RETIRED OFFICERS WIVES CLUB

Friday,—24 February, 2006—Luncheon at the
 Austin Woman's Club 708 San Antonio Street 
Social time-10:45 a.m. 
Luncheon-11:30 a.m. 
Program- Irish Brobdingnagian Bards——Celtic Music and Humor 
For Reservations Contact: Martha Kirby—259-0423 Jo Jean Gillespie—345-3069

Caring and Sharing Widows Group-
first Monday of each month-1:00 PM. 
-LUBY'S CAFETERIA ON STECK AVE (OFF MESA OR MOPAC) 
Contact Genevieve Bruce (453-0871) 

BRIDGE 
Second Friday of each Month—0915 hours 
Bridge—Cafeteria in the Headquarters Building of CAMP Mabry 
Contact—Shirley Bone (1-246-9829)

 TAPS
 LTC Edward F. Fries, USAF, Ret.,    15 January, 2006 
Survived by his wife, Francine 
Eternal rest grant unto him. Oh Lord, and may the perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen. 

Awards Program— The 2006 ROTC-JROTC awards program will begin in early Spring and I am looking for AMOAA presenters. If you are interested please reply by e-mail or phone, COL Bill DelVecchio (colonelbd@sbcgiobal.net) 244-3248

ANOTHER NOTICE- MOAA scholarship applications are now available for the school year 2006-2007 and are due no later than 1 March at noon EST. Children of military members are all eligible to apply, regardless of parents rank. Grandchildren are not eligible. This can be a real boost to a child's plans for an education-includes both grants and low interest loans.  Disaster ADVICE-Digital cameras abound, but how many of you have used yours to really prepare for a disaster? You can use it to record everything about your home, both inside and out That includes trees and shrubs, decks, storage sheds, the insides of your closets, jewelry, the computer, even important papers and records.  Then make copies and give them to key people whom you trust, and one in a safe, fireproof location. It would provide irrefutable evidence for insurance purposes. -NOTICE- The Greater Central Texas Council of the Navy League will have as their Guest of Honor and Distinguished Speaker, Vice Admiral Vivien Crea, United States Coast Guard, Commander CG Atlantic Area and Maritime Defense Zone, Atlantic. Thursday, 16 February, Austin Woman's Club, Reservations by Monday, 13 Feb., to Glenn Looney 327-7413-Cost $25.

NUMBERS COUNT  From Legislative Update for Jan 27—  Since MOAA's Jan 13 alert about Defense leader's plans to triple or quadruple health fees for military beneficiaries, MOAA members have generated 22,000 messages to Congress.......House Minority leaders have fired off a letter urging the President not to jack up military beneficiaries health fees to pay for weapons programs....................0ur hope is that there will be a bipartisan effort in Congress to recognize that people programs are as important as weapons programs, and that the former shouldn't be a bill-payer for the latter. BUT WE NEED A BARRAGE OF GRASSROOTS INPUTS TO CONGRESS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. Please use .......MOAA's links to send your legislators a message, if you haven't already done so................................in ADDITION, PLEASE SIGN, STAMP AND MAIL THE FOUR TEAR-OUT LETTERS THAT APPEAR IN THE FEBRUARY MOAA MAGAZINE...........THESE LETTERS ARE ADDRESSED TO THE SENIOR LEADERS OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE Armed Services Committee, who will be the key players in this debate. Military people are a weapon system too—the only weapon system that has never let the country down in any way................... ————————end of excerpt.———

 

Attention: Volunteers  The following letter has been received from MOAA National:  Dear Chapter President     For the last several years we have had an ongoing argument with some factions in the Pentagon about retirees being a "drain on the DoD budget"     To a large extent military retirees of all pay grades have been maligned as being "used up" and "useless" and a drain on a defense budget that should be focused on currently serving military personnel.     We here at MOAA HQ have a general idea about how much volunteer time you spend in helping our troops—at military hospitals, in recreation centers, deployment centers, etc.     What we need is some more specific numbers. We would ask you to poll your membership and determine an approximate number of hours, if any, your members spend volunteering at DOD facilities. Please note that many of you volunteer at VA facilities as well but our main thrust is on time volunteered at DOD facilities.     There is no urgency in reporting these figures but it would be a very useful statistic to have when our Council presidents Storm the Hill in late March. Thanks for your assistance. Your countless volunteer hours do us all proud.  Sincerely, Chris Giaimo Director, Council & Chapter Affairs  FROM AMOAA PRESIDENT, J. BROTHERTON ——— If any of you fit this request from National, please forward the info to me and I will consolidate and forward.

Don't forget-lf you are not being called about the dinner meeting on the third Wednesday of the month, check with your service representative and ask to be added to someone's list. Your Service Rep is listed elsewhere in the bulletin. If you have not been called and wish to attend, and cannot reach your own Service Rep., call one of the others. They will be glad to take your reservation. Just, please do make a reservation if you plan to be there.  Editor's Note-HAVE YOU PAID YOUR DUES FOR THIS YEAR? $17 is not a large sum of money but the person it represents counts for a great deal in MOAA's attempts, along with the other military organizations, to let our legislators know that we expect them to honor the contracts we all worked under when on active duty. It also seems necessary to point out to them that our present active duty personnel-regular, reserve and Guard-are looking at the way the retired community is treated and know that that is what they can expect if and when they retire. It would appear that the present incumbents in the Defense Department have no idea of the sacrifices they are asking from the military community. The struggle to increase the death benefit and the insurance numbers are only examples. EFFORTS TO INCREASE THE COST OF MEDICAL COVERAGE FOR FAMILIES OF THOSE CALLED TO ACTIVE DUTY IS ANOTHER. If we do not add our voices to those of other concerned people and demand what is rightfully ours WE ARE NOT GOING TO GET IT. It is not the National organization acting for us that makes the difference-it is the numbers of members on the local level and the "grassroots" effort we make that will grease the wheels. BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!!!!!!!!!! ——————ENOUGH—————— SEND YOUR LETTERS. WRITE YOUR LEGISLATORS.