The Association for all Military Officers Companion Bulletin-September 2017
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Words from the Commander: Dear Companions, As we begin our new year, I thought it might be appropriate to go back and reflect upon our foundation. The Military Order of the World Wars is a patriotic Veterans Service Organization centered on its motto, "It is nobler to serve than to be served." MOWW was founded in 1919 to promote good citizenship, patriotic education, and military and public service. Our chapter provides opportunities to support patriotic education, ROTC and JROTC, scouting, monuments and memorials, law and order, and national and homeland security programs. Eligibility includes active duty, retired and former commissioned or warrant officers of the uniformed services of the United States. This includes the US Army (USA), US Navy (USN), US Marine Corps (USMC), and the US Air Force (USAF). It also includes the US Coast Guard (USCG), United States Public Health Service (USPHS), and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Hereditary Memberships are also open to citizens of the United States of America who are of good moral character and repute, and who are: 1) The spouse of a present or former Member, or 2) The surviving spouse of a deceased or former Member, or 3) The spouse, descendant, or adopted child of an officer who is, if living, or who would have been, if deceased, eligible as a member, or 4) The descendant or adopted child of a member; or in the case of failure of lineal issue or adopted child, or 5) A descendant or adopted child of a sister or brother of a member. One of the CINC's strategic objectives is to grow our membership by at least four percent. I challenge each Companion to bring in at least one new member this year . Being a MOWW Companion is more than wearing a membership pin. It is about who we are, who we serve, and what we accomplish. We are Companions who love and serve our nation and all of its peoples. Please join me in supporting our motto, "It is nobler to serve than be served." Charles Bush, Col (R) USA |
Outgoing Commander's Comments: Greetings, Fellow Companions! Because our last meeting was canceled, I use this opportunity to officially say "Farewell" as your Chapter Commander. It has indeed been a pleasure to serve you and to represent our chapter during the past several years. I especially thank our board members for their dedication and commitment to their respective roles. Our chapter would not have been viable without all of your direct and indirect support of our mission and activities during my tenure. Some of you will recall that our memorial monuments that were in Waterloo park had to be removed to storage pending relocation by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. We have been informed that a community meeting to discuss the Veterans Park project of relocating our monuments will be held on Thursday, September 14, 2017, at 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The location of the meeting is the American Legion, Travis Post 76, 404 Atlanta St. I hope many of you will be able to attend this important event. We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of our faithful companions, John T. Patterson. John passed away on July 9, 2017. Please keep Rosa, his wife, and family in your prayers and thoughts. Finally, I extend my gratitude and appreciation to Companion Bush for stepping forward to assume the Commander's role. I know that he will have our continued support and commitment in keeping our chapter viable and essential to the good of the order. In closing, Peggy and I thank you for your support and companionship. We look forward to seeing you on September 14 for lunch at BJ's. Leon Holland, COL (R), USA
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SCRIPTURE AND COMMENTARY Psalm 133:1 "How wonderful it is, how pleasant for God's people, to live together in harmony." These are phenomenally turbulent times. The crime, killing, raping, and destruction going on in every continent is an insult to God (for God is love) and a terrible disregard for the sanctity of life. God created humans in God's likeness and image, meaning there is a spark of the divine in each one. That spark is a creative and loving spark, not one of destruction and greed. The chaos we see now all over the world is vivid testimony to the selfish, self-serving, unholy mindset that drags humanity down to a hellish condition. Let us do all we can to honor God's wishes for harmony and wholeness. Ernie Dean, LtCol (R) USAF May the hand of a friend always be near you. Trump's proposed VA budget for the next fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 doesn't account for $800 million in "hiring surges" that would be needed if VA hoped to clear the current backlog within 10 years. The department provides $63.7 billion in disability compensation payments each year to about 4.1 million veterans with disabling conditions incurred during their military service. [Source: Associated Press | Matthew Daly | August 11, 2017 ++] The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered. On 11 AUG the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the two-month pilot phase of the new White House VA Hotline that began in June has demonstrated that Veterans calling the hotline respond best when their calls are answered by fellow Veterans and others with first-hand experience on their issues. As a result, VA announced that it will target highly qualified Veterans to staff the hotline going forward, instead of contracting the service to a third-party vendor, and is hiring additional VA personnel to complete the planned move to a 24-hour operation. [Source: VA News Release | August 11, 2017 ++] A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail |
The ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee is seeking answers from the Department
of Veterans Affairs after a VA watchdog found the agency made $5.5 billion in improper payments last year. The amount of improper
payments increased by $500 million from the previous year, according to a report released in May from the VA Office of Inspector
General. An improper payment can be either an over- or underpayment and is defined as one that "should not have been made or that
was made in an incorrect amount."
[Source: Stars & Stripes | Nikki Wentling | August 2, 2017 ++]
The cost to repair stricken destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) will easily be more than the $250 million the U.S. Navy paid to repair USS Cole (DDG-67) after it suffered a 2000 terrorist attack in Yemen, USNI News has learned. While it's too early to craft a complete repair estimate, several naval analysts told USNI News a $500-million bill to fix the warship was not out of the question. [Source: USNI News | Sam LaGrone | July 27, 2017 ++] Body Armor The U.S. Army is upping its investment in genetically engineered spider silk for body armor. Last year, the service paid almost $100,000 to Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, which makes spider silk that can be produced at scale - with silkworms. Driving. There are three days of the week to be wary of: Thursday and Friday are the days on which distracted driving is most frequent. Friday is the day on which risky acceleration, such as hard acceleration, is most frequent. Sunday is the day on which speeding is most frequent. Christopher Columbus is credited with bringing cantaloupe to America. Medicare Cards. Changes are coming to your Medicare card. By April 2019, your card will be replaced with one that no longer shows your Social Security number. Instead, your card will have a new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) that will be used for billing... |
Congressional Medal of HonorOrganization: U.S. Army Place and Date: 3 October 1993, Mogadishu, Somalia 
Citation: Master Sergeant Gordon, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3
October 1993, while serving as Sniper Team Leader, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in
Mogadishu, Somalia. Master Sergeant Gordon's sniper team provided precision fires from the lead helicopter during an assault
and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. When Master
Sergeant Gordon learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the second crash site, he and another sniper
unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing
number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After his third request to be inserted, Master Sergeant Gordon received
permission to perform his volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first
attempt, Master Sergeant Gordon was inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle
and a pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon and his fellow sniper, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their
way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Master Sergeant Gordon immediately
pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in
the most vulnerable position. Master Sergeant Gordon used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of
attackers until he depleted his ammunition. Master Sergeant Gordon then went back to the wreckage, recovering some of the
crew's weapons and ammunition. Despite the fact that he was critically low on ammunition, he provided some of it to the dazed
pilot and then radioed for help.
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Master Sergeant Gordon continued to travel the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. After
his team member was fatally wounded and his own rifle ammunition exhausted, Master Sergeant Gordon returned to the wreckage,
recovering a rifle with the last five rounds of ammunition and gave it to the pilot with the words, "good luck." Then, armed
only with his pistol, Master Sergeant Gordon continued to fight until he was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's
life. Master Sergeant Gordon's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military
service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.
Lock and LoadThe Pentagon has signed off on a new policy that will allow military bases to shoot down private or commercial drones that are deemed a threat, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said 7 August. The policy itself is classified and was transmitted to the services in July, Davis said. Broadly, it outlines the rules of engagement for a base when a private or commercial drone is encroaching upon its airspace. On 4 August unclassified guidance was sent to each of the services on how to communicate the new policy to local communities. [Source: MilitaryTimes | Tara Copp | August 4, 2017 ++]Forever Stamps: It may be time to stock up on Forever stamps. Regulators appear likely to accept the financially beleaguered Postal Service's request for more freedom to raise the price of mailing letters. It would be the biggest change in the Postal Service's pricing system in nearly a half-century, allowing stamp prices to rise beyond the rate of inflation. After a 10-year review, the Postal Regulatory Commission could make its decision next month. It might limit how high prices could go, but the cost of a first-class stamp, now 49 cents, could jump. It's not known how much. [Source: The Associated Press | Hope Yen | August 9, 2017 ++] |
Chapter Officers
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From the book "Yeager"by Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos"In 1952, I drove around in a Model A Ford. I had as much fun driving it as tinkering with it. Joe Wolfe was the original owner. When he was killed, his wife, Sylvia, sold it to Neil Latham for one hundred dollars. When Neil was killed, his widow sold it to me for one hundred dollars. Wanting that old car overcame my fear that it was jinxed, but I told Glennis. "If something happens to me, don't sell it to another pilot - blow it up." When I left Edwards in 1954, I sold it to Pete Everest for one hundred dollars. We agreed that the car should always stay at Edwards, be sold from test pilot to test pilot, for no more than a hundred bucks. When Pete left, he sold it to X-2 pilot Iven Kincheloe. When Kinch was killed, his widow sold it to X-15 pilot Bob White. Bob wasn't mechanical and couldn't keep the Model A running properly, so he broke the tradition by selling it to an airman, who took it with him when he left the service. That I lived to sell that old car took nothing less than a miracle. After hundreds of hours of test flying, my luck nearly ran out flying Larry Bell's latest rocket research airplane, the X-1A. No one who saw the flight data from that ride or heard the tapes of my voice transmissions could ever figure out how I survived - and neither could I." Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says, 'Dam!' | Youth Leadership Conferences Amber, Alicia, and Jason
Eight Junior ROTC students committed to attend a conference, but one of those students changed his mind, and another one elected to go to summer school. From Akins High School, we sent the following to the Lexington: Alicia Alvarez, Amber Oliver, and Jason Barnes. From Akins High School, we also sent Makayla Gay and Bryann Colmenarez to Texas A&M. From Westwood High School, we sent Reagan Rhoades to Texas A&M. We received some very nice thank you notes from the last three, and Akins High School reports, that next year, they will have kids lining up to go. Thank you notes: Makayla Gay, Bryann Colmenarez, Reagan Rhoades Dinner is ready when the smoke detector goes off. |
