Volume: Thirty Three Number Ten October 2018 The MILITARY OFFICER s ASSOCIATION of AMERICA Greater Dallas Chapter MOAA REPORTER FROM THE PRESIDENT S DESK DAVE SCHAFER moaaschafer@att.net Leadership Crisis The MOAA Greater Dallas Chapter is facing a leadership crisis that threatens the very existence of the chapter. The chapter currently has 326 members but cannot find volunteers willing to take on leadership positions in the chapter. The chapter has 7 elected officers, 5 Executive Board members, and 12 appointed committee chair positions. I have served in a leadership position in the chapter for the past 11 years. During that time all of these positions have been filled by the same 20 persons. Many of the individuals have served in 2 or more positions at the same time because additional volunteers could not be found. Some of the committee chair positions require several committee members to do the job right. Unfortunately, in many instances the committee chair could not find volunteers to help do the work and the entire burden fell on one person. The lack of volunteers has also prevented the chapter from taking on community projects and advocating effectively for National and State issues important to the military community. The chapter elects new officers each year. I ve listed the officer slate for 2019 below. Each of the persons listed have served as officers for at least 5 years. In fact, the combined total of years these individuals have served in leadership positions in the chapter exceeds 60 years. Four of the individuals have agreed to serve one more year in an effort to revive the chapter. If we fail to find new blood to lead the chapter, we will be forced to dissolve the chapter in September 2019. MOAA does great work advocating for military members, veterans and their families. MOAA also does great work in the community by providing college scholarships, assisting military members transition to civilian life, and supporting military spouse employment. Editor s Note: President s article continues on page 3 MOAA-GDC receives Five-Star Level of Excellence Awards OCTOBER 23 MEETING BRUCE BLEAKLEY Bruce Bleaklely will be our speaker at our October 23 meeting. He will be speaking about his book, The Love Evolution: A Celebration of Love Field Airport and it's Art. During fifty-plus years in aviation, he has accumulated over 5,000 hours of flying time in a variety of aircraft from light single-engine airplanes to supersonic jets to four-engine transports. Formerly the Executive Director of the San Diego Aerospace Museum, he was the Museum Director of the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field in Dallas, Texas, from October 2006 until his retirement in August 2017. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS 17 November 2018 Meetings are held from 9 am to 11 am at the Point Building, C.C. Young Retirement Community, 4847 West Lather Drive, Dallas, TX 75214. All Chapter members are welcome to attend any Executive Committee meeting.
Volume: Thirty Three Number Ten October 2018 Page 2 PROGRAMS BY BEVERLY THOMPSON OCTOBER 23, 2018 MEETING LT. COL. BRUCE BLEAKLEY, USAF RETIRED Bruce Bleakley will be our speaker at our October 23 meeting. He will be speaking about his book, The Love Evolution: A Celebration of Love Field Airport and it's Art. Bruce Bleakley earned his private pilot s license the summer after high school graduation in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He graduated from the University of Tulsa with bachelor s degrees in both Education and Aerospace Studies and was listed in Who s Who in American Colleges and Universities for 1966-1967. He also earned a Regular Commission as a Second Lieutenant through Air Force ROTC, and, during a twenty-year Air Force career, served as an instructor pilot, maintenance test pilot, and aircraft commander in assignments throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. His last assignment was as a Group Commander at the United States Air Force Academy, from which he retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After earning a master s degree in Aviation Technology from Arizona State University in 1984, Bleakley completed the requirements for an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. During fifty-plus years in aviation, he has accumulated over 5,000 hours of flying time in a variety of aircraft from light single-engine airplanes to supersonic jets to four-engine transports. Formerly the Executive Director of the San Diego Aerospace Museum, he was the Museum Director of the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field in Dallas, Texas, from October 2006 until his retirement in August 2017. Bruce Bleakley has written three books on the history of aviation in North Texas: Dallas Aviation, Dallas- Fort Worth International Airport, and Addison Airport: Serving Business Aviation for Sixty Years. In collaboration with staff members from the City of Dallas and its Aviation Department, he also co-authored The Love Evolution: A Centennial Celebration of Love Field Airport and Its Art. He and his wife Stacey live in North Dallas. The Park City Club 5956 Sherry Lane, 17th Floor Dallas, Texas 75225 Social 11:00 AM Buffet Opens 11:15 AM Meeting 12:00 Noon Please send your reservations early to ensure we can make an accurate and timely reservation count. Reserve online at www.moaagreaterdallas.org/onlinersvp.html MOAA-GDC accepts PayPal for paying for your dinner at our website which allows you to pay by debit or credit card. No account is needed to use PayPal. Club parking is conveniently located in the Sherry Lane Place parking garage adjacent to the building, just past the front plaza. Please bring your parking ticket to the Club as parking tickets for members and guests will be validated at the Club reception desk. Handicapped parking is located on Levels 3 and 4 of the garage and provides direct elevator access into the building lobby for those who wish to avoid stairs.
Volume: Thirty Three Number Ten October 2018 Page 3 PRESIDENT S ARTICLE CONTINUED BY DAVE SCHAFER The Greater Dallas Chapter has also done great work over the years. We award 3 to 4 scholarships to JROTC students each year. We have worked to save the Hazlewood Act educational benefits for Texas veterans and to provide property tax relief for several handicapped veterans. With help from the MOAA National Community Grants program, we have helped North Texas veterans in need. Just this month we provided $500 to a single mom, female veteran to help her pay the security deposit she needed to provide shelter for her family. It would be shame to have to close this chapter after 51 years of service to the North Texas community. I will be calling all 326 members over the next 60 days to find volunteers to lead the chapter into its second half century of service to the military community. The slate of officers for FY2019 (1 October 2018 to 30 September 2019) are listed below. Note that the Treasurer position is Vacant. I served as Treasurer in FY2018 and will continue as caretaker of this position until a replacement can be found. This slate will be presented for approval to the membership at our general membership meeting on 23 October 2018. I encourage you all to attend this meeting to meet the officers and elect them to their positions for the coming year. President President Elect VP Membership VP Legislative Lt Col Dave Schafer USAF Retired CAPT Bill Lavallee USN Retired CDR Jim Bass USN Retired Lt Col Jim Brown USAFR Retired Support full concurrent receipt for disabled military retirees Action item: End financial penalties to disabled servicemembers. Who is affected? Veterans with service-connected injuries The issue: Veterans forced into disability retirements before completing a full career (also known as Chapter 61 retirees) are prohibited from receiving military retired pay concurrently with VA disability compensation. The remedy: Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) have introduced legislation - S. 66 and H.R. 333, respectively - to expand concurrent receipt for disabled retirees. http://takeaction.moaa.org/app/write-a-letter?11&engagementid=309233 Act now to end the widows tax Action item: End financial penalties to survivors. Who is affected? Military survivors The issue: Military survivors whose sponsors died of service-connected causes suffer from the widows tax, a dollar-for-dollar offset of DoD's Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) from the VA's Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). The remedy: Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) introduced legislation - S. 339 and H.R. 846, respectively - to eliminate the SBP-DIC widows tax. http://takeaction.moaa.org/app/write-a-letter?15&engagementid=448353
Volume: Thirty Three Number Ten October 2018 Page 4 PERSONAL AFFAIRS BY BEN COLE FEDVIP Plan Information The 2019 Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) plans and premiums are now available. Use the plan comparison tool to view plans and premiums based on where you live. Make sure to check your eligibility to determine if you're eligible for dental coverage, vision coverage, or both. Eligibility: https://tricare.benefeds.com/infoportal/containerpage? Learn more about the plans: https://tricare.benefeds.com/infoportal/containerpage? EventName=plans&ctoken=OzMyGZBK Comparison tool: https://tricare.benefeds.com/infoportal/findplan?ctoken=ozmygzbk CHAPLAIN S CORNER BY BEN COLE A prayer we all ought to utter often: Father, make me quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. James 1:19 Email is sent to the membership to include, meeting information, legislative alerts. and other information related to MOAA-GDC and its members If you are not receiving these messages please email MOAAGDC@yahoo.com.
Volume: Thirty Three Number Ten October 2018 Page 5 LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY OCTOBER 2018 BY JIM BROWN Pentagon budget passed Congress passed its first on-time defense appropriations in a decade. After a first minibus spending package became law in September, the House and Senate sent the White House an $854 billion spending bill that includes full-year funding for the Pentagon, as well as the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. With the completion of this package, Congress will have approved 75 percent of all annual discretionary funding prior to the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. It promises to be a watershed moment, as the last decade saw Congress routinely use temporary stopgap spending measures, which have hindered the Pentagon s ability to plan and, as House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry said Wednesday, dulled America s military edge. Those Ten years of partisan politics, stopgap spending measures and kicking the can down the road have eroded our strength and encouraged our enemies. We have no duty that is more important than keeping faith with our troops, said Thornberry, R-Texas. Military death benefits won t be stopped by government shutdowns Military death gratuities will be exempted from future government shutdowns under a provision included in the defense appropriations bill. In each of the last two partial government shutdowns, widows of troops killed on duty were forced to wait several days for the military s automatic financial assistance because federal rules prohibited the payouts. In future, even if other military services and benefits are shuttered, the death gratuity payments will still be processed. The death gratuity, a $100,000 tax-free payout to troops who die on active-duty and certain reserve statuses, is designed to provide immediate cash payment to assist survivors to meet their financial needs during the period immediately following a member's death. Trump signs the largest VA budget ever 37.1K President Trump signed the Department of Veterans Affairs fiscal 2019 budget into law, giving the department a funding boost of more than 6 percent and pushing the agency s total spending over $200 billion for the first time. The bill includes $1.1 billion for the start of a VA electronic health records overhaul and $400 million for opioids abuse prevention within the department. The final deal also includes a $1.75 billion increase in money tied to the VA Mission Act that rewrites the department s community care programs to expand veterans ability to access private health care at taxpayer expense. Democrats said they are not satisfied that the short-term spending deal will cover what is expected to be an even bigger financial hole next year. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said that The funding gap is expected to grow to more than $8 billion in fiscal year 2020. Note: Legislative article continues on page 6.
Volume: Thirty Three Number Ten October 2018 Page 6 LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY OCTOBER 2018 CONTINUED BY JIM BROWN Letter from Congressman Pete Sessions on Military Appropriations
Volume: Thirty Three Number Ten October 2018 Page 7 October 23, 2018 Luncheon Meeting Reservation for the October Luncheon Meeting The Park City Club 5956 Sherry Lane, 17th Floor Dallas, Texas 75225 Phone: (214) 373-0756 Social 11:00 AM Buffet Opens 11:15 AM Meeting 12:00 Noon Person's at $25.00 each Check enclosed $ payable to MOAA - Greater Dallas Chapter Please print name's below exactly as you wish you name badge's to read: (Spouse/Guest) Need a ride? If yes, your ZIP code Give a ride? If yes, your ZIP code CHAPTER OFFICERS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OFFICERS Phone Email PRESIDENT LtCol David J. Schafer, USAF (Retired)) (214) 577-4107 moaaschafer@att.net PRESIDENT ELECT OPEN VICE PRESIDENT TREASURER Lt Col David J. Schafer, USAF (Retired) (214) 577-4107 moaaschafer@att.net VICE PRESIDENT MEMBERSHIP CDR James Bass, USN (Retired) (628)554-6657 jimbass9661@tx.rr.com VICE PRESIDENT LEGISLATIVE Lt Col James R. Brown USAFR (Retired) (972) 407-1092 jimbrown510@sbcglobal.net VICE PRESIDENT PROGRAMS Mrs. Beverly Thompson, Auxiliary (972) 617-0858 bevarttalk@aol.com SECRETARY Lt Col Charles Kelley USAF (Retired) (214) 559-3619 chuck.kelley@yahoo.com APPOINTED OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS Editor The Reporter : William Hill, LCDR, USN, (Retired (214) 321-8241 bill@hillengineeringservices.com Chaplain: CAPT Ben Cole USNR, (Retired) (972) 669-0619 ben19320428@att.net Legal Counsel: David C. Briggs, COL USA, (Retired) (214) 559-3619 moaabriggs@gmail.com Scholarship Committee: CH COL Lyle Metzler, USA (Retired) (972) 772-5459 lmetzler@charter.neet Personal Affairs Committee: CAPT Ben Cole USNR, (Retired) (972) 669-0619 ben19320428@att.net JROTC Liaison: CDR Daniel R. Murphy, USN (Retired) (927) 572-5018 maggie9982@@sbcglobal.net Career Transition: LTC Joel Batalsky, USA (Retired) (214) 908-3708 joelbat@aol.com Liaison-Texas Council of Chapters: LtCol James R. Brown, USAFR (Retired) (972) 407-1092 jimbrown510@sbcglobal.net Surviving Spouse Liaison: Mrs. Beverly Thompson, Surviving Spouse (972) 617-0858 bevarttalk@aol.com Community & Veteran Outreach: LtCol Paul Hendricks, USAF (Retired) (469) 667-7750 pmh1004@sbcglobal.net Webmaster and Email Distribution: Mrs. Sharon Hill, Auxiliary (214) 321-8241 moaagdc@yahoo.com Meeting Coordinator: OPEN Greater Dallas Veterans Council Representatives: LtCol Paul Pfrommer, USAF (Retired) (214) 358-1110 ltcolpfrommer@sbcglobal.net CAPT William F. Lavallee, USN (Retired) (972) 291-8776 valleeone@sbcglobal.net MOAA GDC THE REPORTER is published monthly by the MOAA-Greater Dallas Chapter for the information and benefit of its members. Members are encouraged to submit letters and articles for publication to: Editor, William Hill, LCDR, USN, Retired 8358 San Leandro Drive Dallas, TX 75218-4317 The MOAA-Greater Dallas Chapter is a nonprofit organization chartered on November 28, 1967. Annual dues are $20.00 for members and $10.00 for auxiliary members.
Volume: Thirty Three Number Ten October 2018 Page 8 In Memoriam Col Charles E. Gibbs, USAF (Retired) Colonel Charles Edward Gibbs, USAF (Retired), passed away on Thursday, September 6, 2018, at the age of 91. Born on January 10, 1927 in Knoxville, Tennessee, Charlie enjoyed a distinguished military career including service in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He joined the Navy in 1945, then the Air Force as a pilot in 1950, and retired in 1975. He was especially proud of his speed record in the KC-135 aircraft. Charlie was an avid golfer; he especially enjoyed playing with his good friend and fellow MOAA Greater Dallas member Nic Santangelo. A longtime member of the Greater Dallas Chapter, Charlie served twice as president (1997-1998 and 2003), helped organize and charter the chapters' Scholarship Committee, and served as an Executive Board member until 2016. Charlie was a friend and mentor to many of us in the chapter; we will miss him. Be Cautious with Compensation Reform In a 2015 report, the Military Compensation and Modernization Commission noted modernization might benefit individual compensation programs, but the overall structure of the current compensation system is fundamentally sound and does not require sweeping overhaul. The commission also recommended keeping the basic pay table in its current form and continuing the basic allowances for housing and subsistence (BAH and BAS). We need legislators to reflect on the potential derailment of a system that is currently working. Altering regular military compensation could have significant impacts on recruitment and retention. http://takeaction.moaa.org/app/write-a-letter?21&engagementid=350533 Say NO to new fees for TRICARE for Life. Adding new fees will degrade the TFL benefit, which was put in place to reflect the sacrifice of a career of service. Contact your member of Congress to ask that he or she honor the commitment made to those who selflessly served our nation. Say NO to new fees for TRICARE for Life. http://takeaction.moaa.org/app/write-a-letter?3&engagementid=460293