Gleamed from Chapter Newsletters -
Verdugo Hills Chapter “OFFICERS CALL” Dec. 2006
” Bob Frome gave us a Financial Report as the end of November. We presently have $649 in the Scholarship Fund and $876 in the General Fund. continue reading

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AWARD FOR SILICON VALLEY CHAPTER MEMBER

Honoring a dedicated public servant, Congressman Tom Lantos paid tribute to a retired Palo Alto, CA chaplain who made a profound impact on people’s lives both while serving in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam and working at the Veterans Administration hospital for years. continue reading

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[Dec 26, 2006]

The holiday party went very well, with great food, comraderie in the Chapter, and entertainment from a Quartet known as the Rolling Tones. They performed a mix of holiday music and oldies, to the great delight of all present. Our installation of officers was held, with LT Peg Boyce, USN-Ret serving her second term as President.

Announcement: MOAA San Diego Chapter Holiday Event
New Officers Installation
Entertainment
Great Luncheon!
SATURDAY, December 16th, 2006, 1100 - 1430
No Host Bar (wine/beer) 11am-1pm
Lunch 12:00pm
LOCATION:
Holiday Inn SAN DIEGO-BAYSIDE
San Diego, CA 92106

For more information, please email tsalo86@yahoo.com

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Found in Contra Costa Chapter October BULLETIN
Editor’s Notebook
Some chapter newsletters choose to publish articles from National MOAA verbatim whereas your editor elects to condense, and at times rephrase national items. This month is a good example. Rather than dwell on the intricate issues involving Tricare’s Mail-Order Pharmacy (TMOP), we will provide merely the highlights. Anyone wanting more detail can request the same from the Editor.,
It seems that only 6% of those using TMOP do so through the mail. This is a bit difficult to understand. Each prescription dispensed through the mail-order system saves the Pentagon an average of $50 to $150, depending on what’s counted. Beneficiaries who use TMOP save 67%, too, since they get a three-month supply for the same co-payment that buys a one-month supply in a retail pharmacy.
Your. Editor can testify as to the efficiency of the system. When you mail in a Rx it is handled promptly, and refills are a snap on the internet. There is hardly a valid reason for not using this system.
On the other hand, pharmacists oppose the move, citing loss of local revenue. So, it depends on whose ox is being gored, it would seem.
The Bulletin may arrive just a bit late this month. My excuse? None, really. Did a stupid thing, not paying attention stepped off a curb and took a dive. Managed to crack two ribs and a few bruises, but being of stout Nordic origin, will be fine.

And the Editor is - LCDR Duane J. Counsell, USN (Ret)

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Back in May 2005 I posted to this blog (in its earlier form) an article on recuiting I had gleamed from San Pedro/South Bay Chapter’s newsletter written by Chapter President Cdr Don Mitchell. Well lo and behold today it received it’s only comment and it’s a good one. You have to just click here for it - http://www.cal-moaa.org/blog/2005/05/12/san-pedrosouth-bay/#comments  The author is also the one behind the notification about the September 16th Area 8 group meeting. This is always a well attended, rotating host chapter, annual meeting. It will be even more so this year since they are having MOAA President VAdm Ryan as guest speaker. Luncheon reservation forms are available at -

http://www.cal-moaa.org/pdf/Joint-lunch.pdf 

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USS COWELL (DD547) STEAMS INTO HISTORY

“Stand by for heavy roll!”

That was the warning from the ward room speaker as the Fletcher class U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cowell moved out under the Golden Gate Bridge bound for Monterey. It was a special orientation cruise for certain U.S. Army Reserve Officers, members of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and the print media.

From the starboard wing adjacent to the bridge it was easy to see the bows rise high then drop into the swell, dumping tons of seawater all the way to the gun mount. The ship would roll precipitously, making it hard to control balance and move about the vessel.

A journalist from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, standing topside just forward of the stack was overheard to say, “Hey, buddy, I think I’m getting rather sick.” And his companion answered, “You do look a bit green.” Moving below, the situation didn’t get much better when the odors of the human body in close quarters came together with roast beef, mashed spuds and gravy, and the diesel fumes covering the ship. For some, the best answer was to return to the ward room and try to sleep.

One young sailor about 20 years old serving at his station far aft said, “This is really fun. I love it when it gets like this. I like my job and the Navy. The Cowell is a fine ship, and she can take the weather and seas.”

At one point, off Ocean Beach and well within the famed Potato Patch, an area of very rough water known to be dangerous, the ship passed a 35 foot commercial fishing boat, with the crew trying hard to fish the boat in 10-12 foot swells and brisk wind. Men and women passing aboard the Cowell gave the fishermen a hearty wave.

It was hard for the typical landlubber to understand how Navy personnel could fight a ship in such weather and sea conditions. But the ship had special equipment, gyros and such, to steady the guns and center on a distant target. And the crew apparently had iron stomachs.

It was one of the last trips for the Cowell, a ship built by Bethlehem Steel in San Pedro, CA, and launched 18 March 1943, being decommissioned in 1946, then recommissioned in 1951 for use by the Navy and Navy Reserve. much later the ship was transferred to Argentina and renamed the Almirante Storni.

The VIPs were put ashore by ships tender just outside Monterey harbor and transported to the airport for a UH1B Huey helicopter flight to the Peninsula and on to Crissy Field at the Presidio of San Francisco.

Ok, who was the actual writer of this piece? Why do you think you’re correct? (1) a Naval Academy graduate member of ROA; (2) a Coast Guard Ensign commanding a ship out of Monterey, CA and member of the Navy League; (3) an Army Reserve officer with lots of offshore salmon fishing experience and MOAA member; a retired U.S. Air Force officer with his last station Travis Air Force Base and member of Air Force Association; none of the above.

Just click on “comment”, write your answer in the field or square, and click “submit”.

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NAVY AIR TRANSPORT SERVICE

What was it like as a pilot, navigator, and air crewman flying the world as part of the U.S. Navy Transport Squadrons during the period after WWII and the beginning of the jet age?

You’ll find out in great detail if you get and read a copy of the 2003 book “Before the Jets” by Joseph Reeves, a collection of fiction short stories bound to capture your interest and attention, particularly if you flew the four engine transports during the period. The book is pure adventure.

“This is an excellent book written by someone who obviously was there and lived the life,” said Michael Morgan of Daytona Beach, Florida. “The characters may be fictional but the details and experiences seem very real. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in knowing what aviation was like ‘before the jets’.”

A lot of the action takes place at and out of Moffett Field, so much of what is seen on base and the surrounding cities and towns will be more than familiar.

How did the pilots find their way across the continent on stormy winter nights “flying the beam?”

What were the qualifications needed to pilot and navigate planes with limited power and fuel on ocean-spanning routes and in the Arctic before the era of accurate weather forecasting and satellite aids to navigation?

Experience the embassy flight out to Guam, Clark, Saigon, and on to the Middle East. Or follow the difficulties escorting a 55 plane flight of B-26s to Europe via Goose Bay, southern Greenland, Keflavik, Ayr Scotland, and into Germany. Be with the crews hauling tons of coal into Berlin during the airlift.

More than anything, experience the excitement aboard an R5D or Super Constellation when there is engine or other mechanical trouble, an all too frequest situation, or when the navigator makes an error and the aircraft drifts far off course.

See the outcomes when pilots try innovations which sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t, including trying to cross the Pacific using “pressure pattern” techniques or trying a “single heading” flight across the Atlantic.

The last part of the book which revisits the central characters a decade later for one final glimpse at how their lives had been shaped by the most memorable of their experiences is particularly revealing.

The book is often available through the local city or county library system.

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PRIVATE SECTOR INTELLIGENCE

How would you like to have high quality intelligence on specific aspects of world affairs, such as what is likely to happen in Iraq later this year? George Friedman, chairman of the private search firm Stratfor and author of “America’s Secret War,” has a lot of answers. “Even with a Shiite government,” he said, “Iraq’s future is probably bleak.”

How does he know? Friedman is the founder of Strategic Forecasting, Inc., Stratfor for short, which is a private sector intelligence firm often referred to as the “other CIA”. In today’s explosive information age, Stratfor continues to be the world’s leading private intelligence provider. Individuals, corporations, and even government agencies with their own internal intelligence resources rely on Stratfor for unbiased, accurate, insightful, actionable analysis of global activities that they can use to plan strategy, manage risk, and be more confidently informed.

Some of Stratfor’s clients include the Army Reserve Command, Naval War College, Center for Army Analysis, and the Department of the Air Force. Stratfor has dozens and dozens of important agencies as clients.

From its headquarters in Austin, Texas, founder Dr. George Friedman leads a team of analysts with an unparalleled record for accuracy and clarity in its forecasts. With its own proprietary network of on-the-ground sources around the world, Stratfor has been called “a private-quasi CIA” by Barron’s, and cited by the mainstream media for its uncanny accuracy and ability to uncover the globe’s best-kept secrets and predicts world-changing events in ways that no one else can. Friedman is a frequent contributor to Fox News.

Stratfor’s experts analyze and parse thousands of intelligence items, sifting for the gold. They put it in context for clients and deliver it in formats that let you get the actionable intelligence needed quickly and easily.

Stratfor’s services do not come cheap; at the same time, the organization provides a weekly intelligence brief for free, delivered by e-mail, and anyone can sign up at the web site, www.stratfor.com. Unlike news organizations and research firms that are set up to deliver on what’s already happened–so all you can do is react–Stratfor was founded in 1996 to deliver insights and forecasts people can use to get ahead of the competition, manage risk, and protect their interests. A valuable bundle of services.

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