Austin, Texas Chapter
Companions, J. Robert Howard Quotes to Ponder Staff Meeting We have received half as much rain as we did last year by
September.
Speaker RAO Bulletin: Your credit score is not determined by
your age, income, marital status, or education, but only on how you use
credit. Your credit report is free from AnnualCreditReport.com.
FLU SHOTS UPDATE The nation is set to receive between 143 million and 146
million doses of flu vaccine this fall, a record amount that comes as the
government is urging more children than ever to be inoculated. Each year,
influenza causes 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The elderly, young children and
people with chronic illnesses are at greatest risk for severe illness, but the
CDC recommends that a wide variety of people get vaccinated.
Harold had had enough of this particular nurse. One day, Harold had
received breakfast, and pulled the apple juice off his breakfast tray, and
put it on his bed side stand. He had just been given a urine
bottle to fill for testing. So.....you know where the juice went.
Well, the nurse came in a little later and picked up the urine bottle.
She looks at it. "My, but it seems we are a little cloudy
today....." At this, the Chief snatched the bottle out of her hand,
pops off the top, and drinks it down, saying, "Well, I'll run it
through again, and maybe I can filter it better this time."
The nurse fainted...... Harold just smiled......Typical Chief!
SCRIPTURE FOR OCTOBER 2008 Why would anyone not have reverence for the Lord? Do we take for granted the
One who gives us life and sustains us? The challenge the world faces today is to
appreciate reverence for God, for life, for others, for nature. It is a sacred
calling. To look elsewhere for hope, protection, and help (v.20), is an exercise
in futility. Let us believe with all our hearts that the constant love of God is
with us, and because of this magnificent gift of grace, we can live as a
hope-filled people (v.22).
Ernest Dean Legislative
Update
SBP DIC OFFSET UPDATE 11: The Senate, by a vote of 94-2, added an amendment to
the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 3001) that would totally eliminate
the SBP/DIC offset that some 57,000 widows now suffer from. Thanks to the
efforts of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and the support of numerous veteran and
military associations, this is the fourth year in a row the Senate has taken
this action. Unfortunately, every previous year this legislation has been
removed in conference with the House. Last year, in an attempt to give the
widows something, a new benefit for those affected by the SBP/DIC offset was
passed. This token payment of $50 per month starts 1 OCT this year and will
increase by $10 yearly increments until it reaches $100 per month. GIFT POLICY FOR USA: The U.S. Army
has put up a web site to facilitate donations from the public to help
soldiers and their families at http://giftstoarmy.army.mil. While
the Army states very clearly that they are not soliciting The Battle of Pydna was part of the Third
Macedonian War. Battle Summary:
The Association for all Military Officers
Companion
Bulletin-October
2008
It was so nice to see everyone at our
September meeting after the long dry summer. We had a good turn out and a
great program. Our special guest was Mark Warren, a student at Bowie High
School. Our chapter had provided him a scholarship to the Youth Leadership
Council (YLC) at Texas A&M. As a result of his diligence and hard work, Mark
was one of
the six honor graduates. He is also an outstanding swimmer and
should contend for an Olympic
slot in 2012. He was accompanied by his parents, Michael
and Margery Warren, and his brother Matthew. Matthew is in ROTC at Texas A&M at
Corpus Christi and was a counselor at the YLC. Mark spoke to us about his
adventures at YLC, his activities, and his goals in life. We wish both young men
success in their life's endeavors. I'm sure they will be
outstanding leaders wherever they venture.
Last month I mentioned three things that you could do for the chapter:
seek new members, suggest speakers, and contribute to our organization.
We wish
to thank Wes Lokken for suggesting our speaker for this month. I hope you can
join us for an update on IRAQ. The situation is surely better than this
time last year.
Chapter Commander
Meeting. October 9th
2008
Holiday Inn Northwest (Mopac & Hwy 183)
The cost for the evening is
$18.00.
If you are not called by 8 September, contact J. R.
Howard at 848-0285
Schedule:
1830-1900-Social
1900-1905 - Invocation & Salutes
1905-1945-Dinner
1945-2000-Break
2000-2045-Speaker
2045-2100-Adjourn.
If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead
anywhere Frank A. Clark
The next staff meeting will be at the call of the Commander.
Naomi Gilbert is
an Air Force Reserve Lieutenant Colonel with 11 years’ service on
active duty before being recalled into the AF Reserves. In 2007, she was
mobilized into the active forces (for the third time during her reserve years) to
fill a position for the Army in Baghdad supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. She
trained with the Army at Fort Riley for seven weeks during the coldest winter
they had seen in 40 years. She went to Baghdad and served with a Transition Team
responsible for training Iraqi Intelligence professionals. Her specialties
included budget establishment, infrastructure contract support, and multi-agency
training.
There were 114,648 National Guard and Reserve
personnel on active duty last month.
HAVE YOU HEARD: Harold was an
old Retired Navy Chief Engineman. He was sick and was in the VA hospital.
Anyway, there was this one young nurse that just drove him crazy. Every
time she came in, she would talk to him like he was a little child. She
would say in a patronizing tone of voice, "And how are we doing this
morning, or are we ready for our bath, or are we hungry?"
Inspiration Selection
(Psalm 33:18-22)
18The Lord watches over those who have reverence for him, those who trust in his
constant love.
19 He saves them from death; he keeps them alive in times of famine.
20 We put our hope in the Lord; he is our protector and our help.
21 We are glad because of him; we trust in his holy name.
22 May your constant love be with us, Lord, as we put our hope in you.
VA COLA 2009: The House cleared a cost-of-living bill Wednesday that would
provide an increase for veterans with service-connected disabilities, as well as
dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for families of deceased veterans.
The COLA bill, S 2617, provides for a Dec. 1 increase in disability
compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, and pensions that will
match whatever increase is provided in Social Security benefits. The increase,
which applies to about 2.8 million veterans and survivors, would first appear in
January paychecks. The COLA bill now awaits the President's signature.
Chapter Officers
Commander - LtCol J. Robert Howard
1st Vice Cmdr. - Maj. Stan Bullard
Adjutant - Patricia Eagan
Treasurer - Col. Andrew McVeigh
Chaplain - LtCol Ernest Dean
Youth Leadership Conference Coordinator - LtCol Tom Anderson
ROTC Coordinator - Col Leon Holland
contributions, they are providing lots of information on how to make
donations in 4 areas of concern: Soldiers and Families, MWR, Wounded
Warriors, Army Installations.
Date: The Battle of Pydna is believed to have been fought on June 22, 168 BC.
The Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus had 38,000 men.
The Macedonians under Perseus of Macedon had 44,000 men.
In 168 BC, Lucius Aemilius Paulus began moving against Perseus. Recognizing
the strength of the Macedonian position, he dispatched 8,350 men under Publius
Cornelius Scipio Nasica with orders to march toward the coast. A feint
intended to mislead Perseus, Scipio's men turned south and crossed the
mountains in an effort to attack the Macedonian rear. Alerted to this by a
Roman deserter, Perseus sent a 12,000-man blocking force under Milo to oppose
Scipio. In the battle that followed, Milo was defeated and Perseus was forced
to move his army north to the village of Katerini, just south of Pydna.
Reuniting, the Romans pursued the enemy and found them on June 21 formed
for battle on a plain near the village. With his men tired from the march,
Paulus declined to give battle and made camp in the nearby foothills of Mount
Olocrus. The next morning Paulus deployed his men with his two legions in the
center and other allied infantry on the flanks. His cavalry was posted on the
wings at each end of the line. Perseus formed his men in a similar fashion
with his phalanx in the center, light infantry on the flanks, and cavalry on
the wings. Perseus personally commanded the cavalry on the right.
Around 3:00 PM, the Macedonians advanced. The Romans, unable to cut through
the long spears and tight formation of the phalanx, were pushed back. As the
battle moved into the uneven terrain of the foothills, the Macedonian
formation began to break down allowing the Roman legionaries to exploit the
gaps. Surging into the Macedonian lines and fighting at close quarters, the
Romans' swords proved devastating against the lightly armed phalangites. As
the Macedonian formation began to collapse, the Romans struck hard routing the
enemy.
With his men wavering, Perseus elected to flee the field having not
committed his cavalry. He was later accused of cowardice by those Macedonians
who survived the battle. On the field, his elite 3,000-strong Guard fought to
the death. All told, the battle lasted less than an hour.
Aftermath:
Like many battles from this period, exact casualties for the Battle of
Pydna are not known. Sources indicate that the Macedonians lost around 25,000,
while Roman casualties were over 1,000. While the Battle of Pydna did not end
the Third Macedonian War, it effectively broke the back of Macedonian power.
Shortly after the battle, Perseus surrendered to Paulus and was taken to Rome
as a prisoner. Following the war, Macedon effectively ceased to exist as an
independent nation and became a client state of Rome. The battle is also seen
as a triumph of the legion's tactical flexibility over the more rigid phalanx.