october 2016 military officers association of america
TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 2016
MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, SENCLAND CHAPTER
P.O. BOX 382 • WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC 28480 • SENCLAND.ORG EDITOR: HARRY L. “BRUD” DEAS III • [email protected] • (910) 338-0409
September Meeting: From Program Chairman Jim Jackson
Our 04 October meeting will be at the beautiful Bluewater Grill on Wrightsville Beach beginning at 1130 hours.
Our luncheon continues to be priced at $15 including the entrée of your choice, soft beverages, coffee, tea and
cookies from Apple Annie’s (compliments of MOAA member COL Rob Cooley, owner). Cocktails will be
available for purchase. Luncheon selections will be made at the door and include:
- Blue Water Cheeseburger with Fries
- Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken
- Fish and Chips with French Fries
- Roasted Chicken BLT with French Fries
Our original planned October program was for a visit to the NC Ports, but has unfortunately been delayed due to
scheduling conflicts with the Port of Wilmington. Details of the new October program will be sent via a
separate communication within the next 7-10 days.
Please RSVP NLT September 29th to JoAnn Doleman via email: [email protected], or 910-540-8459.
Reminder…………………….. The on-street parking places directly in front of the Bluewater Grill have now been included in the Wrightsville
Beach metered, paid parking program. If you don’t want to pay to park (or get a ticket), please use the large,
free Bluewater parking lot.
Upcoming Programs for 2016
01 Nov Dr. Herbert Berg, Professor of International Studies (UNCW).
“The failed coup (June 2016) in Turkey and its ramifications for the
United States and ISIS” – Blue Water
06 Dec Special Holiday Luncheon – Blue Water
Message from our President, Jim Brumit
“In its simplest form, the mission is taking care of people and families” says Craig Stephens, the command
advisor to the Wounded Warrior Battalion-East, Camp Lejeune, NC. Craig was the SENCLand Chapter speaker
at our September 6 meeting. The mission incorporates capabilities to provide services for medical, mind, body,
spirit, and family for wounded Marines. The battalion is currently caring for 212 Maines. Although Marines are
the primary residents at the battalion, it cares for wounded soldiers, sailors, and airmen. Thanks to CAPT John
Stewart for arranging our guest speaker.
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Craig Stephens, LtCol, USMC (Ret) with President Brumit
COL Joe Albanese, chairman of the Employer Support for Guard and Reserve in southeastern North Carolina,
presented a brief overview of ESGR. ESGR volunteers interface between employers and demobilized
Guardsmen and Reservists. ESGR is asked to mitigate disagreements about returning servicemen rights for
reemployment. You can contact Joe at [email protected] if you have questions regarding the program.
ESGR is sponsored by DOD.
If you have interest in joining the board of directors of SENCLand chapter, we have three open positions –
3rd Vice president, USCG service representative, and historian. Applications are being received by the
nominations committee until September 26, 2016. Contact LT Charles Lewis at [email protected] for
application process and further information.
New members since June 2016 are:
CAPT Ron Weisbrook USN (Ret) and wife, Sissy – Wilmington
CAPT Gregg Hamelin USN (Ret) – Wilmington
Col John D. Holdstein, USMC (Ret.) – Hampstead
Col Benedict Antonecchia, USAF (Ret.) - Hampstead
CWO4 Joseph Miller USMC (Ret) and wife, Kimiko - Kenansville
Lt Col Dianne Jinwright USAF (Ret) – Wilmington
Maj Steve Abel USAF (Ret) - Wilmington
Sally Semmler spouse of Lt Col Paul Semmler USAF (Deceased) – Carolina Beach
Please introduce yourselves to the new members and ask them to join you at your lunch table.
On September 18th, the Air Force celebrated its 69th birthday……CONGRATULATIONS!
See you in October.
What do you know about the U.S. Public Health Service??
Did you ever wonder why USPHS officials wear military uniforms? For more than 200 years, men and women
have served on the front lines of our nation’s public health in what is today called the Commissioned Corps of
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the U.S. Public Health Service. The Commissioned Corps traces its beginnings back to the U.S. Marine
Hospital Service protecting against the spread of disease from sailors returning from foreign ports and
maintaining the health of immigrants entering the country. Currently, Commissioned Corps officers are
involved in health care delivery to underserved and vulnerable populations, disease control and prevention,
biomedical research, food and drug regulation, mental health and drug abuse services, and response efforts for
natural and man-made disasters as an essential component of the largest public health program in the world.
An Act of Congress in 1889 established and formalized the Corps as one of the Uniformed Services along
military lines. More than 6,500 Commissioned Corps officers work on the front lines of public health – fighting
disease, conducting research, and caring for patients in underserved communities. Corps officers serve in 15
careers in a wide range of specialties within Federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The U.S. Public Health Service provides
veterinarians (one of the 15 career tracks) an exciting and unique opportunity to serve as a Commissioned
officer in support of our country while strongly pursuing a One Health concept of medical care. The USPHS
Veterinary Category provides officers opportunities in public health, epidemiology, food safety, laboratory
animal medicine, veterinary pathology, and regulatory compliance and oversight.
Our own SENCLAND Chapter member, CAPT Dave Rehnquist, served as a USPHS CO veterinarian, with a
career in laboratory animal medicine, closely connected with the NIH Veterinary Resource Branch, DRS in
Bethesda Maryland. Dave’s work involved direct health oversight in the research use, breeding, and federal
international colony development of non-human primates, and other animals, for both intramural and
extramural research needs.
Your Current Contact Information is Very Important
We need to be kept current with changes to your contact information including email address, phone numbers,
mailing address and spouse info for SENCLAND members. The info will update our membership info and
update MOAA National data base if you are a National MOAA member. With military health care benefits and
pay under threat, MOAA needs your help now more than ever to keep you informed. If you are a national
member, go to www.moaa.org and click on “Login”. The Login screen also has options to have your password
sent to you or reset. Once you have logged in, click on “My Profile Info” under your personalized greeting on
the right side of the home page. Remember to add your spouse’s name and email to your account if you have
not already completed that option. If you are updating your SENCLAND Membership info, send it to Al
Schroetel: [email protected] or call him at 910-686-6905.
Chapter Website Updates
New Posts to the SENCLAND.org Website during the summer:
Info and pics on the 2016 JROTC Scholarship Winners from the June BBQ
Photo Gallery pics of recent SENCLAND events
Leadership Awards info and pics of presentations to High School JROTC students
New Resource Links in the Miscellaneous sub-tab submitted by Terri Hayes concerning
Addiction
o Resource Awareness and helpful information for Smokers Ready to Quit.
If you have photos of interest, suggested topics or articles helpful to members, please send to Ken
Klassen, [email protected]. If you have a question about website access or use of the members
only roster, please call him at 910-791-3999. And finally, if you have changed your contact information, please
notify us for membership updates.
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"Official Movie Trailer" for Hacksaw Ridge - release date November 4, 2016
Desmond Doss was a Seventh Day Adventist, born in Lynchburg, Virginia, who was drafted in 1942 but
refused to kill or carry a weapon into combat because of his personal beliefs. He became a medic and while
serving in the Pacific theatre of World War II he saved the lives of 75 comrades during the Battle of Okinawa,
at the same time adhering to his religious convictions. Doss was wounded three times during the war, and
shortly before leaving the Army he was diagnosed with tuberculosis which cost him a lung. Discharged from
the Army in 1946, he spent five years undergoing medical treatment for his injuries and illness.
On October 12, 1945 Desmond Doss was invited to the White House where President Harry S Truman awarded
him the Medal of Honor, saying "I would rather have this Medal than to be the President." He was the first –
and only one of three - Conscientious Objector to receive the MOH.
“Hacksaw Ridge”, directed by Mel Gibson, is the story of Desmond Doss’s service experience, and is a moving
tribute to a true hero. There is a trailer available by clicking on this link…… official trailer. You will want to
see this movie!
Why Should I Join MOAA?
A large portion of our Chapter members are also members of MOAA, although it is not a prerequisite to
Chapter membership. If you wonder why you should join MOAA, or if you are chatting with someone who is
not a member, there is a highly informative and effective video, available on YouTube, entitled “Why Should I Join MOAA”. Click on this link and you can take a look.
SENCLAND Chapter Historian Needed
We are in need of someone to assist the chapter by volunteering to take on the Historian duties. We have lots of
records in paper form, and now a number of years of records in electronic form, and we’re in need of someone
willing to help maintain those records, retrieve information, and archive future items. Looking for an
opportunity to get involved? This could be the role for you.
MOAA’s Top 10 Legislative Goals for 2016
Ensure any TRICARE reform sustains top-quality care
Prevent disproportional TRICARE fee increases
Sustain military pay comparability with the private sector
Block erosion of compensation and commissary benefits
Protect military retirement/COLAs
Sustain wounded-warrior programs and expand caregiver support
End disabled/survivor financial penalties
Fix Guard/Reserve retirement
Improve spouse and family support
Assure timely access to the VA, and eliminate the VA claims backlog
Membership Updates
New Members:
See listing in President’s comments.
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Chaplain’s Corner
SENCLAND Chapter Chaplain Charles Lewis sends this reminder - In the event of a serious illness, or a death,
in the case of a Chapter member or spouse, please make sure to let our Chaplain know of the specific mailing
address for family members who should receive get-well or sympathy cards from SENCLAND Chapter. This is
a vital communication process - we want our membership to know that we sincerely care.
SENCLAND Chapter Website Can Now Take Your Payments
If you go to our website http://sencland.org, you will notice a few new items:
- At the bottom of the home page, there is a button labeled “Donate to SENCLAND”. If you click on that
button, it will take you to a secure PayPal site where you can enter your donation and pay by PayPal or a
credit card (you do not have to have a personal PayPal account). Just enter your amount of donation and
if you have a PayPal account, just click on the button that says “log in to PayPal” and complete. If you
do not have a personal PayPal account click on the “Continue” link listed under “Don’t have a PayPal
account” and you will be sent to a secure site where you can enter you name, email address, credit card
info, etc. and complete the transaction.
- On the left of the page under the “Membership” link you will find where you can pay your dues (click
on the Buy Now button) and/or make a donation. To make a donation, scroll on down to the donations
section and click on the “Donate” button. After these actions, you will be transferred to PayPal to
complete your payment(s) as outlined above.
Editorial Policy
The SENCLAND SENTINEL Newsletter is published by the SENCLAND Chapter, which is an affiliate of the
Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). MOAA and its affiliated chapters and councils are
independent, nonprofit, and politically nonpartisan organizations.
SENCLAND Sentinel – Our Chapter’s Voice
Our newsletter is published monthly (except July & August) in sufficient time to provide information on
upcoming meetings. We want this newsletter to be of value to you, but we do not aim to compete with
established print, broadcast, or online media, and we do not simply distill what MOAA National is publishing in
Military Officer each month. What we want to do here is keep you informed about the chapter and our
SENCLAND efforts to stay connected with each other, and support our local military and veteran communities.
To that end, we encourage you to provide content for publication in our newsletter and online. Simply send your
notices, letters, articles, and photos to our editor, Brud Deas, ([email protected]) as you collect them.
Everything submitted by the 15th of the month will be considered for inclusion in the following month’s
newsletter. All items are subject to editing.
SENCLAND Sentinel accepts sponsorships from our members and other supporters. You can see a full listing
of current sponsors at the end of each newsletter. Soliciting sponsorship in this way provides a way to recognize
our sponsors while allowing us to keep our dues the lowest in the state. If you would like to discuss sponsorship
opportunities for yourself, your company, other veteran fraternal and support organizations, or anyone else that
appreciates the mission of SENCLAND MOAA, please email Brud.
Cash sponsorships in excess of the cost of publishing this newsletter in its current format will augment our local
military and veteran outreach activities, increasing the positive effect that we have on our local community.
Consider inviting your neighbors to participate by sharing this newsletter with them and talking about MOAA
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SENCLAND. Whenever possible, please patronize our sponsors and let them know we all appreciate
their support of our important initiatives.
837 S Kerr Ave Wilmington, NC (910) 799-9023 1121-1 Military Cutoff Rd Wilmington, NC (910) 256-6585
“…Creating lifelong memories every day” 837 S Kerr Ave Wilmington, NC 910 799-9023
1121-1 Military Cutoff Rd Wilmington, NC (910) 256-6585
www.appleanniesbakeshop.com
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THE SENCLAND
CHAPTER
of the
MILITARY OFFICERS
ASSOCIATION OF
AMERICA P.O. BOX 382
Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480
RETURN SERVICE
REQUESTED
September 2016
SENCLAND Chapter (MOAA) Membership Application Form
Date of Application: __________________________________________
Active Duty _______ Active Reservist _______ Retired _______ Former Officer _______
Name: _____________________________________ Rank _______ Service ______________
Street Address: _________________________________________________________________
City _________________________________________State______ Zip+4 ____________
Date of Birth MM/DD/YYYY: _____________________________________
Spouse’s Name: _______________________________ Home Phone: _____________________
Email: ________________________________________________________________________
Are you a National MOAA member? _________ Annual _________ Life Member __________
Note: It is not necessary that you be a member of National MOAA in order to join the local chapter although we
strongly encourage you to become a National MOAA member.
Your National MOAA membership number (on magazine label): ___________________________________
Annual chapter dues of $15.00 are waived for the current calendar year for new members! Please complete this form
and mail to the return address above. Call Al Schroetel, Membership Chairman, at 910-686-6905 or email
[email protected] if you have any questions. We look forward to meeting you!