Austin, Texas Chapter
The Association for all Military Officers
Companion Bulletin-October
2006
| It was just
three weeks earlier, on 23 July, that Mary, our Chapter Treasurer, informed me
that she had sent a check to the Texas MOWW Patriotic Education Foundation in
payment for our 2006 Youth Leadership Conference scholarships. Unfortunately,
the results of Mary's exploratory surgery on 18 August discovered a
non-operative situation that resulted in Mary's death on Thursday, 7 September.
There was a large crowd that contained funeral the following Monday at the Camp
Mabry Chapel. Our Chapter had a large, beautiful floral arrangement at the
funeral home viewing and at the Chapel service. Mary's family filled her home
with tender, loving care to the very end. We owe many thanks to Companion Leon
Holland for performing the required yearly audit of our finances. We have an
immediate need for a Companion to volunteer for the position of Chapter
Treasurer. Please call me at 261-6272. Now is the time for all good
men...............
Chaplain's Selection "The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore." -Psalm 121:8 |
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Meeting. 12 Oct. 2006 Schedule:
Speaker | Legislation * There is a $500 million shortfall for the Army in FY 2006. This shortfall has resulted in the closing of dining facilities and reduced hours in troop support facilities. The reduced resources "time thieves", taking Soldiers away from training, work, and families, as they wait in long lines. It had been anticipated that some of these shorted funds would have been restored in either supplemental appropriation bills or in upcoming Defense appropriation bills; however, it appeared that more cuts would be in the offing in the out years. |
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Items of Interest * Starting next year, wealthier seniors will have to pay higher Medicare premiums than other beneficiaries thanks to a provision in the Medicare prescription drug law. The surcharge, a major departure from the traditional single premium system, will affect one to two million beneficiaries—singles with incomes exceeding $80,000 and married couples with incomes exceeding $ 160,000. The surcharge will be phased in from 2007 to 2009. Incomes will be adjusted annually to keep pace with inflation. The surcharge will be computed by the Social Security Administration using data from the IRS. Example: In July, Medicare officials estimated the 2007 Part B Medicare premium would be $98.40 a month. If an individual has a modified adjusted gross income of $80,000 to $100,000, the surcharge would be 13.3%, or $13 a month, bringing the total monthly premium to about $111.50. * The TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) has postponed implementation of a policy that would deny claims from beneficiaries who enter into private contracts with providers who have opted out of Medicare. Certain providers may "opt out" of Medicare for a period of two years and enter into private contracts with Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. When a provider "opts out" of Medicare, Medicare will not make any payment to the provider or the beneficiary except for services provided in an emergency/urgent care situation Ramadan | In Western Christianity, Lent is the period from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. In Eastern Christianity, the period before Easter is known as Great Lent to distinguish it from the Winter Lent, or Advent (known in Greek as the "Great Fast" and the "Nativity Fast", respectively). In Islam Ramadan is the name of the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. The religious observances of Ramadan occur throughout the entire Islamic calendar month. The calendar month Ramadan is going to begin on September 23 and end on October 23. ' For more than a billion Muslims around the world—including some 8 million in North America—Ramadan is a "month of blessing" marked by prayer, fasting, and charity. This year Ramadan precedes Christmas and Hanukkah. Just as the Christian Lent produced the custom of Mardi gras, so the Moslem fast of Ramadan, ninth and holiest month of the lunar calendar, has long led to peculiar accommodations in Islamic countries. For 29 or 30 days every year, the devout, who must abstain from food, drink, tobacco and sex from dawn to sundown, make up for it by overindulging and under sleeping during the hours of darkness. The most prominent event of this month is the fasting practiced by all observant Muslims. The fasting during Ramadan has been so predominant in defining the month that some have been led to |
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. believe the name of this month, Ramadan, is the name of Islamic fasting, when in reality the Arabic term for fasting is sawm. People are meant to try to get along with each other better than they normally might. All obscene and irreligious sights and sounds are to be avoided. Purity of both thought and action is important. The fast is an exacting act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of closeness to God. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. The Bid is a 3-day festival following the end of Ramadan. During this time, Muslims recognize the poor and give to charity and to celebrate the blessings of Ramadan. NOTE: US officials have predicted an increase in violence throughout Ramadan. In recent years there has been a spike in violence in Iraq throughout the holy month and US officials are predicting that it will be much the same this year. The UN recently reported a rise in Iraq deaths, with almost 3,600 civilians killed in July and more than 3,000 in August this year. Quote to Ponder 1 appreciate people who are civil, whether they mean it or not. 1 think: Be civil. Do not cherish your opinion over my feelings. There's a vanity to candor that isn't really worth it. Be kind. -Richard Greenberg, NY Times Magazine, 03-26-2006 | Chapter Officers Commander - COL McVeigh Senior Vice Cmdr. - MAJ Bullard Junior Vice Cmdr. - COL Holland Adjutant - COL Szendrey Treasurer -Vacant Chaplain - CDR Cochran Surgeon - MG Bernstein Judge Advocate - COL Philips Austin Chapter Website Staff Meeting The next staff meeting will be at the call of the Commander. |