The Association for all Military Officers Companion Bulletin- March 2013
As we begin the month of March, it is a stark reminder that we only have two meetings remaining this year. Time does indeed appear to pass fast when you are having fun! Speaking of fun, we had a real fun-filled evening at our Valentine's meeting and a good turn-out. The food, service and camaraderie were outstanding! Needless to say, the entertainment provided by the Gilbert and Sullivan ensemble was magnificent! Singers in costume with piano accompaniment performed excerpts from Operettas, which included HMS Pinafore and The Mikado. The performance and the sing-along were very enjoyable. Another BIG "Thank You" to Companion Bullard for making sure we had our traditional Valentine's program. We indeed appreciate the immediate and generous response to the request for contributions to our YLC and ROTC initiatives during the last meeting. Thank you! Of course, contributions to these programs are always welcome. In addition, please consider attending one or more of the ROTC Award ceremonies. Our presence at these ceremonies have a tremendously positive impact on the youth. Personally, I consider it a tiny sacrifice for a lasting impression and, perhaps, a life-changing impression on a cadet. I should have details for most of the scheduled ceremonies at the next meeting. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you are willing to attend one of the ceremonies. I do understand that the location and time of the events must be factored into your decision. As a reminder, please consider making plans to attend the Region VIII hosted by the Pinson Chapter in either Irving or the North Dallas area over the weekend of 17 May. Also, I encourage you to consider attending the National Convention in the Dallas area this August.
Details are published in recent copies of OFFICER REVIEW and convention
and registration information can be found at link | This month, our get-together lunch will be held at Mimi's located in Arbor Walk Shopping Center. Mimi's is on MOPAC, just north of Highway 183. We look forward to seeing you for lunch on 14 March at 1130 hours. ---COL Leon Holland, USA (Ret.) The best resolution a Veteran could make this year is to get an eye check-up. January was Glaucoma Awareness Month and a perfect reminder to all Veterans to take action now to prevent this sight-stealing disease. An estimated 1.5 million Veterans have a vision-threatening eye disease, including 285,000 with glaucoma. Next Meeting. March 14 Mimi's 10515 N. MOPAC EXPY. 512-241-0309 (Opposite end from Home Depot) link Roll call at 11:30 T'was a woman who drove me to drink. I never had the decency to write and thank her ~ WC Fields "Governor Rick Perry flew to California to try to woo California businesses to relocate to Texas. The arguments even out. Texans point out that they have no state income taxes, however Californians counter that we don't have winters, and besides our prisons are so full that if you don't pay your state income taxes, nothing will happen to you anyway." --comedian Argus Hamilton. |
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MOWW SCRIPTURE AND COMMENTARY March 2013, Chaplain Ernie Dean Believing Jesus performed this first miracle in Cana in Galilee; there he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:11. In what do we believe? In whom do we believe? Do we believe water can
be changed into wine as related in the story referenced above? Do we
believe in God's justice-judgment tempered by mercy, love and grace? Do we
believe good ultimately will win out over evil? Do we believe everything
we read on the Internet or hear on the radio or TV? Some folks are so
gullible they believe whatever they hear or see, no matter how improbably
it appears. Then, there are folks who are so filled with doubt they find
it hard to believe much of anything, even with rather conclusive proof. |
The VA's budget this year is $140 billion, an increase of more than 50 percent
since 2008. There are more than 14,500 VA employees processing disability and
pension claims this year, an increase of 3,200 since 2008. In
2009, it took an average of 161 days for the VA to determine whether the veteran
is entitled to monthly payments for service-connected injuries or medical
conditions and, if so, how much. The average today is 273 days. . In the last
three years, VA has processed more than 3.1 million claims, but almost 3.6
million new claims were filed, according to agency records : What are the odds of being audited by the IRS? If you make less than $200,000 a year, just over 1 in 100, according to their annual report. . Last year the odds of an audit went up sharply for higher earners. Audit odds for those making more than $200,000 were about 4 percent, and for those making more than $1 million, more than 12 percent. The more you make, the better prepared you should be. If going through the fridge and tossing rotten fruit, old leftovers, and stale bread is part of your weekly ritual, you're not alone. Here are some scary statistics from the National Resource Defense Council: " About 40 percent of all food in the U.S. goes to waste. " The average American wastes about $28 to $43 in food each month, roughly 20 pounds of food. " Broken down, about 17 percent of dairy, 20 percent of vegetables, 15 percent of fruit, 18 percent of the grains, 25 percent of seafood, and 33 percent of the meat you buy goes to waste. Tips: Keep fresh herbs in the plastic bag. Store onions in pantyhose, add rice to your seasonings. Invest in airtight plastic containers. Store bread in the fridge. Keep an eye out for bad apples. Store cheese in wax paper. Give fruits & vegetables a bath. Wrap bananas before you store them. Use paper towels to preserve asparagus. |
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SEPTEMBER 2012 - MAY 2013 (Schedule is subject to change)
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Chapter Officers
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1830-1900 - Social 1900-1905 - Invocation 1905-1945 - Dinner 2000-2045 - Program 2045-2100 - Adjourn. USA Field Slang: Crowd Pleaser - a large bomb dropped from a fighter or bomber |
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Battle of
Cape Esperance .In early
August 1942, Allied forces landed on Guadalcanal and succeeded in capturing an
airfield that the Japanese were building. Dubbed Henderson Field, Allied
aircraft operating from the Guadalcanal soon dominated the sea lanes around the
island during daylight hours. As a result, the Japanese were forced to deliver
reinforcements to the island at night using destroyers rather than larger,
slower troop transports. Dubbed the "Tokyo Express" by the Allies,
Japanese warships would depart bases in the Shortland Islands and make the run
to Guadalcanal and back in a single night. In early October, Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa planned a major reinforcement convoy for Guadalcanal. Led by Rear Admiral Takatsugu Jojima, the force consisted of six destroyers and two seaplane tenders. In addition, Mikawa ordered Rear Admiral Aritomo Goto to lead a force of three cruisers and two destroyers with orders to shell Henderson Field while Jojima's ships delivered their troops. Departing the Shortlands early on October 11, both forces proceeded down "The Slot" towards Guadalcanal. While the Japanese were planning their operations, the Allies made plans to reinforce the island as well. Moving to Contact: Departing New Caledonia on October 8, ships carrying the US 164th Infantry moved north towards Guadalcanal. To screen this convoy, Vice Admiral Robert Ghormley assigned Task Force 64, commanded by Rear Admiral Norman Hall, to operate near the island. Consisting of the cruisers USS San Francisco, USS Boise, USS Helena, and USS Salt Lake City, TF64 also included the destroyers USS Farenholt, USS Duncan, USS Buchanan, USS McCalla, and USS Laffey. Initially taking station off Rennell Island, Hall moved north on the 11th after receiving reports that Japanese ships had been sited in The Slot. |
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With the fleets in motion, Japanese aircraft attacked Henderson Field during day, with the goal of preventing Allied aircraft from locating and attacking Jojima's ships. As he moved north, Hall, aware that the Americans had faired badly in previous night battles with the Japanese, crafted a simple battle plan. Ordering his ships to form a column with destroyers at the head and rear, he instructed them to illuminate any targets with their searchlights so that the cruisers could fire accurately. Hall also informed his captains that they were open fire when the enemy was sited rather than waiting for orders. Battle Joined: Approaching Cape Hunter on the northwest corner of Guadalcanal, Hall, flying his flag from San Francisco, ordered his cruisers to launch their float planes at 10:00 PM. An hour later, San Francisco's float plane sighted Jojima's force off of Guadalcanal. Expecting more Japanese ships to be sighted, Hall maintained his course northeast, passing to the west of Savo Island. Reversing course at 11:30, some confusion led to the three lead destroyers (Farenholt, Duncan, and Laffey) being out of position. About this time, Goto's ships began appearing on the American radars. Initially believing these contacts to be the out of position destroyers, Hall took no action. As Farenholt and Laffey accelerated to reassume their proper positions, Duncan moved to attack the approaching Japanese ships. At 11:45, Goto's ships were visible to the American lookouts and Helena radioed asking permission to open fire using the general procedure request, "Interrogatory Roger" (meaning "are we clear to act"). Hall responded in the affirmative, and his surprise the entire American line opened fire. Aboard his flagship, Aoba, Goto was taken by complete surprise. Over the next few minutes, Aoba was hit more than 40 times by Helena, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Farenholt, and Laffey. Burning, with many of its guns out of action and Goto dead, Aoba turned to disengage. At 11:47, concerned that he was firing on his own ships, Hall ordered a ceasefire and asked his destroyers to confirm their positions. This done, the American ships resumed firing at 11:51 and pummeled the cruiser Furutaka. Burning from a hit to its torpedo tubes, Furutaka lost power after taking a torpedo from Buchanan. While the cruiser was burning, the Americans shifted their fire to the destroyer Fubuki sinking it. As the battle raged, the cruiser Kinugasa and destroyer Hatsuyuki turned away and missed the brunt of the American attack. Pursuing the fleeing Japanese ships, Boise was nearly hit by torpedoes from Kinugasa at 12:06 AM. Turning on their search lights to illuminate the Japanese cruiser, Boise and Salt Lake City immediately took fire, with the former taking a hit to its magazine. At 12:20, with the Japanese retreating and his ships disorganized, Hall broke off the action. Later that night, Furutaka sank as result of battle damage, and Duncan was lost to raging fires. Learning of the bombardment force's crisis, Jojima detached four destroyers to its aid after disembarking his troops. The next day, two of these, Murakumo and Shirayuki, were sunk by aircraft from Henderson Field. Aftermath The Battle of Cape Esperance cost Hall the destroyer Duncan and 163 killed. In addition, Boise and Farenholt were badly damaged. For the Japanese, losses included a cruiser and three destroyers, as well as 341–454 killed. Also, Aoba was badly damaged and out of action until February 1943. The Battle of Cape Esperance was the first Allied triumph over the Japanese in a night battle. A tactical victory for Hall, the engagement had little strategic significance as Jojima was able to deliver his troops. In assessing the battle, many of the American officers felt that chance had played a key role in allowing them to surprise the Japanese. This luck would not hold, and Allied naval forces were badly defeated on November 20, 1942, at the nearby Battle of Tassafaronga. From militaryhistory.about.com |