MILITARY Vol. 6, Issue 2, February 2011 Reports from K of C units providing aid to members KNIGHTS IN ACTION of the armed forces A LETTER FROM ONE OF OUR READERS Dear Mr. Scalisi, Thank you very much for continuing to publish the K of C “Military Knights in Ac- tion” newsletters. They are really a great read. I just wanted to share with you a pic- ture that may inspire some other Knights with the same idea. We met when I was still a cadet at West Point and both my twin brother, Alex, and I attended the College Council Conference in New Haven, Conn. We are both U.S. Army captains on active duty now. I just returned from a year in Iraq, and Alex has just come back from a year in Afghanistan. We are members of The Four Chaplains Council 10652 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State. Carter Barrett of Fort Belvoir (Va.) Council 11170 lights a memorial candle for Jane Maltese, the When we both returned home this sum- widow of deceased council member Edward Maltese, during a council-sponsored memorial Mass. mer, my brother and I climbed Mount The council sponsored the Mass in honor of its deceased members — many of whom were active- Rainier together and brought three flags duty or retired military personnel — and invited council widows as the event’s guests of honor. with us to the summit at 14,411 feet: the U.S. flag, the Knights of Columbus flag and the Vatican flag. Knight Receives Base Social French Legion of Honor Medal e St. omas the Apostle Round Table at God Bless! Medford H. Shively of Mater Dei Council Camp Victory, Iraq, hosted a coffee and dough- 8059 in Topeka, Kan., received the French nut social at Hope Chapel for the base’s Aaron McKenney Legion of Honor Medal Dec. 1, 2010, for Catholic community. About 50 people at- his service with the U.S. Army during World tended the event. e round table is sponsored War II. Shively, who joined the Order in 1946, by St. Paul’s Council 11634 in Colorado served in the Rhineland and in Central Europe Springs, Colo. with the Army’s 42nd Infantry Division. More than 100 people attended the presentation cer- Monthly Visit emony, including Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, ad- Members of Father Joseph Mosley Assembly jutant general of Kansas. in Easton, Md., visit the Perry Point VA Med- ical Center each month to celebrate veterans’ New Auxilary Bishop for Military birthdays and meet with patients. Knights typ- Pope Benedict XVI has ically serve hot dogs, potato chips, birthday named Father Neal Buckon, cake and soda — all of which are donated by a military chaplain from the the assembly. Diocese of Cleveland, as an auxiliary bishop of the Arch- Wounded Warriors Cookout diocese for the Military Serv- Father Robert T. Lawson Assembly in Southport, ices, USA. e appointment N.C., hosted a steak cookout for 125 wounded Aaron and Alex McKenney display the was announced Jan. 3 by Archbishop Pietro soldiers at Fort Bragg. Knights sponsor a cookout U.S., K of C and Vatican flags that they brought to the summit of Mount Rainier. Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States. annually for wounded warriors at Camp Leje- Both men are former college Knights serv- Father Buckon, 57, is a Fourth Degree member une, Fort Bragg and the North Carolina State ing in the U.S. Army. of Heights Council 3087 in Cleveland. Veterans Nursing Home in Fayetteville. Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church. FEBRUARY 2011 ∑ MILITARY KNIGHTS IN ACTION ∑ 1 ­­­­ MILITARY KNIGHTS IN ACTION Italian Dinner Operation: Support Msgr. Frank Howard Council 6648 and An- Santa Maria Council 4999 in West Palm Beach, MAKING CHRISTMAS gelo Battista Assembly, both in Havelock, Fla., hosted Bob Gebbia of Operation Support MERRY FOR N.C., co-sponsored a chicken parmesan and Our Troops as a guest speaker at the council’s THOSE IN UNIFORM spaghetti dinner to benefit Honor Flight, an monthly social meeting. Gebbia spoke to atten- organization that transports surviving veterans dees about the organization’s mission to support of World War II to see the National World and lift the spirits of service personnel in Iraq War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. e and Afghanistan by sending care packages to an trips organized by Honor Flight include com- adopted military unit every month. Following plimentary flights to and from the national’s the meeting, the council presented Gebbia with capital for veterans who otherwise may not be a check for $500 to assist the program. able to visit the memorial in their lifetime. e dinner raised more than $2,100. Goin’ to the Hop Bishop Charles B. McLaughlin Assembly in Ministry Fair Brandon, Fla., held a sock hop to raise funds Father John Francis “Jake” Laboon Council for programs that support veterans. Knights 13395 at Naval Base Kitsap in Silverdale, and their families were treated to a dinner of Members of the St. Thomas the Apostle Wash., sponsored a booth at the Prince of Peace roasted chicken and pulled pork, followed by Round Table at Camp Victory, Iraq, and Church Ministry Fair. Knights joined 12 other music from the 1950s and 60s. e event raised base support staff stand with Auxiliary parish ministries at the event. more than $1,500, which will support pro- Bishop Frank R. Spencer (third from right) of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, grams at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital USA, after presenting him with a Knights Salute, Inc. and Haley’s Cove Community Living Center. of Columbus t-shirt. Knights made the Holy Rosary Council 4483 in Arlington presentation during Bishop Spencer’s Heights, Ill., donated start-up capital and pro- Community Covenant Christmas visit to Iraq. The round table is vides ongoing financial assistance to Salute, At a special meeting to honor council and sponsored by St. Paul Council 11634 in Inc., an organization that helps to meet the fi- community veterans, Holy Rosary Council Colorado Springs, Colo., and Bishop nancial, physical and emotional needs of mili- 869 in Harrisburg, Pa., signed a Community Spencer is a member of Bishop John J. tary service members or veterans and their Covenant with the U.S. Armed Forces to Kaising Council 14223 at U.S. Army Garri- families. With an initial donation of $1,000, show the council’s support for military service son Yongsan, South Korea. Council 4483 has consistently provided fund- personnel and their families. The Community ing for Salute, Inc. events, as well as volunteer Covenant, started in 2008, is an initiative of • Father Peter J. J. Juba Council 4922 in Orange, Calif., collected approximately manpower. Other K of C units, like St. Eliza- the Secretary of the Army to invite commu- $2,000 worth of new toys at the council’s beth Ann Seton Assembly, have contributed as nities and organizations across the United annual Christmas party. All of the gifts were well. Since 2004, Salute, Inc. has raised more States to foster partnerships with the military distributed to the children of active-duty mil- than $800,000 to aid approximately 200 in- and to improve the quality of life for service itary personnel. jured and affected service members and their members and their families, both at their cur- families. rent duty stations and as they transfer to other • F. Randolph Howell Assembly in Colum- states or countries. bia, Tenn., hosted a Christmas dinner at Last Honors three state armories for soldiers from the St. Pius X Assembly in Oakville, Conn., pro- Support for Military Families 771st Support Maintenance Company and vided an honor guard for the wake of Gebrah Mother Seton Council 5427 in Washington the Tennessee Army National Guard. Noonan, 26, a local soldier who was killed Township, N.J., invited representatives of the Knights serve dinner to soldiers at holidays and at deployment events. while serving with the U.S. military in Iraq. Teaneck Armory Family Support Group to speak about their organization’s services for • Members of St. Michael the Archangel Soldiering On members of the armed forces and their families. Circle 4423 in Eldersburg, Md., took time Msgr. Eugene F. Marshall Council 103 in Representatives from the group spoke about the out of their Christmas break to greet U.S. Pittsfield, Mass., sponsored an ice cream so- purpose of the program and the aid it provides soldiers returning from combat duty in Iraq cial for veterans living at the Soldier On shel- to active-duty soldiers, veterans and the families and Afghanistan at the Baltimore Washing- ter for homeless veterans. Residents were of service personnel not living on a military ton International Airport as part of Opera- treated to ice cream donated by the local base. Following the presentation, the council tion Welcome Home Maryland. Friendly’s restaurant and toppings donated by donated $250 to the group. the council. Soldier On is an organization • Mother Teresa Assembly in Lexington, that provides a continuum of care for veterans Cheer for Troops S.C., hosted a spaghetti dinner at Corpus Christi Church for 125 soldiers from Fort that includes immediate and long-term hous- St. Joan of Arc Council 14357 in Phoenix Jackson who did not have the opportunity ing; treatment and recovery for addiction; hosted a drive at its parish to collect care items to go home for the holidays.