Military Officer - May 2006 - (Page 61)

You’re Invited The chapter then adopted and shipped care packages to members of the 447th Expeditionary Medical Service, based out of nearby Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Chapter member Marilyn Savage’s son, Lt. Col. Donald Savage, USAF, serves in the 447th and rotated stateside in January 2006. Currently, chapter members are sending items to a retired Air Force sergeant who works at Forward Air Base Bernstein near Kirkuk, Iraq. The retired sergeant, who now works for a U.S. civilian contractor doing business in Iraq, distributes the items to troops at the base. “Every single item that goes into our care packages has a little label on it that says, ‘Thank you for serving — Tucson Chapter of the Military Ofﬁcers Association of America,’ ” says Maj. Vern Pall, USAF-Ret., immediate past president of the chapter. The Tucson Chapter also has become an outlet for others who want to support the troops, with the chapter collecting donations from a local casino, a sorority, and a Sertoma Club. According to President Lt. Gen. John Myers, USA-Ret., the chapter will continue to adopt deployed military units until the war ends. In New Jersey, the 134 members of the Jersey Cape Chapter have adopted the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Monomoy. The chapter decided to adopt the Monomoy after its commanding ofﬁcer, chapter member Lt. Adam Chamie, USCG, deployed to the Persian Gulf. To date, members of the Jersey Cape Chapter have contributed $2,000 to the Monomoy fund. This money is used to buy movies, magazine subscriptions, candy, snacks, board games, holiday decorations, and supplies, which are shipped to the 22-member crew every month. “It meant a lot to know that the chapter felt so connected to our crew and mission that they were willing to directly contribute to our morale and well-being throughout the tour,” says Chamie, who joined the chapter after receiving its Outstanding Junior Ofﬁcer Award in 2004. “Most notable is the fact their contribution was not a one-time event. They send boxes to us nearly every month! To date, their support has been nothing short of extraordinary.” Chamie writes monthly updates about the crew’s activities, which are published in the chapter’s newsletter, and plans to address the chapter in May 2006 when he returns from his tour of duty. Chapter members say they will continue to support the crew of the Monomoy even after Chamie returns to “help boost the coasties’ morale.” Are you looking for ways to support our deployed troops and their families? Look no further than your local MOAA chapter. Across America, MOAA affiliates such as the Sarasota (Fla.) Chapter and the Lone Star Officers Club in Texas have adopted groups of deployed servicemembers. Others, such as the Pikes Peak (Colo.) Chapter and the Mount Vernon (Va.) Chapter, support programs that help the families of deployed military members. Several chapters, such as Mayport (Fla.) and the North Dallas-Fort Worth Military Officers Association, are gathering to welcome troops home or are helping servicemembers who pass through their local airport’s United Services Organization facility. Meanwhile, chapters such as Rio Grande Valley (Texas) and Yosemite (Calif.) are shipping comfort-care items to deployed troops in the Middle East. These projects help MOAA chapters fulfill their goal of promoting patriotism in their communities. The association’s 415-plus affiliated chapters also engage in many other activities, including sponsoring local ROTC and Junior ROTC units, providing scholarships to deserving students, helping pass vital legislation, and aiding members who have problems navigating the military’s system of benefits and entitlements. To find a chapter near you, visit MOAA’s Web Base (www.moaa.org), select the Community tab at the top of the page, then select Chapters and Councils from the drop-down menu. While there, take a moment to check out some more chapters that have started projects to support our active duty troops and their families. You also can share what you and your chapter are doing by signing in to the discussion forum, www.moaa.org/discussion, and scrolling down to Chapters Care. Welcome the troops home Giving troops a proper welcome home is important to veterans such as Cmdr. John Sammons, USPHS-Ret., who is the vice president of the California Council of Chapters (CAL-MOAA) and also a member of the Marin County (Calif.) Chapter. Sammons remembers the poor reception he received after serving his country in Vietnam. “I was spat on in the San Francisco airport,” he says. When Sammons learned that the 150 National Guard soldiers in the 250th Military Intelligence Battalion were headed home, he decided to [CONTINUES ON PAGE 70] M AY 2 0 0 6 MILITARY OFFICER 61 http://www.moaa.org http://www.moaa.org/discussion

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - May 2006

Military Officer - May 2006 Contents From the Editor President's Page Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Raising Iraq Dogfight Fun Caring For Our Own Pages of History Information Exchange MOAA Scholarship Donors Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - May 2006

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.