Lawton-Fort Sill Chapter Lawton Area Corporations, Why Join AUSA? Superpower for the Soldier www.lawtonfortsillausa.org Quarterly Newsletter AUSA Chapter 43601 April - June 10 US Army Seal--Happy 235th Birthday Army, 14 June! Because we are the Superpower for Soldiers (and their Families) in Southwest Oklahoma. And we put our programs where our slogan promises. Our AUSA Soldier/Family Council of 20 Lawton area care providers integrates and synchronizes their services on behalf of Soldiers and their families, including wounded warriors. AUSA sponsors the statewide Operation Homefront Oklahoma whose mission is to provide emergency and other assistance to service members, their families and wounded warriors. How can we miss with such righteous missions? Because we are the voice for Soldiers both locally and nationally, supporting Fort Sill as the US Fires Center of Excellence and the US Army as the premiere land force on the planet. Because we are schedule-busting busy all over the community both for AUSA and in support of other organizations. Attendees were popping at the seams. 22 January GEN(R) Dennis Reimer, former Chief of Staff of the Army, was our AUSA-Fort Sill leadership speaker at the Patriot Club. 22 April Another former Chief of Staff of the Army and President of AUSA national, GEN(R) Gordon Sullivan, was featured at our AUSA luncheon at the Patriot Club. 5 May We sponsored a Wounded Warrior Luncheon at the Patriot Club on behalf of Operation Homefront Oklahoma with MAJ(R) Ed Pulido, an inspirational wounded warrior speaker. (See Page 5.) 14 May We sponsored the Lawton Chamber of Commerce s Armed Forces Day Luncheon at the Patriot Club. (See Page 6.) 17 May Our signature 28th Annual Hardy Stone Memorial Golf Tournament was at Fort Sill with 30 six-man teams for a golf scramble thanks to 25 years of Jack Donohue s chairing or co-chairing the event (see Pages 3 and 4). When you ReUp or join for the first time, we are planning a dynamite corporate appreciation luncheon at The Mac at Cameron University in the near future. 25 27 October We put on a highly visible, bodacious cocktail party on behalf of the Field Artillery and the Air Defense Artillery one night at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, DC. Because you will be part of an organization that presents annual scholarships to Cameron ROTC students, thanks to longtime corporate members, such as Arvest Bank this year $2,000. Also, we recently presented $1,000 to the Armed Services YMCA another organization on our Soldier-Family Council that has a righteous mission. Because you help buy replacement matching bay horses for Fort Sill s ceremonial half section we all love last year we bought Dave Ralston. Because we recognize and reward each brigade s Soldier and NCO and Fort Sill s Soldier, NCO and Drill Sergeant of each quarter and of the year encouraging excellence, supporting Soldier achievements. Because you receive Army magazine monthly and support Army think-tank research with an annual $1,000 donation to the AUSA national s Institute of Land Warfare. Because June is AUSA s corporate membership drive and it is the right thing to do, giving back to those who sacrifice so much for us and are such a big part of our community. Mike Brown, President Lawton-Fort Sill AUSA Chapter
Page 2 AUSA Chapter 43601 April - June 10 Executive Committee Mike Brown - President brownm@cdblinc.com Lee Baxter-AUSA Okla. President baxter@signalmountainassociates.com Nate Slate - 1st VP VP, Relevance & Relationships nathan.slate@ngc.com Jeff Ewing jefferson.ewing@us.army.mil Anthony Williams - VP, Speakers Bureau Immediate Past-President anthony.j.williams@baesystems.com Carl Welsh - Treasurer cwelsh@wmbarnescpa.com Lisa Johnson - Secretary lj@chcace.com Tor Littau - VP, Indiv Mmbrshp Thorsten.Littau@advancia.com Gene Love - VP Corp Membership glove@millenniumsolutionsgroup.com Bill Furtado bfurt@aol.com Craig Billingsley craigb@billingsleyford.com David Madigan dmadigan@arvest.com Jim Hankins - VP - Retirees jim.hankins@hotmail.com Hank Sabine - VP, Programs henrysabine@gmail.com Dennis Meyer - VP, Awards dmeyer@askpioneer.com Jack Donohue - Chair, Golf Tournament jack.donohue@lmco.com Johnny Owens jowens@johnnyowens.com Pat Hollis - VP Communications Newsletter/Website hollisp@cableone.net Mike Owensby - Newspaper mowensby@lawton-constitution.com Jeri Anderson - Radio jerianderson@gapbroadcasting.com Neal Hubbard - Web Master neal.hubbard@gmail.com Military Liaisons COL Mike Cabrey, Cdr 214th Fires Bde COL John Fant, Cdr 428th FA Bde CSM Joe Smith, Fires Center of Excellence CSM Jeffrey Powell, Fort Sill Garrison GEN(R) Reimer, Chairman of the USFAA Board (left) smiles as Lee Baxter talks (center) next to MG(R) Guy Bourn, President of the USFAA, after the presentation of the USFAA s musical tattoo in Lee s honor. (Photo courtesy of the Lawton Constitution.) MG(R) Lee Baxter Honored at Military Musical Tattoo AUSA President for the State of Oklahoma Lee Baxter, a retired major general, was honored with a musical tattoo by the US Field Artillery Association (USFAA) at the Patriot Club, Fort Sill, on 18 May. The USFAA honors one leader each year in a tattoo for his or her significant contributions to the Field Artillery. The tattoo is conducted at the association s annual meeting and cocktail party, this year marking the USFAA s 100th anniversary. A musical tattoo is a tribute to the military leader by narrating his or her career history and family life and setting the narration to military music. Fort Sill s 77th Army Band recorded the musical tattoo, a tape of which was presented to Lee Baxter by GEN(R) Dennis J. Reimer, Chairman of the USFAA Board of Directors. He also presented Lee a framed copy of the narration. Lee Baxter served as commanding general of Fort Sill from 1997 to 1999 and then upon retirement, was the President of USFAA for 10 years, giving up the position this year. He was designated President Emeritus, by the association. Lee Baxter was instrumental in establishing the new Field Artillery Museum on Fort Sill and the Cannoneer Field Artilleryman statue in front of the museum. Military Families Can Access Online Tutoring The Defense Department (DoD) has launched a free online tutoring service for service members and their families. The site, http://www.tutor.com/military, offers round-the-clock professional tutors to help with homework, studying, test preparation, resume writing and more. The site is open to service members and their dependent students of any age from kindergartners to high school seniors for one-on-one help in math, science, social studies and English. Active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve personnel on active duty in a deployed status, and DoD civilians in a deployed status and their dependents are eligible to participate. For more information go to http://www. dodea.edu/pressroom/releasesdisplay.cfm?print=y&prid=20100203. (Source: AUSA Family Programs Update, 15 February 2010 )
Page 3 AUSA Chapter 43601 April - June 10 Jack Donohue Chairs Signature AUSA Golf Tournament for 25 Years VP for Special Events and Programs for the Lawton-Fort Sill AUSA Chapter Colonel (Retired) Jack Donohue put on the highly successful 17 May tournament at the Fort Sill Golf Course once again. The tournament is sold out every year with visiting military attending the Fires Center annual conference along with defense contractors and local community leaders. The tournament included 30 six-man teams for a golf scramble. (See pictures of the tournament on Page 4.) The tournament has been the Chapter s signature annual event for 28 years, 25 of which have been chaired or co-chaired by Jack. The profits from the tournament pay for a significant portion of the Chapter s programs and replacement purchase of matched bay horses for Fort Sill s ceremonial half section. I have worked on the golf tournament for 25 years for the same reason I have supported AUSA for 25 years: AUSA takes care of Soldiers and AUSA is the Soldiers professional organization. AUSA serves as the voice for Soldiers locally and nationally, said Jack. This year s tournament was the 28th Annual AUSA Hardy Stone Memorial Golf Tournament. Several years ago, Jack renamed the tournament in the memory of the late Colonel Hardy Stone, his co-chair of the tournament for 15 years. Hardy Stone was a quintessential volunteer all over the Fort Sill community and with area veterans organizations and was instrumental in establishing the Fort Sill National Cemetery at Elgin. For many years, Hardy Stone held various positions on the Lawton-Fort Sill AUSA Chapter Executive Committee, among other volunteer jobs. He was a great Soldier who cared about people, said Jack. Jack Donohue also was the President of AUSA s Fourth Region for four years, AUSA President for Jack Donohue, Chair of the 28th Annual AUSA Tournamant at the Fort Sill Golf Course, stands with the 17 May tournament action behind him. He has chaired or co-chaired this signature event for the past 25 years. The winning team at 20 under par is (L to R) Ron Reynolds, Bruce Taylor, Shawn Gallagher, Ronnie Rhodes, and Dave Schuktz with the CG of Fort Sill MG Dave Halverson and AUSA Chapter President Mike Brown standing to their left. (Team member Dave Willet is not pictured.) Each of the six winning golfers received $100. the State of Oklahoma for eight years, President of the local Chapter and in other positions on the Chapter s Executive Committee for the past 25 years since he retired from the Army.
Page 4 AUSA Chapter 43601 April - June 10 28th Annual AUSA Hardy Stone Memorial Golf Tournament on 17 May
Page 5 AUSA Chapter 43601 April - June 10 AUSA-Sponsored Luncheon for Operation Homefront Oklahoma at the Patriot Club
Page 6 AUSA Chapter 43601 April - June 10 Lawton Chamber of Commerce's Armed Forces Day Luncheon Sponsored by the Lawton-Fort Sill AUSA Chapter at the Patriot Club on 14 May