FRAtoday May  2019
COMMUNICATIONS
FROM THE Bridge
sHIPMATE FORUM
ON AND OFF CAPITOL HILL
FEATURE  STORies
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS19
SHIPMATE NEWS20
TAPS22
REUNIONS/lOOKINGFOR…26
AUXILIARY OF THE FRA31
FINANCE MATTERS33

COMMUNICATIONS

Decoration Day = Memorial Day
Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May each year. The observance is for honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. 

Early observances of Memorial Day began in the spring of 1865, following the Civil War, which claimed more American lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. (See page 34 of the March issue of FRAtoday) By the late 1860s, Americans began holding springtime tributes to fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers, reflections and prayers.
On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of a Northern Civil War veterans organization, called for a nationwide day of remembrance. 

“The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle. 

On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.
Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and continue to carry on the tradition. By 1890, each Northern state had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honor their fallen on separate days until after World War I.

It was not until World War I, when the United States was in another major conflict, that the holiday came to commemorate American military who had died in all wars. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. 

Many FRA Shipmates observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Please consider sharing photographs of your Branch or Unit Memorial Day observations.  
In Loyalty, Protection & Service,
William Stevenson, Editor-in-Chief

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FROM THE BRIDGE

Let’s Try Something New
The Fleet Reserve Association’s newly formed Veterans Service Foundation is presenting a military wellness conference in Norfolk, Virginia on the waterfront this September. The theme of our first conference is: Healthy, Wealthy & Wise. A variety of topics will be presented to the more than 800 professionals from around the country who constantly strive to provide quality services to and interact directly with, veterans, retirees and active duty service members.  

The conference planning started early in October of 2018 with searching for a location that was easy to access and had appeal to the sea services. The Norfolk area seemed to have that kind of appeal and the FRA is supported by the various commands in that area. The Marriott Waterfront staff was quick to help the FRA develop a conference schedule and provided room and service pricing similar to the FRA convention held in San Antonio this past October.

The FRA staff is currently contacting speakers who are subject matter experts in the area of providing veterans and active duty service members with support, services and guidance. The speakers will be providing answers and information needed to aid veterans while they navigate the many programs provided at the national, state and local levels.

There will be three tracks of content provided over three days, along with panel discussions, keynote speakers, workshops and question and answer sessions. In staying with the theme of Healthy, Wealthy & Wise some topics include: 

Healthy:
•	Electronic Health Records
•	MISSION ACT
•	Tri-West/Choice Act
•	Expansion of Caregiver Program
•	FEDVIP
Wealthy:
•	Financial Literacy 
•	Financial Planning
•	DFAS
•	Entrepreneurship 
•	Consumer Protection
Wise:
•	Transition Planning
•	Senior Enlisted Track
•	Career Planning
•	Veteran & Retiree Legislation
•	Aging as a Vet
•	Arlington National Cemetery Procedures

Please keep in mind, Shipmates, this first-ever conference provided by the Veteran Services Foundation is not an event most Shipmates will want to attend. The content is provided, at a price, for those government, corporate and non-profit employees who meet with veterans and active duty personnel to provide assistance with, or information about navigating through government services. 
The purpose of this effort is to launch the foundation and to create new revenue that does NOT rely upon any Shipmate dues or donations. This is a typical business model used by most associations to help develop, inform and educate their constituents. Our Veterans Service Foundation was established just for this purpose. 
I think this may be something we can all hang our hat on and be proud of knowing that the FRA is trying something new and has stepped outside the box. This could very well be the thing that ensures the Fleet Reserve Association has a future and can continue to grow in new areas.

If you want to learn more about the conference and the pricing, feel free to visit the website at www.fra.org/fra/VSF.   
In Loyalty, Protection & Service 
NP Robert Washington, Sr.

Bob is the National President of the Fleet Reserve Association.

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sHIPMATE FORUM

Going Ashore
I really enjoyed reading Chief Hunt’s poem “Going Ashore” again.  The first time I heard it was when Marv read it at my transfer to the Fleet Reserve in 1978 on Adak, Alaska.  I have an original copy signed by Marv.  It really brings back good memories.
SKC W. O. Lange, USN (Ret.)

Same Hurricane, Twice?
I was reading the Disaster in the Florida Panhandle story in the March issue of FRAtoday by Ann Norvell Gray.  On page 28, the first sentence of the photo caption reads: “GULF OF MEXICO (Oct. 10, 2016) A GOES-16 East Geocolor satellite image of Hurricane Michael shows...” (Note Oct. 10, 2016).

Then the story starts on page 29, with:  “On Oct. 10, 2018, three days before the 243rd birthday of the U.S. Navy...”.  How can there be two different years with the same hurricane?  It appears that the proofing editor lost a couple of years. OOPS!

As usual, this volume contains a wealth of information, but I could not resist replying to this glaring oversight. I enjoyed proofing in both my naval and educational professions. 
 Thank you for keeping OUR VOICE HEARD.
Yours in LOYALTY,
Robert G. Werba, MAL

FRAtoday: You are correct; the photo caption is wrong and we certainly should have caught that in the proofing stages of production. The original source and caption are incorrect, that source is DVIDS or the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, located at: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/4809207/hurricane-michael
Thank you for pointing this out!

Thanks Chief Ward
Reading the recent comments about chiefs reminds me of my experience as a new ensign reporting aboard ship 48 years ago. I was supposed to be an assistant division officer for at least a year but after only one month, circumstances made me division officer of the largest division on the ship with about a two-hour notice. Thankfully, I had an E7, an E8 and an E9 to help me. What I learned about leadership from them was invaluable for the rest of my active duty and reserve career. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the full significance of their benefit to my life and career until I was retired and looked back on my military life. From reviewing the FRAtoday “TAPS Department” at least two of them (Master Chief Hyde and Senior Chief Dixon) have already reported to their final duty station. I regret that I did not try to find them to personally thank them for their help. Chief Ward, if you are out there, I thank you! And thanks to all you chiefs out there for your patience and understanding with junior officers who are convinced they know everything.
CAPT Roger Pryor, USNR (Ret.)

Why Don’t You Sell FRA Merchandise?  
I am a Member At Large (MAL) and have no Branch access to FRA logo gear. In the 21st century, I should be able to go online to your website and order an FRA fleece, hoodie, ball cap or t-shirt.  If you were the primary licensing and selling agency for such items, wouldn’t that bring in extra revenue AND help bring in younger vets?
Every organization I belong to has a “store” to order items online. Just like the American Legion, AMVETS, 40/8 and the Sons of the American Revolution, just to list a few.

I recently re-joined the FRA for a 2nd year. I am proud of my membership, but have no way to show “the colors” because I can’t go online and order anything.
Any help or assistance in this regard is most appreciated.
Ryan N. Armstrong, DP3

FRAtoday: Our Membership Director and committee members have been discussing this very thing. I do think they will be moving forward with a plan soon. 
Submit Shipmate Forum letters to FRAtoday, 125 N. West Street Alexandria, Virginia 22314. Submissions may be sent to fratoday@fra.org. Please include “Shipmate Forum” in the subject line. FRA reserves the right to select and edit letters for publication. Letters published in Shipmate Forum reflect the opinions and views of individual FRA members. They do not necessarily reflect the official position of FRA as a whole. FRA is not responsible for the accuracy of letter content. 
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ON AND OFF CAPITOL HILL

Make your Voice Heard in the Legislative Process
As FRAtoday goes to press, the administration’s annual FY2020 budget proposal has been submitted to Congress. It was delayed, in part, due to the government shutdown. As you get this issue of FRAtoday, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in each chamber of Congress should be going through the legislative process to eventually be merged into one bill and approved by the House and Senate, and then sent to the president to be signed into law or vetoed. 

This is supposed to occur before the start of the new fiscal year (FY2020) Oct. 1, 2019. Some in Congress are calling for cuts to the defense budget due to the increase in the deficit and expanding debt. The FRA Legislative Team is closely monitoring this process to try to stop any provisions that negatively impact FRA members and their families.

Members are strongly urged to subscribe to and read NewsBytes, the weekly legislative update, and review issues listed on the FRA Action Center located on the FRA website (www.fra.org). The FRA Action Center is the primary grassroots tool for the FRA’s advocacy program on Capitol Hill and in the federal bureaucracy. The association’s advocacy program is directly related to the association’s mission and intended to give voice to member concerns regarding pay, health care, survivor benefits, education, housing, child care and other quality-of-life programs.

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VA Secretary Recommends DOJ Not Appeal Blue Water Navy Case
The Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie announced at a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing in March that the VA is recommending the Department of Justice (DOJ) not appeal the U.S. Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit’s decision in Procopio v. Wilkie, which was decided on Jan. 29, 2019. 

Earlier, the FRA had signed onto a letter to President Trump on Jan. 29, 2019, along with other veteran service organizations, requesting that he direct the DOJ not to appeal Procopio v. Wilkie. The letter had also urged the president to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to immediately begin implementing this decision so that justice is finally provided to the men and women who served off the coast of Vietnam. Those service members who are suffering from the devastating long-term health effects of Agent Orange exposure are still being denied the benefits and health care they have earned. The deadline for the DOJ decision was April 29, 2019. 

From 1964 to 1975, more than 500,000 service members were deployed off the coast of Vietnam and may have been exposed to Agent Orange, an herbicide used in Vietnam. Past VA policy (1991-2001) allowed service members to file claims if they received the Vietnam Service Medal or Vietnam Campaign Medal. In 2002, the VA implemented a “boots on the ground” limitation on obtaining an Agent Orange presumptive connection.

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TRICARE Fee Increases in 2019? 
The FRA is thankful that the administration’s proposed FY2020 budget recently submitted to Congress does not include any TRICARE fee increases. Unfortunately, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) submitted a report to Congress in December recommending various TRICARE fee increases and other benefit cuts for military retirees and active duty military. Concern in Congress about the growing annual budget deficit for the current and upcoming fiscal years is increasing and legislators may consider these drastic cuts to reduce the deficit. Some of the many recommendations in the CBO report include:
•	Enacting new TRICARE For Life annual enrollment fees of $485 for individual coverage and $970 for family coverage, and increasing cost sharing fees.
•	Increasing TRICARE Prime and Select enrollment fees beyond the current annual
•	Consumer Price Index increase.
•	Reducing active duty BAH to 80 percent of
•	actual cost.
•	Limiting active duty annual pay increases.
•	Eliminating the VA’s Individual Unemployability payments to disabled veterans at the full retirement age for Social Security.

Members can tell their legislators not to reduce the deficit on the backs of our active duty military, veterans, retirees and their families by going to the FRA Action Center, located on the FRA website (www.fra.org). Scroll down to the Don’t Enact CBO Proposed Budget Cuts! campaign listed on the center.

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NP Washington Speaks to SVAC/HVAC Joint Hearing 
The FRA’s National President Robert Washington testified before a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees. NP Washington asked Congress to pass legislation (S.422/H.R.299), which expands presumption for Blue Water Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange herbicide while serving off the coast of Vietnam. He thanked past HVAC Chairman Phil Roe (Tenn.) and current Chairman Mark Takano (Calif.) for passing the bill last year and their rapid reintroduction of the same legislation this year. 

Washington also discussed the importance of the VA Choice program and thanked the committees for expanding the VA Caregiver program to include all catastrophically disabled veterans. He expressed the association’s deep concern about the high rate of veteran suicides and thanked President Trump for creating the veterans suicide task force (See the March 8, 2019 NewsBytes for details). Washington also thanked HVAC Chairman Mark Takano (Calif.) for creating a task force to address barriers that women face when trying to obtain benefits and health care from the VA.

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Closure of VA Facilities Coming Soon 
The Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie announced at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing in late February that the VA is considering closing some under utilized facilities. Currently, about 63 percent of VA medical beds are in use. The secretary also noted that veterans are moving south and west, and the VA should shift facilities to reflect that change. 

The VA Mission Act, signed into law last year, requires the VA to make an assessment of medical facility shortages, surpluses and other challenges. The idea of closing VA facilities has been controversial for legislators who have major hospitals in their districts. The FRA will monitor this issue to ensure that veterans have adequate access to care.         

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FRA Honors Rep. Phil Roe 
The Pinnacle award, the FRA’s most prestigious award, is given to one representative or senator each year. During the 115th Congress, Congressman Dr. Phil Roe (Tenn.), a veteran himself, served as the chairman for the House Veterans Affairs Committee and now is the ranking member of the HVAC in this current Congress. He has served for six years on the HVAC and has worked continuously to improve the lives and benefits for military retirees, veterans and active duty service members. He spearheaded the effort to pass the Agent Orange Blue Water legislation (H.R.299) last year that achieved a unanimous passage in the House of Representatives. Though the bill ultimately failed in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Roe did successfully push for other FRA-supported bills such as the Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act (H.R.1725), the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act (H.R.2288), and the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act (H.R.3218) to become law.

Roe was presented the award after the FRA’s national president, Robert Washington Sr., finished testifying at a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Washington, National Vice President Donna Jansky and NED Tom Snee presented the award and thanked the congressman for his hard work on behalf of veterans.

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SBP/DIC Offset Repeal Bill in Senate 
Sen. Doug Jones (Ala.) introduced legislation (S.622) which repeals the SBP/DIC offset for survivors that is sometimes referred to as the Military Widows Tax. Earlier, Rep. Joe Wilson (S.C.) introduced similar legislation in the House called the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act (H.R.553).

The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payments are paid for different reasons. The SBP is purchased by the retiree and is intended to provide a portion of retired pay to the survivor. DIC is a special indemnity compensation paid to the survivor when a member’s service causes his or her premature death. In such cases, the VA DIC should be added to the SBP the retiree paid for, not substituted for it. It should be noted as a matter of equity that surviving spouses of federal civilian retirees who are disabled veterans and die of military-service-connected causes can receive DIC without losing any of their federal civilian SBP benefits.

Members are urged to use the FRA Action Center to ask their legislators to support these important proposals.

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FRA Thanked for Supporting USFF SOY 
Vice Admiral Bruce Lindsey, deputy commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, acknowledged the FRA’s support for the 2019 Fleet Forces Sailor of the Year (USFF SOY) with a letter to NED Thomas Snee. The letter thanked the association for the $2,000 payment that would help to underwrite the recent USFF SOY event held in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

NP Bob Washington, RPEC Randy Phillipp, NED Thomas Snee, and RVPEC S. D. Martin represented the FRA at the awards event. The FRA Auxiliary members in attendance included: NP Christina Murray, RPEC Christina Dickenson and RVPEC Virginia Jordan.

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FRA Supports TRICARE Reserve Select Improvement Act 
The FRA supports the TRICARE Reserve Select Improvement Act (S.164/H.R.613) that would expand TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) eligibility to all federal employees serving in the Reserve Component. This legislation, sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines (Mont.) and Rep. John Garamendi (Calif.) respectively, would impact more than 70,000 dual status military technicians in the reserve component by providing expanded health care options. The current law prohibits access to TRS for reserve component members who serve as federal employees in their civilian employment. This can create confusion and lead to more expensive health care for these service members and their families, as well as prevent continuity of care as service members deploy or transition in or out of the federal workforce. Enactment of this legislation will ensure reservists and their families have greater choices and equal access to competitive health coverage premiums arising from their military service. Members can go to the FRA Action Center located on the website to weigh in on this legislation.

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House Passes Veterans Bills 
The House recently passed two veteran’s proposals and sent them to the Senate for further consideration. The VET HP Act (H.R.1271), sponsored by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to provide undergraduate students with clinical observation experience within the VA. The objective is to increase the awareness of medical conditions common to veterans and encourage potential careers in the VA.

The House also passed the Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act (H.R.1381), introduced by Rep. Raul Ruiz (Calif.), which creates a process to ensure that the burn pit registry is updated with the cause of death of a deceased registered individual.

The FRA is supporting the Burn Pits Accountability Act (H.R.663/S.191). This legislation directs the DOD to provide service members in Iraq and Afghanistan periodic health assessments during deployment and during military separation. The assessment is an evaluation of whether or not a service member has been exposed to open burn pits or toxic airborne chemicals. If they report being exposed, they will be enrolled in the Burn Pit Registry unless they opt out. FRA Members can weigh in on this issue by going to the FRA Action Center to ask their legislators to support these bills.

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President Creates Veteran Suicide Task Force 
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order dubbed the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS).  The executive order is an effort by the administration to combat veteran suicide. On average, 20 veterans commit suicide every day. 

President Trump said, “It is a tragedy of staggering proportions.”
 
The VA secretary noted that 14 out of the 20 veterans who die by suicide each day are not in the VA health care system. The FRA welcomes the task force and believes that an effective mental health care program for veterans is of paramount importance in reducing veteran suicide. This past year, President Trump issued an executive order titled Supporting Our Veterans during Their Transition from Uniformed Service to Civilian Life. The order directs the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security to develop a plan to ensure that all new veterans receive mental health care for at least one year following their separation from service.

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President Selects New USMC Commandant 
Lt. General David Berger has been nominated by President Trump as the next (38th) Marine Corps commandant. He is currently in charge of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command. Berger would replace General Robert Neller, who has been commandant since Sept. 24, 2015, and is scheduled to retire later this year.
Berger was commissioned as a Marine infantry officer in 1981 and before his current assignment he commanded U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific. He also deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. Berger would be promoted to a four-star general as commandant. This appointment requires Senate confirmation.

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FY2020 Budget Roll Out
The administration released its FY2020 budget request on March 11, 2019. The request is more than a month behind schedule because the government shutdown slowed its arrival on Capitol Hill. This is a “skinny” budget that does not provide as much detail as a full budget request. The proposed budget includes $750 billion for the Department of Defense for FY2020, which is $34 billion more than the current spending level. There is no proposed TRICARE fee increase included in the request. It provides a 3.1 percent active duty pay increase—the largest increase in a decade and provides additional funding for childcare centers on bases. The budget provides funding for 46 more Navy ships in the next five years.

The Department of Veterans Affairs budget request provides for a 9.6 percent increase in overall spending for the agency ($19.3 billion above the current budget). The proposed budget includes a 9.5 percent increase in medical care that includes a surge in mental health, women’s health and homelessness funding. The budget increases spending for the modernization of disability claims processing and appeals reform. The FRA will monitor the budget process to ensure adequate funding for the VA, with special attention to VA health care to ensure access and care for all beneficiaries.

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Female Veterans Task Force & Legislation
Rep. Mark Takano (Calif.) is the new chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. He is creating a new congressional task force to address barriers that female veterans face when trying to obtain Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and health care. The FRA works to increase access to gender-specific medical and mental health care to meet the unique needs of female service members and transitioning female veterans. Congresswoman Julia Brownley (Calif.) has been selected to serve as chairwoman of the task force. Details about the structure of the task force were not available at press time.

Today, women make up 14 percent of active duty military and 17 percent of the reserve component. Women are serving in combat conditions alongside their male counterparts, which raises new issues for these veterans. That is why the FRA supports the Deborah Sampson Act that was recently introduced in the Senate, sponsored by Sens. John Boozman (Ark.), and Jon Tester (Mont.). The act was also introduced in the House and sponsored by Rep. Julia Brownley (Calif.). It seeks to improve and expand the VA’s programs and services for female veterans. Major provisions of the bill include: 
•	Empowering female veterans by expanding peer-to-peer counseling, group counseling and call centers for female veterans.
•	Improving the quality of care for infant children of female veterans by increasing the number of days of maternity care VA facilities can provide and authorizing medically necessary transportation for newborns.
•	Eliminating barriers to care by increasing the number of gender-specific providers and coordinators in VA facilities and training clinicians, and retrofitting VA facilities to enhance privacy to improve the environment of care for female veterans.
•	Providing support services for female veterans seeking legal assistance and authorizing additional grants for organizations supporting low-income female veterans.
•	Improving the collection and analysis of data regarding female veterans and expanding outreach by centralizing all information for female veterans in one easily accessible place on the VA website. 

This bill is listed on the FRA Action Center located on the association’s website to provide members with the opportunity to ask their legislators to support this bill. 

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Active Duty Tenant Bill of Rights
The Navy, Army and Air Force secretaries announced at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee that they are preparing a joint Tenant Bill of Rights in an effort to ensure service members and their families have safe, quality homes and communities along with clear and understandable rights while living in them. It is intended to increase the accountability of privatized housing companies by putting more oversight authority in the hands of local military leaders. The SACS hearing was an oversight meeting to review alleged abuses of on-base privatized housing. A subcommittee hearing in February examined allegations of substandard housing.  

The Military Family Advisory Network’s survey of active duty personnel found that 56 percent of the nearly 17,000 respondents, reported a “negative” or “very negative” opinion of their living conditions, which the network concluded showed a “systemic problem.” Many families claimed health concerns and repairs had become “all-consuming,” diverting their focus from military duties and upcoming deployments. Concerns included mold, lead paint, raw sewage and other toxic exposures that have health impacts for all residents, many of whom are young children. Also termites and rodents were reported. Much of military base housing was privatized in the mid-1990s due to deplorable conditions with government managed military housing.
All three service secretaries claimed they have seen firsthand and reviewed problems in housing units. The Tenant Bill of Rights is intended to help remedy them by both protecting and empowering service members and their families. The Tenant Bill of Rights will be enforced through renegotiated leases with the privatized housing companies.

FEATURE  STORY

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial 
A Controversial Concept Becomes a Beloved Shrine
By Ann Norvell Gray

In Constitution Gardens on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a two-part wall of polished black granite nearly 500 feet long slices a 15-degree angle into a grassy circle of ground. Carved into its surface are the names of more than 58,000 men and women who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. To the west, it points toward the classical pavilion of the Lincoln Memorial. To the east, it points down the mall to the obelisk that is the Washington Monument. From the north and west, only the upper rim of the wall is visible, a black edge along a simple lawn. Along the visitor’s walkway that runs past its face, each 250-foot length of wall begins eight inches high at its extremity and reaches 10 feet tall at the apex.

The wall was installed in 1982 and is the first of the three parts of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The second is “The Three Servicemen,” a statue by Frederick Hart unveiled on Veterans Day in 1984, which includes the first representation of an African American to appear on the National Mall. The final piece is the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, sculpted by Glenna Goodacre and unveiled in 1993. These second and third parts of the memorial honor not only the dead, but also the survivors whose lives were forever affected by their time in-country.
The wall is the original piece, and the most instantly recognizable. Its iconic design was the result of a blind competition. More than 1,400 entries came in, many from some of the most prominent architects and designers in the country, but none of the designers were identified during the selection process. Until the decision was made and the winning entry was announced, no one had any idea that it expressed the vision of Maya Lin, a student of architecture at Yale with no professional experience. It was certainly unusual, and it was not received enthusiastically by many people who expected something else entirely. Some critics objected to her youth, and some to her Asian roots, arguing that her vision couldn’t possibly be an authentic expression of the veterans’ stories. In some quarters, the negative reactions were so strong that several congressmen lodged complaints. 

In October of 1981, The New York Times published an excerpt from the testimony before the United States Fine Art Commission written and delivered by Tom Carhart, a West Point graduate who had earned two Purple Hearts in Vietnam and who was then serving as a civilian lawyer at the Pentagon. Here is part of what he said:
“Unless something unexpected happens, ground will soon be broken for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial … Although I have long awaited this moment, as it now approaches, I feel only pain.  I believe that the design selected for the memorial in an open competition is pointedly insulting to the sacrifices made for their country by all Vietnam veterans. By this we will be remembered: a black gash of shame and sorrow, hacked into the national visage that is the Mall.” 

A compromise had to be reached. The solution was to commission a work of sculpture, something that felt more like a traditional monument, from one of the nation’s most respected artists. Frederick Hart, born in 1943 and influenced by the work of Daniel Chester French, maker of the 1920 statue of Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial, was chosen. His simple bronze portrait of three young comrades in arms gives a human face to the names carved into the granite. Hart expressed respectful understanding of the spirit of Maya Lin’s concept, and described his solution in this way:

“I see the wall as a kind of ocean, a sea of sacrifice that is overwhelming and nearly incomprehensible in the sweep of names. … They wear the uniform and carry the equipment of war; they are young. … There is about them the physical contact and sense of unity that bespeaks the bonds of love and sacrifice that is the nature of men at war. ... Their true heroism lies in these bonds of loyalty in the face of their awareness and their vulnerability. … I place these figures upon the shore of that sea, gazing upon it, standing vigil before it, reflecting the human face of it, the human heart.” 

The three soldiers, ethnically diverse, clearly hot and weary, stand shoulder to shoulder, gazing into the distance. Their faces carry expressions too heavy for such young men. With their addition to the memorial, and a growing appreciation of the effectiveness of Maya Lin’s unexpected design, some of the outrage began to die down. 	
Two years after it was chosen, the finished monument began to emerge as a place of pilgrimage. In 1983, another story in The New York Times made these observations:
“Even now, nine months after it opened amid controversy over its design, the Vietnam Memorial is still the most emotional spot of ground in Washington… Even the children, who can be seen romping around other Washington landmarks, fall quiet as they approach the V-shaped wall. … A World War II veteran came to attention and saluted; a farmer paused in front of a name, removed his John Deere cap and stood there fighting back tears; a mother placed a Polaroid shot of her two small children near the name of her husband and, drawing the children around her, quietly wept. … And, as they have done from the first day, many of the visitors indulge in the simplest human memorial, touching the cold, stony texture of the engraved names of the dead. For them, it is not enough just to read the names.” 

In 1984, Diane Carlson Evans, a former Army nurse, teamed up with Donna-Marie Boulay to form the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project. Information about the more than 10,000 women who served, most of them nurses and almost all of them young volunteers, was surprisingly absent in the official record. The project set about to rectify that and continues the work as the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation.

Nine years after the foundation of the Women’s Project, Glenna Goodacre’s deeply affecting statue of three nurses and one wounded soldier was added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial just south of the wall. Like the three soldiers, the women are ethnically diverse and very young. One kneels on the ground cradling the soldier’s helmet. One looks up anxiously, as though waiting for an evacuation helicopter to come for the gravely wounded man. The third holds the soldier tenderly in her lap. The composition bears a striking resemblance to Michelangelo’s “Pieta.”

Now, thirty-six years after The New York Time’s 1983 observations were published, the power of visitors’ responses to the memorial is undiminished. Even if no one known to the visitor is there, and regardless of how an observer may have felt about that war, the wall counts its human cost without comment. The names are all exactly alike, arranged in the order of their loss. Neither rank, length of service, nor honors or medals earned affect the attention they are given. In giving “the last full measure of devotion,” they have become one. 

The name of a beloved family member of mine is on that wall. The stillness and dignity of the place are oddly calming, inspiring a meditative communion with those who were lost.  There is unimaginable power in placing your hand on the name of your brother, your trusted friend, someone you loved, someone you lost. When you touch their names and see yourself reflected in the shining stone, you are with them for that moment, and they are not lost. The simplicity of the gesture allows you to feel your sorrow in uncomplicated silence, to grieve without shame.

Reaction to the Vietnam War contributed to divisive political and social upheaval. The divisions among the generation most affected have still not completely healed. In a recent conversation, Tom Carhart said that he still does not like the wall, and that it still pains him to see it. 

“Monuments all over the city are white, and rise upward,” he says. “This thing is a black ditch.” 
He moved on long ago from the attempt to stop it, and is respectful of those who disagree, but he is rightfully proud of having stood up and made his objections known.  

A retired senior corporate executive, who was a Navy hospital corpsman on the USS INTREPID off the Vietnamese coast in the late 1960s, has a different reaction. He was a little reluctant when his wife gently urged him to visit the wall. 

“I didn’t expect to like it,” he said. “It looked to me like a barrier without any warmth in the pictures. But once I got there, I loved it. When I found the names of two high school friends who died in Vietnam, that’s when I felt the warmth.”  FRA

1. Carhart, Tom, “Insulting Vietnam Vets,” The New York Times, Oct. 24, 1981.
2. Corbin, Julianne,"Memory and Form: An Analysis of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,” WR: Journal of the Arts & Sciences Writing Program, Issue 4, Boston University, 2011-2012
3. Gailey, Phil, “Touching, Tears, Roses, Rain,” The New York Times, Aug. 30, 1983

FEATURE

The Playbook on Collaborating to Empower Veterans
By Jim Lorraine, President and CEO of America’s Warrior Partnership

All veteran-serving organizations should ask themselves if the veterans they support are empowered. While providing basic services is essential, organizations should also strive for an outcome where veterans, families and caregivers feel like they have control over the direction of their lives. An empowered veteran knows what resources, programs and services are available within the local community, and more importantly, understands how to access those opportunities. These veterans are able to achieve the higher quality of life they deserve, and in return, they often are the ones who contribute the most to creating an environment where fellow service members can experience a seamless transition to a meaningful civilian life. 

Empowering veterans is an admirable goal that every community across the country should strive toward. However, many community groups do not have the in-house resources, expertise or connections to provide holistic support. In other words, empowering veterans is a goal that most organizations cannot achieve on their own. 
By combining our collective experience with insights from local partners across the nation, our team at America’s Warrior Partnership has developed a comprehensive approach to empowering veterans that adapts to the unique needs of community organizations. This service model, which we call Community Integration, is built around four pillars.
•	Connect – All veteran-serving organizations seek to connect veterans with needed services, but a local team can only assist the veterans that it knows. This is why every strategy must begin with proactively reaching out to the community to connect with veterans.
•	Educate – In addition to educating veterans on the opportunities available to them through various programs, veteran-serving organizations should strive to educate the broader community about the value that veterans can bring. This will ultimately help businesses and civic leaders understand the benefits of supporting veteran-friendly initiatives.
•	Advocate – Providing support programs is essential, but veteran-serving organizations should also prioritize acting as an advocate for veterans to raise awareness of the unique challenges they may face in the transition to civilian life. This is particularly important when it comes to supporting military-connected families and caregivers, who often do not have a strong voice within their community.
•	Collaborate – One of the most important roles that a veteran-serving organization should embrace is fostering collaboration between veterans and the broader community. Groups should constantly seek opportunities to share information and work together with businesses, civic leaders and other community members to secure the resources needed to fill the gaps in services for veterans.

This fourth pillar, Collaborate, often raises the most questions because there are so many different audiences with which veteran-serving organizations can build relationships, such as fellow service providers, corporate foundations, donors and veterans themselves. Each group will be invested in different goals and priorities, so it’s important to understand how to navigate potential partnerships. Here are a few tips that local FRA branches should consider if they are looking to collaborate with civilians, veteran service providers or corporations based within their community. 

Fundraising Campaigns
An effective way to foster collaboration with general community members, whether they be veterans or civilians, is through peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. These campaigns empower participants with the option of doing more than simply donating money to a cause; they provide opportunities to connect with fellow participants.
Peer-to-peer fundraising can take many forms, one of which starts with a group hosting a campaign website where individuals can offer a donation or set up their own fundraising page to support the cause. Providing individuals with the option to establish a personal page incentivizes them to further support the cause by reaching out to their network of friends and family members to give additional donations. While conducting outreach, participants can personalize their request by sharing their own stories to show why they are passionate for a cause. 

A peer-to-peer fundraising approach can be particularly effective in veteran communities, and we experienced this for ourselves when we first ran our I Am A Warrior campaign during the 2017 holiday season. The campaign began with our team members and partners creating their fundraising pages on the I Am A Warrior website and sharing links to their page through email and social media posts. By using the hashtag #IAMAWARRIOR in their social media posts, participants could share their stories and photos as well as search for posts from other participants. The result was an invaluable opportunity for veterans, family members and civilians to connect with one another while raising funds to support veteran service programs.

We have seen more businesses and organizations start their own peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, making this a worthwhile tactic for local groups that are looking for news ways to build support for veterans across their community.

Corporate Veteran Resource Groups 
At networking events and seminars, representatives of veteran-serving organizations often ask our team how they can establish relationships with corporate foundations. An effective first step to connecting with a major business is to build a partnership with that company’s veteran resource group. Large companies often have these internal resource groups as a way to facilitate a veteran-friendly workplace by giving veteran employees an opportunity to form interoffice relationships with fellow veterans. 

Many veterans struggle to replace the tight-knit bonds they shared with fellow service members when they enter civilian life, and these resource groups provide a way to overcome those challenges. Also, members of veteran resource groups often have significant input when a company’s foundation is considering whether or not to offer a grant to a veteran-serving organization. 

A great way to begin forming a connection with a company’s veteran resource group is to reach out and offer members opportunities to volunteer within the community. Our 2018 Annual Survey of veterans from across the country found that volunteerism is among their top three most sought-after resources, which means it is likely that a corporate veteran resource group would be open to discussing new volunteer opportunities that can be extended to its members. A mutually beneficial partnership that starts with volunteerism has the potential to develop into more robust collaborations down the road.

Online Communities for Veteran Services
Finding and building partnerships between local groups and national veteran-serving organizations based outside of a group’s community may seem difficult at first, but there are a number of online resources that can help streamline the process. Platforms that are growing in popularity are membership organizations that serve as online communities where local groups can find national service providers that may be able to fulfill a unique veteran need that they cannot provide in-house. 

Our own Four Star Alliance serves as an online community to help organizations connect the veterans they serve with opportunities to partake in adaptive sports, therapeutic recreation and wellness activities. Organizations that join the alliance are thoroughly vetted to ensure groups can confidently refer veterans to them for their services. 
Groups that have trouble finding the right partners to bridge the gaps in available services for local veterans should research national online membership groups that may be able to connect them with the appropriate service providers. 

A Playbook for Empowering Veterans
These are just a few tactics that can help local groups form collaborative partnerships with individuals, national service providers and businesses to create more effective support programs for local veterans. There is a wealth of additional resources outlined in our Community Integration Playbook. The Playbook details best practices to help groups overcome challenges that have been recognized by a national task force of veterans, community leaders, military service organizations and representatives of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 
More information about the Community Integration Playbook is available on our website at www.AmericasWarriorPartnership.org.  FRA
About the Author
Jim Lorraine is President and CEO of America’s Warrior Partnership, a national nonprofit that helps veteran-serving organizations connect with veterans, military members and families in need. Learn more about the organization at www.AmericasWarriorPartnership.org. 
Return to Table of Contents

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

The FRA Membership Directory Project
Dear FRA Members, 
You may have recently received a postcard in your mail.  The FRA National Headquarters partnered with Publishing Concepts, Inc. (PCI) to assist Member Services with updating the membership records and publishing a directory, an exercise which has not been completed in five years.  

One of the biggest administrative challenges we have is keeping Shipmates’ information current. Many members have moved, disconnected their land lines in favor of mobile phones and changed or acquired new email addresses. We are most effective when we can stay connected to as many Shipmates as possible, but sometimes an extra effort is needed to keep our contact information accurate.

If you do not recall seeing a postcard, it is possible you missed it because it looked similar to bulk mail, often referred to as junk mail. Our partner, PCI, will be mailing up to 5 cards to each shipmate. You can stop them from being sent if you call PCI at the toll-free number and choose to opt in or out of our directory.  

Our partner has been asked to reach out to all of our Shipmates with the purpose of updating your membership information. You will not be included in the directory without an explicit opt in. That can only be provided to PCI if you call their service center personnel and give them your permission to be included.  You will also have the opportunity to order a copy of the final Member Directory for yourself, along with some new FRA-branded gear. No purchases are required to be included in the directory if you opt in. The base price of the FRA Member Directory is $119.89 plus $19.95 shipping and handling. PCI does offer FRA gear individually or you can purchase them as part of a package. 

The primary advantages of being in the directory are to foster more new connections between Shipmates and to restore those which were lost due to changing circumstances over the years. We hope as many of you as possible will agree to be included. You can decide what personal information is published:  a phone number, an email address or a full postal address. It is entirely up to you.

PCI recognizes that privacy is of paramount concern.  They are not authorized in any way to disclose Shipmate contact information to other companies or groups.  They were provided with our records of Shipmate contact information for the sole purpose of reaching out to you, but if those efforts fail they will simply stop further attempts.  

The campaign officially began on March 25 and more than 10, 750 shipmates have responded to the postcards, with more than 1910 choosing to order directories.  This is a fantastic initial result and we want to keep the interest levels high throughout the effort to assemble the updated directory.   
Please contact us at membership@fra.org or by calling: (800) 372-1924, extension 1, if you have any questions or concerns.  For now, we want to assure Shipmates that the effort is legitimate and authorized by National Headquarters and is being pursued with all due respect to the privacy and personal choices of Shipmates.     FRA
Yours in Loyalty, Protection, and Service,
Christina Hitchcock

Christina is the FRA’s Director of Membership. 
She can be reached at ChristinaH@fra.org or 703-683-1400 (Ext. 123)

Shipmate News
1. Branch 222, Slidell, La.
With help from local Mardi Gras Krewes of Dionysus, Titans, and Selene and the American Legion Post 374, our branch had a successful food drive for local Coast Guard families.  (L to R) Secretary Mark Dernovsek and Krewe of Selene Publicity Chairwoman Cara Budde.

2. Branch 98, SHREVEPORT, La.
(L to R) RPSC Emmett Smith, Secretary and Treasurer Lee Jeter along with Unit 371 member and RTSC Saundra Smith manning a recruiting table at the Overton Brooks VA Hospital.

3. Branch 23, BUFFALO, N.Y.
The oldest living member of the FRA, BMC Joe Ratke, USN WWII, was 102 years old when he recently passed away at the Veterans’ Home in Oxford, New York. He was buried with military honors at Holy Mother of the Rosary Cemetery in Cheektowaga, New York.

4. Branch 294, CROSSVILLE, Tenn.
Branch President Jack Fogel (far left) and Branch Chairman Stuart Litman (far right) present awards to Americanism Essay Contest winners (L to R) Sayna Rice, 7th grade, Stone Elementary; Josilyn Hurt, 8th grade, Pleasant Hill Elementary; Abigail Han, sophomore, Cumberland County High School; and Cally Copeland, senior, Cumberland County High School.

5. Branch 251, MT. HOME, Ark.
(L) Branch Chaplain Curtis Grant presenting the 65-year continuous membership certificate to Shipmate (R) Ralph X. Klotz. Shipmate Klotz passed away Feb. 10 from a severe brain aneurism.

6. Branch 162, NEW ORLEANS, La.
(L to R) Shipmate Dan Fick receives his 1st place $5000 raffle winnings from Shipmate Kevin Streittmater. Fick donated back $1,000 to the Branch’s Veteran Charities Account.

7. Branch 41, ROANOKE, Va.
Each year, Shipmate (R) John Cook and his wife (L) Mary give Christmas stockings to the Salvation Army for needy families. Branch members assisted them this year by filling the stockings.
8. Branch 89, Atlanta, Ga.
(L to R) Branch Membership Chair Wayne Barron presented Shipmate John Vanorden his pin for 25 years of continuous membership. They met at a restaurant near the Vanorden’s home in North Augusta, S.C.

9. Branch 13, ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.
On March 2, a ceremony was held at the Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company to award the first annual Natalie Dempsey Memorial Award for Firefighter of the Year. The award and check were presented to Natalie’s family. (L to R) Paul Guenther, Branch President Albert Davenport, Gary Brenner, Andy Wilbert, Branch Secretary Kim Yoder-Notaro, Branch Treasurer Frank Williams and Edward Crouse. Dempsey was only 21 when she lost her life while responding to a call out on Christmas morning.

10. Branch 101, Santa Clara, Calif.
(L to R) Branch Chaplain Paul Gedling, LA FRA member Sandy Gedling, LA FRA member Karen Webster, Cee Cee Harvey, Shipmate Kate Blanton and Branch President Richard Ruiz participate in a Four Chaplains Service at St. Frances Cabrini Church.

11. Branch 15, WALHALLA, S.C.
(L) Shipmate Tom Smith awarded Shipmate Marti Selby her 10-year Service Pin during the Jan. 19 Branch meeting held in Walhalla, South Carolina.

12. Branch 126, Jacksonvile, Fla.
(R) PRPSE and Branch President James J. Thomas attended the Black Creek District Eagle Scout Class Dinner held on Feb. 2, in Orange Park, Florida. Forty-seven new Eagles received their Branch certificates that night. Pictured is (L) Eagle Scout Johns who was first in line.

13. Branch 166, VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.
FRA National President (L) Robert Washington and LA FRA National President (R) Christina Murray attended the annual Hampton Roads Sailors of the Year (SOY) Awards Night.

TAPS
 
Name 	Rating	Branch
Acker, Albert D., 	ADCS, USN	156
Angelo, Frank M.	YNCM(SS), USN	099
Baker, Jackie L.	HMCM, USN	060
Bane, Wilson M.	HTC, USN	024
Barnett, Leroy E.	LCDR, USCGR	MAL
Basinet, Donald L.	SSGT, USMC	339
Bauer, George C.	RMC, USN	057
Beer, Murray	RMC, USN	219
Blanco, Evaristo B.	MSC, USN	060
Blansett, Walter T.	SKCS, USN	MAL
Botte, Peter	CWO4, USN	MAL
Bounds, James G.	ENCM, USN	136
Bradell, Wilbert A.	QMC, USN	049
Bragg, Ralph L.	PHC, USN	MAL
Breedlove, Richard D.	YNC, USN	089
Brehm, Bernard F.	UTCM, USN	MAL
Brindle, Dennis J.	AD1, USN	077
Brockwell, Glen M.	GMGC, USN	MAL
Brown, Ray E.	MSCM/SS, USN	104
Brown, Donald B.	RMCS, USN	147
Bugg, Norman D.	LCDR, USN	192
Bunch, Louis M.	IC1, USN	226
Casey, Martin J.	SKC, USN	089
Catron, William F.	ENCS (SS), USN	105
Center, James E.	BMC, USN	029
Chapin, William D.	SS2, USN	024
Chapman, Donald W.	SN, USN	230
Clark, John F.	MSGT, USMC	MAL
Cole, Jerry	PO1, USN	MAL
Collins, John P.	CE1, USN	MAL
Concklin, Bryce G.	MUC, USN	067
Conklin, Thomas	CM1, USN	311
Conner, Leland K.	AOC, USN	047
Conrad, James A.	RMCM, USN	MAL
Conrad, George M.	POCM, USCG	172
Cox, Robert D.	BMC, USN	MAL
Cunningham, James W.	RM1, USN	105
Daugherty, Obal	GMGC, USN	194
Davis, Willie E.	ICC, USN	126
Day, Dean E.	AE1, USN	086
Dechaine, James E.	MS1, USN	MAL
Dodds, Dennis D.	ETCS(SW), USN	040
Edwards, Casper H.	ADJC, USN	054
Erdman, Robert G.	AO1, USN	MAL
Escher, Sidney E.	CPL, USMC	092
Evans, Paul H.	CWO2, USN	060
Ewers, Alfred C.	JOC, USN	060
Fernandez, Richard F.	CS1, USN	186
Fewox, Grover C.	TMCS, USN	269
Folsom, George	DK1, USN	011
Forbes, Lester J.	ETC, USN	MAL
Forrest, Warren R.	EMCM(SS), USN	161
Fortuno, Cesar R.	SKC, USN	127
Foster, James R.	ETC(SS), USN	287
Fredrickson, Raymond G.	HMCS, USN	MAL
Fruling, Edward	AMM3, USN	254
Fuller, Gerald D.	HMC, USN	047
Gallagher, James P.	HMC(SS), USN	087
Garrett, Harold H.	ADR1, USN	011
Gaskin, Robert H.	MTC, USN	049
Gass, Paul J.	ETCS, USN	316
Geer, William Francis	EM1, USN	234
Gelinas, Gerard H.	HMC, USN	011
Gibbs, Harold	HMC(SS), USN	MAL
Goo, Glicerio I.	PO2, USN	046
Gray, Robert D.	ADCS, USN	268
Gray, John T.	AE1, USN	MAL
Grosskopf, Douglas O.	DTC, USN	040
Harden, Herbert P.	RMC(SS), USN	269
Harmon, Nathaniel	OSC, USN	077
Harrar, Donald	EQCM, USN	070
Heitkemper, Bernard L.	YNC, USN	MAL
Heston, Leroy S.	ATC, USN	112
Hill, Jerry L.	BTC, USN	147
Hill, Marvin L.	IC1, USN	238
Howell, Robert O.	POC, USN	040
Howell, Delbert L.	BM1, USN	269
Hull, Laurence N.	SK1, USNR	192
Hurd, Daniel	LCDR, USN	MAL
Jack, Gaylon Gene	HTC, USNR	011
Jackson, James E.	CPO, USN	256
Jeschke, Walter G.	CTC, USN	024
Johnson, Walter L.	AVCM, USN	029
Johnson, Fred A.	EMC, USN	MAL
Jones, Arthur L.	ENC(SS), USN	055
Joseph, Robert F.	ICCS, USN	166
Kehoe, Kevin J.	PO3, USN	MAL
Kelly, Donald J.	AMHC, USN	289
Kendrick, James P.	ADJ1, USN	MAL
Kennedy, Odie R.	ABCS, USN	029
Klotz, Ralph X.	TM1(SS), USN	251
Kooken, Charles R.	PO1, USN	MAL
Lancaster, John W.	MMC, USN	MAL
Lawson, Jearld	CPO, USN	MAL
Leonard, Reuben M.	ADCS, USN	060
Letterman, Kenneth A.	SKC, USN	MAL
Limerick, James A.	STC, USN	251
Lozier, Vernon W.	UTC, USN	038
Luce, Gary L.	CPO, USN	MAL
Machalinski, Raymond A.	ATC, USN	053
Maris, William L.	LT, USN	245
Martin, Melvin D.	AQ1, USN	MAL
Martinez, Alberto	CSCS, USN	MAL
McCarty, Frederick W.	HMCM, USN	099
McGregor, William A.	SMCM, USN	234
McNabb, Glenn D.	RMCS, USN	070
McPherson, James	RMCM, USN	047
Meadows, Cecil E.	AT1(AC), USN	046
Mendoza, Robert J.	RMC, USN	136
Meyer, George F.	SGTMAJ, USMC	208
Micca, Edwin M.	SHC, USN	226
Miller, Arthur L.	BT1, USN	269
Miller, Robert W.	SGTMAJ, USMC	024
Monroe, Francis L.	ENCS, USN	MAL
Moore, Hunter F.	USN	147
Moreno, Dominic	QMC, USN	049
Morrison, Thomas O.	TM1, USN	269
Mosely, Leland C.	SCPO, USN	186
Mulcahy, William J.	SN/CAPT, USN	282
Myers, Charles L.	RM1, USN	MAL
Myers, Thomas J.	CTMC, USN	268
Neeley, Ward F.	BTC, USN	MAL
Neven, George	CWO4, USN	263
Northey, Thomas J.	RMC, USN	290
O'Connor, Robert J.	AMH1, USN	298
Olvey, James G.	ABEC, USN	163
Parker, Harold R.	STC/SS, USN	022
Pasco, John P.	CWO3, USN	046
Peake, Alfred E.	ETCS, USN	MAL
Pelzel, Lawrence	PO2, USN	024
Phillips, Richard W.	CWO4, USN	086
Planichek, Frankie	BMCS, USN	MAL
Poiron, Eugene	ATC, USNR	146
Portugal, Tobias	SD1, USN	127
Price, William W.	AGCS, USN	MAL
Prince, Ronald	CPO, USN	MAL
Proebstel, Gerald	HTC, USN	055
Puch, Charles	MMCS, USN	MAL
Pugh, Ronnie P.	YN1, USCG	MAL
Purnell, James I.	MSCS, USN	024
Quisenberry, Tandy B.	PNCS, USN	227
Reguindin, Andres	MS2, USN	104
Rich, Charles L.	ENCS(SS), USN	053
Richards, Benjamin F.	AECS, USN	161
Roberts, Lawrence D.	MCPO, USN	166
Robinson, James K.	1stSGT, USMC	089
Robinson, Wayne E.	PN2, USN	MAL
Sabine, Frederick	CAPT, USN	099
Saggio, Gary W.	ETC, USN	MAL
Schneider, Henry R.	ABEC, USN	MAL
Sears, Earle M.	PICM, USN	029
Serna, Lodovico V.	HMCS, USCG	008
Shaffer, Carl R.	HM2, USN	181
Shaver, Pleaman F.	ISCS, USNR	MAL
Shay, Alexander L.	ENDC, USNR	012
Shore, Doyle	RM1, USN	334
Shrier, Glenn M.	ADCS, USN	070
Skapyak, Joseph	AOC, USN	126
Smith, Norman D.	AMH2, USN	161
Snow, Wayne	SMC, USN	181
Sohlke, Jeff	ETC(SS), USN	046
Souder, Marlin G.	BM1, USN	MAL
Souther, Fred L.	CE1, USN	163
Stafford, William H.	YN3, USN	091
Stauff, Kurt M.	MNCM(SW/SS)	MAL
Stoppa, Frank J.	E4 USMC	091
Stow, Robert M.	AE1, USN	MAL
Stratton, Bobbie E.	CDR, USN	MAL
Stravlo, Richard	TM3/C, USN	MAL
Summers, Stanley K.	GMCM, USN	MAL
Swinnerton, Larry C.	ABH3, USN	276
Taylor, James M.	ADJC, USN	022
Teague, Billy	GYSGT, USMC	346
Tenney, Jerome D.	EMCS, USN	269
Thomas, John C.	ADJC, USN	047
Thompson, Buell J.	1STSGT, USMC	161
Timblin, Bruce	RMCS(SW), USN	038
Tosi, Theodore R.	AT1, USN	060
Trimble, Thomas E.	TDC, USN	194
Trottier, Lyle A.	QMCS, USN	MAL
Tupper, Russell L.	CDR, USNR	MAL
Urban, Ray U.	MSGT, USMC	098
Utsler, Doy J.	USN	166
Washington, George	BMC, USN	257
Weber, Gustave	CDR, USN	MAL
Weeks, Ervin E.	CSC, USN	068
Whisenant, James E.	MAC (SW), USN	290
Willis, Donald W.	ATCS, USN	089
Willis, James N.	BU2, USN	025
Wilvers, Glenn E.	EMCS, USN	049
Wright, Arlof N.	EN1, USN	289
Wyckoff, Dennis	BU1, USNR	MAL
Young, Robert P.	ATCS, USN	091
Yourczek, Gerald	HTC, USN	136
Zeine, Zenas E.	HMC, USN	018

To report the death of a Shipmate, please contact us via email at mserfra@fra.org or by telephone at 703-683-1400 ext 1. 
Return to Table of Contents

REUNIONS/lOOKINGFOR…

Reunions
USS ESSEX (CV-9)
8/11/2019-8/18/2019
Louisville, Ky.
Contact: Dan Genet
Telephone: 954-464-8000
Email:
ussessex@brighthouse.com

USS Takelma 
(ATF-113) / NAFTS
9/3/2019-9/7/2019
Green Bay, Wis.
Contact: Dick Schreifels
Telephone: 651-455-1876
Email:
richard_rosemary@msn.com

Destroyer Escort Sailors Association (DESA)
9/3/2019-9/7/2019
Albany, N.Y.
Contact: Dori Glaser
Telephone: 315-938-7000
 
USS Missouri (BB-63)
9/3/2019-9/8/2019
Norwalk, Conn.
Contact: John Mckinney
Telephone: 207-799-8513
Email: jmckinney1maine@yahoo.com

USS L. Y. SPEAR 
(AS-36)
9/4/2019-9/8/2019
Philadelphia, Pa.
Contact: Patty Kelso
Telephone: 913-677-1837
Email: pattykelso@usslyspear.org

USS Rasher 
(SS/SSR/AGSS-269)
9/4/2019-9/8/2019
Little Rock Ark.
Contact: Richard Moore
Telephone: 804-815-0730
Email: drifterpilot@cox.net

USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN/SSN-602)
9/5/2019-9/8/2019
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Contact: Dennis Grim
Telephone: 724-622-5800
Email:
GandCBrown@gmail.com

USS Helena (CL-50, CA-75, SSN-725)
9/9/2019-9/12/2019
San Diego, Calif.
Contact: James McNamee
Telephone: 503-981-0873
Email: james1602@q.com

USS Damato 
(DDE/DD-871)
9/10/2019-9/14/2019
Virginia Beach/Norfolk, Va.
Contact: Chris Christenson
Telephone: 410-757-2313
Email: glchristenson@comcast.net

USS Tutuila 
(ARG-4)
9/11/2019-9/14/2019
Savannah, Ga.
Contact: John Ward
Telephone: 570-384-3057
Email: kandjw@epix.net

VP-4 Association
9/11/2019-9/15/2019
San Diego, Calif.
Contact: Larry Hames
Telephone: 503-688-9804
Email: Larry.Hames@VP4Association.com

USS Springfield 
Bluejackets
9/12/2019-9/15/2019
Washington, D.C.
Contact: Richard Wilson
Telephone: 425-736-6899
Email: oldtown98406@comcast.net

USS Sea Devil 
(SSN-664/SS-400)
9/12/2019-9/15/2019
North Charleston, S.C.
Contact: Eddie Lynd/John Flynn
Telephone: 609-238-5418 or 843-734-0427
Email: lyndkid@comcast.net

USS Randolph 
(CV/CVA/CVS-15)
9/12/2019-9/22/2019
Mobile, Ala.
Contact: Henry Levy
Telephone: 352-542-7513
Email: hardtimeshp@gmail.com

USCGC Westwind (WAGB-281)
9/13/2019-9/15/2019
Wilmington, N.C.
Contact: Alex Mavica
Telephone: 845-352-7040
Email: amavica@optonline.com

USS Power 
(DD-839)
9/15/2019-9/19/2019
St. Louis, Mo.
Contact: John Pinto
Telephone: 352-527-2352
Email: jpinto839@gmail.com

USS Cacapon (AO-52) 
9/18/2019-9/22/2019
Long Beach, Calif.
Contact: Bruce Webster
Telephone: 949-786-9663
Email: bruce.webster@cox.net

USS Wahoo (SS-565)
9/20/2019-9/22/2019
San Diego, Calif.
Contact: Jim Van Vranken
Telephone: 707-696-2578
Email: olfatman@sbcglobal.net

USS Richard E. Byrd (DDG-23)
9/22/2019-9/25/2019
Charleston, S.C.
Contact: Bob Earnest
Telephone: 724-554-1900
Email: rebyrdreunion@gmail.com

USS Everglades (AD-24)
9/22/2019-9/26/2019
Virginia Beach, Va.
Contact: Gary Adams (CTA)
Telephone: 415-467-6284
Email: AD24History@att.net

USS Wiltsie (DD-716)
9/22/2019-9/26/2019
Jacksonville, Fla.
Contact: Ted Laurila
Telephone: 360-736-3853
Email: dd716ted@comcast.net

Tin Can Sailors-DesVets
9/22/2019-9/26/2019
Jacksonville, Fla.
Contact: Terry Miller
Telephone: 508-677-0515
Email: terry@desvets.org

USS Thomas A. Edison (SSBN/SSN-610)
9/23/2019-9/26/2019
Norfolk, Va.
Contact: Jim Simpson
Telephone: 757-238-2193
Email: jimmyjoesimpson@charter.net

USS Enterprise (CVAN/CVN-65)
9/24/2019-9/29/2019
Columbus, Ga.
Contact: David Mangieri
Telephone: 706-505-0909
Email: dadmangieri@yahoo.com

USS Ulysses S. Grant (SSBN-631)
Land: 9/24/2019-9/28/2019
Sea: 9/28/2019-10/5/2019
Orlando, Fla.
Contact: Larry or Ruth Jordan
Telephone: 940-569-8145
Email: 
oceangirl1200@gmail.com

USS Prairie (AD-15) & USS Puget Sound (AD-38)
9/25/2019-9/29/2019
Hershey, Pa.
Contact: Brad Allen
Telephone: 518-695-4821
Email:
Allan2017Ships@gmail.com 

USS Sam Rayburn (SSBN-635)
9/26/2019-9/29/2019
Groton, Conn.
Contact: Larry Oiler
Telephone: 207-651-5878
Email:
ssbn635aganger@gmail.com

USS Robert A. Owens (DDK, DDE, DD-827)
9/30/2019-10/4/2019
Charleston, S.C.
Contact: Larry McCoskey
Email: larrymc3140@gmail.com

Looking For…
PH1 Louis Oberbeck, stationed aboard the USS AJAX (AR-6) in Sasebo, Japan, from 1963-1966.  He was also aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) from 1976-1979. He was originally from Joplin, Missouri but may have retired in the Seattle area as that was where his wife was from. Please contact: JO1 Leonard E. Churilla: Lionchur@yahoo.com or call (209) 527-7045, FRA Branch 197, Modesto, Calif.

I am looking for any Shipmates stationed at the Todd Shipyard Pacific Reserve Fleet, in Tacoma, Washington in the 50's. Please contact Gene Walker: endlesummer@cfl.rr.com or call (386) 439-0558

A list of Reunions is at: www.fra.org/Reunions. All Reunions/lookingFor… must be submitted online, via email to reunions@fra.org or in writing to FRA Reunions/LookingFor…at 125 N. West St. Alexandria, VA 22314. Include your Member ID and a daytime telephone number. For help, contact FRA Member Services 1 800-FRA-1924.

AUXILIARY OF THE FRA

Message from the National Chaplain
The appointment of the Chaplain for the Auxiliary of the Fleet Reserve Association has been an important part of the organization since the founding of the Auxiliary in 1930. Chaplains are appointed by unit presidents, regional presidents and the national president as required by each position.

Unit, regional and national chaplains are important positions of the Auxiliary, officiating the arrangements of the altar, having charge of the Bible during meetings and rituals, providing spiritual comfort and aid to those in distress, offering the invocations at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of meetings, and taking part in the Initiation Ceremony, Burial Ritual, Ceremony for the Draping of the Charter, Memorial Services and other rituals as directed. They report a deceased member’s information to update official records and ensure that the member is honored in the Regional and National Memorial Services. 

The duties are provided in the LA FRA Constitution and By Laws, Standing Rules, and Unit Instructions and Rituals, which can be found online at: www.la-fra.org.

According to the LA FRA History Book (1930-2015), two of the first accomplishments of the first Auxiliary Convention, held in 1931, were establishing rituals that the chaplain would be integral in performing: (1) “That all Units adopt an alter cloth, the colors to be Navy blue and gold, the colors of the U.S. Navy, to be used with the Bible for opening and closing services in the Unit and National meetings” and that (2) “The Unit Charter is draped for thirty days upon the death of a member and ... the death of a National or Past National Officer.” 

As a participant in The Annual Pilgrimage to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, the national chaplain delivers a prayer during the Mast of the USS Maine Ceremony to remember our country; all those who have given their lives to keep our country free and those have defended our country. This is first mentioned in the History Book in the administrative year 1933-1934. The chaplains continue to participate in the rituals identified in the LA FRA History Book and carry on these traditions during LA FRA Unit, regional and national meetings and rituals.

In the event of the death of one of the current national officers of the LA FRA or FRA, their spouses or past national presidents of the LA FRA, the National Chaplain is authorized to send a memorial. 

Upon receipt of a notification of a member’s illness or death, the National Chaplain sends “Get Well,” “Thinking of You,” or condolence cards to members or their next of kin as appropriate. 
During the National Convention, the National Chaplain officiates the annual National Memorial Service, which is conducted to memorialize deceased members of the LA FRA and the FRA who died between July 1 of the previous year and June 30 of the current year. A memorial flower is placed in remembrance of each member as his or her name is called during the Memorial Ceremony. 

I am honored to have been appointed as the national chaplain of the Auxiliary of the Fleet Reserve Association by National President Christina Murray. It is a pleasure to serve the members of the Auxiliary and the national president. 
In Loyalty, Protection and Service,
Jackie Scarbro, National Chaplain 
 
Jackie is the LA FRA National Chaplain and can be reached at: jackiescarbrova@gmail.com
FINANCE MATTERS

How to Maintain Your Lifestyle in Retirement
You may have heard the rule of thumb that you need to replace about 80 percent of your preretirement income if you want to maintain your current lifestyle when you retire. But like many rules of thumb, that advice is much too general for most people, says Herbert Poole CFP® CRC®, Retirement Development Consultant for Wells Fargo Advisors. To help ensure that you can actually live as comfortably in retirement as you do now, Poole says you need to identify what your desired lifestyle costs. Next, you’ll need a saving and investing strategy that matches your income needs. Here are the key questions for you and your financial advisor to consider:

What’s my ideal retirement age? 
This is both a financial and a quality-of-life question, says Poole. Financially speaking, you need to determine when you’ll have amassed enough savings and investments to stop working. You want to be able to comfortably live on withdrawals from your accounts — without running out of money. 
On the nonfinancial front, think about what you really want to do during retirement (Travel? Start an encore business?). 

“Ask yourself: ‘At what age could I retire and still be healthy enough to do these things?’” Poole suggests. 
As you get closer to your actual retirement age, you can home in on when you can afford to leave work. 
“Depending on your situation, working just a year or two more than you planned could make a big difference in how much money you have available to live on later,” notes Poole.

How much money? 
How much money will I need to support my current standard of living? This is perhaps the most important question to explore. 

“However, you’d be surprised by how many people answer this question by saying to their financial advisors: ‘I have no idea. Just tell me what kind of lifestyle I can afford,’” says Poole. You are much better off estimating your target retirement budget early, so you can help ensure you’re saving and investing enough, says Poole. Your financial advisor can offer help estimating costs for items like health and long-term care for different parts of the country. 

During this process, Poole says it’s also a good idea to separate your necessary costs (mortgage/rent, utilities, food, transportation, etc.) from your discretionary expenses (fine dining, vacations, and more). That way, you know where you can cut costs if your estimated retirement income ends up being different than you planned. 

What are my retirement income sources? 
You may have a tax-deferred retirement plan through your job, personal and/or Roth IRAs, rental property income, and more. Once you identify all your potential income streams, you can make some smart decisions — including increasing your investment contributions now — that could help boost your income when you retire. For example, your financial advisor can help you determine whether it would be wise to add more income-producing options, such as annuities or real estate, or to consider more tax-advantaged investments. 

How can I plan for the unexpected? 
To avoid a financial snag that significantly affects your retirement income, Poole suggests having both contingency funds and contingency plans. For contingency funds, you could earmark money for your grandchildren but hang on to the funds in case of an emergency. This could be as simple as leaving money to your grandchildren in your estate plan, rather than putting the money in trust in their names. Contingency plans might include paying for expensive home repairs like a roof replacement before retirement. You might also prioritize which assets (vacation home vs. business rental, for example) you would sell in a financial emergency.

Am I regularly monitoring my progress toward retirement? 
Maybe you have 20 years left before retirement, or perhaps you are already in the middle of retirement and planning to live to age 100. Wherever you are in the process, it makes sense to talk with your financial planner at least once a year — or whenever you face a significant life change. After all, the financial markets and your investments are constantly changing. You change over time, too. You may decide to retire to a state with a different cost of living or change your mind about how much risk you want to take with your investments. All of those factors could affect your retirement lifestyle and how much income you need to live well in retirement.   
This article was written by/for Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Carl M. Trevisan, Managing Director-Investments and Stephen M. Bearce, First Vice President- Investments in Alexandria, Virginia at 800-247-8602.
Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANK-GUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE
Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.
© 2018 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.