ANNUAL EVENT UNDERWAY JUST AFTER DAWN APRIL 2ND

Sixty four carefully constituted teams will travel to Capitol Hill Wednesday, April 2, 2008, to brief legislators on several issues in an effort to safeguard earned entitlements and improve the overall general well-being of uniformed services personnel.

The teams are made up of MOAA Board members, MOAA professional staff, council presidents or their representatives, members of the Auxiliary Advisory Committee, members of the Active Duty/Guard/Reserve Advisory Committee, and members of the Currently Serving Spouse Advisory Committee. More than 135 MOAA personnel will Storm the Hill, trying hard to make a difference.

Four of the teams, numbers one to four in MOAA’s lineup, are from California. It is this group that will be representing all MOAA members throughout the state.

Team one members are COL Warren Enos, AUS (RET), Sunnyvale, President, California Council of Chapters (CAL-MOAA), BG Wayne Hoffmann, AUS (RET), Coronado, Vice President, and Mrs. Nina Valli, South Riding, VA, Member, MOAA Spouse Advisory Committee. Although all appointments are not yet confirmed this team will visit districts 5/Matsui, 12/Lantos (Military Affairs staff person), 14/Eshoo, 15 Honda, 16/Lofgren, 25/McKeon, 29/Schiff, 33/Watson, 34/Roybal-Allard, and 37/Richardson.

Team two is made up of two MOAA Board members, CAPT Warren G. McDonald, USCG (RET), Menlo Park, and CDR Sarah F. Rogers, USNR (RET), El Cajon. The schedule is likely to include districts 3/Lungren, 9/Lee, 23 Capps, 31/Bacerra, 32/Solis, 35/Waters, 39/Sanchez, Linda, 51/Filner, 52/Hunter, 53/Davis.

Team three members include MOAA Board members Col Bill Gavitt, USAF-Ret, Riverside, and Col Kenneth D. Jordan, USMC (Ret), San Diego, and most of these district legislators will be visited: 36/Harmon, 38/Napilitano, 41/Lewis, 44/Calvert, 45/Bono, 47/Sanchez, Loretta, 48/Campbell III, 50 Bilbray, 30/Waxman, 40/Royce, 43/Baca, 49/Isa.

Team four is composed of MOAA Board Chairman Gen Michael P. C. Carns, USAF-Ret, Pebble Beach, and former MOAA Board member Col Renee Rubin, USAF-Ret, Sonoma. Visits will be made to: Senator Feinstein, Senator Boxer, and Representatives 6/Woolsey, 8/Pelosi, 10/Tauscher, 11/McNerney and 17/Farr.

The specific number of legislators actually visited will depend on a number of factors in part including availability, scheduling, conflicts, and last minute delays.

Wednesday, April 2nd, will begin with an early morning group photograph. Look for it in a future issue of Military Officer magazine.

These are the issues the teams will discuss with legislators and/or the military legislative assistant:

(1) Since the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, asserts that military manpower requirements and accelerated wear/aging of weapons/equipment over many years of war have had a significant impact on operations, the teams will suggest the need to sustain the defense budget floor of at least 4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP);

(2) On the basis a Pentagon task force has recommended dramatically raisinig health care costs for retired families, the teams will argue the need to bar disproportional military health fee increases;

(3) On the basis of a Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) recommendation, the teams will discuss the need to eliminate financial penalties for military-caused disabilities and deaths.

In the past, members have been relatively successful meeting with influential legislators, discussing the issues, taking photos for the magazine and other purposes, and generally cementing a sound working relationship for the future. In some cases when the legislator is called away, teams are usually able to meet with an important staffer, someone with a basic interest in MOAA concerns, who will forward the message as appropriate.

The Storming the Hill event is only a part of a three day series of meetings in Alexandria, VA which begin Monday evening, March 31st, a travel day for many, with an informal reception. Tuesday is dedicated to a series of briefings by support service organizations such as Pentagon Federal Credit Union, Garrett Financial Planning, Marsh Affinity/Genworth, and MOAA Travel to name some. Full reports will be provided California MOAA members at a later date.

The afternoon of Tuesday is used to prepare team members for the the upcoming Storming the Hill event beginning the following morning. On Tuesday evening there is a bus ride Capitol Hill for a MOAA Awards Ceremony; many of the legislators will be invited and will likely attend.

Thursday throughout the day will be a “Crosstalk” seminar where participants will obtain detailed information about MOAA and its capabilities and give everyone an opportunity to identify and discuss type solutions to council and chapter opportunities and challenges. The conference usually concludes at or about 4:00pm Thursday.

Although time is growing very short, it would be important and useful if MOAA members everywhere would telephone the Washington, DC or local office and/or e-mail or send a fax message to their legislators, those likely to be visited, and express the importance of the April 2nd Capitol Hill office visit and the issues. That kind of “One Powerful Voice!” support can make a world of difference and can help achieve very positive outcomes.

After-action reports will be published/distributed following Storming the Hill which will include a description of the experience, important incidents, and potential outcomes.

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