Military Officers Association of America   

Southern Maine Chapter Newsletter

October 2009

Vol 25  No. 4

As one travels through life we meet people who for some reason…a certain respect and closeness begins to develop…the chemistry between the two is different from other relationships…one cannot explain the exact reason, but one enjoys the friendship…

For me, Beverly Hancock is that kind of person.  I first met Bev at one of our MOAA Quarterly Chapter Meetings some years ago when she took an order for my nametag.  I recall her being at Quarterly Meetings and she was always very pleasant, very easy to talk with, always smiling.  It was later at a Board of Directors’ meeting that I realized her value to the MOAA organization we all are a part of.  As the Treasurer, she was superbly professional with her reports on the status of the Chapter treasury, meticulously accurate to the “Nth degree.” 

As my term as Second Vice President began, nearly six years ago now, I found it necessary to phone Bev and complete plans for the next Quarterly Meeting.  She cheerfully coordinated every detail and answered all my questions.  When I arrived early on the day of the meeting, I found that Beverly had her table set up and she was completely prepared to receive our Chapter members.  She would know and introduce me to the people from the Woodlands Club who were in charge of serving our meal.  She had prepared meal selection tickets for each member, indicating their choice for the luncheon…these things, of course, were all above and beyond the scope of her duties as Treasurer.

As your President, it became necessary for me to call on her more and more often.  Bev was the one who ordered the small gifts for the speakers, wrapped and always in their place in the dining room, ready for the presentation.  If I had a

When the Southern Maine Chapter, MOAA, last met in August 2009 at the Woodlands Club, we were quickly spellbound by our quest speaker, Dr. Walter Anderson.  The subject of his talk…water, water that falls on Maine, whether it is snow, sleet, hail, or rain, averages 42 inches each year.  That translates into a mere 42 trillion gallons of water flowing down from the sky onto Maine territory annually. 

Of this annual rainfall, 7 to 10 trillions gallons will normally evaporate; 2-5 trillion gallons eventually flow back to the ocean surface.  Another 12 trillion gallons, becomes runoff into streams and rivers that eventually empties into the ocean as well.

Doctor Anderson explained that water in Maine is always moving and the amount is always the same.  He described water tables to the assembled group, spoke about underground storage of water and showed how, with good management, it would always be available.  He opened more than a few eyes when he announced that if just the top inch of Sebago Lake were to be removed it would contain over 800 million gallons of water.

We were told that there are over 20,000 lakes and ponds in Maine, covering more than 1,000,000 acres of land (left behind as a result of the sculpting of terrain done during the last Ice Age).  Doctor Anderson displayed several detailed charts depicting the water required to make or process various goods.

As this edition of the Newsletter is prepared for the press, we have been enjoying a glorious finish to the summer and early fall.  We can only hope that it continues, right?  And yes, it’s time to mark the calendar for the next Southern Maine Chapter, MOAA, brunch at the Woodlands.  The date is November 14th with a gathering time of 9 a.m.  This quarter our own Col Rob McAleer has volunteered to update us on his duties as the Director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). A long-time member of the Board of Directors, Rob has served ably as both the Chapter Webmaster (after creating the Web Page over six years ago) and the Chair of the Membership Committee.  He and his wife, Brenda, have two children and recently became grandparents.  His military experience in the Marine Corps spans a long career ranging from platoon, company, battalion, and regimental commanders. He has served as a division

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New Officers and Members of the Board of Directors

Our Chapter By-Laws require us to nominate a new slate of officers and members of the Board of Directors for consideration by our members in advance of the November meeting.  This year the Nominating Committee has proposed the following, which will be voted upon in November:

About half of MOAA Chapter members are Life Members of MOAA.  We have no statistics available reflecting how many of our Chapter are Life Members.  However, given longer life expectancies today, many members can save money on annual dues and provide for their spouses who automatically receive a MOAA membership if their member passes away.  Chapter members get a 10 percent discount on Life Member conversions if they call MOAA’s Member Service Center at (800) 234-MOAA (6622) and identify themselves as Chapter members.  Plus, our Chapter gets $20 for each member who converts!

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National MOAA Personal Affairs Conference

Maj Dottie McGuirk, Chapter Personal Affairs Officer, recently attended a Personal Affairs Conference hosted by MOAA in Hershey, PA, from September 11-13, 2009.  The following are a number of points we should all keep in mind.  Many of us procrastinate when it comes to getting our personal affairs in order.  MOAA recommends the following documents be included in your own file:  birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce papers, death certificates, will, trust paperwork, living will, changes in name,  DD Form 214 (discharge paperwork), retirement orders.  Each of us should be sure to include figuring for living expenses for our surviving spouse so they have enough cash on hand for 60-90 days to cover immediate living expenses following the sponsor’s death.  Remember to review and update your will, trust, living will and other documents yearly. 

The Martin’s Point Military Advisory Council met on Tuesday, September 8, 2009.  Flu shots were the first topic of discussion.  It seems there are two shots available this year, one is the regular flu shot we’ve taken for years and the other is a special shot for H1N1 (swine) flu.  Everyone is recommended to get the flu vaccine, especially those in the high-risk category.  People at high-risk include: children (6 months – 18 years of age), pregnant women, folks 50 and older, people with certain medical conditions, and those who live in long-term care facilities.  People who live with or care for them are also at high risk.  Getting a flu shot is easy.  Call your Primary Care Provider’s office staff for more information.  Martin’s Point westward expansion into northern New York continues.  Martin’s Point is being very careful to insure their ability to provide superb service is not outrun by the westward expansion.  Several members voiced concern for the medical community practice of sending out “Statement of Account” reports to individuals who received care in their facility.  Many times this product looks and acts like a bill, but it isn’t.  Always check with Provider Services before you pay what looks like a bill.

(Col Doug Scott, Medical Issues Committee)

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Final Thoughts

Many of you will note with sadness the passing of CAPT Bob Lee, charter member of this Chapter, twice President, and long-time Board member.  True to life, Bob wanted no fanfare when he died, but his daughters chose to host a small ceremony on August 25, 2009 to scatter his ashes at sea off Portland Head Light in the exact spot he had scattered his wife’s ashes several years earlier.  I was honored to represent our Chapter and join with Beverly Hancock as an invited

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request to seat new members at a special table to make it easier to introduce them, Bev would make it happen and even have place cards for them on the table.  Beverly is so professional in all she does that it became very clear to me that I needed to acknowledge and thank her for her work during some meetings…she was not happy to be singled out…I would like to think that I was vindicated by the enthusiastic standing applause from the membership.  The meetings ran with very few glitches…I knew who was responsible.

In the middle of the month of September I received a call from the Maine Medical Center.  It was Bev; she wanted to tell me that she had been admitted to the hospital.  She had cancer.  She was scheduled for surgery the following day…the medical team that operated found that her abdomen was full of cancer and the decision was made to close the incision…her chemo treatments began a few days later and will go on for some time.  At this writing Bev has been transferred to a rehab facility in Booth Bay Harbor.  At no time during my phone conversations or visits to the hospital before her transfer did I find my friend other than I have always found her, up-beat, positive, and professional…an example:  it concerned her that she needed to submit her Treasurer’s report for the September Board meeting.  If you decide to check Robert’s Rules of Order on the page that describes what a treasurer should be responsible for, you will not find a description of how Beverly Hancock has exercised her responsibilities as the Treasurer of the Southern Maine Chapter, MOAA.  Words cannot adequately describe all she has done for us.

For example:
    1 gallon of bottled water requires 1 ½  gallons.
    1 chicken requires 3 gallons.
    1 pound of steel requires over 28 gallons.
    1 gallon of crude oil requires nearly 40 gallons.
    1 gallon of beer requires over 42 gallons.

Other charts showed the water usage in Maine during the course of a typical year:
    Livestock require 2 billion gallons.
    Private wells produce 10 billion gallons.
    Public water supplies produce over 30 billion gallons.
    Power generation requires 32 billion gallons.
    Industrial use in general requires nearly 64 billion gallons.

In summery, Maine is blessed with a huge annual water resource and 100 years of monitored records support this fact.  Water extraction in Maine must address existing and rigorous state/federal regulations.  Also, Maine policymakers should address these facts along with water use in Maine to make fair and sensible policy decisions regarding one of our most precious natural resources.  Water, a resource probably no one in the audience will ever take for granted again after Doctor Anderson’s most interesting presentation.

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(November Speaker cont)

chief of staff for operations and training, an executive secretary in the Defense Department, Logistics Operations and Planning Norway, and in manpower planning for HQMC.  He has served as a director of operations for a scientific research company on the civilian side, as well as director of facilities for a computer services support company.  Rob is fluent in the Norwegian language and loves outdoor activities, when he has time! Do join us and learn more about MEMA and receive an update on the Swine Flu threat.  The reservation form can be found on page 7 of this issue. Hope to see many of you for brunch at the Woodlands on November 14th.

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

The Southern Maine Chapter hosted the Third Annual Military Scholarship Golf Tournament, also known fondly as the “Mr. T”  Memorial Golf Tournament (in memory of Maj Vaugh Twaddel, a long-time member of the Chapter and Board as well as a popular professor of economics and golf team coach at Westbrook College) at the handsome Sable Oaks Golf Club in South Portland on September 17, 2009.  Under sunny, blue skies a total of ten teams participated this year.  Funds raised through the tournament are used each year to support the Chapter’s ROTC Program.  This year funds will go towards purchasing textbooks and professional military references for senior ROTC students at the University of Maine and the Maine Maritime Academy.  Gross income was $3915.00, expenses were $2371.50, so net income was $1343.50.  Special thanks go out to Bob Wood, Kris Rosato, and Mark Patrick for assisting with the behind the scenes support, without which, we could not have made this all happen.

(Col Doug Scott, Project Coordinator)

(And without his hard work and diligence throughout the year preparing for this key event, it would not have happened.  We all owe Doug our support and thanks for another fine event, well done.  Ed)

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COLA Update

In mid-September, National MOAA reported that there will be no COLA increase this year.  Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the most current CPI data, inflation is down significantly from a year ago.  Indeed we are a couple percentage points below the CPI from last year, but since the government does not deduct from retired pay (thank goodness), we will see no pay raise in January.  What a contrast to last year’s 5.9 percent increase, the largest since the early 1980’s.

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Cornell du Houx Bill Waives University Tuition for Veterans


(LCDR Mark S. Patrick, Military Coalition)

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VA Eligibility Relaxed for High-Income Vets

In Memoriam