April - the Dallas Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars
Transcription
April - the Dallas Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars
Dallas Military Order News Volume 23, No. 3 Best Large Chapter in the Nation April 2015 Chapter Staff Chapter Commander COL Joseph Cordina, USAF 972-633-5504 [email protected] Senior Vice Commander LTC Ken Boatman, USA 972-393-2718 [email protected] Junior Vice Commander MAJ Andy White, USA 214-789-0921 [email protected] Adjutant CPT Alan Backof, USA 972-608-5278 [email protected] An associate of mine, many years my senior, made a comment the other day about how full, each and every day, of his life seems to be. His comment was cause for reflection. Being busy, every day, is truly the key to great health! That man was Dr. Ken Cooper, founder of the prestigious Cooper Institute. His comments about staying healthy and maintaining an active lifestyle, speak volumes. They provide a message that can benefit all of the members of our Dallas Chapter. During March, I had a chance to meet with Ken Cooper (a former Air Force Lt Colonel) and listen to his speech at the Cooper Aerobics Institute. Here is a man, in his 80s, who moves at lightning speed, both in speech, as well as physically. Let me frame it this way: The annual Dallas Military Ball was an event not to be missed! It had been a long time for me. I literally could have “danced the night away!” But more importantly, it concurrently shed light on aspects of our military heritage and traditions that reminded me why we are members of MOWW. Treasurer MRS Maurine Dickey 214-415-7946 [email protected] Marshal Lt Col Phil Hardin, USAF 214-872-7523 [email protected] Chaplain CPT Weldon Estes, USA 214-339-3552 [email protected] JAG COL Tod Almquist, USA 972-458-2161 [email protected] Surgeon MAJ Lannie Hughes, USA 972-661-8509 [email protected] Historian LTC Charles Alford, USA 214-826-5183 [email protected] Dallas Chapter (069) Dallas, Texas When I emphasized the “2 Minutes Per Day” theme for our Chapter, many of you began “tracking” your contributions – both in time and energy. May I say that it is truly paying off! Right now, we are in the midst of school interviews to select YLC candidates. We will interview more than 150, from whom we will choose the best 75 (plus alternates). There is plenty of room for twice that many. We are limited only by our fundraising. With more funds, we can send additional students. Many students find out about our YLC's too late. Some simply do not understand the value proposition. Here is my "what if" proposal: What if we were to assemble small teams of Companions to visit the various high schools as registered participants for “College Night” programs, with the expressed purpose of promoting the YLC opportunity? Creating presence at functions populated with Sophomores & Juniors places us right in the midst of our target group! I need a designated Chairperson for this to become a reality. I have access to the College Night database for every Independent School District we impact. The heavy lifting is done. Leadership is what is needed. Which brings me back to my initial premise of “great health”. According to Dr. Cooper, stimulation + active participation = beneficial long term results! This is a good way to stay active. Won’t you join the YLC effort? You will never come up short on your “2 minutes per day!” See you on April 7th! Joe Cordina, Colonel, US Air Force, Dallas Chapter Commander Last Month’s Program, March 2015 This Month’s Program, April 2015 Guardian of the Republic "Leading Texas into the 21st Century" Former Florida Congressman Allen West is a charismatic spokesman for the Conservative policies of the Republican Party. But his talk to the Dallas Chapter was not about politics, it was about right and wrong. David Dewhurst is a native Texan, a military veteran, a gifted athlete, a rancher, cattleman, and champion cutting horse rider. In his spare time, he amassed a small fortune in the gas and oil business. For the past twelve years, he has been the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, guiding it from the crash of the dot.com bubble at the turn of the Millennium to an economy which leads the nation in job David Dewhurst, former Lieutenant growth, employment, Governor, State of Texas and innovation in developing our natural resources. Allen's recent tenure in the US Congress gave enormous credence to his observations on the lack of a moral compass in far too Hon. Allen West, CEO & President many of our national leaders. His comments National Center for Policy Analysis on the direction of current national defense policies and the declining readiness posture of our military confirmed the urgent need for dramatic changes to be made, and soon. Allen is equally as comfortable quoting scripture from the Bible, as he is passages from philosophers, such as John Locke and John Stuart Mills. He quoted the latter, from memory: "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse". When the crunch time comes, and it will, our nation is graced to continue to produce men such as Allen West. David is a strong fiscal conservative, who helped to pass the largest tax cut in state history. He has balanced state budgets and is credited with building a reserve of over $6.1 billion in the state's Rainy Day Fund. No one in politics avoids controversy. David weathered a maelstrom when he insisted that a high school play was inappropriate due to its outrageous depiction of Jesus, in the production: "Corpus Christi". He met with similar opposition from many, who objected to his actions to control the state's southern borders. In 2014, David was our keynote speaker on Veterans Day. Next Six Month’s Programs Using the Internet 2015 Speaker Program features Texas leaders To Infinity and beyond... Click HERE to read this month's Officer Review 7 Apr 15 – David Dewhurst, Fmr Lt Gov of Texas “The Influence of Texas in the 2016 Election” 5 May 15 - Colleen Walker, CEO Perot Science Museum "American Exceptionalism" 9 Jun 15 – Col Joe Cordina, Chapter Commander Installation of Chapter Officers for FY 2016 3 Jul 15 - Mary Suhm, Fmr City Manager, Dallas "FY 2020: The Five Year Plan for Dallas" 4 Aug 15 - Maj Gen Kim Siniscalchi, US Air Force "Caring for Wounded Warriors" 1 Sep 15 – Sam Johnson, US Congressman (R,TX) “Battles of the 114th Congress” . magazine, which features articles on dozens of YLC conferences, around the country. Click HERE to visit the MOWW Dropbox website, to view Newsletters from over 40 of our sister chapters. Click HERE to visit the newly designed Dallas Chapter website to view information on Dallas Chapter activities. Click HERE to see photos from Youth Leadership Conferences at Texas A&M from 2007-2015. Click HERE to watch Rollie Stevens' 10 minute video of what YLC is all about. aHappy Birthday One Year Older; A Whole Lot Wiser 5 April 9 April 10 April 10 April 11 April 12 April 13 April 16 April 18 April 18 April 18 April 20 April 20 April 20 April 21 April 22 April 24 April 26 April 26 April 26 April 27 April 27 April COL John Moffett MAJ James Lewis Capt Edward Fitzmaurice COL Robert Gill LTC Barry Brown CPT Kirk Bell LTC Robert Davis Capt Earl Barnette MAJ Paul Divis CPT Lee Drain COL Christopher Ellis MR John Rajala MR Christopher Rajala MR Lamar Richardson MS April Adams LTC Woody Alexander LTC Michel Minear LTC Jesse Bullard COL Alan DiMiero COL William Lee LTC Christopher Carney MAJ Paul Rittmuller "To cherish the memories of ..." Happy Birthday, Paratrooper James Megellas, Perpetual Companion of the Dallas Chapter, was the Guest of Honor at a birthday party, last month. For most people that is just one more notch on the belt, but "Maggie" is not most people. This marks his 98th Birthday. And he has promised to be around to toast his 100th. Maggie is known in the military as the most decorated officer of the famed CINC John M. Hayes 82nd Airborne Division. Maggie made three combat presents an MOWW Coin jumps during World War II, to "Maggie" Megellas including Operation Market Garden, in Holland. It was as a result of his actions during that campaign that Maggie was awarded the nation's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross. Boy Scouts of America The Eagles have landed Past Commander-in-Chief Cliff Way presented MOWW Certificates of Commendation to two new Eagle Eagle Alex Newman and Eagle Tom Farner and Scouts Past CINC Cliff Way Past CINC Cliff Way during Court of Honor ceremonies, last month. Both Scouts represented Troop 42, in Dallas. Eagle Tom Farner set a Troop record by amassing 83 Merit badges on his way through the ranks. Alex Newman became an Eagle in a similar ceremony, two weeks later. Law and Order The Dallas Chapter joins DCPAC Dallas Police Sergeant (and Chapter Companion) Louis Felini is the Chairman of our Law & Order committee. One of his first acts has been to enroll the Chapter in the Dallas Community Police Awards Committee. Every month, Supervisors from all of the DPD L to R, Dallas Companion Jim Gooch, Divisions submit an Sergeant & Mrs. Jerry Fonville, and officer for the award. Dallas Companion Bill Coleman Selections are made by the DCPAC and award presentations occur in the offices of one of their many supporting organizations, throughout the city. This month's winner is Sgt Jerry Fonville. In his 12 years on the force, he has received 25 official Commendations. "Hats off" to the latest distinguished Dallas Police Department "Officer of the Month". In Memoriam Gone, but forever remembered It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the loss of longtime Dallas Companion, Col Graham Martin, Jr (1926-2015). He passed away in Bonham, TX, and is buried in the DFW National Cemetery. Graham was a member of both the Dallas and the North Texas chapters. JOIN US IN WELCOMING THESE COMPANIONS TO THE BEST LARGE MOWW CHAPTER IN THE NATION . LT Charles D. Daniels, US Navy Chuck Daniels grew up in rural Iowa, in a family of all boys. After High School he entered Iowa State University, graduating in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree and a Teaching Certificate. Teaching was placed on indefinite hold, as he attended Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI, receiving his Commission (from his brother), in the first OCS class of 1979. Chuck was the last of the sons to follow their father into military service. Chuck served as a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer in the Pacific Fleet until 1982, serving in the Operations, Engineering and Weapons departments in the Destroyer Navy. After sea duty, Chuck was a Liaison Officer between Commander Naval Surface Forces Pacific and 1ST Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, until 1984. In 1984, Chuck turned to the U.S. Defense industry, beginning his career at Texas Instruments, He remained there until his group was sold to Raytheon in 1997. After the sale, Chuck continued working on classified Navy programs, until his retirement in 2013. During his employment at Texas Instruments/Raytheon, Chuck worked in Manufacturing Engineering, Finance, Proposal Services, Business Development, Operations Management, and Contracts and finished his last 10 years in Program Management of proprietary government programs. Most of his career involved developing and manufacturing Depart of Defense High Resolution Radars and Satellite Communication systems. In late 2014, Chuck was brought out of retirement to serve as the Program Manager for a developing market Maritime Patrol Aircraft, being built by L-3 Communications, Greenville, TX, for the military marketplace. Chuck, and his wife Karey, own acreage northwest of Greenville, and are currently building their retirement home, near his new occupation. Chuck's interests include travel, boating, golf, volunteer service, church, current events (primarily, political) and of course, building their new home. . Captain Kirk D. Bell, U. S. Air Force Kirk Bell was born in Gary, IN. Upon graduation from the US Air Force Academy, he received a Bachelor of Science degree and commission as a Second Lieutenant, in the US Air Force. While on active duty, he served as a T-38 Instructor Pilot in Enid, Oklahoma and San Antonio, Texas. After completing his duty in the Air Force, in 1983, Kirk began his current career in the financial services industry. He served as a Financial Advisor in San Antonio for five years with Smith Barney. In 1988, he was promoted to First Vice President and Branch Manager for the Smith Barney office, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Kirk then advanced to Senior Vice President and Branch Manager with Smith Barney in Dallas, Texas. He held this position for 13 years, from 1990-2003, and was responsible for handling all aspects of his office and his 60 employees. In 2003, he was promoted, again. This time to the position of Senior Vice President, Wealth Management, for Smith Barney, in Plano, Texas. In January 2008, Kirk formed Bell & Valente, LLC, an independent firm, offering securities through Raymond James Financial Services. Kirk is active in the local community. He has served as President of the Board of Directors and as a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight’s South Central Region, and is the past President of the Board of the North Texas Association of Air Force Academy Graduates He has, also, served as the Vice Chairman of the Collin College Foundation. Kirk is the past President of the Plano Rotary Club and currently, is a Member of their Board of Directors. Kirk, and his wife Beverly, have three children. His hobbies include tennis and golf. . DALLAS COMPANIONS INVOLVED IN ACTIVITIES DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH . Chapter Commander Joe Cordina welcomed newly inducted Companion, Charles Daniels Joe presented Allen West with a Silver Patrick Henry award for Patriotic Achievement The Sgt Major of the Army adjusted the battle streamers before presenting the colors at the 2015 Dallas Military Ball Allen West's appearance drew a record crowd for attendance at a regular monthly Chapter meeting Joe Sasser, former Director of Dallas ISD JROTC programs, shared a photo op with Allen Joe presided over the opening of the Vietnam Exhibit at the Historical Society Museum, in McKinney Joe got a Membership application from WW II Holocaust survivor, Andrew Biczynski Don Munson congratulated Allen on his move to Texas and his wise decision to join the Dallas Chapter Joe presented a gift to CINC John Hayes during the annual CINC's Breakfast in Dallas The Chaplain’s Corner Chaplain (Capt.) Dr. Weldon Estes Living One Day at a Time Did you know that there are at least two days in every week that we should never worry about? Two days that should always be kept free from fear and worry. One of these days is YESTERDAY with its mistakes, its faults, its aches and pains. Why worry about YESTERDAY, since it has already passed beyond our control? Only God could reverse the process of time. There is no benefit to needlessly worrying over the mistakes of a day that has passed into eternity. We cannot undo a single act once performed; nor erase a single word that was written or spoken. YESTERDAY is gone. The other day that we should not worry about is TOMORROW with its adversaries, its burdens, and its dangers. It is a fact that most of those things pertaining to TOMORROW are beyond our immediate control. TOMORROW'S sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, if God so wills. Until it comes, we have no stake in TOMORROW, for it is yet unborn. This leaves only one day - TODAY. Any man can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities - YESTERDAY & TOMORROW - that we break down. It is not the experience of TODAY that drives men mad. It is remorse or bitterness for something which happened YESTERDAY and the dread of what TOMORROW may bring. “Therefore, do not worry about TOMORROW, for TOMORROW will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). The Dallas Military Order of the World Wars 1000 Basilwood Drive Coppell, TX 75019-6335 www.dallas-moww.org Address Service Requested THIS MONTH IN HISTORY APRIL1968 To Bring a Guest!! On 2 April 1968, the First Cavalry Division launched Operation Pegasus, with combined Marine & South Vietnamese ground forces, that eventually broke through to the US Marines at Khe Sahn. Texland Printing, 214-926-9058, P.O. Box 116865, Carrollton, Texas 75011