The Association for all Military Officers
Companion Bulletin- December2010

Words from the Commander: Happy Holidays! The Holidays are upon us --- ready or not. There are fewer hours of daylight. The shops are filled with shoppers. The days of the year are rapidly decreasing. As the year ends, we reflect on the outstanding programs we have had during 2010. Our year's final program last month was no exception. Colonel Jeanne Arnold provided a very interesting and educational presentation. She shared a wonderful slide show during dinner of interesting scenes of Afghanistan. After dinner she provided an excellent presentation that included a most informative overview of the concepts and operations of the recently instituted Red Team. "Red Teaming" enhances mission planning by helping staff look at problems and situations differently; account for the perspectives of the adversary, multinational partners, and others; and frame alternative strategies, according to an online Information Paper and highlighted by Colonel Arnold. Remember, we will not have our regular meeting this month. You will not receive a call from our Adjutant. Instead, we have been invited to join the Austin Military Officers Association of America at its Dinner Dance on December 8, 2010, at the Holiday Inn Northwest. Corky Robinson and his band will provide music. This will be a wonderful evening of listening and dancing to great music. Non-AMOAA members should make reservations by sending a check payable to AMOAA in the amount of $25.00 per person to Treasurer AMOAA, P.O. Box 1071, Austin, Texas 78767-1071 (to ARRIVE not later than December 3, 2010). The dress for the evening is coat & tie or military dress uniform. (Formal attire is optional).

Our January program to kick-off 2011 will feature the brother of Companion John Patterson. Andrew Patterson is a former school principal and head of the State Education Program Office. Additional information will be provided in the next issue of The Companion. Peggy and I wish you very Happy Holidays! ---COL Leon Holland, USA (Ret.) Meeting. Our next meeting will be December 8  at the Holiday Inn Northwest (Mopac & Hwy 183).  Join us for an evening of socializing, dining, and dancing. Diabetes short notes from the RAO bulletin A study of overweight people over 60 found that reducing a little weight and 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by 71 %. People with the disease should follow the same healthy guidelines like everyone else, examples are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat and sparing amounts of heart-healthy fats. People who were obese at age 50 and gained 20 pounds were 5 times more likely to develop diabetes than those who weren't obese. The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) provides a grave site, headstone or marker and flag at no cost to a veteran's family. Coffin burials costs taxpayers about $951; burying cremated remains costs $672, NCA said. Headstones are also provided at no charge to veterans and active duty troops buried at private cemeteries.

MOWW Scripture and Commentary December 2010          (Chaplain Ernie Dean) At that time the disciples came to Jesus, asking, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" So Jesus called a child, had him stand in front of them, and said, "I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child. And whoever welcomes in my name one such child as this, welcomes me. Matthew 18:1-5 It is December and for millions of folks it is time to celebrate Christmas. How we celebrate is a very individual matter. But whatever the manner of our celebration, it will surely be a time for the surfacing of memories. Every holiday raises memories for us, for we associate events and experiences with specific times. It is common for us to use these expressions: "I still love that gift from last Christmas." "Remember that splendid dinner we enjoyed last New Year's?" "Weren't those just the perfect songs we sang at our anniversary celebration?" Maybe the childish delight in each of us surfaces at times of celebration. That is fine! I am not suggesting this is childish and immature behavior, and do encourage us all to engage in humble, open, joyful behavior that is welcoming and inviting and demonstrates sincere delight and appreciation; that is, behavior pleasing to God, behavior that God finds appealing and welcoming. (v.5). We are not speaking of behavior that is specifically Christian behavior, but are referencing human behavior. In this season of gift-giving, the most appropriate gift we can give to each other is the gift of caring-whatever our specific religion. The other person is important simply because he/she lives; likewise, you and I as gift-givers are important simply because we live. We are all children of God, expected by God to care for each other.

Yes, life is a togetherness thing. We are intertwined in a multitude of ways. December is a month with specific days of holiness for many groups of God's family, calling each of us to a life of holiness lived in community. Remember moments of true joy and sincere thanksgiving and let these precious moments guide us in our choice of celebration and gift giving, in our choice of actions and responses. We are all God's children, all called to living life with a sense of humility, living and sharing in the humble, innocent, sincere ways of a child. Epidemiological studies show that most healthy people can eat an egg a day without problems,. says Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State University. Microwaving in some plastics may leach compounds into your food, so take care to use only microwave-safe containers. [Source: The Editors of Eating Well Magazine Thanks to a little-known provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as healthcare reform, beginning in 2014, a new type of medical practice will be allowed to compete within state-based insurance exchanges. They are called Direct Primary Care practices, or medical homes. By eliminating insurance companies from the health care equation, these practices promise to lower the cost of medical care by up to 40%. According to some experts, the amount sucked up by insurance company profit and overhead. Rather than paying an insurance company every month for health coverage, you cut out them out entirely and pay a doctor or group directly. It's like a gym membership: you pay every month whether you go or not, but you can go as often as you want, whenever you want. No insurance, no deductible, no paperwork, no bill. The cost? $50-$150 per month, depending on your age. And not only is this idea a money-saver, its proponents claim that it could also radically improve the quality of care you receive, because the doctors will be able to spend time with patients that is now spent on paperwork.

 

Chapter Officers Commander Col Leon Holland 335-1224 Vice Commander Treasurer Col Andrew McVeigh 261-6272 Adjutant Mrs. Patricia Egan 750-1399 Chaplin LtCol Ernest S. Dean 477-5390 Youth Leadership Conference LtCol Thomas W. Anderson 445-4480 ROTC Awards Col Leon Holland 335-1224 Newsletter & Web Site LtCol J. Robert Howard 848-0285

Schedule: 1830-1900 - Social 1900-1905 - Invocation & Salutes 1905-1945 - Dinner 1945-2000 - Break 2000-2045 - Program 2045-2100 - Adjourn. If you served in the Merchant Marine, could you be called a marine?

 

On 9 November, former Senator Alan Simpson and former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, co-chairing the debt reduction commission, announced their own recommendations.  Simpson said " they might have to go in the witness protection program" because,  "We've harpooned every whale in the ocean." Any conscientious citizen must be concerned about America's increasingly severe deficit problems, and addressing those problems will require sober sacrifices on the part of every American... RAO Bulletin "The American Legion, the largest U.S. veterans' service organization with 2.5 million members in almost 14,000 posts worldwide, asked permission to file a legal brief supporting a pending case in Springfield, Massachusetts, against Prudential Insurance Co. of America, . The pending lawsuit by the families of deceased veterans accuses the insurer of failing to pay beneficiaries in a lump sum as required by U.S. law and the language of the policies

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.....Bill Cosby A man's only as old as the woman he feels. Groucho Marx You know you are getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.....Bob Hope

I intend to live forever, or die trying. Groucho Marx A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice......Bill Cosby Every closed eye is not sleeping, and every open eye is not seeing.....Bill Cosby

Operation Torch America enters the struggle against the Axis! Algeria, North Africa. 1942      A group of American army officers, led by one of General Eisenhower's top aids, lands by submarine to meet with their counterparts in the French army. Their plan: to try to persuade the officers to break away from Nazi dominated Vichy France. Almost discovered by Vichy police, the Americans escape to their submarine without a firm commitment from the sympathetic Frenchmen not to resist an allied army headed toward the shores of Africa.

This month, in 1942, many consider the turning point in the Second World War. Four major campaigns were undertaken during this period, costing hundreds of thousands of lives and sending the enemy, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, on the defensive for the first time in three years. The battles were Alamein, Guadalcanal, Stalingrad, and Torch, and we will examine each here in the coming weeks.      Since America entered the war, December 2, 1941, the idea had been to get US troops in the war against Germany as quickly as possible. Though woefully unprepared, plans were for a landing in Europe at least by 1943, code named Bolero. Winston Churchill knew the Americans could fight, but sending them against seasoned German veterans would be suicide. Why not engage the Axis from Europe's back door, meaning the Mediterranean, until they were properly trained and ready to meet Germany on her home ground.      Churchill's military advisors presented this to their new allies, and were met with scorn by the American brass. Just another British attempt to shore up their colonial interest in the region, they surmised. Besides, they were here to fight Germans, not poorly armed French colonials and Bedouin tribesmen. Churchill, however, found a sympathetic ear in President Franklin Roosevelt, who knew the American people wanted their troops fighting Hitler's legions without delay.      Overruling his military aids, the president gave the invasion of North Africa the green light, and Operation Torch was born. Given command was a green Lt. General Dwight Eisenhower, who had been General Marshall's top man at the War Department. It was his job to unravel the myriad difficulties of a modern amphibious landing.      One of the first to be considered was, would the French in North Africa oppose the landings. The conquered nation had been irate with the British since the Royal Navy sank part of the French fleet earlier in the war, to keep them out of Hitler's grasp. However, Americans would be leading the way. Had not France and the US been allies since the latter's War of Independence? It was to this purpose that General Clark braved the Axis infested African coast to learn if the French would fight. His undertaking was less than successful, but daring nonetheless.      Ike forged ahead with his plans. There would be three landings on Africa's western coast, at Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers. The first two would be headed by Americans to appease the French, the last by British forces, though an American group under Major General Ryder would be in front. The Western Task Force, under Maj. Gen George Patton would land 35, 000 troops at Casablanca. Center Task Force, led by Maj. Gen. Lloyd Fredendall, would take Oran with 39,000 men. Leading the way, Eastern Task Force was commanded by British Gen. Kenneth Anderson, and consisted of a mixture of Americans and English.      All three forces landed on schedule on November 8, 1942, with varying degrees of difficulty.      At Algiers, there was little trouble, though one landing on the city waterfront was driven off. The head of the Vichy African forces, Admiral Jean Darlan was in the city at the time and at nightfall, he ordered the French to surrender.      At Oran, the struggle would last longer. Two attempts, first by naval commandos to seize the harbor, then by British and American paratroopers to capture the main airfield, ended in failure. Inch by inch the assault continued, however, the French finally giving up on November 10 after another order from Admiral Darlan.      By far the hardest fighting of the operation was at Casablanca, where lay a large part of the remaining French fleet. Here, an early morning duel between the American battleship Massachusetts and the incomplete French dreadnaught Jean Bart ended with the latter being silenced. Afterwards the landings proceeded quickly      By the evening of the 10, the Vichy forces were in retreat everywhere. Only a final order from Admiral Darlan would end the struggle. By November 11, all resistance had ceased.      The importance of Operation Torch would soon make itself known. Considered by many to be unnecessary, as a diversion of forces, it would prove to be a vital training ground of amphibious techniques, battlefield tactics, and new equipment. More importantly, for the Germans, it was the beginning of the end, or as Churchill put it:" The end of the beginning." (From Buzzle.com)