MILITARY OFFICERS CALL Sun City Center Chapter Military Officers Association of America P. O. Box 5693, Sun City Center, FL. 33571 Volume 36 Number 7 July 2020 JULY LUNCHEON CANCELLED President’s Message Senate confirms Navy Secretary Kenneth James Haney, MAJ. USMC (Ret) Braithwaite The U.S. Senate confirmed a new Navy secretary, Kenneth “K.J.” Braithwaite, by voice vote on June 24. Braithwaite, a former ambassador to Nor- Members, Prospects & Friends, way and executive for American oil and health care companies, assumes the job after Well it was certainly a wet 76th D-Day commemoration financier Richard V. Spencer was forced out on 6 June 2020, and Flag Day accompanied by the Army’s of office amid a fight with the White House 245th Birthday on 14 June 2020. The Community Associa- and senior defense leaders over the handling of a legal tion asked the Chapter Board for a reopening plan to use case against a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes. the Florida Room for the 2 September, 2020 luncheon At his confirmation hearing this month, Braithwaite meeting if the CA Board authorizes it’s opening. I will vowed Thursday to improve public trust in leadership of share this plan with you next month. the service after years of controversies have led to a Chapter Board members participated in two Florida “tarnished” culture within the ranks. Council of Chapters (FCOC) Zoom (video teleconference) A Michigan native and 1984 graduate of the U.S. Naval meetings recently that resulted in the installation of FCOC Academy, Braithwaite was an anti-submarine warfare pilot officers for the next twelve months. And, remember that who tracked Soviet submarines in the western Pacific and Benny Blackshire has been the West Central Florida Area Indian oceans for a Hawaii-based patrol squadron. From VP (7 Chapters) for a few months now. there, he served in various communications and legislative Retired Army COL Gary Bridges continues to be on the affairs roles before leaving active service in 1993 and the speaker schedule for a 2 September meeting to share his Naval Reserve in 2011. experiences as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, and Dr Susan As ambassador, Braithwaite focused on the security of MacManus will bring the Chapter up to date on the Florida the Arctic, a region that’s seeing an uptick in Russian and political climate on 7 October. Contact Program Chair NATO activity. Eunice Patxot with speaker suggestions that you have for Braithwaite’s nomination to be the next Navy secretary November and beyond. Also, if you have any Chapter has been stalled since last fall. field trip thoughts please let Eunice and I know as soon as It also came one month after the resignation of Thomas possible. Modly from the top service civilian role, amid an outcry If you are cautiously out & about, you may see someone over his handling of an outbreak of coronavirus aboard the wearing a military or Veteran shirt or cap. Strike up a brief aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt. That included Moldy’s conversation sharing you service and inquire of theirs. decision to fire the ship’s commanding officer after com- And, if appropriate, offer them MOAA Chapter contact in- plaints about slow leadership response was made public, formation cut out (list) from this newsletter or a complete, and a caustic speech to crew members for applauding the always handy, award winning Chapter newsletter. I believe dismissed captain. Chapter Membership Chair Walt Cawein will greatly ap- Braithwaite referenced the incident during a confirmation preciate your recruiting assistance during this pandemic hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, period and throughout the year. along with a pair of deadly Navy ship collisions in If you haven’t already, you should visit the Chapter Web 2017, the ongoing “Fat Leonard” contracting corrup- site at www.sccmoaa.org, especially to review TAKE AC- TION items that MOAA has listed for member participa- tion scandal and other unspecified “judicial missteps” tion. by Navy leaders. “It saddens me to say the Department of the Navy Happy, safe & healthy Independence Day is in troubled waters due to many factors, primarily the failings of leadership,” he said. “[The controver- Jim sies] are all indicative of a breakdown in the trust of those leading the service.” Sun City Center Veterans Memorial 2020 Fuca down to the waters off Central America. Memorial Day Commemoration COVID-19 Update: 62,000 Health Workers On Saturday, 23 May 2020, Walter Cawein, (left) SCC Infected; New Vax Plans; PPE Hucksters Charitable Foundation President, setup the Memorial to commemorate Memorial Day, 25 May 2020. A wreath do- More than 62,000 physicians, nurses, and nated by the SCC Funeral Home was placed at the base of other healthcare providers in the U.S. have the Memorial centerpiece. Alongside the wreath were two been infected with COVID-19 and at least placards listing the names of 159 SCC/KP Veteran resi- 291 have died, the CDC reported. dents or previous residents that passed away during the As of Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. EDT, the preceding twelve months. James Haney, (right) MOAA unofficial tally of U.S. COVID-19 cases stood at 1,681,418 SCC Chapter President & MOWW Florida Department with 98,929 deaths. Commander, joined Walt, a member of both MOAA & Twenty states posted increases in new cases for the MOWW, to place the wreath & placards along with several week ending May 24, up from 13 states in the prior week, a SCC CA maintenance personnel who finished the Memori- Reuters analysis showed. al dedication plaque installation. Mexico's health department reported 501 COVID-19 Everyone wishing to honor military members killed in ac- deaths, a new 1-day high for the country. (ABC News) tion (KIA), Memorial Day's focus, or a deceased Veteran Merck unveiled plans for two vaccines and an antiviral were invited, and encouraged, to place a rose or other sig- compound already in early clinical trials. (Science) nificant remembrance at their brick or the Memorial base. Novavax announced the start of its phase I trial for its Photographs were also encouraged. vaccine candidate; early immunogenicity and safety results For more information regarding the Memorial, the Foun- are expected in July. dation or the MOAA / MOWW Chapters, call Walt Cawein Meanwhile, a new AP-NORC survey says that just under at 813.340.0533 or email at [email protected]. half of Americans would get vaccinated if the option were available, with 31% unsure. A pharmacist in New York and a used car salesman in New Jersey were arrested on charges of designing fraudu- lent mask and protective equipment schemes. (AP News) COL Jim Fletcher USA (Ret) receives Liberty Bell Award Good things happen to good people. We received the great news that Colonel (USA retired) Jim Fletcher, a local MOAA member, was selected as the 2020 Hillsborough County Bar Association's LIberty Bell Award Recipient. The Liberty Bell Award recognizes an outstanding non- lawyer citizen whose community service strengthens the effectiveness of the American system under the law. It is the highest HCBA community award bestowed. In addition to his critical involvement as one of the Senior Veteran Mentors in the nationally renowned Veterans Treatment Court, Jim serves in leadership roles in multiple local and state veteran service organizations and continues to positively impact on veteran issues in Tampa. Jim now joins the impressive list of previous Liberty Bell recipients that includes US Congressman Sam Gibbons (fellow 101st Airborne Screaming Eagle), FL Governor Bob Coast Guard Cutter Brings Ton of Seized Martinez, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, NY Yankees Cocaine to San Diego Owner George Steinbrenner, Tampa Bay Bucs Football Coach Tony Dungy, and Tampa Bay Lightning Owner Jeff More than 2,000 pounds (907 kilo- and Penny Vinik. Congratulations Jim! grams) of cocaine seized from smug- glers in the eastern Pacific Ocean has COL Jim Fletcher been brought to San Diego. USA (Ret) (left) The haul estimated to be worth and COL DJ about $37 million was offloaded from Reyes USA (Ret) the Coast Guard cutter Active on Wednesday. at the Liberty The Coast Guard says the cocaine was seized early this Bell Award cere- month in known drug transit zones during enhanced coun- mony. ter-narcotics operations in the Western Hemisphere that involved numerous U.S. agencies. The cutter Active is homeported in Port Angeles, Wash- ington, and routinely operates from the Straits of Juan de 2 PTSD Charity Effort Surgisphere study. So, what is behind the false studies? I’ll leave the answer to that question to the reader. Gary Bridges, COL USA (Ret) and SCC MOAA member, is one of 22 authors that Honor Flight Network cancels trips to DC have put together a set of 22 ebooks with all through August proceeds going to charities that assist veter- ans fighting PTSD. The box set of 22 books The Honor Flight Network, which is in preorder now on Amazon. The infor- sends veterans to tour the war memo- mation can be found on their website, rials in Washington, D.C., said Thurs- www.22authors.com. day that it would cancel trips to the nation’s capital through the end of August. COVID-19 Studies with Surgisphere Data The network originally canceled Retracted trips through April 30 and later extended the cancellations — Authors said they can no longer vouch for the data through June, saying at the time that 170 flights were af- fected. The board of directors that governs the network de- Two papers related to COVID-19 ap- cided to make another extension, citing the stay-at-home pearing in major journals that relied on orders that remain in effect in Washington and nearby data from Surgisphere Corp.