Military Officer -February 2009

Accomplishments • MOAA and USNI hosted the second annual Wounded Warrior Defense Forum where the Honorable Carl Levin, Honorable James Peake and key administrators and legislators presented timely material on wounded warriors to about 600 guests. • Created a GI Bill for the 21st century that matches the service and sacrifice of our warriors and their families who have served the nation on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001. • Won active duty pay increase of 3.9 percent, more than .5 percent above the government’s request for FY 2009. • Defeated proposed government TRICARE fee hikes. • Rolled back scheduled Medicare rate cut of 10.6 percent to preserve the value of the TRICARE For Life benefit for our older members and auxiliaries. • The award-winning Military Officer magazine, MOAA Web Base, and MOAA News Exchange brought information you needed to navigate your military benefits and your career. • MOAA’s Web Base introduced more opportunities for you to get engaged. MOAA’s blogs, discussion forums, and comment forms allow you to give immediate feedback. • Launched the “Year of the Chapter” (2008-09) as an organization-wide effort by MOAA to strengthen its chapter system. 2008 • Presented nine awards to two senators, two representatives, two congressional staff members, the General Electric Co., Lt. Gen. James Scott, USA (Ret.) (for his work with wounded warriors), and Morrill Worcester (for his donation of holiday wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery). • Held two Spouse Symposiums and produced the Military Family Legislative Action Guide. Goals 2009 • Improve TRICARE access and prevent unfair fee hikes. • Eliminate unfair compensation penalties imposed on disabled retirees and military widows. • Military Officer magazine will be published not only on paper but also online to provide more options to fit your needs and lifestyle. • The MOAA Web Base will offer even more opportunities for you to interact with other members and with MOAA’s leadership. • Continue to improve our chapter system during the second “Year of the Chapter” initiative. A special Year of the Chapter Symposium is planned for MOAA’s Annual Meeting in San Diego. • Sponsor two career fairs in the local Washington D.C. area (April 28 and Sept. 15) and also another in San Diego (Oct. 21) in conjunction with the annual meeting. • Enter into a partnership with the DoD to allow MOAA to deliver financial presentations at military facilities. • Upgrade our membership database to provide more online self-serve capability to members and to increase staff efficiency. “Your ongoing strong voice and relentless advocacy of well-deserved benefits for active duty military and retired/veterans, and their families, is what’s needed to keep pushing the bar higher and higher with Congress.” () – CAPT John G. Shannon, USNR Ret. • MOAA sponsored two career fairs at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Both events attracted more than 300 employers and close to 1,500 job seekers. • Launched the new Family Matters publication for currently serving families. Our Benefits Information team also established a Financial Frontlines online column. • Brought aboard 12 new members to the 36-member board of directors, who were elected by voting members of the association.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer -February 2009

Military Officer -February 2009 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Legislative Action Letters Chapters in Action Financial Form Annual Message Ask the Doctor Cover Story: Legacy Lives On They Love a Man in Uniform What Would You Do? 80 Years Strong Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange MOAA Scholarship Donors Advertising Index Member Books Sounding Taps MOAA Calendar Encore

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