The Volusia Officers Call Military Officers Club of Volusia County

An Affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America

The Prez Sez - I will begin by thanking the Board for their leadership as we continue to navigate the new normal. We have all faced the changes brought on by the pandemic and the restraints of social distancing. And, while the changes have been jarring, it is important to remember the big picture. The Military Offic-ers Club of Volusia County continues to accomplish our mis-sion. We reset expectations and identified what we can do to improve our Chapter, rather than focusing on what we cannot. In February we arranged to have a representative of the USO as our guest speaker. The USO presentation was

done by Zoom meeting and was a success. As we celebrated the USO’s 80th anniversary, we also recognized the Salvation Army’s partnership with them. Another milestone worth mentioning is that 92 years ago The Retired Officers Association (TROA) – later changed to MOAA – was founded Feb. 23, 1929. We extend our congratulations and appreciation to all those who contributed to creating these great organizations. “From ‘Always Ready’ to ‘Always Above,’ Airmen from the 607th Air Control Squadron participated in an inter-service transfer that moved them from the United States Air Force into the United States Space Force (USSF) Feb. 5, 2021, at Luke AF Base, Arizona.” The ceremony marked the final step in a nine-month process for seven Airmen to become “Guardians.” Our guest speaker for March is Captain Derek Rose, a member of the USSF. We will share their ex-citement of helping to lay the foundation of this new branch, and the next step in human exploration, by adding the USSF Flag to our service flag display. I in-vite you to participate and be a part of this special occasion. “…be bold, innovative, lead and inspire.” GEN John W. Raymond, Chief of Space Operations. I look forward to seeing you at the March membership meeting. MAJ Raul Gonzalez, FLARNG (RET), President

NOTICE: The Volusia Officers Call is published monthly (September-May) by the Military Officers Club of Volusia County (an Affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America [MOAA] and the Florida Council of Chapters [FCOC], MOAA). Opinions of writers are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the organization. Also, please note that information in The Volusia Officers Call is not necessarily endorsed by MOAA or FCOC.

MOAA’s Mission The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is a non-profit veterans’ association dedicated to maintaining a strong na-tional defense and ensuring our nation keeps its commitments to currently serving, retired, and former members of the uniformed services and their families and survivors. Membership is open to those who hold or have ever held a warrant or commission in any component of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, or NOAA and their surviving spouses.

Vol 29, No 7, MAR 2021

Inside this Issue: The Prez Sez Page 1 Club Leadership Page 2 From the Chief of Staff Page 2 MOAA Take Action Page 2 Legislative Affairs Page 2 The Chaplain’s Corner Page 3 Membership Page 3 Last Meeting Minutes Page 3 Community Relations Page 5 Upcoming Meeting Page 5 Guest Speaker’s Bio Page 5 Article: MOAA Keeps Us on Our Toes Page 6 Items to Note Page 6 Article: USO 80 Years Old Page 7

MOAA Take Action Center - http://takeaction.moaa.org

Legislative Affairs -

ACT NOW: MOAA Continues to Track Key House and Senate Legislation:

The link below will take you to the “Take Action” sec-tion located the Advocacy section of the MOAA site. Although I didn’t find any specific action requests, this section is a great section to review. Click Here to Review MOAA's Take Action Center LEARN: Maj. Richard Star, a Voice for Disabled Vet-

erans, Loses Battle to Cancer Medically retired before reaching 20 years, Star was a vocal advocate for legislation to approve concurrent receipt. He was a “Chapter 61 retiree,” a servicemem-ber who is forced to medically retire from injury on duty. These retirees are not authorized for concur-rent receipt, which means receiving retirement pay from DoD for their service, while also receiving disa-bility pay from the VA to compensate for injury. Click Here to Read About Major Richard Star's Battle on Two Fronts LEARN: Retirees: Here’s Why COLA is a Battlefield

for Your Earned Benefits The fight over COLA is at the core of MOAA’s mission to protect your service-earned entitlements. By click-ing the link below, you’ll learn about the tactics on the Hill regarding this issue and MOAA’s efforts to date to preserve the value of your retirement benefit. Continued on page 5

The Volusia Officers Call Vol 29, No 7, MAR 2021 Page 2

From the Chief of Staff -

To help us serve you better, we are asking all members to send copies of their DD 214 to our Secretary, LtCol Twila Davis, at (email) flygirlltc@gmail.com. If you feel more comfortable, redact your social security number. Additionally, we ask that you provide LtCol Twila Davis a short personal biography for our records. Curt Voelbel, MAJ, USAF (RET)

MOCVC CLUB LEADERSHIP

OFFICERS President: MAJ Raul Gonzalez, FLARNG, RET 386-366-4473 majgonz@earthlink.net First Vice President: 1LT Raymond Parker, USA, RET 305-775-4291 rap@phrst.com Second Vice President: LTC Milt Corley, USA, RET 386-738-0708 ruthacorley@yahoo.com Secretary: LtCol Twila Davis, USAF, RET 717-729-8281 flygirlltc@gmail.com Treasurer: Mrs. Lisa Hightower 386-216-3767 lisamh4550@yahoo.com

DIRECTORS Col John Burtnett, USA, RET 215-776-6599 Dtboat@gmail.com Maj Curt Voelbel, USAF, RET 386-734-4457 LgtCurt@gmail.com Maj Mick Cotten, USMC, RET 386-490-7343 mickcotten@icloud.com

APPOINTED POSITIONS Immediate Past President Capt Marshall Vance, USMC, RET 386-216-9255 mcvance1937@gmail.com Chief of Staff: Maj Curt Voelbel, USAF, RET 386-734-4457 LgtCurt@gmail.com Chaplain: Maj Lewis Long, USAF, RET 386-228-2646 longc@earthlink.net ROTC/JROTC Liaison: LTC Laura Wickett, USA, RET 321-604-6694 lrwickett52@gmail.com Community Relations : Maj Curt Voelbel, USAF, RET LgtCurt@gmail.com Legislative : Maj Wade Lester, USAF, RET WADEBBI@gmail.com Membership: Maj Curt Voelbel, USAF, RET LgtCurt@gmail.com Personal Affairs : LtCol Twila Davis, USAF, RET lygirlltc@gmail.com Scholarships: LTC Laura Wickett, USA, RET lrwickett52@gmail.com TOPS Coordinator: VACANT— Volunteer Needed! WEB Master: MAJ Raul Gonzalez, FLARNG , RET majgonz@earthlink.net Editor: COL John Burtnett, USA, RET Dtboat@gmail.com Surviving Spouse Liaison: Mrs. Lisa Hightower lisamh4550@yahoo.com

Last Meeting (3 Feb 2021) - 1st Vice President, Ray Parker called the meeting to order at 1155 hours. Attendance: 20 in person and 2 via ZOOM MAJ Curt Voelbel gave the invocation followed by The Pledge of Allegiance. 1LT Ray Parker welcomed our guests and members: Guests: Salvation Army Colonel Nestor R. Nüesch, and Donnalisa Cornejo-guest of Lisa Hightower. 1LT Parker read COL Nüesch’s bio: Colonel Nüesch, was ordained a minister and officer with the Salva-tion Army and, for over 37 years, held both domestic and international roles with the organization, includ-ing Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice Presi-dent, and Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in South America. In addition to his work with the Salvation Army, Colonel Nüesch, as Principle of Nüesch Development and Management Consultants, LLC, specializes in providing management advice, program evaluations, and development services in the not-for-profit sector, including charitable, social service, education, and faith-based organizations. Lunch was served –Chicken, Rice, Peas and Salad from Cook’s Buffet and USO Birthday Cake donated by 1LT Ray and Claudia Parker. 1LT Ray Parker asked that the 50/50 drawings be done at this time. Continued on page 4

The Chaplain’s Corner -

Who Sinned? Jennifer Brownell

Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” - John 9:2-3 (NRSV)

I used to work with a guy who, when a problem arose, would declare, “The first step in problem-solving is blame-fixing. Whose fault is this?” We would laugh, but in truth he was only half joking. Finding someone to blame, no matter the circumstances, is wonderfully satisfying. When I was diagnosed with Covid-19 last year, I heard my former coworker’s voice in my head again. If only I could find someone or something to blame, I would feel better. Mostly I blamed myself. If I only hadn’t seen that person, done that thing, gone that place… It’s a pernicious lie now, as it was in Jesus’ time, that ill-ness is the result of sin. Because now, as in Jesus’ time, we are invited not to judgment but instead to God’s work of compassion, justice, mercy and healing for all people, including our own selves. Wearing masks, washing our hands often, social distancing. Having struggled through even a fairly mild version of the virus, I believe in these imperatives now more than ever. But I wonder, is there a way to institute them while still extending compassion instead of judgment upon those who are ill? Christ, in this short meeting with the man born blind, shows us a way. May we follow. Prayer

Brother Christ, when you meet us on the road, you see not an opportunity for judgment but a moment for compassion, justice, mercy, and healing. May we follow you and do the same. Amen

NOTE: The above is from the United Church of Christ’s

“Daily Devotional”. — used with permission per Chaplain Long. Editor

The Volusia Officers Call Vol 29, No 7, MAR 2021 Page 3

Membership -

We welcome two new members, LTC Cliff Hoffmann and Captain Donnalisa Cornejo. This brings our membership up to 55 members with a goal of 56 for CY 2021. Remember, bringing in a new member earns you a FREE lunch at the very next luncheon. Always feel free to have a potential member that

you recruit call Curt Voelbel, 386-479-3400 and he will take it from there!

Partly due to this pandemic and lower luncheon attendance, we still have members who have not paid their annual $30 dues. Please send a check made out to MOCVC to: Lisa Hightower, 697 Vassar Road, Deland, FL 32724. Once you put your check in the mail, please email Lisa at Lisamh4550@yahoo.com and Curt at LgtCurt@gmail.com . We look forward to your payment and will mark you as paid. Curt Voelbel, MAJ, USAF (RET)

The Volusia Officers Call Vol 29, No 7, MAR 2021 Page 4

LTC Bill Johnson won the free lunch for the 3 March 2021 meeting/luncheon. 1LT Ray Parker introduced our guest speaker via ZOOM - Ms. Annamae Kacsandi is the Center Opera-tions Supervisor for Central Florida United Service Organizations (otherwise known as the USO) at the Orlando International Airport. She presented a pro-gram on the USO Past, Present and Future. Details of the presentation will be put in the VOC. After the presentation 1LT Parker thanked Annamae for being here today. 1LT Parker called for a motion to accept the 6 Janu-ary 2021 Meeting Minutes as posted in the VOC. A motion to accept the minutes was made by MAJ Mick Cotten and seconded by MAJ Curt Voelbel. Motion carried.

1LT Parker called for reports: Treasurer’s Report: Ms. Lisa Hightower reported a balance of $2663.50. A motion to accept the Treasur-er’s report was made by CAPT Marshall Vance and seconded by MAJ Mick Cotten. Motion carried.

Secretary’s Report: LtCol Twila Davis reported she sent the letter and flyer from Sen. Tom Wright an-nouncing the Florida Veterans Foundation new Gladsden Flag License Plate via email to the mem-bers. And she reported sending a get-well card to Ka-ren Wiltuck and a sympathy card to LTC Frank Knight on his wife’s passing. A motion was made to accept the Secretary’s report by MAJ Mick Cotten and se-conded by COL Jack Burtnett. Motion carried.

Directors and Committee Reports: 1LT Ray Parker-1st VP- nothing to report LTC Corley –2nd VP –Absent COL Jack Burtnett-Director- nothing to report MAJ Curt Voelbel-Director- nothing to report MAJ Mick Cotten-Director-nothing to report MAJ Wade Lester- Legislative News-Absent

MAJ Voelbel –Chief of Staff- MAJ Voelbel reminded the members that we will exit through the chapel to-

Last Meeting - continued from page 3 day. He also thanked 1LT Ray and Claudia Parker for all their work to make today’s meeting a success. MAJ Voelbel then explained the nomination process for the Slate of Officers and asked for everyone’s help in filling the vacant positions. He then explained the roles and expectations of the individual positions: Ex-amples- Directors serve an advisory role; 2ndVP, 1stVP are successors to the position of President; Chaplain-provides spiritual guidance; Membership Chair-maintains membership roster, reports gains and losses to FCOC/MOAA, welcomes new members; Surviving Spouse-assists surviving spouse in coordi-nating benefits. MAJ Mick Cotten commented that elected positions must be filled by members and ap-pointed positions may be filled by spouses.

Scholarship Chair and JROTC Liaison LTC Laura Wickett reported she reached out to all the JROTC Units to find out the dates of the award ceremonies and is waiting for responses. She stated Pine Ridge has 2 students that are interested in applying for the MOCVC Scholarship Award.

Old Business: Nothing to report

New Business: 1LT Parker stated he has submitted a proposal to the Volusia County School Board on a Veterans in the Classroom Program and is waiting for a response. If approved, he would like MOCVC mem-bers to participate in educating our youth on the many aspects of the military.

Special Recognition: 1LT Parker presented FCOC Leadership Awards to LTC Laura Wickett and LtCol Twila Davis thanking them for their exceptional ser-vice to the Chapter.

1LT Parker announced the Executive Board Meeting will be held on 10 February 2021 at the Salvation Ar-my and the next luncheon meeting will be on 3 March 2021 at Salvation Army.

Meeting adjourned at 1325 hours. LtCol Twila Stahl-Davis, USAF, RET

Community Relations -

We encourage you to stock up on your unexpired pantry donations to The Salvation Army and bring them to our March meeting. We also will accept phys-ical donations (pet food, blankets, etc.) to The West Volusia Humane Society. For those of you have been unable to attend our meetings, you may also contribute to our causes by sending a check to our treasurer, Lisa Hightower, 697 Vassar Road, Deland, FL 32724. You may designate to the following in your check memo - The Salvation Ar-my, Family Renew, JROTC Scholarship, and general Veterans causes. If you do not specify your cause, your contribution will be divided evenly. MAJ Curt Voelbel, USAF, RET

Upcoming Meeting — 3 March 2021

The next MOCVC meeting will be on Wednesday, 3 March at the Salvation Army, 1240 S High St., DeLand, FL 32720. Call Curt Voelbel at 386-479-3400 for reservations. Cook’s Buffet will be providing the meal; the cost will be $13. The meal will be pot roast, mashed potatoes and carrots. The guest speaker will by CPT Rose from the U.S. Space Force.

The Volusia Officers Call Vol 29, No 7, MAR 2021 Page 5

Guest Speaker’s Bio -

Captain Derek Rose is a 13S – Space Operations Officer, and transferred to the US Space Force in Sep-tember of 2020. He joined the US Air Force as an en-listed Space Operator in 2007, and commissioned as an officer in 2013. He has experience on the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Missile Warning satel-lites, as well as experience as a Payload Operator on the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constel-lation. Since 2017, he has worked as an Assistant Pro-fessor of Aerospace Studies for AFROTC Detachment 157 at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, FL. In summer 2021, he will transfer back to Schriever AFB in Colorado Springs, CO where he will be an Op-erations Support Flight Commander and Mission Com-mander for GPS.

Click Here to Learn More About Your COLA Benefit LEARN: What’s Next for the Military Shopping

Benefit? The annual defense authorization act has set dead-lines for reports and recommendations on plans to consolidate the commissary and military exchange systems – plans that could affect the value of your earned shopping benefit. Click Here to Learn More About Your Shopping Benefit Other Links of Interest: MOAA's 2021 Legislative Priorities MOAA's Legislative News MOAA's Retiree Page MOAA - Florida Council of Chapters: The Council Communique MAJ Wade Lester, USAF, RET

Legislative Affairs—continued from page 2

National MOAA and the MOCVC are non-partisan organizations.

The Volusia Officers Call Vol 29, No. 7, MAR 2021 Page 6

MOAA FCOC Keeps Us “On Our Toes”

As a member of MOAA (and possibly other veter-ans service organizations), recently you may have noticed a conspicuous absence of official military service seals on printed materials, websites, ban-ners, and paraphernalia related to the organization. This is partially due to a recent refocusing of the Department of Defense (DOD) on the use of offi-cial seals and other protected logos, insignia and marks of the DOD and Military Services. This new focus is on trademark and registration infringe-ment by non-Federal entities—commercial and not-for-profit—and individuals. Many people are unaware that these official DOD and Military Service marks are protected by law from unauthorized use by the Lanham Act, also referred to as the Trademark Act, passed in 1946. This and other licensing laws give the DOD and each Military Service authorization to protect, re-tain intellectual property licensing fees, and all identifiers. Consequently, when the DOD seal or Military Service insignia are used without permis-sion, the Department(s) may take appropriate ac-tion upon notification. Alternatives to the military seals or service marks and limited exceptions are permitted for use with specific written permission and authorization from the Military Service Trademark Licensing Program Offices and with appropriate disclaimers. For MOCVC, we believe that, with apologies to Falstaff in Henry IV, “The better part of Valour, is discre-tion”. We plan to ensure we are in strict compli-ance with the DOD Trademark Licensing Guide. Authoritative and detailed information on this can be found at: www.defense.gov/Resources/Trademarks/DOD-Trademark-LicensingGuide Note: MOCVC leadership would like to thank the MOAA Florida Council of Chapters for presenting this important information about the refocused DOD effort at the January Florida Council of Chapters training session. 1LT Ray Parker, USA, RET

Items to Note -

MOCVC Name Change Recommendation The board has decided to present to the membership a recommendation to change the name of our organ-ization from the Military Officers Club of Volusia County to the West Volusia MOAA Chapter. There are two reasons for the proposed name change: 1) the change will bring the name into align-ment with other chapters and 2) the name “club” can be misleading as to the nature of our organization. We will have a vote of all of the members present at the 7 April 2021 meeting.

Florida Council of Chapters Convention 2021

Sarasota Westin Hotel May 14 to 16

go to: https://www.moaafl.org/Convention.aspx for more information and the current agenda.

Continued on page 8

COVID Vaccinations. For our Senior Vets not registered with the VA or spouses over 65 at this time, the County of Volusia, in partnership with the Florida Department of Health, will hold COVID-19 vaccination events for Florida residents age 65 and older at the Volusia County Fairgrounds, 3150 E. New York Ave., DeLand. The site will operate as an indoor clinic and preregistra-tion is required through a statewide system run by Sharecare. Go to myvaccine.fl.gov or call 866 201-7314 to get on the list for an appointment (preregister). Those who are preregistered will be contacted by Sharecare to make appointments. You do NOT have an appointment until someone calls you and gives you a date and time.

The Volusia Officers Call Vol 29, No 7, MAR 2021 Page 7

MOCVC Celebrates USO’s 80 Years of Serving Veterans

Rarely do all the pieces fit together perfectly for a celebration. But at the February 3 meeting of the Military Officers Club

of Volusia County, all the stars were in perfect alignment.

The United Service Organizations (USO) has been a fixture in military life since

1941. More than 30 thousand volunteers work with the USO at more than 250 lo-

cations worldwide, including military bases, airports, and major metro areas. One of

those locations is at the Orlando International Airport.

The USO has its roots in six separate organizations, one of which is the Salvation

Army, the location of our monthly meetings. With the USO’s 80th birthday on

Thursday, February 4, 2021, and our general membership luncheon meeting on

Wednesday, February 3 at the Salvation Army site, meeting attendees celebrated

together their affiliation with the Salvation Army and the USO’s birthday.

Representing the Salvation Army was honored guest, Colonel Nestor Nüesch. Colo-

nel Nüesch was ordained a minister and officer with the Salvation Army and held

both domestic and international roles with the organization for over 37 years.

The meeting’s guest speaker was Ms. Annamae Kacsandi, USO Center Operations Supervisor for Central Florida. Out of

an abundance of caution, Ms. Kacsandi was teleconferenced into the meeting. While MOAA chapter members were en-

joying a slice of the USO birthday cake pictured at left, Ms. Kacsandi provided a brief history of the USO, its mission and

changes to that mission throughout the years, as well as statistics of program participants, location visits, volunteer hours

and donors today. She specifically discussed the services the USO provides to the military here in Central Florida at its two

locations at the Tampa and Orlando International Airports.

With a staff of four, the Central Florida USO supports traveling ser-

vice members at both international airports and local military units in

14 counties, ensuring traveling soldiers and their families have a

“home away from home”. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has

altered their numbers dramatically, in 2019 the Orlando International

Airport USO’s visitors numbered more than 50,000.

After a brief “virtual tour” of their facility at OIA, Ms. Kacsandi dis-

cussed specific USO programs offered by Central Florida’s USO, as

well as national USO programs. She asked that those present be a

part of the USO Force by 1. spreading the word about the USO and

its services; 2. donating to the USO to assist with its work through-

out the world, if possible; and 3. if they are able and so inclined, vol-

unteering to assist the USO in strengthening America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family,

home, and country while serving in the Armed Forces.

Commented Ray Parker, MOCVC 1st Vice President, who conducted the meeting, “We were so pleased to bring together

and celebrate two important forces in our local community and relate them to the military lives of our members. Ms.

Kacsandi’s informative and enjoyable presentation, interspersed with real-world examples and “war stories”, followed by a

question-and-answer period, provided the perfect opportunity for our members to discuss their interaction with the USO

and the warm welcome they received by the USO when serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Without a doubt, this was one

of those times when all the pieces fit together perfectly—the stars aligned to ensure a stellar celebration.”

Photo by RAParker

Pictured above: USO virtual presentation by Central Florida Operations Supervisor, Annamae Kacsandi, for MOCVC . Photo by CJParker

THIS SPACE AVAILABLE FOR

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JACK BURTNETT 215 776-6599

The Volusia Officers Call Military Officers Club of Volusia County

An Affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America

The Volusia Officers Call Vol 29, No 7, MAR 2021 Page 8

Upcoming Meeting: 3 March 2021 Following Meeting: 7 April 2021 Upcoming Board Meeting: 10 Mar 2021

Meetings are held at the Salvation Army, 1240 S High St., DeLand, FL 32720. Social hour 11:00 AM, Free Meals

Those attendees who win a free lunch from the “ticket drawing” will only be able to claim their free lunch at the NEXT meeting. Those persons who join MOCVC will be able to have a free meal at the NEXT scheduled meeting.

Check out OUR website at www.moaafl.org/Chapters/VolusiaMOAA/Default.aspx It has a lot of information and links to useful information for all vets.

The City of DeLand requires face masks to be worn indoors at any business or commercial establish-ment (except while dining).

Items to Note— continued from page 6