May is National Military Appreciation Month. For service members and veterans, it s a chance to pay tribute to supportive families and spouses on Military Spouse Appreciation Day, and honor the memory of those who have sacrificed for this nation on Memorial Day. For the general public, the entire month provides an opportunity to say thanks to all those, past and present, who have contributed to the U.S. military. www.moww.org General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Chapter #213 A Military Officers Patriotic Organization Chartered 1990 www.mowwvandenberg.org April May 2017 2017Newsletter Newsletter On the Agenda ExCom Staff Meeting 2nd Wednesday, 3 May 9:30 a.m. at SLO Elks Lodge Luncheon Reservation Deadline Sunday evening, 14 May Chapter Luncheon Meeting 3rd Wednesday, 17 May 11:30 a.m. Elks Lodge #322 For your attendance Grizzly Academy YLC 13 May Camp San Luis Obispo Law Enforcement Officer of the Year 2017 Luncheon Meeting, 17 May Memorial Day Ceremonies San Luis Obispo Cemetery Monday, 29 May Lost at Sea Ceremony Cayucos Pier Monday, 29 May Holiday Observances National Military Appreciation Month May Mother s Day 14 May Armed Forces Day 20 May Memorial Day Monday, 29 May Upcoming Meetings and Activities Law Enforcement Officer of the Year to be Recognized at May Luncheon Meeting Each May, our Chapter s meeting is dedicated to honoring Law Enforcement. For this year s honoree from the Law Enforcement community, we have selected a most deserving dispatcher from the California Highway Patrol. Cal Poly ROTC Cadets will also be present to receive their cash awards along with a short presentation by the Asst. PMS. Once again we will be hosting and presenting important information and insights at the annual Youth Leadership Conference for Grizzly Academy cadets at Camp San Luis Obispo. We always have a full house of eager youths who appreciate and benefit from our members presentations. Please contact Col Jack Jones to learn how you can share and be part of the proceedings on May 13. LUNCHEON MEETING Third Wednesday of the Month May Luncheon Meeting 11:30 AM Wednesday, 17 May 2017 San Luis Obispo Elks Lodge #322, Grazier Room, 222 Elks Lane $20.00 Per Person (includes tax and gratuity) RSVP by Sunday evening, 14 May, 2017 Please make your reservation by contacting any one of the following: Dick Hathcock, 805 773 5850, cell 805-441-8673 or dick02hathcock@yahoo.com; Jim Murphy, 805 528-7565 or jlmurphy@calpoly.edu. We must convey expected attendance by 1000 hrs. to the Elk s Lodge on Monday prior to the luncheon. Remember, a reservation made is a reservation to be paid. You may make your meeting reservations on our web site, www.mowwvandenberg.org. Thank you.
VANDENBERG CHAPTER Officers & Staff 2016-2017 CHAPTER COMMANDER Lt Ronald L. Janney, USNR (Fmr) (805) 434-3425 SENIOR VICE COMMANDER Vacant JUNIOR VICE COMMANDER CPT Richard B. Hathcock, USA (Fmr), Past Commander (805) 773-5850 or (805) 441-8673 ADJUTANT COL Jack Jones, USA (Ret), Past Commander, Past CINC (805) 544-1099 SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Maj James L. Murphy, USMC (Ret), Past Commander (805) 528-7565 STAFF OFFICER CPT Richard B. Hathcock TREASURER PHM Bonnie Harris (805) 937-0731 CHAPLAIN GENERAL Cdr William Houston, USN (Ret) (805) 434-9901 JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL MAJ Dan Dow, USAR (805) 703-3187 HISTORIAN Ltc Lawrence Geist, USAF (Ret) (775) 787-7703 SURGEON GENERAL MAJ Ernest B. Miller, MD, USA (Fmr) MEMBERS-AT-LARGE CDR Walt Stacy, USN (ret) LTC Lou Stout, USA (ret) COL Joe Rigello, USNG (CA) MAILING ADDRESS 108 Indio Drive, Shell Beach, CA 93449 SENIOR VICE COMMANDER S REPORT Ron Janney May is Military Appreciation Month This was designated by Congress in 1999 so the public could demonstrate appreciation for the sacrifices and successes made by service members, past and present. May was selected because several commemorations occurred in May. Loyalty Day was celebrated in 1921. VE Day occurred in May of 1945, and the last Monday in May is always Memorial Day. Armed Forces Day is the third Saturday in May which this year is May 20. This was the day chosen by Congress to honor all branches of service. Prior to 1949, we had Army Day, Navy Day, and Air Force Day. Army Day was established by the MOWW under Colonel Thatcher Luquer. May 1, 1928 was chosen in order to dampen the communist celebration of Workers Day. Prior to that Defense Test Day was celebrated in 1924 and 1925, but Congress disallowed it. Navy Day was originally celebrated on October 13, which was considered to be the anniversary date of the birth of the Navy. But later on, it was changed to October 27, as that was the birthday of Teddy Roosevelt, who had been the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. The last official celebration of Navy Day was October 27, 1949. Air Force Day was begun on August 1, 1947 and was staged by the US Army Air Forces. After the armed forces were unified into the Department of Defense, the individual service Days were merged into Armed Forces Day on the third Saturday in May. This date was selected by Defense Secretary Louis Johnson on August 31, 1949 and signed into law by President Harry Truman. May 20, 1950 was the first Armed Forces Day. May is also a month to honor the Nation s Police. Peace Officers Memorial Day is May 15, and National Police Week is the week that May 15 falls in. A joint resolution by Congress and signed by President John F. Kennedy on October 1, 1962 designated May 15 as the Memorial Day for Police. So we have many dates in which to participate in remembering those who serve the Nation. On May 17, at our monthly meeting, we will honor someone from the Law Enforcement community. It will be a Dispatcher from the California Highway Patrol. The following day, May 18 at 1000 hours, there will be a Ceremony at the Mission Plaza in SLO to honor fallen officers who have died in the line of duty in the past year. At the Farmers Markets that evening, law enforcement agencies from throughout the county will have equipment on display and officers will be there to meet with the public. Meet members of local police departments, the Sheriff s office, CHP, swat teams and more. And of course, on Memorial Day, we all have our favorite Ceremony to attend at 1100 hours at the various cemeteries throughout the area. At 1500 hours, we will conduct the annual Lost at Sea Ceremony on the Cayucos Pier. So plan to be at as many of these events as you can, and get into uniform if possible If you would like to be served dinner by a law enforcement 2 General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Chapter mowwvandenberg.org
COMMANDER S GOALS employee, plan to attend one of the Tip-A-Cop dinners. The dates and locations are as follows: May 23 at the Paso Robles Event Center; May 24 at the Alex Madonna Expo Center; May 25 at the South County Regional Center; and June 1 at the Cambria Veterans Memorial Building. Seatings are at 1730 and 1900 hours. You pay what you feel like, and all the proceeds go to the Special Olympics. For more information, go to www.sosc.org/ slocountytipacops. In addition to these events and ceremonies, some of us on the Executive Committee will be attending the Youth Leadership Conference at the Grizzly Academy at Camp SLO on May 13. It will be my first time doing this, but I will be with those veteran speakers Colonel Jack Jones, Major Jim Murphy, Captain Dick Hathcock, Lt(jg) Joe Brocato and Diane Brocato. If you would like to help with this very worthwhile cause in the future, contact Colonel Jack. In addition to all this, May is also Bike Month. While this does not involve any ceremonies, it is of interest to me as I am a bicyclist. I try to ride five miles every day for knee therapy, and just plain exercise. If I find a little spare time, I will be attending a few concerts put on by some of the truly talented people in this county. We are blessed to have them. Before getting into May, several of us attended the ANZAC Ceremony at the faces of Freedom in Atascadero on April 22. It is a small and brief ceremony, and is the equivalent of our Memorial Day for our Australian and New Zealand allies. It is good to be with them, and honor them as true allies. While it is an honor to be able to participate in all these Ceremonies, I think that I will be ready for June to get here, and take a break from all the planning involved in these events. Local Military Appreciation Month Activities May 13 May 15 May 17 May 18 May 18 May 20 May 23 May 24 May 25 May 29 May 29 June 1 Youth Leadership Conference at Grizzly Academy, Camp SLO Peace Officers Memorial Day (part of National Police Week) MOWW Vandenberg Chapter meeting honors Law Enforcement Mission Plaza ceremony honors fallen officers at 1000 hrs. SLO Farmers Market law enforcement displays Armed Forces Day observed Tip-A-Cop dinner at Paso Robles Event Center Tip-A-Cop dinner at Alex Madonna Expo Center Tip-A-Cop dinner at South County Regional Center Memorial Day Ceremonies at most local cemeteries at 1100 hrs. Lost at Sea Ceremony on the Cayucos Pier at 1500 hrs. Tip-A-Cop dinner at Cambria Veterans Memorial Building Vandenberg Chapter Goals and Objectives for 2015-2017 Successfully complete and file IRS taxes Complete Chapter activities and other reports and submit to MOWW HQ Fill the three at-large board positions Continue the Chapter newsletter with a new (member) editor with outside support Establish a membership committee will set goals for 2015 & 2016 Establish a program committee Establish a blasting email A & B lists Continue to fully support existing Chapter projects: WWII & Korean Veterans Tribute Luncheon in 2015 and Vietnam Veterans Tribute in 2016 Charles Paddock Statue Project Annual Lost at Sea Ceremony Your American Heritage Monument develop QR code to download audio app on founding fathers and historic documents (bronze plaques) establish a tech and financial partner Grizzly YLC, Law Enforcement Award, ROTC, Memorial Day programs, Boy & Girl Scout Awards plus other traditional MOWW programs Develop new Chapter-supported projects: Forgotten Wounded, WWII Exercise Tiger Survivors Purple Heart Award Project; officially sponsored by MOWW HQ Reestablish the county-wide annual high school patriotic essay writing contest with a financial partner Join with the Marine Corps League 680 to successfully complete the Purple Heart Trail (Highway 101) Veterans Memorial directional signage program May 2017 3
VANDENBERG CHAPTER Committee Heads 2016-2017 Awards Committee Book Sales Vacant Jim Murphy Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts Awards Project Bonnie Harris Directory Financial Review Historian David Frayer Vacant Larry Geist Homeland Security/National Security Jim Murphy Law & Order Meeting Door Prize Membership MIA/POW and Memorials Newsletter Editor Nominating Patriotic Education Phone Committee Ron Janney Jim Murphy Jack Jones Ron Janney Jack Jones Joe Brocato Jack Jones Dick Hathcock Publicity & Photographer David Frayer ROTC Jack Jones Veteran s History Project Dick Hathcock Your American Heritage Project Vacant NATIONAL WEBSITE MOWW National Website www.moww.org See Officer Review for log-in instructions. www.facebook.com/militaryorder LAST MONTH S PROGRAM ROTC Awards Postponed Chapter s Key Issues Highlighted: Volunteers Needed to Fill Posts and Membership Recruitment This meeting was scheduled to award scholarships to three ROTC cadets at Cal Poly. There turned out to be a conflict with the student classes and they were unable to attend. The awards will be made at a later time. COL Jack Jones, USA (ret) spoke on the past accomplishments of our Chapter and the notable support provided by a number of individuals in attendance. Two key issues for our Chapter are a declining Reminding us of our duties, COL Jack Jones shares past accomplishments and reinforces our Chapter s top priority tasks for each member to fulfill: Volunteer and Recruit membership and having individuals step up to the plate to assume some of the officer/committee responsibilities. Your individual assignments: Volunteer to share the workload and recruit new members to fill out our ranks! Lt(jg) Joe Brocato, USN (fmr) is into military history and comes up with a number of interesting projects. The one he discussed at the meeting was his collection of WWII renderings depicting different scenes. Each drawing bears the signature of individuals that actually were involved in the conflict shown. There is also a montage of photos, patches, and service highlights of some individuals at the bottom of the renderings. Joe intends to donate these (and others) to a museum in the future. 4 General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Chapter mowwvandenberg.org
LAST MONTH S PROGRAM continues Photos courtesy of David Frayer PROJECT REPORTS New Member Inducted We are very pleased to welcome COL Loren Weeks, USA (ret) to the Vandenberg Chapter. Loren gave an interesting recap of his distinguished career with some light moments. Welcome aboard Loren and thanks to his sponsor LTC Angel Ortiz. COL Loren Weeks, USA (ret) joined the chapter today. 50/50 Your Chance to Win! LTC Lou Stout, USA (ret) collects his 50-50 winnings from MAJ Jim Murphy Our own CDR Walt Stacy flew a Corsair like the ones depicted in the picture during WWII, logging over 1,000 hours. Walt was not in one of the planes flying over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, but he did his share. Forgotten Wounded Project? To date, we have received no response from the White House after sending a formal letter to President Trump at the end of January. We await the attention of the new administration in Washington D.C. for our most worthy Forgotten Wounded Project. We trust that the Commander in Chief will make good on the words he spoke during his Inaugural Address, The Forgotten men and women of our country will no longer be Forgotten. The letter asked the President for his assistance in remembering a Forgotten Man by acquiring a Purple Heart Medal for 98-year-old World War II Navy Veteran, John P. Roza, Jr. For the Good of the Order, Capt. Richard B. Hathcock USA (fmr) Ron Janney takes a moment to pose for a quick portrait taken by David Frayer. May 2017 5
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS REMARKS The Last Six Seconds Note: Trump picked Marine General John Kelly to head Homeland Security. On November 13, 2010, then LtGeneral John Kelly gave the following speech to the Semper Fi Society of St. Louis MO. This was just four days after his son, Marine Lt Robert Kelly was killed by an IED while on his 3rd combat tour. This speech may provide you some deeper insight into this man. During his talk, General Kelly never mentioned the loss of his own son. What is written below is not the complete speech but the closing remarks of that speech with this moving account of the last six seconds in the lives of two young Marines who died with rifles blazing to protect their brother Marines. I will leave you with a story about the kind of people they are, about the quality of the steel in their back, about the kind of dedication they bring to our country while they serve in uniform and forever after as veterans. Two years ago when I was the Commander of all U. S. and Iraqi forces, in fact, the 22nd of April 2008, two Marine infantry battalions, 1/9 The Walking Dead, and 2/8 were switching out in Ramadi. One battalion in the closing days of their deployment going home very soon, the other just starting its sevenmonth combat tour. Two Marines, Corporal Jonathan Yale and Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter, 22 and 20 years old respectively, one from each battalion, were assuming the watch together at the entrance gate of an outpost that contained a makeshift barracks housing 50 Marines. The same broken down ramshackle building was also home to 100 Iraqi police, also my men and our allies in the fight against the terrorists in Ramadi, a city until recently the most dangerous city on earth and owned by Al Qaeda. Yale was a dirt poor mixed-race kid from Virginia with a wife and daughter, and a mother and sister who lived with him and whom he supported as well. He did this on a yearly salary of less that $23,000. Haerter, on the other hand, was a middle class white kid from Long Island. They were from two completely different worlds. Had they not joined the Marines they would never have met each other, or understood that multiple America s exist simultaneously depending on one s race, education level, economic status, and where you might have been born. But they were Marines, combat Marines, forged in the same crucible of Marine training, and because of this bond they were brothers as close, or closer, than if they were born of the same woman. The mission orders they received from the sergeant squad leader I am sure went something like Okay you two clowns, stand this post and let no unauthorized personnel or vehicles pass. You clear? I am also sure Yale and Haerter then rolled their eyes and said in unison something like Yes Sergeant, with just enough attitude that made the point without saying the words, No kidding we know what we re doing. They then relieved two other Marines on watch and took up their post at the entry control point of Joint Security Station Nasser, in the Sophia section of Ramadi, Al Anbar, Iraq. A few minutes later a large blue truck turned down the alley way perhaps 60-70 yards in length, and sped its way through the serpentine of concrete jersey James Murphy walls. The truck stopped just short of where the two were posted and detonated, killing them both catastrophically. Twenty-four brick masonry houses were damaged or destroyed. A mosque 100 yards away collapsed. The truck s engine came to rest two hundred yards away knocking most of a house down before it stopped. Our explosive experts reckoned the blast was made of 2,000 pounds of explosives. Two died, and because these two young infantrymen didn t have it in their DNA to run from danger, they saved the lives of 150 of their Iraqi and American brothersin-arms. When I read the situation report about the incident a few hours after it happened I called the regimental commander for details as something about this struck me as different. Marines dying or being seriously wounded is commonplace in combat. We expect Marines regardless of rank or MOS to stand their ground and do their duty, and even die in the process, if that is what the mission takes. But this just seemed different. The regimental commander had just returned from the site and he agreed, but reported there were no American witnesses to the event just Iraqi police. I figured it there was any chance of finding out what actually happened and they to decorate they two Marines to acknowledge their bravery, I d have to do it as a combat award that requires two eye-witnesses and we figured the bureaucrats back in Washington would never buy Iraqi statements. If it had any chance at all, it had to come under the signature of a general officer. SERGEANT-AT-ARMS REMARKS continue on p. 8 6 General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Chapter mowwvandenberg.org
JACK S CORNER May is the busiest month of the Vandenberg Chapter s MOWW year. This month we undertake the Youth Leadership Conference (YLC) for the Grizzly Academy at Camp San Luis Obispo on the 13th from 0830 to 1530 hrs. Companions are invited to attend as observers or to even participate and I hope many of you will. This is also the month of Armed Forces Day which MOWW initiated with Army Day in the last century. Our meeting on 17 May, we will have the Cal Poly ROTC Cadets present to receive their cash awards along with a short presentation by the Asst. PMS. In addition, we will honor our nomination for the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Later, on Memorial Day, we will participate in the San Luis Obispo County Law Enforcement Memorial PROJECT REPORTS Boy & Girl Scouts Awards Project Help us acknowledge those young adults who have earned scouting s highest rank. Please let Companion Bonnie Harris know the name of the scout and we ll make sure they receive additional recognition from the MOWW. Volunteers are also needed from time-to-time to make presentations at various locations throughout the county. event at the Old Mission as well as having a part of the Memorial Day Ceremony at the SLO Cemetery next door to the Elk s Lodge followed up by the Lost at Sea Ceremony in Cayucos under the direction of our Commander, Lr. Ron Janney, USN (Fmr.). We urgently request that each of our companions attend all or at least one of these events to show your support! By the way, it would be helpful if you would bring your cameras and take pictures and submit same to The Tribune addressed to the Good News Editor. We might get some good publicity which might attract some new members. Thank you. For the Good of the Order, TREASURER S REPORT COL Jack B. Jones, USA (Ret), Past Commander, Past CINC Jack Jones, Membership Chairman, Past CINC, MOWW Bonnie Harris, PHM General Account Balance 2/28/17... $5,404.20 Income Lunch... 460.00 Expenses BPOE - Luncheon... $360.00 Balance $5,604.20 Special Account Balance 2/28/17... $4,323.84 Income... 29.00 Total $4,352.83 Divisions Chris Money... $300.00 ROTC... 792.34 Scouts... 650.00 YLC Joy Jones... 1725.00 50/50... 652.49 Books... 233.00 Total $4,352.83 Dates to Celebrate Birthdays LTC Matt R. Wall, USA (Ret), PM 5/6 Mr. Devin Gordon, PHM 5/8 Ms. Dena Swinehart, PHM 5/16 CPL Tim Haley, USMC (Fmr), HM 6/1 RADM Allen Williams, USN (Ret) 6/12 CDR Louis Fedor, USN (Ret) 6/13 2Lt Brayton D. Kline, USAR 6/13 Col William Zellers, USAF (Ret), PM 6/19 CAPT Lewis E. Hoyt, USN (Ret) 6/20 Anniversaries LTC M. Robert & B.J. Bettencourt, USA 5/10 Col G. Richard & Rita Gruner, USA, PM 5/31 Maj Rita & Richard Gruner, USA 5/31 1Lt Jay & Janet Gruenfeld, USA, PM 6/9 Col John & Shirley Durant, USMC (Ret) 6/10 RADM Allen & Beverly Williams, USN (Ret) 6/10 LTC Lawrence & Barbara Geist, USAF (Ret) 6/11 Are you done reading that book? Take it to the Book Corner Extra revenue is generated during our monthly meeting from the Book Corner. Bring in books you ve completed reading and/or find something new among these informational or entertaining treasures for your own library. May 2017 7
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS REMARKS, continued from p. 6 James Murphy I traveled to Ramadi the next day and spoke individually to a halfdozen Iraqi police all of whom told the same story. The blue truck turned down into the alley and immediately sped up as it made its way through the serpentine. They all said, We knew immediately what was going on as soon as the two Marines began firing. The Iraqi police then related that some of them also fired, and then to a man ran for safety just prior to the explosion. All survived. Many were injured, some seriously. One of the Iraqis elaborated and with tears welling up said, They d run like any normal man would to save his life. What he didn t know until then, he said, And what he learned that very instant, was that Marines are not normal. Choking past the emotion he said, Sir, in the name of God, no sane man would have stood there and done what they did. No sane man. They saved us all. What we didn t know at the time, and only learned a couple of days later after I wrote a summary and submitted both Yale and Haerter for posthumous Navy Crosses, was that one of our security cameras, damaged initially in the blast, recorded some of the suicide attack. It happened exactly as the Iraqis had described it. It took exactly six seconds from when the truck entered the alley until it detonated. You can watch the last six seconds of their young lives. Putting myself in their heads I supposed it took about a second for the two Marines to separately come to the same conclusion about what was going on once the truck came into their view at the far end of the alley. Exactly no time to talk it over, or call the sergeant to ask what they should do. Only enough time to take half an instant and think about what the sergeant told them to do only a few minutes before, Let no unauthorized personnel or vehicles to pass. The two Marines had about five seconds left to live. It took maybe another two seconds for them to present their weapons, take aim and open up. By this time the truck was half-way through the barriers and gaining speed the whole time. Here, the recording show a number of Iraqi police, some of whom had fired their AKs, now scattering like the normal and rational men they were -some running right past the Marines. They had three seconds to live. For about two seconds more, the recording shows the Marines weapons firing non-stop the truck s windshield exploding into shards of glass as their rounds take it apart and into the body of the person who was trying to get past them to kill their brothers American and Iraqi bedded down in the barracks totally unaware of the fact that their lives at that moment depended entirely on two Marines standing their ground. If they had been aware, they would have known they were safe because two Marines stood between them and a crazed suicide bomber. The recording shows the truck careening to a stop immediately in front of the two Marines. In all of the instantaneous violence Yale and Haerter never hesitated. By all reports and by the recording, they never even shifted their weight. With their feet spread shoulder width apart, they leaned into the danger, firing as fast as they could work their weapons. They only had one second left to live. The truck exploded. The camera goes blank. Two young men go to their God. Six seconds. Not enough time to think about their families, their country, their flag, or about their lives or their deaths, but more than enough time for two very brave young men to do their duty into eternity. That is the kind of people who are on watch all over the world tonight for you. We Marines believe that God gave America the greatest gift he could bestow to man while he lived on this earth freedom. We also believe he gave us another gift nearly as precious our soldiers, sailors, airmen, U. S. Customs and Border Patrol, Coast Guardsmen, and Marines to safeguard that gift and guarantee no force on this earth can ever steal it away. It has been my distinct honor to have been with you here today. Rest assured our America, this experiment in democracy started over two centuries ago, will forever remain the land of the free and the home of the brave as long as we never run out of tough young Americans who are willing to look beyond their own self-interest and comfortable lives, and go into the darkest and most dangerous places on earth to hunt down, and kill, those who would do us harm. God Bless America, and SEMPER FIDELIS! Often Tested, Always Faithful, Brothers Forever. 8 General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Chapter mowwvandenberg.org
CHAPLIN S CORNER Most Heavenly Father, we come before you in this special month of May again with praise and glory to you name for our country, our military, and law enforcement officers who have committed their lives to the welfare of the nation and all of us. This month, father, is Law Enforcement Memorial month with ceremonies saluting those in law enforcement who give so much continually. It is also Memorial Day which was established as Decoration Day after the Battle at Gettysburg took place and celebrates the fallen in that great battle during the Civil War. Last but not least, it is a month of graduation and young men and women at Universities and Colleges all throughout our nation are being commissioned at ROTC ceremonies to serve their nation whenever and wherever they are called. Bless them all, Lord. Protect them and give them the qualities of leadership to fulfill their assignments. Keep us ever mindful of their sacrifices and service and continue our zeal to honor, respect and support them. Amen Padre Bill Each One Reach One EXCOM STAFF MEETING Capt. Richard B. Hathcock USA (FMR) Vandenberg Chapter Excom Meeting, April 12, 2017 The meeting was called to order at 0939 hours April 12, 2017 by Commander Ron Janney. First order of business is to find a replacement for Chaplain Bill Houston. Rev. Dr. Dennis Falasco (First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo) will be asked if he would consider the position. If yes he could be made a Friend of the Chapter. Commander Janney will ask Dennis if he would consider the position. In the interim we will rotate the opening prayer and the Benediction during Chapter meetings R.O.T.C. awards are to be given at the April meeting. May 18 is the Police Officers Memorial Day with fallen officers to be honored at the Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo at 1000 hours. All members are encouraged to attend. Law Enforcement Officer of the Year nomination are now Who are you bringing to our next MOWW Luncheon? being requested and as soon as the nominations are received the Excom will select this years winner. ANZAC Day is 22 April and the ceremony will be conducted at the Faces of Freedom Memorial at 0900 hours. All members are encouraged to attend. The two RABO Bank accounts have been closed and the money given to Bonnie Harris, The Chapter Treasurer. The MOWW mail box in Atascadero was also closed. The Chapter membership in the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce was also closed. Col. Joe Righello is retiring and will have a retirement ceremony 02 June, 2017. Further information will be forthcoming. The meeting was adjourned at 1050 hours so members could attend the Chris Money dedication at the District Attorneys office. Capt, Richard B. Hathcock USA (fmr) MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Recruitment New chair needed With all the activities in May, why don t you invite a guest to attend any or all events this month and let them see what we do and why we do it? What better way to put forth our best foot and continue to serve our Order and our country. Recruiting is still Job One and we do not get as many opportunities to demonstrate our raison d etre than the month of May. Jack Jones, Membership Chairman, Past CINC, MOWW May 2017 9
ANZAC DAY CELEBRATION - APRIL 22, 2017 Article & photos courtesy of David Frayer Opening welcome by Mike Thomas ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations and the contribution and suffering of all those who have served. Observed on 25 April each year, ANZAC Day was originally to honor the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. With the coming of the Second World War, ANZAC Day became a day on which to commemorate the lives of Australians and New Zealanders lost in that war as well and in subsequent years. The meaning of the day has been further broadened to include those killed in all the military operations in which the countries have been involved. Homage to all departed veterans by CPT Dick Hathcock One of the traditions of ANZAC Day is the gunfire breakfast (coffee with rum added) which occurs shortly after many dawn ceremonies, and recalls the breakfast taken by many soldiers before facing battle. (Nope, we did not have any!) Commemorative brick being installed by our Mark Greenaway Our MOWW companions have been supporting the ceremony for the past several years, and it is much appreciated by the Australians conducting the ceremony (usually on the Saturday preceding the 25th) at the Faces of Freedom Memorial in Atascadero, CA. MOWW companions present this year included Lt Ron Janney, CDR Bill Houston, CPT Dick Hathcock, and MAJ Jim Murphy. Also present were Friends of the Chapter Mark Greenaway and David Frayer, who submitted this article and photos. Closing prayer by Padre Bill (CDR Bill Houston) 10 General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Chapter mowwvandenberg.org