FRAtoday May 2022
comMunicaTIons
FROM THE FANTAIL	3
SHIPMATE FORUM	4
On & Off captol hill	7
FEATURE  STORies	
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS18
SHIPMATE NEWS19
TAPS20
AUXILIARY OF THE FRA22
FINANCE MATTERS23

COMMUNICATIONS

Why Mother’s Day Is Celebrated Twice. 
May is the month in which we celebrate Mother’s Day! But did you know Mother’s Day is celebrated twice a year? Even though moms are very special and amazing people, the real reason is that people celebrate their moms on different days in the United Kingdom than we do here in the States.
Mother’s Day was traditionally called Mothering Sunday in the U.K. — the fourth Sunday of Lent — because Christians were encouraged to visit their “mother church.” Now the day is associated with family reunions and children come home to pay a visit to their mum and celebrate her role in their lives.

Why the U.S. Celebrates Mother’s Day in May
The American Mother’s Day is not a religious holiday. It was established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 after a campaign was launched by an American woman from West Virginia named Anna Jarvis, whose own mother died in May. It has since been held every year on the second Sunday of May in the U.S. and several other countries, including Australia.

Why Mothers Deserve To Be Celebrated
Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. The day is specifically set aside for people to honor the mothers who have made a great contribution to their lives.
So many of us have incredible mothers to whom we owe so much. This is a special day for moms who can sometimes be overlooked or taken for granted, but just think about all the sacrifices your mother made for you.
For some, Mother’s Day is a day that you send flowers, a card or take your mom to lunch or dinner. For others, like me, it is a day of reflection or remembrance. Everyone has their own way to celebrate Mother’s Day, but however you choose to celebrate or reflect, it is a good thing to do. 
Happy Mother’s Day!             
In Loyalty, Protection and Service,
William D. Stevenson, Editor-in-Chief       

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FROM THE fantail

Memorial Day: A Special Day of Remembrance
As we move further into 2022, we see that COVID restrictions are becoming less and less of a demand on us. We as a country, within our states and communities, are getting out and traveling more. It is a wonderful feeling to see friends and family and to be able to gather and visit. I recently attended the Southeast Midyear Meeting in Crossville, Tennessee, and visited the hotel in Birmingham, Alabama, where the 2022 National Convention is going to be held. It was so nice to be able to see everyone in person, but this doesn’t mean that we still do not have to be careful and smart about what we do. 
Again, it is that time of the year when our regions are planning their midyear meetings and annual regional conventions. The sooner you let national headquarters know about the dates and places, the better they can disseminate the details on the website, in newsletters and on social media. I am planning to visit as many of these regional events as possible. 
With that being said, the East Coast Region is in the process of reinstituting Del Herman Branch 299 in Wilmington, North Carolina, and the Northwest Region is in the process of instituting a new branch in Hawaii. Bravo Zulu to RPEC Chris Murray and RPNW Michelle Davis for your hard work.
Memorial Day is May 30 this year and will be the unofficial beginning of summer with picnics, cookouts and time at the lake — I really enjoy spending time with my family and friends. Have you ever stopped and wondered why and how this is possible? To me, the “why?” is the true meaning of Memorial Day.  It is the day of remembrance to those active-duty men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We, as a country, owe it to them to take time out of our day to remember and honor the fallen and their families. 
In the beginning, Memorial Day was called Decoration Day, due to the fact that freed slaves went out and decorated the graves of the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. Sometime around 1868, Memorial Day became a tradition throughout the small towns of America. Memorial Day as we now know it did not become a national holiday until 1971. So, before you head out to enjoy your weekend of picnics and cookouts with family and friends, stop for a few minutes to remember, honor and say a prayer for the fallen and their families because it was their sacrifices that allowed us to all be free to enjoy our lives. 
In conclusion, I want to thank all of our Shipmates for all their hard work, dedication and efforts to get the word out about the Fleet Reserve Association — who we are, what we do and why we do it. So, when you are out traveling, be sure to have fun, enjoy yourself and most of all, stay safe.  FRA
In Loyalty, Protection and Service, 
Jim Campbell 
Jim is the national president of the FRA and may be reached at NP@FRA.org.

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sHIPMATE FORUM

Suez Canal Story
The article on the first U.S. Naval ship to go through the Suez Canal that ran in the January issue of FRAtoday was interesting.

I was on board the USS HANK (DD-702), in the middle 50s when the Egyptians took over control of the canal from the Brits and French. Egyptian soldiers rode on an American Jeep, with a 20mm gun pointed on the ship, and followed us through the northern half of the canal to the Mediterranean (Sea).

I am under the impression that the HANK was the last U.S. Naval ship to go through the canal right before the Egyptians closed the canal to all traffic. That would have been 1957, I believe. 
Something to check on and then maybe write a future article on the canal.

My wife sure enjoys those types of Naval stories. She has been collecting the articles. I do also.
Have a blessed day, 
BU1, RNMCB Jerry Moran, USN (Ret.)

Vetting Advertisement
There have been some excellent responses in regard to the issue of VSO’s (veteran service organization) being “apolitical.” There are some situations where VSO’s should speak out and some where they should not. However, there is one area that I believe all shipmates can agree.

VSO’s should not openly endorse one political party, one political candidate or any political ideology. Nor should they support lies and half-truths that add to the divisiveness in our country.

 I believe FRAtoday crossed that line in its February issue. On Page 13 an advertisement appears for a “Free” book. Excerpts from the book are listed. These excerpts denote a definite political viewpoint. A few seconds of research online and you discover that the book isn’t “Free” and that there is an attempt to get people to subscribe to a magazine.   

Further research shows that the book is supported by a cable news network with a definite political position. The book itself is filled with outright lies, half-truths and multiple unfounded or already debunked conspiracy theories. Many of its statements correspond to the rhetoric of extremist groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. The book basically encourages the overthrow of our government and many of its institutions. 
I know that the FRA doesn’t endorse this book and its viewpoints. I also know there is a fine print disclaimer on Page 2 stating that. However, I doubt many of our shipmates have read the disclaimer. As such, shipmates reading the ad think that the FRA has vetted the advertiser and would not allow false statements to be printed in its magazine. 

 The FRA has done wonderful things over the years. My hope is it will continue to do so. That said, FRAtoday should never allow advertisements like the one mentioned above to ever appear. Vetting of all advertisements should be mandatory before they appear. Vetting is necessary to ensure that the advertiser promotes what the FRA stands for and stands against.  
Respectfully submitted, 
FTCS Stewart Margolis, USN (Ret.) MAL

Lt. Gen. Chesty Puller Story
What a nice article on Chesty Puller in the February edition. I was a young Hospital Corpsman stationed at Naval Hospital Portsmouth Virginia in late 1967 into 1968. Gen Puller was a patient during this time. We had many Marines who were recovering from injuries sustained in Viet Nam. When word got out that Gen Puller was a patient, any Marine who could get out of bed made a point to walk past his room. In addition, those who could walk would help any other Marine either in a wheelchair or any other way to help them go past his room. It was an amazing sight to witness. 
HMC Paul Buchholtz, USNR (Ret.)

USS INTREPID
I read with interest the article about USS INTREPID in the March issue. But I must correct one historical mistake made by the author. The INTREPID was NOT involved in the sinking of the Japanese battleship YAMATO during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. YAMATO was actually sunk on April 7, 1945, during the Battle of the East China Sea by aircraft from 8 different American carriers, INTREPID included.  This last Japanese naval action of the war was known as Operation Ten-Go, essentially a suicide mission designed to support Japanese forces resisting the American landing on Okinawa.

INTREPID WAS a major player in the sinking of the Japanese battleship MUSASHI on October 24, 1944, during the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, part of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf. MUSASHI and her twin YAMATO, thought to be unsinkable, both absorbed heavy air attacks from Task Force 58 aircraft flown from five fleet carriers and one light carrier, including Intrepid. MUSASHI sank after absorbing 19 torpedo and 17 bomb hits!

YAMATO survived the attacks, continuing on to lead the large Japanese surface force in the famous Battle off Samar on October 25, the largest surface battle engagement in history. After retiring from that ignominious defeat, YAMATO retreated to Brunei and later homeland Japan, never operating again until her demise during Operation Ten-Go.

As with the Titanic, ships may be proclaimed as unsinkable, but the nature of warfare and basic physics will always prove this premise false.
Capt. William Jenkins, USN (Ret.)

Lt. General Burwell
I read the article about LT. General Burwell in the February 2022 issue of the FRAtoday with great interest.  It was amazing to read about the courage and the respect this man had with his men.  Now I am sure that the LT. General had his faults, after all he had feet of clay, however I was impressed with his respect and devotion to his men and family even 50 years after his death. However, when I finished reading the article, I asked myself, would today’s leaders, be they military or civilian, engender the same type of respect from the men and women or even their families they lead?  
Respectfully Submitted,
SKCM M.R. Jakway USCG (Ret.)

FRA As Apolitical
Just received my latest issue of FRAtoday and read the letter from Master Chief GW Smith.  I totally agree with his elegant remarks and the fact that us veterans have never given up the thought “to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Them words did not retire with my active-duty service. Thank you, Master Chief for articulating this so clearly. 
AEC Steven M. DeRusha, USN (Ret.)

Medicare
I’m sure others have pointed this out, but in case not, I will comment on the Medicare article in the January 2022 FRAtoday. It is important to explain how Tricare, particularly Tricare for Life work with Medicare. Typically a military retiree does not (should not) need to purchase any Medicare supplement. I also see no benefit for us in Part C.
Respectfully,
LCDR Charles Gray, USN (Ret.)

SPARs
I finished reading the February issue of the FRAtoday magazine and the article written by Elise Howard about Coast Guard SPARs was very informative.  I learned a lot from that article about the women who stood up the program so that men could be freed up to serve at sea during WWII. Just like today, the SPARs did not get everything that their DOD sisters got after the war.  They had to fight for it.
SK1 Philip Stone, USCG (Ret.)
FRA

Letters published in Shipmate Forum reflect the opinions and views of individual FRA members. They do not reflect the position of the FRA. The FRA is not responsible for the accuracy of letter content. To submit letters to FRAtoday for consideration, please send them to: 125 N. West St., Alexandria, VA 22314 or to fratoday@fra.org.

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ON AND OFF CAPITOL HILL

Contacting Your Legislators is a Cornerstone of Democracy
Throughout this session of Congress, FRA members have used the FRA Action Center to contact their legislators on issues of importance to them. This user-friendly website has generated almost 55,000 messages to Capitol Hill during the 117th Congress. Shipmates will need to be aware of important legislative activity as the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act and other key bills impacting member benefits move through the legislative process. Many of these legislative proposals could have a significant impact on Shipmates’ pocketbooks.

Also, the Fleet Reserve Association 100th Anniversary Act (H.R.6663), which would create a 100th anniversary commemorative coin for the FRA, has been introduced. This bipartisan legislation would direct the Department of the Treasury to mint $5, $1 and half-dollar coins to commemorate the centennial of the foundation and charter of the Fleet Reserve Association in 1924, at no cost to American taxpayers. FRA Shipmates are urged to use the FRA Action Center located on the website (www.fra.org) to ask their representatives to co-sponsor this bill. 

SVAC Holds Oversight Hearing on VA Caregiver Program
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee held an oversight hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. Legislation was approved in a previous Congress to expand the program to veterans of all eras — successfully including language in the bipartisan VA MISSION Act that was signed into law in June 2018 (P.L.115-182). Since the law’s implementation, the SVAC has continuously raised concerns, and last year the committee called on Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough to reconsider the department’s tightened eligibility and delayed rollout of the expansion. Only 20% of new applicants have been accepted and as many as 6,700 current caregivers would become ineligible. In response, the VA announced a pause and “reassessment” of the caregiver support program. The FRA’s concern about the tightened eligibility was noted in a statement provided to the SVAC and the House Veterans Affairs Committee earlier. 

DOD Starts Military Suicide Prevention Review Committee 
In compliance with the requirements of the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently announced that the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee has been established. The SPRIRC will review the military’s suicide prevention and response activities to identify strategies working well and areas for improvement. The SPRIRC will also take into account the recent directives given by Austin based on the recommendations of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military so that any changes suggested by the SPRIRC work in harmony with prevention efforts currently being rolled out.

Austin provided the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness with a strict timeline to ensure timely progress on this issue, giving him 60 days to issue a memorandum identifying the members of the SPRIRC, laying out a schedule of installation visits, and outlining the approach to the department’s comprehensive and collective efforts. Austin directed the SPRIRC to begin work no later than May 14 and begin installation visits by Aug. 1. The committee has until Dec. 20, to submit an initial report to Austin for review, with the final report of findings and recommendations due to Congress by Feb. 18, 2023.

Although the SPRIRC will select additional military installations to review, in his memorandum announcing the committee’s establishment, Austin listed nine bases in Kentucky, North Carolina, California, Nevada, South Korea and Alaska that the committee will be required to include.

“These installations were selected in coordination with the Military Departments to increase DoD's understanding of the needs of various geographies, to include geographically-isolated areas and installations outside of the contiguous United States,” Austin wrote. “It is imperative that we take care of all our teammates and continue to reinforce that mental health and suicide prevention remain a key priority. One death by suicide is one too many.” 

VA Announces Plan to Reorganize
The Department of Veterans Affairs has released a reorganization plan called the Asset and Infrastructure Review report. which would close three major medical centers located in Northampton, Massachusetts; Brooklyn, New York; and Chillicothe, Ohio, as well as several other VA facilities. The VA reported that the reorganization is needed to reflect the changing needs of modern health care and to close aging offices and centers that are no longer near where large numbers of veterans live. The plan also provides for the construction of dozens of new health care and community living facilities. The VA has also stated the reorganization will put nearly 200,000 more veterans within a 30-minute drive of mental health care. 

Overall, the plan calls for 35 VA medical centers in 21 states to be closed or completely rebuilt, while 14 new VA hospitals and 140 new multi-specialty outpatient clinics would be added to the system. Seven of the 17 sites listed for closure are in the Northeast. VA officials have stated that this reflects the fact that more of the veteran population has moved out of that region to resettle in the Midwest and Southwest. Many lawmakers in areas with facilities slated to be closed are resisting the move. The FRA will closely monitor the impact of closures and support the retention of VA facilities that have sizable veteran populations. 

VHA and VBA Director Nominees Announced
President Joe Biden has nominated Dr. Shereef Elnahal to serve as undersecretary for health at the Veterans Health Administration, which has gone without a Senate-confirmed director for five years. Elnahal served as assistant deputy undersecretary for health for quality, safety and value at the VA from 2016 through 2018, during which time he co-founded the VHA Innovation Ecosystem, a program that continues to foster the spread of innovation and best practices that improve veteran health.

Elnahal is a physician-leader who has served as president and chief executive officer of University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, since 2019. Prior to this role, he served as New Jersey’s 21st health commissioner, appointed by Governor Phil Murphy and confirmed unanimously by the New Jersey Senate. He was the first Muslim member of New Jersey’s Cabinet in state history. 

Ray Jefferson was also nominated by the president for undersecretary for benefits at the VA’s Veterans Benefits Administration. He is a graduate of West Point and in 2009 served as assistant secretary for veterans’ employment and training at the Department of Labor. More recently, Jefferson has led the Jefferson Group, which is a leadership development consultancy company. 

Both Jefferson and Elnahal will require Senate confirmation to begin the positions for which they have been nominated. 

VA Proposes No Mental Health Care Copay
The Department of Veterans Affairs has proposed a new regulation to help veterans who are seeking mental health care. The draft regulation would eliminate copay fees for veterans at high risk of suicide who are seeking outpatient mental health care. These veterans would also have reduced copayments for prescription medications. Once a veteran is no longer determined to be at high risk for suicide, he or she would be responsible for paying the VA’s regular copays again. The VA states that this regulation would reduce the financial burden on veterans who sometimes must pay multiple copays.  

Navy Will Permanently Close the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that, after close consultation with senior civilian and military leaders, he has decided to defuel and permanently close the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii. As Shipmates were first informed about in the March 2022 O n & Off the Hill, more than 9,000 military families in Hawaii were affected when jet fuel from underground storage tanks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility leaked into a well that supplied water to their on-base homes.

Austin signed a directive memorandum that outlined immediate actions for the secretary of the Navy, in coordination with the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, to carry out his decision. By no later than May 31, the secretary of the Navy and the director of the Defense Logistics Agency will provide Austin with a plan of action that includes milestones for defueling the facility. The plan of action must require that defueling operations commence as soon as practicable after the facility is deemed safe for defueling and must set a target date for completing the defueling that is within 12 months. 

Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry
The FRA wants to encourage all veterans who served in eligible areas to complete the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pits Registry questionnaire, located on the VA website. Veterans and active-duty service members who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Djibouti, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the waters of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and Red Sea are eligible and can find step-by-step directions at: www.publichealth.va.gov/docs/exposures/Registry-Steps.pdf. 

Participation in the registry is very important as it will allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to track burn pit exposure and gather data regarding associated adverse health effects. Exposure to burn pits may be linked to respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The VA recently added asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis as presumptive conditions related to particulate matter exposure. 

House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees Hold Joint Hearings 
The House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees held their annual joint hearings on veteran’s issues. This year’s hearings were set against the backdrop of competing bills that would expand care and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans who were exposed to airborne contaminants and other toxins during their military service. The Senate has already passed the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act (S.3541), which would extend the period of veterans’ eligibility to apply for benefits. 

The Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act (H.R.3967) goes much farther. It would create new service-connection presumptions for more than 20 health conditions, expand research and allow more veterans to receive coverage for treating the effects of toxic exposure. The House passed the bill, which is estimated to cost $300 billion over 10 years. 

The FRA submitted a statement for the joint hearing that supports both toxic exposure bills. The statement also raises alarm over the VA family caregiver program’s expansion not being properly implemented. The VA’s revised regulation has tightened the eligibility criteria for the Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers Program substantially beyond what is required by law. The VA’s regulation substantially changes the program’s eligibility criteria, the process for determining a veteran’s need for assistance and the entire methodology for calculating the stipend paid to the caregiver. The FRA is concerned that many caregivers will be unable to obtain assistance, the opposite of the intent of the 2018 VA MISSION Act. The FRA statement also includes commentary on other key veterans’ issues, including other health care issues, mental health challenges, veteran homelessness and veteran suicide. Members can weigh in on the toxic exposure issue by using the FRA Action Center at www.fra.org. 

President Biden Gives State of the Union Address to Congress
President Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union address to Congress. The 62-minute speech came as inflation dramatically increased, raising the consumer price index 7.5% annually by the end of January, the fastest rise since 1982. In addition, there is the international crisis created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The first item addressed in his speech was the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He then discussed the problem of inflation and noted economic gains over the past year. He proposed initiatives to reduce ocean shipping costs and spiraling nursing care costs for the elderly. 

The FRA is thankful that among these other issues, the president also addressed the toxic exposure of veterans, calling on Congress to pass legislation. He noted his deceased son Beau, an Army veteran, was exposed to burn pit pollutants and said many veterans, like his son, suffer from lifelong injuries after serving in combat, including cancer.  He said Beau may have developed his brain cancer as a result of exposure to toxins from burn pits in Iraq. He called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand presumptive conditions for these types of disability claims. (See next story.)  

Additionally, the president pledged to address what he called a mental health crisis in America. Biden promoted a new three-digit crisis line that is already available in many parts of the country and is expected to go nationwide in July. He also proposed $700 million in funding for local crisis centers. He thanked Congress for progress made against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

VA Plans to Add Rare Cancers to Presumptive Conditions List 
The Department of Veterans Affairs is drafting a proposal that would add certain rare respiratory cancers to the list of disabilities presumed to be connected to environmental exposure to particulate matter during veterans’ military service.

After a careful review of existing scientific and medical evidence, the VA concluded that there is biologic plausibility — the medical term for a possible cause-and-effect relationship — between airborne hazards, specifically particulate matter, and the development of cancer in the respiratory tract. Although further research is necessary to clearly establish causality, the VA determined that the unique circumstances of these rare cancers warranted a presumption of service connection on the basis of the current evidence. 

VA Secretary Denis McDonough is proposing a new rule that would add presumptive service connection for the following cancers for certain veterans:
•	Squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx or trachea.
•	Adenocarcinoma of the trachea. 
•	Salivary gland-type tumors of the trachea. 
•	Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung. 
•	Large cell carcinoma of the lung. 
•	Salivary gland-type tumors of the lung. 
•	Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung. 
•	Typical and atypical carcinoid of the lung.

“This is the right decision. The rarity and severity of these illnesses, and the reality that these conditions present a situation where it may not be possible to develop additional evidence prompted us to take this critical action,” said McDonough in a press release. “We’ll continue to hold ourselves accountable to veterans to provide more care, more benefits and more services to more veterans than ever before.”

The VA plans to focus its rule on veterans who served for any amount of time in select locations, including the Southwest Asia theater of operations. After the proposed rule has been drafted, the VA will invite and consider public comments for a specified period as part of the process. The VA has stated that once rule-making is complete, they will reach out to impacted veterans and survivors to inform them about the change and their potential eligibility for additional benefits.

James Honea Selected as New MCPON
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday has selected Fleet Master Chief James Honea to become the 16th master chief petty officer of the Navy. Honea, who currently serves as the command senior enlisted leader for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, will take on the new job Sept. 8. Honea enlisted in the Navy in 1987 and advanced through the ranks as a boatswain’s mate. Honea will replace MCPON Russell Smith, who took on the job in Aug. 2018.

Honea has served as the command master chief of Naval Support Activity South Potomac, and U.S. Naval Forces Korea, as well as U.S. Navy Embedded Training Teams during an individual augmentee assignment to Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix, which was deployed to Afghanistan .. He has been awarded the Legion of Merit Medal, five Meritorious Service medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medals, and four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals, as well as numerous additional personal, unit and campaign awards. He has graduated from the U.S. Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, the Command Master Chief Course and National Defense University’s Senior Enlisted JPME Keystone Course. 

Ukrainian President Addresses Joint Session of Congress
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke through Zoom to a joint session of Congress for 15 minutes. He pressed senators and representatives for help as his country battles Russia, which launched an invasion of Ukraine in February. He reminded Congress of the Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor attack and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States in making a comparison to the bombing of Ukrainian cities. Zelenskyy asked lawmakers for several things that would help Ukraine, including blocking the purchase of Russian oil, providing planes to Ukraine and implementing a no-fly zone. 

His speech came after Congress approved and President Biden signed into law the FY2022 government funding package, which included $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine. Within hours after the Zelenskyy speech, President Biden announced $800 million in additional new assistance for Ukraine.

FEATURE  STORY

The Honor Flight Network
Bringing Veterans Closure and Connection in Washington, D.C.

By Jessica Brodkin Webb

The Honor Flight Network’s mission is deceptively simple: “To celebrate America’s veterans by inviting them to share in a day of honor at our nation’s memorials.” However, the program is significantly more complex than this simple mission statement on its website implies and requires hours of work by dedicated volunteers. Over 130 different Honor Flight hubs fall under the nonprofit umbrella organization, all self-funded and dedicated to taking WWII and Korean War veterans on an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to visit several memorials on the National Mall.

Getting to D.C.
Veterans who live west of St. Louis are typically sent on a three-day trip, while veterans east of St. Louis can cover the same visit in just one day; there are also a handful of hubs that utilize buses for local veterans to experience the trip. Upon returning home, there is often a crowd waiting to welcome back the travelers with posters, happy greetings and an air of celebration.

World War II Army veteran Clayton Baum, who participated in the Omaha Beach landing and was later awarded Battle Stars for Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe, said he had never experienced anything like the trip before in his life.

“I felt so unworthy of the crowd when we landed; I just didn’t know what to say,” Baum told The Star-News after his trip last year. “I’d forgotten all about the war until that flight. I happened to be a substitute who got the chance to go and I don’t know how I got that lucky.”

If a veteran happens to live over 120 miles from a flight hub, Honor Flight Network Chief Development and Communications Officer Carol Lindamood Harlow said, he or she is welcome to make the trip on a “Lone Eagle” flight through the national office.

Serving Veterans as a Guardian
Regardless of their exact itinerary, each veteran is accompanied by a volunteer guardian for the duration of the trip. These volunteers, who pay part of their own way, are often family members. After they have returned home and had time to think about the experience, many volunteers say it is one of the most significant activities they have ever participated in, Harlow said, and most sign up to volunteer again.

Guardian and retired school administrator Corinne Lewis said she had the honor of observing the guards at Arlington National Cemetery scuff the heels of their polished shoes on the sidewalk as they walked past the veterans in her Honor Flight group. In all her years of bringing schoolchildren for an annual D.C. trip, this was the first she had ever heard of the subtle salute rendered to veterans by otherwise silently precise guards.

Honor Flight San Diego Director of Public Relations Holly Shaffner said that by volunteering, guardians often learn details they never knew about their parents, “these humble heroes who came home from the war and didn't tell their story,” but instead just went about their lives.

“When sons and daughters are guardians on the flight, they say, ‘Oh my goodness, I never knew that Dad was in Pearl Harbor’ or ‘I never knew that Dad was there on D-Day’ because they went away to war, did their job then came back to work in construction, as milkmen, as postmen. They came back and had families and never even talked about their experience,” Shaffner said.

How Honor Flight Took Off
The Honor Flight Network was born from two separate programs: a 2005 iteration of Honor Flight conceived by retired Air Force Capt. Earl Morse and the HonorAir program founded by a charter member of the World War II Memorial Society, Jeff Miller. Whereas Morse enlisted the help of fellow pilots to bring World War II veterans who would not otherwise be able to travel to the newly completed WW II memorial and serve as their personal escorts, Miller was inspired to charter full jets so many veterans and volunteers could take a similar trip all at once.
Miller and Morse met in 2007, and subsequently merged their respective organizations into what has become the Honor Flight Network, which has taken thousands of WWII and Korean War veterans to the memorials that were erected in their honor.

“That is a generation which went to war, came home and just got back to life,” Harlow said.  “When they’re on an Honor Flight, it's the first time for many of them to share their war experience with their family. For many, it's a time for reflection, for talking to family about how it impacted their life. Many people tell us it's one of the most impactful experiences of their life.”

Without the initial work of Miller and Morse, some older veterans, many living on a fixed income and far from Washington, D.C., would not otherwise get to visit the capital. 

Since then, the organization has grown exponentially, and sprouted a few special branches created for niche groups, including all-female veterans trips and flights for veterans who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. For the latter group, a TLC flight, arranged as “Their Last Chance” to visit the nation’s capital, requires some extra coordination — organizers try to accommodate veterans traveling in this capacity on the next possible trip.

“It is important to remember that everyone is welcome to be on an Honor Flight,” Harlow said. She noted that although they do sometimes coordinate all-women’s trips, they are infrequent because organizers would rather veterans not wait for a specific trip.

“Honor Flight is for everyone. I encourage everyone who has served to see themselves as a veteran, as eligible, and participate,” Harlow said.

Now Departing
Before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, about 245,200 veterans had taken the flight since 2005 — about 23,000 made the trip in 2019 before flights were temporarily suspended.

“This year, we’ll be celebrating the 250,000th veteran to take the trip, recognized as a group on May 3 at the World War II memorial.  Harlow said. “We’ve invited special guests like the president, members of Congress and administration to join us.”

The event is being chaired by former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, wife to former Sen. Bob Dole, who passed away in 2021. In 2008, Bob Dole nominated both Morse and Miller for the Presidential Citizens Medal; it was awarded later that year by then-President George W. Bush to the men who conceptualized Honor Flight. 

Army veteran Bob Dole, who was severely wounded during WWII, was co-chairman of the World War II Memorial Society and was known to greet Honor Flight travelers with a smile and a handshake as they arrived at the site.

As the Greatest Generation dwindles daily with the passing of time, the Honor Flight Network has begun taking groups of Vietnam veterans to the National Mall. For many, Harlow said, the trip represents closure.

“An Honor Flight guardian had a Vietnam veteran with him who said ahead of time he was going on the trip but could not go over to the memorial,” Harlow recalled. “They talked it through and … it took a lot for that veteran to get there; he’d lost a lot of friends in that war. The volunteer later heard from one of the veteran’s family members who called him and said the man came back a little different. It can be a little tough for our Vietnam veterans to go on the trip, but we really encourage all those able to please sign up for an Honor Flight.”

It is also important to note that there are many younger veterans who participate as guardians on flights, Shaffner said, providing an intergenerational connection between service members that is significant.

Sometimes, Harlow said, she listens to the travelers talking and hears them realize they were stationed “a week apart in the same place” or have something else in common.

“It can be closure; it can also be a way to connect,” Harlow said.

This year’s flights began on March 12 and flights have been organized through November, with more still to be added throughout the year. Visit www.honorflight.org for more information on participating in an upcoming flight as a veteran or a guardian.          

FEATURE STORY

The National Coast Guard Museum
Coming Soon to the Connecticut Waterfront

By Ann Norvell Gray

The history of the United States Coast Guard reveals the organization’s fundamental contribution to the foundation of a stable American economy. It was first established by Congress on the recommendation of Alexander Hamilton in the summer of 1790 as the Revenue Marine — later the Revenue Cutter Service —  to enforce customs regulations.  Given the realities of life on the high seas, the utilization of rivers as the original interstate highways, and the dependence of the American population on trade, neither piracy nor smuggling could be tolerated. Consequently, from its first days, this force was always considered part of the military services, and armed accordingly. For its first eight years, until the Department of the Navy was established, it was the only military service afloat. An act of Congress in 1915 combined rescue and lifesaving duties into the service and renamed it the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1939, lighthouse operation responsibilities were added.

A Story Waiting To Be Told
Despite this exemplary track record, the full story of the Coast Guard’s 232 years of service has not yet been pulled together and presented to the public in a comprehensive modern facility. The Coast Guard’s collections of artifacts are managed by the curatorial staff of its Historian’s Office, which is tucked into a late 19th-century building in the southeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. Many of those collections are in storage, and are most often seen by the public when lent to museums and other exhibitors across the country. The Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, has a small museum on its campus with curatorial support from the Historian’s Office, which serves as the public exhibition space for the Coast Guard Heritage Asset Collection. The Coast Guard Museum Northwest is a modest installation on the grounds of Coast Guard Base Seattle focused on the roles of the Coast Guard in the maritime history of the Pacific Northwest. FRAtoday featured Cape Cod’s Coast Guard Heritage Museum, which is housed in a renovated customs house, in the August 2019 issue. But so far, no ambitious project celebrating the full breadth and importance of this small but storied branch of the American armed forces has been established.

All that is scheduled to change. On a site in New London, Connecticut, on the banks of the Thames River about a mile and a half downriver from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, an ambitious and striking modern glass building will be erected for just that purpose. The National Coast Guard Museum Association, a group of donors and advocates formed nearly 10 years ago, has worked to put together the official support, the funds, the exhibit design concepts and the architectural plan for this 80,000-square-foot, comprehensive National Coast Guard Museum. 

The determination of the impressive list of people involved in the association was well expressed by retired Adm. Robert Papp Jr., 24th commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and former member of the association’s board of directors. In a video for the association’s website, Papp said:

“The museum is important to our country and to our Coast Guard … because this service has not had the entire story brought together in one place where the public can appreciate the breadth, the impact and the contributions that the Coast Guard has made to our country. … We protect America from threats coming from the sea, we protect people who use the sea and we protect the sea itself. … 
“[Respecting our past] helps us to understand who we are, and to prepare us for the future. The museum will provide us with that place of focus. It’s going to be a magnificent monument to our Coast Guard, but it’s also going to be an educational facility that will … educate and inspire generations of people yet to come. … I believe in the great enlisted people of the Coast Guard. I believe in our chief petty officers. I believe in our civilians, our auxiliarists, and our reservists. I believe in the families that support them and that nourish them and that love them. And I believe we need a museum.”

Planning the Visitor Experience
The process has not been easy. The first estimated completion date was 2016. Later estimates pushed the opening into 2020. More time and more support was added to the process and the current target has moved into 2022. While we wait, the museum association’s expansive website allows for a thorough examination of the current exhibit design process and plans for a focus on public education at all levels throughout the facility. 

The museum’s offerings are structured around the three familiar themes of safety, security and stewardship. Within these three organizing concepts are five storylines representing the Coast Guard’s responsibilities: “Defenders of the Nation,” “Enforcers of the Seas,” “Lifesavers Around the Globe,” “Champions of Commerce” and “Protectors of the Environment.” The combinations of art, artifacts and interactive experiences are designed to walk visitors through the history and perhaps the future of the many roles demanded of the U.S. Coast Guard. 
 
Integral to the museum complex will be a berth for the 295-foot, three-masted barque USCGC EAGLE, the flagship and essential training vessel of the U.S. Coast Guard. Familiarly known as “America’s Tall Ship,” it is the largest tall ship flying the American flag, and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service. It was built in Germany in 1936, and was initially commissioned HORST WESSEL as part of the German Navy before WWII. After the war, it was among the assets claimed as war reparations, was recommissioned and was sailed to the Coast Guard Academy in New London. It currently serves as an ambassador for the Coast Guard, sailing into ports around the world.

A Glimpse of the Stories to Come
The museum association’s website is a preview for armchair travelers to the planned museum, describing the plans for some 200 galleries and exhibits, and offering a variety of impressive renderings and film clips related to its supporting vision and to the Coast Guard itself. Perhaps the most compelling of these are the trailers for two films, one the 2016 Disney film “The Finest Hours” about the dramatic rescue of the SS FORT MERCER and the SS PENDLETON, and the other a 2015 documentary about the Guardsmen responders who arrived from all over the country to participate in the rescue and cleanup operations in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Both give viewers a taste of the raw courage required for the Coast Guard’s rescue mission, to which the museum will dedicate a full wing. 

Many Shipmates already know the PENDLETON story quite well, but for the others among you, here is what happened. In the winter of 1952, pummeled by a huge nor’easter, two WWII T2 tanker ships split apart. Although the PENDLETON broke first, it couldn’t get out an SOS. When the FORT MERCER succeeded in calling for help, all the available Coast Guard cutters and air support from the Chatham Lifeboat Station sped to the rescue, leaving only small boats at the station when the broken PENDLETON was spotted. Modern technology makes it possible to experience the terrifying power of the sea firsthand in watching “The Finest Hours.” If there was ever any doubt about the courage and determination of coxswain Bernard Webber and his three volunteers aboard the 36-foot CG-36500 that put out into blinding snow and 60-foot seas, crossed the treacherous Chatham Bar, and brought back 32 survivors in a vessel designed for 12, this gripping story consigns that doubt to the rubbish heap once and for all.

The second of these film clips previews “Paratus 14:50,” a documentary released in the summer of 2015 for broadcast on PBS covering the spectacularly courageous, determined, tireless and creative Coast Guard response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans. In seven days of sustained response, the Coast Guard teams rescued 33,000 of the estimated 60,000 people stranded in attics, on rooftops, on window ledges, and in the deep seawater coursing through what were supposed to be city streets. The film leads with a quote from retired Coast Guard Capt. Bruce Jones, who said: “What matters the most in a crisis is not the plan, it is leadership. It is not process, it is people. And it is not organizational charts, it is organizational culture.” A subsequent governmental report examining the factors that made this response possible summarized the story this way:

“[Three] days into the response, approximately 43 aircraft and over 2,000 personnel had arrived at the Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Alabama, from other parts of the United States to join the Hurricane Katrina response. Rescue swimmers — 80 of whom were operating out of Air Station New Orleans at the peak of air operations — worked among power lines, flying debris, and other obstacles not routine to maritime rescues to hoist individuals from rooftops. Helicopter crews also conducted search and rescue operations. … [Other teams reacted to vast oil spills, during which] responders faced heat stress and dehydration as well as a profusion of insects, poisonous snakes, and alligators as they conducted clean up operations in remote locations.”1 

It is possible to watch the documentary in its entirety at the Alabama PBS station’s website: www.pbs.org/video/alabama-public-television-presents-paratus-1450/. For a civilian, it was a revelation, inspiring a new understanding of what we ask of this branch of our armed services, and how spectacularly they can perform.

Closer Than Ever
It is clear that, since its early role in protecting the revenue stream of an emerging nation, the Coast Guard has exercised the exceptional skills and courage of its members to protect all of America’s coastlines from enemies foreign and domestic, and to intervene when the nation’s citizens are overwhelmed by the power of the sea. Intrepid and always prepared, Coast Guardsmen have rounded up lawbreakers, watched over the law-abiding, and rescued the crews and passengers of any vessel in distress, whether it be a fishing boat, rumrunner, pleasure cruiser or cargo ship, even a boat full of hijackers, drug smugglers or human traffickers. Those kinds of operations are well and widely known, but there has been so much more.

As we prepared to go to press, The Associated Press reported that the U.S. House of Representatives had passed an omnibus bill including $50 million for the new museum, which would push the purse nearly halfway to the expected budget and open the way to the possibility that site work could actually begin this summer. When the audacious task of telling the whole story reaches its goal in this museum, the full impact of the United States Coast Guard can finally get the attention and respect it so richly deserves.

1. https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-06-903.pdf

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MEMBERHSIP MATTERS

Opportunities to Get Involved: Branch, Regional and National

This is the second article in a series about FRA leadership opportunities. Between branch, regional and even national leadership positions, there is no shortage of opportunities to step into leadership roles. We encourage Shipmates to find their own path into those positions because every new voice adds to the richness of the dialogue we want to foster. That mentality which, in turn, keeps us in touch with the sea services, and drives our ability to retain and expand our membership.

This month, I will highlight another three of the nine national committees. Any Shipmate, whether affiliated with a branch or a Member-at-Large, can be appointed to any of these committees. Some start their leadership journey there, while others work at the local branch level to be close to their branch members. Just as you could have served your nation in any branch of the U.S. military when you enlisted, there is no wrong answer to the question of where to begin serving as a leader in the FRA. There are so many different paths you can take once you make that decision to help.

If you are interested in a committee, please reach out to the points of contact. You can find their contact information by logging into your FRA account on our website or by contacting a regional officer. Committee descriptions are also updated on the website at www.fra.org/committees. Here are three committees to consider:

Committee on Hospitals, Welfare and Rehabilitation
The primary duties of this committee are to foster and maintain good relations between the Fleet Reserve Association and various hospitals, to extend praise and commendation to those units that have rendered outstanding service, and to investigate allegations that Shipmates or dependents are not receiving the full benefits of existing laws and regulations. The committee requests the cooperation of the branch chairmen of this committee and reminds them of the importance of this committee at the branch level. When the need for welfare assistance comes to the attention of the chairman, he or she shall immediately notify the respective regional president for referral to the Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation chairman for action in accordance with the applicable standing rule, Fleet Reserve Association Disaster Relief Fund. The chairman for 2021-2022 is Past National Chaplain Paul R. Gunther.  

Committee on Youth Activities
The primary duty of this committee is to study the various methods by which branches and Shipmates may best serve the youth in their communities so that these young people may be properly guided in their endeavors to become better and more useful citizens. The committee encourages the full cooperation of all branches and members to assist it in carrying out this duty. The chairman of this committee for 2021-2022 is Kempsville Branch 99 Secretary Paula Falu.

Committee on Veterans Service
This committee oversees the FRA Veteran Service Officer program, reporting on the number and activities of FRA-accredited veteran service officers. The committee also oversees and reports on member involvement with the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement, formerly the Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service, or VAVS, program. The committee provides education and outreach to the membership about the policies and regulations of these programs and encourages branches and Shipmates to become involved in VA services at the state, local or national level, including at VA regional offices, medical facilities, state or national veterans cemeteries, and veterans homes. Each year, the committee recognizes a Shipmate who has rendered outstanding service to veterans The chairman for 2021-2022 is Shipmate and Veteran Service Officer Noelle Huffer.

Christina is the director of membership development and may be reached at ChristinaH@FRA.org

Shipmate News

1. Branch 207, Dale City, Va.
Branch President Bill Ashton (L) presented to PNP Jeff Gilmartin (R) his 40-Year Continuous Membership Certificate during the branch’s monthly meeting that was held at Denny’s in November.

2. Branch 124, Lakehurst, N.J.
PRPNE David Munday (L) and Branch Secretary Sharon A. Munday presented a Special Award Certificate to WWII veteran Irving Hurwitz (R) on his 100th birthday.

3. Branch 126, Jacksonville, Fla.
The Fort White High School winners at the branch level of the Americanism Essay Contest gathered for a photo. (L to R) First place winner Alexandra Padin, Branch President J.J. Thomas, second place winner Leslie Garcia-Aguirre, 10th grade teacher Martha Robinson and third place winner Jade Kirkland. 

4. Branch 212, Fort Meade, MD.
Shipmate and retired Navy Chief Warren “Red” Bergere from the Meade Branch received his 65-Year Continuous Membership Certificate and Pin from Branch 212 on Jan. 8.

5. Branch 13, Atlantic City, N.J.
On Sept. 19, 2021, Branch 13 donated $200 to the local Hamilton Historical Society. (L to R) Kim Yoder-Notaro, Frank Williams, Al Davenport, the Rev. John Ash and HHS President Bob Campbell.

6. Branch 126, Jacksonville, Fla.
NVP Robbie Robbins met the Consul Woohyung Cho from the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Atlanta on Feb. 5 at the Jacksonville National Cemetery in Florida. (L to R) NVP James Robbins, Consul Woohyung Cho and PRPSE J.J. Thomas. Cho’s three daughters are in the front row.

7. Branch 24, Annapolis, Md.
During the East Coast Midyear Meeting on Feb. 19, the Charles E. Lofgren Award for excellence in FRA recruiting was presented to Branch 24. (L to R) NP James Campbell, FRA Director of Membership Development Christina Hitchcock and Branch 24 2nd Vice President Patrick J. Guibao.

8. Branch 89, Atlanta, GA.
Branch President Ernie Rose (L) introduced guest speaker Pam Younker, an Air Force and Space Force civic leader who, along with others, advises the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force. Her presentation included a discussion of relations between service members and local civilians worldwide. 

9. Branch 15, Walhalla, S.C.
On Feb. 19, Branch President Clyde Albertson (L) accepted banners on behalf of his branch from Southeast Regional President Jack M. Fogel (R) including Americanism/Patriotism, second place, Group 5 and 100% Membership.

10. Branch 23, Buffalo, N.Y.
RPNE/NEng. Neil Ross (L) received two award letters for his recruiting efforts from Shipmate and Branch President Wayne Sorrentino (R).

11. 
Branch 294, Crossville, Tenn.
Branch 294 hosted the 2022 TN/AL Midyear Council Meeting to grade first place essay submissions in the Southeast Region for the Americanism Essay Contest and to discuss other business. (Front table, R to L) Wayne Odell, FRA PRPSE Jerry Brice, LA FRA PRPSE Millie Brice, FRA PRPSE Laurie Bailey and Tim Bailey. (second table, R to L) FRA NVP James “Robbie” Robbins, FRA PRPSE Bobbie Smith, LA FRA PNP Sandy Robbins and LA FRA PNP Jean Smith. (third table, not shown) Helen Northcutt. 

12. Branch 382, Nampa, Idaho
Branch President Ted Olson presented the first place award for the branch’s Americanism Essay Contest to Madelyn Clemenson, who lives in Bellingham, Washington, on Feb. 21.

TAPS

Name	Rating	Branch
Adams, Leslie H. 	MR1, USN	MAL
Alsbury, Raymond E.	BTCS, USN	MAL
Apodaca, Paul F.	GYSGT, USMC	MAL

Banky, Charles A.	BMC, USN	MAL
Beckner, Roy	LT, USN	MAL
Black, Donald W.	MAC(SW), USN	61
Blake, Leon G.	HMCS, USN	MAL
Blavier, Otto G.	CWO4, USN	146
Boehm, Gerald	BMC, USN	298
Brant, Ronald H.	RMC, USN	MAL
Bright, Chester V.	EMCS, USN	MAL
Broome, Warren W.	LCDR, USN	MAL
Bundy, Donald S.	PHC, USN	29

Cahill, David F.	MMC(SS), USN	MAL
Camp, John B.	CPL, USMC	382
Campanale, Nicholas J. YNC(SS), USN	90
Carey, Larry F.	POCM, USN	106
Carico, James R.	SKC, USN	47
Christenson, George L. BM1, USN	24
Clark, Floyd M.	HMCS, USN	MAL
Converse, Lee E.	SHC, USN	MAL
Curtis, Barbara	USCG	364

Demel, Larry	CPO, USN	MAL
Diaz, Peter	ETCM, USN	61
Diggs, Clayton H.	BUC, USN	92
Dumas, Gary W.	HMC, USN	70

Eicholtz, Frederick C.	STGCS, USN	103
Elliott, Larry W.	AE2, USN	93
Errington, Harry R.	LCDR, USN	93

Fallen, David	USN	24
Ford, Joseph S.	SGTMAJ, USMC	316
French, Neal D.	USN	289
French, Ralph E.	PRC, USN	126
Graham, Ronald B.	LT, USN	106
Graybeal, William J.	ENC (SS), USN	49
Greene, John H.	AEC, USN	22
Gullickson, John	MSCS, USN	289

Hansen, Sherm	CWO, USN	22
Hauffe, Robert C.	MUC, USN	22
Hildreth, Daniel C.	AQCS, USN	MAL
Hoekstra, Donald R.	CUCM, USN	MAL
Hughes, Gregory A.	AMS2, USNR	91

Iverson, Dale C.	AT1, USN	97

Jaeger, Gary T.	MMCS, USN	MAL

Kedrowski, Joseph F.	AMCS, USN	MAL
Keleti, Stephen	LT, USN	24
Kelly, John W.	ASC, USN	MAL

Lawson, Albert C.	MACS, USN	159
Lawson, Lowell W.	ENC, USN	MAL
Lazo, Juan L.	MS1, USN	99
Leano, Epifanio T.	YNCS, USN	84
Lucas, William R.	LCOL, USMC	302

Marshall, Elwin	EMCS, USN	MAL
Marshall, Larry	OSC, USN	87
Martinez, Issac	CPO, USN	42
Massie, David H.	MN1, USN	MAL
Mathis, Louis R.	PHCS, USN	22
Menzie, Larry D.	1STSGT, USMC	MAL
Mercado, Ruben	SH1, USN	38
Mickesh, Joseph D.	AGC, USN	91
Mongalo, Juan J.	DKC, USN	91
Moye, Larry D.	USN	91
Mullens, Troy V.	FTC, USN	MAL
Myers, Jerald W.	YNCS, USN	201

Neaton, William	SKCS, USN	MAL

O’Brien, John L.	POCM, USN	MAL
Pace, Guy E.	ADC, USN	MAL
Peick, Richard L.	GMMC, USN	216
Peterson, Klaus R.	LT, USN	MAL
Price, John	IMCS, USN	MAL

Quinn, Michael L.	ETCM, USN	99

Reddy, Robert J.	AMCS, USN	72
Rhyne, Keith	OSC, USN	MAL
Richardson, John H.	GMCM, USN	89
Ronnow, Richard W.	EN1, USN	MAL
Russell, Robert R.	MAC, USN	MAL

Scheidler, Terry L.	EMC, USN	298
Schmidt, Howard F.	SKC, USNR	11
Self, Lewie F.	CSC, USN	290
Selvage, Carl	GMCS, USN	MAL
Shelton, William W.	ATCS, USN	MAL
Spangler, Floyd M.	ENCM(SS), USN	MAL
PRPNE/NEng. Starkey, William E.
	UCCM, USNR	57
Stewart, William K.	ADC, USN	MAL
Stone, Bryan	BUC, USN	MAL
Swihart, Jack	ATC, USN	91

Teefy, Ronald D.	PNCM/TAR, USNR	89
Teeple, Edward J.	HTCS, USN	316

Upton, Pat J.	MS1, USN	268

Villarreal, Jesus	YNC, USN	117

PRPWC, Washington, Louis V.	
	ENC, USN	08
Wheat Delbert R.	RMCM, USN	MAL
White, James F.	STCS(SS), USN	MAL
White, Charles E.	ACC, USN	22
Whitty, Neldon V.	CDR, USN	105
Williams, Richard F.	HMC, USN	MAL
Witt, Roe E.	DCC, USN	172
Wixson, Gail A.	AVCM, USN	MAL
Woods, Clifford J.	ABCM, USN	MAL

Zerby, Reynold C.	AMHC, USN	166
Zikeli, George A.	RMC, USN	290

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LA FRA Auxiliary

A Message from the South Central Regional President

It is truly an honor to be the president of the South Central Region for another year.
I traveled to Unit 94 this past February and in March visited four units in Louisiana: Unit 222 in Slidell, Unit 92 and Unit 162 in New Orleans, and Unit 371 in Baton Rouge. I also attended the Annual Pilgrimage that was held in Washington, D.C. in April. 

This year has been rather challenging due to the fact that LA FRA members are not willing to step up and hold positions as unit officers and board members. Unit 11 in Fort Worth, Texas, was sent all the information they need to transfer their members as they so direct. I have also stayed in touch with the units in the South Central Region by telephone. Unit 371 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is running strong and yet the Shipmates are having trouble getting people to step up and take branch officer positions. They are currently working to get new officers elected and in place. 

Despite this, our units are still collecting items to donate to nursing and veterans homes. We have members making face masks for hospitals and for veterans who are in nursing homes. Some members are volunteering at soup kitchens to help feed the needy. Baton Rouge Branch and Unit 371, have donated soda, water and snacks to veterans homes.

Navy Exam Breakfasts
There are Navy-wide chief, E-6 and E-5 advancement examinations that are held at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. Both FRA Branch and LA FRA Unit 94, along with the Corpus Christi Navy League, regularly provide a breakfast for all the active-duty sailors who are sitting for the exam. Normally, members enjoy providing a good meal for these men and women over the course of what is usually seven exam sessions. This year, due to the 6-foot social distancing practice, members went the extra mile to serve seven breakfasts and four lunches over 11 exam sessions.

South Central Meeting Schedule
The South Central Regional Midyear Meeting was held via ZOOM conference call on March 19. The South Central Regional Convention will be held in person from Aug. 18 to 20, at the LeBossier Event Center, located at 4000 Industrial Dr., Bossier City, LA, 71112. The hotel room rates are $69 per night plus tax. The telephone number for making your reservation is 318-747-0711. In order to get the reduced room rate, please say that you are with the Fleet Reserve Association.     FRA
Yours in Loyalty, Protection and Service,
PNP Gini C. Larson, RPSC  

Gini is the South Central regional president.
FINANCE MATTERS

When Things Seem out of Control, Control the Things You Can

During times of heightened stress, such as when there’s extreme market volatility, a person can quickly become overwhelmed and struggle to do things that might be considered simple or obvious. It can be helpful to focus on the things you can control, identifying actions that you can take and completing those action steps. 
Here are four action items for you to consider: 

Review Your Investment Plan 
Before you start making changes to your investment portfolio, consider your goals. Are you saving for retirement? Do you need to build a college fund for your children? Did a recent event create a need to adjust your plan? If your goals have changed or if you haven’t updated your plan in a while, review and, if necessary, update your investment strategy to support reaching your goals. 

Understand Your Risk Tolerance 
Risk is a key principle in investing. Some investments are riskier than others, but every financial decision involves risk. Since risk is inescapable, the key is to understand your risk tolerance and manage how much you are taking, which should be based on your long-term financial goals. If your tolerance for risk has changed, review your strategy and make sure you are still comfortable with the amount of risk you’re taking. 

Stick to Your Plan 
When the market gets volatile, investors often react emotionally and may want to pull out of the market to try to avoid loss. However, remember that moving or selling investments during a market decline will likely lock in losses; staying invested may allow you to benefit if the market comes back. Before reacting, take time to step back and try to respond using logic rather than emotion. 

Organize and Update Important Documents 
Are your important documents up to date and accessible to those who may need them? 
Create a reference list of your documents and consider making a digital version for easy storage and accessibility. Also ensure that your beneficiary designations for investment accounts, life insurance and other accounts are up to date to reflect any new circumstances, such as a marriage, birth, death, or divorce. Beneficiary designations typically supersede your will or trust, so you’ll want to confirm that they are current and accurate.   FRA

Trust services available through banking and trust affiliates in addition to nonaffiliated companies of Wells Fargo Advisors. 

Wells Fargo Advisors does not provide legal or tax advice. Be sure to consult with your tax and legal advisors before taking any action that could have tax consequences. Any estate plan should be reviewed by an attorney who specializes in estate planning and is licensed to practice law in your state.

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, VA at 800-247-8602.

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• Not insured by the FDIC or any federal government agency.
• Not a deposit or other obligation of, or guaranteed by, the bank or any bank affiliate.
• Subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal amount invested.

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