Header this month is Fifes and Bugle Corps
Ft Monroe
(Photo: Mallison)
This picture is one of
several taken at the Band's Thursday Evening Concert Series. Come
on out!
VIPMOAA
is MOAA's Virginia Peninsula Chapter
Pres Sez for the Month
In previous columns we
have emphasized the need to
make timely replies to “Calls to Action” from MOAA. You have fully
supported
our requests and so have the majority of statewide chapters so much so
that it
is again reflected in the 1 May article of “The Hill,” the
largest-circulation
newspaper on Capitol Hill. It has again recognized MOAA in its annual
list of
the “best in the business for America’s
business sectors.” Thanks for your
continued support.
On
Wednesday May 11 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) invited MOAA
and a number of other association leaders to meet with him and several
top Committee chairmen to discuss priorities
for the military and veteran communities.
First and foremost, the leadership pledged to continue full funding for
VA and military health care, including fairer treatment of wounded
warriors and
their families. Among the association leaders, there was a consensus
that
Congress should aggressively pursue the recommendations of the recent
Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission as well as an upgraded
GI Bill.
In addition, VADM Ryan urged:
a) Quick
action to reverse the l0.6% Medicare and TRICARE payment cut scheduled
to take
place on 1 July-only a few days away; (done in June)
b) Putting
military health care principles in law to prevent annual budget-driven
proposals for large increase in TRICARE fees, and
c) Aggressive
efforts to end compensation
penalties imposed on disabled retirees and survivors.
The House
Armed Services Committee completed its draft of
the FY2009 Defense Authorization Bill (H.R.5658). It addresses many key
actions of MOAA interest that might require help from us (e.g. calls
or messages to our Congressional Representatives).
In
accordance with our By-Laws I am asking LTC Jay Harper (Past President)
to Chair the Nominating Committee for next year’s slate of officers
assisted
by LTC Blair Smith, LTC Alex Kuras and MAJ Melva
Mallison.
WE
STILL NEED
A NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Ernest Hinojosa , Jr.,
COL, USA,
Ret, President
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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
War Supplemental by July
4th
House
Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi
(D-CA) said that she was confident that Congress can come to a
compromise and
send a bill on war supplemental spending to the President that he can
sign
before the July 4 recess. Several
important issues attached to the bill need to be resolved before it
will be
ready. These include expansion of GI
Bill benefits, the level of domestic spending and if any of the
spending
provisions need to be offset.
Additionally, if the Senate is unable to agree on a separate bill to
extend Unemployment Benefits as passed by the House on Senate Majority
Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV) said he would move to once again attach it to the
supplemental bill. In other words,
funding for our troops in the field would be used as leverage for
extension of
unemployment benefits. The negotiations
are proceeding and House Leaders hope to bring the bill up for
consideration in
the full House by the middle of June.
Committee Boosts Milcon
and
VA Spending
The
House Appropriations Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee met June 12, 2008 and
voted to
increase spending to $72.7 billion. For
the VA $47.7 was approved which is $2.9 billion over the President's
budget
request and $4.9 billion more than the FY 2008 budget. $1.6
billion of the increase is slated to
improve health care facilities and treatment by increasing spending for
prosthetics, caseworkers and medical research.
The
subcommittee learned that there
was a need to recapitalize military medical treatment facilities
because many
are old and do not meet current standards of care. To fund this
and several other issues, they
increased the budget request by $400 million to $24.8 billion.
Blair
Smith, Legis. Chrm.
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Play It Safe With
Personal Information
Identity theft has officially become
a billion-dollar industry, according to the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC). Of course, this is not the kind of business growth Americans are
happy to hear about. After all, you never know if you might be the next
victim of identity theft, which is more common than most think. The FTC
estimates that up to nine million Americans have their identities
stolen each year. In many cases a few, simple precautionary steps might
have avoided the problem. While some identity thieves may use
sophisticated means to obtain information such as credit card numbers
ID theft can also occur from carelessness.
In a society where so many of
our purchases are made using check and credit cards, it becomes more
challenging to protect your personal information. If an unauthorized
person manages to obtain private data, ranging from your Social
Security numbers to credit card information, you won’t know until after
your name and account numbers have been used. It is important to
closely monitor bank and credit card statements and verify all
transactions. Finding a purchase on a credit card statement that you
did not make is a common way to uncover identity theft. In some cases,
the problems can be quickly resolved by working with a credit card
company or your bank. But in the worst cases, purchases rung up using
the account of an ID theft victim can create serious problems with
credit records. It can take months or even years to clear up the
discrepancies.
A few
simple steps you can take
ID thieves are constantly
dreaming up new ways to steal personal information for their own gain.
But there are some common steps you can take in your everyday life to
greatly reduce the potential of ID theft happening to you:
Protect credit cards
Cut
down on the number of credit cards you carry. You should only need one
or two in your wallet or purse, and possibly an ATM card. Also, limit
any other personal documentation that you carry. For instance, there is
no need to keep a Social Security card in your wallet. When using a
credit card for a purchase over the phone, make sure you are dealing
with a trusted vendor. If doing electronic purchases over the Internet,
only do so through a secured site (you’ll know it is secure if the
website address on the page where you are entering personal information
begins with “https”).
Don’t give out unnecessary information
Be
cautious about letting strangers have access to personal information.
For example, there are very few instances where a Social Security
number is required. Usually a Social Security number is only necessary
for job applications or legal transactions (such as loans, rental
agreements, setting up bank or investment accounts). ID thieves can
sometimes try to coax personal information, like bank account, credit
card or Social Security numbers from you through an official sounding
phone call or email. If you have doubts with the legitimacy of the
source, don’t give out your information.
Track your purchases
and other financial transactions
Keep a record of your credit card purchases so you can check it against
your statement when you receive it. That will help you identify whether
any unauthorized purchases have been made. The sooner you detect signs
of ID theft, the faster the problem can be resolved.
Shred it and forget it
To
protect your private information, a small paper shredder in your home
or office can help safely dispose of any documentation that may contain
personal information. Information that should be shredded includes:
banking and investment account statements, contracts, credit card
statements and applications, ATM, bank deposit and credit card
receipts, canceled checks, travel itineraries and tax documents.
Check your credit report
Reviewing your credit report at least once a year is a good idea and
allows you to see if any accounts were created that you were not aware
of, or whether an unpaid debt appears on your record. Flagged credit
reports can show that somebody has stolen your identity and used it to
generate a financial transaction.
If you determine that your identity has been stolen, notify local law
enforcement authorities. This is important because it entitles you to
certain legal rights as you work to clear up your credit with the major
credit rating agencies. Also inform your credit card companies and your
bank. Taking extra
precautions with your personal information can reduce the chances that
you will become another statistic in the growing trend of identity
theft.
(LTC Jay Harper)
###
This column is provided for
informational purposes only. The information is intended to be generic
in nature and should not be applied or relied upon in any particular
situation without the advice of your tax, legal and/or your financial
advisor. Neither Ameriprise Financial nor its advisors or
representatives provide tax or legal advice. The views expressed may
not be suitable for every situation. Consult with qualified tax
and legal advisors concerning your
own situation
Financial planning services and
investments offered through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Member
FINRA & SIPC.
© 2008 Ameriprise Financial,
Inc. All rights reserved.
File # 75207
(6/08)
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LOCAL
HAPPENINGS
VCOC
MEETING
Next VCOC meeting is
11 July in Charlottesville and will include presentation
of MOAA communication awards and developing next year's state-level
legislative
priorities. $20 per attendee. Attendees must notify
VIPMOAA’s VCOC Chapter
Representative, Jim Pauls, 757-851-1141 to ensure space is reserved.
MOAA
SCHOLARSHIPS
2008
marks the 60th year MOAA
provided undergraduate assistance to children of military who have
served, are
serving, or are retired from the Uniformed Services - nearly 10,000
helped so
far. Contributions to the scholarship fund
are tax deductible under the provisions of 501c(3) of Internal Revenue
Code. Virginia has designated scholarships,
established a few years ago by money from the Virginia Council of
Chapters, of
which VIPMOAA is affiliated. To
contribute to the scholarship Fund, you may use a form on MOAA
website,www.moaa.org Go to "About Us" section and select scholarships
or simply send a check to The Scholarship Fund MOAA PO Box 34889
Alexandria VA
22334-0889. Be sure to indicate if you
want your contribution applied toward creating another Virginia
scholarship. / MAJ
Mallison
VIPMOAA
MEMBERS SAVE ON MOAA LIFE MEMBERSHIP
MOAA
launched a new recruiting
initiative just for chapter members - a 10% discount on MOAA Life
Membership. This discount, implemented
April 1st, is valid for converting existing MOAA annual memberships to
life
memberships or for new Life Memberships.
You may use a form, available through VIPMOAA or MOAA websites, or
simply call the MOAA Member Service Center at (800) 234-6622.
Be sure to say you are a member of the Virginia Peninsula Chapter -
VIPMOAA. The chapter's Give Me Ten
campaign will receive credit for recruiting you, and you might even win
a prize
at the end of 2008. Our Give Me Ten Recruiter, Melva Mallison, would
like to
hear from you if you do join directly through MOAA, so she can track
that
VIPMOAA receives "credit".
Examples of the cost of life membership, which differ by age, are Age
85
$187; Age 75 $298; Age 65 $389; Age 55 $449; Age 45 & Under $497;
Over age
100 free. Reminder: This is a special deal for chapter
members,
but is MOAA national life membership, not chapter life
membership.
The chapter no longer has a life membership
program. / MAJ Melva Mallison
melvamaj@cox.net (757) 596-5536
MARK YOUR CALENDARS-RETIREE APPRECIATION
DAYS
Fort
Eustis
September 13,
2008
Fort Monroe
October 16, 2008
VIPMOAA TEAM once
more carried our chapter’s flag in the Relay
for Life held at Todd Stadium in Newport News June 6th and
7th. Thanks to all the members who signed up AND showed up to
demonstrate that the fight to find a cure for all cancers is very much
an active and continuing battle that will be waged until WE WIN!
A
Special “thank you” is sent to the many chapter members who were not able to be there, but
gave significant financial
support. Your generosity is not only greatly and sincerely
appreciated, it is also
tax-deductable in case you were not aware.
Tony Sievers, CDR, USN, Ret VIPMOAA’s
Relay Team Captain (757) 247-5769
They appear to have had
a very good time: VIPMOAA
Relay for
Life Members: Melva Mallison, Jim Pauls,
George Fries, Tony
Sievers (sitting) , Bob Mallison (sitting), Carol Sievers, Robert
Kinney, Blair
Smith (standing in rear by flag) and Brandon Mallison (in front)
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MOAA Still working the 2008
Give Me Ten program!
MOAA offers incentives for chapters to
recruit MOAA members again this
year. You can help by thanking military officers for their
service and offering those officers Give Me Ten membership forms.
Active Duty, Guard and Reserve Officers receive a year of free
membership under Give Me Ten. Other officers or widows/widowers
of officers can join two years for only $25 (which is basically the
normal cost of one year). These special free one-year and paid
two-year Give Me Ten memberships are for new MOAA members (not
renewals, but lapsed members do qualify). Also any MOAA member
can convert from a current membership to Life Membership via Give Me
Ten.
The Give Me Ten Form must be
used, in order to credit our chapter and qualify for the sweepstakes.
VIPMOAA missed out on some last year because people used a generic MOAA
form rather than the Give Me Ten – there are many MOAA membership
recruiting programs out there.
VIPMOAA will receive $10 per Give Me Ten recruited (and $20 for Life
Memberships) and a $100 bonus for reaching at least ten. If we
recruit the most in our chapter-size category, VIPMOAA will receive an
additional $1,000. MOAA will hold a sweepstakes drawing at the
end of the 2008 campaign. One Give Me Ten member receives a life
membership and $500 and their recruiter wins $1,000.
There are additional recruiting incentives for our Virginia Council of
Chapters of MOAA. VIPMOAA recruited 35 Give Me Tens in
2007. I think we can triple that amount for 2008, with the help of gold
bar programs and targeting some of the active duty officers and warrant
officers at local military schools!
For Give Me Ten Membership Forms, check the VIPMOAA website,
or call or email Melva Mallison, VIPMOAA’s Recruiter and Immediate Past
President, at (757) 596-5536 melvamaj@cox.net. For
free memberships you can simply email the info either to VIPMOAA’s generic email address or
Melva’s. Social Security Number is NOT needed. Just name,
rank, branch of service, active, retired, former officer or
widow/widower of officer, address, phone number, date of birth, spouse
name, spouse date of birth, Email Address, Chapter Name (VIPMOAA) and
recruiter name (recruiter can be any VIPMOAA chapter member). For
paid memberships, checks should be made out to MOAA, but mailed with
form to VIPMOAA (to ensure our chapter receives the proper
credit).
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Melva Mallison, Maj, USAF, Ret, VIPMOAA Recruiter
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Auxilary
Power
Take Time to Enjoy the
Local Activities with
your Family This Summer
FREE
OUTDOOR CONCERTS THIS SUMMER
ON-GOING
Hampton - Saturdays -
April 19 - Aug. 30 - Saturday Summer
Street Fest, http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?AttrID=46502
Fort Monroe - Fridays
- May 23 - Aug. 8 –
SummerFest http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?AttrID=35699
Fort Monroe -
Thursdays - June 5 - Aug. 28 - Music Under the
Stars Summer Concert Series
http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?AttrID=40418
AUGUST
Yorktown - Aug. 5,12,
19, 26
- USAF Heritage of America
Band "Summer in Blue" Concert Series
Newport News - Aug. 16
- King-Lincoln Music Festival
Virginia Symphony
Orchestra
"Concert Under the Stars - La Vida
Salsa ' http://www.virginiasymphony.org/
Thursday,
28 Aug at William
& Mary, Williamsburg
Friday, 29 Aug City
Center at
Oyster Point/Newport News
Saturday, 30 August,
Yorktown Victory Monument,
Mainstreet. *
*Symphony Concerts
start at
7:30. Before that AT YORKTOWN ONLY there
is a Pre-concert performance by Fifes and Drums of York Town at 6 PM.
General Notices
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TOTAL MEMBERS: 369
REGULAR MEMBERS= 293 AUXILIARY=76
REPORT CHANGES TO MEMBERSHIP CHAIR.
Please report
change(s) of address, rank, marital status, phone number, as well as
death of member or spouse to Membership Committee
Chairperson. Newsletter mailing labels are printed
from the membership roster.
MEMBERSHIP FORMS
Applications are available on our
chapter
website.
Or you may call chapter president or membership chairperson to obtain
one.
NEWSLETTER
INPUT Please Email input to VIPMOAA@cox.net with “for
Newsletter” in subject line. Word documents are preferred for
paper newsletter, with photos separate in JPEG format. Letters to
the Editor (or emails to the editor) are welcome as well as articles of
interest to local officers, their families, and
widows/widowers.
You may also email input directly to the news letter editor, when we
have one appointed.
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BOARD MEETING
Next Meeting July 10
Monthly
2nd Thursday 11:30AM
Arrive at 11:15 to order Lunch
ANGELO'S RESTAURANT
757 J. CLYDE MORRIS BLVD. Newport News
Board Members submit regrets
only to Secretary in advance.
Chapter members are welcome to
attend. Submit agenda
items to president in advance. Also see
the entire board schedule for this year.
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SAVE
THE PRINTED NEWSLETTER. Ever wonder why we keep a link
active for last month's e-news? Well, please be sure to hang on to your printed
newsletter at least until the next one arrives in the mail. The names and phone numbers on page
2 can really come in handy. Future
chapter meeting dates and places are listed in the printed and e news.
Mark your calendar now. If a meeting date is a week to ten days away and you
have not seen your newsletter with menu, reservation coupon, and
program description, take
action. Either "log on" (you do NOT have to log on, just go
there!) to our website to check out the e-newsletter, or call a board
member and find out the meal
cost and reservation deadline.
Check the VCOC Scheduling Board here
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CHAPTER DINNER MEETING
JUNE 26, 2008
LANGLEY AFB ENLISTED CLUB
6:30 -9:00 P.M.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 – ATTACK ON AMERICA!
In October 2007, our guest speaker, Retired Marine LTCOL Robert J.
Darling, completed a distinguished career as a Marine Helicopter Pilot,
including 4 years in the Persian Gulf and the Horn of Africa with the
24 Marine Expeditionary Unit, during which, among other things, he flew
combat missions in support of Operation Restore Hope, Somalia. In
July 1998, he was selected to fly the President of the United States
with Presidential Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1). In October
2000, he was hand picked to serve as the White House Military Office
Airlift Operations liaison officer.
On September 11, 2001, then Major Darling was working in the White
House Military Office and was initially tasked to coordinate airlift
assets for President Bush’s evacuation to an undisclosed
site. However, as events unfolded that fateful day, LTCOL
Darling was directed to utilize his military expertise and serve as a
liaison between the Vice President, the National Security Advisor and
the Pentagon. During the next 24 hours, he received
real-time information from numerous government agencies and worked
directly with the National Command Authority to help implement the
Nation’s response to the terrorist attacks. LTCOL Darling
witnessed first-hand many weighty decisions made that day on behalf of
all Americans. This presentation is the unfiltered account of the
events that took place on that infamous day, based on the personal
observations of one who was uniquely situated that day to be an
Eyewitness to History.
We are indeed fortunate to be able to offer this timely, topical
program, which should be of great interest to all existing and
potential members, including every officer serving on active duty.
DON’T MISS THIS PROGRAM! Our social hour begins at 6:30 pm,
followed by dinner. To attend, please send your check and
completed reservation coupon (which appears elsewhere in this
newsletter) to arrive at VIPMOAA Hospitality no later than Friday, June
20, 2008. We hope to see you at Langley on Thursday, June 26th. Get the coupon, get
the menu, get directions.
DON’T MISS THIS PROGRAM!
John Corcoran, Capt, USNR JAG Corps (Ret),
Programs Chair
CHAPTER OUTING
August 28, 2008
10:00 a.m. to noon
We have a different
program for August-one that we think you are
really going to enjoy. Our program is a
visit to the Virginia War Museuml, 9285 Warwick Blvd, Newport News, VA
23607.
Mr. Dick Hoffeditz,
Curator, Virginia War Museum, (website: www.warmuseum.org)
will give a one hour presentation entitled, “A Soldier’s Heritage”
followed by
a one hour guided tour of the museum. The
presentation will discuss soldier issues through several
centuries.
It sounds very interesting. After the guided tour you will have
time to
visit the museum on your own.
We will meet AT THE
MUSEUM (directions on page 5). There is no meal but there will be
juice and
donuts available at 9:30 a.m. and a chance to socialize with other
VIPMOAA
members prior to the presentation.
The museum is
continually updating their exhibits so even if you
have been to the Museum before we guarantee that you will learn
something new!
To attend, please send
your check
and completed reservation coupon to
arrive at VIPMOAA Hospitality no later than Friday, August 22,
2008. See the schedule or print it.
We hope to see you at
the Virginia War
Museum in Newport News on Thursday, August 28, 2008 AT
10:00 a.m.
Diane
Berard, Colonel, US Army, Retired, Hospitality
Co-Chair
FUTURE
CHAPTER MEETINGS
July 13: Informal
Brunch at Fort Monroe with Chesapeake MOAA club 11AM-2 PM
September 25, dinner
October 23, dinner
November 20, lunch
December 18, dinner
VIPMOAA rotates chapter meetings between
Fort Eustis, Langley AFB &
Williamsburg. Meetings are usually the 4th Thursday except July
(informal Sunday brunch with Portsmouth Chapter), November &
December (scheduled on another Thursday so as not to conflict with
holidays). We also attempt to hold one picnic or outing each
year.
Most meetings are at night. A few daytime meetings are scheduled each
year, usually in the winter.
Schedule/Location is presented for planning purposes and may
change. Current as of June 24, 2008.
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Our mailing address
is:
VIRGINIA PENINSULA CHAPTER
MOAA
PO Box 4305
Fort Eustis, Va 23604-0305
Contacts
for the chapter
Or Email us
