MOWW SCRIPTURE AND COMMENTARY Originally published April 2009 (Chaplain Ernie Dean) Praise the Lord, all nations! Praise the Lord, all peoples! God's love for us is strong And God's faithfulness is eternal. Praise the Lord! Psalm 117 This is strong faith language. We are not hearing words here coming from some minor piece of advice or some incidental impulse. No, this admonition strikes at the very heart of who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to do. It is clear that the plight of the human condition is born in false worship and misguided praise. When we bow to the lesser gods, we receive unsatisfactory, even destructive, results. For too long, humans, especially Americans, have catered to issues of darkness, all the while giving little attention to the God of Light. We should not be surprised, then that there is someone, or a lot of someone's, ready to lead us astray. There is not a strong attempt at civility, humility, responsibility, and love on the part of business, education, political or church leaders.  God is a God of giving and we find ourselves corralled by a group of folks who are "takers." Join me in prayer for a world that reveres God and holds to the teachings of God. As scripture tells us: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it, love your neighbor as you love yourself. The whole law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments. Matthew 22:37-40 When all people busy themselves in actions of love directed toward God and one another, then we will live the quality of life God created at the very beginning, before humans became enamored with themselves more than they desired to please God. HE MUST PAY Husband and wife had a tiff. Wife called up her mom and said, "He fought with me again. I am coming to live with you." Mom said, "No darling, he must pay for his mistake. I am coming to live with you."

Army Uniforms Pinks and Greens: Spring is here, and the Army is inching closer to making a final decision on bringing back the World War II era pinks and greens service uniform. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley likes the designs so far, according to Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey, so the next step is to put together a plan to produce and issue the business-appropriate attire The sticking point for women has been whether to add chest pockets to the jacket. Some women find the pockets unflattering, Dailey said, while others don't mind them, so the design team has gone back and forth. [Source: ArmyTimes | Meghann Myers | March 29, 2018 ++] Opioid Addiction Opioids Not Better than Nonopioid Treatment for Pain. Opioid medications were not better than nonopioid treatment to improve chronic back, hip or knee pain, according to medical research conducted at Veterans Affairs clinics in Minnesota. Participants found that pain still interfered with activities that included walking, work and sleep over a 12-month period, according to research released Tuesday in the Journal of American Medical Association. "Treatment with opioids was not superior to treatment with nonopioid medications for improving pain-related function over 12 months," the researchers wrote. "Results do not support initiation of opioid therapy for moderate to severe chronic back pain or hip or knee osteoarthritis pain." Pain intensity was less severe in the nonopioid group and adverse medication-related symptoms were more common in the opioid group, according to the researchers. [Source: UPI | Allen Cone | March 6, 2018 ++] SSIA Funding Needed to End Widow's Tax. The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is calling on lawmakers to end the widow's tax on 67,000 military survivors. Compared to the last session of Congress, there appears to be more momentum to address the issue. Currently, the number of House cosponsors to end the widow's tax is up from 175 to 207; in the Senate, the number of lawmakers supporting repeal has increased to 37 from 30.[Source: MOAA Leg Up | January 19, 2018 ++] WATER IN THE CARBURETOR WIFE: "There is trouble with the car. It has water in the carburetor." HUSBAND: "Water in the carburetor? That's ridiculous." WIFE: "I tell you the car has water in the carburetor." HUSBAND: "You don't even know what a carburetor is. I'll check it out. Where's the car?" WIFE: "In the pool."

 

Chapter Officers
Commander	Col Charles Bush	(512) 264-2618	bushcharles7920@tahoo.com
Vice Commander
Treasurer	Col Andrew McVeigh	(512) 261-6272	redleg-6@juno.com
Adjutant	LtCol J. R. Howard	(512) 255-2206	jrhoward30a@gmail.com
Chaplain	LtCol Ernest S. Dean	(512) 477-5390	essodean@gmail.com
Youth Leadership Conference	LtCol J. R. Howard	(512) 255-2206	jrhoward30a@gmail.com
ROTC Awards	Col Leon Holland	(512) 335-1224	User48498@aol.com
Newsletter & Web Site	LtCol J. R. Howard	(512) 720-8404	jrhoward30a@gmail.com

 

WWII Bomber Nose Art. Back in the day when America was in the "Big War" WWII, planes were flown by young boys. Politically correct was "go to war to break things and kill the enemy. Apparently no one worried about nose art on the bombers. Most of the "men," or soon to become men, were in their late teens or early twenties. Testosterone levels were high and the names and accompanying pictures on the assigned aircraft helped to boost morale. With no TV or other means, Moms or girlfriends back home would never know or see it! These planes would probably not be allowed to leave the ground today. Bataan Death March -29th Annual Included 100 Year Old Vet Dawn had yet to break, but thousands of people had already gathered at White Sands Missile Range 25 MAR for the 29th annual Bataan Memorial Death March. This year's march saw the largest number of participants, nearly 8,500, an 18 percent increase over last year. Some wore military uniforms carrying 35-pound rucksacks while others chose colorful red, white and blue tutus. The march requires participants to make their way through 14.2 or 26.2 miles of the high desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range. It's nothing compared to the Bataan Death March, the infamous 1942 World War II march, in which 68,000 -plus civilians and Filipino and American prisoners of war were cruelly forced to walk at the hands of their Japanese captors through Philippines jungle with little food or water. [Source: Las Cruces Sun-News | Ali Linan | March 26, 2018 ++] "Don't stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed."- George Burns (1896-1996)

The role of the brain: Researchers have known for a while that brain health is an important aspect of sleep. Notably, sleep is an important part of memory consolidation and learning. Newer research has suggested another important aspect of sleep for our brain: There is a system for the elimination of possibly harmful proteins such as abnormal variants of amyloid. This waste removal process, using what is known as the glymphatic system, relies on sleep to effectively eliminate these proteins from the brain. These are the same proteins found to be elevated in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Studies show that older adults with less sleep have greater accumulations of these proteins in their brains. [Source: The Conversation | Michael S. Jaffee | March 8, 2018 ++] Vet Toxic Exposure | Atlantic NC: Contaminated Drinking Water The tiny Eastern North Carolina community of Atlantic has joined a growing list of military areas across the country affected by contaminated drinking water. The Navy is providing bottled water after two private groundwater wells in Atlantic, an unincorporated area in Carteret County with a population of less than 600, tested positive for elevated levels of cancer causing chemicals. Atlantic sits on the Core Sound, just west of the Outer Banks. The chemicals, perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PF OA, are used to make products more stain-resistant, waterproof and nonstick, and they appear in common household products such as cookware, carpets, food packaging and clothes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. They are also found in firefighting foam used by the Department of Defense beginning in the 1970s. [Source: | McClatchy Washington Bureau | Brian Murphy | March 17, 2018]

 

ROBERT E. GERSTUNG Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Co. H, 313th Infantry, 79th Infantry Division, Siegfried Line near Berg, Germany, 19 December 1944 MOH Citation On 19 December 1944 he was ordered with his heavy machinegun squad to the support of an infantry company attacking the outer defense of the Siegfried Line near Berg, Germany. For 8 hours he maintained a position made almost untenable by the density of artillery and mortar fire concentrated upon it and the proximity of enemy troops who threw hand grenades into the emplacement. While all other members of his squad became casualties, he remained at his gun. When he ran out of ammunition, he fearlessly dashed across bullet-swept, open terrain to secure a new supply from a disabled friendly tank. A fierce barrage pierced the water jacket of his gun, but he continued to fire until the weapon overheated and jammed. Instead of withdrawing, he crawled 50 yards across coverless ground to another of his company's machineguns which had been silenced when its entire crew was killed. He continued to man this gun, giving support vitally needed by the infantry. At one time he came under direct fire from a hostile tank, which shot the glove from his hand with an armor-piercing shell but could not drive him from his position or stop his shooting. When the American forces were ordered to retire to their original positions, he remained at his gun, giving the only covering fire. Finally withdrawing, he cradled the heavy weapon in his left arm, slung a belt of ammunition over his shoulder, and walked to the rear, loosing small bursts at the enemy as he went. One hundred yards from safety, he was struck in the leg by a mortar shell; but, with a supreme effort, he crawled the remaining distance, dragging along the gun which had served him and his comrades so well. By his remarkable perseverance, indomitable courage, and heroic devotion to his task in the face of devastating fire, T/Sgt. Gerstung gave his fellow soldiers powerful support in their encounter with formidable enemy forces. Five Reasons to Love USMC Marines win battles. Marines look damn good. With the exception of corpsman, Marines are self-sustaining. They were founded in a bar! Marines have this sense of arrogant, cocky pride about them.

WWI Sgt. Alvin York - MOH Awardees' Education Legacy. Until he was old enough to buy and trade his own comic books, Gerald York thought his grandfather was just an ordinary man. Alvin C. York - Tennessee's most famed war hero and among the most recognized Americans from World War I was "always jovial, always fun." Today, his name is known worldwide and is emblazoned across the state. York's story starts and ends deep in the hills of northeast Tennessee, where his family farm still exists and his grave draws the interest of history buffs. It's not far from the two-lane highway that leads to the state park -both carry his name. This year, his war story will be told often as the centennial of the end of World War I comes later this year, and the anniversary of the battle that earned Sgt. Alvin York his fame. His story, in a nutshell: In October 1918, York charged a hill alone, killed 25 deeply entrenched but fatigued German soldiers and captured 132 others. Now, his grandson, Gerald York, 70, will travel back to northeastern France this October for the 100th anniversary of the battle of Chatel-Chehery, the tiny town where his grandfather remains a celebrity. "He said the greatest battle he had was not in France, but was in Fentress County building a high school," Gerald York said. "People did not want a high school. They thought, why did their kids need education. They farmed. They needed them to farm." Alvin York established York Institute in Jamestown in 1926, and later turned it over to the state in 1937. With barely a third-grade education himself, York was self-taught, and got the school running almost entirely on his own, Gerald York said. "He bought the buses. He paid the drivers. He bought the gas," York said. "He paid the teachers, all with money he raised." His fundraising took him just about everywhere, including up and down the East Coast, the superintendent said.[Source: The (Nashville) Tennessean | Jake Lowary | March 25, 2018 ++] Flag half-staffing. For flags that cannot be lowered to half-staff, attaching a black ribbon to the top of the flag is an acceptable alternative. A 2 1/2 inch by 5 foot black nylon w/grommet ribbon is available from the American Legion. EVER WONDER ... Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin? Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'? Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word? Why is it that Doctors call what they do 'practice'? Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?