NewsGram. Military Officers Association The Grand Canyon State

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1 The Luke Chapter Luke Chapter Arizona NewsGram Est Military Officers Association The Grand Canyon State of America Volume 25 Issue 3 Visit December 2016 President s Message by Priscilla Clay I would like everyone to know that I consider it an honor to have been elected President of the Luke Chapter, MOAA. Our best to Mike and his wife, Beth, as they face their medical issues that caused Mike s resignation as our Acting President. We are fortunate he will continue to provide advice to our Board and Chapter as the Director of Compliance to the Board. On October, our own SSp Linda Wolverton attended the MOAA National Convention in Washington, D.C. and accepted our Five Star Levels of Excellence Award. This award reflects the results of chapter members accomplishments. To the members, thank you for all you've done and will do to help keep Luke Chapter a Five Star Chapter. Linda also brought back some great ideas for our Chapter. We, as a Chapter, appreciate and thank her for taking this leadership responsibility during our Chapter's transition of officers. A big thank you to Charlie Kice, Doyle Brown, Jim Martin, and John Pugsley for representing Luke Chapter, MOAA at the AZ Wall/Project Operation Welcome Home AZ Golf Classic which was held at the Biltmore Golf Club on Saturday, 5 November. If you missed our November dinner you missed two great speakers, Congressmen Trent Franks and Kyrsten Sinema. I m sure everyone enjoyed their presentations I know I did! I m looking forward to seeing you in December at the Christmas Dinner Dance Keeping it Fun. Until then keep safe. INSIDE: Page 2 Dec & Jan Programs Page 4 Personal Affairs Page 7 Congressmen Photos Page 7 -- AZVHOF VISIT: Coming Events 8 December 2016 Christmas Dinner Dance Grandview Terrace January 2017 Francis Archibald, CIA (Ret) Grandview Terrace Dinner meetings are on the second Thursday of each month. Dinner meetings will be on 8 Dec & 12 Jan at Grandview Terrace. Starting 9 Feb dinners will be at PebbleCreek. *************** Board Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month starting at 1:00 p.m. All members are welcome to attend. Board meetings will be on 1 Dec, 5 Jan, at Grandview Terrace. Starting 2 Feb, meetings will be at PebbleCreek. *************** Members needing to arrange rides to/from dinner meetings are asked to call Pat Sherlock,

2 Programs by Ted Stults December -- Big Band Music Keeping it Fun at the Christmas Dinner Dance The holiday meeting on 8 December is our Christmas Dinner Dance, so break out your dress uniform (or not) and let s party. The band is DAN REED S PRO- FESSIONAL BIG BAND, and they will be playing a variety of popular music as well as holiday favorites and a military medley. I understand that some Chapter members may sing a few numbers with the band. Dan Reed January Intelligence Briefing We kick off the new year with a dynamic speaker, Mr. Francis X. Archibald, who recently retired (after 31 years) as Director of the National Clandestine Service of the Central Intelligence Agency. Frank has served in numerous capacities and locations all around the world. His career has been exciting and demanding, leading to his ascent to the upper echelons of the CIA. I could tell you more, but then I d have to kill you. So come and enjoy Frank s program that will probably answer questions you haven t even thought of. Francis Archibald On Wednesday, 8 February 2017, the Military Order of the World Wars will have a Massing of the Colors & Service of Remembrance at the Colonnade La Vita at Colonnade Way in Surprise AZ. The service will begin at 12:45 p.m. with a prelude by the Desert Brass Band at 12:15 p.m. The service will last for an hour with refreshments following. I will be presenting the Luke Chapter flag. All MOAA members are invited to attend. For Directions to Grandview Terrace please visit the Chapter Website at: or call Mike Kramer at Gerald & Maureen Clark win the Chard LUKE CHAPTER MOAA OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT SSp Priscilla Clay st VICE PRESIDENT (Designate) COL Ted Stults, USA (R) ND VICE PRESIDENT CAPT Robert Cowan, USN (R) RD VICE PRESIDENT. CAPT Pat Sherlock, USA (F) CO-SECRETARYS SSp Linda Wolverton Mrs Judi Blankenship CO-TREASURERS SSp Linda Wolverton CWO3 Don Fordney, USN (F) Mrs Maureen Fordney DIRECTORS/COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS FUNDRAISING TBD SURVIVING SPOUSES LIAISON SSp Lee Root LEGISLATION COL Philip Hanson, AUS (R) MEMBERSHIP CAPT Robert Cowan, USN (R) ESGR OFFICER COL Mike Kramer, USAFR (R) TRANSITION OFFICER CAPT Pat Schnauffer, USN (R) PERSONAL AFFAIRS CAPT Pat Sherlock, USA (F) JROTC LIAISON LT John Kelleher, USN (F) SCHOLARSHIP CWO3 Don Fordney USN (F) NEWSGRAM EDITOR LTC Scott Phillips, USAF (R) HISTORIAN Mrs Helen Kain COMMUNITY & LUKE AFB RELATIONS COL Ron Lord. USAF (R) CHAPLAIN MAJ Fannalou Guggisberg, USAF (R) IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT LTC Dennis DeFrain SOCIAL/RAFFLE COL Doyle Brown LEADERSHIP SUCCESSION COL Jerry Wojtas USA (R) CONTACT LTC Scott Phillips, USAF(R) WEB Site Mrs Pam Wojtas DINNER GREETER LCDR Jodie Heinz, USN (R) PHOTOGRAPHER LTC Scott Phillips, USAF(R) PRESIDENT, AZ COUNCIL OF CHAPTERS COL Ronald Perkins, USAF (R) The NewsGram is published monthly from October through May by and for the members of Luke Chapter, MOAA. The Chapter is affiliated with the Military Officers Association of America and the Arizona Council of Chapters. The Chapter provides non-partisan support for active duty military & veterans and their families. 2

3 Dysart HS Army JROTC Cadets Newsom, Kenney, Hankins, & Burk presenting the Colors at the Luke Chapter dinner. Membership by Bob Cowan We have continued to call MOAA members in our area that do not belong to our chapter. While our efforts have produced a few new members, we still need your support in recommending potential members. If you can assist our chapter by making calls, please call me at Bringing prospective members to our meetings has been an effective recruiting tool. About 70 Luke Chapter members who have not renewed their membership for 2017 will be called this month. If you read this and need a renewal application, you can find it on our web site lukemoaa.org or call me at and I will send you one. Front row: Cadets Roman, Terry, & Bank CUT ME OUT & STICK ME ON THE FRIDGE by Rev. Fannalou Guggisberg There I will be your faithful Reminder to take your canned food staples to the December Luke Chapter dinner program. The collection site will be at the lobby entrance, where your cans will join others for delivery to Luke Air Force Base to help needy military families. Thanks for your help and CAN DO attitude! 160 cans received so far! Keep them coming! NewsGram by by Scott Phillips If you desire to receive the News- Gram by instead of US Mail, please your full name to me at sphillipsaz@cox.net, with Subject Line: MOAA Luke NG by . Chaplain s Corner by Rev. Fannalou Guggisberg The holiday season s just around the corner. If you are one of the many who entertain HDS (holiday distress syndrome), or just EDS (everyday distress syndrome), here are some helpful tips to lift your spirit and keep you going. When you awaken in the morning, wondering How shall I live this day?, the answers are all around you. The ceiling says, Look upward. The fan says, Don t sweat it. The window says, Look outside yourself. The clock says, Every minute is precious. The calendar says, Stay up to date. The door says, Take advantage of every opportunity. The Scriptures declare, You are loved. The festive lights twinkle, Rejoice. God triumphs. The nativity says, God comes to bring His peace. The floor says, Kneel down and pray. --Unknown (adapted) 3

4 Singly or in combination, let these charge your batteries for the day. Lastly, keep in mind these words from Albert Schweitzer: The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this knows what it means to live. He has penetrated the whole mystery of life: giving thanks for everything. Let Praise God from whom all blessings flow be your daily doxology. Peace and joy! Personal Affairs by Patrick Sherlock CHARITABLE GIVING Questions are often asked about charitable giving and with holidays coming up we will all be pummeled by charities requesting we donate to their worthy causes. Here are some suggestions for charitable giving: will actually go to the charity. If you receive an or text message asking for a donation, confirm that the request is from the charity. Never give out personal information, such as your birth date, social security number, credit card number, checking account number or any financial information to a solicitor either by telephone, mail, or door-todoor. Always ask for information to be sent to you and always send your donation directly to the organization. Never give a donation to a charity that (a) offers to take your donation directly from your account, such as an automatic debit; (b) encourages you to send a donation by courier/overnight express; or (c) asks you to wire your donation. Board Briefs by Judi Blankenship The Executive Board met at 1300 hours on 3 November 2016 at Grandview Terrace. Following are highlights of the meeting: The Board welcomed Designate President Priscilla Clay, SSp and Designate 1 st VP Programs COL Theodore (Ted) Stults. The Board approved purchase of Surviving Spouse Lapel Pins for the Chapter to disperse to Luke Chapter MOAA surviving spouses. Linda Wolverton attended the October MOAA National Convention, in Washington D.C. As the representative for our Chapter, she accepted and brought back the 2015 Banner. The Luke Chapter achieved a 5-Star Levels of Excellence Award. Never give on impulse. Never give in to highpressure requests for contributions or donations. Always ask the fundraiser if they are a volunteer or a paid fundraiser. Always ask for information in writing of how much the fundraiser will keep of the donations collected and how much Know the difference between "tax deductible" and "tax exempt." Tax deductible means you can deduct your donation on your federal income tax return. Tax exempt means the charity does not have to pay taxes. The Board reconsidered its October decision to invest Scholarship Funds in a 6-month CD. Since the interest earned would be minimal, the Board decided to retain the funds in the savings account. MOAA National notified the Board that two local students were selected to receive interest-free 4

5 loans or grants from the MOAA Scholarship Fund for the upcoming school year. Priscilla Clay and Bob Cowan will be attending the Semi-annual Arizona Council of Chapters meeting in November 2016, for our Chapter. Vietnam Vets Dinner by John Cappalla The Vietnam War 50 th Commemoration Luncheon will be held at the Sun City Elks Club, W Union Hills Dr, Sun City, AZ It will be on 7 Jan 17, 1200 to This is being sponsored by the AZ Dept. of Veteran Services and the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #1043. Please RSVP to John Cappalla, or Dale Jeter, Entrée selection will be either Roast beef or Lasagna. This is a free event! Welcome home all VN Vets w/ guest. Surviving Spouse by Lee Root TRICARE is changing providers for prescription drug care. As of 1 December 2016, TRI- CARE will be changing from all CVS and CVS at Target to Walgreens. Please ensure that any of your scrips on file at CVS are transferred to another company. You can also enjoy TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery. It is convenient, safe and lower cost with home delivery. You get up to a 90-day supply of your long term medications delivered right to you, with refills submitted online or by phone. Secure delivery in weather resistant packaging and temperature controlled shipping when necessary. Save time, money, and hassle by skipping the trips to the pharmacy. To get started visit EXPRESS- SCRIPTS.COM/TRI- CARE/HomeDelivery or call Express Scripts at Of course, military pharmacies, such as Luke AFB, remain available. To those of you who contributed the many heart pillows, we thank you again. Please keep up the good work for those patients who are having open heart surgery. Don't forget we are in need of quilts and afghans to cover the veteran for their final journey at the hospitals. We will celebrate Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November. Everyone has different Thanksgiving traditions. However you spend your day remember to give thanks for our service members all over the world. I hope you have a happy holiday. New Members Dennis & Sonya Cheney New Members Welcome to our newest members: MAJ John Cappalla, USA (Ret), and his wife, Anita LTC Dennis Cheney, USAF (Ret), and his wife, Sonya New Members John & Anita Cappalla Happy Birthday USMC 10 Nov 16 5

6 Scholarship Fund Donors The following members have donated $50 or more: List continued from last month. Michael Byers Prudence Meader Charles Murrell Robert Peckinpaugh Betty Shultz Eldine VanBeers Anne Watts Fred Williams Roger Withee Jerry & Pam Wojtas Virginia Wurtz Stanley Zeitz Thank You! JROTC by John Kelleher NEWS FLASH!!! There is much more good in our world than the crises and destructive events our media reports as news. More often than not these stories overwhelm those which relate the good in humanity to the point where we begin to believe our entire world is in a state of constant crisis. Not to my thinking. Recently I spent a morning bantering with a class of JROTC students in one of our local high schools. I say bantering for that is what we did. If I spent that hour and 6

7 a half rambling on about my Navy Days, boredom soon would take over. Two minutes worth of them was a good icebreaker but I wanted to talk about what was on the minds of these 15- and 16-year-olds, typical teenagers in high school, not boot camp. By not dodging a single one of their questions and answering all of them, I learned quite a bit from this small sampling about the interests of two generations behind most of us. They wanted to know about me, my childhood and my neighborhood, my family roots, the girls I dated before Linda and I met and we married. They wanted to know what my grown children and grandchildren are doing, what I did after the military, about my values, my attitude about many aspects of our society, my world view. In short, I discovered that they wanted to know about life, a little bit more of what their world is beyond required academic subjects and their everyday lives. When I asked about why they signed on for the JROTC program, the answer pretty much was to learn leadership. Not a bad objective. For every youngster making the news by running afoul of the law, there are many more like these in our classrooms, curious, seeking answers, many desiring of a better life. Our responsibility is to make sure our generation does its best to provide lasting opportunities for them to realize at least some of their dreams. AZVHOF by Jerry Wojtas I feel certain that many Chapter members do not know about the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame. Do you know that 15 past or current Luke Chapter members are also members of the Hall of Fame? See them on our website The AVHOF recognizes Arizona veterans for significant post-military contributions on a local, state, or national level. These are veterans who have honorably served their country through military service and continued to serve and inspire their fellow throughout their lifetime. man with their deeds and accomplishments Nominations are solicited throughout the state for individuals to be considered for induction. There are 20 to 25 individuals selected for induction each year after review and approvable by our Governor. If you know of friends or neighbors that are deserving of possible induction because of their continuing efforts in contributing to their community, state or national betterment, please make their name known to Jerry Wojtas. It is a way to recognize Arizona veterans from all eras, all branches of service, and all walks of life. Congressman Trent Franks addressing the Luke Chapter His remarks were both substantive and emotional. Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema Making one of many important points. Bipartisanship! They agreed in many areas, especially relating to problems at the DVA Hal & Inez Richards at Retiree Appreciation Day 7

8 Roster Change or Correction by Linda Wolverton If you have a change of address or corrections to our roster, please provide them to me by mail, , or phone. My contact info: W Virginia Ave, Goodyear, AZ 85395, ltcolphillip@gmail.com, In Memoriam Thankfully, none reported this month. On Saturday, 29 Oct, the Luke Retiree Appreciation Day gave the Luke Chapter another opportunity to recruit new members. As retirees traveled from room to room, getting flu shots or having ID cards updated, they also came in contact with the Luke Chapter recruiting table. Please let our President or our Chaplain know when you learn of the death or illness of any of our members or their spouses. We want to be informed! Thanks! November Raffle Winners Bob Archibald Free Dinner Cathy Yamanouchi Jack Daniels Mike Trent Canadian Club Maureen Clark Chardonnay Ed Alderete Red Wine Mary Newman -- Candy Pam Wojtas & Linda Wolverton As the above photo shows, the Chapter flag was prominently displayed along with a large sign telling everyone who we were. The photo also shows Linda Wolverton and Pam Wojtas manning the table. Priscilla Clay, Jerry Wojtas and Bill Hoskins also helped at various times. During the three hours of the event, ten applications were given to seriously interested potential members. In addition, a good number of current Chapter members came by to say hello and thank us for our efforts. Luke Retiree Appreciation Day Recruiting by Jerry Wojtas Custom remounts jewelry repair appraisals watch repair many gift items W. McDOWELL RD., GOODYEAR, AZ PHONE: (623) KENNETH OSBORNE GRADU TE GEMOLOGIST, GLA, OWNER

9 For information on joining Luke Chapter call Bob Cowan ( ) For rides to dinner meetings call Pat Sherlock ( ) PLEASE NOTE: Each dinner in December will be $27 and each dinner in January will be $23 PLEASE mail your reservation so that it will be received by the date indicated. If you are running late, CALL the Fordneys ( ) by that date to tell them the check is in the mail or I ll pay at the door. We MUST provide an accurate count and stick to it. MENU Spinach Salad w/ Bacon Dressing Salmon w/ SW Relish Rice Pilaf Asparagus Rolls & Butter Frozen Baked Potato Coffee & Iced Tea $23.00 Grandview Terrace 12 Jan 2017 Social 5:00 p.m. Dinner - 6:00 p.m. Program 7:00 p.m. 12 January 2017 Dinner Reservation Make checks payable to Luke Chapter MOAA. Return to: Luke Chapter MOAA, P.O. Box 5072, SCW, AZ For questions and information, call Don & Maureen Fordney at Please mail to REACH Co-Treasurer no later than 4 JAN 17 Request dinner reservations for Thursday evening, 12 Jan 2017, at Grandview Terrace. My Check for $ is enclosed. [ ] Reserve table for (3 or more) people. [ ] Veggie Meal How Many? Sitting at my table (including me): Member Name (Printed): MENU Garden Salad Prime Rib Twice-baked Potato Vegetable Medley Rolls & Butter Christmas Dessert Coffee & Iced Tea $27.00 Grandview Terrace 8 Dec 2016 Social 5:00 p.m. Dinner - 6:00 p.m. Program 7:00 p.m. 8 December 2016 Dinner Reservation Make checks payable to Luke Chapter MOAA. Return to: Luke Chapter MOAA, P.O. Box 5072, SCW, AZ For questions and information, call Don & Maureen Fordney at Please mail to REACH Co-Treasurer no later than 30 NOV 16 Request dinner reservations for Thursday evening, 8 Dec 2016, at Grandview Terrace. My Check for $ is enclosed. [ ] Reserve table for (3 or more) people. [ ] Veggie Meal How Many? Sitting at my table (including me): Member Name (Printed):

10 Luke Chapter P.O Box 5072 Sun City West, AZ APPLY FIRST CLASS POSTAGE One Powerful Voice The Military Officers Association of America is a nonprofit veteran s association dedicated to maintaining a strong national defense and to preserving the earned entitlements of members of the uniformed services and their families and survivors. Membership is open to anyone who holds or has ever held a warrant or commission in any component of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, or NOAA and their surviving spouses. For membership, please call Show your colors by proudly displaying the Arizona Veteran Plate on your vehicle. Show how veterans help veterans.