THE JEWISH VETERAN Volume 70 • Number 1 Celebration Honoring Liberators “We are honoring the liberators. Bernard Rothenberg is from Post 972 They did not set out to be lib- NJ, and Ben Cooper, clad in his World erators. The role was thrust upon War II uniform jacket and hat, hails them. They were witnesses to from Post 45 CT. Each was recog- man’s inhumanity to man.” nized to a raucous round of applause. With these words, Major For many of the 115 attendees, General Sidney Shachnow, USA the event was not only deeply moving (Ret.), began his keynote ad- but also incredibly personal. Some dress. A child survivor of the had family who did not survive the Kovno ghetto, he witnessed first- Holocaust, others survived because hand the brutality of the Nazis. they were able to find freedom and So did the four liberators sitting safety in the United States before JWV sadly announces in the audience. the Nazis sealed the borders, and The Celebration Honoring Keynote Speaker some knew a liberator or Holocaust the passing of Chairman Liberators, hosted by the Jewish MG Sidney Shachnow, USA (Ret). survivor. Robert M. Zweiman, PNC, War Veterans of the USA Many Jewish War Veterans mem- on March 17, 2016. Foundation on February 13 at the Crystal City Marriott bers were liberators of Nazi concentration camps. Often, Obituary is on page 5. in Virginia, honored these members of the Greatest as Yiddish or German speakers, they were the only ones Generation before they are no longer with us and it is who could communicate with the survivors. They led May his memory too late to thank them. Jewish services in the centers of the camps, and they of- be a blessing. Two children of liberators from Florida and Texas fered a sense of comfort and kindness the survivors had were present in addition to the four liberators. Bernhard not seen for many years. Just as significantly, the libera- Storch and Alan Moskin are both part of Post 756 NY. tors preserved and Continued on page 7 BOOTLESS: THOUGHTS ON TRANSITIONING OUT OF THE MILITARY By Lance Allen Wang ter how much you love the the boots (it became three years I saw it time and time again throughout my 21 military. Once you are no lon- because Uncle Sam decided year career in the military. Peers, subordinates, ger useful in the eyes of the that a year in the desert sweat- and superiors – some who I respected a great bureaucracy, your days are New Life ing and dodging rockets would deal – seemed utterly unprepared to transition numbered. Yes, we all know make an excellent retirement out of the Army, for a variety of reasons. Some the story of someone who was gift). The longer you give your- just could not wrap their heads around the idea able to get himself trapped in Old Life self, the more time you have to that this stage of their life was coming to a close. a nice loophole and stay on ensure you are prepared men- Others truly felt that there was nothing else in life for another few years. What tally, administratively, and that they were capable of doing. Some just pro- you don’t know is the story of financially for the giant leap crastinated until the last minute. The fact is, tran- dozens who found themselves into the unknown. In the rush sition requires – administratively – at least a year. on the outside looking in dur- to transition out of the service, With six years of hindsight since my own retire- ing that same period. In many don’t forget to ensure that your ment, my intent is to offer some thoughts on my cases, you know when you’re medical conditions get docu- transition out of the Army in the hope that it may approaching the end. Maybe mented. That can sometimes help some of you still wearing the uniform. While you’re no longer deployable and have no hope be a very time consuming process with lots of my experience was retirement, much of what I of- of rectifying that anytime soon. Sometimes it is appointments. Yes, it’s annoying. But it is much fer can apply to any transition out of the military. time to look back on a job well done, take the more annoying to try and play catch-up years af- Honorable Discharge, put it in a nice frame, and ter you got that discharge put in your hand. THE DECISION TO RETIRE move on to the next step in your life. Remember that you don’t need to go through The military does NOT love you back (despite Make the decision as early as you can. I gave the process alone. During this stage you have what the Retention NCO may tell you), no mat- myself two years warning that I was hanging up Continued on page 12 THE JEWISH Upcoming 2016 JWV Teleconferences All JWV members are encouraged to join in and participate VETERAN by calling this toll-free number: 1-866-266-3378 and entering the JWV Code Number: 202 265 6280#. The Jewish Veteran is the Official Publication of the Enter the full number, including the # sign. Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America All calls start at 8:00 PM EST Your ideas National Commander Jerome Blum National Editor Monroe Mayer, PNC and opinions Associate Editors Lance Wang Join JWV Call in! count! Richard Goldenberg National Executive Director Herb Rosenbleeth at our first Managing Editor Jordana Green April 7 ........................Leadership/Five Year Action Plan Graphics/Production Editor Christy Turner Jewish June 2 ........................Convention Plans and Preparation EDITORIAL OFFICE September 8 ...........Convention Review Heritage 1811 R Street, NW • Washington, D.C. 20009 October 27 .............. Outlook for the Coming Year — New National Telephone (202) 265-6280 x504 Commander Fax (202) 234-5662 Night E-mail [email protected] with Web Site www.jwv.org The Jewish Veteran is published 4 times a year: D.C. United! Display your JWV Membership proudly! Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, by the Jewish War Veterans The JWV supplies store isn’t just of the United States of America May 8, 2016 at 1811 R Street, NW 7:30 PM EST for pins and poppies! 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JWV homepage © 2016 by the Jewish War Veterans of the USA. NPA#112285 ISSN 047-2018. For JWV caps, call Keystone Uniform Cap Corporation Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Phone: 215-821-3434 • Fax: 215-821-3438 www.keystoneuniformcap.com/Jewish-War-Veteran-Caps.html CONTENTS Your Letters .......................................... 3 Amazon Smile Message From The Commander . 4 If you shop at Amazon.com, you can have a portion of Amazon’s profit from your purchase donated to the Jewish News From Capitol Hill .................... 4 War Veterans of the USA Foundation. Dispatches From The Editor .......... 5 Go to Amazon’s website and sign in. 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Those who hate a notice in [the] Jewish Veteran newspaper in an patients and staff, we would like to extend our ap- Israel hate Jews. effort to get more information about the 92nd preciation to you for your donation of The Jewish It is our duty to use every interaction with Bomb Group and Lt. Scheiman.