January 2016 Volume 55, Issue 1

The Minuteman

Central Florida

SAR Chapter

Chartered on

May 8, 1961

Meeting Location:

The Mayflower

1720 Mayflower

Court Winter Park, FL

32792

Chapter Meeting January 9, 2016

At this meeting, we will have Compat-riot John Lynch as our speaker. His presentation will be an in-character presentation of his Persian/Iranian friend Omar Khayyam who will re-view some of the history of Islam.

This meeting will be held in the Duxbury Hall of the Mayflower Retire-ment Community Center located at 1620 Mayflower Court in Winter Park, Florida. A time of socializing will begin at 11:30 am with lunch being served at noon. The cost of the lunch is $16.00. The entrée choices will be an-

nounced in a separate e-mail. Note that

each meal comes with an assortment of

vegetables, starch, salad or soup, and a

dessert. Coffee and tea is also served

with the meal.

Please make your reservation to

attend this meeting by 1/6/2016 by con-

tacting Compatriot Dan Stebbins via

phone at 407-830-6946 or via e-mail at

catears@centurylink.net. Your partici-

pation is greatly appreciated in respond-

ing with your RSVP before the deadline

date. Please plan to attend.

Dates to Remember!

FLSSAR Winter Board of Management Meeting - February 4 - 6, 2016: This event will be held at the Florida Hotel and Conven-tion Center located off of Sandlake Rd in South Orlando. Spring Leadership Conference - February 26, 2016: This conference will be held in Lou-isville, KY. Last Naval Battle of the American Revolu-tion - March 5, 2016: This event will take place at the MI Veterans Center in Merritt Is-land, FL. FLSSAR Spring BOM/Annual Meeting - May 13 - 15, 2016: This event will be held at the Florida Hotel & Convention Center located off of Sandlake Rd in South Orlando 126th National Congress in Boston, Massa-chusetts - July 8 - 13, 2016.

Speaker Biography John A. Lynch, Jr, CAPTAIN, USNR (Ret) is 1st VP of Chapter and is our speaker for Saturday January 9, 2016 Luncheon at the Mayflower. John will introduce his Persian/Iranian friend Omar Khayyam who will review some of the history of Islam. As a junior US Navy officer, serving in 6th Fleet aboard a Destroyer (USS Newman K. Perry DDR 883), he and other officers were tasked with training Turkish Navy officers in Task Force Operations. He made numerous visits to Istanbul. Ship was dispatched to the Black Sea for maneuvers and port visits to Eregli and Samsun in northern Turkey. His ship and one other from Destroyer Squadron SIX, emphasized for the USA that treaty per-

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mitting limited time visits to Black Sea could not be denied by USSR. Subsequent visits to Beirut and later, other Muslim countries, such as Egypt and Kenya, provided a view of Muslims which is different from one from news accounts. After his active duty Navy service, John joined DuPont. After assignments in manufac-turing, research and marketing, he was in manufactur-ing, leading to his job in Houston and Wilmington, NC coordinating the design of a Dacron polyester plant in Isfahan, Iran. Iranian engineers were brought to US: Camden, S.C. and Wilmington N.C. for train-ing. Over several years, much was learned about their language, history and culture. Joining the Iranian joint venture financing the plant, he was involved in build-ing and start-up of the new plant. He and family spent several years in Iran and left month before the Shah departed. As Teflon® Market Development Manager outside US and Europe, he was responsible for providing development assistance to African and Asian countries. Moving to Hong Kong with family, John was responsible for International Marketing of Polymer Products in Far East outside Japan. He was visitor to China, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia on regular basis, as well as India. Products were sold in Pakistan, but market was small and no visits were made. John has continued his interest in and study of Muslims in various parts of the world, especially in Iran, Afghanistan and Middle East. He anticipates that Omar will provide an overview of Islam, whose members now number about 1.8 Billion and account for one-quarter of world’s population.

Chaplain’s Thoughts By Rev. George Andrews

January Our month of January is named for a god in Roman mythology called Janus. Janus was pictured with two faces that looked in opposite directions. One face looked to the past and the other face looked to the future. Janus was the god of gates and doors and entrances and exits. Our word janitor comes from the word Janus and originally it meant a door keeper. The temple of Janus was located in the city of Rome. The doors of that temple remained open in wartime and were closed only when Rome was at peace. Janus was the god of beginnings and endings. As we think about the ending of December and the beginning of January, reflect on a positive thought: Every end is a

new beginning. One man who learned that lived in Corbin, Kentucky. He and his wife settled there in 1929 and opened a gas station. It evolved into a restaurant and motel. In 1954, he was offered $165,000 for the busi-ness, but turned it down. Two years later at 65, he was flat broke with no income. The state had built a new highway that by-passed his business. That looked like the end. But every ending is a new beginning. He cashed his first Social Security check for $100.00, started out in his old battered car with a pres-sure cooker, a can of specially prepared flour, and an idea. He visited restaurants with a simple offer: “I’ll show you how to fry chicken if you’ll pay me five cents for every chicken you sell”. By 1964, he had built a chain of 800 franchises for this Kentucky Fried Chicken. Colonel Harland Sanders learned the lesson of January: “Every end is a new beginning.” The Wonder of Words by Edward Chinn

The SAR Medal for Heroism Paramedic Chad Guest of Osceola County Fire Rescue was awarded the SAR medal for heroism on 16 November by Compatriot Dan Dall, chairman and Burt Fairchild Assistant Chairman of the Central Florida Chapter Public Service Awards committee. Guest's rapid and professional action at the scene of a horrific multi-vehicle traffic accident helped save the lives of several involved. The award was presented at the Osceola Fire Rescue headquarters where Dan and Burt were re-ceived royally. The gesture on the part of the Central Florida chapter was very much appreciated by all in attendance. Pictured below are from left to right: Burt Fairchild, Paramedic Chad Guest, Dan Dall and Chief Robert L Sorenson.

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Garrett Gastfield’s Eagle Scout Project

On October 10, 2015, Compatriot Garrett Gastfield led a team of 16 Boy Scout volunteers in the completion of his Eagle Scout Project. The project took place in the historic Civil War veteran’s sections of Orlando’s Greenwood Cemetery. A total of 117 volunteer hours were logged while doing landscape cleanup, flagpole halyard replacement, gravestone cleaning, and the installation of two concrete benches that overlook the Confederate and Grand Army of the Republic sections. Seventeen large trash bags of over-grown vegetation were removed during the landscape cleanup. On December 10, 2015 Garrett was invited by the Greater Orlando Civil War Roundtable to give a presentation on his project. The audience was im-pressed in hearing that youth were interested in histor-

ic preservation, and that Garrett was an active mem-ber of Sons of the American Revolution. On December 16, 2015 Garrett completed his Eagle Scout Board of Review and was awarded the Eagle Scout rank. Garrett is 18 years old and a senior at Boone High School where he is a member of Na-tional Honor Society. He is also dually enrolled at Valencia Community College. After graduation Gar-rett plans to attend the University of North Florida where he would like to study sports management and business. Compatriots George Gastfield and Randy Gastfield are proud grandfather and father.

What is Islam? Where are Muslims?

John’s friend, Persian/Iranian Omar Khay-yam, a poet, mathematician, philosopher and astrolo-gist who wrote the Rubaiyat will outline: Tenets of Islam: (1) the shahada (to give testimony), a monotheistic testimonial declaration: “There is no god but God and Muhammad is his Prophet.” To be-come a Muslim, one is required only to recite the sha-

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hada in full as an expression of unquestioning belief. (2) other dogmas involve belief in a general resurrec-tion and the final judgment of all mankind. (3) four books of scriptural revelation are recognized: the Ko-ran (a compilation of the inspired revelations to Mu-hammad), the Pentatuch (first five books of the Holy Bible) and the Psalms from the Old Testament, and the Christian Gospels. (4) regarded as quasi-scriptural, but not divine, revelations are the Hadith, based on the non-inspirational sayings and deeds of Muhammad and his companions. (5) Five tenets (not to be con-fused with the Five Pillars of Islam, must be under-stood and believed: the unity of God, the justice of God, the Prophet and his prophecies, for Shia the twelve imams and the day of Resurrection. Five Pillars of Islam - impose a binding per-formance; are (1) confession of faith, (2) prayer, (3) fasting, (4) alms giving, and (5) pilgrimage. Omar briefly will cover how Sunni and Shia differ in follow-ing these. The expression “People of the Cloth” refers to the three other monotheistic religions: Judaism, Chris-tianity, and Zoroastrianism. Currently, there’s much discussion about the CALIPHATE of the “Islamic State”, also known in Arabic as “Daesh”. The Muslim communities and lands and people under the political-religious state following the death in A.D. 632 of the Prophet Mo-hammad, were ruled by a caliph (Arabic khalifah), who held some degree of spiritual authority. The “Caliphate empire grew rapidly through conquest dur-ing its first two centuries to include most of Southwest Asia, North Africa, and Spain. Dynastic struggles lat-er brought about the Caliphate’s decline, and it ceased to exist with the Mongol destruction of Baghdad in 1258.” (Britannica Online Encyclopedia) The first four caliphs will be discussed. They conquered Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Iraq during the 630’s and took control of Egypt from Byzantine Em-pire in 645. Within a century this “HoIy War” brought a vast area from China to North Africa and Spain un-der Islamic rule. In A.D. 732 Charles Martel had stopped the Moors and Berbers at the Battle of Tours, just southwest of Paris. Moors had crossed at Gibraltar and defeated the Visigoths. They remained in control of the Iberian Peninsula until 1492. Muslims had conquered lands from Mediterra-nean to India as they defeated Persians in A.D.650. Between 7th and 15th centuries, Iran was dominated by Arabs and then Islamized Seljuk Turks and Islam-ized Mongols. These rulers were Sunni branch of Is-lam. When a native Safavid dynasty took control in 16th century, it declared for Shiite form of Islam. At the present time, the number of countries

with Muslim populations is very large. Some of the largest Muslim countries are not those one would ex-pect to be on list, such as Indonesia. Omar will briefly indicate which countries have highest percentages of Muslims. We might be surprised at total Muslim popu-lation in world and its growth.

News from the Central Florida SAR Chapter's Public

Service Award Committee

December was a very busy month for our Cen-tral Florida Chapter's Public Service Award committee. Compatriots Dan Dall and Burt Fairchild presided over 10 medal presentations in four different department locations. On 2 December, Dan presented 5 Heroism medals at the Orlando Police Department's award cere-mony to Officers Joseph Capece, Russell Sayer, Mi-chael Turner, Kevin Geschke and Christopher Valenti. Their quick action saved multiple lives that were threat-ened by a large house fire. On 8 December, Burt presented a Heroism Medal to Corporal Tim Nazzaro whose actions saved a child who was near death from being locked in a hot car. The Law Enforcement Medal was awarded to Deputy First Class Antwan Daniels whose actions pre-vented the death of a dog locked inside a hot vehicle and on a separate occasion, Deputy Daniels apprehend-ed a kidnapping, burglary and carjacking suspect after a short vehicle pursuit. Both award recipients are mem-bers of the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Again, on 8 December, Dan presented the Law Enforcement Commendation Medal at the Seminole County Sheriff's Office to Deputy Zachary Seal for his long and dedicated service to the department in a varie-ty of assignments. On 9 December, Dan presented the Fire Safety Commendation medal to Assistant Fire Chief Scott Workman for his many years of distinguished service with the Orange County Fire Rescue and the Emergen-cy Service Commendation medal to Captain Scott Turner for his numerous contributions of long standing with the same department. Again, on 8 December, Dan presented the Law Enforcement Commendation Medal at the Seminole County Sheriff's Office to Deputy Zachary Seal for his long and dedicated service to the department in a varie-ty of assignments. On 9 December, Dan presented the Fire Safety Commendation medal to Assistant Fire Chief Scott Workman for his many years of distinguished service

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with the Orange County Fire Rescue and the Emergency Service Commendation medal to Captain Scott Turner for his numerous contributions of long standing with the same department. In all presentation ceremonies, Dan and Burt were welcomed enthusiastically and treated royally. The awards were very much appreciated by all recipi-ents, their peers, superiors and subordinates alike. These important ceremonies serve not only to thank those in public service and recognize those who have gone above and beyond the call but just as im-portantly, helps to build a solid relationship between the SAR and every public service department involved. As this program continues, I see incontrovertible evidence of such a relationship growing ever stronger with each passing year. Below are a few selected photos from those cer-emonies.

Sheriff Demmings, Corporal Nazzaro and Burt Fairchild: Orange County

Sheriff Eslinger, Deputy Seal and Dan Dall: Seminole County Sheriff's Office

Dan's Opening Comments at the Orange County Fire Rescue Ceremony

Captain Scott Turner is all smiles as Dan pins on the EMS medal

Dan Dall, Captain Scott Turner and Chief Bruce Faust

Central Florida SAR Chapter - The Minuteman

SAR Pledge We, descendants of the heroes

of the American Revolution,

who by their sacrifices, estab-

lished the United States of

America, reaffirm our faith in

the principles of liberty and

our constitutional republic, and

solemnly pledge ourselves to

defend them against every foe.

SAR Mission

The objects of this Society are

declared to be patriotic, his-

torical, and educational; to

unite and promote fellowship

among descendants of those

who sacrificed to achieve the

independence of the American

people, to inspire them and the

community at-large with a

more profound reverence for

the principles of the govern-

ment founded by our forefa-

thers; to foster true patriot-

ism; to maintain and extend

the institutions of American

freedom.

Monthly Birthday Announcements On behalf of the Central Florida SAR Chapter, we would like to wish the following individual a Happy and Enjoyable Birthday:

JANUARY 10 Atwood, Sandra 10 Schaffer, Paul 13 Miller, Jeffords 23 Brewton, Patricia 24 Fox, Jack 26 Murray, Robert 30 Riegle, Kirk 30 Roe, Robert

Dan Dall. Assistant Fire Marshal Scott Workman and Battalion Chief Kimberly Busskin