The Military Officers Club of Northeastern Wisconsin, Inc. An affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America Founded on 20 May 1958 as The Retired Officers Club of Northeastern Wisconsin, Inc. Quarterly Newsletter
Issue No. 79 http://mocnew.com/ May 2020 Club News
New Members
Please welcome our new members:
• CAPT John Breuninger, USAF/USPHS. He and his wife, Jeri, live in Green Bay.
• CW2 Jim Gignac, USA/ARNG. He and his wife, Peg, live in Wisconsin Rapids.
• CPT John McManus, USAR. He lives in De Pere.
March Business/Dinner Meeting On Thursday March 12, the Club held its annual Business/Dinner Meeting at The Marq Banquet Hall in De Pere. Though we had a smaller number of attendees, it was a lively annual dinner/business meeting and installation of the Board of Directors. Our special guest speaker was COL Terri Coles, USA (Ret), Senior Director, Council & Chapter Affairs, MOAA National.
Mike Egan, Jim Lienau & Terri Coles. In spite of the calming presence of COL Coles, president-for-life Mike Egan was nevertheless ousted in a bloodless coup. For his punishment, he was sentenced to a life of cabinet-making and at least two years hard labor as past president. All kidding aside, we sincerely thank Mike very much for his hard work these past 10 Hank Wallace, Joe Williams, John Cumicek, Glenn Brunner, John Friedel, & Jim Lienau. years. (Continued on page 3) PAGE 2 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 79
2020-2021 Board of Directors
President LTC Jim Lienau 920-498-8984 [email protected] Greetings Members & Spouses, 1st Vice President Vacant I hope everyone is reasonably healthy and has avoided the Covid-19 virus. I
2nd Vice President look forward to the Club getting together again and resuming normal activities Vacant and socialization. Unfortunately our June meeting is cancelled, but we plan to have our regular dinner meeting in September. As I begin my term as President Secretary/NL Editor CDR John Friedel of the MOC, I am looking forward to serving the members, spouses, and various 920-339-5724 Veteran Organizations. [email protected] As some of you may know, I’m originally from Sturgeon Bay and my wife,
Treasurer Mary, is from Calumet, Michigan in the U.P. We are both graduates of Michigan LTC John Cumicek Technological University. We have two sons. James, our eldest, is an FBI Special 920-833-2859 Agent in Chicago. He and his wife, Emma, have one child, Olivia Grace, 9 months [email protected] old. Johnny, our younger son, works for Milwaukee Tool as an Electrical Legislative Chair Engineer in their Design Department. Johnny and his wife, Natasha, reside in LTC Joe Williams Glendale, Wisconsin. 920-337-0817 [email protected] My military career began in Calumet, Michigan as a member of the Michigan National Guard. I served for 21 years, retiring as the Battalion Commander of Membership Chair the 107th Engineer Battalion. CAPT Glenn Brunner 920-388-0217 I’ve been a member of MOC for 15 years, and an active Board Member for the [email protected] past three years. I retired as Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technical
Programs Committee Officer for Cellcom Cellular in June 2016. MG Dan Ammerman As President, one of the main goals I’ve set is to expand awareness of our 920-336-9709 Club throughout the Chapter area. There are many current and retired military [email protected] personnel from all branches of service who are unaware of MOC. We must reach LTC John Biese, Jr. them in order to grow. To achieve this, the Board will focus on filling specific 920-731-7797 positions so as a complete unit we can work toward expansion. Key positions to [email protected] be filled include: Vice President, Media & Public Relations, Webmaster Liaison, Capt Lenore Domers Dinner & Program Chairperson, and Surviving Spouse Liaison. This is where 920-749-1437 you come in; we need you to step up and fill these positions. Time requirements [email protected] will vary. Some take more time, others less. None are a daily or weekly Golf Outing Cmte. Chair commitment. The Board meets quarterly with occasional phone calls and emails. LTC Joe Tullbane In each Newsletter there is a list of the Board of Directors, please feel free to 920-737-1787 [email protected] contact any of us with questions. Our website, www.mocnew.com, has been updated over the past few months. Community Liaison 1LT Fred White Take a minute to visit it, (go here), there is a wealth of information there, as 920-499-6816 well as a calendar of events for the year. The Club also has a Facebook page at [email protected] facebook.com/mocofnew. Go here. Past President The Club continues to support Veteran organizations. Our 7th Annual LTC Mike Egan Veterans Benefit Golf Outing, the VBGO, will be held on Monday, September 14, 920-265-2915 2020. The VBGO raised $86,000 in 2019. Volunteers from Club Members and [email protected] their Spouses are needed to assist with a variety of tasks for the event. (John Surviving Spouse Liaison Friedel is the volunteer point-of-contact.) Vacant I look forward to seeing you at the September 10th dinner meeting (locale to be announced).
Published quarterly by The Military Officers Club of Northeastern Wisconsin, Inc. Opinions expressed in this Stay safe and healthy, Newsletter are those of the editor and contributors and not necessarily those of the Military Officers Club of Jim Lienau Northeastern Wisconsin, Inc., or the Military Officers Association of America. PAGE 3 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 79
(Continued from page 1) In his place, LTC Jim Lienau was installed as the 27th Club president. Members of the board of directors were also installed for 2020-2021.
June Dinner Meeting Cancelled Due to the COVID-19 virus, our June dinner meeting has been cancelled. The next dinner meeting will be on Thursday, September 10.
2020 MOAA Community Outreach Grants The MOAA Foundation will award over $84,000 to 23 MOAA chapters across the U.S. through its Community Outreach Grant program. This is the foundation’s fourth grant cycle. To date, it has awarded 70 grants totaling more than $260,000. This year’s grant recipients Chapters are: • Alamo (Texas) Chapter • Arizona Chapter • Falcons Landing (Va.) Chapter • Grand Canyon (Ariz.) Chapter • Grand Strand (S.C.) Chapter • Greater Baton Rouge (La.) Chapter • Greater Dallas & North Texas Chapter • Green Country (Ky.) Chapter • Hilton Head (S.C.) Chapter • Historic Mayport (Fla.) Chapter • Indian River (Fla.) Chapter • Keystone Capital (Pa.) Chapter • Luke (Ariz.) Chapter • Military Officers Club of Northeastern Wisconsin, Inc. • Northwest Florida Chapter • Old Capitol Area (Ga.) Chapter • Olympia Area (Wash.) Chapter • Olympic Peninsula (Wash.) Chapter • River Valley (Ark.) Chapter • South Central Florida Chapter • Southeastern NC Chapter • Tampa (Fla.) Chapter • Tucson (Ariz.) Chapter
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(Continued from page 3) ROTC Award The Fox Valley ROTC Battalion Spring Awards Ceremony, originally scheduled for April 23, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 virus. The 2020 MOAA ROTC Medal awardee is Cadet William Starke. In addition to the medal, Cadet Starke was also given a $100 check from the Club in recognition of his excellence.
Veterans Benefit Golf Outing Postponed Again, due to the virus, the 7th Annual VETERANS BENEFIT GOLF OUTING has been postponed. It will now be held on Monday, September 14.
Legislative News Make Your Voice Heard: Call, Write, and Post to Preserve the Military Health Care Benefit By: Kevin Lilley Thousands of supporters have used MOAA’s Legislative Action Center to ask their lawmakers to preserve the military health care benefit. This Virtual Storm sends a clear message to our leaders, but MOAA members and others can emphasize the importance of this issue by reaching out in other ways. Photo via Architect of the Capitol “COVID-19 limits our in-office time with these legislators, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid direct communication,” said Col. Dan Merry, USAF (Ret), MOAA’s vice president for government relations. “Lawmakers know their constituents have a vested interest in issues when they take the time to engage with their offices personally. Your lawmaker needs to know how important this care is to you and your family. That can start with a simple phone call.”
Along with letter-writing options, MOAA’s Legislative Action Center provides a walk- through on calling your lawmaker. Supporters who click this link will get:
• Easy access to phone numbers for all their representatives.
• Talking points to engage staffers, or the lawmakers themselves, on what they can do to stop medical billet reductions and military treatment facility (MTF) reorganization.
• A brief feedback section to inform MOAA of your interaction.
Why take the extra time? Re-evaluating military medical reforms in the wake of the COVID -19 pandemic will strengthen your earned benefit and ensure continued access to high- quality care for you and your family. Without action from Congress, these reforms –
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(Continued from page 4) based on outdated and incomplete analyses – could weaken a system already stressed by pandemic response efforts.
More Ways to Help
If you’ve already made phone calls and sent letters, there are still more ways to support the Virtual Storm:
Join a Chapter. Not a member of your local group? Find it here. Chapters offer relied- upon grassroots support for all MOAA advocacy efforts, but they’re even more important now as lawmakers and staffs spend more time in their districts, and as planned reductions in services to dozens of MTFs bring this issue to a local level.
Activate Your Network. Send the links above to friends, co-workers, fellow officers, or anyone else who will be affected by this reform effort. They can make a difference regardless of their digital comfort level: Older retirees may prefer phone options, while currently serving members and their families will be well-versed in spreading the word on social media. Speaking of…
Get Social. Use the hashtag #MOAAStorms in your messages about this issue – it’ll help others see and amplify what you’ve written. Send out the links above to followers and friends. Follow MOAA on Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms for the latest information. Already on Twitter, but not sure what to say? Send this Tweet now.
Stay in Touch. Sign up for The MOAA Newsletter to ensure you have the latest information on this issue and other MOAA advocacy efforts. Have questions? Reach out to MOAA's Member Support Center at [email protected] or call (800) 234-6622.
“Your efforts, including phone calls, send an unmistakable message to your legislators,” Merry said. “It tells them you are impacted and are committed to doing something about it.”
Agent Orange Eligibility Earlier this month, Senator John Boozman (R-AK), a member of the Senate Veterans Committee introduced S.1381 a bill to modify the presumption of service connection for veterans who were exposed to herbicide agents while serving in the Armed Forces in Thailand during the Vietnam era, and for other purposes. The VA Secretary shall ensure that if the Secretary creates a presumption of service connection between the occurrence of a disease and exposure to a herbicide agent while serving in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era at a military base in Thailand, such presumption also applies to exposure to a herbicide agent while serving in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era at any military base located in Thailand without regard to where on the base the veteran was located or what military job specialty the veteran performed. PAGE 6 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 79
Call 1-800-WIS-VETS for Veterans Benefits Information
MADISON - Veterans with questions about Wisconsin’s veterans programs, benefits and services are encouraged to call the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) Veterans Benefits Resource Center (VBRC). Staff are standing by to answer questions and help veterans navigate eligibility processes for veteran and survivor benefits, programs and services at 1-800-WIS-VETS (947-8387). There are three ways to contact VBRC: by phone at 1-800-WIS-VETS, emailing [email protected] or using the LiveChat on the lower right-hand corner of www.WisVets.com. All contact methods are monitored Monday-Friday, from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Central time. “As all of us have made adjustments due the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no question that WDVA remains focused on serving our Wisconsin veterans community,” WDVA Secretary Mary Kolar said. “Our state’s veterans can rest assured that they are able to receive the benefits they have earned. The VBRC continues to be available to answer questions, and to process eligibility determinations and grant applications, and they are doing so without delay.” Face-to-face and walk-in activities at VBRC remain suspended to maintain the health and safety of veterans, visitors and WDVA staff. The State of Wisconsin, including the WDVA, continues to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in coordination with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and other local, state, and federal partners. We encourage you to visit WDVA’s COVID-19 Updates webpage regularly for the most up-to-date information on our programs and services. Access to this page is available at www.WisVets.com. Thank you for your patience and understanding and for joining us to help prevent the spread of disease. We remain dedicated to maintaining our service to Wisconsin veterans and their families. PAGE 7 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 79 We Remember
PAGE 8 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 79 Retirement Destination Guide Retire to Phoenix, Arizona where...
1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.
2. You've experienced condensation on your bottom from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!
OR You can retire to California where...
1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.
6. The 4 seasons are: fire, flood, mud, and drought.
OR You can retire to New York City where...
1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan.
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.
3. You think Central Park is "nature."
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi- lingual.
5. You've worn out a car horn.
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.
OR You can retire to Minnesota where...
1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for casserole. (Continued on page 9) PAGE 9 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 79
(Continued from page 8)
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.
OR You can retire to the Deep South where....
1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. "Y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.
3. "He needed killin" is a valid defense.
4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Ellen, Betty Jean, Mary Beth, etc.
5. Everything is either "in yonder," "over yonder" or "out yonder." It's important to know the difference, too.
OR You can retire to Colorado where....
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and so he stops at the day care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.
OR You can retire to the Midwest where...
1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?"
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!"
OR FINALLY you can retire to Florida where...
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people. PAGE 10 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 79 Unintentionally Funny The United States military loves slapping an acronym on anything that moves. Actually, things that don’t move are equally likely to be described with a jumble of letters when words would do the trick just fine. Sometimes it’s obvious that the acronym-izer should’ve put more thought into the process, and we get some unintentionally hilarious descriptors:
• PMS — Professor of Military Science
• MANPADS — Man-Portable Air-Defense System
• MANCOC — Maneuver Advanced NCO Course
• DICC — Defense Intelligence Collection Cell
• DISCO — Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office
• MAGIC CARPET — Maritime Augmented Guidance with Integrated Controls for Carrier Approach and Recovery Precision Enabling Technologies.
• DRBOB — Defense Resale Business Optimization Board
• FARP — Forward Area Refueling Point
• FAP — Fleet Assistance Program
• BLT — Battalion Landing Team
• AOC — Army Operating Concept
Financial/Membership Report Dates of Financial Statement Interest Total Club Funds Balance (12/31/19) ...... $9,378.45
Receipts ...... +$9,562.19 • Jun 14—US Army (1775) Subtotal ...... $18,940.64 Disbursements ...... ($2,723.89) • Jun 14—Flag Day
Total Club Funds Balance (3/31/20) ...... $16,216.75 • Jun 21—Father’s Day Bank-Checkbook Balance (3/31/20) ...... $14,690.94 Bank-Business Savings Acc’t Balance (3/31/20) ...... $1,525.81 • Jul 2—US Army Air Corps (1926) 2020 Membership Report (As of 3/31/20) • Jul 4—Independence Day Paid ...... 86
Honorary ...... 5 • Aug 1—Aeronautical Life ...... 12 Division, US Army Overdue ...... 27 established (1907)
Total ...... 130 • Aug 4—US Coast Guard
(1790) 2021 Paid (As of 3/31/20) ...... 2 PAGE 11 QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 79 March Dinner Meeting Pictures The Marq—De Pere The Military Officers Club of Northeastern Wisconsin, Inc. Membership Application/Questionnaire
Date: Please circle: Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. / Miss.
Name: First M.I. Last
Address: # / Street
City, State, Zip
Primary Contact Phone #: Work Phone: Date of Birth: (Needed only for future LIFE membership eligibility.) E-mail Address: Spouse’s Name: Birthday (optional) Rank: Component Branch of Service USAR USA USNR USN USMCR USMC USAFR USAF ANG USCG ARNG NOAA USPHS Military History (complete the applicable category) On Active Duty (Y/N) Entry Date Former Officer (Y/N) Entry Date End Date Retired Officer (Y/N) Entry Date Active Duty Retirement Date
Note: Please notify the Club Membership Chairman or Club Secretary of any changes to the infor- mation on this form. Thank you. (Y/N) 1. Are you a member of MOAA? (National organization) a. If so, what is your MOAA member number? {…on your MOAA card or address label if you receive the MOAA magazine} b. Do you receive the Military Officer magazine? 2. Are you receiving military retired pay or survivor benefits? 3. Do you plan to attend regular quarterly meetings? 4. Would you attend if transportation could be arranged for you? 5. Would you be willing to serve as a chapter officer or as a member of the Board of Directors?
Note: Club dues are $20.00 per calendar year, payable by January 1st each year.
If you would like to pay your current dues at this time, please attach a check payable to: “The Military Officers Club of NEW.” Please be sure to indicate on the check what year the dues are for.
Mail completed form to: The Military Officers Club of Northeastern Wisconsin, Inc. c/o Glenn Brunner N2420 Lakeshore Road Kewaunee, WI 54216