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Commander's Comments
To say that we were highly entertained by Major Douglas K. O'Connell's discussion during his escapades as a
Special Forces
officer during the early stages of the northern portion of Operation Iraqi
Freedom would he an understatement. This officer exemplifies the highly educated, motivated and trained service men and women
defending our great nation today. Companion Mary Kelso advises me that our Chapter’s membership has contributed
sufficient monies to defray the costs of our 17 planned Youth Leadership Conference scholarships and 26 Junior and Senior ROT'C
medal recipients. The Georgetown MOWW Chapter's growth has allowed them to expand their
ROTC medal program and we have transferred responsibility for four high schools, Leader, McNeil, Stony Point, and Round
Rock to them. Congratulations to the Georgetown Chapter! The selection of counselors for the Texas A&M Youth Leadership
Conference is going very well. I am using six outstanding previous student attendees as counselors, and former counselors Chuck Keith
and Ervalyn McVeigh as their supervisors.
| | Major Keith, USMC (Ret), is a member of the Georgetown Chapter, Kelly M. Cordova from Bowie High
School is to be one or their six counselors- She was one of the guest speakers at our meeting last September. We need Companions to
present our ROTC awards. The appearance of one of our members at the award ceremonies is very' important to the cadet receiving the
medal and certificate- We will have five college ceremonies and eleven high school ceremonies to attend. A uniform is not required
but our male Companions must wear a coat and tie. Be sensitive to acquiring new members. Some of us have fallen behind in this
very vital mission. Keep your eyes open - qualified persons are just about everywhere. Be aggressive in this endeavor! Thanks
again for your hard work! **Those companions or their wives who are willing to assume a role on the leadership team of this MOWW Chapter,
please. call Col Bob Hefford at: 250-5785 |
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Meeting, 8 April 2004
Holiday Inn Northwest (Mopac & Hwy 183) The cost for the evening is $18.00.
If you are not called by 4 April, contact COL Szendrey (388-1005).
Schedule:
1830-1900 - Social
1900-1905 - Invocation & Salutes
1905-1945 - Dinner
1945-2000 - Break
2000-2015 - Awards & Festivities
2015-2045 - Speaker
2045-2100 - Adjourn
Menu
Baked Catfish in Lemon Caper Sauce, Green Bean Almondine
& Chef’s Choice of Potato or Starch
Speaker
Judge Barbara Bembry, Travis County Justice of the Peace, will provide highlights of her experiences. | |
Chaplain's Selection
"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." -
Elbert Hubbard
Chapter Officers |
Commander - | COL McVeigh | | Senior Vice Cmdr. - | COL Hefford | |
Junior Vice Cmdr. - | CAPT Burrill | | Adjutant - | COL Szendrey | |
Treasurer - | LTC Kelso | | Chaplain - | CDR Cochran | | Surgeon - | MG Bernstein | |
Judge Advocate - | COL Philips | | Public Information - | Ervalyn McVeigh | |
Membership - | Vacant | | Historian - | Vacant |
Legislation
S- 2065 - This is a companion bill to H.R- 3474 that would waive Medicare Part B premiums for
all military retirees - and their dependents - who entered service before Dec. 7. 1956. it also
would authorize optional coverage for military retirees under the Federal Employees Health
Benefit Plan. |
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Items of Interest
*The Air Mobility Command (AMC) has confirmed that the morale-boosting policy,
which allows eligible family members of active and retired personnel lo travel Space-A with their sponsors point to point within
the United States has been extended indefinitely.
*Within the next few months, the number of U.S. troops serving in Bosnia will decrease from
1,300 to about 800. They will be stationed at Eagle Base, near Tuzla in central
Bosnia,
Forward Operating Base Morgan in the north and Forward Operating Base dark in the south.
The current Stabilization Force (SFOR) 14, manned by the Minnesota National Guard's
34th Infantry Division, is set to leave in late March. It will help train SFOR 15, from the Indiana
National Guard's 38th Infantry Division, for about two weeks, SFOR 15 is scheduled
to serve through the end of the year. NATO plans to reduce the entire peacekeeping force from | |
12,000 lo about 7,000 by June and may turn the mission over to the European Union at the end of the year. - Excerpts. VPW
* Veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will receive the same campaign medal-the
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. But the vast majority of troops
feel this is wrong. Defense officials counter that commanders will be authorized lo award individual battle stars for
those who participate in particular combat engagements. This decision is meant to subtly
convey a central-if increasingly controversial- tenet of worldview: that the wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq are part of the same seamless global military fight against tenor. The
matter of awarding campaign medals is not open to discussion. The Pentagon is in the process of
setting the individual service criteria for awarding the Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal -Excerpts, VFW |
|
Analysis: Al Qaida's Spanish Vendetta
"The war against Iraq will not eradicate the threat of terror but,
perversely, it may bolster it." That was the comment, on the eve of
the United States-led invasion of Iraq, of the Spanish left-winger Balthazar
Garzon, one of the most tireless campaigners against Al-Qaida. Garzon
objected to Spain's participation in the war on Iraq, and publicly declared that
he had found no evidence that Saddam Hussein was in contact with Al-Qaida.
Garzon's prophesy about heightened terror may have come true. Al-Qaida has
three scores to settle with Spain: Spain became the European headquarters that
enabled President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to present
the war on Iraq as a coalition effort, and not a U.S.-U.K. duet; Spain has 1,300
soldiers stationed in Iraq at present; and Spain is in the process of putting a
large group of suspected Al-Qaida activists on trial. For the terror
organization, this is enough justification to launch an attack against Spain. | |
It seems that the organization has already found Spain a relatively
convenient place from which to base operations. At least two meetings in
the run-up to September 11 were held in Spain, attended by the man who is
believed to have masterminded the coordinated attacks on Washington and New
York. Al-Qaida cells in Spain were built up around activists who had been
sent to the country back in the 1990s. The fear is that extreme Islamic
activists are active among the Muslim community that has come to Spain from
Algeria. Al-Qaida activists have already mentioned Spain as a possible
target. If the train attack was carried out by Al-Qaida, it seems that
Spain was chosen because it is a relatively "soft target." It is
relatively easy to enter the country. Despite tight controls, it seems
that several dozen blank passports were stolen from the Portuguese embassy in
Luxembourg. One of them was later found in the possession of a Tunisian
Al-Qaida activist who was arrested by German authorities. Some of these
passports were passed on to other members of the organization, who used them to
gain easy access to Spain. - Excerpts - Middle East Information Center |
| Quote to Ponder
He who has command of the sea has command of everything. -Themistocles
| | Staff Meeting
The next staff meeting Camp Mabry
will be at the call of the Commanders. |
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