MOWW SCRIPTURE AND COMMENTARY (By Chaplain Ernie Dean) September 2013: Right With God Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing to the Lord, all the world! Sing to the Lord, and praise him! Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us. Proclaim his glory to the nations, his mighty deeds to all people! The Lord is great and is to be highly praised; He is to be honored more than all the gods. Psalm 96:1-4 What song are we singing to God? What prayer are we praying? What acts of worship and devotion mark our lives? The questions go on and on, for our faith is an ever-emerging faith, a lively and growing faith--or it is really no faith at all. There is joy in these words, and there is also belief and commitment. The Psalmist challenges us to sing a new song, a song of praise, proclamation, and good news. God is not the god of second best, left-overs, or indifference. The words of Exodus 20:3-4 are clear and specific: *Worship no God but me. *Do not make images for yourselves, Or worship any idol. *I am the Lord your God and tolerate no rivals. Yes, there is belief and faith that the Lord will lead us to the life we desire most deeply. We want happiness and joy. We desire a life of balance, harmony, wholeness, and holiness. A strong faith and commitment lead us toward that life. Are we on the way? Right now is the best of all moments to decide the strength of our faith. Every moment is a new moment. Every act is a new act, at the moment; God is aware, keenly so, of our behavior. God issues a blanket and open-ended invitation for us to turn away from all that is negative, all that is hurtful, all that is weakening and turn to the answer for life-God! Here is the joy of life! New clothes will not do it.

The glamour and aroma of a new car, new boat, new home, or even a new hairdo is no substitute. All those "new" things are new for such a short while. We chase the wrong dreams and wear out ourselves attempting to be the epitome of the latest style or trend. Balance, harmony, wholeness, and holiness are available, even the earth, sky, fields, trees know this. Ponder these uplifting words (Psalm 96:10-13): Say to all the nations, "The Lord is King!" The earth is set firmly in place and cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with justice." Be glad, earth and sky! Roar, sea, and every creature in you; Be glad, fields and everything in you! The trees in the woods will shout for joy when the Lord comes to rule the earth. He will rule the peoples of the world With justice and fairness. We can savor these beautifully uplifting expressions, a clarion call to right living. Then we can feel the power of God's tender presence in all we do and say. And then, finally, we are in the right relationship with God and on the right way. Commanders comments:   As of this writing, confirmation of a guest speaker is pending. Nevertheless, plan to attend, socialize, hear about the convention, and view a few interesting snapshots. I look forward to seeing all of you at 1830 hours. -Leon Holland, COL, USA (Ret.) Randolph AFB retiree appreciation day is 21 September 210-652-6880 Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War. It will be used to build The Education Center at The Wall which will be a place on our National Mall where our military heroes' stories and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Construction begins in 2015.

 

AUSTIN MILITARY ORDER OF THE WORLD WARS MEETING SCHEDULE September 12 Traditional dinner @ Crowne Plaza Hotel 6121 North IH-35512-323-5466 October 10 Informal dinner, 1830 hours,@ Abuelo's @2901 S Capitol of Texas Highway November 14 Informal lunch, 1130 hours @Marie Callender's 9503 Research Blvd, Suite 400 December 11 Dinner Dance, 1830 hours @ Ben Hur Shrine, 7811 Rockwood Lane

 

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 J R Howard 255-2206 ROTC Awards Col Leon Holland 335-1224 Newsletter & Web Site LtCol J. Robert Howard 720-8404

Schedule: 1830-1900 - Social  1900-1905 - Invocation  1905-1945 - Dinner 2000-2045 - Program 2045-2100 - Adjourn. Scams:  There are so many scams out there that you should be a little paranoid about anyone wanting information or a money order.

 

Medical Device Security: The Food and Drug Administration is warning makers of heart monitors, mammogram machines and myriad other medical devices that their gear is at risk of being infected with computer viruses that can endanger patients. The FDA asked medical-device makers to fortify products against hackers and malware, citing an uptick in cyber security incidents affecting equipment such as patient monitors and imaging devices. Health Checks for the healthily. others will need more Bi Annual: blood pressure, cholesterol, eye exam, physical Annual: dentist exam & cleaning, flu shot When looking at our population today, very few have served. Today, less than .74% of America's population is serving in the military.

The Price of Freedom: Americans at War website is a Smithsonian Institute online exhibition that explores every American war through the Smithsonian's comprehensive collection of American military artifacts. The website is at http://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/. Identity thieves are sinking to new lows - specifically, six feet under. Each year they use the identities of nearly 2.5 million deceased Americans to fraudulently open credit card accounts, apply for loans and get cell phone or other services, according to fraud prevention firm ID Analytics. Don't list the person's age or address in the Obit  Send death certificates to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Report death to Social Security and cancel the driver's license.

 

Battle of Manila - 1899 After the First Battle of Manila and the surrender of the city to American forces by the Spanish, General Aguinaldo demanded occupation of a line of blockhouses on the Zapote Line, which had been the Spanish defensive perimeter. General Otis initially refused this. There were about between 20,000 to 50,000 Filipino troops surrounding Manila; their distribution and exact composition are only partially known. U.S. Army forces numbered some 800 officers and 20,000 enlisted men      At about 8 pm on February 4, 1899,Private  Grayson, along with Private Orville Miller and one other man advanced from Santol towards Blockhouse 7, suddenly encountering four armed men after about five minutes of patrolling. According to Grayson's account, he and Miller called "Halt!" and, when the four men responded by cocking their pieces, they fired at them and retreated to Santol.      Caught off guard by the sudden outburst, the Filipinos remained in their trenches and exchanged fire with the Americans. A Filipino battalion mounted a charge against the 3rd U.S. Artillery, routed a company of American soldiers, and succeeded in capturing two artillery pieces for a little while. The Filipino troops had been caught unprepared and leaderless, as their generals had gone home to their families for the weekend. The American soldiers, in contrast, were ready and needed only to follow previously prepared planning. The next day, Brigadier General Arthur MacArthur ordered an American advance.      When Filipino officers did arrive on the field, many influential leaders tried to stop the fighting. Aguinaldo sent emissaries to negotiate a cease fire. But both Otis and MacArthur thought the crisis should be brought to a head and refused to negotiate. U.S. soldiers of the First Nebraska volunteers, company B, near Manila in 1899.      General MacArthur, in command of the North of Manila, had developed a defensive plan which called for his entire division to launch an all-out offensive along the Santa Mesa Ridge in the event of attack, capture the blockhouses, and seize the Chinese hospital and La Loma Cemetery. General Anderson, along the southern lines, believed he faced imminent attack. With permission from Otis, he sent his entire division in a preemptive strike at first light. The battle of February 5 was fought along a 16 mile front and was the biggest and bloodiest of the war. It involved all or part of 16 American regiments and thousands of Filipinos. American casualties totaled 238, of whom 44 were killed in action or died from wounds. The U.S. Army's official report listed Filipino casualties as 4,000, of whom 700 were killed, but this is guesswork.      The Filipinos were shocked when the Americans attacked. They were used to Spanish tactics of retreating into fortified cities after a night time raid. MacArthur's attack in the north captured the ridge overlooking Manila. (MacArthur was later promoted to Major General and became Governor-General of the Philippines.) After initial confusion, Brigadier General Thomas M. Anderson's attack in the south captured the village of Pasay and Filipino supplies stored there.      The Filipinos were counting on an uprising by the citizens of Manila to divide American forces and interrupt American supply lines. Although some fires were set inside the city, no general uprising occurred. However, some small units of Philippine soldiers who had not been part of the force that was routed, skirmished with the Americans for several days on the outskirts of Manila before being driven out. Aftermath      While both sides suffered losses, the Filipinos suffered far greater casualties. The Americans lost 50 to 60 killed and more than 200 wounded. The Filipinos suffered the loss of roughly 2,000 killed, wounded, or captured. The high casualty figures are due largely to the Americans use of artillery, warships and firearms.