The Association for all Military Officers
Companion Bulletin- February 2012
February--the month in which occur Ground Hog Day, the birthdays of two of our Presidents and St. Valentine Day--is probably best known for the latter by expressing Love to our family and friends. So, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Our year is off to a great beginning, and we are extremely grateful for the rain and mild temperatures, thus far. Last month our program provided an interesting overview of the performances of selected Texas public secondary schools. A copy of the reference book Excellence in Education, used during that presentation, can be purchased by contacting our speaker, Dr. Nancy Oelklaus at Nancy@HeadtoHeart.com. On January 17th, I observed the delicate and painstaking dismantling and packing of our three monuments located at Waterloo Park. The memorials will be transported and stored at a city's storage site, which I will be invited to visit, as well. Austin city Parks officials in charge of this project will attend our May meeting to give us an overview of the project and to ensure our participation in the relocation of the monuments. Once again, I must remind you that we need someone to step forward to assume leadership roles in our chapter. We only have four additional meetings this session. Also, we are always seeking new members and suggestions for future programs. I offer my sincere gratitude to those of you who have already shared suggestions. |
We are gearing up for the annual spring ROTC awards program and the summer Youth
Leadership Conference program. Contributions are welcomed to support our very
worthy chapter initiatives.
This month in honor of our Valentine theme, Companion Stanley Bullard has once again unselfishly and generously arranged for a wonderful musical program on 9 February. Mark your calendars and bring your friends and neighbors for an enjoyable evening. Remember, "staying in touch with one another is not a contest." Next Meeting. February 9 at the Holiday Inn for: $ 20. Please join us to listen to Take Five. At our February meeting, MOWW members and guests will be entertained by the singing quintet Take Five. This is a return engagement, if your memory goes back further than two years ago. This will be an excellent program for bringing guests. It is good clean fun, so we can feel comfortable bringing the young people. Members of Take Five are: Tish Bender, soprano; Pete Meeker, tenor; Fred Lugo, baritone; Grady Basler, bass; and Edie Elkjer, alto. Home Photo. To view your or your friend’s property go to http://www.vpike.com and type the address in the proper space. You can enlarge the picture, |
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MOWW Scripture and Commentary Do not be afraid-I am with you! I am your God-let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you. I will protect you and save you. (Isaiah 41:10) Indeed, these are tough times for the world, therefore, for you and me. Power
struggles take place in high places and the fallout leaves the rest of us
wondering "What's going to happen to me?" |
Cancer 2012. This year, the American Cancer Society projects 1,638,910 people
will be newly diagnosed with cancer and 577,190 people will die from it
The below guidelines offer safe disposal methods that protect water quality and human health. If you are instructed by your doctor or pharmacist to finish your medication, do so. If you do end up with unused medications, follow the disposal steps below. Capsules and Tablets in Containers 1 Add a small amount of water to at least partially dissolve them. 2 Secure the cap on the bottle 3 Fully seal the cap with duct tape to prevent breakage or leakage. 4 Double wrap the sealed containers in opaque plastic bags, or put in another container with the lid closed and wrapped in tape before putting it in the trash. Most IRS Penalties 1. Filing Late - Failure to timely file a tax return is subject to a penalty 5% of the net amount of tax due for each month or partial month up to 25%. The penalty for filing a fraudulent return is 15% up to 75% of the net amount of tax due. 2. Accuracy Penalty - 20% applies to understatements in excess of $5,000 or 10% of the tax to be reported, whichever is greater. 3. Paying Late - The penalty for paying taxes after the due date is .05% of the unpaid tax each month up to 25%. 4. Estimated Taxes - The penalty for failing to pay estimated taxes by the due date is the IRS standard interest rate multiplied by the amount of the underpayment for the late period. Divorce rules in Texas Filing fee: $235. Minimum processing time: 240 days. Divorce rate: 11 Texans stand at the younger end of the spectrum for getting married. The median age for first marriage is 26.4 and those first marriages tend to last 21.4 years. A two-month waiting period is mandatory after filing for divorce and at least one of those seeking divorce must have resided in Texas for six months. |
On February 14, Rommel attacked Sidi Bou Zid and took the town after a
day-long fight. During the action, American operations were hampered by weak
command decisions and poor use of armor. After defeating an Allied
counterattack on the 15th, Rommel pushed on to Sbeitla. With no strong
defensive positions in his immediate rear, Fredendall fell back to the more
easily defended Kasserine Pass. Borrowing the 10th Panzer Division from von
Arnim's command, Rommel assaulted the new position on February 19. Crashing
into the Allied lines, Rommel was able to easily penetrate them and compelled
US troops to retreat.
As Rommel personally led the 10th Panzer Division into the Kasserine Pass,
he ordered the 21st Panzer Division to press through the Sbiba gap to the east.
This attack was effectively blocked by British troops. In the fighting around
Kasserine, the superiority of German armor was easily seen as Panzer IVs and
Tigers quickly bested US M3 Lee and M3 Stuart tanks. Breaking into two groups,
Rommel led 10th Panzer north through the pass towards Thala, while a composite
Italo-German command moved through the south side of the pass towards Haidra.
Battle of Kasserine Pass - Allies Hold: By the morning of February 21, the Allied lines at Thala were reinforced by
experienced British infantry back by massed US artillery. Attacking, Rommel was
unable to breakthrough. Having achieved his goal of relieving pressure on his
flank and concerned that he was over-extended, Rommel elected to end the
battle. Wishing to reinforce the Mareth Line to prevent Montgomery from
breaking through, he began withdrawing out of the mountains. This retreat was
sped along by massive Allied air attacks on February 23. Tentatively moving
forward, Allied forces reoccupied Kasserine Pass on February 25.
Battle of Kasserine Pass - Aftermath Responding to the defeat, the US Army initiated several changes including
the immediate removal of the incompetent Fredendall. Sending Major General Omar
Bradley to assess the situation, General Dwight D. Eisenhower enacted several
of his subordinate's recommendations, including giving command of II Corps to
Lieutenant General George S. Patton. Also, local commanders were instructed to
keep their headquarters near the front and were given greater discretion to
react to situations without permission from a higher headquarters. Efforts were
also made to improve on-call artillery and air support as well as to keep units
massed and in position to support each other. As a result of these changes,
when US troops returned to action in North Africa, they were significantly
better prepared to face the enemy.
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
ConferenceLtCol 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.
What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
Jan 20 1887 – The United States Senate allows the Navy to
lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base.
The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics has updated its review on
appropriate use of vitamin supplements. The following summarizes their
conclusion on the benefits and risks of taking vitamins: In healthy people
living in developed countries and eating a normal diet, the benefit of taking
vitamin supplements is well established only to ensure an adequate intake of
folic acid in young women and of vitamins D and B12 in the elderly. There is no
good reason to take vitamins A, C or E routinely. No one should take high-dose
beta-carotene supplements.
The volunteer rifle squad at Fort Snelling National Cemetery has provided
military honors at almost 60,000 burials. But now it's in danger of losing its
guns because the Army wants them back. The Army wants to replace the honor
guard's 1903 Springfield bolt-action rifles, a model that predated World War I,
with a somewhat more modern weapon, the World War II vintage M-1 Garand
semiautomatic. But the volunteers with the Fort Snelling squad hope to stick to
their old guns.
TV Commercials. The FCC passed regulations this month requiring
broadcasters and cable and satellite TV systems to maintain constant volume
levels. The order goes into effect one year from now.
Battle of Kasserine Pass - Background:
In November 1943, Allied troops landed in Algeria and Morocco as part of
Operation Torch. These landings, coupled with Lieutenant General Bernard
Montgomery's victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein, placed German and
Italian troops in Tunisia and Libya in a precarious position. In an effort to
prevent forces under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel from being cut off,
reinforcements were quickly shifted from Sicily to Tunisia. Advancing west,
Montgomery captured Tripoli on January 23, 1943, while Rommel retired behind
the defenses of the Mareth Line.
Battle of Kasserine Pass - German Attacks:
To the east, American and British troops advanced through the Atlas Mountains
after dealing with the Vichy French authorities. It was the hope of the German
commanders that the Allies could be held in the mountains and prevented from
reaching the coast and severing Rommel's supply lines. This plan was disrupted
by the Allied capture of Faïd east of the mountains. In an effort to push the
Allies back into the mountains, the 21st Panzer Division of General Hans-Jürgen
von Arnim's Fifth Panzer Army struck the town's French defenders on January 30.
Driving the French back, von Arnim's panzers conducted a classic blitzkrieg
campaign against elements of the US 1st Armored Division. Forced to retreat,
Major General Lloyd Fredendall's US II Corps was beaten back for three days
until it was able to make a stand in the foothills.
Having driven the Allies
back into the mountains, von Arnim backed off and he and Rommel decided their
next move. Two weeks later, Rommel elected to make a thrust through the
mountains with the goal of decreasing pressure on his flanks and also capturing
the Allied supply depots in the western arm of the mountains.
Unable to make a stand, US commanders were frequently frustrated by a clumsy
command system that made it difficult to obtain permission for barrages or
counterattacks. The Axis advance continued through February 20 and 21, though
isolated groups of Allied troops hampered their progress. By the night of
February 21, Rommel was outside Thala and believed that the Allied supply base
at Tébessa was within reach. With the situation deteriorating, the commander
of the British First Army, Lieutenant General Kenneth Anderson, shifted troops
to Thala to meet the threat.
While complete disaster had been averted, the Battle of Kasserine Pass was a
humiliating defeat for US forces. Their first major clash with the Germans, the
battle showed an enemy superiority in experience and equipment as well as
exposed several flaws in the American command structure and doctrine. After the
fight, Rommel dismissed American troops as ineffective and felt they did offer
a threat to his command.