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HOUSTON AREA PO BOX 1082 HOUSTON TX 77251-1082 www.moaahoustonarea.com
Newsletter to MembersVol. LII No. 9 September 2015
NEXT MEETING SATURDAY, September 26, 2015 BRAEBURN COUNTRY CLUB
President’s Message
Focusing on and then engaging withimportant activities is part of who we are asmilitary officers. This September 18th isPOW/MIA Recognition Day. More than asimple commemoration is the impliedchallenge to maintain and further ourcommitment to safeguard our Nation’sFreedom through actions that further ouractive duty military and their families well-being, that of ourNational Guard and Reserves, and that of our Retired andVeteran communities.
The VA hospital system has an excellent guideline for itsemployees in the values acronym “I-CARE.” It charges itsemployees to achieve: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy,Respect, and Excellence. We can learn from them on how tocontinue to be good and faithful stewards of the public trust thatwas placed upon us with our Commissions.
Therefore, I am inviting You to join with us at our monthlymeetings at the Brae-Burn Country Club on the last Saturday ofthe month at noon in the club house. Each monthly meeting hasexciting and informative speakers; plus excellent food and greatconversations. You will not be an outsider, even on Your firstvisit–I Promise!
In the months ahead are also activities that may interest You andin which You are invited to participate: Veterans Day Luncheon& Parade, Retiree Day at Ellington JRB, and our DecemberHoliday Gala.
America works when its Citizens work for its Success. Join us atYour MOAA-Houston Area chapter to make it so!
Respectfully,LTC Eugene Vecera, USA, President
Don’t miss the USAA Luncheon on November 10! SeatingIs Limited to the first 50. Res. To Dr. Don Couch,Treasurer, 832.205.2009; [email protected].
OfficersPresident Eugene A. Vecera, LTC USA713.516.3459 [email protected]
1st Vice President Program (Open)
2nd Vice President ArrangementsJeannette Evans, AUX 281.495.2202Cell: 281.467.6775
3rd Vice President MembershipMitch Seaborn, MAJ USANG 281.409.2122 [email protected]
SecretaryMatt Mancuso, Capt USAF 703.200.3030 [email protected]
Treasurer Don L. Couch, LTC USA Ret.832.205.2009 [email protected]
Legislative RepresentativeROTC Scholarship William Taylor Cpt. USA Ret.281.482.7315 [email protected]
Assistant Legislative Representative George McDowell Col USAF Ret.713.723.5166
LiaisonEugene Tulich CDR USCG281.376.0061 [email protected]
ROTCWilbur E. “Mac” McConico LTC USA Ret [email protected]
ChaplainKerry Magee CAPT USN Ret979.964.3236 h or 979.236.2415 [email protected]
Editor Carol Ann Wilson 8902 Sunnywood DriveHouston TX77088-3729281. 847.9754; 281.642.4050 [email protected]
Eugene A. Vecera,LTC USA
Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, September 2015, p. 1
MOAA Houston AreaBoard Meeting
Tuesday before Monthly Luncheon Meeting
Tues.Sept. 21, 11:30
Rudi Lechner’s 2503 S. Gessner
Remaining Meetings 9/22 10/17 11/16
No mtg in Dec unless called All members are welcome.
MOAA
Houston AreaMonthly Meeting
and Luncheon
Saturday 9/2611:30 fellowship
12 Noon LuncheonBraeBurn Country Club
8101 Bissonnet St (near S. Gessner)
Houston TX 77074 (713) 774-2586
MENU
House Salad
House Salad
Pan-seared Salmonor
Steak Diane
Seasonal Vegetables
Rolls, Butter
Coffee and Tea
Key Lime Pie
$30
Reservations toJeannette Evans,281.467.6775 or
281.495.2202, by Wed. 9/23/15
Remaining 2015 MOAA-HA Meetings
9/26 10/31 11/19 (with MOWA) 12/12 Christmas Party
Military Officers Wives Association
MOWA
Thursday, Sept. 1711:30 FellowshipLuncheon at Noon
Rudi Lechner’s 2503 S. Gessner
Order off the Menuand Pay Individually
Guest SpeakerCAPT. KERRY MAGEE
RSVP to Bobbye Parsons, 713.541.3143 by Mon.
10 a.m.
See you there!
MOAA-HA
Z Treasurer’s Report
Aug. 31, 2015
Receipts $2,815. Expenses $ 686. Balance $8,043 22
Don L. Couch, Treasurer LTC USA Ret.
RETIREE APPRECIATION DAY ELLINGTON AIR BASE
October 10
We need volunteers to help manour table!
Speaker for 9/26
Capt. Mike Ladouceur(United States Army)
Capt. Mike grew up in upstateNew York and enlisted in theUnited States Army at the ageof 17. Upon entering theArmy Capt. Mike underwenttraining at Fort Dix, Aberdeenproving ground, and FortCampbell, Kentucky. Aftercompleting his years oftraining he was assigned tothe fifth Special Forces groupin Vietnam. After serving twotours and receiving twoPurple Hearts and a bronzeStar, he finished his secondtour in Germany.
After being discharged fromthe Army, Capt. Mike servedin the merchant Marines,where he has been a boatcaptain for more than 30years. He has maintained ahigh integrity and standardsthat are typical of all merchantMarines and all militarypersonnel.
In 2010, due to personallosses he experienced inVietnam, as well as the lackof our government's care andconcern for the widows andchildren of our fallen heroes,Capt. Mike founded FallenHeroes Survivors Foundation.This organization providesbenefits for the widows andchildren of our soldiers thathave given their very lives soall of us can remain free.
Among the many programs isone that provides emotionalsupport animals to thechildren and families to helpthem deal with the restraintsof PTSD and to teach thechildren a sense ofresponsibility by caring forthese animals. Also included
Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, September 2015, p. 2
Kerry B. Magee,CAPT USNR-Ret.
are educational scholarships,work placement for thewidows, assistance withhealthcare, counseling, andsummer camps.
WINGS OVERHOUSTON
The annual “Wings OverHouston” will be heldOctober 17-18, 2015, and theU. S. Air Force Thunderbirdsare back!! Gates open at 8a.m. on both Saturday andSunday, and no one will beadmitted for the air showafter 3 p.m. Gates close at 6p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m.on Sunday. Ticketinformation may be found atwww.wingsoverhouston.com/index.php/tickets/ticket-information.
New Member
Welcome to the following newchapter member, whom we gotto meet at the August meeting:
CPT Bennett W. Craig, USASpouse: Kelley14606 Wooded Tree LnCypress TX 77429240-818-4989Bus.phone: 202-479-3341Police Officer, United StatesSupreme Court [email protected]
Nov. 11 PARADE
We will have TWO cars inthis year’s Veterans DayParade. Call Don Couch orBill Taylor if you can ride inone of them. IF YOU HAVECAR FLAGS of any of theservices, let us know!
Chaplain’sMessage
SHALOM!PEACE BE WITHYOU!
From the Prophet Isaiah 58, we read,“Share your food with the hungryand welcome poor wanderers intoyour home. Give clothes to thosewho need them. If you do thesethings, your salvation will come likethe dawn. Yes, your healing willcome quickly. Your Godliness willlead you forward and the Glory ofthe Lord will protect you frombehind.”
From the Gospel of St. Matthew 25:“I was hungry and you gave mesomething to eat; I was thirsty andyou gave me something to drink; Iwas a stranger and you invited me in;I needed clothes and you clothed me;I was sick and you looked after me; Iwas in prison and you came to visitme.”
These Holy Bible Scriptures are thefoundation of a new Project of Dr.Mike Evans, Founder of theJerusalem Prayer Team International,a Christian Ministry for the people ofthe State of Israel. Dr. Evans invitesall Christians to sign a very specialbook in Jerusalem that honors thememory of the six million Jewishmen, women, and children whoperished in the Nazi holocaust, afactual reality.
The dream is for this book to besigned by SIX MILLIONCHRISTIANS, one for every Jewishsoul who perished in the nightmareof the Nazi concentration camps.This is your opportunity to make apersonal, powerful statement of yoursupport, your love, your commitmentas a Christian to God’s ChosenPeople, the Jewish people of theNation of Israel. Dr. Evans said,“Never again will we stand by as thePeople of the Promise face those who
will destroy them. In wordand deed, in prayer and inaction, we will forever standwith the Jewish People andthe Nation of Israel.”
Please understand thesecrucial points about the Bookof the SIX MILLION. Whenwe reach six million names,the registry will be closed andthe book completed. Thisbook will be on permanentdisplay in our Friends' of ZionHeritage Center in Jerusalem.It will also be viewable online at www.6million.com.There is no charge, no fee forsigning your name on theBook of the SIX MILLION,but there is a need you canhelp meet because God sparedthe lives of many Jews in thehorror of the Holocaust , andthousands of them and theirfamilies are alive today and interrible need.
The survivors and theirfamilies still live painfullyand are desperately poor andin their ’80s and ’90s,shivering in the cold; hungryat night. Israelis’ Leadershave been overwhelmed bythe needs of these poverty-stricken refugees.
They receive only agovernment stipend of about$10 per day, really not enoughto care for their basic needs:housing, food, medicine,warm clothes. That is becausethe government requiresmassive defense spending toguard the Nation fromimpending attacks of totaldestruction from theirenemies!
Dr. Evans urges Christians toreach out not only in memoryof the Six Million but also bya gift of love of financialsupport. Mother Theresa wasquoted several years ago inRome by saying, “Real
Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, September 2015, p. 3
COL McDowell receives specialcertificate and flag that flew overthe U. S. Capitol from DanielEspinoza, Assistant to Cong.Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18thDistrict of Texas
Col. McDowell, the “Birthday Boy,”with President Vecera’s wife Myrna, andGeorge’s daughter Linda Novosad
MAJ Grantham receivescertificate from LTC Vecera
Buddy and Julie Grantham withtheir son Bill and wife Alicia
New member CPTBen Craig, Army
MOAA National MermbersRollin & Pat Collins, Army
Don Driskill, Navy
Christians love the JewishPeople.”
I will humbly sign this bookand make a personaldonation to this cause. Iprayerfully ask you, theMembers of this Chapter, toprayerfully consider doinglikewise. We can truly makea difference and providelove, hope, and health forprecious elderly holocaustsurvivors in Israel. (1 Cor.13:13.) Please log on towww.6million.com to signthe book and donate.
God be with you and blessyou all!
Humbly submitted,
CAPT Kerry B. MageeUSNR-RET
Chaplain/Past President
Military Order ofWorld Wars
Meets the 4th Thursdayfor Luncheons atRudi Lechner’s Restaurant,2503 S. Gessner. Ourmembers are invited toattend.
USAA LuncheonNovember 10The Palm onWestheimer
Plans are coming together forthis fantastic event! Makeyour reservations with ourTreasurer, Don Couch,832.205.2009 (tel.) or emailto [email protected].
SEATING LIMITED TO 50!
Photos & Report From Our August 29
Meeting
Thanks to the ever-faithful AndyParsons for more great photos fromyet another funtastic meeting!
What a great day it was, and we’resorry if you missed it! We celebratedGeorge McDowell’s 102nd Birthday (August 27), and August26 was President’s Vecera’sbirthday! Thanks to Jeannette Evans,we had confetti and noisemakers, andCol. McDowell even had a birthdayhat and badge! Wow! What a day!
And our speaker, Buddy Grantham,was as inspiring as ever! He sharedwith us the great work that was donewhen the City of Houston madeready for the tens of thousands ofKatrina and Rita victims who fled toour city and were cared for. He madethe great point that it was themilitary training and backgroundthat gave the leaders of that programthe knowledge, strength, andplanning ability for that project,which has now become a model forthe rest of the country! We were veryproud to know that MAJ Grantham isone of our own members!
Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, September 2015, p. 4
Glad to see USAF Maj George& Mary Geist back! Treas. Dr. Don Couch and Pres.
Eugene Vecera with the 102-year-old!
Dr.Couch presents winnings toLTC Vecera, who (as usually)donated it all back!
The Human Body: A MIRACLE!
The Human Body is a treasure trove of mysteries–one that still confounds doctors and scientists about thedetails of its working. It's not an overstatement to say that every part of your body is a miracle. Here are afew facts about your body, some of which may leave you stunned (more in October issue).
1. The largest cell in the human body is the female egg and the smallest is the male sperm. The egg isactually the only cell in the body that is visible by the naked eye.
2. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue and the hardest bone is the jawbone.
3. Human feet have 52 bones, accounting for one quarter of all the human body's bones.
4. Feet have 500,000 sweat glands and can produce more than a pint of sweat a day.
5. The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razor blades. The reason it doesn't eat away atyour stomach is that the cells of your stomach wall renew themselves so frequently that you geta new stomach lining every three to four days.
6. Sneezes regularly exceed 100 mph, while coughs clock in at about 60 mph.
7. Your body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring half a gallon of water to a boil.
8. Your body has enough iron in it to make a nail 3 inches long.
9. Earwax production is necessary for good ear health. It protects the delicate inner ear from bacteria,fungus, dirt, and even insects. It also cleans and lubricates the ear canal.
10. Everyone has a unique smell, except for identical twins, who smell the same.
11. Your teeth start growing 6 months before you are born. This is why one out of every 2,000 newborninfants has a tooth when they are born
12. A baby's head is one-quarter of its total length, but by the age of 25 will only be one-eighth of itstotal length. This is because people's heads grow at a much slower rate than the rest of their bodies.
13. Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood the number is reduced to 206. Some of the bones,like skull bones, get fused into each other, bringing down the total number.
14. It's not possible to tickle yourself. This is because when you attempt to tickle yourself, you are totallyaware of the exact time and manner in which the tickling will occur, unlike when someone else ticklesyou.
Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, September 2015, p. 5
Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, September 2015, p. 6
MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, HOUSTON AREA Houston Corps of Cadets ROTC Endowment Fund–The University of Houston
(Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force)
Please Print Donor name:_______________________________________________________Mailing Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Phone: Day_______________Evening_____________e-mail__________________________
My pledge of $_________should be designed to support MOAA,HA Houston Corps of Cadets
My gift will be made with installments of $______to be paid monthly___quarterly___annually___. Beginning date:_______The Office of Stewardship will send reminders.)
__Enclosed is a check (made payable to University of Houston) for the first pledge payable.Please charge my credit card for the amount of my gift, as scheduled above:
___Visa ___Mastercard ___American Express ___DiscoverAccount Number_________________________________ Expiration date:_______________ Name as it appears on card:_________________________________________________Signature:_____________________________________________________________________I would like to be contacted about fulfilling my pledge with a gift of appreciated securities.My pledge payment will be matched by: __________________________________________ (Please specify company for our records)Donor signature:___________________________________date_______________________
Donor Signature:___________________________________date_______________________
Thank you for your support of the MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, HOUSTONAREA, HOUSTON CORPS OF CADETS ROTC ENDOWMENT FUND, THE UNIVERSITY OFHOUSTON____________________________________________________________________________
University of Houston; Advancement Services; P.O. Box 867; Houston TX 77001-0867 Attn: Nancy V. Clark E-mail: uh.edu/giving
WINGS OVER HOUSTONwww.wingsoverhouston.com
Newsletter of MOAA Houston Area, September 2015, p. 7
NAME: ____________________________________________________________________________(Please print) Last First Initial Grade Service Branch_____________________________________________________________________________Spouse’s first name: ________________________Tel. For Directory___________________________Home address:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Civilian Occupation:_________________________________________________________________Business Firm ____________________________________Business phone_____________________E-mail: ___________________________________________________________________________ Dues: Regular Membership $30 first year; annual renewal $30 ($20 for each addn’l year pd w/renewal) Auxiliary (spouse of deceased officer) $15 ($10 for each addn’l year pd w/renewal)WOULD YOU SERVE ON A COMMITTEE? ___________________________________________Comments__________________________________________________________________________
Make check payable to MOAA,HA and send to MOAA,HA PO Box 1082 Houston TX 77251-1082
For more information, call Capt Matt Mancuso 703.200.3030
Old Person Pride (cont’d from August issue)
If you bump into an Old Person on the sidewalk, he will apologize. Ifyou pass an Old Person on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady.
Old People trust strangers and are courtly to women. Old People hold the door for the nextperson and always, when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for protection.
Old People have moral courage and personal integrity. They seldom brag, unless it’s about theirchildren or grandchildren.
It’s the Old People who know our great country is protected, not by politicians, but by the youngmen and women in the military serving their country.
This country needs Old People with their work ethic, sense of responsibility, pride in theircountry, and decent values. We need them now more than ever.
Thank God for Old People. Share this with all of the “Old People” you know.
‘Til next month . . . .
Military Officers Association of America, Houston AreaMembership is available to Officers who have held a Federal Warrant or Commission in any of the sevenuniformed services of the United States or to the surviving spouse of such a person. Please use this form forapplication for membership, renewal, or changes to the current directory of members.
Military Officers Association of America, Houston AreaPO Box 1082Houston TX 77251-1082
