Military Officers Association of America   

Southern Maine Chapter Newsletter

  April 2008

Vol 24  No. 2

June 14, the month following our next Quarterly Meeting at the Portland Country Club, is known as Flag Day.  It is a date set aside to celebrate the birthday of the Stars and Stripes.

In my travels I have seen many more flags flying in the last few years than at any other time that I can recall.

In Yarmouth several years ago the members of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the AMVETS raised 12 deceased veteran’s flags on the village green.  The veterans borrowed the “casket flags” from the families of the deceased veterans and they fly them four days a year:  Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th and Veterans Day.  There are now more than thirty “casket flags” flying on the village green.

“Casket flags” are those flags that cover the caskets of the deceased veterans.  They are made of cotton and are larger than the regular nylon flags commonly flown.

Freeport, besides flying their “casket flags” have a dedicated group of “flag ladies” who at least once a week proudly wave the Stars and Stripes on Main Street.

Our February Speaker, Admiral Gregory G. Johnson
 
Security Views for the 21st Century

Due to some complicated scheduling conundrums, our announced guest speaker for the February luncheon, BG Auclair, will now be addressing our Chapter in August, and in her place we welcomed Admiral Gregory G. Johnson at the Portland Country Club. 

He served on active duty from 1969 until 2004 and is the former commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Europe and Allied Forces, Southern Europe.  A native of Maine, Admiral Johnson graduated from the U. of ME, attended flight school and became an Naval Aviator in 1970.  His list of assignments and accomplishments are long and impressive.  Members interested in his complete bio can consult Wikipedia for more information.  Following his retirement in 2004, he settled in Harpswell, Maine and started a consulting firm.  

He began his talk on security views of the 21st century by recalling his most recent trip to Iraq this past summer.  He observed the surge forces at work in Baghdad.  He reported that the security situation there has noticeably improved since a year ago.  The Sunni insurgents have switched sides and now support U.S. Forces. We have made slow progress with Iran diplomatically but the Iraq central government has made little progress in uniting to end the sectarian squabbling.

Adm Johnson stated that, "We are going to be in Iraq a long time,” much as we did in Korea, Japan and Germany following those conflicts).  Iraq is strategically

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Our May Speaker, MG Thomas D. Kinley, U.S. Army (Ret.) 

It will soon be time for the Southern Maine Chapter, MOAA, to gather again for the next quarterly luncheon.  On May 10th, we will meet at the beautiful Portland Country Club.  Our guest speaker will be Major General Thomas D. Kinley, U.S. Army (Ret.), whose career in the National Guard (mainly in the state of Vermont), spanned more than three decades from 1966 to 1999.  He held positions of ever-increasing responsibility in armored units culminating as the Division Commander, 42d Infantry Division, New York Army National Guard in Troy, New York, a position he held from October 1996 to September 1999.  His major awards included the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit.  Since his retirement he has served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Northern New England AAA.  We hope you will mark your calendars and reserve a spot for our next luncheon.  See you there!

Please fill out the Reservations Form to make your reservations for the luncheon.

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TRICARE and Martin’s Point Military Advisory Council
 
MHS conference:  I attended the annual Military Health System conference in Washington in February.  The conference focused on two themes: combat medicine and wounded warrior.  The videos, stories, and discussions about combat medicine were quite impressive.  We all should be very proud of the incredible medical system – largely joint in its functioning – that our services have established in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Equally important, the military has been concentrating on improving care for the service men and women who have been injured in the combat theater.  Since the press stories appeared last year about inadequate facilities and guidance for the injured, as well as delays in assessing fitness for duty and uncertainties affecting families, the military has done much to streamline the entire wounded warrior system, including better coordination with Veterans Affairs and the creation of “Warrior Transition Units.”  Post-traumatic stress syndrome and traumatic brain injury are also receiving considerable command and medical attention.

On the TRICARE front, authorized benefits now include vaccinations for the human papilloma virus and shingles.  (TRICARE for Life members, unfortunately, will experience some complication with the latter, since the vaccination is considered to be a Medicare Part D prescription drug.)

Also regarding TRICARE, David Chu, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, announced that he had created an “implementation committee” to carry out the recommendations of last year’s Task Force on Military Health Care.  Concerned about the rapid growth in health care expenses,

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State of Maine

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Snapshots of Members of Your Board of Directors

ROTC Chair, Col Frank J. Toderico, ARNG

Frank became a member of the Board of Directors about two years ago, one of MG Libby’s recruits.  A single father of two children, his military experience spans a 38-year career.  He served 8 years as an enlisted man and 30 years as a commissioned officer.  Six of his years of service were in the Reserves; 7 years were on Active duty.  The remaining 25 years were devoted to the National Guard.  He has served as a company, battalion, and group commander.  His civilian career includes 36 years on the police force in South Portland where he currently serves as a Lieutenant.  Frank has been very active on the Board and volunteered soon after joining to head up the ROTC Committee when a position became available.

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North Yarmouth have requested veteran groups help their scouts understand the history, the customs and the courtesies due the flag.  It will be interesting to be aware in the future, how those young scouts will impact others with their knowledge of the flag.

Local newspaper stories also add to the flag resurgence in cities and towns across Maine as they report on the above stories.

Get involved in your town by calling a Cub Scout, a Boy Scout or Girl Scout in your area.  Enjoy the look in their eyes as you tell them the history of the flag.  What the flag-draped coffin really means.  How to fold the flag so that it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington and the Sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones.

The flag of the United States of America is one of the oldest of the national standards of the world, older than the Union Jack of Great Britain or the Tricolor of France.

important to the U.S. because of its location and oil.  We have vital interests in the region, as do our allies.  We are at a turning point but nowhere near victory.   In his opinion we need a strong national defense in order to achieve security in the 21st century.  We are no longer in a bi-polar world (Soviet Union vs. the U.S.).  Does that mean we have no serious threats to face?  Johnson’s idea is to keep a wary eye on China, the rising power in the far east.  Future warfare will be very high tech (satellites and robots, etc.).  But many challenges will remain very low tech, such as Somalia.  Johnson felt there will be a scramble in the future for commodities such as oil, food, and water as they become scarcer by 2025.  National disasters and man-made disasters will provide plenty of challenges for our armed forces as well (floods, earthquakes, etc.).

The problem the U.S. faces is there is no firm grand strategy on where we are going and how we will get there after the end of the Cold War.  Our force structure is still driven by Cold War planning.  One of Johnson’s pet concerns focuses on organizing both government and industry for the information age.  “We need to focus on nation building around the world, spending dollars in good will efforts to assist poor nations develop economically to avoid insurgencies in the future,” he stated.  This will mean more interaction between the Departments of Defense and State. 

In closing he remarked that even with the Defense Department budget pegged at nearly $515 billion next year, it is less than 4 percent of our country’s GDP.  While this figure is indeed huge, it is not a “drag on the U.S. economy.”

Galen Cole Family Foundation
Purple Heart Scholarship

The Galen Cole Family Foundation Purple Heart Scholarship was recently created to assist wounded Maine combat veterans in pursuing higher education in gratitude for their unselfish service to our country.  The foundation will fund up to eight (8) $2,500 scholarships per year. Eligibility requirements include:

      Maine Resident Purple Heart recipient since 1990
      Demonstrated financial need
      Maintain a 2.5 or better GPA

For additional information go to: www.colemuseum.org. 

(MG Bill Libby, Immediate Past President)

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 that task force recommended shifting more of the cost burden to beneficiaries, with very large increases in TRICARE fees (which Congress has so far resisted).  The Defense Department is still pushing the higher fees, which might at some point include annual premiums for TRICARE for Life and TRICARE Standard.

US Family Health Plan:  Martin’s Point, with 27,500 members, now has the largest US Family Health Plan membership of the six programs in the country.  The provider network in Maine grew significantly last year and covers the entire state from Fort Kent to Kittery.  Martin’s Point is currently working with the TRICARE Management Activity in Washington to conclude another five-year contract as a designated provider of TRICARE Prime.  A member turning 65 may remain in the US Family Health Plan.  If you are turning 65, and you enroll in Medicare Part B, you become exempt from the annual enrollment fee or co-payments for medical care, except for prescription medications.

TRICARE instituted a pilot program at military treatment facilities offering over-the-counter (OTC) products at no cost, specifically generic version of Claratin and Zirtech.  TRICARE has historically not covered OTC medications.  Martin’s Point will institute a similar policy, and these medicines will be available without copays to US Family Health Plan members at the Portsmouth and Portland health care centers.  Information will appear in the next Lantern.

For more information:  Chapter members with questions about TRICARE or Medicare can call me at 253-6290.   (Col Bill Hall, First Vice President)

Lieutenant Colonel Christian Bauer, USAF Westport Island, ME November 22, 2007 ************	Lieutenant Colonel John H. Carroll, USAF Limerick, ME December 28, 2007 **********
Captain Gordon H. Falt, USN Woolwich, ME September 6, 2007 **********	Commander Robert Grasmuck, USN Brunswick, ME Februarfy 6, 2008 *********
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Richard F. Prince Gray, ME December 14, 2007 **********

"We are grateful for your loyal service to the Nation..."

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