we can continue laboring in civilian fields of endeavor. I urge you to put your principles above your privileges and find time to serve still, and thereby, add greater value to our communities....but ask what you can do for your country. JFK Respectfully, LTC Eugene Vecera, USA, President Eugene A. Vecera, LTC USA VETERANS DAY PARADE: The City of Houston has canceled the parade, but the City of Friendswood is still holding its Veterans Day Parade. Call Bill Taylor, (281) , for info. Officers President Eugene A. Vecera, LTC USA evecera@hotmail.com 1st Vice President Program 2nd Vice President Arrangements 3rd Vice President Membership Daniel M. Gutierrez, MAJ USA danielgutierrez1751@gmail.com Secretary Rollins J. Collins, LTC USA Ret rollins.collins93@gmail.com Treasurer Don L. Couch, LTC USA Ret couchdon@hotmail.com Legislative Representative ROTC Scholarship Assistant Legislative Representative Liaison Eugene Tulich CDR USCG gene42@flash.net ROTC Wilbur E. Mac McConico LTC USA Ret wemcconico@gmail.com Chaplain Kerry Magee CAPT USN Ret h cell usnr06ret@brazoriainet.com Editor Carol Ann Wilson 8902 Sunnywood Drive Houston TX ; cell carolwilson@earthlink.net Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, November 2017 p. 1

2 MOAA Houston Area Board Meetings for 2017 Tuesday before Monthly Luncheon Meeting 11:30 Rudi Lechner s 2503 S. Gessner 2017 Meetings 11/14 None in Dec All members are welcome. MOAA Houston Area Monthly Meeting and Luncheon Thursday Nov :30 fellowship 12 Noon Luncheon Rudi Lechner s Restaurant With the Ladies of MOWA Continuing Our Tradition ELECTION OF 2018 OFFICERS NO MEETINGS IN DECEMBER NO CHRISTMAS GALA On December 2, many of us will be in Austin for the dedication of The Price of Liberty memorial on the capitol grounds, with gratitude to our members Gen. Joyce Stevens and her husband COL James Stryker. (See Aug. Newsletter.) The Price of Liberty replica. Dedication 12/1-2/17 in Austin. Military Officers Wives Association MOWA JOINTLY WITH MOAA-HA Thursday, Nov :30 Fellowship Luncheon at Noon Rudi Lechner s 2503 S. Gessner Order off the Menu and Pay Individually RSVP to Phyllis Ottis, , by Mon. 11/3, 10 a.m. See you there! MOAA-HA Z Treasurer s Report, November 1, 2017 Receipts $1, Expenses $ Balance $4, Balance reflects the $500 received from El Paso chapter. Don L. Couch, Treasurer LTC USA Ret. DUES ARE DUE January 1 each year marks the day when our annual dues are payable. Please check your directory for y our paidthrough date. Be current to be included in 2018 Directory, to be published in April. Membership Directory Ad Prices: $300 for either inside cover; $100 for full page inside; $50 for half page inside; $25 quarter page inside or Patron ads. Chaplain s Message SHALOM! PEACE BE WITH YOU! Kerry B. Magee, CAPT USNR- Ret. For Americans, November has two events that require our attention, remembrance, and prayers: November 11 Veteran's Day (formally Armistice Day the end of WW1), where we honor all Veterans who have served and are serving their Country; and November 23, Thanksgiving Day, where we should and must stop our busy and hectic pace to give thanks to Almighty God for the many blessings He has bestowed on America! When you are out shopping during the weekend of Nov , look for the red Poppy distributions conducted by Posts of The American Legion, VFW, DAV, MCL, OPH, and drop a few bucks in their buckets. All money received goes to assist Veterans who are in need (especially due to Harvey!). I pray that all of our Members celebrate Thanksgiving Day Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, November 2017 p. 2

3 with Family & Friends, as Americans have traditionally done, prayerfully thanking God for His Bounty and Blessings. I would like to share with you the following excerpts from the Nov. BGEA Decision magazine. As the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday approaches, the fourth Thursday in November is merely Turkey Day for many people, with no particular god in mind and only a vague sense that they are supposed to be thankful to someone or something. Football, food, and drink drown out any echo (Rom: 1:19-20) of a Creator who is worthy of their thanksgiving.. The Apostle Paul clearly explains in Rom. 1:18-32 that failing to honor God and give Him thanks is at the root of societal collapse.... Rom. 1 goes on to say that as people suppress the truth that is seen in nature and resist the gracious God who created it, they dive deeply into moral lawlessness.... If God is out of view, our fallen inclination is to give credit elsewhere or to place our faith in something other than God, which is squarely where Rom. 1 lands; Idolatry ensues. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote in a Thanksgiving blog post that thankfulness is one of the fundamental things we owe God. In fact, Mohler says thanksgiving to God, properly understood, is a deeply theological act that reveals what one believes about God, himself, and his place in the World that God has made. To observe Thanksgiving rightly, one must acknowledge the holiness and majesty of the God to whom thanks is due, and also the utter sinfulness of humanity apart from Jesus Christ. The opposite to oppose God by ignoring His kindness or placing credit elsewhere is a raw form of primal [original] sin, Mohler said. Unfortunately, such opposition to God the norm. John MacArthur, longtime Pastor of Grace Community Church in Southern California, says that thankfulness is a distinguishing human trait and so is the innate shame that comes from showing ingratitude toward the Creator. MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU! (Excerpts from the Article, "The Sin of Not Thanking God"by Jerry Pierce, Nov. issue Decision 2017 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, used with permission. God bless you all! CAPT Kerry B. Magee USNR-RET Chaplain/Past President REPORT ON OCTOBER 28 MEETING Rollins Collins, LTC, USA (T\Ret.) On Saturday 28 October we had our first joint meeting with the Military Order of World Wars at Bay Oaks Country Club. We had 14 members in attendance, of which 7 were member of both organizations. As anticipated, we got to see a number of members who cannot regularly make meeting at BraeBurn Country Club. The meeting combined both organization's protocols. If we continue to have some functions on the east side of Houston it would help participation. The service and support of Bay Oaks Country Club was outstanding and perhaps we have found an alternate location for future events. Combining both organizations actually paid the cost of the event for a change. Everybody seemed to like it. Three members of the Military Officers Wives Association attended as spouses. In the future we should consider combining all three organizations for some events. A huge thank you to LTC George Walker for his research on demographics causing this event and to MAJ Frank Urbanic for arranging for his club under trying circumstances. Also, thank you to LTC Dr. Don Couch for handling RSVPs and money. We will probably have more east side and more combined events in our future. Photos from 10/28 Dennis & Mrs. O Driscoll Rollins Colllins at podium Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, November 2017 p. 3

4 Manny & Chris Carnero Pres. Eugene Vecera, who donated his winnings back, with Treas. Don Couch The Fantastic New Aerospace Museum REMEMBER TO GET YOUR MOAA-HA DUES PAID BY JAN. 1. Please use the form in the newsletter to make sure we have your correct and current info. Remembering LTC Val Henneberg MAJ Val Henneberg served in the important role of Secretary of MOAA-HA for many years, and he was laid to rest on October 17 in Houston s National Cemetery. Our Past-Pres. And current Chaplain Kerry Magee officiated. Erika Henneberg receives flag VOTE BY MAIL You should have received a ballot to vote for our 2018 officers by mail if you cannot attend the Nov. 16 meeting in person. This is in accordance with our bylaw amendments approved by the members at the September meeting. If you have not received and need a ballot, call VP Dan Gutierrez: (281) or danielgutierrez1751@gmail.com CONGRATULATIONS to LTC Rollins Collins, who won the national MOWW Square Knot Award for outstanding support of Boy Scouts of America! MOAA Natl Survey Many of you have probably received an from MOAA National to take a survey for the improvement of the magazine. I have verified that they actually approved the link to "Survey Monkey," which is an on line service for organizations to conduct research. However, the questions ask for a lot of personal data, which in my opinion has nothing to do with Officers Review Magazine. They do offer a Prefer not to answer to some of these. But remember: most of us are on identity protection already because of known hacks of government data bases. Information provided to Survey Monkey is going to see the IP address of the sending device. I am way out of date in computers, but even I can see if you already have my information from the government data base hack, this is a real risk. I highly recommend you NOT complete any portion of the survey. Rollins Collins $500Available for Member damaged by Hurricane Harvey Do you know of any of our members who have suffered unreimbuirsed damages from Hurricane Harvey? The El Paso Chapter of MOAA has sent us a $500 donation to a member in need. Get in touch with Don Couch (832) , or Eugene Vecera (713) if you know of a potential recipient. Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, November 2017 p. 4

5 The Elsik High School Choir and Air force Junior ROTC are teaming up to present a special Veteran s Day program entitled I Salute You on November 10th. This free program is open to everyone, but is especially in honor of veterans. The program begins at 9 a.m. in the school theater located at High Star Dr, Houston. If you have any questions, please contact me. I hope to see many of our local veterans there. Lance T. Murray, Lt Col, USAF (Ret), Senior Aerospace Science Instructor Air Force Junior ROTC TX-947, Alief-Elsik HS, Houston TX ext 26256, lance.murray@aliefisd.net Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, November 2017 p. 5

6 MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, HOUSTON AREA Houston Corps of Cadets ROTC Endowment Fund The University of Houston (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force) Please Print Donor name: Mailing Address Phone: Day Evening My pledge of $ should be designed to support MOAA,HA Houston Corps of Cadets My gift will be made with installments of $ to be paid monthly quarterly annually. Beginning date: The Office of Stewardship will send reminders.) Enclosed is a check (made payable to University of Houston) for the first pledge payable. Please charge my credit card for the amount of my gift, as scheduled above: Visa Mastercard American Express Discover Account Number Expiration date: Name as it appears on card: Signature: I would like to be contacted about fulfilling my pledge with a gift of appreciated securities. My pledge payment will be matched by: (Please specify company for our records) Donor signature: date Donor Signature: date Thank you for your support of the MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, HOUSTON AREA, HOUSTON CORPS OF CADETS ROTC ENDOWMENT FUND, THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON University of Houston; Advancement Services; P.O. Box 867; Houston TX Attn: Nancy V. Clark uh.edu/giving Military Officers Association of America, Houston Area Membership is available to Officers who have held a Federal Warrant or Commission in any of the seven uniformed services of the United States or to the surviving spouse of such a person. Please use this form for application for membership, renewal, or changes to the current directory of members. NAME: (Please print) Last First Initial Grade Service Branch Spouse s first name: Tel. For Directory Home address: Civilian Occupation: Business Firm Business phone Dues: Regular Membership $30 first year; annual renewal $30 ($20 for each addn l year pd w/renewal) Auxiliary (spouse of deceased officer) $15 ($10 for each addn l year pd w/renewal) WOULD YOU SERVE ON A COMMITTEE? Comments Make check payable to MOAA,HA and send to MOAA,HA PO Box 1082 Houston TX For more information, call Rollins Collins Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, November 2017 p. 6