HOUSE AND SENATE “GRANDFATHER” COLA CUTS 8 MARCH 2014 page 18 4 FRA Recognizes Outstanding USN, USMC Performers 16 FRA Supports the USCG Enlisted Memorial Foundation 30 What has FRA Been Doing for the Past 90 Years? 86*29·7*2/'$7&267 TODAY - United States Gold & Silver Reserve has scheduled what could be the fi nal release of U.S. government-issued $5 gold coins previously held at the U.S. Mint at West Point. These 2014 government- issued gold coins are being released on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis for the incredible markup-free price of only $138 per coin. Please be advised: Our at-cost U.S. government gold inventory will be available at this special price while supplies last or for up to 30 days. Do not delay. Call a Portfolio Manager today. PURE COST - NO DEALER MARKUP! Own Gov’t-Issued Gold Coins DUE TO STRICT LIMITED AVAILABILITY, TELEPHONE ORDERS $ 00 WILL BE ACCEPTED ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS EACH ACCORDING TO THE TIME AND DATE OF THE ORDER. 138 PRICES MAY BE MORE OR LESS BASED ON CURRENT MARKET CONDITIONS. CALL NOW. If you’ve been waiting to move D STA TE T I E your hard-earned money into N S U precious metals, now is the G S O time to consider transferring V’ N I T O C your U.S. dollars into United GOLD States government gold. The gold market is on the move, and has been up as much as 352% over the past 10 years — outpacing the DOW, NASDAQ and S&P 500. Call immediately to order your United States gold coins direct from our Main Vault Facility, at- cost for the amazing price of only $138 per coin. Special arrangements can be made for gold purchases over $50,000. Order your gold today! 1 – U.S. Gov’t-Issued Gold Coin $138 ( PLUS INSURANCE, SHIPPING & HANDLING $15.00) 5 – U.S. Gov’t-Issued Gold Coins $690 ( PLUS INSURANCE, SHIPPING & HANDLING $25.00) 10 – U.S. Gov’t-Issued Gold Coins $1,380 ( PLUS INSURANCE, SHIPPING & HANDLING $35.00) THE MARKETS FOR COINS ARE UNREGULATED. PRICES CAN RISE OR FALL AND CARRY SOME RISKS. THE COMPANY IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND THE U.S. MINT. PAST PERFOR- MANCE OF THE COIN OR THE MARKET CANNOT PREDICT FUTURE PERFORMANCE. SPECIAL AT-COST OFFER IS STRICTLY LIMITED TO ONLY ONE LIFETIME PURCHASE OF 10 AT-COST COINS (REGARDLESS OF PRICE PAID) PER HOUSEHOLD, PLUS SHIPPING AND INSURANCE. PRICE NOT VALID FOR PRECIOUS METALS DEALERS. COIN DATES OUR CHOICE. ALL CALLS RECORDED FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE. CALL TOLL-FREE (7 Days A Week) 1-855-837-5868 -!34%2#!2$æsæ6)3!æsæ!-%8æsæ$)3#/6%2 #(%#+æsæ"!.+æ7)2%æsæ!#( GOLD &SILVERRESERVE Coins enlarged to show detail. © 2014 United States Gold & Silver Reserve Vault No. FRA13-138 March 2014 Volume 93 Number 3 1 Featured 18 FRA TODAY 18 ATOMIC VETERANS MARCH 2014 Serving in a combat zone is obviously danger- ous duty, but it’s not the only kind of hazard military personnel face in service to our country. A variety of military assignments pose a health risk due to exposure to ionizing radiation. Departments 2 FROM THE FANTAIL 4 RECOGNITION 6 SHIPMATE FORUM 8 ON & OFF CAPITOL HILL House and Senate “Grandfather” COLA Cuts 14 HISTORY & HERITAGE 8 The History of FRA: 1930–1939 16 MEMBERSHIP MATTERS Establishing New Branches 29 REUNIONS 30 LOOKING FOR… / WHAT HAS FRA BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 90 YEARS? 14 32 TAPS 34 NEWS FROM THE BRANCHES 36 NEWS FROM THE AUXILIARY OF THE FRA Message from the Northwest Regional President Sharon Holloway ON THE COVER LOYALTY, PROTECTION AND SERVICE Participation in nuclear weapons tests in the 40s, FRA IS A CONGRESSIONALLY CHARTERED, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION 50s and 60s qualifies former service members as ADVOCATING FOR CURRENT AND FORMER ENLISTED MEMBERS OF THE “Atomic Veterans,” but they aren’t the only vets who may have been exposed to ionizing radiation. U.S. NAVY, MARINE CORPS AND COAST GUARD ON CAPITOL HILL. FOR Those who participated in a variety of radiation-risk MORE INFORMATION ON THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP, PLEASE VISIT activities, as well as their survivors, may be eligible WWW.FRA.ORG OR CALL 800-FRA-1924. for VA benefits. FROM THE FANTAIL 2 NATIONAL OFFICERS/BOARD OF DIRECTORS National President Virgil P. Courneya, High Sierra Branch 274 National Vice President John Ippert, Pearl Harbor-Honolulu Branch 46 Thomas J. Snee, Navy Yard Branch 181 National Executive Dir. MARCH 2014 Stephen Cox Finance Officer Tom Snee Junior PNP Mark A. Kilgore, Pensacola Branch 22 National Parliamentarian PNP F. Donald Mucheck, Low Country FRA TODAY GREETINGS FROM THE “FANTAIL.” In my early days in the Navy, the fan- Branch 269 tail was a place where information would be passed down to keep all National Chaplain Dana Wallace, Annapolis Branch 24 hands advised of important events and plans. I want this column to be a REGIONAL PRESIDENTS complement to the other content in FRA Today, not a duplication, and I welcome feedback on how best to keep our shipmates informed. Feel Northeast / New England James E. Brown, Staten Island Branch 226 East Coast James Campbell, Chesapeake Branch 40 free to send your suggestions to me at [email protected] or by letter to Southeast Frederick A. Hill, Mayport Branch 290 our NHQ address. North Central Rick L. Wangen, Rough Rider Branch 273 Since October, I have met a lot of Sailors, Marines and Coast Guard South Central Russell N. Miller, Capital Area Branch 201 personnel and spouses. The exchange of ideas, concerns and “what is Southwest Michael F. Fulton, Imperial Beach Branch 289 West Coast Peter J. McNamara, High Sierra Branch 274 being done” is always illuminating. I’ve come away from many of these Northwest Daniel E. Holloway, Gem State Branch 382 discussions with the sincere belief that FRA has a unique opportunity to pass on relevant information about threats to their pay and benefits ACTIVE DUTY ADVISORY COUNCIL that they aren’t getting elsewhere. There are a lot of information outlets Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Michael Stevens available, but I don’t understand why our active duty and Reserve per- Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Micheal Barrett sonnel are still not getting the message. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Michael Leavitt FRA can be a reliable source for this audience. We all can pass on this information in our own ways — in conversation, by sharing a copy RESERVE ADVISORY COUNCIL of FRA Today or encouraging them to subscribe to NewsBytes, our Force Master Chief of the Navy Reserve Clarence “CJ” Mitchell weekly e-mail update. This is also a great chance to share what FRA is USMC Reserve Force Sergeant Major James Booker Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Force doing to protect the quality-of-life programs that are so important to Mark Allen them. Many of the threats to military pay and benefits can only be ad- FRA TODAY MAGAZINE dressed legislatively. As you can see on page 8, sometimes things Publisher FRA happen very quickly on Capitol Hill and we do our best to keep our National Executive Director Thomas J. Snee Communications Director Lauren Armstrong members and others informed on the latest happenings. The COLA Managing Editor William Kohudic cuts, potential commissary closures, concerns regarding access to qual- Contributing Photographer Paul Gunther ity health care and VA concerns are among the many issues that need Design and Art Direction attention from FRA and our shipmates. FIREBRAND, Alexandria, VA www.firebrandstudios.com Scott Rodgerson I will also be using the fantail to keep shipmates abreast of changes Design Director Production Manager Sandy Jones here at National Headquarters (NHQ). As many of you know, we will begin a series of capital improvements to our NHQ building that will FRA TODAY (ISSN: 1935-7192) COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY THE FLEET RESERVE ASSOCIATION (FRA) IS PUBLISHED TWELVE TIMES PER YEAR BY FRA, 125 N. WEST ST., ALEXANDRIA, VA not only help us maximize the use of space for our FRA staff, but will 22314. BUSINESS AND EDITORIAL OFFICES: 125 N. WEST ST., ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314. ACCOUNTING AND CIRCULATION OFFICES: FRA, 125 N. WEST ST., ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314. allow us to lease a portion of the building to provide a revenue stream CALL 703-683-1400 TO SUBSCRIBE. APPLICATION TO MAIL AT PERIODICALS POSTAGE for years to come. Stay tuned for more details as our plans move PRICES IS PENDING AT NEW YORK, NY AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO MEMBER SERVICES, FRA, 125 N. WEST ST., forward. ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314. FRA ADMINISTRATIVE HEADQUARTERS: Tom Snee is FRA’s National Executive Director. 125 N. WEST ST., ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314-2754 PHONE: 703-683-1400, 800-FRA-1924 • FAX: 703-549-6610 E-MAIL: [email protected] • WWW.FRA.ORG VOLUME 93 NUMBER 3 &&&'#"&(('%$%'#(($#("(()!(' DIAMOND CAREER WATCH HONORS YOUR SERVICE TO COUNTRY U.S. NAVY CAREER WATCH Personalized With Your Career Insignia, Initials and Years Served e proudly present our Official United States Navy Military WWatch featuring a sculpted Navy Service Branch Emblem dial, plus your Career Insignia and “U.S. NAVY” ribbon set with- in the exclusive watch band. The case back will be engraved with your initials and years served. Watch dial is die-struck with Navy Service Emblem. Custom watch band is decorated with 23 karat gold and inset with special “U.S. Navy” enamel Ribbon and your Career Insignia.