News from Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC)

Gold Bars Earned: Seven Florida Tech Cadets Commissioned as Army Officers

Tue, 12 May 2026 22:36:16 GMT

Gold Bars Earned: Seven Florida Tech Cadets Commissioned as Army Officers

By Colonel Steve Bond (USA-Ret), MOAACC Army LNO

The Florida Institute of Technology Army ROTC Panther Battalion commissioned seven new Army Second Lieutenants during its spring commissioning ceremony held Friday, May 8, in the Hartley Room of the Student Union on the Florida Tech campus. Family members, friends, ROTC instructors, cadets, and community supporters gathered to witness the time-honored tradition as the cadets took the oath of office and pinned on the “gold bars” of a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. The ceremony included remarks and congratulations from Florida Tech President Dr. John Nicklow and guest speaker Brigadier General Mark A. Holler, USA (Ret.), former Deputy Commanding General for Operations, Eighth U.S. Army.

In addition to completing the commissioning requirements, each of the new officers graduated from Florida Tech during the university’s May commencement ceremonies, earning bachelor’s degrees in a variety of academic disciplines.

The newly commissioned officers — all new members of the Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAACC) — are:

• 2LT William Leonard – After enlisting in the Army following high school, Leonard was selected for the Army’s Green to Gold program at Florida Tech. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with a concentration in History and was commissioned as an active-duty officer in the Chemical Corps.

• 2LT Blair Watson – A 2022 graduate of Merritt Island High School, Watson earned a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology and was commissioned into the U.S. Army Reserve as a Military Police officer.

• 2LT Brooklyn Stellato – A 2022 graduate of Westshore Jr./Sr. High School, Stellato served as Panther Battalion Commander and held several other leadership positions during her ROTC career. She also completed both the Army Airborne and Air Assault Schools. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Science and an Associate of Arts degree in Air Traffic Control and was commissioned as an active-duty Field Artillery officer.

• 2LT Gus Guerrero – Originally from New Jersey, Guerrero earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Science and was commissioned into the Army National Guard as an Infantry officer.

• 2LT Kenton Bailey – A graduate of Satellite High School, Bailey completed the Army Air Assault School while attending Florida Tech. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Science and was commissioned as an active-duty Military Intelligence officer.

• 2LT Kerrigan Burns – Burns graduated from high school at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science and was commissioned as an active-duty officer in the Military Police Corps.

• 2LT Matt Abell – A 2022 graduate of Ramstein High School in Germany, Abell completed the Army Air Assault School during his time at Florida Tech. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and was commissioned as an active-duty Military Intelligence officer with a branch detail to Infantry.

The new officers also received congratulations from LTC Rob Stillings, Professor of Military Science at Florida Tech. This marked LTC Stillings’ final commissioning ceremony at Florida Tech before his reassignment to Fort Leavenworth, KS later this summer.

The MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter participated in the ceremony by presenting each new lieutenant with a ceremonial “Gold Bar” commissioning set along with membership in both MOAA and the Cape Canaveral Chapter. The gold bars used during the ceremony had been displayed throughout the year in the ROTC building in a special display case, funded by the MOAACC Good Deeds Foundation. Colonel Steve Bond, USA (Ret.), past president of the Cape Canaveral Chapter, presented the Gold Bar sets and congratulated the new officers as they begin their careers and leadership in the United States Army.

Photo Caption: Commissioning Ceremony for New Army 2^nd Lieutenants at the Florida Tech Commissioning Ceremony on May 8^th. Pictured left to right are LTC Hans Hunt, USA (Ret.), MOAACC First Vice President; 2LT Kerrigan Burns; 2LT Blair Watson; 2LT Matt Abell; 2LT Gus Guerrero; Florida Tech President Dr. John Nicklow; 2LT Brooklyn Stellato; LTC Rob Stillings, Professor of Military Science; 2LT Kenton Bailey; 2LT William Leonard; guest speaker BG Mark A. Holler, USA (Ret.); and COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret.), MOAACC.

05/13/2026

Grassroots Advocacy in Action!

Tue, 12 May 2026 22:26:54 GMT

MOAA’s signature legislative effort, Advocacy in Action (AiA), once again highlighted the power of coordinated advocacy—with the Cape Canaveral Chapter at the forefront! This year, Florida combined in-person engagement on Capitol Hill with a strong statewide virtual network, proving effective advocacy is about amplifying voices everywhere.

On April 15, 160 MOAA members visited nearly 300 congressional offices, meeting lawmakers and staff in every setting imaginable. Despite record heat in Washington, the momentum remained strong. As MOAA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), noted, AiA is an “energy-adding event” that showcases the strength of grassroots advocacy.

Team Florida was led by Florida Council President and MOAACC member, COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret) and represented in Washington by six delegates conducting 21 congressional meetings. Back home, members amplified those efforts with nearly 5,000 messages to lawmakers—led by the Cape Canaveral Chapter as the top contributor. Together, this unified approach ensured a clear message: protect the earned benefits of service members, veterans, families, and survivors. This year’s AiA focus centered on four bipartisan priorities:

The Major Richard Star Act
The Shutdown Fairness Act
The GUARD VA Benefits Act
The Military CARE Act

Advocacy doesn’t begin or end in Washington—it starts locally with each of us. Florida continues to set the standard, showing what’s possible when members engage at every level. The Cape Canaveral Chapter leads MOAA in registered advocates, yet only about 20% of our members are signed up. We can—and must—do better. If you’ve already taken action, thank you. If not, now is the time. Visit https://moaa.quorum.us/ to get involved. Your voice matters. Advocacy is MOAA’s top mission—and one of the most powerful ways we live our promise to Never Stop Serving.

From left, Tony LaVecchia-Florida Council VP, Aric Raus-MOAA Board Member, Pat Green-Council Surviving Spouse Liaison, Niche Patxot-Council Area VP, Steve Bond-Council President and MOAACC member, and Joe Gollasch-MOAA Virtual Council Pres.

Meeting on 15 April with FL08 Congressman Mike Haradopolos (C), with Aric Raus (L) and Steve Bond (R).

MOAA ‘Heat Map’ of AiA messages sent. Florida sent more messages than any other state—nearly 5,000--with Cape Canaveral Chapter leading the way!

05/12/2026

Unofficial VMC Brevard Vets Events Calendar - May 2026 and Beyond

Tue, 12 May 2026 14:15:02 GMT

Contact BVMC for any additions or other information.

NOTE: Some Events Change in between our monthly mailing of the BVMC Calendar. Keep up to date with those changes using our web link: https://veteransmemorialcenter.org/upcoming-veterans-events/ or donnweaver2020@gmail.com for more information or to participate.

2026

May

16 May — Space Coast Honor Flight #2 of 5 2026 visits by veterans to see their monuments and memorials in Wash DC. Starts at 0400 hours at Melbourne International Airport Main Terminal with Welcome home set 2030 hours same evening. Come out and honor these veterans , some from the Korean War era and their Guardians that will travel with them. Many veteran organizations and community groups support this amazing program. MOAACC Good Deeds funds FIT ROTC Cadets and Veterans in the VA sponsored FIT Psych PhD program to serve as guardians throughout the year. Contact schf.org for more information and to sign up on the waiting list for both honorees and guardians.

16 May — Armed Forces Day and Titusville Purple Heart City Designation 1000-1500 sponsored by and at DAV in Titusville at 435 N. Singleton Ave. Food, music, celebration and Mayor Connors proclamation as Titusville being named a Purple Heart City.

22-24 May — Florida wide RIDE FOR FREEDOM presented by Rolling Thunder FL- 1. Details below —-

— Friday 22May:

1700-1930 — Gold Star Family Dinner provided by Texas Roadhouse BVMC Gray Hall.

1900-2000 — Ride in from Fishlips and Sandbar to BVMC Plaza and Park

2000-2100. — Flame of Freedom Walk

—- Saturday 23 May

0900- 2000 — Thunder Alley all day at BVMC Park and Amphitheater with special flag raising , vendors, music, food trucks and much more.

1730 - 2130. — Concerts with VINTAGE, THE BAND, SHEEPDOGS

—- Sunday 24 May

0700 - 1030. — Register for Freedom Ride at BVMC Plaza and Mall Parking Lot. Briefing at 1030.

1100- 1230. — Ride for Freedom KSU with B52H Flyover! Check RTFL1.org for route and more information about this three day event which is planned at the new BVMC Park for several more years over Memorial Day Weekend.

23 May - - Merchant Marine Day - Navy League and Propeller Club Cape Canaveral - Rusty's at the Port - 1000 program - 1030 Boat tour of port, lay wreath - 1200 lunch at Rusty's

25 May — BVMC Memorial Day Ceremony BVMC Plaza 0930-1100. Guest Speakers Tim Thomas, Sheriff Wayne Ivey, Fire truck and giant flag and much more to celebrate Memorial Day during America’s 250th Birthday. Drinks, Music and Remembrance.

25 May — Memorial Day Observance - CAPE CANAVERAL NATIONAL CEMETERY. 0900-1030 , 5525 US Highway 1, Mims. The annual Remember and Honor Memorial Day ceremony will be held at the Flag Assembly Area. Keynote Speaker is Kayla Giuliano, a USMC Combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. The MC is Mindy Levy of IHeart Radio Morning Show. Pastor Wintley Phipps will perform the National Anthem. A limited number of chairs are provided, lawn chairs welcome, water available.

25 May — Honor America Liberty Bell Museum Memorial Day Ceremony 1100 - 1200 at the Museum in Melbourne. Ceremony, food and drinks, live music and much more.

25 May — Cocoa Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony at Cocoa Village and Riverfront Park. Parade begins at 1530 with the Ceremony at 1700. The keynote speaker is Patrick SLD Commander Col Chatman. Combat veteran Jason Madrigale, an Army Calvary Scout and Purple Heart recipient, who served in Iraq and now works with St Francis Hospice to support other veterans is also speaking . The Chaplain will be Jonelle Capitano of St Francis who was a Captain in the Air Force and former Army Spec4. Cocoa JROTC will provide support including folding the flag. Cocoa Police and Fire Units will also be engaged in the ceremony. The Saluting Battery of the Submarine Deck Guns from the Naval Ordnance Test Unit will honor our Fallen with a 21 gun salute ringing out over the Indian River. Contact MC Donn Weaver 757-871-6576 for details.

JUNE

6 - 7 Jun — Merritt Island FEST at the VM Park (1500-2200) with food trucks, music and much more. Paid admission, Sponsored by Space Coast Daily. Open to all in the Public.

12 Jun — Celebration and Lunch for our Military Women at the Avenues in Viera 1130 -1300. Contact www.avet-project.org

13 Jun — Space Coast Honor Flight #3 of 5 2026 visits by veterans to see their monuments and memorials in Wash DC. Starts at 0400 hours at Melbourne International Airport Main Terminal with Welcome home set 2030 hours same evening. Come out and honor these veterans , some from the Korean War era and their Guardians that will travel with them. Many veteran organizations and community groups support this amazing program. MOAACC Good Deeds funds FIT ROTC Cadets and Veterans in the VA sponsored FIT Psych PhD program to serve as guardians throughout the year. Contact schf.org for more information and to sign up on the waiting list for both honorees and guardians.

13 Jun — Celebrating America 250!! Red, White and Blue Ball — Tides Club PSFB 1700-2200. Formal/Semi Formal Dress- $95 per person Special Guests— George and Martha Washington!!!

19 - 21 Jun — American Space Museum in Titusville - Shuttle Fest — More info in early June.

20 Jun — Memorial 5K Run honoring Christian Bellmore , MIHS Graduate who served in the USAF, Veterans Memorial Park — 0700-1100. Contact Donn Weaver for more info.

JULY

4 Jul BCSO/BVMC Independence Day Parade and America 250 Celebration. (1000 - 1300). Check BCSO web site to register in the parade in late May. Parade starts at Merritt Island High School ( 1000- with set up (0830-1000) and continues to Edgewood jr/sr High School and the BVMC Plaza where we plan food trucks and music to celebrate 250 years of America and Veterans who created, protected and continued America as we know and love it.

04 Jul — Palm Bay Independence Day 250th America Festival and Fireworks at Eastern Florida State College Palm Bay with music, food trucks and fireworks. 1700- 2100 with Fireworks at 2100.

11 Jul — Veterans Appreciation Day at DAV Chapter 109 in Titusville 1500-1800 at 435 N. Singleton Ave. Food , Drinks, games, movies and camaraderie!!!

AUGUST

9 Aug — Annual Military Order of Purple Heart Recognition Ceremony at the BVMC Museum (1400-1600) with special recognition of 10 Purple Heart Recipients. Their stories of courage and sacrifice will be told. Quilts of Valor also presented along with recognition from several officials. Contact Donn Weaver for more information.

SEPTEMBER

11 Sep — 25th Annual Commemoration of the attacks on America on 9/11/2001 sponsored by Club 1013 And BVMC. (1700-1830) In the Plaza or new Park Amphitheater. Details in July.

12 Sep — Space Coast Honor Flight #4 of 5 2026 visits by veterans to see their monuments and memorials in Wash DC. Starts at 0400 hours at Melbourne International Airport Main Terminal with Welcome home set 2030 hours same evening. Come out and honor these veterans , some from the Korean War era and their Guardians that will travel with them. Many veteran organizations and community groups support this amazing program. MOAACC Good Deeds funds FIT ROTC Cadets and Veterans in the VA sponsored FIT Psych PhD program to serve as guardians throughout the year. Contact schf.org for more information and to sign up on the waiting list for both honorees and guardians.

26 Sep — JROTC Raider Challenge Meet #1 at BVMC Park and Amphitheater. (0630- 1230)

OCTOBER

10 Oct — JROTC Raider Challenge Meets #2 at BVMC Park and Amphitheater. (0630-1230)

10 Oct — Medal of Honor Chili Cook- off Fundraiser BVMC Park (1100- 1500). Details in August.

17 Oct — Space Coast Honor Flight #5 of 5 2026 visits by veterans to see their monuments and memorials in Wash DC. Starts at 0400 hours at Melbourne International Airport Main Terminal with Welcome home set 2030 hours same evening. Come out and honor these veterans , some from the Korean War era and their Guardians that will travel with them. Many veteran organizations and community groups support this amazing program. MOAACC Good Deeds funds FIT ROTC Cadets and Veterans in the VA sponsored FIT Psych PhD program to serve as guardians throughout the year. Contact schf.org for more information and to sign up on the waiting list for both honorees and guardians.

31 Oct — JROTC Raider Challenge Meet #3 for District Championship at BVMC Park and Amphitheater (0630-1300)

NOVEMBER

7 Nov — Annual St Francis Hospice 5K Run for Veterans at the new Veterans Memorial Park Amphitheater and Plaza 0730- 1130. Includes vendors, awards, veteran pinning as SFH raises funds for their “ We Honor Veterans Program “ throughout the County all year. Details and registration in August.

7 Nov Annual Cape Canaveral Veterans Day Parade sponsored by VFW Post 10131. Starts and Ends near the Cape Canaveral City Hall at 1111 Hours until 1330. Includes music, vendors, food, and more. Sign ups and more information in August.

11 Nov — Veteran Day Events at BVMC and many other locations in the county. Details in August.

DECEMBER

5 Dec — Annual Merritt Island Grand Illumination sponsored by CAMI and BVMC 1500- 2000 at BVMC Plaza. More details in August.

19 Dec. — Wreaths Across America Ceremony at the Cape Canaveral National Cemetery and other Brevard locations. CCNC 0800 - 1030 for family and friends, 1030 - 1100 to lay wreaths and 1100-1130 for the Ceremony at the Flag Assembly Area. Details in August.

2027

January

16 Jan — Annual Key Lime Pie Festival 1000- 2000 Veterans Memorial Amphitheater and Park. Details in August. Paid Event put on by the Originals Key Lime Pie Company of Cocoa Beach — sixth year at VMP. Tickets required at the gate

Please help us spread the word and advise of any new events.

04/15/2026

DFAS Retiree Newsletter

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 23:52:06 GMT

03/30/2026

From MOAA's President: Building a Stronger Association in 2026

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:59:32 GMT

03/24/2026

Space Coast Honor Flight Welcome Home Celebration. Help Welcome Our Heroes

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:37:00 GMT

Dav Chapter 32 members and their family are invited to gather at Melbourne Orlando International Airport (1 Air Terminal Parkway, Melbourne, FL) for the next Space Coast Honor Flight Welcome Home Celebration, where we come together to honor local veterans returning from their unforgettable day in Washington D.C. , visiting the memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice.

The Welcome Home Celebration is a free community event where supporters fill the airport terminal with cheers, flags, and gratitude as veterans make their way along Walk of Honor. Guests are encouraged to arrive early and enjoy the Red, White & YOU Pre-Flight Party, featuring live bands, popular food trucks, beer (21+) from Intracoastal Brewing Company, and plenty of patriotic energy. Admission and parking are free.

What to Expect

8:00 p.m. — Doors open
8:30 p.m. — Red, White & YOU Pre-Flight Party with live music, food trucks, and beer
9:34 p.m. — Scheduled flight arrival*
10:00 p.m. — Veterans Walk of Honor

There are a total five honor flights scheduled for 2026. Each Welcome Home Celebration features a different local headliner band:

April 11 — Panama
May 9 — Andrew Rickman & The No Pressure Band
September 13 — The Last Call Band
October 10 — Hot Pink
November 8 — Phoenix

Community members are encouraged to attend any or all five celebrations and give these deserving veterans a welcome home they’ll never forget.

For more information and event details, please visit MLBair.com/honorflight.

03/19/2026

Army Echoes - The official newsletter for Retired Soldiers, Surviving Spouses & Families

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 02:38:55 GMT

02/01/2026

MOAACC member named Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine Student of the Year

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 19:02:19 GMT

MOAACC member named Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine Student of the Year

The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine Florida (BCOM Florida) named Lillian McBee, a chapter member and former U.S. Navy lieutenant, as the Student Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) of the Year. The award recognizes exceptional leadership, service, and professionalism among osteopathic medical students.

Lillian is currently enrolled at BCOM Florida’s Melbourne campus through the Navy Health Services Collegiate Program (HSCP), a scholarship program that provides financial support to students pursuing healthcare careers in exchange for future service as commissioned officers in Navy Medicine. Upon graduation, she will return to active duty as a Navy physician. BCOM Florida’s Melbourne campus currently has 13 military students preparing for careers as military physicians.

The Student DO of the Year distinction is awarded to a student who demonstrates dedication beyond the expectations of the average osteopathic medical student. Lillian was nominated by her peers and selected by an awards committee from a class of approximately 95 students. Lillian was recognized for her leadership, commitment to community service, and high standards of professionalism.

As BCOM Florida’s Student DO of the Year, Lillian now advances for consideration as the National Student DO of the Year Award. The national honor is presented by the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP), a council of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM).

Lillian is a native of Miami. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University. She earned her commission as a Navy Surface Warfare Officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of California, Berkeley.

Photo Caption: Lillian McBee, Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine Florida (BCOM Florida) Student Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) of the Year.

Photo Caption: CAPT Steve Cusick (USN, RET) (L), Chapter President and COL Steve Bond (USA, RET) (R) Florida Council President congratulate Lillian at the Burrell College of Medicine.

01/10/2026

Florida Tech ROTC Commissions three new Army Lieutenants

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 21:58:44 GMT

12/13/2025

Do You Know Where Your Military Paperwork Lives?

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:29:57 GMT

11/20/2025

Brevard Veterans History Project

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 22:47:02 GMT

11/20/2025

How does VA health care work with Medicare and TRICARE For Life?

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:29:36 GMT

11/19/2025

How New Tax Laws May Impact Your Charitable Giving

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:32:20 GMT

11/19/2025

MOAACC 2026 Leadership Nominations

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 14:37:03 GMT

September 14, 2025

MEMORANDUM FOR MOAACC President

From: MOAACC Nominating Committee

Subject: Slate of Nominees

1. The MOAACC Nominating Committee nominates the following chapter members to lead MOAACC in 2026.

Officers

President Capt Rosa Reich, USAF (Fmr)

1^st Vice President LTC Hans Hunt, USA (Ret)

2^nd Vice President CW4 Jose Prieto, USA (Ret)

Secretary CDR Eric Gardner, USN (Ret)

Asst Secretary CAPT Arnold Lim, USNR (Ret)

Treasurer COL Michael Schroeder, USA (Ret)

Asst Treasurer LTC William Vanasse, USA (Ret)

Master-At-Arms Lt Col Michael Notley, USAF (Ret)

Asst Master-At-Arms CPT Larry Wright, USA (Fmr)

Directors

CY 2026

CAPT Stephen, Cusick, USN (Ret): Past President

Mrs. Ellie Joy: Surviving Spouse

Col John Franco, USAF (Ret)

CPT Larry Wright, USA (Fmr): 1 Yr Term

CY 2026-2027

LTC David Kobey, USA (Ret)

CDR Kenneth Lowe, USN (Ret)

Col Denny Tharp, USAF (Ret)

2. All nominees are MOAA members. Pending board approval, this slate of candidates will be presented to the General Membership at the Annual Business Meeting

18 November.

Col Richard A. Kniseley, USAF Ret

Nomination Committee Chair.

11/18/2025

Celebrating Veterans—Veteran Appreciation Events!

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 18:52:27 GMT

11/01/2025

Viera Senior Life - George Rosenfeld to Celebrate 100th Birthday (Page 11)

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 22:26:46 GMT

09/26/2025

Veterans Needed for Mental Health Research

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 21:13:56 GMT

Maddie Maroney, M.S., at Florida Institute of Technology is conducting a study titled “Exploring the Influence of Military Culture on Stigma, Grit, and Seeking Treatment in a Community U.S. Veteran Sample.” Participants 18 and older, including student veterans, can complete a brief 10–20 minute online survey. The study is legitimate and approved: Ms. Maroney has received a Certificate of Clearance for Human Participants Research from FIT’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). Your participation will help improve veteran-focused mental health services and outreach programs while contributing to meaningful research.

09/04/2025

"Scammers present ‘persistent threat’ to troops, veterans, expert warns"

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 23:40:53 GMT

08/28/2025

WATCH: Retired U.S. Army Col. Steve Bond Sits Down with Friday Night Locker Room’s Steve Wilson at Erdman Automotive Studio in Cocoa

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 12:45:29 GMT

07/13/2025

Congratulations to 2025 MOAACC Scholarship Winners

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 15:31:31 GMT

SCHOLARSHIP CORPORATION

CAPT Scott Harley, USCG Ret

2025 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES ANNOUNCED

On behalf of the Selection Committee, I am pleased to announce the award of eleven (11) $7,500 MOAACC Scholarships for 2025! The competition was intense this year with the return of 20 completed packages. The selection committee completed a difficult task when they gathered on 18 June and selected this year’s recipients. Please thank them for their hard work when you see them, and encourage anyone who applied, but was not selected, to try again next year, if they still qualify.

RECIPIENT	SCHOOL	SPONSOR
Hannah Bedard	University of Florida	Col Michael Bedard
Hunter Crook	Milligan University	LTC James Crook
Ryan Flammini	University of Central Florida	TSGT Charles Flammini
Brooke Ehlers	Lake Erie College	CAPT David Ehlers
Hadlee Fuller	University of Florida	Col Mandi Fuller
Amanda Gostel	The Ohio State University	CAPT Juluis Gostel
Keely Hunt	Brigham Young University	LTC Hans Hunt
Evan Lanoue	Clemson University	Lt Col Richard Lanoue
Astrid Lim	South University	CDR Alan Lim
Aaron Luther	University of Florida	VADM Donald Hagen
Carson Waggoner	Clemson University	LTC Scott Waggoner

Each year beginning in 1984, MOAACC Scholarship Corporation has awarded scholarships to descendants and wards of active duty or retired members of the Uniformed Services of the United States (includes Regular, National Guard or Reserve enlisted and officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, NOAA or USPHS). The quantity and value of the scholarships vary from year to year. Between 1984 and 2025 (42 years), MOAACC Scholarship Corporation awarded $1,069,500 to 327 students attending 85 different colleges throughout the nation.

This month, we will recognize these deserving scholars at our annual MOAACC Scholarship Awards Luncheon! Mark your calendars for Tuesday, 15 July at 11:30AM at Colony Hall in the Indian River Colony Club. The cost is a mere $25 to come see our 11 deserving scholarship recipients be rewarded for their hard work thriving in the challenging environment of Post-Secondary Education. Please RSVP/cancel by 10 July 2025, online here or by contacting Mary McIntyre at events@moaacc.org or (321) 254-6997. You can pay online with Credit Card, pay at the door or mail payment with RSVP to:

MOAACC, c/o Treasurer, PO Box 254186, Patrick SFB, FL 32925

06/19/2025

6th BDE US ARMY HQ, JROTC Division Recognizes the MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 23:58:41 GMT

06/17/2025

DOD Pharmacy Update

Sun, 25 May 2025 15:06:24 GMT

Attention Military Pharmacy Users: The DosePharm app is no longer authorized for use. All DoD Pharmacy patrons need to use "Q-Anywhere" (a new text activation service) for the automated refill line, or come into the pharmacy for medication activations and refills. To submit a prescription activation request via Q-Anywhere, text “Get in line” to 1-833-464-1562. You will need the DoD ID for the patient that you are submitting the request for. To submit a refill request via the automated refill system, call 321-321-4774. You will need the prescription number for the medication that you are submitting a refill request for. CLICK HERE for more information.

06/01/2025

Changes coming in June for Retired Soldiers who pay SBP monthly premiums directly

Thu, 22 May 2025 18:35:36 GMT

Changes coming in June for Retired Soldiers who pay SBP monthly premiums directly

By DFAS Cleveland

Some Retired Soldiers need to pay monthly Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) or Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP) premiums directly instead of having them deducted from pay because their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation pay offsets their retired pay. We call that direct remittance.

Most of these payments are handled by the U.S. Department of Treasury Centralized Receivables Service (CRS). When CRS receives the payment from the Retired Soldier, they report it to DFAS Retired and Annuitant (R&A) Pay to ensure the retiree’s account is credited.

What you need to know

In June of this year, R&A Pay will begin issuing all monthly direct remittance SBP premium billing statements and collecting all SBP premium direct remittance payments instead of using the Treasury’s CRS.

This means Retired Soldiers will need to either: (1) make their payments to a different mailing address or (2) change their electronic payments if they have them set up to pay to CRS directly or (3) use Pay.gov at https://www. pay.gov/public/home to pay DFAS.

In March, DFAS mailed a letter explaining the changes to all Retired Soldiers who will be affected. The letter will be followed by an emailed SmartDoc to the retirees who have a valid email address in myPay. Changes like this are one of the reasons it’s important for retirees to keep their mailing address and email address updated with DFAS.

What you need to do

It’s important that DFAS has your current mailing address so you receive the billing statement with new payment instructions. If your address has changed, DFAS has several convenient options for updating the mailing address on your retired pay account.

1. Use our askDFAS online tool to update your address: find out more on our Quick Tools webpage at https:// www.dfas.mil/raquicktools.

2. Send a completed and signed DD Form 2866 to request we update your mailing address.

(A) Upload your signed form as a PDF using our askDFAS online upload tool. Find out more: https://www.dfas.mil/ retonlinetools.

(B) Or, mail your form to:

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

U.S. Military Retired Pay

8899 E 56th Street

Indianapolis, IN 46249-1200

3. Change your address using myPay: https://mypay.dfas. mil.

4. Call our Customer Care Center during normal business hours to update your address: (800) 321-1080.

If your mailing address on file with DFAS is current, watch for the updated bill to arrive via postal mail in June 2025 or take action now to change your payment method!

You can make the change to one of the new payment options below to pay DFAS directly right now. You don’t have to wait until June.

Automatic payments

If you have an electronic/automatic payment set up with your bank, ensure that you make the change early enough to send your June payment to DFAS instead of CRS.

Options for making SBP/RCSBP monthly premium payments to DFAS

If you do not receive the updated bill in June, or would like to start paying DFAS directly now, please see our Paying for SBP webpage for payment instructions: https://www.dfas.mil/payforsbp.

1. We strongly recommend making your payment online through the Pay.gov website. Pay.gov is available 24/7. Payments can be made using your checking/savings account or debit card using the DOD Military Retired Pay SBP Premium at: https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/1463931154) online form.

2. If you prefer, mail your SBP/RCSBP payments to the address below (payments mailed to any other address may be delayed). Please note: beginning October 1, 2025, DFAS is unable to accept checks or money orders as payment.

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, DFAS-CL

SBP Remittances

P.O. Box 979013

St. Louis, MO 63197-9000

3. Request to have your SBP monthly premium payments deducted from your VA Disability Compensation pay. Find more information here: https://www.dfas.mil/ payforsbp.

Questions?

Watch for additional information over the coming weeks or check out the “Paying for SBP” webpage at the link above.

05/31/2025

Launching Toward Success: MOAACC Honors Military Academy and College ROTC Scholarship Bound High School Seniors

Wed, 21 May 2025 00:04:20 GMT

The Military Officers Association of America, Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC) held its annual Luncheon honoring Brevard County High School seniors who have received an Appointment to a U.S. Service Academy, Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarship, or acceptance to a private Military Academy.

Representing these exceptional Brevard students, MOAACC hosted (9) highly qualified and proven students from various schools who were obviously proud of their achievements and excited about the adventures ahead. Representing students included:

Cadet Capt Levi Anderson from Astronaut HS who will be attending Florida Institute of Technology
Ms. Victoria Nelson from Holy Trinity Academy who will be attending the U.S. Naval Academy
Cadet Lt Col Savion Kirby from Melbourne HS who will be attending the U.S. Air Force Academy
Cadet Alex Gregoire from Merritt Island HS who will be attending Auburn University, AL
Cadet LT Col Gideon Pike from Satellite HS who will be attending The Citadel Military College, SC
Cadet LTC Connor Hoffman from Viera HS who will be attending the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Cadet Major Joey Shine from Viera HS who will be attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
Cadet 1LT Zachary Perez from Viera HS who will be attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

Also in attendance were Dr. Mark Rendell, Superintendent for Brevard Public Schools, along with our five (5) School Board Members including Megan Wright from District 1, Gene Trent from District 2, John Thomas from District 3, Matthew Susin from District 4, and Katye Campbell from District 5. In addition, we were honored to have exceptional school representation from Brevard High School Principals including Courtney Lundy of Satellite HS, Debora Lubbers of Merritt Island HS, Cyndi Buist of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, and Debra Abell the Vice Principal of Astronaut HS.

Along with these incredible mentors who have worked so hard, we were also joined by various HS ROTC Instructors who have mentored these students for one or many years, reflecting to them an honorable reflection of our U.S. Military programs. These included: LTC Robert Irick of Cocoa Beach, Lt Col Robin Athey of Melbourne HS, Maj Lonnie Spangler of Merritt Island, LTC Todd Balog of Viera HS and (Assistant Instructor) CSM Sean Branham of Astronaut HS.

Of course the event would not have happened if not for the MOAACC team and leadership from our MOACC President and host CAPT Stephen Cusick (Navy Ret), Student Affairs Representative and Master At Arms LTC Hans Hunt (Army Ret), MAJ Bill Adams (Army Ret) who prayed us in and blessed us out, CPT Donn Weaver (Army Former), President of the Good Deeds Foundation, Inc., and LT Daniel Wilson (Navy Ret) as the Master of Ceremonies. Special recognition must also be made to Dr. Rendell and COL Steve Bond (Army Ret) our MOAA Florida Council of Chapters representative for joining the MOAACC team in presenting each of the Students with a MOAA Certificate and MOAACC medal.

05/20/2025

Florida Tech ROTC Commissions three new Army Lieutenants

Sat, 10 May 2025 12:37:06 GMT

The Florida Institute of Technology Army ROTC Panther Battalion held their spring ceremony to commission three new Army Second Lieutenants on Friday, May 9^th. The Ceremony was held in the All Faiths Center on the Florida Tech campus. The new Lieutenants took their commissioning oath of office and pinned on new “gold bars”—the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants in the ceremony. Families, friends, ROTC instructors, and other cadets were present to witness the event. All three of the new Army Officers completed requirements to receive master’s degrees at the Florida Tech Spring Commencement, and all three have prior enlisted service in the Army. In the ceremony, they heard messages and congratulations from the President of Florida Tech, John Nicklow (Ph.D.) and Guest Speaker, Colonel James Jenkins III (USA, Retired). Colonel Jenkins retired from the Army in 2014, and his last assignment was as the Deputy Commander for Army Space and Missile Command. He is currently the President and General Manager for the Armed Forces portfolio at BlueHalo out of Huntsville, Alabama.

The new Army Second Lieutenants, Florida Tech Graduates, and MOAACC Members are:

Nicholas King— Graduated from Florida Tech with a master’s degree in strategic communications. He was commissioned as an active-duty officer in the Chemical Corps. His first duty assignment will be at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Jayoul Lee—Graduated from Florida Tech with a master’s degree in computer information systems. He was commissioned as an active-duty officer in Cyber Branch. His first duty assignment is at Fort Eisenhower in Georgia
Danial Ochoa-Perez—Graduated from Florida Tech with a master’s degree in human resource management. He was commissioned into the Adjutant General Branch as an active-duty officer. His first duty assignment will be at Camp Humphreys in the Republic of Korea.

LTC Rob Stillings, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science, also congratulated the new Lieutenants. Colonel Steve Bond, US Army-Retired, Past President of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC), and current President of the MOAA Florida Council was on hand congratulate the new officers and present them with “Gold Bar” commissioning sets provided by the chapter, and membership in MOAA.

Photo Caption: Colonel Steve Bond (USA, Ret)--MOAACC, congratulates New Army 2^nd Lieutenants at the Florida Tech Commissioning Ceremony on May 9^th with commissioning guests and ROTC cadre. Front Row from Left—Steve Bond and new 2nd Lieutenants Nicholas King, Daniel Ochoa Perez, and Juyoul Lee. Center Row--Ms. Dana Washington, and CPT Zachery Smith (FLA Tech ROTC Cadre). Back Row from Left: LTC Rob Stillings, Guest Speaker Colonel James Jenkins III (USA, Ret), and SFC Jason Watson, MSG Alan Roche, Joe Matthews, and MSG Michael Johnson (all ROTC Cadre).

05/10/2025

MOAA Advocacy In Action 2025 (Florida Participants)

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 13:03:46 GMT

04/12/2025

FinLit Program Survey - Your Input Matters

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 21:46:38 GMT

As we continue to refine and expand our FinLit offers, we want to hear from you. What financial topics interest you most? Are there specific challenges or investment strategies you’d like us to explore in future articles and programs? Your feedback will help shape upcoming discussions, ensuring we address the most relevant and valuable topics for our MOAACC community. Please take a couple of minutes and share your ideas with us by filling out this survey.

Here is the actual link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfgBkSmSJ3_RLpfpVBB3SDJN7je7QWFy-rvcRgCbuN5Yf7uiw/viewform

04/10/2025

Real ID Act and NextGen ID Card

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 00:52:37 GMT

04/03/2025

Are You Ready for VA’s Sign-In Changes?

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 15:40:26 GMT

01/31/2025

Best of 2024: Top VetResources of the year

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 23:06:07 GMT

01/29/2025

Veterans may be eligible for one more year of G.I. Bill benefits

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 15:57:40 GMT

01/21/2025

DOD Eases Pharmacy Process for Prescriptions Processing

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 22:29:44 GMT

A new process has been launched by the DOD to make it simpler for you to get your prescriptions at ANY DOD Pharmacy. Hence, you do not have to worry about getting your medications even while away from home.

Download the Mobile App on your phone or tablet: DosePharm

Once the App is downloaded, you will need to register to create an account by providing your name, date of birth, your DOD ID number, cell phone number, and an email address.

You will then receive a confirmation code to your email. Use that code to verify your account on the App.

Now you are ready to follow the step-by-step instructions below as noted in Pharm-1

The instructions on Pharm-2 are specific to the Patrick Space Force Base Pharmacy

01/16/2025

2025 Veterans Benefits Guide Now Available

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 23:46:55 GMT

01/15/2025

Reminder: VA Modernizes Online Sign-In Experience for Veterans

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 19:59:45 GMT

For Immediate Release:

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

VA Modernizes Online Sign-In Experience for Veterans

Orlando, Fla. — The Orlando VA Healthcare System (OVAHCS) is transitioning to a more modern and secure sign-in process for its online services, ensuring the protection of Veterans’ identities and benefits. Starting in 2025, Veterans will need to use either a Login.gov or ID.me account to access VA websites and mobile apps, including My HealtheVet, VA.gov, and Connected Health Apps.

To assist Veterans with this transition, the Connect Care team at the Orlando VA Healthcare System (OVAHCS) will host two in-person events to provide hands-on support:

Wednesday, January 8, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Viera Outpatient Clinic, Conference Room D211
Wednesday, January 15, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Lake Nona Medical Center, Crescent Room (Near Canteen)
Wednesday, January 22, 2025, from 9:00 a.m.. to 3:00 p.m., Daytona Outpatient Clinic, Main Entrance (Behind Front Desk)
Wednesday, January 29, 2025, from 9:00 a.m.. to 3:00 p.m., Lake Baldwin Outpatient Clinic, Auditorium B
Wednesday, February 5, 2025, from 9:00 a.m.. to 3:00 p.m., Lake Nona, Crescent Room (Near Canteen)

These events will help Veterans set up their Login.gov or ID.me accounts, verify their identities, and prepare for the upcoming changes. Get ahead of the curve-change over now to be prepared.

Key Dates to Remember:

January 31, 2025: The option to sign in with a My HealtheVet user ID and password will be removed.
September 30, 2025: The option to sign in with a DS Logon username and password will be removed.

After these dates, Veterans will need to use either Login.gov or ID.me to access all VA websites and apps.

Why This Matters to You:

The new sign-in process offers enhanced security while simplifying access to VA services. Veterans can continue using My HealtheVet, but they will need to log in through Login.gov or ID.me.

What You Can Do:

Create Your Login.gov or ID.me Account Today: We encourage you to set up your account early and familiarize yourself with the new sign-in process before the change takes effect.
Attend an Event: Visit one of the upcoming events for personalized assistance.

Event Highlights:

Learn How to Create an Account: Step-by-step guidance on setting up a Login.gov or ID.me account.
Identity Verification Support: Understand why identity verification is critical and how to complete it online or in person.
What to Bring: Ensure you have the required documents to streamline the process at a VA facility.

For more information about the upcoming changes, visit www.va.gov/sign-in-changes.

01/08/2025

Prepare for VA’s secure sign-in changes

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:01:27 GMT

01/07/2025

Intercom Photo & Article Submission Rules

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 18:45:01 GMT

Call for Articles for the Intercom:

The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC) an affiliate of the national Military Officers Association of America invites you to submit an article for publication in our monthly magazine “Intercom”. We encourage you to submit your experiences and/or news that you would like to share with your fellow officers no later than 15th of each month.

*********************************************

INTERCOM Photo & Article Submission Rules

PHOTOS:

Photos must be in “High Resolution” in .jpg format and sent as an “Attachment”
When sending photos, select “actual size” on computer or cell phone and send as “Attachment”
Submit only one photo per article, or more if absolutely necessary
All photos must have “captions” of who, what, when, where and why

ARTICLES:

Articles must be in Microsoft “Word” format. PDF NOT ACCEPTED
LIMIT: One article per email, not more than 375 words. Each Article must include Author Name & Rank

DEADLINES & SUBMISSION EMAIL:

Photos & Articles are DUE NO LATER THAN the 15th of each month or sooner. Please send ALL submissions to ONLY the following: Intercom@moaacc.org

INTERCOM PUBLICATION:

THE INTERCOM is published 12 times annually by the Cape Canaveral Chapter, Inc. (MOAACC), an affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Alexandria, VA
Contents of the Intercom articles are opinions solely of the authors and do not express the policy or official views of MOAA or the Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC)
The advertisements that appear in this publication do not reflect an endorsement by MOAA or by MOAACC

Comments and suggestion are welcome. Contact EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Intercom@moaacc.org

PUBLIC RELATIONS & MARKETING COMMITTEES

INTERCOM:

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Rita Shapiro

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Vacant

LAYOUT/GRAPHICS: Jeremiah Zeleny

PRESS RELEASES & MEDIA LIAISON: Vacant

DISTRIBUTION: Vacant

WEB LINK AND ELECTRONIC DISTRO: Mike Schroeder

PHOTOGRAPHERS: EVERYONE IS A PHOTOGRAPHER

ADVERTISING: Vacant

Other Media Related Roles:

ADVERTISERS/SPONSORS: Donn Weaver, Mike Schroeder, Steve Bond

WEBMASTER: Mike Schroeder

FIVE THINGS: Steve Bond

FACEBOOK: Tim Pishdad

MOAA/Florida Council of Chapters Liaison: Vacant

01/01/2025

Florida Tech ROTC Commissions Four New Army Lieutenants

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 17:36:36 GMT

Florida Tech ROTC Commissions four new Army Lieutenants at Fall Graduation

In Fall graduation ceremonies at Florida Institute of Technology and Eastern Florida State College, nearly 2,000 area students received Bachelor’s Degrees. Unique among this group were four who also completed the requirements to be commissioned as U.S. Army Second Lieutenants through the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). On Friday, December 13^th the Florida Tech Army ROTC Panther Battalion held the fall commissioning ceremony in the Hartley Room of the Student Union building on the campus with families, friends, ROTC instructors, and other cadets on-hand to witness the event. At the ceremony, the new Lieutenants took the commissioning oath of office and pinned on new “gold bars”—the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants in the ceremony. Three of the new Lieutenants met the requirements to graduate from Florida Tech, and one graduated from Eastern Florida State College.

The new graduates and Army Second Lieutenants are:

Haley K. Aukland—Haley graduated from High School in Morris, Ill, and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management from Eastern Florida State College. She was commissioned in the Aviation Branch and hopes to be an Apache helicopter pilot.
Silas J. Cullum—Silas graduated from High School at Christ Church Academy in Jacksonville, FL. He received his Batchelor’s degree from Florida Tech in Mechanical Engineering and was commissioned in the Army National Guard as an Infantry Officer.
Olivia A. Troisi—Olivia graduated from Heritage High School in Palm Bay. She received her Batchelor’s degree from Florida Tech in Biomedical Science. She served as the Cadet Battalion Commander and was commissioned as an active duty, Medical Service Corps officer.
Marco A. Zavala—Marco graduated from High School in Chicago, and received his Bachelor of Science degree Biomedical Science from Florida Tech. He also graduated from the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. He was commissioned as an active-duty Medical Service Corps Officer and hopes to continue his education to become a Medical Doctor.

In the ceremony the new Lieutenants heard messages and congratulations from the President of Florida Tech, John Nicklow (Ph.D.) and guest speaker, Captain William (Bill) Toti, (USN, Retired). Bill served on active duty as Commander of Fleet Antisubmarine Warfare Command Norfolk, and Commodore of Submarine Squadron 3. He is an author, podcaster, and frequent guest commentator for various news outlets. The new Lieutenants also received congratulations from LTC Rob Stillings, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science. The Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAACC) was on hand to present the new Lieutenants with “Gold Bar” commissioning sets, membership in the association and the Cape Canaveral Chapter. Colonel Steve Bond, US Army-Retired, Past MOAACC President, and President of the MOAA Florida Council presented the Gold Bar sets and wished the new officers the best of luck as officer in the United States Army.

Photo Caption: New Army Lieutenants at the Florida Tech ROTC Commissioning Ceremony on December 13^th with guests, from Left to Right—COL Steve Bond (USA-Retired)-MOAACC, Dr. John Nicklow-President Florida Tech, New Second Lieutenants--Zavala, Troisi, Cullum, and Aukland, CAPT Bill Toti (USN-Retired)-Guest Speaker, and LTC Rob Stillings-Florida Tech Professor of Military Science.

Photo Caption: L-R, COL Steve Bond (USA-Retired), CAPT Bill Toti, and LTC Rob Stillings meet before the ceremony.

Photo Caption: Marquee at the Florida Tech Student Union Building flashes congratulations to the New Army Lieutenants.

About MOAACC

Located in Brevard County, Florida, the Cape Canaveral chapter is the largest chapter in MOAA with 1000 members. MOAACC supports MOAA’s aims at the national and local level, engages in philanthropy by providing direct support—monetarily and with volunteer hours—to local military, veterans, and their families, and is a social organization sponsoring activities for members. For more information, visit our website at www.MOAACC.org.

12/14/2024

2024 Veterans Day Deals, Discounts and Freebies

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 12:00:20 GMT

11/03/2024

MOAACC Leadership Nominees for 2025

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 13:30:48 GMT

10/18/2024

Cape Canaveral National Cemetery to Honor Unclaimed and Unaccompanied Veterans

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:29:58 GMT

09/15/2024

2024 Orlando Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD) Information Packet

Tue, 28 May 2024 15:26:07 GMT

05/28/2024

MOAA Council of Florida Chapters 47th Annual Convention in Daytona Beach

Fri, 17 May 2024 00:21:55 GMT

Former Cape Canaveral Chapter Presidents are Council President & Vice President

MOAA Members representing Florida’s 39 Chapters, including members from Georgia and Tennessee gathered in Daytona Beach from May 13^th -15^th for the MOAA Florida Council of Chapters (FCoC) 47th Annual Convention. The Cape Canaveral Chapter was well represented and recognized. General Gary North (USAF-Retired), Chairman of the Board of MOAA attended the Convention. He provided a MOAA update, presented the Levels of Excellence Awards and Harris Communications Awards to Chapters receiving these distinctions, and installed the newly elected Council Officers into their positions.

Convention Highlights:

Newly elected/installed Florida Council leaders included our very own Chapter Past President (2021) Steve Bond, as the President of the Council, and John Murphy, Chapter Past President (2001) as the Council Vice President. CDR Pat Kluever (USN Ret), moved from the President of the Council to Immediate Past President. MAJ Lorraine Holland (USA Ret) was re-installed to continue as the East Central Florida Area Vice President, the area that includes Cape Canaveral Chapter.
Our Chapter received its 2023 Five Star MOAA Chapter Levels of Excellence Award and Harris Communications Awards for the Newsletter and Website from General North. Chapter President Rick Kniseley and The Intercom Associate Editor Rita Shapiro received the awards for the Chapter at the Convention. Our Chapter has received these awards of distinction from MOAA every year since they started recognizing chapters for excellence in communicating with members.

Look for more information on the Convention in FCoC’s June Council Communiqué. Pictures and presentations from the convention can be found on the Florida Council Website (www.FLMOAA.org).

Caption: Convention Program Cover

Caption: General Gary North (USAF-Ret), Chairman of the Board of MOAA (Foreground) installs the new officers of the Florida Council of the Military Officers Association of America into their positions. Newly installed officers are from L-R: Colonel Gary Nolan (USAF-Ret), SW Area/Cape Coral; Colonel Joe Napoli (USA-Ret), SE Area VP/Miami; Major Lorraine Holland (USA-Ret), East-Central Area VP/Orlando; Colonel John Murphy (USA-Ret), Council Vice President; Colonel Steve Bond, Council President, and the Outgoing Council President Commander Pat Kluever/Fleet Landing.

Caption: Newly installed Council President of the Florida Military Officers Association of America, Colonel Steve Bond (Center) with Council Vice President Colonel John Murphy (L), and Outgoing Council President Commander Pat Kluever (R) at the State Convention in Daytona Beach on May 15^th. Bond and Murphy are Past Presidents of the Cape Canaveral Chapter of MOAA—the largest chapter in MOAA.

Caption: Presentation of Cape Canaveral LOE and Harris Communications Awards. L-R: General Gary North. Rick Kniseley, Rita Shapiro, Lorraine Holland (EC Area VP), and Pat Kluever (Council President).

Caption: MOAACC Member reunion with Volusia County Resident and Chapter Member Gloria Makowski at the Convention. L-R: Steve Bond, Gloria, John Murphy, Liz Whalen, Brian Whalen, Rosa Reich, and Rita Shapiro.

Caption: John and Cathy McMahon (Center) at the Convention Military Ball and Installation Ceremony on June 15^th.

Photos Courtesy of Florida Council of MOAA

05/16/2024

Florida Tech ROTC Commissions four new Army Lieutenants

Wed, 08 May 2024 23:00:06 GMT

By Colonel Steve Bond (USA-Ret), MOAACC Army LNO

The Florida Institute of Technology Army ROTC Panther Battalion held their spring ceremony to commission four new Army Second Lieutenants on Friday, May 3rd. The Ceremony was held in the Hartley Room of the Student Union building on campus with families, friends, ROTC instructors, and other cadets present to witness the event. The new Lieutenants took their commissioning oath of office and pinned on new “gold bars”—the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants in the ceremony. Three of the new Lieutenants met the requirements to graduate from Florida Tech at the May Commencement, and one graduated from Eastern Florida State College. In the ceremony they heard messages and congratulations from the President of Florida Tech, John Nicklow (Ph.D.) and Guest Speaker, Brigadier General Mark A. Holler (USA, Retired), former deputy commanding general for operations of 8^th US Army.

The new Army Second Lieutenants and MOAACC members are:

José Piña— José is a 2017 graduate with honors from Heritage High School and graduated from Eastern Florida State College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management. He was commissioned through the Florida Tech ROTC program as a Military Intelligence officer in the reserves and his first duty assignment will be at Fort Buchanan, PR.
James Pillow III—is a graduate of Cocoa High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Florida Tech in Strategic Communication with a minor in General Psychology and was commissioned as an active-duty Infantry Officer. He was sworn in by LTC Joe Pavone, US Army-Retired, senior JROTC instructor at Cocoa High School.
Jose Quiles Vazquez—initially graduated from the University of Puerto Rico and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He received his Master of Science degree from Florida Tech in Logistics Management while completing ROTC requirements there. He was commissioned as a Transportation Officer and his first duty assignment will be Fort Bliss, TX.
Quinn Sellers—Quinn graduated from High School in Alabama and graduated from Florida Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing. She received a commission as an active-duty Quartermaster Officer.

The new Lieutenants were also congratulated by LTC Rob Stillings, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science. The Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) was on hand to present the new Lieutenants with “Gold Bar” commissioning sets and membership in MOAA and the Cape Canaveral Chapter. Colonel Steve Bond, US Army-Retired, Past President of the MOAACC presented the Gold Bar sets and wished the new officers luck as they begin their journey as Army officers.

Photo Caption: New Army Lieutenants at the Florida Tech Commissioning Ceremony on May 5^th with guests and ROTC cadre. From Left Front—BG Mark Holler (USA-Retired), New Second Lieutenants Pillow, Quiles Vazquez, Sellers, Piña; Dana Washington (FLA Tech ROTC cadre), and COL Steve Bond (USA-Retired) from MOAACC; Back Row from Left—Major Daniel Gil, CPT Zachery Smith, LTC Rob Stillings, MSG Alan Roche, Michael Johnson (all FLA Tech ROTC cadre).

05/08/2024

Advocacy in Action—2024

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:50:13 GMT

Advocacy in Action—2024

Colonel Steve Bond, US Army-Retired

On April 17^th, MOAA’s annual signature legislative event—Advocacy in Action or AiA--occurred on Capitol Hill. Team Florida was out in front to meet with our twenty-nine elected Congressional Representatives or their staffers in their Washington offices. The five Florida Teams were led by Florida Council Vice President, Steve Bond, John Murphy incoming Council Vice President, Pierre Louis—Council Legislative Affairs Chair, Tony LaVecchia—NE Florida Area Vice President, Dan Hill—Mid-Central Florida Area Vice President, and ably assisted by MOAA Board Members--Marc Oliveri, Rick Buchanan, and Mike Hewitt, and MOAA Virtual Chapter Representatives--Joe Gollasch and Stephanie Rose. Team Florida represented our thirty-eight chapters and all 38,000 MOAA Members in Florida. Our mission was to advocate for all veterans and their families to ensure the promises made to veterans are kept and to highlight MOAA’s strength in numbers.

Advocacy in Action started well before our team arrived on Capitol Hill. There were “Calls to Action” where MOAA’s 363,000 members were asked to TAKE ACTION by sending email messages or by calling their representatives to voice support for the issues. Proudly, Florida sent the most email messages through MOAA’s Legislative Action Center. There were over 1,700 messages from Florida alone of a total nationally of 6,750.

Steve Bond (Left) and Rick Buchanan (Right) met with Congressman Posey, FL-8, Center in his Capitol Hill office to discuss passing the Richard Star Act, Restoring the active-duty housing allowance, BHA to 100%, and Protecting Tricare for Life.

Congressman Posey was well versed and supportive of the three measures, largely due to the many emails he received from Cape Canaveral Chapter members

The day on Capitol Hill was long and tiring (I logged over 15,000 steps or about six miles!) for meetings held in four of the congressional office buildings on Capitol Hill. Lt Gen Brian Kelly (USAF, Ret), MOAA President and CEO commented after the event--“It is days like today that show the strength of what MOAA can do… The power of this organization is our ability to marshal our members to speak with one voice.”

It was exciting to be part of the AiA efforts on Capitol Hill and see the firsthand results of our collective advocacy efforts. I was proud to be a MOAA member, making a difference and protecting the earned benefits for all veterans and their families! However, our work is not done. We need all our members to participate in Advocacy in Action this year, and every year. If you have not done so, we need you to TAKE ACTION. Register and contact our elected representatives by going to this link: https://moaa.quorum.us/.

Legislative Advocacy is MOAA’s primary mission and one way we show we “Never Stop Serving”!

04/23/2024

MOAA Advocacy in Action - 2024 Issue Papers

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 14:22:57 GMT

03/31/2024

It's Only Has Hard As You Make It!

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 23:24:17 GMT

Lt. Commander U.S. Navy Seal (Retired) Amir Pishdad, Jr. speaks to ASCF Sr. Analyst Laurence Sanford about his experience becoming a Navy Seal. Navy Seal training and experiences lead to personal lifelong achievements.

03/27/2024

MOAACC Speakers--Speaking of National Security

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 19:11:51 GMT

MOAACC Speakers--Speaking of National Security
By Colonel Steve Bond (USA-Ret)

The MOAACC Speakers Bureau performs a valuable service in our community and often, well beyond. Many of our speakers, now retired or in second careers, have served in positions requiring them to stay abreast of ongoing and potential national security issues both in and out of uniform. They continue to offer their insights and assessments of current events and national security issues to educate others—often with first-hand, on the ground experience.

Two of our speakers—LT Larry Sanford (USN, FMR) and CAPT Bill Toti (USN, Ret) recently discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict on The American Security Council Foundation (ASCF) Peace Through Strength Podcast. Larry, in addition to being a former Navy Officer, also served in the Central Intelligence Agency. He and ASCF co-host Joy Votrobek, interviewed Bill about the on-going conflict in Gaza, which included Bill’s personal account of his visit into the Hamas Tunnels in 2016. To listen to the podcast, go to the ASCF YouTube Chanel link here: https://youtu.be/nX1Z9quNxy4.

Larry is the Senior Analyst for The American Security Council Foundation located in Sebastian, Fl, where he writes position papers and articles, as well as conducting podcasts on National Security issues. Bill does his own podcasts on World War II history and is a frequent commentator for the NewsNation channel, where he has provided insights into the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, among others. His podcasts on the “Unauthorized History of the Pacific Theater of World War II” dives into the subject of the Pacific War by exploring lesser told stories of the largest battlefront in human history. His podcasts are available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar.

More information about our Speakers Bureau can be found on our webpage at www.MOAACC.org/about/speakers-bureau/.

Joy Votrobek and Larry Sanford (at Left) interview CAPT Bill Toti (Right), on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

03/10/2024

Support MOAACC Legislative Advocacy to Help protect your benefits and those who Served!

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 17:52:28 GMT

How: Sign letters to your Congressman/Senators in support of MOAA Goals and Objectives

02/26/2024

Kathie Vogt turning 102!

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 20:10:06 GMT

Military Officers Association of America, Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC) Member and former Indian River Colony Club (IRCC) resident, Kathie Vogt is turning 102 in April!

We reconnected with Kathie back in November at a Veterans Day event sponsored by St. Francis Reflections in one of the local independent and assisted living facilities. The guest speaker was MOAACC’s COL Steve Bond (USA, Ret). After the ceremony, the chief nurse said that they had a resident who was married to a General Officer and she had not come to the ceremony, but asked if we would like to meet her. Of course, we replied. She took Steve and Chandler Langevin from St. Francis Reflection to meet Kathie. They learned that Kathie’s husband was the storied Air Force General John Vogt, an “Ace” pilot in WWII, former Commander of U.S. Air Forces in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters, and instrumental working with Henry Kissinger to end the Vietnam War. We later found out that both he and Kathie were life members of MOAA and the Cape Canaveral Chapter, but Gen Vogt had passed away in 2010, and Kathie moved away from IRCC. After a nice chat with Kathie, Steve and Chandler said they would return, to which she said, “Next time, bring gin”!

Since we missed her 100^th birthday, Chapter Members returned to give Kathie a One Hundred Year Congratulations Certificate from MOAA, a birthday card, and the requested bottle of gin on January 29th. With St. Francis Reflections providing the refreshments, members of MOAACC, St. Francis Reflection, her daughter, and friends wished Kathie a belated 100^th Birthday--We are looking forward to her 102^nd Birthday!

At this gathering, we also found another of our chapter members. One of Kathie’s friends residing in the facility was Pauline Kronebusch, wife of USAF Col Bob Kronebusch, our Chapter President in 2005. Both Pauline and Kathie are avid INTERCOM readers, and we are proud to count them as our members!

Photo Caption 1: Kathie Vogt (center front) with friends, MOAACC and St. Francis Reflections members (second row) from left, CAPT Steve Cusick (USN-Ret) MOAACC 1^st VP, Ellie Joy (SSM) Surviving Spouse LNO and Auxiliary Chair, Steve Bond MOAACC, Capt Rosa Reich (USAF-FMR) MOAACC 2^nd VP, CPT Mike Broski (USA-FMR), MAJ Mike Kahanca (USA-Ret), Christine Normando and Chandler Langevin both St. Francis Reflections. (Note Photo Releases on file with St. Francis Reflections).

Photo Caption 2: USAF Gen John Vogt (USAF Photo)

PHOTO CAPTION 3: Steve Presents Kathie her birthday gift.

PHOTO CAPTION 4: Ellie Joy (C) with Pauline Kronebusch (L) and Kathie Vogt (R).

02/04/2024

DoD Expands Online ID Card Renewal

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 00:59:31 GMT

01/17/2024

'An obligation to our veterans' Oak Hill cemeteries that include 22 vets receive repairs

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 00:36:01 GMT

01/16/2024

Groups honor Black veterans by working to restore Oak Hill cemetery

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 00:38:07 GMT

01/16/2024

MOAA’s 2023 Stakeholder’s Report

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 01:01:41 GMT

01/16/2024

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion Commissions Five New Army Second Lieutenants

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 00:37:10 GMT

Florida Tech ROTC Commissions five new Army Lieutenants

Melbourne, Fl – December 15, 2023 –

While the marquee flashed congratulations, Florida Tech ROTC cadets, family and friends gathered in the Hartley Room of the Student Union building for the Fall Commissioning Ceremony. In the ceremony, five new officers received their commissions as 2^nd Lieutenants in the U.S. Army. The five also completed the requirements to graduate from Florida Tech at the Fall commencement. During the commissioning ceremony, the new officers took the oath of office and pinned on their new “gold bars”—the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants and heard messages and congratulations from the President of Florida Tech, John Nicklow (Ph.D.) and Guest Speaker, Brigadier General Mark A. Holler (USA), recently retired as the Deputy Commanding General for 8^th U.S. Army.

The new Army Second Lieutenants are:

Oswaldo Cruces—Oswaldo was an enlisted soldier and graduated from Florida Tech with a Master’s Degree in Business Management. He was commissioned as a Military Intelligence officer in the reserves.
Mason Elizondo—is a graduate of Merritt Island High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Florida Tech in Computer Science and was commissioned into the reserves in the Cyber Branch. MOAACC member, LTC Scott Waggoneer (USA, Ret) his former Junior ROTC instructor at Merritt Island High School, administered his oath of office.
Chandler Hake—Chandler attended High School in Pennsylvania and was the ROTC Cadet Battalion Commander at Florida Tech, where he graduated as a distinguished military graduate with a B.S. degree in Computer Science. He was commissioned as an active-duty Cyber Officer.
Vincent Palermo—Vincent also graduated from High School in Pennsylvania and earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was commissioned as an active-duty Military Intelligence Officer, detailed to Infantry Branch.
Elysia Slattery—Elysia is a graduate of Eau Gallie High School and earned her B.S. degree from Florida Tech in Oceanography. She received her commission in the reserves as an Engineer Officer.

The new Lieutenants were also congratulated by LTC Rob Stillings, the new Florida Tech Professor of Military Science. Several MOAACC members were at the ceremony and the chapter provided the Lieutenants with “Gold Bar” commissioning sets and membership in the Cape Canaveral Chapter and MOAA.

Photo Caption: MOAACC members with New Army Lieutenants at the Florida Tech Commissioning Ceremony on December 15^th. From Left—COL Steve Bond, MOAACC; 2LT Elysia Slattery, 2LT Vincent Palermo, 2LT Oswaldo Cruces, 2LT Chandler Hake, 2LT Mason Elizondo, and LTC Hans Hunt (USA, Ret), MOAACC Student Affairs Committee.

12/15/2023

2023 Veterans Day retail discounts, free meals and other offers

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 20:42:41 GMT

Hundreds of Veterans Day discounts and freebies

11/11/2023

Veterans Day originated at the end of World War I

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 22:42:59 GMT

11/11/2023

Find your Veterans Day events

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 20:44:00 GMT

11/11/2023

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion to hold virtual Town Hall on ROTC Scholarships

Sat, 14 Oct 2023 12:52:45 GMT

11/07/2023

Veteran Surviving Family Eductional Seminar - "Preparing for the Final Chapter"

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 15:24:47 GMT

Veterans Benefits & Resources

One Senior Place event discusses benefits for those left behind

(VIERA, FL) October 16, 2023 – Preparing for life after the death of a spouse is never easy. But for the surviving spouse and family members of veterans, active or retired military service members, there are benefits to which they may be entitled. One Senior Place will host a discussion about the many resources and benefits available for veteran families on Wednesday, November 1 at 2:00 PM at the senior-focused information and resource center at 8085 Spyglass Hill Road in Viera. The discussion will be facilitated by VITAS Health Care, with additional information provided by the Military Officers Association of America, Cape Canaveral Chapter, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 123 and National Cremation Society. To RSVP, call One Senior Place at 321-751-6771. To learn more about the Viera marketplace for senior resources, visit The Experts in Aging at www.OneSeniorPlace.com.

Mike Tucker is the Veteran Liaison for VITAS Healthcare at One Senior Place.

"Many people are unaware of the benefits and resources that are exclusive to U.S. veterans and their spouses," said Tucker." "There are a host of things that can help ease the burden on the family left behind."

Cape Canaveral chapter president for the Military Officers Association of America, Brian Whalen spells it out.

This event is for planning ahead of time," said Whalen. "By the time a person becomes a surviving spouse, we want them to be prepared, with all their questions already answered. It's too late at that point to ask what a DD Fm 214 is and other questions."

For more information about the dozens of events presented annually by One Senior Place, call 321-751-6771. One Senior Place is a marketplace for resources and provider of information, advice, care and on-site services for seniors and their families. To learn more about One Senior Place, The Experts in Aging, visit OneSeniorPlace.com.

ABOUT ONE SENIOR PLACE-- Begun in 2006 by Don and Beth Kramer, One Senior Place, The Experts in Aging, is a marketplace of resources and provider of information, advice, care and on-site services for seniors and their family caregivers in Central and East Central Florida. Completely unique, One Senior Place at 8085 Spyglass Hill Road in Viera is a one-stop information hub and mini-mall “revolutionizing the way America shops for elder care and services.” One Senior Place is home to a wide variety of senior-focused businesses, a resource library and is the site of educational seminars and presentations for seniors. In 2008, One Senior Place was named Florida’s Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. In Brevard, they were honored as Business of the Year by the Melbourne Regional Chamber of Commerce. A second location, One Senior Place Greater Orlando, opened in Altamonte Springs in December of 2011. More information about One Senior Place and One Senior Place Greater Orlando can be found on the company website at OneSeniorPlace.com or by calling 321-751-6771.

11/01/2023

Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Inductee - Donn Weaver, U.S. Army Veteran (MOAACC Member)

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 11:40:44 GMT

10/21/2023

One Senior Place - Brevard / Space Coast Events

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 18:51:07 GMT

08/22/2023

How to Recognize (and Report) 5 Common Text Scams

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 16:25:28 GMT

08/17/2023

Saving For College Costs, Part 1 by CAPT Arnold Lim, USNR (Ret)

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 17:25:46 GMT

College costs have long been expensive and have been rising. For this month and next, we'll look at types of accounts to use, as well as options if these funds are not used up.

Essentially two types of accounts specifically dedicated for college savings exist: Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESA) and 529 plans. Both allow funds to grow tax free. Any funds contributed are not tax deductible, but the funds can be later withdrawn and used tax free if used for qualified higher education expenses (e.g., tuition; room and board; computers; class books); else penalties will apply.

* ESA, orginally also known as Coverdell IRA, were created back in 1997 as part of the Taxpayer Relief Act. The annual contribution limit is fairly low, was originally only $500, but now sits at at $2k per child, regardless of how many ESAs are be opened for one child. One can be opened for any child (aka beneficiary) who is less than 18 years old; obviously the younger the child, the better, to allow for more compound growth. Funds can be used for primary, secondary, and college bills. An important disadvantage is that the account's funds must be used up by year that the beneficiary turns 30 years old, else the ESA has to be closed, and funds are distributed and taxable to the child. Also, income limits exist for the donor: for 2023, eligibility phases out if taxable income for single person is above $95k and stops at $110k, or for married filing jointly, phases out at $190k and stops at $220k. Recently, Vanguard no longer supports creating new ESA accounts nor transferring beneficiary. Advantage: ESAs allow for more options on what the funds can be invested in; similar to a self directed IRA (vs regular IRA), one can direct the investments of an ESA into assets like real estate, crypto currency, and of course stocks/bonds/funds.

* 529 plans: first created in 1996. Advantage: Have much higher contribution limits that are determined by the state that administers each plan. Thus, can allow for larger amounts of money than ESA. 529 plans themselves come in two flavors, pre-paid and a savings account. In the pre-paid variety, one pays premiums to later get the tuition, regardless of any potential increases in that tuition; in essence, protected from cost increases. In the savings account, you make contributions of whatever amount you decide and then later take withdrawals or distributions from the account to pay for any college-associated costs like tuition on your own. Disadvantage is that the investment choices are limited to what the plan administrator allows, similar to how an IRA is very open while a 401(k) is also limited to the plan's option(s). Each of the 50 states can manage a 529 plan. Noted consumer expert Clark Howard has a website with an analysis of which states have better (e.g., more cost efficient) programs. https://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/investing-ret*irement/529-plan/ I personally used Utah's plan, which is very strong.

Next month, we will continue our look at these account types, as well as what to do with excess funds in these account types.

08/15/2023

Tunnel To Towers Foundation - Larry Jackson, Captain, USAF (Fmr), Tunnel to Towers Ambassador

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 20:36:21 GMT

As we approach another anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy I would like to familiarize you with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (T2T). Last year I was honored to be appointed as a T2T Ambassador. In that capacity I work to increase awareness of the mission of our organization.

Tunnel to Towers was founded by the family of Stephen Siller, an off duty New York fireman who raced on foot through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the World Trade Center Towers where he gave up his life saving others. Stephen’s life and heroic death serve as a reminder to us all to live life to the fullest and to spend our time here on earth doing good – this is his legacy.

Our mission is two fold: “Do Good” and “Never Forget”

Since 9/11, we have been helping America’s heroes by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially-adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. We are also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America to Never Forget September 11, 2001.

The Foundation has committed $500+ million to its projects including 1,000+ mortgage free homes delivered or in progress. Most importantly, when you make a donation to T2T 95% your donation goes to the projects. This high rate has earned us a 100% Accountability and Transparency

Rating by Charity Navigator.

For more information or to make a donation please go to T2T.org.

08/14/2023

Some Civilian Retirees Must Get New ID Cards or They Could Soon Be Barred from Bases

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 19:48:16 GMT

07/16/2023

Best Turnout Yet: Fifth Annual BCSO/VMC July Fourth Parade on Merritt Island

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 22:42:50 GMT

Although the morning was very warm and few clouds protected participants and spectators from the July sun, the Fifth Annual Independence Day Parade on Merritt Island was the best attended ever.

Well over 200 entries took about an hour to parade along the 1.3 mile route often passing spectators several deep which numbered in the several thousand decked out with patriotic garb and carrying and waving many flags.

The Parade is co-sponsored by Sheriff Ivey and the BCSO team, with Lindsey Deaton of BCSO Special Charities as the primary organizer. This year’s parade was not only the most in collective numbers, but also very well organized thanks to Lindsey and dozens of BCSO members who organized the start and finish and blocked every possible intersection along the usually busy Courtnay Pkwy in both directions for the Merritt Island HS start point to Edgewood Jr/Sr HS on Merritt.

The Veterans Memorial Center is co-sponsor of the event and this year over 300, including many children came to the VMC for free food and to cool off in the heat museum and Gray Hall. Thanks to Kim and Garret Cone of AVET for arranging the food and much more, including a kids fishing session as well as the Lonnie and Delinda Beach Band for great patriotic music and the MI BSA Troop for great desserts at their bake sale.

The MOAACC entry was led by President Brian Whalen and his wife Liz being escorted by Donn and Jeanne Weaver in their convertible. Jose Prieto and his wife Lupe Soto used their truck and trailer to drive the indomitable WWII Veteran 98 years old George Rosenfield, escorted by Gary Eppler on the Trailer. George was a great hit using his special WWII and Korean War Vet sign.

VMC was led by Dean and Susan Schaaf in their new red GMC with the VMC Eagle Costume on the back in scarecrow fashion. VMC tenant units including CCNC/WAA, SAR/DAR, American Legion, Legion Auxiliary, Marine Corps League and more made for a very large and record veteran unit participation.

Dean and Susan Schaaf in Lead VMC Vehicle

WWII and Korean War Veteran George Rosenfield (lt blue) ready top Board the MOAACC Trailer with Gary Eppler. Jose Prieto and Brian Whalen assisting.

Donn and Jeanne Weaver drive MOAACC President Brian and Liz Whalen as parade begins.

Parade Underway — Note mini Sub and WWII Jeep in front of MOAACC entry

07/04/2023

Military Officers at One Senior Place June 28, 2023

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:31:29 GMT

06/28/2023

USPHS Documentary

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:23:55 GMT

On 26 May 2023, the United States Public Health Service through the great efforts of the Commissioned Officers' Association and The Commissioned Officers' Foundation (COAUSPHS.org) produced and released a one hour Documentary on the PBS titled: The Invisible Corps. It was premiered on the New Mexico PBS Station.

The documentary is produced by the acclaimed producer Chris Schueler and narrated by Ali McGraw. The documentary is designed to provide insight into the history of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and its Mission in combating diseases globally and public health emergencies arising as a result of natural and man-made disasters at home, while providing healthcare services to underserved communities.

The Documentary is available to view at: https://invisiblecorps.com/

06/01/2023

GOLD STAR FAMILIES CHERISH MEMORIES

Tue, 30 May 2023 21:24:25 GMT

05/30/2023

Survivor Benefit Plan

Tue, 30 May 2023 23:15:43 GMT

05/30/2023

MOAACC delegation at The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall

Wed, 17 May 2023 15:24:41 GMT

MOAACC president LtCol Brian Whalen USAF (ret) Carries the ceremonial MOAA wreath for display at The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall.

This was the Florida’s 35th annual all Veterans Reunion. According to Mr.Doc Russo, wall official, The wall had 75 Veteran displays and over 25 thousand visited during 4-7 May 2023, In Wickham Park in Melbourne Fl. In 2024 the wall will be in Jackson Miss.

Others in photo are, Left, COL Jeffrey Rogers, USA (Ret) and right COL Steve Bond,USA Ret.

05/17/2023

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion Commissions eight new Army Second Lieutenants

Sat, 06 May 2023 14:05:52 GMT

The Florida Institute of Technology Army ROTC Panther Battalion held their spring ceremony to commission eight new Army Second Lieutenants on Friday, May 5th. The Commissioning Ceremony was held in the Hartley Room of the Student Union building on campus with cadets, friends, and families in attendance. The new Lieutenants took the commissioning oath of office and pinned on their new “gold bars”—the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants in the ceremony. Seven of the new officers also met the requirements to graduate from Florida Tech at the May Commencement and one is graduating from Eastern Florida State College. At the Commissioning Ceremony, the new officers heard messages and congratulations from the Interim President of Florida Tech, Robert King, J.D., and the Guest Speaker was Ms. Karen Saunders, The Army’s Program Executive Officer for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), located in Orlando.

The new Army Second Lieutenants are:

Samuel T. Addington—Samuel is a 2017 graduate of Cocoa Beach High School and earned his B.S. degree at Eastern Florida State College in Applied Health Sciences. He was commissioned as an active-duty Infantry Officer. His former Junior ROTC Senior Instructor and Cape Canaveral chapter member, LTC Jim Desjarden (USA-Ret) administered his commissioning oath.
Benjamin R. Chandra—Benjamin is a 2018 graduate of Melbourne High School and earned a B.S. degree from Florida Tech in Aerospace Engineering. He was commissioned as a Field Artillery Officer in the Florida National Guard.
Brayan N. Cruz Mejia—Brayan is a 2016 graduate of Heritage High School and earned an associate degree from Florida State College in 2020. He earned his B.S. degree in Aviation Management from Florida Tech. He was commissioned as an active-duty Medical Service Corps Officer.
David Decosta—David is a 2018 graduate of Melbourne Central High School. He earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and was commissioned as a Transportation Corp Officer in the Florida National Guard.
Jacob Filer—Jacob is a 2016 graduate of the Seoul American High School. He earned his B.S. degree from Florida Tech in Aeronautical Science and was named Outstanding Senior in the College of Aeronautics and had an internship with NASA. He received his commission as an active-duty Transportation Corps Officer.
Jake Marzano—Jake graduated from High School in Rhode Island in 2018. He received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida Tech. He was commissioned as an Engineer Officer in the Massachusetts National Guard.
Mehki A. Tabron—Mehki graduated in 2018 from High School in Maryland and earned a B.S. Degree in Aviation Management from Florida Tech. He was commissioned as an Active-Duty Transportation Corps Officer.
Ethan A. White—Ethan is a 2019 graduate of Merritt Island High School. He earned a B.A. from Florida Tech in Forensic Psychology and was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the Florida National Guard.

The new Lieutenants were also congratulated by LTC Jimmy Crook, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science, and member of the Cape Canaveral chapter. After serving as the Professor of Military Science for four years, LTC Crook is retiring from the Army later this summer. He and his wife Janelle plan on remaining in the area. Colonel Steve Bond, US Army-Retired, Past President of the MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter, and MOAACC 2^nd Vice President CAPT Steve Cusick, US Navy-Retired were also on hand to present the new Lieutenants with “Gold Bar” commissioning sets and membership in MOAA. Steve congratulated the new officers on their achievement wished them the best of luck as they begin their journey as officers in the United States Army.

Photo Caption: New Army Lieutenants and participants at the Florida Tech Commissioning Ceremony on May 5^th. From Left—COL Steve Bond, MOAACC; Ms. Karen Saunders, PEO STRI; New 2LTs David Dacosta, Jake Marzano, Mehki Tabron, Jacob Filer, Brayan Cruz Mejia, Ethan White, Benjamin Chandra, and Samuel Addington; Mr. Robert King, J.D., Interim Florida Tech President; and LTC Jimmy Crook, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science.

CAPT Steve Cusick, USN-Ret and MOAACC 2^nd Vice President for Membership at the Florida Tech Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony on May 5^th. In addition to receiving their commissions, the new Lieutenants are now new members of MOAA and the Cape Canaveral Chapter.

LTC Jimmy Crook (L) and COL Steve Bond (USA-Ret) (R)` at the Florida Tech Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony on May 5^th. After serving as the Professor of Military Science at Florida Tech for four years, LTC Crook is retiring from the Army later this summer.

05/06/2023

Advocating for All Veterans! Colonel Steve Bond, US Army-Retired

Thu, 04 May 2023 20:26:39 GMT

On April 26, 2023, I was privileged to participate as one of 170 MOAA staff and state representatives in MOAA’s signature legislative event, Advocacy in Action (AiA). This year for the first time since 2019, MOAA engaged on Capitol Hill to meet, in-person, with all our 535 legislators or their staff members in Washington DC. This event showcases that one of our primary purposes as MOAA members is to advocate for all veterans and that we serve to ensure the promises made to veterans are kept. Leading one of Florida’s five teams along with teammate--RADM Rick Buchanan (USN-Ret) MOAA board member from the Tampa area--we represented the Chapter and the 35,000 other MOAA members living in Florida. My team was assigned to meet with representatives from both our Senators, our local Congressman Posey (FL-8), and with legislative representatives from several other congressional districts as well.

Steve (Center R) and Rick Buchanan (Far R) meet with Stuart Burns (Center L), Congressman Posey’s (FL-8) Chief of Staff, and Legislative Assistant Annika Erickson (L) in their Capitol Hill to discuss protecting the All-Volunteer Force, Restoring BHA to 100%, and expanding the Tricare Pharmacy network.

Steve (R) and Cape Canaveral Chapter President Brian Whalen (L) met with Congressman Posey (FL-8) (Center) on May 2^nd in his district office in Viera to discuss the AiA issues.

The day was long and tiring (I logged 15,000 steps!) for the meetings held in three of the congressional office buildings on Capitol Hill. What I learned from this experience was:

With our earned veteran benefits under attack, MOAA is truly the last line of defense to halt the erosion of benefits.
MOAA is widely respected on “The Hill” as an honest broker working in the interests of all Veterans. From the reports I heard, all the teams received positive receptions. The high regard for MOAA is a result of working in a nonpartisan fashion in the interest of veterans. That is why it is critical that MOAA stay out of the unfortunate and destructive state of partisan politics consuming the nation.
MOAA was oft mentioned by the legislators and staff members for their leadership of The Military Co alition—the organization of 34 other Veterans Organizations that work together on legislative issues on behalf of veterans. The passage of the PACT Act last summer is being viewed as a ‘watershed event,’ and cited as an example of what can be achieved when we work together and speak with one voice!
All 350,000 MOAA members need to participate in Advocacy in Action this year, and every year. This is done by mailing in the cards provided in Military Officer Magazine and sending emails to our legislators from MOAA’s Legislative Advocacy page. Did you make your voice heard?
If you haven’t done so, I implore you to TAKE ACTION in this important MOAA mission area. To register and contact our elected representatives go to this link: https://moaa.quorum.us/ .

It was exciting to be a part of the AiA efforts and see the firsthand results of our collective advocacy efforts. I was proud to be a MOAA member, making a difference for all veterans and their families!

Why do MOAA members Advocate? Because we “Never Stop Serving”!

05/05/2023

Check Out These 2023 Military Appreciation Month Discounts

Thu, 04 May 2023 20:09:20 GMT

05/04/2023

GDF Sponsors Special PSFB Ceremony

Wed, 03 May 2023 13:51:51 GMT

Your Good Deeds Foundation works all year long to support active duty units and personnel in all military branches on the Space Coast. On 06 May, the Patrick Space Force Base Space Coast Top Three hosted their annual :” CMSgt Recognition Ceremony: and formal Mess at the Riders Club. Many of the most senior NCO leaders of the various Air Force and Space Force units on Patrick were recognized with medallions and other awards not covered by DoD funding.

GDF contributed $800 to sponsor and support that great evening and help honor some very special leaders in the best Air Force and only Space Force in the world.

Thanks to many MOAACC members and others who donate, GDF continues year-round to support active duty, cadet units of all types, FIT Army ROTC, veterans in need and many organizations that support veterans.

05/02/2023

Gold Star Mom’s Painting’s Displayed at Florida’s Capitol and Porcher House

Mon, 01 May 2023 21:14:33 GMT

From 26-28 April all 21 of the original oil paintings created by Gold Star Mother and artist, Jeanne Weaver were seen by hundreds on the third floor Rotunda of our State Capitol Building in Tallahassee. Sen Debbie Mayfield and her staff arranged the showing to coincide with them final full week of nigh Florida Legislative session in the spirit of the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

The series, called Losing Todd: A Mother’s Journey, were created over a year long period after 1LT Todd William Weaver, US Army was Killed in Action in Afghanistan on 09 Sep 2010. Later the College of William and Mary in Virginia , Todd’s Alma Mater, created a book with the same title with articles from many, including former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

The paintings have been shown in the Brevard area and in Virginia and Wash DC previously. They also were on display 24-31 May at the Porcher House in Cocoa Village near the Riverfront Park over Memorial Day Weekend.

Jeanne is a member of MOAACC’s authors group and her books are available through her or at the VMC Sales store.

She hopes her paintings inspire rather than sadden viewers since it was her way to work through unimaginable grief to create a lasting legacy about her son, but also to help others who have experienced loss and to remind Americans of the personal cost of freedom.

05/01/2023

MOAA Levels of Excellent Submission for 2023

Sun, 16 Apr 2023 18:13:02 GMT

Dear Sir/Madam,

On behalf of the Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral (MOAACC), we are pleased to forward our 2022 MOAA Levels of Excellence Award submission. We are a chapter over 1100 members, with 18 Committees; 17 Liaisons to Uniformed Service, Veteran, and Community organizations; and two non-profit organizations: The Good Deeds Foundation and The Scholarship Corporation.

We had our best year for charitable giving over $130,000 back to our local community. The Good Deeds Foundation raised 50% more funds than in the previous year and was able to provide more support to community outreach efforts. Our Scholarship Foundation award $50,000 in scholarships to 10 deserving students from active military and military families. We also received our second grant from MOAA ($3,000) and worked with local veterans’ organizations to help 13 at risk active military, veterans, their families and others in the Brevard County and beyond.

Additional important support for others included:

Supporting the Brevard Veterans Treatment Court with member mentors and funds for indigent veterans for treatment related costs. Chapter support to VTC has shown a 64% success rate this year to assignees, with 51 veterans completing treatment.

Provided $1000 assistance to Space Coast Jr/Sr High JROTC to assist in transition from AFJROTC to becoming one of the 1^st 10 Space Force JROTCs in the Country.
When Hurricanes Ian and Nicole struck Florida, we supported local efforts to assist the Ft Meyer and Central Florida areas. We contributed $2000 to help with transportation and several chapter members helped sort and load the non-monetary donations for transport.

We are proud to be an affiliate of MOAA and believe we exemplify the “Never Stop Serving” motto.

Sincerely,

Brian R. Whalen, Lt Colonel, USAF (Ret)

President, Cape Canaveral Chapter

LOE Submission 2022

1. Advocacy: (35 points)

- Meetings with state or federal legislators, including any virtual activities

- Describe your relationships with elected officials, government and non-governmental organizations, etc.

- Describe your chapter/chapter members' participation in the national Advocacy in Action campaign. (for 2022, this information can only be used to help your chapter) *

Legislative Affairs Committee: Co-Chairs BG John R. McMahon, USA Ret, (National) and MAJ Tim Pishdad, USA Ret (State and Local).

Cape Canaveral Chapter, with its 1100 members, is a leader among Florida's chapters in supporting MOAA’s legislative advocacy with Congress and Florida Legislature. We supported the Florida Council of Chapters initiative to contact Senators Rubio and Scott to sponsor and support the Richard Star Act. Congressman Posey was an early sponsor. Both Senators now sponsor this legislation.

Grassroots Advocacy included:

Weekly updates at our Thursday Morning meeting, in-person and via Zoom, keep members aware of relevant national, state and local legislative issues and initiatives, and specific MOAA priorities and initiatives.

Published 12 Advocacy Articles for our monthly magazine, THE INTERCOM, reinforcing MOAA’s advocacy initiatives, informing members of pressing national issues in Congress and encouraging members to “Take Action”. THE INTERCOM is sent to all members, our state, local and federal officials, other MOAA Chapters in FL, and regional veteran and service groups.

Disseminated our bi-weekly e-Newsletter—MOAACC Five Things—alerting members of legislative issues and directing them to “Take Action” hyperlinks and highlighting upcoming events.

Met with Congressman Posey in his district office on 19 Apr 22 to discuss MOAA Advocacy in Action initiatives. He agreed to co-sponsor H.R. 4824, Stop Copay Overpay Act and was already a co-sponsor of the Pact Act and co-sponsor of the Richard Star Act. Past President Steve Bond participated on Rep Posey’s October Veteran's Council (along with MOAA members from other VSOs).

MOAACC leveraged its large membership horsepower to advocate for passage of the PACT Act supporting veterans exposed to toxins during their service which was successfully signed into law last August. Senators Rubio and Scott and Rep Posey each voted for this important advance in veteran health care.

2. Community Engagement and Outreach: (35 points)

- MOAA Community Outreach Chapter Grants, Community Sponsorship Program, MOAA Crisis Relief Fund

- Scholarship and JROTC/ROTC activities

- Other community outreach/service conducted by your chapter

- Collaboration with other VSOs/MSOs *

MOAACC has a very successful community engagement and outreach program. The Good Deeds Foundation (501c(3)) provides direct funding support to area veterans and active duty military and families, major veteran support organizations, and students in ROTC and JROTC programs. In 2022, GDF provided $93,305 to support these valuable organizations. This was more than double the support in 2021.

We provided $36,000+ to Florida Tech University ROTC, 15 JROTC, and other Cadet programs; $9000 to junior enlisted support programs at Patrick Space Force Base; $2500 to Wreaths Across America at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery; $4000 to the Space Coast Honor Flight. As a result of their efforts GDF was awarded the Veteran Space Coast Star of the Year for 2022.

Our other 501c(3) program, MOAACC Scholarship Corporation honored exceptional students and highly deserving descendants of area Retired military and Active Military families. In 2022 MOAACC Scholarship Corporation awarded 10 $5000 grants totaling $50,000 to junior through master’s degree students. Because of the success of this program the decision was made to expand the awarding of $5000 grants to PhD candidates.

In 2022 we received a $3000 MOAA Grant. Using these funds we assisted 13 people (3 individual veterans and 3 veteran families) and kept all of them in stable housing despite unforeseen financial hurdles.

Additionally, MOAACC directly and financially supports 21 area units including FIT, 15 JROTCs, 2 Sea Cadet, 2 Civil Air Patrol, and 1 Sea Scout in Brevard County.

For the outstanding Senior ROTC at FIT is the additionally recognized award of the MG Cleland Bugler Award. MG Cleland was a former Chapter President, long time mentor for FIT cadets until his passing in 2017.

An important addition to the 15 JROTC outstanding cadet program is the new award of $400 grants to MOAA Medal recipients to help meet future educational goals and assist in their leadership development.

3. Recruiting and Retention: (25 points)

- What have you done to recruit younger (ages 40-60) members?

- How do you find and reach potential members?

- How do you keep your members engaged?

- How do you promote an environment where all new members feel welcome?

In 2022, we recruited 105 new members, showing every member is a recruiter.

We go to military/veteran related community events to meet veterans and explain the role MOAA plays in lobbying for military and veterans’ benefits. We are active in the local community supporting youth and veteran-related efforts. These are also recruiting opportunities. We set a positive example by being an organization people should want to join.

We used the MOAA recruiting lists each month to reach out to all MOAA members who moved into our area and offered them a free annual Chapter membership to welcome them to the area. We sent reminders to members at: 60 and 30 days prior to the expiration of their memberships. If a membership expired, we wrote inviting them to renew and then 30 and 60 days after expiration if they had not renewed. We also called our non-renewals and asked them to renew and if they did not, we asked why so we could capture information and use it to review our processes. After 60 days we dropped them from our distribution list.

We keep our members engaged by giving them weekly updates on our ongoing support with JROTC Units, Vets Back to Class, Speakers Bureau and let them know there are ways they can continue to serve the community. We have two lunches each month, an informal lunch at local restaurants and a monthly business luncheon with a guest speaker where we have an honor guard from a local JROTC unit present the Colors and we get the opportunity to learn about the cadets. Three of our luncheons focus on youth – the MOAA Medal Luncheon, Academy Appointment and ROTC Scholarship Luncheon and our Scholarship Luncheon.

We ensure everyone attending the luncheon feels welcome. Our Master of Arms is a designated greeter, and our board members are encouraged to go out and meet with the luncheon attendees, especially new faces. We always ask guests or new members to say a little bit about themselves at our weekly meetings and luncheons.

4. Leadership Succession: (25 points)

- Describe how you identify and train future leaders.

- How do you mentor new leaders? Describe your method for selecting new leaders.

- Where is your process codified? (by-laws, standard operating procedures, etc.)

- How do you motivate and recognize your current leaders? *

MOAACC’s leadership development plan is based on potential leaders accepting a four-year commitment to lead our chapter. This begins with members observing others who show potential to the chapter in the myriad of activities happening in MOAACC. A nominated Chapter candidate serves a year-long term as Second Vice President, then First Vice President, then President and finally as immediate Past President (PP). The plan offers the leader an in-depth on-the-job training and experience developing the candidate to ultimately assume the presidency of the chapter and ensures continuity. The Succession Plan is codified in our bylaws and operating handbook. As we have tested in the past few years the selection process must be flexible and dependent on using the experience of past leaders to adjust to ensuring MOAACC is accomplishing its mission.

•Each year, the current president appoints a Nominating Committee Chairperson

•Nominating Committee Chairperson selects 3 to 5 committee members, not holding elective office, to solicit VP position, 3 directors and other open elected positions vacant.

•The previous year’s First VP is normally recommended to become President, and the serving Second VP is recommended to become the First VP.

•Nominating slate of officers is presented to the Board of Directors and General membership for their approval in November.

•Once the new President is installed, the immediate Past President remains on the Board of Directors as a Senior Advisor for continuity to the President and the Board.

Our Chapter’s continued success validates that our process is successful in selecting and preparing future leaders throughout MOAACC. The incoming Second VP has 2 years to prepare to become Chapter President, obtains a detailed understanding various aspects of chapter business, and posturing for success. A major factor in our success is the ability to use the experience of Past Presidents as excellent sources of information and guidance.

5. Training: (20 points)

- Describe training your chapter leaders have undertaken. (e.g., leader workshops, roundtables, council and national collaboration, etc.) *

Chapter leaders attended the annual Florida Council of Chapters (FCOC) leadership seminar in January and interacted with other state Chapter participants, FCOC officers and MOAA National representatives.

Key chapter personnel participated in the most monthly MOAA virtual round tables. During our monthly board meetings, we conduct reviews of portions of our chapter’s handbook (action items) to ensure we are on track and the items are still accurate. We also emphasized the roles and responsibilities of positions as specified in the chapter handbook to ensure we understood the rationale for our guidance and to confirm the guidance is still current as some of our actions are predicated on the actions of external entities.

We also participated in the FCOC Annual convention and had representatives at the FCOC Board Meetings during the convention.

Due to an unanticipated resignation of our Second VP we faced a loss of experience to lead our Chapter in 2022. The remaining VP filled in both VP positions with assistance of past Chapter leaders. In the meantime, a PP volunteered to train 2 new candidates in the responsibilities of both of our VP positions. The result was when the time came to elect a new group of officer candidates, they were prepared for leading MOAACC. The flexibility in our training plan worked.

We also met with CAPT Erin Stone (JAGC USN, Ret), MOAA National’s Senior Director of Councils and Chapters on Nov 2. She attended our weekly Thursday Morning Business Meeting (TMBC) and addressed our members. She also participated in a follow-on meeting and working lunch with our board of directors, and other key chapter members. This was an outstanding learning experience. We appreciated her insightful comments and her attention to our comments.

6. Information Only:

Council President (CP) Assessment (10 pts):

Please note: this information is for CPs only. Alternative assessment will be obtained if no CP assessment is provided/available. Council President (CP) Assessment (10 pts to reach a maximum possible score of 150 only)

7. Extra Credit: Visit Reports (10 points to reach maximum possible score of 150 only)

Indicate dates of any visits by MOAA National or applicable Council during 2021 or 2022. Judges will review input from visit.

On 3 Nov 22, CAPT Erin Stone (JAGC USN, Ret), MOAA National’s Senior Director of Councils and Chapters, addressed the membership at our Thursday Morning Business Meeting (TMBC).

COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret) the FCOC VP and a chapter member and attends our weekly TMBC and monthly luncheons.

MAJ Lorraine Holland, USA (Ret) FCOC EC Area Vice President and Mrs. Pat Green, FCOC Surviving Spouse Liaison, occasionally attend our monthly luncheons.

Military Officers Association of America

ATTN: 2022 Levels of Excellence (LOE)

Award Selection Committee

201 North Washington St.

Alexandria, VA 22314-2539

04/16/2023

MOAA’s 2023 Advocacy in Action (AiA) Campaign

Sat, 25 Mar 2023 19:47:30 GMT

03/25/2023

Here’s How Servicemembers and Retirees Can Get Free Tax Help

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 16:02:19 GMT

02/23/2023

Veterans’ Connections - Horses for Heroes

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 17:57:30 GMT

02/19/2023

VA Officials Work to Raise Awareness of Cemetery, Burial Services

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 20:13:25 GMT

01/26/2023

Veteran Exemptions from Property Taxes

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 18:13:26 GMT

01/25/2023

MOAACC 2022 Outstanding Citizen Award — Tim Thomas

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 14:49:42 GMT

When he could not attend the annual MOAACC Awards Luncheon earlier in the week , MOAACC member LTC Tim Thomas, USA, Ret, received the prestigious 2022 MOAACC Outstanding Citizen in very special setting---the Viera JROTC Army Ball at IRCC on 21 January. The award was presented on Behalf of the MOAACC Board and Immediate Past President Ken Lowe, by former MOAACC President Donn Weaver.

In front of 150 JROTC cadets, their dates and family members , Weaver read the surprise citation for the award noting that Thomas had an amazing year creating the "JROTC to the Rescue" county- wide program to provide hurricane Ian and Nicole victims relief supplies in southwest Florida and northern Brevard County. He also helped earned $400,000 for charity while dancing for the Space Coast in June at the annual Brevard County Sheriff’s Office gala fundraiser. In addition to storm relief and fundraising , as the senior JROTC VHS Instructor and elected member of the Melbourne City Council, Thomas clearly earned the Award.

01/21/2023

Burial Services for Daniel L. Smith

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 22:43:01 GMT

12/21/2022

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion Commissions four new Army Second Lieutenants

Sun, 18 Dec 2022 01:00:52 GMT

COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret)—MOAACC Army Liaison

The Florida Institute of Technology Army ROTC Panther Battalion held their winter ceremony to commission four new Army Second Lieutenants on Friday, December 16^th. The Commissioning Ceremony was held outdoors at the Florida Tech Panthereum with fellow cadets, friends, and families in attendance. The new Lieutenants took the commissioning oath of office and pinned on their new “gold bars”—the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants--in the ceremony. The new officers have also met the requirements to graduate from Florida Tech at the winter commencement. At the Commissioning Ceremony, the new officers heard messages from the Interim President of Florida Tech, Robert King, J.D. and Guest Speaker, Brigadier General John M. Dreska Jr, the Commander of the 311^th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in Los Angeles, CA. Of note to chapter members, BG Dreska is the son of MG John Dreska and Lurana Dreska, a surviving spouse member of the chapter. The new Lieutenants were also congratulated by chapter member LTC Jimmy Crook, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science and COL Steve Bond, USA-Retired, MOAACC Past President.

The new Army Second Lieutenants, Florida Tech Graduates, and members of MOAA and the Cape Canaveral Chapter are:

Jared Blanco—Jared is a graduate of Merritt Island High School and earned his B.S. degree at Florida Tech in Software Engineering. He was the cadet battalion commander and earned the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge in Gold. Jared will initially serve in the National Guard as a Cyber Officer.
Nathan Johnson—Nathan graduated from High School in Fairfax, VA and earned his B.S. degree at Florida Tech in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics. He also completed Air Assault School as a cadet. Nathan was commissioned as an Engineer Officer and will initially serve in the Army Reserves in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Julia Seibold—Julia attended High School in North Carolina and earned a B.S. degree in Ocean Engineering from Florida Tech, where she was also on the Rowing Team. She was commissioned as an active duty Engineer Officer and is awaiting her unit assignment.
Jonathan Shimer—Jonathan graduated from Cocoa Beach High School and earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida Tech, where he was also the President of the Rugby Club. Jonathan was commissioned as a National Guard Ordnance Officer with assignment in Quincy, FL.

Additionally, MOAACC was represented by CAPT Steve Cusick, (USN-Retired) incoming 2^nd Vice President who helped present the new officers with their “Gold Bar” commissioning sets on behalf of MOAA and the Cape Canaveral Chapter, as well as membership in MOAA and the chapter.

Photo Caption: New Army Lieutenants and speakers at the Florida Tech Commissioning Ceremony on December 16^th. (L-R) LTC Jimmy Crook--Florida Tech Professor of Military Science; 2LT Jared Blanco; Florida Tech Interim President Robert King, J.D; 2LT Jonathan Shimer; Brigadier General John Dreska--Guest Speaker; 2LT Nathan Johnson; COL Steve Bond--USA Retired, Military Officers Association of America, MSG Alan Roche—Senior Military Science Instructor; and 2LT Julia Seibold. MOAACC presented the new Second Lieutenants with Gold Bar Commissioning Sets and membership in MOAA and the chapter.

12/16/2022

Retiree Information Forum

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 22:19:26 GMT

12/06/2022

Stars of Space Coast honors stellar work [MOAACC Good Deeds Foundation]

Sun, 04 Dec 2022 20:09:16 GMT

12/04/2022

We need your input ! Please take Survey!

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 21:48:32 GMT

We need your input on what type of social events and activities suits your interests and schedule. Please take a few moments to complete this online 4-question survey. Go to https://s.surveyplanet.com/fubko40u to take the survey. We request all members take the survey which will be active through November 30th.

11/30/2022

Deployed Troops Morale Boost Thanks to Oasis and GDF

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 21:37:33 GMT

After more than 20 years since the GWOT began, one group in Brevard County, led a a mom whose son was deployed several times, has never forgotten our troops in harm’s way. Four-five times per year OASIS comes together with volunteers and donors to create “Care Packages” for hundreds of deployed troops in dozens of units overseas.

Tess Brady Heribacka is the mom and leader who makes sure it happens. On 19 November at Beef O’Bradys on Merritt Island she and her many volunteers gathered to stuff holiday stockings and mail them off before the rush. For the past several years, Good Deeds Foundation of MOAACC has supported OASIS with cash donations. This year was the most ever at $1000 to help fund shipping costs. Thank you to OASIS and its volunteers and donors for the very special project you continue to accomplish. Speaking from my own long ago and my grandson’s unit’s recent experience, there is nothing like getting a great care package of goodies from people who you do not know, but who really care when you are thousands of miles from home defending our country.

Tess, in the middle holding the left side of the big check, is surrounded by her OASIS team and GDF President Donn Weaver far right.

11/19/2022

Red, White & YOU! A day to celebrate our honored Veterans.

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 22:37:53 GMT

11/18/2022

MOAA's Year In Review: 2022.

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 19:41:11 GMT

11/14/2022

MOAA Foundation Crisis Relief Grants for Hurricane Ian

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 17:22:42 GMT

The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) charitable organization, The MOAA Foundation has crisis relief grants available for up to $500 to servicemembers/veterans and their families in the State who were financially affected by Hurricane Ian. Those veterans impacted by the storm need to fill out The MOAA Foundation’s Crisis Relief Fund Grant application form found at https://www.moaa.org/crisisreliefapp. Once completed, a MOAA Chapter Member will need to verify the applicant’s military/veteran status, current financial need, and complete and submit the application and accompanying verification form found at https://www.moaa.org/crisisreliefverify. The forms may be submitted online or mailed once completed. More information on the program can be found here on the MOAA website at https://www.moaa.org/relief-verification.

Donations to the MOAA Foundation Relief efforts can be made by going to the MOAA donations website at https://www.moaa.org/content/forms/donate-now/.

10/01/2022

Retirement Guide

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 19:35:42 GMT

Welcome to MOAA's Digital Retirement Guide, a helpful source to begin your research on senior housing of all types across the nation. Along with traditional details about each of our many listed facilities, we’ve also included veteran-specific needs to help you on your journey.

09/30/2022

Hurricane Ian Recovery Information & Resources

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 17:22:01 GMT

Hurricane Ian Recovery Information & Resources

If you are in a life-threating emergency, call 9-1-1

Hurricane Ian has caused significant damage to portions of Florida, especially in the areas of Lee and surrounding counties. Most VA clinics remained closed for in-person appointments today, however, we will reopen as them as soon as it is safe. To learn more about your local VA operations, please call the VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center at 1-877-741-3400.

Your health and wellbeing is important to us! Below are some resources to help you get back on your feet.

VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center – Open 24/7 1-877-741-3400

Veterans who receive care in the network can call 1-877-741-3400 around the clock to get their health questions or concerns answered from the comfort and convenience of their home, or wherever they may be. Services include general administrative support, nurse advice, and triage, virtual visits with a doctor or nurse practitioner via telephone, VA Video Connect, or VA Health Chat.

VISN 8 Emergency Pharmacy Refills

VA Veteran patients can go to any local retail pharmacy to obtain needed refills. Veteran patients must take an empty active VA prescription bottle (not older than 6 months and with refills available) or a new VA prescription on a VA form by an authorized VA provider to a retail pharmacy. This does not include controlled substances.

The Heritage Health Customer Care Line is available for both VA patients and Pharmacies for any billing questions or coverage at: 1-866-265-0124, option 1

Heritage Hours of Operations for Hurricane Coverage:

Monday through Friday 7:00 am to 11:00 pm EST
Saturday and Sunday 9:00 am to 5:30 pm EST

If a Veteran is displaced, has lost his or her medication, and no longer has a written prescription or bottle, they can contact their local VA Medical Center or the VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center at 1-877-741-3400.

VBA Compensation or Benefits Checks

For information about compensation or pension benefit checks, please call the toll-free number 1-800-827-1000. The phone line is operational Monday – Friday, 8 am – 9 pm EST.

Florida Department of Veterans Affairs Claims Examiners

Call 727-319-7440 and Claims Examiner will call you back. You can also email them at VSO@fdva.state.fl.us

Veterans Crisis Line Dial 988, then press 1

24/7 confidential crisis support for Veterans and their loved ones.

National Disaster Assistance Hotlines

FEMA Disaster Distress Helpline call or text 1-800-985-5990 or visit website here.

Florida State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) 1-800-342-3557

American Red Cross Post Strom Shelter Information located here.

(Post-storm shelters will open within 72 hours after landfall)

Community Resources and Support

Florida survivors who live in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties can apply for federal assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) or by using the FEMA App. Survivors using a relay service, such as a video relay service, captioned telephone service or others, can give the FEMA operator the number of that service.

Medically dependent residents of Florida who need electricity to operate medical equipment, transport services to evacuate due to medical condition or need help getting medication can register for assistance at www.FloridaDisaster.org/SNR

After the Storm Recovery Tips

See attached After the Storm Recovery Guidance with important tips on ensuring you and your loved ones are safe after a storm.

After_the_Storm_Recovery_Guidance.pdf


Sent to michael.schroeder@yahoo.com on behalf of US Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration · 810 Vermont Avenue, NW · Washington, DC 20420 · 877-222-VETS (877-222-8387)

09/29/2022

St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care Reaches New Level of National Veterans Program

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 20:50:53 GMT

St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care delivers Veteran-centric care to the community as a We Honor Veterans Level V Partner

(Brevard County, Florida) – St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care is proud to announce it has been recertified as a Level V Partner with We Honor Veterans, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. This is the third year in a row that St. Francis Reflections has been recertified at the highest partnership level, demonstrating a superior level of commitment to Veteran-centric care in the community.

As a partner, St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care provides specialized care to Veterans who are facing a serious illness. This includes a Veteran-to-Veteran volunteer program, training for all staff and volunteers on conflict-specific medical and mental health concerns, and knowledge to assist Veterans in navigating VA benefits. In addition to providing Veteran-centric care to their hospice and palliative care patients, St. Francis Reflections partners with local Veteran organizations to honor Veterans in long-term care facilities and the community.

“St. Francis Reflections serves all of Brevard County, a place so many military Veterans call home” said Joe Killian, President and CEO of St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care. “It is vital that our community support the brave men and women who served our country. They deserve our respect, care and gratitude. Our participation We Honor Veterans spans nine years, and our entire staff, volunteers and Board of Directors are aligned with the goals, values and standards set by this national program. It is our mission to provide the highest quality care and compassionate support for Veterans, and no time is that more important than when they are facing serious or advanced illness.”

NHPCO and the Department of Veterans Affairs launched We Honor Veterans in 2010 to address the growing need for Veteran-centered care, especially as Veterans from different eras are aging and need access to Veteran-centric palliative and hospice care. Learn more about the We Honor Veterans program at www.WeHonorVeterans.org.

St. Francis Reflections is Brevard’s longest-serving, and only independent, non-profit hospice and palliative care resource. It was founded 45 years ago to provide extraordinary care for patients and families to help them deal with the greatest medical, emotional and spiritual challenges of their lives. Today, St. Francis Reflections cares for patients in their residences throughout Brevard County, wherever they call home. Its staff and volunteers work with dedication, compassion and great respect for those they serve guided by the mission statement: Uplifting Lives. Uplifting Each Other. Uplifting Our Community. Learn more at www.ReflectionsLSC.org and follow us on Facebook.

Media Contact:
Mary Larson, Director of Business Development and Communications
321-269-4240 (office)
321-634-2189
mlarson@ReflectionsLSC.org

09/26/2022

Record Support to JROTC and Cadet Programs in Brevard: A Football Game is the Stage

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 14:25:04 GMT

There are 15 JROTC High School programs in Brevard County with many having 180 or more cadets enrolled in the 2022-23 school years. Viera HS leads the way with 250!! There are also two Sea Cadet, two Civil Air Patrol and one Sea Scout Ship programs in Brevard, who have cadets from around the county interested in their programs.

The Good Deeds Foundation of the Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAACC) works year round to raise funds to support four major pillars: Veterans in need; Active Duty Units and Personnel; Veteran Related 501c3 organizations with great track records that support veteran and active duty causes; and youth programs focused on military related missions.

In the past year, donors have been very generous so MOAACC’s GDF was able to provide every JROTC Program $1800 each at a minimum and $1000 each to the five other Cadet Programs. The grand total of $32,700 was symbolically presented on the Viera HS Football Field in a pore-game program on 16 September, VHS’s Veteran and First Responders Appreciation Night.

As best we can determine, the collective amount is the biggest ever given to all programs in Brevard and likely unmatched elsewhere in Florida or around the country by a single veterans organization. Each year JROTC and Cadet programs encounter a number of expenses not covered by the sponsoring branch of service or the schools. With a typical goal of raising $3000 each year on average per each program, this year Brevard JROTC and other Cadet programs are off to a strong start. MOAACC’s GDF Board is happy to be able to offer funding and hopes next years contributions will allow us to match or exceed the record amount this year.

MOAACC/GDF has also pledged to purchase every trophy for nine major JROTC competitions in the Raider Challenge, Drill Teams and Rifle Team events from October to April, helping the JROTC even further.

That night of the ceremony, VHS painted its mid-field logo Red, White and Blue as more than 70 veterans and first responders walked through two rows of JROTC cadets all saluting at halftime. The stadium was almost full despite a drizzling rain and the fans cheered the vets as loudly as the did their home team Viera Hawks football team playing against a tough Orlando opponent. It was a moving night for veterans and first responders accented by the BCFD Hook and Ladder engine four stories up with a giant American Flag.

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey was also at the game. He not only represented First Responders at the ceremony, but also supports MOAACC and JROTC programs regularly. The Sheriff is the MOAACC/GDF Honorary Chairman for the 10 Dec 2022 Golf Tournament Fundraise at Cocoa Beach Country Club. His BCSO also raised thousands of dollars in June for four 501c3 charities via Dancing with The Space Coast. One charity chosen supports veterans and JROTC programs. Tim Thomas and his partner won the dance contest, representing veterans!!

MOAACC Good Deeds President Donn Weaver, center, presents the symbolic, county-wide check to VHS JROTC Cadet Leaders and Instructors LTC Tim Thomas , USA Ret and 1SG Carl Thomas, USA Ret. On the left is MOAACC’s Student Affairs coordinator and GDF member CW4 Dan McIntyre, USCGR, ret and Sheriff Wayne Ivey, with is great dog Juni.

09/19/2022

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion Commissions New Army Second Lieutenant

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 20:28:44 GMT

Melbourne, FL – September 2, 2022 –

The Florida Institute of Technology ROTC Panther Battalion commissioned the newest Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in ceremonies at the Florida Tech All Faiths Center on Friday, September 2nd. Cadet Regina Gaglione took the oath of office and pinned on the rank of an Army Second Lieutenant, with Florida Tech Panther Battalion Cadets, Cadre, family, and friends in attendance.

Dean Robert A. Taylor, Ph.D., Professor of History and Dean of the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts at Florida Tech was the guest speaker at the ceremony. He reminded Gaglione of the importance of her training and on being recognized as a leader in the future. Colonel Steve Bond, US Army Retired, Senior Vice President for the Florida Council of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), welcomed her to the Officers Corps on behalf of the 350,000 members of MOAA and wished her well on her journey as an Army Officer. He presented Gaglione with a “Gold Bar Commissioning set” --the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants in the Army from the MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter.

Second Lieutenant Gaglione also graduated from Florida Tech with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Forensic Psychology. While at Florida Tech, she served in multiple leadership positions in the Panther ROTC Battalion, including on the Battalion Staff and in the Color Guard. She earned a competitive three-year ROTC scholarship and was the President of the Florida Tech Rugby Club. She is currently awaiting her service branch assignment to start her Army career.

Photo Caption: Second Lieutenant Regina Gaglione (Center-L), receives a certificate of membership in the Military Officers Association of America from Colonel Steve Bond (Center-R), US Army Retired. Dean Robert Taylor (R) and Major Daniel Gil (L), Ass’t Professor of Military Science, look on.

About MOAACC

Located in Brevard County, Florida, the Cape Canaveral chapter is the largest chapter in MOAA with 1200 members. MOAACC supports MOAA’s aims at the national and local level, engages in philanthropy by providing direct support—monetarily and with volunteer hours—to local military, veterans, and their families, and is a social organization sponsoring activities for members. For more information, visit our website at www.moaacc.org.

Media Contact:

Marilyn Sanford

978-758-7348

marilynmsanford@gmail.com

09/02/2022

PACT Act Passes Senate, Heads to President’s Desk

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 22:36:55 GMT

08/02/2022

Sanford on Security with Colonel Stephen Bond, US Army (Retired)

Sat, 30 Jul 2022 14:04:50 GMT

07/30/2022

25th Annual Central Brevard Stand Down to Stand Up

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 22:59:46 GMT

07/29/2022

DoD Releases Details on Atomic Veterans Commemorative Service Medal

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 16:31:06 GMT

07/28/2022

ID Card Update: New Deadline for Some Military Retirees, Dependents

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 22:46:09 GMT

07/21/2022

17th Annual MOAACC Cruise Benefiting the Good Deeds Foundation

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 15:32:58 GMT

The 17th Annual MOAACC cruise will support the Good Deeds Foundation with a $50 donation for every cabin that sails. Please join us for a fun cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, The Wonder of the Seas. We will be sailing from Port Canaveral on March 12, 2023 and will visit St Kitts, St Thomas and the Dominican Republic. For more information, please title above or call Cruise Holidays of Viera at 321-242-1331.

07/08/2022

MOAA Florida Council of Chapters Holds Annual Convention

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 18:41:53 GMT

MOAACC Past President, Steve Bond is new Florida Council Vice President

Delegates and Representatives from MOAA’s 40 Florida Chapters--including Cape Canaveral-- participated in the Florida Council of Chapters (FCoC) 45^th Annual Convention 9-12 June, in West Palm Beach, Florida. The theme of the convention was “Fun in the Sun.” While there were no PowerPoint presentations, business for the Council was conducted. Of note, delegates elected new officers to the state council leadership positions and raised $5,000 for the MOAA Foundation to support its charitable efforts for veterans and military families across the nation.

The work at the convention included the usual Council Board of Directors Meetings and the General Membership Business Meeting to elect new Council Officers. A memorial service to remember those members who died in 2021 was held. MOAA President and CEO, Lt Gen Dana Atkins, USAF Ret, took part and presented Harris Communications Awards to the Council and 24 of the Florida Chapters, including Cape Canaveral. He also installed the new council officers into their positions on Saturday night prior to the mystery dinner theater. The convention’s fun activities included a dining around West Palm Beach, a Casino Night Fundraiser where participants played to raise money for MOAA Foundation and prizes. There was also a wine tasting and the murder-mystery dinner theater.

Convention Highlights:

Chapter President Ken Lowe received MOAA’s Five Star Harris Communications awards for our outstanding Newsmagazine and Website, recognizing last year’s Intercom editor, Jeanne Weaver and our webmaster, Colonel Mike Schroeder. Our Chapter has received the Harris awards every year from MOAA since they started recognizing chapters for excellence in communicating with members.
Newly elected and installed Florida Council Officers included our very own Chapter Past President, COL Steve Bond (USA Ret) as the senior Vice President of the Florida Council. CDR Pat Kluever (USN Ret), the former Council Vice President was installed as President. COL Mike Borders (USA Ret), moved from the President of the Council to the Immediate Past President position. MAJ Lorraine Holland (USA Ret) was re-installed to continue as the East Central Florida Area Vice President, the area that includes Cape Canaveral Chapter. A full listing of council officers and directors can be found at https://www.moaafl.org/Council.aspx.
The Convention Program has the memorial program and list of names, including the 50 from Cape Canaveral who died in 2021. The link to download the Convention Program is on the FCoC website at https://www.moaafl.org/Convention.aspx (Note: Enter “2022” and go to the bottom of the page to download the program.)

The Casino Night fundraiser offered convention participants the fun and excitement of playing games of chance and winning prizes, while directly raising money for the MOAA Foundation, MOAA’s charitable organization. At the conclusion of the convention, Lt Gen Atkins received a $5,000 check, the net proceeds of the fundraiser for the MOAA Foundation. In 2021, the MOAA Foundation awarded grants of over $44,000 to 12 Florida Chapters, including Cape Canaveral, for community-based programs directly aiding veterans, their families, and those currently serving our nation.

Pictures and the program for the convention are available on the Florida Council Website-- www.MOAAFL.org. In addition to the memorial list of names, the program includes welcome letters from MOAA and Elected Leaders, advertisements from businesses and chapters. Next year’s convention will be 19-21 May in St. Augustine, FL at the World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort. Mark your calendars, all chapter members and guests are invited.

Accompanying Photos:

Caption 1: Lt Gen Atkins (L) presents CDR Ken Lowe (USNR Ret) (R) President of the Cape Canaveral Chapter with Five-Star Harris Awards for communications excellence in the newsletter and website categories.

Caption 2: Chapter Past President, Colonel Steve Bond (L) receives an FCoC leadership plaque from Council President Colonel Mike Borders (R) for his work on the FCoC Council.

Caption 3: Casino Night activities at Left, Chapter Past President Tim Pishdad looks on.

Caption 4: Lt Gen Atkins, (Foreground), swears in the newly elected Florida Council Officers. (L-R) Commander Pat Kluever-Council President, Colonel Steve Bond-Council Vice President, Major Lorraine Holland-East Central Area Vice President, Colonel Gary Nolan-Southwest Area Vice President, Colonel Paul Loschiavo-Southeast AVP, and Colonel Mike Borders, Immediate Past President.

Caption 5: LTC Cynthia Watkins-Pishdad (USA Ret) (center with basket) and the Mystery Dinner Theater Cast. Cynthia used her detective skills to solve the murder mystery at the dinner theater.

06/23/2022

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is Looking for Professionals

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 23:12:55 GMT

06/16/2022

FCC program offers affordable, low-cost internet access to eligible households

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 19:38:39 GMT

06/07/2022

New VA Insurance Program Coming

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 19:40:23 GMT

06/07/2022

MOAACC Members Who Love to Clown Around

Fri, 20 May 2022 16:05:54 GMT

Jerry and Barb Gill (BOGO and Tinkerbell)

MOAACC members Jerry and Barb Gill aka, BOGO and Tinkerbell, love to “Clown Around”. Barb was trained almost 30 years ago in the Indiana Smiles Unlimited Clown School. Jerry only began clowning in 2017 with the IRCC Cart Barn Clown Troupe. They are members of World Clown Association, Clowns of America International, Southeast Clown Association and the Mooseburger e-Ally. They take their hijinks to local Health Care Facilities and entertain at events in their IRCC community. Jerry is the MOAACC Quartermaster and a member of the Good Deeds Foundation Board of Directors and Barb is a MOAACC spouse member. BOGO and Tinkerbell love to entertain and bring smiles to people’s faces. They traveled to Atlanta, GA April 26-31 to attend the Clowns of America International Conference with Clowns from around the world. BOGO and Tinkerbell, together and individually, successfully competed in Group Skit and Paradeability Competitions. They will be attending the Mooseburger Clown Arts Camp in Minnesota this July to receive training from former Ringling Brothers Professional Clowns and other renowned Entertainment Professionals; to learn new skills and enhance their current skills. If you are curious enough to sample some of their silliness, check out You Tube, Jerry Gill, BnT.

05/20/2022

Great Support to MOAACC!

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:35:01 GMT

Every TMBC and MOAACC Luncheon has IRCC employees helping us behind the scenes. One of them that stands out is Edward Davis, a Navy veteran (USS Carl Vinson plankholder). At the 19 May TMBC, Treasurer Mike Schroeder, on behalf of MOAACC, presents Edward with our special Challenge Coin in thanks for Edward’s hard work, commitment, and always positive attitude. Along with the IRCC staff, we can always count on Edward for steadfast support in managing needed technology for TMBCs and his hard work ensuring the MOAACC luncheons are set up professionally, on time and looking great. Edward is a true professional that continuously goes above and beyond to ensure the success of all MOAACC events at IRCC. We thank Edward for his service both as a veteran and for his continued support to MOAACC.

05/19/2022

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion Commissions Four New Army Second Lieutenants

Sat, 07 May 2022 17:16:43 GMT

Melbourne, Florida

The Florida Institute of Technology Army ROTC Panther Battalion held their Spring Ceremony to commission four new Army Second Lieutenants on Friday, May 6^th. The Commissioning Ceremony was held in the Florida Tech Student Union Building with friends and families in attendance. This was the first in-door commissioning ceremony at Florida Tech since the start of the pandemic in 2020. The new Lieutenants took the commissioning oath of office and pinned on their new lieutenant gold bars in the ceremony. They heard messages from Dr. Marco Carvalho, Acting President of Florida Institute of Technology and Guest Speaker, Brigadier General William Glaser, the Director of Synthetic Training Environment Cross-Functional Team with Army Futures Command in Orlando.

The new Florida Tech Graduates and Army Second Lieutenants are:

Ryan Lepp, graduated with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was commissioned as an active-duty field artillery officer with a basic branch of engineer.
Nicholas Piccirilli graduated with a B.S. degree in Aviation Management (non-flight) and was commissioned into the Florida National Guard as an Air Defense Artillery Officer.
Tricia Prior graduated with a B.A. degree in Forensic Psychology and was commissioned as an active-duty Air Defense Artillery Officer.
Liam Avery Yu graduated with a B.S. degree in Information Systems and was commissioned as an active-duty Transportation Officer.

The new Lieutenants were also congratulated by LTC Jimmy Crook, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science. Colonel Steve Bond, US Army-Retired and Past President of the Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) was also on-hand and spoke at the ceremony. He congratulated the new officers on their achievement, presented them with “Gold Bars” -- the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants on behalf of MOAA, and wished them the best of luck as they begin their journey as officers in the United States Army.

Photo Caption: New Army Lieutenants and Speakers at the Florida Tech Commissioning Ceremony on May 6^th. (L-R Front: 2LT Liam Yu, 2LT Nicholas Piccirilli, 2LT Tricia Prior; L-R Back: Guest Speaker-Brigadier General William Glaser, 2LT Ryan Lepp, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science LTC Jimmy Crook, Acting Pres Florida Tech Dr. Marco Carvalho, and Past President Cape Canaveral Chapter of MOAA Colonel (Ret) Steve Bond. The Cape Canaveral Chapter of MOAA provided the new Second Lieutenants with Gold Bar Commissioning Sets.

About MOAACC
The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC) is an affiliate of the national Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). MOAA and affiliates are nonprofit veterans’ organization dedicated to maintaining a strong national defense and ensuring our nation keeps its commitments to currently serving, retired and former members of the uniformed services, their families and survivors. Membership is open to those who hold or have ever held a warrant or commission in any of the Uniformed Services or their surviving spouse. MOAA and its affiliates are nonpartisan organizations.
Located in Brevard County, Florida, the Cape Canaveral chapter is the largest chapter in MOAA with 1200 members. MOAACC supports MOAA’s aims at the national and local level, engages in philanthropy by providing direct support—monetarily and with volunteer hours—to local military, veterans, and their families, and is a social organization sponsoring activities for members. For more information, visit our website at www.moaacc.org.

Media Contacts

Marilyn Sanford

978-758-7348

marilynmsanford@gmail.com

05/06/2022

MOAACC Advocacy in Action - Meeting with Congressman Posey

Sat, 23 Apr 2022 01:27:31 GMT

MOAA national, the state council and chapter leaders are meetings with our elected representatives to discuss the three Advocacy in Action (AiA) issues for this year—The Major Richard Star Act, the Stop Copay Overpay Act, and the 4.6% Military Pay Raise. This is part of the overall AiA Campaign as Congress needs to hear our concerns so they can represent our interests and influence the legislation being drafted.

Right here in our own area, CDR Ken Lowe, USNR-Ret, President of the Cape Canaveral Chapter, and COL Steve Bond (USA-Ret), MOAA FL Council Board Member/Past-President Cape Canaveral Chapter met with Congressman Posey (FL-8) in his district office on April 19^th along with his Military Liaison, Rob Medina, and District Coordinator, Patrick Gavin. Ken and Steve provided the MOAA issue papers, discussed the three topics, and asked for Congressman Posey’s support on these bills. Overall, they reported the meeting was very positive and Congressman Posey indicated his support for these actions. Congressman Posey was already a co-sponsor of the Star Act from last year, and as a result of the meeting became a co-sponsor of the Stop Co-Pay Overpay Act!

Neither of our Senators are co-sponsors of the bills, however. We need all our members to TAKE ACTION on the AiA issues by mailing the letters to the Senate and House Majority and Minority leaders from MOAA’s April Military Officer Magazine and sending emails to our legislators through the MOAA Quorum Link at https://moaa.quorum.us/campaign/39513/.

Legislative Advocacy is one of our chapter’s pillars. If you haven’t done so already, TAKE ACTION now!

CDR Ken Lowe (L) and COL Steve Bond meet with Congressman Posey (C), FL-8 to discuss MOAA’s 2022 Advocacy in Action Issues on April 19^th

04/23/2022

The Dover Detail

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 21:48:28 GMT

Photo L-R: Jim Sisserson, Janeille Sisserson, Jerry Vaughan, Monica Strader, Vinnie Howard, Rosemarie Ziegler

IRCC Foundation Member Rosemarie “Ro” Ziegler was the driver behind IRCC’s efforts to collect for the Dover Detail. After seeing an article about the Dover Detail and doing some additional research, she brought the idea of supporting this effort to the IRCC Foundation. The IRCC Foundation Board quickly agreed to support this effort. IRCC Foundation Members made a concerted effort to make the community aware of this effort beginning on Feb 25 with the distribution of flyers to each residence in the community. IRCC Foundation members volunteered space in their homes to store items that were collected. Jerry Gill, IRCC Foundation President and MOAACC Quartermaster, extended the collection of the uniform items for the Dover Detail to MOAACC in a Thursday Morning Meeting and information was further sent out as part of MOAAC’s Five Things newsletter. The Dover Detail is also an effort that is supported by the Veterans’ Memorial Center and their collection of extra uniform items. MOAACC’s Good Deeds Foundation also supported the Dover Detail with a $1000 donation to Dover Detail to help then provide uniform dress/awards for Brevard county veterans who want to buried in uniform and are missing uniform items or need an entire uniform. This is often in response to a family request.

04/19/2022

MOAA Group Douro River Cruise Opportunity, June 5-12, 2022

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:04:10 GMT

04/19/2022

Financial Literacy: Starting Your Stock Investment Program, Part 4

Sat, 16 Apr 2022 23:42:35 GMT

Financial Literacy: Starting Your Stock Investment Program, Part 4

by Captain Bob Houle, USCG (retired)

Part 4 of this series is premised on our readiness, willingness, and ability to create, maintain and continuously improve your own self-directed stock investment program. So, how do we start?

Two ways: through individual self-study program or by joining an investment club. Self-study takes time, is a lot of work, and is fraught with failure opportunities. In an investment club, we join with a group of other like-minded people who meet to pool their money, share their stock research and decide, together, how to invest their pooled money. Membership in an investment club exposes us right away to the diverse experiences and opinions of others, and provides us an opportunity to benefit from the club’s education programs and individual coaching from other club members,

Our chapter’s partnership with the local North Florida Chapter (NFC) of BetterInvesting™ (BI) provides us with a convenient gateway to the investment club experience. As a 503(c)(3) non-profit, BI’s mission is to teach people like us how to become successful, strategic, long-term stock investors. BI motivates us to become invested in the process of making our own informed financial decisions and provides us access to the research and investment tools we need to be successful investors.

Investment clubs are learning laboratories. Of course, the goal is to accumulate wealth to achieve our long-term financial goals by using the power of compounding to achieve future financial success. But remember, building investment knowledge and experience is the ultimate key to long-term investment success for our club and us. By learning the BI stock selection methodology and how to apply it using the BI’s online stock selection tools, you will be on the path to creating and managing a profitable stock portfolio.

Future articles in this series will delve into the topic more deeply; in the meantime, here’s where you can start your own investment club research. You can visit NFC’s live, online model investment club meetings on the first Monday of each month at 7:30 pm ET, just register here.

Don’t procrastinate. It is time for all of us to act and help others become financially secure and independent. Never Stop Serving!

⇒ Share your Ideas Here ⇐

04/16/2022

Three Missions in One - MOAACC Good Deeds Foundation in Action!

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 23:41:35 GMT

MOAACC’s Good Deeds Foundation (GDF) presented a very special check for $4100 at 0230 on Saturday, 02 April, to the President of the Space Coast Honor Flight (SCHF), RADM Jim Hart, USN Ret, who is also a MOAA Member. This Mission began last summer when GDF worked with SCHF, the Florida Tech (FIT) Army ROTC Instructor, LTC Jimmy Crook, USA (also a MOAACC member), and Dr. Richard Elmore of FIT’s doctoral program in behavioral sciences, to find a way with one major grant to help THREE of the organizations we support.

The concept was simple, but needed support and coordination: send five FIT ROTC Cadets and five veterans at FIT taking a special program designed by FIT and the VA to lead to VA jobs to support veterans in need in their future careers, to be guardians. They would spend 18 hours with and get to know WWII, Korean and Vietnam War veterans flying to Wash , DC with the SCHF to see THEIR monuments, many for the first time.

Three Missions in OneDF has supported SCHF for many years, but, as RADM Hart said when accepting the check, using this system of direct linkage to future soldiers and current veterans from FIT gives the SCHF program and the guardians unforgettable connections. SCHF, FIT and GDF hope to continue this unique grant into 2023, but for 2021-22, almost all of the SCHF’s seven mission will have one or two FIT students aboard.

Here GDF President CPT Donn Weaver, USA Fmr, presents the symbolic check to RADM Hart while many of the 25 veterans and 25 guardians headed to DC the same day look on.

04/07/2022

Financial Literacy by Robin Ware and Dan Harter

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 23:48:27 GMT

Part of MOAACC Financial Literacy Program. View recording at: https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/3932005735727170320

04/06/2022

Florida's 34th All Veterans Reunion

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 00:22:36 GMT

04/05/2022

Florida Veterans Inducted Into Hall of Fame - Harry O. “Skip” Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret) – Viera

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 18:54:27 GMT

03/31/2022

Brevard County JROTC Cadets on the March

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 18:29:16 GMT

03/31/2022

From MOAA’s President: Your Critical Role in This Year’s Advocacy in Action Campaign

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 21:02:52 GMT

03/30/2022

Chapter’s Good Deeds Foundation Meets Needs of Local Military Community

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 21:21:15 GMT

03/29/2022

Alexis 'Scrappy' Hopkins makes history as Atlantic League draft pick

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 17:18:26 GMT

This Just In: History was made this past week when the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes drafted Alexis Hopkins, the first woman ever drafted by an American professional baseball team for an on-field role, according to the Atlantic League and MLB.com. The Wild Health Genomes are in the Atlantic League, the highest level of professional baseball excluding Major League Baseball (MLB), and is an official MLB partner league based in the US' Southeast region. Alexis “Scrappy” Hopkins is a 2020 recipient of a MOAACC Scholarship, a 2021 Graduate of Florida Tech, and she was recognized with a MOAACC Certificate of Appreciation for her volunteer work with the chapter at our January Awards Banquet. Alexis’ mother Kim is a chapter member. Well done Alexis--we are proud of you!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CblBuFPIQs9/ - Alexis gives a shout out to MOAACC around the seven minute mark.

https://www.wkyt.com/2022/03/24/lexingtons-wild-health-genomes-draft-first-female-league-history/

https://www.newser.com/story/318545/scrappy-catcher-is-a-switch-for-pro-baseball.html

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/25/sport/alexis-hopkins-first-female-professional-baseball-spt-intl/index.html

https://www.wxii12.com/article/alexis-scrappy-hopkins-becomes-first-woman-to-be-drafted-by-a-professional-baseball-team/39538976

https://quotesenglish.com/tag/alexis-scrappy-hopkins-becomes-first-woman-to-be-drafted-by-a-professional-baseball-team-cnn/

https://internationalpk.com/topic/alexis-scrappy-hopkins-becomes-first-woman-to-be-drafted-by-a-professional-baseball-team-cnn/

https://spotonflorida.com/fl-non-local-sources/3639747/alexis-scrappy-hopkins-becomes-first.html

03/26/2022

United State Coast Guard Band Concert at King Center. FREE!

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 19:55:54 GMT

03/25/2022

Advocacy in Action 2022: MOAA's top legislative priorities

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:30:36 GMT

03/25/2022

These 17 Medical Centers Would Close and More Than 30 Built or Replaced Under VA Plan

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 21:56:33 GMT

03/22/2022

Support Combat-Injured Veterans by Passing the Major Richard Star Act

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 16:01:59 GMT

03/18/2022

Making Mental Health Care Affordable for TRICARE Beneficiaries

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 20:15:42 GMT

03/18/2022

Nonprofit reduces vet homelessness in Brevard

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 20:21:14 GMT

03/18/2022

MOAACC Luncheon Guest Speaker, George Taylor, Jr, President & Board Chair - NVHS Organizational Overview

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 21:18:24 GMT

Tuesday 15, 2022 - IRCC Colony Hall, 1130

George Taylor Jr is the President & Board Chair of National Veterans Homeless Support (NVHS). George Taylor Jr is our March Speaker and he discussed issues facing at-risk and homeless veterans and how NVHS addresses these issues.

George Taylor Jr is the President & Board Chair of National Veterans Homeless Support (NVHS), a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to Eliminate Homelessness Among Veterans in Central Florida, located in Cocoa. In this role he is responsible for ensuring that the organization achieves their mission by getting homeless veterans off the streets and preventing at-risk veteran families from losing their homes.

Since he first joined the organization as their CFO in 2008, NVHS has been instrumental in a 90% reduction in the homeless veteran population in Brevard County. Additionally, he also currently serves in the US Air Force as the Helicopter Maintenance Unit Superintendent in a Combat Rescue squadron located at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, where he holds the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. During his 20 years in the Air Force he has deployed several times in support of the Global War on Terrorism and Operation Enduring Freedom. George holds an MBA from Florida International University, and a Bachelors in Operations Management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

MOAACC partnered with NVHS to ensure the MOAA Grant funds went to deserving local veterans and their families. The MOAACC, Good Deeds Foundation also supports NVHS. This is a great opportunity to learn more about one of the organizations we support and how it impacts our community. Our new relationship with NVHS began in 2021 when growing numbers of Brevard veterans struggled to keep up with bills and avoid homelessness. Between the MOAA grant of $3,750 and the GDF $1,600, NVHS assisted nine veteran families with more than 12 children. It will likely be an important connection for MOAACC and GDF for years to come as we try to assist more veterans and their families in distress.

Center: LtCol Brian Whalen, MOAACC 1st Vice President presenting a MOAACC appreciation plaque to Jennifer Taylor and George Taylor Jr. George is the President and Jennifer the COO of NVHS.

03/16/2022

Financial Literacy: Starting Your Stock Investment Program, Part 3 by Captain Bob Houle, USCG (retired)

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 18:26:59 GMT

We start Part 3 of this series on the premise that you are ready, willing, and able to create, maintain and continuously improve a self-directed stock investment program. A program that you fully control. If you need to review part 1 & part 2, log into our MOAA CCC website and navigate to the Financial Literacy Forum and view the Articles Archive.

Control? With our own stock investment program, we are in complete control over all aspects of our plan to become financially independent. We control how much to invest, what to invest in, how long to own it, and when to replace one quality stock with another that offers better returns at lower risk.

But where to start? Investing in individual stocks is more straightforward than many people think! You do not have to be a professional to succeed. You do need the willingness to study and apply some time-tested investing fundamental principles and guidelines. You also need patience, a dash of self-discipline, and of course, the willingness to defer gratification by putting aside savings on a regular basis for our future.

Fortunately, one of the most valuable investment tools is readily available and free for the taking: Time – the weeks, months, and years that are needed to grow modest financial assets into substantial nest eggs. The younger you are, the more time you have. Conversely, the more you delay…

Learning how to pick the best stocks to buy is important for meeting any of our major financial goals. To achieve financial security over the long term, we need to use a time-tested investment strategy for identifying high-quality growth stocks that will help us achieve financial security.

In 2017 our MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAA-CCC) forged a partnership with the local North Florida Chapter of BetterInvesting™ (BI) to design, implement and continuously improve a broad-based program of financial literacy for the members of both our MOAA and BI chapters. Since that time, we have published monthly articles on a variety of related subjects and held webinars each year focused on the value of investing for our future. Up until now, our focus has been motivational, urging action. Based on your feedback, we are now transitioning to a more hands-on, how to do it phase, to assist those members who are interested in starting their own stock investment program.

The volunteers in the North Florida Chapter of BetterInvesting™ (NFC) have the knowledge and experience to assist our MOAA-CCC members in starting up their own stock investing program. The BetterInvesting™ approach is built on four investment principles — a foundation that has withstood the tests of time, market fluctuation and economic change. The four principles are:

Invest a set amount regularly.
Reinvest earnings, dividends, and profits.
Invest in quality growth stocks and equity mutual funds.
Diversify our investments.

It is important that we follow a consistent approach to analyzing companies that we are interested in owning. The BI approach to stock analysis has not changed since the organization’s founding in 1951. We ask ourselves two questions when studying a stock: Is this a quality company? And is the stock selling at a reasonable price?

Through our partnership with the BI North Florida chapter, we can tap into their program to learn sound, practical investing skills to support our long-term investment strategy. Some of our MOAAC-CCC are already BI members and will be part of the overall team to help others become successful stock investors.

In part 4 of this series, we will learn about stock investment clubs, how to find a club near you to visit and how to start your own stock investment club.

Thank you again for your service to our country and to our fellow members and their families. It is time for all of us to act and help others become financially secure and independent. Never Stop Serving!

⇒ Share your Ideas Here ⇐

03/12/2022

St. Francis Reflections We Honor Vets Pinning Ceremony

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 01:28:36 GMT

The much-anticipated Pinning Ceremony for the St. Francis Lifestage Care, We Honor Veterans Program was held at Sonata Viera on Friday March 4, 2022. There were well over 100 residents and guests in attendance. The IRCC Foundation awarded a $2,500 grant to this program on July 19, 2021. The IRCC Foundation was recognized by Christine Tate, Veteran Coordinator at St. Francis Reflections as a major contributor to the Program and the Ceremony. Approximately 40 Veteran’s were recognized, pinned, “coined”, and received a certificate. Additionally, there were about 35 military spouses who were pinned and received Certificates. Making the presentations were members of the IRCC Foundation (Brian Whalen and Jerry Gill, see picture), Also assisting in the presentations were Officers from the Military Officers Assn of America, Cape Canaveral Chapter, (also a contributor to the program) and a large contingent from Rolling Thunder®, Inc., Florida Chapter 1.

Pictured l to r: George Rosenfield, WWII & Korean War Vet, Brian Whalen and Jerry Gill

03/11/2022

Supporting Veterans at Sonata ALF

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 21:45:25 GMT

MOAACC members were both residents being honored and veterans honoring them at a special event at the Sonata Assisted Living Facility in Melbourne on 04 March. The county wide program of creating a Veteran Wall of Honor and pinning veterans in sponsored by MOAACC’s long time partner, St Francis Reflections and is led by a familiar face, Air Force Veteran Christine Tate, who attends many MOAACC events.

MOAACC 1VP attended the Sonata event among many other MOAACC Members and provided this account: Thanks to all who attended, especially our own 96 year old Sonata Resident and WWII and Korean War Vetetan, George Rosenfield, the center of attention in the above photos surrounded by Viera HS JROTC Cadets and other MOAACC Members as well as another long time supporter Amanda Herrnkind, formerly of SFR and now working in the Property Appraiser’s Office with Dana Blixley.

03/11/2022

Dover Detail Uniform Collection

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 00:45:18 GMT

03/10/2022

Military ID Cards

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:42:08 GMT

02/24/2022

MOAA Celebrates 93 Years: Longtime Members Share Why They Joined

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 20:17:17 GMT

02/23/2022

2022 U.S. Army Retired Soldier Handbook

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 00:36:00 GMT

02/20/2022

2022 Rotary of Indialantic Gala & Auction

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 20:12:33 GMT

02/18/2022

MOAA Announces Dates, Topics for Spring Advocacy in Action Campaign

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 20:11:36 GMT

02/18/2022

MOAA President Sounds Warning on Benefit Cuts in ‘The Hill’ Commentary

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 20:13:07 GMT

02/18/2022

Carol Craig speak about “Bringing Space Down to Earth.” MOAACC Presentation

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 23:34:01 GMT

The February MOAACC Speaker is Carol Craig, Chairman and CEO of Craig Technologies and Sidus Space. Her topic is “Bringing Space Down to Earth.”

In 2015, Carol was selected as the Small Business Administration’s Small Business Person of the Year for the State of Florida and South Florida District, and was recognized as the national first runner-up finalist in Washington, DC. The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) recognized Carol with the Kathleen P. Sridhar Small Business Executive of the Year Award in 2013, and she received the prestigious 2013 HENAAC Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Great Minds in STEM.

Her military experience includes active duty as a P-3C Orion Naval Flight Officer. She holds a BA in Computer Science from Knox College, a BS in Computer Science Engineering from the University of Illinois, and an MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Ms. Craig is pursuing a PhD in Systems Engineering at Florida Tech in Melbourne, FL.

L-R - Guest Speaker Carol Craig was presented a MOAACC appreciation plaque
by MOAACC's 1st Vice President LTC Brian Whalen USA (RET); looking on is 
MOAACC President CDR Kenneth Lowe, USNR (RET)…

02/15/2022

National Cemetery Administration Honors Unclaimed Veterans

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:28:01 GMT

02/03/2022

Lighting the Way—The MOAACC Junior ROTC Medal Grant

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 23:28:17 GMT

Lighting the Way—The MOAACC Junior ROTC Medal Grant

Our MOAACC Junior ROTC Medal Grant Fund continues to grow! Donations to the JROTC Medal Grant fund can be made securely on-line through our website: www.MOAACC.org. If you feel more comfortable using the regular mail, you can mail donations to: MOAACC Inc, PO Box 254186, Patrick SFB, FL 32925-4186. Be sure to designate the MOAACC JROTC Medal Grant for your donation.

Your donation is a qualified tax deduction, but we always recommend consulting with a qualified tax adviser or financial planner. See the ad for more information and how you can help make a meaningful impact to “Light the Way” and encourage area youth to become military leaders!

If you have contributed have already to the JROTC Medal Grant Program--THANK YOU!

JROTC Medal Grant Fund

Total as of 22 January 2022:

$5,735.00

or $382.00

For each of the 15 area JROTC Cadets receiving the MOAA Medal for the 2021-2022 School Year.

All donations go to Area High School JROTC MOAA Award Recipients!

December-January Donors:

Dot & Lam Hardman Family Foundation-Athens, GA

Richard Kniseley

Dan McIntyre

Gloria Makowski

Bill Vanasse

Roslyn Bates

Karen Hagen

D.R. Michaud

Thank You to all our Donors for encouraging area youth to pursue Military Service!!!

02/02/2022

MOAACC 2022 Installation and Awards Banquet

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 23:40:32 GMT

On Saturday, January 15^th, for the sixty-fourth time since our founding, we conducted the formal change of the chapter’s leadership and presented outstanding volunteers with awards at our Installation and Awards Banquet in Colony Hall, Indian River Colony Club. VADM Donald Hagen, USN-Ret, the 31^st Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy officiated the swearing-in of the Chapter’s 2022 leadership team where Colonel Steve Bond, USA-Ret, turned the Chapter Presidency over to CMDR Ken Lowe, USNR-Ret. Other chapter officers and directors were also sworn-in to their positions on the Board of Directors. See page 5 for the full listing of all the Chapter’s 2022 Officers and Directors.

At the Banquet, the following awards were presented to exemplary Chapter Volunteers:

MOAACC Certificates of Appreciation were presented to Grace Catron-Spouse Member; Alexis Hopkins-Volunteer; and Lisa Schroeder-Spouse Member.

MOAACC Certificates of Merit went to 1LT Doug Bissett, USA-Fmr; COL Jerry Gill, USAR-Ret; CW3 Amir Pishdad, USA-Ret; and, Marilyn Sanford, Spouse Member.
MAJ Lorraine Holland, USA-Ret, our East Central Florida Council (FCOC) Area Vice President presented MOAA FCOC Leadership Awards to COL Steve Bond, USA-Ret; Col Gary Eppler, USAF-Ret; CW3 Dan Smith, USA-Ret; and LTC Tim Thomas, USA-Ret.
The MOAACC Outstanding Citizen Award went to CPT Donn Weaver, USA-Fmr, for his untiring efforts in our community.
MOAACC Awards went to Mary McIntyre, Spouse Member, and Cozette Merritt, Surviving Spouse Member, for their long-time and faithful service to the Chapter.
The Chapter’s highest award, The Distinguished Service Award went to COL Mike Schroeder, USA-Ret, for his diligent and faithful service as the Chapter’s Treasurer, Website and Database Manager over the past several years.

Thank you to all our volunteers and congratulations to our award recipients! Special thanks to the Chapter’s 2021 Leadership Team for their great work and successes in a very challenging year and we wish the very best to the Chapter’s Leadership Team for 2022!

Pictures and Captions below:

VADM Don Hagen conducts the swearing in of new chapter officers and directors.

L-R: LTC Bill Vanasse, USA-Ret, Asst. Treasurer; COL Mike Schroeder, USA-Ret, Treasurer; Capt Bill Muckler, USMC-Fmr, Asst. Secretary; CMDR Bill Cox, USNR-Ret, 2^nd Vice President; Lt Col Brian Whalen, USAF-Ret, 1^st Vice President; CMDR Ken Lowe, USNR-Ret, President. At Podium, VADM Don Hagen; COL Steve Bond, USA-Ret, Past President-Senior Board Director; Col Mike Gautreaux, USMC-Ret, Director; and Lt Col Joe Tichich, USAF-Ret, Director.

Not Shown: CAPT Arnold Lim, USN-Ret, Secretary; Directors: Capt Larry Jackson, USAF-Fmr; Col Richard Kniseley, USAF-Ret; LCDR Daniel Levy, USN-Fmr); and CAPT Rita Shapiro, USPHS-Ret.

VADM Don Hagen, USN-Ret.

LTC Cynthia Watkins-Pishdad, USA-Ret sings the National Anthem.

COL Steve Bond presents Certificates of Achievement to Lisa Schroeder-Spouse Member (Left) and Alexis Hopkins-Volunteer (Center).

Grace Catron, Spouse Member, is presented with a Certificate of Appreciation.

Marilyn Sanford, Spouse Member and CW2 Pish Pishdad receive Certificates of Merit. Also receiving awards not shown: COL Jerry Gill, USAR-Ret and 1^st LT Doug Bissett, USA-Fmr.

MAJ Lorraine Holland, USA-Ret, Florida Council of Chapters (FCOC) Area Vice President presents COL Steve Bond with the FCOC Leadership Award.

Col Gary Eppler, USAF-Ret receives the FCOC Leadership Award.

LTC Tim Thomas, USA-Ret receives the FCOC Leadership Award from MAJ Lorraine Holland.

CPT Donn Weaver, USA-Fmr (L) receives the MOAACC Outstanding Citizen Award.

Cozette Merritt, Surviving Spouse Member (L) and Mary McIntyre, Spouse Member (Center) receive MOAACC Awards.

COL Mike Schroeder (Center) receives the Chapter’s Highest Award, the Distinquished Service Award at the Installation and Awards Banquet on January 15^th.

CMDR Ken Lowe, USNR-Ret (L) and MOAACC President is congratulated by VADM Hagen (R).

Ken addresses attendees at the Banquet for the first time as Chapter President.

01/22/2022

New MOAA Legislative Take Action Link

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 23:16:43 GMT

01/22/2022

Financial Literacy: Stop Writing Checks To Your Charities – Qualified Charitable Distributions By CAPT Arnold Lim, USN (Ret)

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 17:20:44 GMT

01/21/2022

Financial Literacy: Organize Your Estate Plan By: John C. Murphy

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 17:19:09 GMT

01/03/2022

Financial Literacy: 6 Year End Estate Planning Tips by John Murphy

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 17:18:21 GMT

12/27/2021

The Ultimate College Guide for Veterans & Active Service Members

Sat, 25 Dec 2021 21:51:57 GMT

12/22/2021

President’s Perspective -- On to the Future!

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 00:53:33 GMT

COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret)

Best wishes for the New Year!

After writing President’s Perspectives for the past 12 months, this one is my last. At the Installation and Awards Banquet on the January 15^th, I’ll turn the “Presidents Gavel” over and give Ken Lowe the “President’s Pin”. Working with Ken for the past few years I know the Chapter will be in good hands. Meanwhile, my Chapter responsibilities will continue and as specified in our Bylaws, I’ll become the “Past President-Senior Advisor to the Board of Directors.” As I said at last year’s Installation Luncheon, years from now my term as President will only be remembered by an entry on the Chapter Past Presidents roster for 2021. But what is important is the course we set and how the Chapter moves forward for the future.

Looking back, 2021 was a remarkable year despite being COVID impacted. The Chapter kept ‘rolling along’ and the simple fact that we continue to receive MOAA honors, including the Five Star Chapter and Harris Communications Awards, year after year, speaks for itself. We continued to adapt with our virtual tools--the website, The Intercom, The Five Things e-Newsletter, and Facebook Page. We ZOOMed many of our meetings--while restarting our in-person events last March. We ended 2021 as MOAA’s second largest chapter and recruited the second highest number of new chapter members in all MOAA. Our Survivor Assistance Program remains unmatched, and we provided countless volunteer hours in the community. Our activities and events are newsworthy and frequently appear in area press and media. Charitable giving from our Good Deeds Foundation amounted to $51,200, and we again gave out $50,000 in Scholarships. We could have declared success on those statistics alone, but there was so much more. Our charitable giving to serve area military, veterans, and family members hit $132,250(!!!) -- a new record for the Chapter! We surpassed our COVID-impacted 2020 giving as a Chapter by about $45K and leaped over the benchmark we set in 2019 by over $30K! The extraordinary efforts were for the community fundraising events for MSG “Ranger” Mike Sonnenschein--the former area ROTC instructor shot in the chest in Haiti-- resulting in $27,300; and, $3,750 to aid area homeless and at-risk veterans and their families through a MOAA Foundation Community Grant--receiving one of only 33 MOAA grants to Chapters in the Country for 2021! We also started a new program--The MOAACC JROTC Medal Grant--to monetarily encourage promising JROTC Cadets to follow in our footsteps and enter Military Service. Those grants will be given at our MOAA Medal Luncheon in April.

This Chapter excels because of dedicated volunteers who epitomize the words--“Never Stop Serving!” At the Installation and Awards Banquet on January 15^th, we will be recognizing some of our members who went “above and beyond” the norm with their volunteer spirit. My heartfelt thanks goes to all of you that offered me your support and for those whose hard work makes this Chapter what it is--Great!

It was an honor for me to serve as your President. Best wishes to the incoming group of Chapter leaders as they lead this great Chapter into the future!

Let me know if you have comments or concerns by e-mailing me at President@MOAACC.org.

Never Stop Serving®

12/19/2021

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion Commissions Eight New Army Second Lieutenants

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 00:38:21 GMT

Melbourne, Fl – December 17, 2021 –

The Florida Institute of Technology Army ROTC Panther Battalion held their Fall Ceremony to commission eight new Army Second Lieutenants on Friday, December 17^th. The Commissioning Ceremony was held outdoors at the Florida Tech Pantherium for friends and families and also live-streamed on Facebook. This was the first in-person commissioning ceremony at Florida Tech since the start of the pandemic in 2020. The new Lieutenants took the commissioning oath of office and pinned on their new lieutenant gold bars in the ceremony. They heard messages from Dr. Dwayne McCay, President of Florida Institute of Technology and The Honorable Patrick J. Murphy, former Undersecretary of the Army and a prior Congressman from Pennsylvania.

The new Florida Tech Graduates and Army Second Lieutenants are:

Ballard Barker, from Port Saint Johns, graduating with a B.S. degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He was commissioned as an active-duty aviation officer.
Jonathan Bruder, from Jacksonville, graduated with a B.S. degree in computer engineering and was commissioned as an Engineer Officer in the Army Reserves.
Jacob Hahn, from Arlington, VA, graduated with a B.S. degree in Construction Management and was commissioned as an active-duty Engineer Officer, detailed to the Field Artillery.
Pearson Kerchner, from Rock Island, IL, graduated with a B.S. degree in Information Systems and was commissioned as an active-duty Signal Officer, detailed to the Infantry.
Kasey Money, from Port St. Lucie, graduated with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Science and was commissioned as an active-duty Military Intelligence Officer, detailed to the Chemical Corps.
Joe Paducci, from Towson, MD, graduated with a B.S. degree Aerospace Engineering. He completed his ROTC training as a Distinguished Military Graduate and was commissioned as an active-duty Infantry Officer.
Gianna Petrazzulo, graduated from Viera High and received a B.S. degree in Biomedical Sciences. She was commissioned as an active-duty Transportation Officer.
Kevin Taylor, was born in Honduras and moved to Meritt Island in 2015. He graduated with a B.S. degree in construction and was commissioned as a Military Police Officer in the Army Reserves.

The new Lieutenants were also congratulated by LTC Jimmy Crook, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science. LTC Crook reminded the new Lieutenants of the responsibilities they were undertaking as commissioned officers in the Army. Colonel Steve Bond, US Army-Retired and President of the Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) was also on-hand and spoke at the ceremony. He congratulated the new officers on their achievement, presented them with “Gold Bars” -- the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants on behalf of MOAA, and wished them the best of luck as they begin their journey as officers in the United States Army.

Photo Caption: Colonel Steve Bond (Center), President of the Cape Canaveral Chapter of MOAA presents the eight new Army Second Lieutenants commissioned at Florida Tech on December 17^th with Gold Bar Commissioning Sets on behalf of MOAA. Dr. Dwayne McCay (far Right), President of Florida Tech and the Honorable Patrick J. Murphy (far Left) former Undersecretary of the Army spoke at the ceremony.

Photo Caption: Billboard at the Florida Tech Student Union Building congratulates the Army’s newest Second Lieutenants.

About MOAACC

Media Contacts

Marilyn Sanford

978-758-7348

marilynmsanford@gmail.com

12/17/2021

MOAACC Speakers go…International?

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 00:46:55 GMT

COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret)--Speakers Bureau Chairman

The MOAACC Speakers Bureau frequently receives requests to provide speakers for area clubs, luncheons, dinners, and special events. We do this as a community service to help familiarize our neighbors with the military and share our values, experiences, and expertise. We normally get requests for speakers from around the Space Coast Area, but with the pandemic, we received a few requests to support virtual events from Chicago, Wake Forest (NC), and Fort Devens (MA). Sometimes requests involve travel to places as far away as Ocala. It is not uncommon to get random inquiries for speakers well outside the area from groups that are otherwise unaware we normally provide speaking support primarily in Central Florida.

We recently had a very interesting inquiry. In the back and forth with the requestor, he inquired what the price was to get one of our MOAACC speakers. We replied that we do this “Pro Bono,” but providing lunch or dinner would be nice and if travel was involved, travel costs would be appreciated, but not required. A few days later, we received the request from the Chicago-based FourStar Wealth Advisors, requesting a speaker for their Corporate off-site Conference in Cancun, Mexico. The offer included paying for travel, food, and lodging in Cancun for the three-day conference! The specific request was for Amir Phisdad Jr, USN SEAL extraordinaire OR one of our other speakers to talk at the conference about leadership and teambuilding. Unfortunately for our other speakers, Amir was available for this all-expense paid, three-day trip to speak for 30 minutes in Cancun, Mexico. Several of our speakers offered the traditional "break a leg” wishes to Amir, but some might not have meant that in the good luck sense!

If you would like to find out more about our Speakers Bureau, go to our webpage at: MOAACC.org/about/speakers-bureau/. From there requestors can view our roster of speakers and make requests for events. We are always looking for more chapter members willing to serve in this volunteer capacity. Let us know if you would like to become one of our speakers by contacting us at: SpeakersBureau@moaacc.org.

MOAACC Speaker Amir Phisdad Jr (R) with FourStar Wealth CEO Brian Kasal (L) at the FourStar Wealth Management Conference in Cancun, Mexico

Amir speaking at the Conference in Cancun

Conference Agenda

12/16/2021

DoD: No Further Extensions Planned for Expired ID Cards

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 00:48:31 GMT

12/15/2021

Veterans Helping Area Veterans in Need = Bivouac Article

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 22:28:07 GMT

12/10/2021

Missing in America Project (MIAP) Call to Honor #28, Dec 1, 2021,

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 21:30:35 GMT

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN: Ceremony at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery on Dec 1, Honors 24 Veterans and 2 Spouses cremains that have previously gone unclaimed.

On December 1, 2021, under beautiful fall skies, per current VA protocol, a closed MIAP Call to Honor #28 was held at the Cape Canaveral National Cemetery (CCNC) located in Brevard County, FL. The solemn ceremony honored 24 veterans, and 2 spouses, who were recognized one by one and placed in a niche. The cremated remains of these veterans went unclaimed for an average of more than two decades. One remained in a funeral home storage vault for five decades. Many of the veterans served our country in times of conflict with 18 having served in World War II and two being sent into WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.

Special thanks to CCNC, Director Mr. Kevin Ridgeway, and the great CCNC staff for supporting a beautiful ceremony and making sure each veteran and spouse is now laid to rest with dignity and honor. Active-duty personnel from local units of all branches of service and some veteran organizations supported the ceremony, along with MIAP volunteers led by Kathy Church, Florida State MIAP Coordinator.

Difficult to accept, the reality is that funeral homes, Medical Examiners Offices, hospitals, and other private locations across the country are caretakers of unclaimed cremains. The Missing in America Project is a nationwide, nonprofit, 501c 3 volunteer organization.

The purpose of the MIA Project is to locate, identify and inter the unclaimed cremated remains of American veterans through the joint efforts of private, state, and federal organizations. To provide honor and respect to those who have served this country by securing a final resting place for these forgotten heroes. MIAP was founded in 2006 and operates in many states. For more information about MIAP and to become a supporter or volunteer go to www.miap.us.

Due to the high number of unclaimed cremains, there will be more ceremonies in the coming months and years at CCNC, which covers five East-Central Florida counties and as well as at all other National Cemeteries across the state.

For further info regarding MIAP, please contact, Kathy Church, MIAP FL State Coordinator at: (904) 219 –3035 or miapjax@yahoo.com

Here are some photos from the Dec 1, 2021, MIAP Call to Honor #28:

12/01/2021

President’s Perspective -- Home for the Holidays by COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret)

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 01:36:30 GMT

As I write this to meet the deadline for The Intercom December edition, we are just coming off Veterans Day and preparing for Thanksgiving and the holiday season. For Veterans Day, I had several wonderful opportunities to speak to groups on why our country stops to remember Veterans on Veterans Day. The message I left with each group was to thank Veterans and those currently in the military for their faithful service and sacrifices. The theme of this Intercom is on our experiences of serving in the military during the holidays. One of the common experiences we all share is being away from family and friends during this special time of year.

I recall being a young officer, far from home stationed in Italy. The instantaneous communications of today with cell phones, e-mail, text messages, facetime and so forth, were only a dream back then. One year in the late-1970s, after writing a Christmas greeting and mailing presents to my family in early December, I found out they received them well into the New Year! Into the late-1990, things did not get much better. It also seemed that Thanksgiving fell during prime training time and the deployments just didn’t stop for the holidays. Sharing Thanksgiving and Christmas with my extended family, in-laws, or even my wife and daughter was always very special, but something that just did not seem to happen due to work conflicts, distances and time involved to get together. One thing I always think about around Thanksgiving and Christmas is eating in the Mess Hall--or Dining Facility as it now called--with the troops. For my wife and daughter, this was their family holiday tradition, and we always reminisce about that each holiday season--and remark about the great food! The last time I did this, however, was once again without my wife and daughter--and of course I missed them dearly--while visiting and sharing the holiday meals with the troops serving at Forward Operating Bases in Iraq in 2008, during what was called “The Surge”. I thought as we went from camp-to-camp, how this was a huge part of my military-family holiday tradition. But what I also remembered was my own time away from family, friends and loved ones, and I knew that each of those in that faraway place were experiencing what I felt as a young Lieutenant being away for the holidays.

I hope all of you enjoy the holiday season this year. Travelling looks promising and it should be a good opportunity for you to gather with friends, family, and loved ones. As you do this, I know you are remembering those still standing watch and serving in camps, posts, bases, and stations, both near and far, that are unable to do that.

Happy Holidays! Let me know if you have comments or concerns by e-mailing me at President@MOAACC.org.

Never Stop Serving®

11/25/2021

A Brief History of Our Chapters Dues by Larry Jackson

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 23:57:00 GMT

As we consider whether or not to raise our chapter’s annual dues, I thought it might be helpful to recount how much and when we previously raised our dues. Here is a brief history and a table showing a time line of those raises. Please note that we only have records back to 1985.

The most glaring fact from the chronology is that we have not raised our dues since 2008, a 14 year period (if we raise dues in 2022) . The cost of living has increased by 28.7% during those 14 years. This helps to explain why our current dues do not cover our annual expenditures and we are facing shortfalls in the future. This is the longest period without a dues increase in our history that we have records for.

Since 1985 we have raised our dues on average every 3.6 years, with the average annual increase of $.65. If we apply that average annual increase to the last 14 years, our dues would currently be $29 per year.

Over a period of 3 years we doubled our dues: $3.00 in 1982 to $6.00 in 1985. We doubled our dues again over a 9 year period: $6 in 1985 to $12.00 in 1994. Since 1994 we have not doubled our dues and only increased them by 67% during that 29 year period: $12 in 1992 to $20 in 2021.

I’ll leave it the members to decide if an increase of dues in 2022 is warranted.

December 1982: $3.00
January 1983: $4.00
January 1984: $5.00
November 1985: $6.00
January 1990: $8.00
January 1994: $12.00
December 1997: $14.00
July 2001: $15.00
January 2006: $17.00
January 2008: $20.00

11/18/2021

TRICARE Costs Announced: What You Need to Know for 2022

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 14:27:04 GMT

11/11/2021

TRICARE Open Season

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 23:42:56 GMT

11/10/2021

Open Season: A To-Do List for Your 2022 TRICARE or FEDVIP Plan

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 23:39:43 GMT

This is a reminder that TRICARE and FEDVIP Open-Seasons are coming up! TRICARE’s 2021 Open Season will run from November 8th through December 13th, giving eligible beneficiaries a little more than a month to make changes to their coverage. Anyone enrolled in, or eligible for, a TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select plan can enroll in a plan or make changes to their coverage during this period. TRICARE updates will take effect January 1st, 2022. Re-enrollment is not required so if you like your current plan, you will continue with it if you remain eligible. Go here to see the MOAA Guide for TRICARE at https://www.moaa.org/micro/tricare-guide/.
The Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) Open Season is also coming up. FEDVIP is a separate program that offers coverage to some retirees, reservists, family members, and survivors. Learn more about eligibility and program details at BENEFEDS.com.

11/08/2021

"Members Gather in Person and Virtually for MOAA’s 2021 Meeting"

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 23:21:36 GMT

11/04/2021

Military Officers Association Provides $90,000 of Grants to 33 Affiliates Across the Country

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 14:31:13 GMT

Military Officers Association Provides $90,000 of Grants to 33 Affiliates Across the Country

By Space Coast Daily // October 20, 2021

Cape Canaveral Chapter of MOAA was awarded one of the Outreach grants of $3,750

Colonel Steve Bond, President of MOAACC (center right) and other MOAACC members present a Certificate of Appreciation and Chapter Coin to George Taylor Jr., President and CEO of NVHS (center), for NVHS’s work with area veterans-in-need. (MOAA image)

BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – The Military Officers Association of America, a national veterans service organization comprised of military officers and their spouses, and their charitable arm, the MOAA Foundation, provided grants totaling nearly $90,000 to 33 of their affiliates across the country to aid veterans-in-need.

The Cape Canaveral Chapter of MOAA, one of MOAA’s largest chapters, was awarded one of the Outreach grants for $3,750 to assist veterans in the area.

To identify needy veterans and disperse the local grants, MOAACC teamed up with National Veterans Homeless Support.

Working with NVHS, MOAACC provided eight individual grants of approximately $500 to area veterans or their families for emergency relief, housing, and utility payments. MOAACC began working with NVHS and distributing the grants from July until the grant money was exhausted in September.

From the census, there are approximately 4,000 of Brevard County’s 70,000 veterans living g below the poverty level. NVHS is key in providing emergency aid and does this type of work all year round conducting fundraisers, obtaining donations, and working with veteran civic organizations and the VA to validate eligibility and assign caseworkers in order to assist veterans needing assistance.

Last year, NVHS provided about $50,000 of this type of assistance to area veterans.

“We thank the MOAA Foundation for this grant to aid local veterans and NVHS for the work they do for our brother and sister veterans” said Colonel Steve Bond, US Army Retired and the President of MOAACC.

Last year, MOAACC’s charitable activities donated nearly $100,000 to area veterans, active-duty military families, and military-oriented students.

10/24/2021

Proposed MOAACC Bylaw Changes for Vote at the November General Membership Business Meeting

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 15:32:14 GMT

The proposed changes to the MOAACC bylaws are intended to solidify the processes in the selection of the Presidents of the MOAACC Scholarship Corporation and the Good Deeds Foundation. On 18 October 2021, the MOAACC Board of Directors approved this change for general membership approval. Once approved, we will further define the selection processes within the MOAACC Handbook. Click Here for the current, approved bylaws. Proposed change is as follows:

Bylaws, Article VIII Officers, para 5, last two sentences read:

“The President shall appoint the President of The Good Deeds Foundation and the President of The Scholarship Corporation. The Board of Directors must approve, by majority vote, the President’s appointments to these critical positions.”

Replacement of the last two sentences should read:

“The Board of Directors of each respective MOAACC 501c3 will nominate a President for their respective organizations (i.e., President of The MOAACC Good Deeds Foundation and the President of The MOAACC Scholarship Corporation) for a one-year term of office; multiple terms are allowed, as long as this process is followed annually. Each 501c3 will present their respective nominations annually to the MOAACC President for consideration. In turn, the MOAACC President will present those nominations to the MOAACC Board of Directors. The Board of Directors must approve, by majority vote, the President’s nominations to these critical positions.”

Full revision of paragraph 5. should read as follows:

5. The President shall be the principal elective officer of the corporation, shall preside at meetings of the corporation and of the Board of Directors, and shall be a member ex-officio with right to vote at any committee meetings except the Nominating Committee. At the annual meeting and at such other times deemed proper, the President shall communicate to the corporation or to the Board of Directors such information or proposals that would promote the welfare and increase the usefulness of the corporation. The President shall appoint a Chaplain. The Board of Directors of each respective MOAACC 501c3 will nominate a President for their respective organizations (i.e., President of The MOAACC Good Deeds Foundation and the President of The MOAACC Scholarship Corporation) for a one-year term of office; multiple terms are allowed, as long as this process is followed annually. Each 501c3 will present their respective nominations annually to the MOAACC President for consideration. In turn, the MOAACC President will present those nominations to the MOAACC Board of Directors. The Board of Directors must approve, by majority vote, the President’s nominations to these critical positions.

Thank you for your continued support to MOAACC. We look forward to seeing you at our annual membership business meeting. CLICK HERE for details and to RSVP.

10/22/2021

MOAA’s 2021 Annual Meeting: A Year In Review

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 20:52:13 GMT

MOAA’s board chairman opened up the 2021 Annual Meeting on Oct. 15 in Arlington, Va., by celebrating the organization’s achievements in the past year, noting it “continues to be the preeminent military advocacy group in the country.”

10/21/2021

MOAACC Veterans helping area Veterans-in-Need

Sat, 09 Oct 2021 16:34:37 GMT

The Military Officers Association of America or MOAA, a national veterans service organization comprised of military officers and their spouses, and their charitable arm, The MOAA Foundation, (website: www.MOAA.org), provided grants totaling nearly $90,000 to 33 of their affiliates across the country to aid veterans-in-need. The Cape Canaveral Chapter of MOAA (MOAACC), one of MOAA’s largest chapters, was awarded one of the Outreach Grants for $3,750 to assist veterans in our area. To identify veterans-in-need and disperse the local grants, MOAACC teamed with National Veterans Homeless Support (NVHS) (website: www.NVHS.org). Working with NVHS, MOAACC provided eight individual grants of approximately $500 to area veterans or their families for emergency relief, housing, and utilities payments, preventing 19 veterans and family members from becoming homeless. MOAACC began working with NVHS and distributing the grants in July, and by September, the grant money was exhausted.

The impact of the grants is both eye-opening and eye-watering:

A grant was provided to assist a medically discharged Army veteran, “Raven”, whose husband had lost his job due to COVID. Unable to make utility or rent payments, the family of five’s power was being cut off. The MOAACC Good Deeds Foundation provided an additional $1,500 to pay their back rent.
Another grant was awarded for a widow of a Navy veteran, “Donna”, who owed back taxes on her house and was unable to make payments. She was days away from having her house auctioned off. MOAACC joined with the local Elks Club, to provide funds to stop the auction--Donna said her prayers were answered!

“This seemed like a small thing we were doing, but it made a huge impact in the lives of these veterans and their families.”
Colonel Mike Schroeder, US Army Retired, MOAACC Treasurer

Army Veteran, “Bryant”, was in a hit- and run-accident while walking in a crosswalk, causing multiple fractures to his leg. He was unable to work or make rent payments. He received a grant to pay his low-income veterans housing rent during his recovery.
Navy Veteran, “Raquia”, a single mother of two young children was out of work and behind on rent payments. She had recently found a job but was unable to catch-up on the back rent for her low-income veteran’s housing.
“Kevin”, a 100% Disabled-Service Connected USAF veteran, recently moved to the area with his fiancé for her to find a job here. They were living in a hotel and completely depleted their savings. The VFW Post in Melbourne paid to extend their hotel stay, NVHS found them low-income housing, and the MOAA grant paid their move-in deposits.
Navy veteran “Dennis”, a low-income veteran living in a VA subsidized housing, was unable to pay his electric bill. He has several medical issues that require frequent VA medical appointments. His car had also broken down and he was paying for taxis and friends for transportation to his appointments. NVHS arranged for Mission United to pay for his car repairs. The MOAA funds paid his electric bill.
Navy Veteran “John” lost his job and he and his wife were unable to make the mortgage payments on their house and make utility payments. The MOAA grant went to pay for their utilities.
Navy Veteran “Tony” was past due with his rent and was being evicted from an RV Park. Tony’s fiancé was working, but they fell behind in rent when her hours were cut due to COVID. The MOAA grant went to assist them in paying their overdue rent.

Each of the grant recipient’s veteran status and need was validated and each has a Veterans Administration (VA) Case Worker assigned. They all expressed their thanks for the generosity and assistance. What is telling is the MOAA Grant money was expended in just three short months. From the census, there are approximately 4,000 of Brevard County’s 70,000 veterans living below the poverty level. NVHS is key in providing emergency aid and does this type of work all year round--conducting fundraisers, obtaining donations, working with veteran, civic organizations, and with the VA to validate eligibility and assign case workers--in order to assist veterans needing assistance. Last year, NVHS provided about $50,000 of this type of assistance to area veterans. The work they do is truly amazing.

“We thank the MOAA Foundation for this grant to aid local veterans and NVHS for the work they do for our brother and sister veterans. The MOAA motto is ‘Never Stop Serving’ and this is one way we demonstrate that”, said Colonel Steve Bond, US Army Retired and the President of MOAACC. Last year, the Cape Canaveral Chapter’s charitable activities donated nearly $100,000 to area veterans, active serving military families, and military oriented students. To find out more about MOAACC, visit their website at www.MOAACC.org. If you know of a veteran in our area needing assistance, have them contact National Veterans Homeless Support (NVHS) at www.NVHS.org.

Photos & Captions (Note: Veteran Photo Release is on file with MOAACC):

Photo 1: Colonel Steve Bond, President of MOAACC (Center Right) with other MOAACC Members present a Certificate of Appreciation and Chapter Coin to George Taylor Jr., President and CEO of NVHS (Center), for NVHS’s work with area veterans-in-need.

Photo 2: MOAACC Meets with Veteran “Raven”

(L-R) Colonel Steve Bond, USA Retired, President MOAACC; “Raven” (Army Veteran); Colonel Mike Schroeder, MOAACC Treasurer; Lt Col Brian Whalen, MOAACC 2^nd Vice President.

Photo 3: MOAACC & NVHS Staff Representatives meet with Vets “Donna” and “Bryant”.

(L-R) Front: Kasey Corson, NVHS Office Manager; Jan Taylor, NVHS Housing Coordinator; “Donna” (Navy Vet Widow); Jennifer Taylor, NVHS Program Director; Steve Bond (Pres MOAACC). Rear: Mike Schroeder (MOAACC Treasurer), “Bryant” (Army Vet).

Photo 4: MOAACC & NVHS Staff Representatives with Vets “Dennis” & “Tony”.

(L-R) “Dennis” (US Navy Vet), Mike Schroeder (Treasurer MOAACC), Brian Whalen (2^nd VP MOAACC), Ken Lowe (1^st VP MOAACC), Jennifer Taylor (NVHS Prog Dir), “Tony” (Navy Vet), Steve Bond (Pres MOAACC), Kasey Corson (NVHS Office Manager), George Taylor Jr. (NVHS President/CEO),

About MOAACC
The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC) is an affiliate of the national Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). MOAA and affiliates are nonprofit veterans’ organization dedicated to maintaining a strong national defense and ensuring our nation keeps its commitments to currently serving, retired and former members of the uniformed services, their families, and survivors. Membership is open to those who hold or have ever held a warrant or commission in any of the Uniformed Services or their surviving spouse. MOAA and its affiliates are nonpartisan organizations.
Located in Brevard County, Florida, the Cape Canaveral chapter is the largest chapter in MOAA with over 1200 members. MOAACC supports MOAA’s aims at the national and local level, engages in philanthropy by providing direct support—monetarily and with volunteer hours—to local military, veterans, and their families, and is a social organization sponsoring activities for members. For more information, visit our website at www.moaacc.org.

Media Contacts
Marilyn Sanford
978-758-7348
marilynmsanford@gmail.com

CPT Donn Weaver, USA Former

757-871-6576

DonnWeaver2020@gmail.com

10/19/2021

MOAACC Luncheon Guest Speaker, Col. Mark A. Shoemaker, US Space Force

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 21:23:52 GMT

MOAACC Luncheon Guest Speaker Colonel Shoemaker, Vice Commander for Operations, Space Launch Delta (SLD) 45, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. CLICK HERE to see his presentation.

Col Shoemaker provided an overview/update of the basic operations at the USSF center during a luncheon at Patrick SFB, the Tides to about 85 MOAACC members.

Right to Left: Lt COL Brian Whalen USAF, MOAACC 2nd Vice President, Colonel Mark Shoemaker, COL Stephen J.Bond, USA, MOAACC President.

Colonel Shoemaker, Vice Commander for Operations, Space Launch Delta (SLD) 45, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

10/19/2021

Financial Literacy: Starting Your Investment Program, Part 2 by Captain Bob Houle, USCG (retired)

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 12:16:26 GMT

In last month’s article, you were tasked to do a self-assessment of your readiness to embark on a self-directed stock investment program. If your assessment was that you don’t currently have either the time, talent, or temperament to be a successful stock investor, that only leaves you with the option to pursue either a do-it-yourself mutual fund strategy or to seek professional assistance in creating and managing your investment portfolio. Doing nothing is not an option. Your future quality of life, financial security, and independence depend on starting and sticking with a well-designed investment program.

For most of us, we are already participating in a self-directed mutual fund strategy through the government’s employee Thrift Savings Plans (TSP) or your employer’s retirement savings and investing plan (if a for-profit company, that would be a 401(k) plan; for non-profit organizations, that would be a 403(b) or 457(b) plan). Choosing between the two is, for most folks, not an option since it depends on the type of organization you work for.

Those plans offer various investment options and also potentially employer matching funds inside a tax-advantaged plan. 403(b) plans only offer mutual funds and annuities; 401K plans also can offer stock and bond choices too. You can also invest in retirement accounts outside of work through a variety of individual retirement savings plans (IRAs). Many, but not all, employer-sponsored plans offer some form of counseling to assist you in selecting your investment options. The bottom line, you still need to be an informed investor to make proper investment decisions. You still need to learn how to invest.

Learning about investing is essential. There are no shortcuts. Ignorance is not an option if your goal is success.

A good place to start is exploring the investing education offerings found in the For Investors portion of the FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) website. FINRA is a non-governmental organization that writes and enforces rules for brokers and broker-dealers and is overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a governmental regulatory body. FINRA’s mission is to guide us through the investment process so we can make smart financial decisions. FINRA offers tips to help you manage your personal finances and set sound financial goals—and explain in plain language key investing concepts, diverse types of investments and investment professionals, and questions to ask. This is a resource all investors should use.

The FINRA Foundation has a special, For the Military, investment education program that supports both the DOD and USCG financial readiness programs for members and families. You should check it out at https://www.finra.org/investors/military. In addition to the investment education offered it will give you valuable insights as to why our MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter has a Financial Literacy Program.

Our future articles will continue to help you improve your financial literacy. But we do need your help. What topic areas are of interest to you. Please share your ideas by completing this short survey.

⇒ Share your Ideas For Future Articles Here ⇐

10/18/2021

Laps Of Love Initiative by Ann Bush

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 18:10:44 GMT

10/14/2021

MOAACC Past Presidents Dinner - they "Never Stop Serving"

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 22:38:49 GMT

L-R:
Maj Timothy D. Pishdad USA. 2020.
COL Gary Eppler USAF 2019.
CPT R.Scott Robinson, USA 2017.
COL John Murphy, USA 2001. 
Col Susan Neugebauer, USAF 2011
COL Jeffrey C.Rogers, USA 2014
COL Stephen J.Bond, USA 2021
CW3 Dan Smith, USA 2019
CAPT Robert D.Watts, USN 2015
CDR A.Courtney Yelle, USN 2013
MAJ Joe Oblack, USAF 2010
LT William E. Keeney, USN 2006

CPT Donn Weaver USA 2016…( insert ) Not in group Photo

10/02/2021

Lighting the Way—The MOAACC Junior ROTC Medal Grant

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 23:59:43 GMT

In past years, we have presented outstanding High School Junior ROTC Cadets with the “MOAA Medal” to recognize their accomplishments. Starting this school year, we are providing a monetary grant to accompany the medal. The purpose of the grant money is to enhance the prestige of the MOAA medal and encourage those students with an aptitude for military service to follow in our path and pursue military career options. To help fund this effort, the Chapter’s proceeds from 50/50 raffle drawings will be used, along with member donations specifically for this purpose. To donate for this very worthy cause, go to our donation webpage. Designate the “JROTC Medal Grant” to specify that you want your donation used for this purpose. Donations for the medal grant are qualified tax deductions. NOTE: Unspecified donations to MOAACC Inc., our Good Deeds Foundation or Scholarship Corporation are always appreciated but will NOT be used for this program.

Click on the banner below for more information and how you can help make a meaningful impact to “Light the Way” and encourage area youth to become military leaders!


JROTC Medal Grant Fund
Fund Total to Date: $225

Donors:
Steve Bond—IMO CW4 Robert John, former MOAACC Student Affairs Chairman
Earl Mason
Ken Lowe
Dean Schaaf

Thank You Donors!

10/01/2021

Cape Canaveral Chapter’s Advocacy in Action!

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 00:08:51 GMT

Cape Canaveral Chapter’s Advocacy in Action!

MOAACC provides grassroots-level support for MOAA legislative aims and keeps our members informed & engaged to TAKE ACTION through our weekly business meetings, Monthly Newsmagazine—The Intercom, MOAACC Five Things e-Newsletter, website—www.MOAACC.org, and Facebook page.

Chair of Florida Senate Military & Veterans Committee Speaks at MOAACC Luncheon

Our August Luncheon was held at The Tides Club on Patrick Space Force Base on August 17^th. Our speaker was Florida Senator Tom Wright. Sen. Wright represents Florida Senate District 14 which includes the Northern part of Brevard County and all Volusia County. He chairs the important Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security. Sen. Wright discussed efforts to help Veterans with PTSD get alternative treatment and work to ensure the military ranges and space surrounding Military Bases in Florida are not degraded, including the over-water ranges required by the Air Force and Space Force.

At the luncheon, Chapter President COL Steve Bond, USA (Retired), thanked Sen. Wright for his commitment and work on behalf of the Military and Veteran Community and presented him with a MOAACC Certificate of Appreciation and challenge coin. COL Mike Borders, USA (Retired), the President of MOAA’s Florida Council of Chapters also attended the luncheon.

Congressman Bill Posey Veterans Advisory Council Meeting

On September 1^st, Congressman Bill Posey (FL Congressional District 8) met with area Veteran-Leaders for his Veterans Advisory Council. The Council included four MOAACC Members.

The Veterans Council discussed a wide-variety of issues facing the military and veterans, including those in MOAA’s Advocacy in Action efforts—Toxic Exposure Reform, obtaining a Basic Needs Allowance for Junior Enlist Service Members, Tricare parity for young adult dependents of Service Members, Concurrent Receipt of retired and disability pay (Major Richard Star Act), and the Arlington National Cemetery expansion. They also discussed “hot button issues” facing the Congress related to the military and veterans, including the Afghanistan withdrawal; mandatory Critical Race Theory training in the military; Veteran (including Women Veteran) health care; and Addressing Sexual Harassment and Assault in the Military.

(L-R) COL Mike Borders, Diana Borders, Fla Sen. Tom Wright, COL Steve Bond, and MAJ Tim Pishdad (Co-Chair MOAACC Legislative Affairs Committee).

(L-R) COL Steve Bond, COL Mike Borders (FCOC President); MAJ George Rosenfield (WWII Vet); and FLA Sen Tom Wright visit with the Rockledge High School Color Guard at the Cape Canaveral Chapter Luncheon on 17 August.

Congressman Bill Posey, FL-8, (Center) met with his Veteran Advisory Council on September 1^st. Of note, four members of the Veterans Council are MOAACC Members—They include COL Danny McKnight, USA Ret (Far L), former USA CPT Donn Weaver (5^th from L), COL Steve Bond, USA Ret (3^rd from R), and LCDR Dean Schaaf, USN Ret (Far R).

10/01/2021

Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors 2021

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 16:38:24 GMT

10/01/2021

President’s Perspective – Legislative Advocacy

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 23:24:05 GMT

President’s Perspective – Legislative Advocacy

COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret)

One of the primary reasons our chapter exists is to make our voices heard with our elected representatives on behalf of the serving military, all veterans, and their families. We do this in conjunction with MOAA at the National-level and with the Florida Council at the State-level. We engage locally to ensure our elected officials understand what is important to us—keeping the military strong, while taking care of our nation’s veterans and their families. I hope you read the articles authored by BG John McMahon, our Legislative Affairs Committee Chair and MAJ Tim Pishdad, the Deputy Chair, each month. They do a great job keeping us informed on current issues impacting the military, veterans, and families. While John and Tim lead this important committee, the rest of us are “committee members”. When asked to “TAKE ACTION”, we all need to act through our letters, emails, or meetings with elected leaders.

I have a confession—While I have been a member of MOAA for 23 years now, the very first time I sent one of the “TAKE ACTION” pre-printed cards from Military Officer Magazine or sent one of the autofill e-mails from the MOAA website to our legislators was just three years ago, after I joined this chapter. Why? I thought I was doing my part by just being a member-at-large of a great organization that was looking out for things important to me. I saw how MOAA was up on Capitol Hill working issues on behalf of the military and veterans. I, like so many others, confused my passive membership with action. What I have learned in the past three years is MOAA’s advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill are only as good as the active support they receive from the broad membership base. In other words, if we collectively don’t TAKE ACTION to be heard, those elected officials won’t bother to listen. MOAA has a saying: “The larger our numbers, the greater our voice”. Our chapter legislative advocacy mission is to ensure our 1,200+ voices are added to the chorus—This is not a spectator sport!

We have had several key legislative engagement activities over the year and in the past several weeks. MOAA—with our support—is up on Capitol Hill with the “Advocacy in Action” campaign to work key legislation into the Defense Bills. Our August Luncheon Speaker was Florida Senator Tom Wright, the Chairman of the Florida Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. Then in September, our local Congressman, Bill Posey (FL-8), met with his Veterans Advisory Council. I, along with other chapter members and area veteran-leaders were in that group for discussions on military- and veteran-related issues facing the nation. We have highlighted those meetings in this month’s INTERCOM and be sure to read Tim Pishdad’s Legislative Affairs article.

One of the slogans I remember from my youth was: “Think Globally, Act Locally!” That is what we do as a chapter—engaging with our local elected representatives to make our voices heard on behalf of the serving military, veterans, and their families—here at home, across the nation and literally around the world. That is our mission and one of the primary reasons we exist as a chapter.

I appreciate your thoughts. If you have comments or concerns e-mail me at President@MOAACC.org.

Never Stop Serving®

09/30/2021

Senator Tom Wright's Thank you Letter to MOAACC

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 22:14:54 GMT

09/30/2021

Nominations for 2022 MOAACC Officers and Board of Directors (Approved 16 Nov 21 at the MOAACC Annual Membership Business Meeting)

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 18:00:29 GMT

MOAACC Slate of Nominees for 2022 Leadership

Submitted by LTC Harry “Skip” Taylor, USA, Ret.

Chairperson, Nominating Committee

The 2021 MOAACC nominating committee is pleased to present an outstanding slate of nominees to lead our 5-Star Cape Canaveral Chapter for 2022. These candidates are offered in nomination to the General Membership for election during the Annual Business Meeting at the luncheon on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.

President: CDR Kenneth Lowe, USNR Ret.
1st Vice President: Lt Col Brian R. Whalen, USAF Ret.
2nd Vice President: CDR William “Bill” Cox, USNR, Ret.
Secretary: CAPT Arnold Lim, USNR, Ret
Assistant Secretary: Capt. William B. Muckler, USMC, Fmr
Treasurer: COL Michael Schroeder, USA Ret
Assistant Treasurer: LTC William “Bill” Vanasse, USA Ret
Master-at-Arms: VACANT
Assistant Master-at-Arms: VACANT

Directors:

Term expires Jan 2023:

PP COL Stephen Bond, USA, Ret.

Col Mike Gautreauz, USMC, Ret.

Capt. Larry Jackson, USAF, Former

Lt Col Joseph Tichich, USAF, Ret.

Term Expires Jan 2024:

CAPT Rita Shapiro, USPHS, Ret

LCDR Daniel Levy, USN, Former

Col. Richard Kniseley, USAF, Ret

Chaplains who were previously appointed by Chapter Presidents:

Lt Col Tom Unrath, USAF Ret.
MAJ William Adams, USAR Ret.
MAJ William Otis, USA Ret.

09/22/2021

MOAACC Meet Our Authors and Book-Fair Luncheon 21 Sep 21

Sat, 21 Aug 2021 00:35:26 GMT

For the September luncheon, we are having a special “Meet our Authors Bookfair” at The Tides Club. The luncheon is on Tuesday, September 21st and starts at 11:30. At the luncheon, you will have an opportunity to meet members of our Authors League. What is our Authors League? It is our Chapter Members that have published books. We have an Authors League Page on our website that gives a profile of the authors and information about the books they have written. You can also purchase their books on-line through the page. If you or if you know of someone eligible to be a chapter member that has written a book and is interested in joining our Authors League, email us at SpeakersBureau@MOAACC.org. There is a small annual fee ($20) required to post and maintain author information on the website. At the September Bookfair Luncheon you will have an opportunity to meet our authors, purchase their books, and find out more about them and their books. Don’t miss this special luncheon and consider it a unique and interesting opportunity for early Christmas shopping as well!

09/21/2021

Meet the Authors Bookfair and Luncheon

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:31:46 GMT

Our September luncheon was held at the The The Tides Club at Patrick SFB. Unlike other luncheons where we have a featured speaker, this one was a “Meet the Authors Book Fair''. Many of our members know we have an "Authors League''--those of our members who have written and published books. At the luncheon, six of our authors spoke about themselves and told us about their books. They also brought their books to sale. Of course you can find out more about our authors, their books, and links to buy the books through the Authors League webpage on our wwwMOAACC.org website. The books make great gifts too!

L-R: Robert Faulkender, Jeann Weaver, Joe Oblack, Dan Wilson, Lee Boyland and wifeVista Boyland

09/21/2021

Veterans get free entrance to national parks, refuges and other public lands

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 23:17:28 GMT

09/15/2021

9/11 Dedication of the Monument to the Fallen at CCNC

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 17:55:30 GMT

09/11/2021

Channel 13 News Alby Story

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 23:04:14 GMT

09/09/2021

Financial Literacy: Starting Your Investment Program

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 22:51:11 GMT

Financial Literacy: Starting Your Investment Program

by Captain Bob Houle, USCG (retired)

Our earlier articles in The Intercom emphasized the importance of having a sound investing program for our family’s future financial security and independence and the urgency of starting such a program now. Last May we published an article titled “YOUR Financial Literacy - Take the Test” where we offered you an opportunity to test your overall financial knowledge (a necessary self-assessment to perform before starting your own investment program). You might want to refresh yourself by re-reading the article and taking the survey tests again. Assuming you are satisfied with your results and would like to get serious about investing for your future, what’s your next step?

When starting an investment program, we have to decide if we want to have full control over our investment program or if we need to share that responsibility with others. To start, note the term “share” … we can never turn over total responsibility for our future financial security and independence to anyone else. Delegate, yes. Shifting responsibility to others, no! And no one other than you and your family will be held accountable for the results.

So, how can you objectively know if you are ready, willing, and able to create, maintain and continuously improve a self-directed investment program? One that you fully control? The balance of this article will discuss what you need to be able to do and what your options are if you can’t. Next month’s article will assume that this month’s self-assessment indicates you don’t currently have what it takes to be a successful stock investor.

We start by assessing our “Investing T-level.” No, not the low T stuff advertised on TV! We’re talking about our ability to start up and manage our family’s financial investing program and to be able to pass along those time-tested success lessons we learned to others. How much control do we want, or can have, over our investment program?

All successful investors share three characteristics: Time, Temperament and Talent. Like a 3-legged stool all three need to be present and in balance. To the degree that we score high in all three, that’s an indicator that we could be successful directing our own stock investment program.

Time: Like most folks, our time is precious: work, family, social life, community activities all compete for our attention. No one can give us more time, so we have to make the best use of what time we do have. That means working smarter and setting priorities. If we don’t have the time, we need to delegate portions of our investment program to others.

Temperament: Various studies have shown the average investor's investment return over time is much less than if their assets were just put into a passive index fund and left to grow. Why? Human temperament : we all think of ourselves as above average. We think we can time when to get into the market and when to get out. Some even call it "playing the market" and their mantra is “buy low and sell high.” Inevitably, when they fall short, there's even more pressure on to perform, leading to "doubling down" to make up the shortfall. That, of course, reinforces their failure spiral. Hubris is the enemy here. If we don’t have the temperament to act logically and not emotionally, we need to seek support from trusted financial advisors to whom we are willing to listen to and trust.

Talent: Assuming we have the time and temperament to be successful, do we have the necessary talent? By talent we mean having the knowledge, tools, and training to create, monitor, update and continuously improve our investment portfolio. This is where situational awareness comes in -- are we able to understand what's really going on in the investment world and do we have the knowledge to know what to do? That takes talent. If we’re unable or willing to take the time to acquire that skill set, we have to hire someone to guide us and for us to be willing to listen to and follow that advice.

If we don't have enough of these three T's or have them in the proper balance, can we still be successful investors? Yes, of course, but we are unlikely to be successful in a self-directed investment program. We will need professional assistance.

Next month we’ll discuss our options on seeking professional assistance in our investing program. Future articles in this series will introduce the requirements and resources for being a successful, self-directed, stock investor.

⇒ Share your Ideas Here ⇐

09/07/2021

MOAACC—a MOAA “Five-Star Chapter” for 2020!

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 00:06:27 GMT

Every year since 2003, MOAA National recognizes the very best of their over 400 affiliates with Levels of Excellence awards. The highest award is the Five-Star rating. For 2020, our chapter once again received the Five-Star award. The Five-Star rating is MOAA’s way of recognizing our chapter’s exceptional work. In fact, we have received this top rating every year since the awards began, and far surpass the base criteria to receive the award. Of course, we could not do any of this without our dedicated volunteers who make this all possible. So, on behalf of the officers and over 1200-chapter members, a very special “THANK YOU” to all those volunteers doing the heavy-lifting to make us the best, most active, most vocal chapter in MOAA! CLICK HERE for the Levels Of Excellence achieved by your chapter during 2020! We continue to make a difference and "Never Stop Serving."

09/01/2021

Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Foundation Provides Grant to aid local area Veterans-in-Need

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 23:33:53 GMT

The Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAACC) was awarded a MOAA Foundation Outreach Grant of $3,750 in April to assist local veterans. Up to $500 grants are going to individual Veterans or their families for housing, subsistence, health, financial or other emergency relief. MOAACC teamed with the National Veterans Homeless Support (NVHS) to identify eligible veteran recipients for these grants. Thus far, MOAACC has provided four grants. The impact of these grants is both eye-opening and eye-watering:

The first grant of $489, was used to assist a medically discharged Army veteran, “Raven”, whose husband had lost his job due to COVID. Unable to make utility or rent payments, the family of five was days away from having their power cut off. $489 was paid to keep the power on for the family. MOAACC’s Good Deeds Foundation provided an additional $1,500 for back rent.
The Second Grant of $500 was awarded for a widow of a Navy veteran, “Donna”, whose house was days away from being auctioned off to pay back taxes. She had offered to give all her income and savings to keep the house, but that was not enough to make the payment. She contacted NVHS for assistance. MOAACC joined with the local Elks Club, to provide funds to stop the auction--Donna said her prayers were answered!

“This seems like a small thing we are doing, but it makes a huge impact in the lives of these veterans and their families.”

Colonel Mike Schroeder, US Army Retired, MOAACC Treasurer

The Third Grant for was for an Army Veteran, “Bryant”, who was in a hit and run accident while in a cross walk, causing multiple fractures to his leg. He was unable to work or make his rent payments. A grant of $500 was provided for low-income veteran's housing rent. He is now recovering, literally back on his feet, able to work and getting caught up on his monthly bills.
The Fourth Grant of $482 went to a Navy Veteran, “Raquia”, a single mother of two young children for rent payments. Raquia was out of work and had just started working again “per diem” but did not have funds to cover the rent.

All grant recipients have expressed their thanks for the generosity and are most appreciative of this assistance. “This is just one way we show that we ‘Never Stopped Serving’ those we served with” said Colonel Steve Bond, US Army Retired and the President of MOAACC. “We thank the MOAA Foundation for providing this money to aid veterans in our area.”

Last year, the Cape Canaveral Chapter donated nearly $100,000 to area veterans, active serving military families, and military oriented students. If you know of a veteran-in-need in our area, have them contact National Veterans Homeless Support (NVHS).

MOAACC Representatives meet with Area Veterans:

(L-R) Colonel Steve Bond, USA Retired, President MOAACC; “Raven” (Army Veteran); Colonel Mike Schroeder, MOAACC Treasurer; Lt Col Brian Whalen, MOAACC 2^nd Vice President

(L-R) Mike Schroeder, “Donna” (Widow of Veteran), “Bryant” (Army Veteran), Steve Bond.

MOAACC & NVHS Staff Representatives with Vets “Donna” and “Bryant”.

(L-R) Front: Kasey Corson, NVHS Office Manager; Jan Taylor, NVHS Housing Coordinator; Donna; Jennifer Taylor, NVHS Program Director; Steve Bond. Rear: Mike Schroeder, Bryant.

08/24/2021

President’s Perspective – Encouraging Military Service

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 22:30:33 GMT

President’s Perspective – Encouraging Military Service

COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret)

Last month, I participated in a MOAA-wide video-teleconference on support to Junior (High School) and Senior (College) ROTC programs. There were about 85 participants in the call, including Chapter and State Council Presidents, along with MOAA leaders. I learned several things. First, MOAA national encourages, but doesn’t financially support ROTC programs. They rely on the chapters to support these important programs for students, with the objective to produce better citizens at the high school level and outstanding junior officers at the college level. As the meeting started, the moderator announced that he was going to calling on a few chapters he knew had great ROTC/JROTC programs to outline what they were doing for support. Oh no I thought, I better be ready talk when they call on me!

If you don’t know, we have some of the top High School JROTC programs in the country right here in Brevard County. This is due to a group of outstanding instructors, a patriotic community, and the support we provide to those programs. In the MOAA meeting, I thought about all the things we do to support the area’s ROTC/JROTC programs. For example, we provide commissioning sets for newly commissioned officers from Florida Tech’s ROTC program and MOAA medals to outstanding Florida Tech and High School JROTC cadets. We host cadets and recognize them at our luncheons. This year, our Good Deeds Foundation, provided $1,300 to each JROTC program for general support. We offer our services, through our Veterans in the Class to teach classes. We fund trophies for cadet competitions, bought computers for classroom support and other specialty equipment not provided by either the schools or their service support elements for the Raider Challenge obstacle course, marksmanship, and drill competitions. We even funded a Raider Challenge obstacle course at the Veterans Memorial Center, so our area cadets don’t have to travel outside the county for competitions!

I wasn’t called on however--at least not initially. As I listened to those that were, it was evident there is no other chapter that supports area ROTC & JROTC like we do! After a couple of the “great” chapters/states gave their report, my “zoom” hand shot up and I did get called on. I outlined all that we do and got several “thumbs up”. When I finished, the moderator said, “the biggest challenge most chapters face is resources” (i.e., $$$) and noted we were one of the MOAA’s largest chapters. One of the Chapter Presidents lamented that they only have 50 members and struggled to give $50 to cadet MOAA medal recipients. Another chapter said they have 200 members but gave out several $1,000 scholarships to promising JROTC cadets for college. I learned JROTC Scholarships are standard across the board and are often the only charitable giving done by many chapters. There were other good ideas presented as well.

The common theme of the meeting was the need to encourage both patriotism and military service, regardless of the resources available. While we are resource ‘blessed’, we do much, but can do more and different things. One thing we are not doing is presenting promising, military inclined students with monetary awards. While we gave out $50,000 in scholarship awards this year, yet none of the JROTC cadets getting ready to graduate from high school are eligible for those. I have learned that other groups in our area like the Kiwanis and VMC offer scholarships to area JROTC students, and ROTC Scholarship recipients and Academy Appointees--I applaud them for doing this. Why aren’t we doing this as well--After all, we are an organization of military officers--Why aren’t we doing even more to encourage young people to take the path we took? Resources are always constrained, but we need to look at ways we can make lasting impacts. Offering promising JROTC cadets with grant money is one way we can reward their interest and encourage military service. At our recent Board of Directors meeting, we approved offering grants to JROTC MOAA award recipients, selected by their instructors, to help point them in the direction of military service. You will be hearing more about this in the coming weeks, and we will need your support, in the form of charitable contributions to accomplish this task.

I would appreciate your thoughts. If you have comments or concerns email me at President@MOAACC.org.

08/22/2021

MOAACC Good Deeds Golf Tournament Sponsor

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 18:21:33 GMT

On Thursday August 12th, members of the 2021 MOAACC Good Deeds Foundation Veterans and Military Support Golf Tournament Team accepted $5000 from Ed Hecker, Office Manager, Stifel Investment Services. Stifel became our first Gold Level Sponsor for this years Golf Tournament (www.GDFGolf) to be held at Cocoa Beach Country Club on December 4, 2021. Pictured left to right are: Dan McIntyre, Mike Gautreaux, Ed Hecker, Jerry Gill and Larry Jackson.

08/14/2021

Financial Literacy: What To Do with One’s TSP or 401(k) Plan (Part 1)

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 23:38:56 GMT

Financial Literacy: What To Do with One’s TSP or 401(k) Plan (Part 1)

By CAPT Arnold Lim, USN (Ret)

The Intercom’s Financial Literacy column of May, 2021, contained a survey on areas of interest to members. One topic submitted to us was the options that one has on Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) withdrawals. Specific questions were what options exist for withdrawing money or rolling over money to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) for more flexibility. This article is the first of two parts that attempts to succinctly address those questions.

The TSP is of course the federal government’s retirement savings and investment plan offered to federal employees; it is very similar to 401(k), 403(b), 457, etc. that are offered to employees at civilian employers. Upon retirement or leaving an employer, one has many options with these retirement plan(s) that one has contributed to. Here, we will discuss those options, focusing on some pros and cons to the conventional wisdom option of rolling over one’s retirement plan [generically referred to as “401(k) type” below, versus “TSP,” 401(k),” “403(b),” “457”, etc.] to an IRA.

Options

Leave the 401(k) type’s funds where it is at.
Roll over the funds to a plan at a new employer. (Of course, this option only exists if one is still working, and your new employer offers such a plan.)
Cash the funds out.
Roll the funds over to an IRA.

For option one, one should consider the fees. For 401(k) type plans, a plan’s administrative fees that one has to pay can vary quite a bit; some are low, which is good, while some can be quite high (e.g., > 1% per year), which is costly and will detract from your overall balance. [One important note for the TSP in particular is that the TSP generally is considered to have amongst the lowest fees if not the lowest nationwide, which is obviously ideal for the member.] The cons are that one cannot make contributions to it anymore, and one will no longer get a matching of funds from the employer. But the funds will continue to be able to grow tax-deferred.

For option two, if one is still working and has a new employer, then rolling the funds from the 401(k) type to your new employer’s retirement plan will allow one to consolidate your funds, which may simplify your accounting. However, a con is that those funds from your old 401(k) type are now subject to the rules/options of the new employer’s plan, which may have been originally good, but can change at any time. General wisdom is that performing this option two is not worth the risk of change that one cannot control.

For option three, cashing out the funds is a pro perhaps only if one needs access to the money immediately. A significant con is the mandatory 20% withholding fee sent to the IRS, plus a 10% penalty if one’s age at the time of the cashing out is less than 59 ½ years old. The funds will also be subject to taxes at one’s tax bracket, as ordinary income. From all of these taxes and penalties, this option three is not the best, especially because the funds will not be allowed to continue to grow.

Performing a “direct rollover,” as option four is called, is generally the best option for many individuals because it offers flexibility to you, but it has many discussion points. First, if one has a pre-tax, traditional component to your retirement plan, these funds must roll to a traditional IRA; if one has a post-tax, Roth component, these funds must roll to a Roth IRA. (One really cannot mix the two components without purposeful actions, including paying taxes.) As part of the rollover, a check(s) is sent by your old employer’s sponsored plan to the financial institution that you selected to manage your new IRA account; the check will have a For Benefit Of (FBO) your name on it, and thus no tax withholding will be taken out of your retirement fund balance.

Next month, we will continue in this two-part discussion by reviewing reasons to roll over and also not roll over your 401(k) type plan to an IRA.

08/01/2021

Florida State University Scholarship for Active Military, Veterans & Spouses

Sat, 24 Jul 2021 20:19:18 GMT

08/01/2021

Financial Literacy: What To Do with One’s TSP or 401(k) Plan (Part 2)

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 23:38:21 GMT

Financial Literacy: What To Do with One’s TSP or 401(k) Plan (Part 2)

By CAPT Arnold Lim, USN (Ret)

The Intercom’s Financial Literacy column of May, 2021, contained a survey on areas of interest to members. One topic submitted to us was the options that one has on Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) withdrawals. Specific questions were what options exist for withdrawing money or rolling over money to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) for more flexibility. This article is the second of two parts that attempts to succinctly address those questions.

In the first part, we discussed the options that one has. In this second part, we review reasons to roll over and also not roll over your 401(k) type plan to an IRA. Note: We generically use the term “401(k) type,” versus the multiple types of retirement plans: TSP, 401(k), 403(b), 457, etc.

Reasons NOT to Roll over your 401(k) type to an IRA

The Age 55 Rule
Possible to forego taking distributions

For the Age 55 rule, if one separates on or after age 55 years old from your employer and one wants to make a withdrawal, one is not subject to the 10% penalty for any withdrawal from that 401(k) type; one would just have to pay the ordinary income taxes, but one avoids the 10% penalty (unlike for taking withdrawals from IRAs if one’s age is at least 59 years old).

If one is still working at age 72 years old or older (when one would normally then need to start to take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for a traditional IRA), one does not have to take distributions from a 401(k) type plan.

Reasons to Roll over your 401(k) type to an IRA

Access to more or better investment options.
Fees
IRAs tend to be easier to track.
Required Minimum Distributions
Consolidation

401(k) type plan’s investment options (e.g., mutual funds) are usually very limited in number (e.g., 6 – 40 options). But an institution that one picks to hold your IRA could have thousands to choose from. Also, one may likely be eligible for financial advice to construct a portfolio; manage one’s risk; financial planning.

A 401(k) type plan’s fees, especially those sponsored by smaller companies, can be relatively high. Large corporations can possibly get institutional pricing for fund options, which have lower fees. As always, individual investments for index funds tend to have lower fees than actively managed funds.

Some investment options within 401(k) types are unique to those retirement plans, meaning that a fund’s net asset value (NAV) is not readily available from most news sites. On the other hand, ticker symbols and their NAVs for funds within an IRA would nominally be available at multiple websites and thus their values would be more easily trackable.

More flexibility exists for RMDs if one has multiple IRA accounts versus multiple 401(k) types. For example, if one has five traditional IRA accounts, when one reaches age 72 and needs to execute RMD’s, after calculating the total RMD dollar amount, one can withdraw that RMD dollar amount from just a single IRA account or from multiple accounts; it is your choice on which specific IRA(s) to withdraw from. However, if one has five traditional 401(k) types (presumably from five separate employers during your lifetime), one would need to take at least that RMD percentage from each of the five 401(K) type accounts, not just one or some subset. IRAs and 401(k) type RMDs need to be administered separately. Why the confusing difference in RMDs? Ask the IRS.

Also, one should consider further performing what is known as a Roth IRA conversion, to convert money from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, where no RMDs are required and the funds grow tax-free (vs just tax-deferred). But Roth IRA conversions are certainly a large topic worthy of its own discussion in a future article.

If one consolidates, one will have a smaller number of accounts (IRAs) that one has to deal with. An argument can certainly be made that this eases management activities like rebalancing one’s accounts to meet a desired asset allocation.

In summary, one has lots of options when considering what to do with funds in a 401(k) type when one retires/leaves a company. Certainly, discussing these options with a financial planner may be very much worth the cost, but knowledge is always key. Happy investing!

07/31/2021

Florida Veteran Benefits Guide

Sat, 05 Jun 2021 13:46:16 GMT

07/04/2021

Financial Literacy: Digital Asset Estate Plan

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 23:51:22 GMT

Financial Literacy: Digital Asset Estate Plan

By: John C. Murphy, COL (Ret.)

Many individuals account for their real estate, bank accounts, securities and tangible property as part of their estate plan. However, much of people’s lives are now online, potentially leaving a person’s digital assets unclaimed or even susceptible to theft. You should address the handling of your digital assets.

There are a wide variety of digital assets. Ranging from computing hardware, such as computers, external hard drives or flash drives, tablets, smartphones, digital music players, e-readers, digital cameras, and other digital devices. Any information or data that is stored electronically, whether online, in the cloud, or on a physical device. Any online accounts, such as email and communications accounts, social media accounts, shopping accounts, photo and video sharing accounts, video gaming accounts, online storage accounts, and websites and blogs that you may manage.

INVENTORY

The process begins by making an inventory. Make a list of your digital assets, including everything from hardware to social media accounts to online banking accounts to home utilities that you manage online. Then, you should explain where various files are kept and what is on them, such as financial records or client files.

APPOINT

Second, appoint someone to handle the digital assets. Who do you trust to carry out your wishes for your digital assets? Your Digital Executor is someone you designate to handle and settle your digital estate. This appointment is usually designated in your Will/Trust or if your incapacitated, your power of attorney/Trust.

INSTRUCTIONS

Third, there should be clear instructions regarding how a person wants to treat their digital assets after death. Depending on the nature of the property, the way you want different types of digital property managed may vary. While you may want some assets to be archived and saved, you may want others to be closed, deleted or erased, while others might be transferred to family or friends or redeemed for the points/rewards. For each digital account or asset that you have, specify how you'd like your Digital Executor to handle that asset.

ACCESS

A central consideration regarding digital assets is how your digital executor can access them. With other types of assets, a person may tell a trusted confidante or spouse where valuable assets are located. This may not be the case with digital assets. Additionally and for good reason, people have been told over and over again not to write down passwords and to use strong passwords that others may not be able to easily guess.

SAFETY, SAFETY & SAFETY
Your digital executor should be empowered on how to access these accounts. This will require you to make a list of digital assets, account numbers, usernames and passwords (update upon changes) BUT the list MUST be kept in a safe place that can be accessed. If this digital asset list fell into the wrong hands bad things will happen. No matter how you decide to store your digital estate plan, access as well as safety are vital. This means giving the person you trust access to the Password Manager or the location of keys or the combination to your safe. This way, when the time comes, the Digital Executor can find the plan and access it.

Your Estate Plan for Digital Assets will inventory your assets, appoint a Digital Executor, give instructions and safely grant access so that you can ensure your desires will be carried out.

07/01/2021

Ranger Mike Sonnenschien Fundraising and Rally

Sun, 20 Jun 2021 17:35:36 GMT

06/22/2021

President’s Perspective & Announcements (COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret))

Sat, 19 Jun 2021 18:11:15 GMT

President’s Perspective

COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret)

Wishing all of you a wonderful Independence Day Weekend!

As we move into July and the “Dog Days of Summer”, I want to stress communication. A primary reason we exist as a chapter is to be a responsible, informed, and organized group acting in the interests of the serving military, veterans, and their families. One of the things this chapter does well is to provide information to our members. We have numerous ways we reach out to keep you informed. Just a few short years ago, we relied primarily on our printed monthly news-letter—THE INTERCOM, our website, and weekly business meetings to keep you informed. Now in addition to those tools, we have our bi-weekly FIVE THINGS e-Newsletter, our Facebook page, and occasional campaign e-mailings to push out information. We have moved on-line to increase our abilities to communicate with you. The key now is to ensure you are aware of the information and acting on it—in other words, it now depends on you!

I hope you have explored our website—www.MOAACC.org. It is first-class, kept up to date by Mike Schroeder, our webmaster, and offers just about anything you need to know about the chapter—be it an event or activity, another member’s contact information, or what we are doing in the community. You can RSVP and pay for events, buy chapter shirts, renew your membership, or even get ideas for summer readings on the authors webpage. Check it out--frequently!

Our monthly news-magazine THE INTERCOM, is another first-class production by editor Jeanne Weaver, her assistant Merrie Sofet, and a multitude of contributors, authors, and photographers. There are two versions of this product. The on-line version is 40+ color pages(!), while the printed version is a ‘skinnied down’ version of only 20 pages, with just four pages in color. Last month, we sent out an email asking those receiving THE INTERCOM by mail to consider stopping that and to only receive it on-line. We are doing this to reduce the costs of printing and mailing, and evolving the printed version into a marketing tool for advertisers and prospective members, as well as continuing it as an information source for our “computer challenged” members. We will continue to print and mail THE INTERCOM for the foreseeable future, but we are working now to keep from raising dues or charging extra for members desiring the printed version. I encourage all our members to view it on-line. If you are only reading the printed version, you are seeing only half of a superb product!

MOAACC FIVE THINGS is our bi-weekly e-Newsletter that is emailed out every other Monday morning, providing timely information to our members. For example, if there is something of interest coming up, we will point it out and provide a link for your convenience. If MOAA National has a hot legislative issue, we will let you know and give the link to their website as well. FIVE THINGS is an easy way to keep current on what is going on in the chapter, the community, and at MOAA National. Are you getting and reading it?

Our Facebook Page (MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter) is another way to keep informed of chapter happenings. Tim Pishdad keeps the page updated. Currently, there are only 133 subscribers to the page, an extremely low number considering the popularity of this media. Have you joined our Facebook page?

As we all know, communication is a two-way street. Our dedicated volunteers are working diligently to keep you informed. Are you reading and acting on the information provided? If you are not receiving these products or if you have other concerns email me at President@MOAACC.org.

Never Stop Serving®

Announcements:

Thursday Morning Breakfast Club (TMBC) in-person meetings are returning!

Our Thursday Morning Breakfast Club (TMBC) meetings return, in-person, at the Indian River Colony Club (IRCC) 19^th Hole beginning on Thursday, July 1^st. We will start at our normal, pre-COVID meeting time of 08:00 AM. We are also planning to ‘Zoom’ the meetings for those that are not able to attend in-person. Continuing to zoom the meetings is contingent on member participation. Make plans to attend, in-person or via Zoom to get up-to-date information on the chapter activities, as well as socialize with many of our members, committee chairpersons, and chapter leadership. See you there!

06/20/2021

Viera High JROTC founder shot by bandit in Haiti; fundraiser planned at Space Coast Stadium

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 17:16:29 GMT

Rick Neale

Florida Today 6/12/21

Driving home from a restaurant in Haiti, American missionaries Mike and Hope Sonnenschein were passed by two men on a motorcycle, which abruptly stopped — and the passenger turned toward them wearing a mask and wielding a pistol.

"The decision to evade was instinctive, as Mike immediately pressed on the accelerator to get around them," Hope Sonnenschein described later in a Facebook post.

"The gunman shot through the driver's window, hitting Mike in the scapula. The bullet spilt into two pieces, one lodging in the spine, and the other injuring and lodging in the left lung," she wrote.

"Mike was instantly paralyzed from the chest down," she wrote.

Now, well-wishers on the Space Coast are organizing a pep-rally-style fundraiser with a host of speakers at 6:30 p.m. June 22 at USSSA Space Coast Stadium in Viera to defray the family's mounting medical bills. Tickets cost $20, and they are available at the door or online at usssaspacecoast.com.

Nicknamed "Ranger Mike," Sonnenschein co-founded the Viera High Army Junior ROTC program during the 2010-11 school year. Prior to that, he coached the Florida Institute of Technology Army ROTC Ranger team.

In 2016, Mike and Hope Sonnenschein left Viera and moved to Haiti to become full-time missionaries, serving in and around Cap-Haïtien, a port city on the northern coast. They are sponsored by Calvary Chapel Melbourne's Viera campus.

"They have a hard time understanding how something so tragic could happen to such a good person," Melbourne Vice Mayor Tim Thomas said of Sonnenschein's friends and former students.

"That's one of the things we want to do with this rally that we're having: Give the people a different message, that God can still work through a tragic situation," Thomas said.

"Mike and Hope will be the first ones to tell you that, even though this has happened to them — and it's very traumatic and horrible — they have seen God's work in their lives even more so than ever before," he said.

Thomas, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, co-founded the Viera High JROTC program with Sonnenschein. They worked together for five years.

Thomas is organizing the Space Coast Stadium fundraiser with Donn Weaver, who chairs the Brevard Veterans Council, and the Cape Canaveral chapter of the Military Officers Association of America.

Mike Sonnenschein served in Panama, Gulf War, Afghanistan

Sonnenschein is a retired Army Ranger master sergeant who logged combat tours in Panama, the Gulf War and Afghanistan. He served with the 75th Ranger Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment.

“I could not believe that there were 200 cadets in that class. They were doing such outstanding things," said Weaver, who met Sonnenschein via the Viera High JROTC program in 2013.

"Mike was like the rock that was Tim able to count on — somebody who would always get the job done, who cared so much about those students," Weaver said.

Critically injured by the Haitian gunman's bullet on May 27, Sonnenschein was transported by air ambulance jet the next day to Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.

Mike Sonnenschein later underwent chest surgery and started physical therapy — and he started feeling sensation in his feet and legs.

Wednesday afternoon, he was flown to Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a rehabilitation facility specializing in patients with spinal cord injuries.

Haiti — the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere — has yet to vaccinate a single resident against COVID-19, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. A rash of kidnappings and gang violence has arisen in recent months.

Two days before Sonnenschein was attacked, a staff member of a Doctors Without Borders Haitian trauma hospital was fatally shot while he was returning home from work.

The Sonnenscheins worked with Medical Ambassadors Haiti, a nonprofit dedicated to disease prevention, access to clean water, Bible study and other humanitarian activities.

Viera High's JROTC program fields rifle, drill and Raider athletic teams, along with a color guard. About 205 students are enrolled this year, Thomas said.

Cadets report for physical training Mondays, classroom instruction Tuesdays and Thursdays, uniform inspection on Wednesdays, and "drill and ceremony" on Fridays.

Space Coast Stadium also will host a donation drive event for the Sonnenschein family at 6:30 p.m. July 2, right before the 7 p.m. USSSA Pride game against Team Mexico.

The Good Deeds Foundation, a nonprofit administered by the MOAA Cape Canaveral chapter, is accepting donations for the Sonnenschein family. Visit the foundation website at https://moaacc.org or write to P.O. Box 560023, Rockledge, FL 32956-0023. Write "Ranger Mike Fund" on the memo line of the check.

In addition, a GoFundMe campaign benefiting the family has generated more than $64,000.

06/12/2021

FINANCIAL LITERACY: ¿WHO SHOULD REVISIT THEIR ESTATE PLAN?

Thu, 20 May 2021 21:31:31 GMT

FINANCIAL LITERACY: ¿WHO SHOULD REVISIT THEIR ESTATE PLAN?

By John C. Murphy, COL (Ret)

You should review your estate planning documents on an annual basis. A lot can happen in a year. When it is wise to set a meeting with your estate planning attorney?

Here are a few situations where people should consider setting an appointment with their estate planning attorney.

You haven’t revisited your estate plan.

If you notice a required change in your annual review at home, you need to set an appointment. But what if nothing jumps out at you? It’s still a good idea to set an appointment anyway every 2-3 years. You may not be aware of how tax laws have changed during that time, and factors like portfolio values and your own goals may not be reflected accurately in your current estate plan. In addition, your estate planning attorney may ask you questions you may not have anticipated.

Major life changes.

This includes a birth, adoption, death, marriage, or divorce. Depending on your circumstances, you may need to remove or add a beneficiary or make changes to who you designate as your primary or subsequent Health Care Surrogate, Attorney in Fact, Pre Need Guardian, Trustee, or Personal Representative.

Grandchildren reaching the age of majority is another event that may warrant changes in your estate plan. Steps can be taken to protect assets from squandering by irresponsible family members, access by outsiders who marry family members, and other situations that arise as family members become adults.

Long Term Care

Serious health issues can mean significant expenses. You can add provisions to your estate plan to help those you appoint get you, your spouse or a dependent child the care that is needed. You and your spouse need to provide specific instructions to your Health Care Surrogate about the care you want or do not want.

New assets.

You’ll need to provide your estate planning attorney with an updated summary of your assets and liabilities. To ensure a revocable trust has proper funding, you need to retitle most assets into the name of your Trust. If you have a Will, are those assets titled to avoid probate? This could include new investment accounts, real estate, life insurance policies, or sometimes retirement accounts.

Revisit Beneficiary Designations

When you review your estate plan, do not forget to consider accounts with named beneficiaries. Review beneficiary designations for your annuities, life insurance policies, IRAs and other retirement accounts. Do you have a Payable on Death (POD) for your bank accounts?

Moved or moving.

Estate planning law varies from state to state, so you want to ensure your current plan will be valid in your new location. You do not need to revisit your estate plan just because of a move within the same state.

Creating an estate plan gives you the peace of mind that you’ve taken the necessary steps to protect you and your family for the future. Keeping your plan up-to-date is just as important. If your plan isn’t kept current, then it may not accomplish your goals.

05/20/2021

Investing in Our Future! By LTC Ken Harris

Thu, 20 May 2021 21:54:20 GMT

Investing in Our Future!

By LTC Ken Harris

For more than a decade, I have had the pleasure of helping young leaders find their place in the military. For some, it has been enlisting to learn a trade and afford education in the future. For others, it was the fulfillment of a dream to serve and grow through a military career. I personally chose to enlist and then become an officer and have found great satisfaction in all the opportunities that I found along the way. Since I started working with Army ROTC at FAU in Boca Raton in 2005, I have watched the available opportunities continually increase.

Today’s youth face significant challenges in paying for school as costs continue to rise, and student loan debt remains on the headlines year after year. Fortunately, for those fit and willing to serve, the military invests deliberately in educating its work force. Not only do we feature an All Volunteer Service that is highly respected around the world, but we also have well-educated and well-trained professionals at every rank. The American Council on Education recognizes and awards college credit for every specialty in the military.

In the few weeks alone, I have met with experts and attended events that have showcased the incredible opportunities available now. Of course the recent MOAACC luncheon recognized 26 recipients from Brevard County headed for Academies, ROTC or military preparatory schools. In a recent meeting with the Army National Guard the discussion included the Educational Dollars for Duty, Student Loan Repayment & Federal Tuition Assistance that can be used to fund education at both state and private schools. Army ROTC will open the next High School Scholarship Program campaign on June 12^th for rising Seniors mirrored by each of the Services. Even this year’s seniors can still compete for Minuteman Scholarships through the Army National Guard & Army Reserve.

Today’s youth can compete and qualify for one of these “big checks” and be pleasantly surprised to receive well over $100,000 in tuition and benefits from any of the Services. Find the information now on the internet (Army ROTC is goarmy.com/rotc).

05/20/2021

FSU Scholarships for Social Work

Thu, 13 May 2021 21:21:21 GMT

05/13/2021

Florida Tech Commissioning Ceremony, 30 April 2021

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 18:26:20 GMT

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion Conducts Virtual Commissioning for two Army Second Lieutenants

Melbourne, Fl – April 30, 2021 –

On Friday April 30^th, the Florida Institute of Technology ROTC Panther Battalion held their Spring Commissioning Ceremony for two new Army Second Lieutenants. Normally, the Panther Battalion conducts the commissioning with speakers, friends and families attending on the Florida Tech Campus just prior to spring graduation. Due to on-going pandemic measures however, the commissioning for the new Army Officers was conducted virtually. They took the commissioning oath of office via video-teleconference from multiple remote locations, pinning on their new rank insignia with friends and family, while other participants live-streamed the ceremony from over 30 locations. At the ceremony, LTC Jimmy Crook, Florida Tech Professor of Military Science, reminded the new Lieutenants of the responsibilities they were undertaking as commissioned officers in the Army. The Lieutenants also heard messages from Dr. Dwayne McCay, President the Florida Institute of Technology, and Brigadier General Joseph B. Berger III, Commandant of the Army’s Judge Advocate General Legal Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The new Florida Tech Graduates and Army Second Lieutenants are:

Marco Vergara, graduating with a degree in Biomedical Science. He was commissioned as an Active-Duty Medical Service Corps Officer. Marco received a four-year ROTC scholarship to attend Florida Tech. As part of his ROTC studies, he completed a Cadet Leadership Development and Cultural Understanding Course in Chile. He is also a graduate of Vista Murrieta High School in Murrieta, California.
Alex Apathy, Graduating with a degree in Aviation Management. He received a three-and-a-half-year ROTC scholarship to attend Florida Tech. His ROTC studies included Opposing Force Training and Basic Airborne (Parachute) Training. He is also a graduate of Berea-Midpark High School in Berea, Ohio.

Normally, representatives from the Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAACC) attend the commissioning ceremony and present the new officers with their first “Gold Bars” --the rank insignia of Second Lieutenants. This year, MOAACC representatives remotely live-streamed the ceremony and “virtually” presented the commissioning sets to the new officers. Colonel Steve Bond (USA-Retired), President of MOAACC said--“We congratulate Alex and Marco and welcome them to our ranks. We wish them the best of luck in their journey as officers in the United States Army.”

Photo Caption: New Army Second Lieutenants Alex Apathy (L) and Marco Vergara (R), Commissioned from Florida Institute of Technology ROTC on April 30^th. Colonel Steve Bond, US Army Retired, President of the Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAACC) (C) virtually presents commissioning sets to the new Lieutenants.

About MOAACC

Located in Brevard County, Florida, the Cape Canaveral chapter is the largest chapter in MOAA with 1400 members. MOAACC supports MOAA’s aims at the national and local level, engages in philanthropy by providing direct support—monetarily and with volunteer hours—to local military, veterans, and their families, and is a social organization sponsoring activities for members. For more information, visit our website at www.moaacc.org.

Media Contacts

Marilyn Sanford

978-758-7348

marilynmsanford@gmail.com

CPT Donn Weaver, USA Former

757-871-6576

DonnWeaver2020@@gmail.com

04/30/2021

Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Foundation Provides Grant to aid local area Veterans-in-Need

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 16:06:17 GMT

Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Foundation Provides Grant to aid local area Veterans-in-Need

Melbourne, Fl – April 24, 2021 –

The Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAACC) was one of 33 Chapters from among MOAA’s 400+ affiliates across the nation awarded a MOAA Foundation Outreach Grant to support veterans in local communities this year. This is the fifth year MOAA offered Community Outreach grants, but the first time The Cape Chapter has received one.

MOAACC received a $3,750 grant from the MOAA Foundation to identify and assist area veterans and their family members in critical need of assistance with housing, subsistence, health, financial or other emergency relief. Over the next few months, members of MOAACC will be working with three local area veterans/veterans support organizations—The Veterans Center of Melbourne (under the Veterans Administration), The Volunteers of America (VOA), and the National Veterans Homeless Support (NVHS)–to identify and verify veterans or families of veterans in need. Once area veterans-in-need are identified and validated by the veterans/veteran support organization, we will identify specific needs, deliver items or make assistance payments.

Colonel Steve Bond, US Army Retired and the President of MOAACC said: “We thank the MOAA Foundation for this grant. Taking care of our brother and sister veterans and their families is one of the reasons why we exist as an organization.”

Last year, the Cape Canaveral Chapter donated nearly $100,000 to area veterans, active serving military families, and military oriented students.

If you know of a veteran-in-need, have them contact one of the above organizations. For more about the MOAA Grants, go here on the MOAA website.

About MOAACC

Located in Brevard County, Florida, the Cape Canaveral chapter is the largest chapter in MOAA with over 1200 members. MOAACC supports MOAA’s aims at the national and local level, engages in philanthropy by providing direct support—monetarily and with volunteer hours—to local military, veterans, and their families, and is a social organization sponsoring activities for members. For more information, visit our website at www.moaacc.org.

Media Contacts

Marilyn Sanford

978-758-7348

marilynmsanford@gmail.com

CPT Donn Weaver, USA Former

757-871-6576

DonnWeaver2020@@gmail.com

04/25/2021

Including MOAACC, "33 MOAA Affiliates Receive Community Outreach Grants"

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 13:10:19 GMT

04/22/2021

MOAACC Supports the Vietnam & All Veterans Reunion

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 13:31:06 GMT

MOAACC 2nd Vice President Brian Whalen and President Steve Bond with the recruiting and information display at the Vietnam & All Veterans Reunion . Team manning the display talked to many of the veterans and families attending, as well as several potential recruits about what we do. We recruited 6 (?-Brian pls verify) new chapter members at the reunion 12-18 April at Wickham Park.

04/18/2021

MOAA Legislative Update April 2021

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 17:49:04 GMT

04/15/2021

Vietnam Veterans and All Veterans Wreath Ceremony 2021

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 18:21:05 GMT

MOAACC was honored to participate in the Wreath laying ceremony Monday at Wickham Park, honoring Vietnam Veterans and All Veterans who gave their life for our freedom!

LTC (R) Tim Thomas, Deputy Mayor for Melbourne was a keynote Speaker and MOAACC MEMBER too!

MOAACC MEMBERS not listed above include: Marty McAlwee, Joe Tichich, Dean Schaaf, Ros Bates, Donn Weaver.

MOAACC will "Never Stop Serving, and Never Forget!!!"

04/14/2021

MOAACC/BI-NFC Financial Literacy Program April 2021

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 13:55:11 GMT

04/07/2021

FEMA to Help Pay Funeral Costs for COVID-19-Related Deaths

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 13:23:58 GMT

FEMA to Help Pay Funeral Costs for
COVID-19-Related Deaths
Release Date Release Number
March 24, 2021 HQ-21-071
WASHINGTON -- In early April, FEMA will begin providing financial
assistance for funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020 for deaths
related to coronavirus (COVID-19) to help ease some of the financial
stress and burden caused by the pandemic. The policy was finalized
today, and FEMA is now moving rapidly to implement this funeral
assistance program nationwide.
"At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters,"
said Acting FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton. “The COVID-19 pandemic
has caused immense grief for so many people. Although we cannot
change what has happened, we affirm our commitment to help with funeral
and burial expenses that many families did not anticipate."
To be eligible for COVID-19 funeral assistance, the policy states:
 The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified
alien who incurred funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020 for a death
attributed to COVID-19.
 If multiple individuals contributed toward funeral expenses, they should
apply under a single application as applicant and co-applicant. FEMA will
also consider documentation from other individuals not listed as the
applicant and co-applicant who may have incurred funeral expenses as
part of the registration for the deceased individual.
 An applicant may apply for multiple deceased individuals.
 The COVID-19-related death must have occurred in the United States,
including the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.
 This assistance is limited to a maximum financial amount of $9,000 per
funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application.
 Funeral assistance is intended to assist with expenses for funeral
services and interment or cremation.
In the coming weeks, a dedicated 800 number will be established to help
individuals who apply. In the meantime, potential applicants are
encouraged to start gathering the following documentation:
 An official death certificate that attributes the death to COVID-19 and
shows that the death occurred in the United States. The death certificate
must indicate the death “may have been caused by” or “was likely the
result of” COVID-19 or COVID-19-like symptoms. Similar phrases that
indicate a high likelihood of COVID-19 are considered sufficient
attribution.
 Funeral expense documents (receipts, funeral home contract, etc.) that
include the applicant’s name, the deceased individual’s name, the
amount of funeral expenses and dates the funeral expenses were
incurred.
 Proof of funds received from other sources specifically for use toward
funeral costs. Funeral assistance may not duplicate benefits received
from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received
from voluntary agencies, federal/state/local/tribal/territorial government
programs or agencies, or other sources.
For more information about this assistance, visit COVID-19 Funeral
Assistance | FEMA.gov.
Related Links
Funeral Assistance FAQ

03/31/2021

CPT James Ahn Memorial Scholarship

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 00:42:33 GMT

03/29/2021

2021 Virtual Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD)

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 19:44:10 GMT

03/15/2021

MOAACC Good Deeds Foundation donates $5000 in support of "Operation Warm Heart"

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 19:03:48 GMT

Picture of the MOAACC Team giving $5000 Good Deeds Foundation (GDF) Check to Patrick-Cape First Sergeants Council for "Operation Warm Heart". Front left to right; MSgt Julio Brito, Scott Hartley-President MOAACC GDF, SMSgt Ryan Trandell, Steve Bond-President MOAACC. Back Row L-R: MSgt Ramon Memita, Doug Bisset-GDF Board, Joe Tichich MOAACC Board/Patrick Liaison, and MSgt Ian Sharp.

Message from the Patrick-Cape First Sergeants:

"On behalf of the Patrick-Cape First Sergeant’s Council, we’d like to extend our most heartfelt “Thank You” to the Cape Canaveral Chapter of MOAA for the gracious donation to this Council’s Operation Warm Heart funds.
We will definitely put your contributions to great use to assist and benefit our Airmen and Guardians at Patrick and the Cape."

"Again, we cannot thank you enough and we are looking forward to our continued partnership. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if the MOAACC ever needs assistance. We are standing by and will be more than glad to help."

Thanks

03/12/2021

Financial Literacy: What Are You Passing Along?

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 19:31:11 GMT

Financial Literacy: What Are You Passing Along?

by Captain Bob Houle, USCG (retired)

April is tax month. It’s also the month that most people abandon their well intentioned New Year’s resolution to lose weight. Regular readers of this column know that April is Financial Literacy Month. Imagine, a whole month devoted to getting smarter about our finances! From a military perspective, think of it as “rebluing month.” Just as it does with worn firearms, the rebluing process returns us to the highest quality and accuracy in our planning for our future financial security and independence.

This June marks the start of our MOAA chapter’s 5th year promoting financial literacy for our members and the active duty community we serve. Our chapter rightly takes pride in our efforts to help our active duty, separated and retired members and their families cope with the stresses caused by financial problems.

The need for financial literacy continues. We know that service members face a host of pressures beyond the normal day-to-day issues of the average civilian consumer. When our chapter’s program started, the situation facing service members was dire and getting worse. The year before, in 2016, Congress passed a law mandating formal financial literacy training. Since then, DOD’s formal programs have had an impact on improving (but not curing, yet) the plight of our service members. In December 2020, DOD published their latest annual report on financial literacy and preparedness of members of the Armed Forces (see the 31 page report on our website here).

Improving, yes. But we cannot let our guard down; we must continue to provide our members with information and resources in all areas of financial literacy so that they are able to not just cope with but thrive in the new, post COVID economy we face. Investing for the future is a major component of every family’s preparedness planning. With over 80% of Americans presently caught up in the chains of debt it may seem hopeless to be talking about investing for the future.

Investing starts with believing that a portion of all we make is ours to keep. We pay ourselves first. Research on savings indicates that a relatively small percentage of Americans follow this "pay yourself first" adage. Savings is the foundation for successful investing. With COVID it has become painfully apparent that many of our fellow citizens do not have enough savings to cover even six months' worth of expenses. Over a quarter have no savings at all.

Once we make the decision to pay ourselves first, what do we do next? How can we be successful investors? Is financial independence really within our reach? Do we even have the time, talent, and temperament to be successful investors? Do we understand the time-proven techniques to apply to our investing program? Do we have the knowledge to use the tools and training properly, to achieve our goals at an acceptable level of risk? These are all key questions we should all be asking. And providing our insights on these matters to our children and grandchildren. Remember, we lead by example. What are you passing along to others?

So how do we learn these things? How do we share this knowledge and experience with our family and friends? We start by getting informed on the overall situation we are facing and reviewing the time tested, universal success rules all investors use.

To do this, our chapter has partnered with the local chapter of BetterInvesting^TMto present our MOAA membership with a special overview program on “Financial Literacy.” It is a presentation you won't want to miss and you will want your children (and grandchildren) to sit in on too.

During the first week in April our MOAA chapter members are invited to attend a live, online presentation on “Financial Literacy” that recaps the financial journey stages and provides realistic tips on things to do and perils we need to avoid. The major thrust of the presentation will be on investing with the focus on why we need to save, get control over debt, how to invest and provide an overview of the investing options available to us and the traps and misperceptions we need to avoid.

This educational opportunity should be shared with all our friends and families. Please share it with them.

This webinar, produced for us by the North Florida Chapter of BetterInvesting, is free but you do need to register to get the login credentials. This program forms an excellent foundation for our MOAA active duty and retired membership to reblue their financial literacy knowledge. It is open to all MOAA members, including our family members, friends and co-workers so feel free to share this program information and registration link with them:

Financial Literacy

Tuesday, 6 April 2021

Free Program

7:30 - 8:45 pm ET

Click to Register

or type into your browser: bit.ly/3qmOMpE

After registering you will be sent your personal access code. Please share this program information with your friends and neighbors and fellow schoolmates too … remember, friends won’t let friends retire broke, we help them become better investors.

⇒ Share your Ideas Here ⇐

03/09/2021

Orlando VA Healthcare System Offering COVID-19 Vaccines for All Veterans who receive care at VA Regardless of Age

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 20:27:34 GMT

• Orlando VA Healthcare System Offering COVID-19 Vaccines for All Veterans who receive care at VA Regardless of Age •

The Orlando VA Healthcare System is offering COVID-19 vaccines for all Veterans who receive care at VA regardless of age. The vaccine is being offered at the below listed four sites of care through a combination of appointments and walk-ins until supply is exhausted. Location specific information:

Lake Nona: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. by Appointments and Walk-Ins

Orlando VA Medical Center, Lake Nona Campus, 4^th Floor Auditorium

13800 Veterans Way Orlando, FL 32827

Lake Baldwin: 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. by Appointments and Walk-Ins until 1 p.m.

Lake Baldwin VA Medical Center, Auditorium B

5201 Raymond St. Orlando, FL 32803

Viera: By Appointment only

Viera VA Health Care Center

2900 Veterans Way Viera, FL 32940

Daytona Beach: By Appointment only

Daytona Beach VA Multispecialty CBOC

551 National Health Care Drive Daytona Beach, FL 32114

Eligibility: Veterans must be enrolled and eligible for VA health care benefits. Veterans must be able to return to the clinic they received their first shot at for a second dose.

To schedule an appointment call 407.631.0499 (Available Monday- Friday from 7:30 a.m.- 4 p.m.).

Veterans who are not enrolled or do not currently receive care at VA can visit VA's Eligibility web page to learn more: Eligibility For VA Health Care | Veterans Affairs.

03/08/2021

POW/MIA Flag Raising and Fund Raising

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 23:43:22 GMT

Rolling Thunder Florida, Chapter 1 met at the VMC today and I am delighted to provide an update on the POW/MIA Flag Raising Program in Brevard as of 01 March. As a member of both organizations this report is special for me to offer.

First of all, hope many MOAACC members will attend the special Bayside HS Flag Raising tomorrow, 01 March at 1020. Also, RTFL -1 Secretary Mike Schulze will be featured on a Space Coast Daily Friday Night Locker Room Live Podcast on 01 March at 1415 hours to discuss the flag raising and other RTFL-1 programs. I will send the link along to MOPAACC when received.

Finally, know we all look forward to JJ Justice’s MOAACC March Luncheon talk at the Tides on 16 March at 1130. JJ will be able to give another update at about the half way point by then.

Unofficially, as March begins, here is where the Flag Raising program stands:

Ceremonies:

Began at BPS Hqs Bldg in Viera 15 Dec 2020
Media and Space Coast Daily Podcast coverage is increasing
The Bayside HS 1020 Ceremony 01 March is expected to boost publicity with Sheriff Ivey and many officials also expected to attend
83 ceremonies are required to complete all public schools in Brevard County
Over 20 have been Completed so far (about one Quarter)
EFSC was added as another ceremony target today!!
RTFL has Five Teams working different geographic areas encouraging other vet orgs to attend and support the massive effort

Fund Raising:

84 Flags cost a total of $2268
MOAACC/Good Deeds Contributed $500 in January
VFW Posts around Brevard have contributed over $1000
Rolling Thunder and RTFL-1 Members $400
American Legion 344 - $200

The Goal is close at hand!! It appears a second request to MOAACC/GDF will not be needed— Thanks for standby, Scott and Team

Have a good Ides of March!!

CPT Donn A. Weaver USA (Former)

Chairman Public Relations and Marketing

757-871-6576

03/01/2021

How Trusts Avoid Probate by John C. Murphy, COL, SF (Ret)

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 01:03:34 GMT

02/17/2021

Brevard Zoo--World's Largest Community Build (1992) by Gloria Makowski

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 01:37:01 GMT

I moved to Satellite Beach in June 1974. There was a business on New Haven that sold citrus and kept a few animals in the backyard - a tourist stop called Houser’s Zoo. I felt so sorry for an elephant with a chain around his back leg . The chain was tied to a stake in the ground. The poor animal had limited movement. A monkey with collar leash tied to a line that hung between two trees could just go back and forth. There were a few other animals - a really pathetic “Zoo.” When the owner died, a group formed to build a better Zoo. They had a fund-raiser in September 1991 which I attended.

In February - March 1992, I was on TDY in a shipyard in San Diego for 6 weeks. Upon my return I caught up with local news. Volunteers had started working to build the Zoo. More were needed. I volunteered on weekends starting April 4. I was given a hard hat and hammer and assigned to the children’s section. I banged nails in posts but mostly carried lumber, bricks, bags of nails that young children soaped and picked up trash.

When our work was done, there was a party for all the volunteers and we received T-shirts stating it was the largest community build Zoo in the world.

I've enjoyed visiting the Zoo and always take my northern visitors to see our marvelous Zoo. It keeps improving. I’m looking forward to hearing our speaker. I’ll wear my Zoo shirt that TMBC. (Jack Hanna autographed it a few years later at another fund raiser.) One of these days, I hope to take the Kayak ride around the Zoo. Gloria

02/09/2021

IRS Federal Tax Resources for Military Members, Veterans and their Families

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 22:32:50 GMT

IRS Federal Tax Resources for Military Members, Veterans and their Families The IRS has a variety of resources to help members of the military, veterans and their families navigate the unique and sometimes complex circumstances that come with filing taxes while in the military. Here's a list of some of the resources these taxpayers may find helpful.

Tax Information for Members of the Military is the main page on IRS.gov where people can go to find links to helpful info, resources and services.
It's very important that members of the military know the rules for service. This can be done by email.
A taxpayer's military status affects whether they are eligible for certain benefits. Taxpayers can check their eligibility for military tax benefits by visiting IRS.gov. Qualifying employers include the Armed Forces, uniformed services and support organizations.
There are rules specific to those who serve in combat zones. These taxpayers and their families can find out more on the Tax Exclusion for Combat Service page of IRS.gov. They should also review special EITC rules. If these apply to their tax situation, it could lead to a larger refund.
The Armed Forces' Tax Guide is a comprehensive publication with info for military members. This includes:
- Special rules for military personnel serving abroad including deadline extensions
- Unreimbursed moving expenses
- Reserve component travel expenses
Members of the military and qualifying veterans can prepare and e-file their taxes for free through MilTax. Taxpayers who do not qualify for MilTax have other options to prepare and e-file their federal taxes for free. Those who earned less than $72,000 in 2020 can use IRS Free File software. Any taxpayer, regardless of income, who is comfortable completing their tax forms digitally can use Free File Fillable Forms.
Most military posts offer free income tax assistance through the military Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Military service members can contact their installation's legal office for details. Veterans may also qualify for free tax help at locations nationwide. They just have to meet income or age requirements.

2020 MyPay.DFAS.Mil Tax Statement Schedule

It’s Tax Time-Get Prepared! Log onto https://mypay.dfas.mil and you will find the following tax forms are available for your appropriate branch of service:

Retiree 1099-R
Annuitant 1099-R
Army & Navy Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) W-2s
Army Non-Appropriated Fund (NAF) Civilian W-2
Reserve Component Air Force, Army, & Navy W-2
Active/Reserve Component Marine Corps W-2.
Civilian (DoD/Non-DoD) IRS Form 1095
Military/Military Retiree IRS Form 1095.
Savings Deposit Program (SDP) 1099INT.
Civilian (DoD/Non-DoD) W-2.
Active Component AF, Army, and Navy W-2.

Per the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (IRS Notice 2020-76), your 1095-B form (Health Insurance Coverage) is not required to complete or be filed with your 2020 federal income tax return and will not be mailed to you. If your status changed from reserve or active service or if you worked as a federal civilian employee while awaiting military retirement during the tax year you may receive additional 1095-B or 1095-C forms via your myPay account. If the information on your 1095-B form is incorrect or you have questions about the Affordable Care Act, call Customer Care Center toll free at 1-888-DFAS411 or 1-888-332-7411, Commercial 216-522-5096, or DSN 580-5096, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

01/31/2021

COVID Loss Grief Support Group Programs Sponsored by St. Francis Reflections

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 19:48:26 GMT

01/28/2021

New MOAACC President's Perspective - COL Steve Bond, USA (Ret)

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 21:11:08 GMT

It is a privilege and an honor for me to serve this Chapter. I have been a MOAA member for over 20 years now, and I was always impressed and grateful for what MOAA did on behalf of the military and veterans. When I joined MOAA, I felt fortunate that someone—in this case MOAA National--was looking out for me, the military, and veterans. I will admit I was a “passive member” but identified with the concept of “Never Stop Serving”. I always believed that my service was not going to end when I took off my uniform.

Fast forward to the present. Two years and eight months ago I walked into one of our TMBC meetings in the Indian River Colony Club. I was struck by the magnitude of what this organization does to support our community and chapter members. What an eye-opener! It was evident to me that we are a driving force for the military and veterans living in Brevard County. Little did I know then, that just over two and half years later I would be the President of the Chapter!

I have watched this Chapter grow and do even greater things over the past two years--even despite the pandemic! The Chapter continues doing very well with over 1200 members and is by far the most active of any MOAA Chapter or other veteran/service organization I have seen.

Over the next year, my goal is for this Chapter to do even more as the premier veterans’ organization in Brevard County and a model chapter for MOAA. We will continue the important work for the military, veterans, their families, and students in our community and across the nation. To do that, we will need to expand our membership, continue to take care of our members, and do even more for those we serve. A major event over the next year will be getting us back with our in-person meetings, luncheons, and events that we put on hold because of the pandemic.

I am grateful for all our volunteers and members. It is through your efforts, contributions, and volunteer hours, joined with our Scholarship Corporation and Good Deeds Foundation, that fuel the MOAACC ‘engine’. I ask all our members for your support and commitment to our motto of “Never Stop Serving”. We need all of you to do your part to accomplish this important task. Together, we will make this Chapter better, even a stronger, and a more powerful force in our community and all MOAA, now and into the future.

I am looking forward to the challenges ahead and to serve as your President.

01/20/2021

MOAACC Legislative Affairs

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 21:22:55 GMT

COL Steve Bond, USA-Ret (National) / MAJ Tim Pishdad, USA-Ret (State & Local)

Legislative Affairs Committee Co-Chairs

Our chapter’s core mission is to serve ALL the Veterans, Military (Active, Reserve, National Guard) and their families in the area and across the nation. We advocate on their behalf by working hand-in-hand with MOAA National to ensure our lawmakers are aware of their issues and interests. When issues do arise, it requires ACTION on our part, as it usually means a run at our earned benefits. This is “front and center” for what we do as a chapter.

If you noticed, we have a change of leadership in this key mission area. RADM Wayne Justice stepped down in December as the Committee Chair—We thank Wayne for his efforts. Wayne was nominated last year for the Colonel Steve Strobridge Legislative Chair Liaison Excellence Award--MOAA Nationals highest Legislative Achievement Recognition. He was a runner-up for this prestigious award and was recognized by Lt Gen Adkins, MOAA’s CEO for the great work the chapter does with this important task. Moving forward, we have split up the Committee Chair responsibilities between Steve and Tim as our legislative co-chairs on a temporary basis, but be assured, there will not be a missed beat in our advocacy efforts. With the change of committee leadership, this is a good time to remind our members of their important responsibilities we undertake in this key mission area. By the way, we are looking for a permanent Legislative Affairs Chairman, so if interested, let us know!

It is said, “All politics is Local” and that is so true. As Committee Chairs, we will continue to keep Chapter members informed of National, State, and Local initiatives and issues impacting the military, veterans, and our family members. One of the most important aspect of being chapter members is not only to be informed, but to TAKE ACTION when needed. We now have an array of communication means to reach out to members in a timely fashion to keep them informed--from this publication, our bi-weekly Five Things e-Newsletter, our website (www.MOAACC.org), to our weekly TMBC business meetings. MOAA National also has current information posted on their website (www.MOAA.org) and pushes timely information to members in their Thursday e-Newsletter—if you are not signed up for that, we highly recommend you do. As the chapter’s leads, we will work with MOAA National and Florida Council of Chapters to ensure we are synchronized and leveraging their support as we engage with our lawmakers and to keep you informed.

Legislative Advocacy is not a spectator sport—if our collective voices are not heard, you will lose your EARNED BENEFITS to ill-informed legislative decisions. You are all on the chapter’s Legislative Advocacy Committee and we form part of the backbone of MOAA’s legislative advocacy efforts. Stay aware of the issues. Whether we are working to engage lawmakers in Washington DC, Tallahassee, or here in Brevard County, we need you to help make our voices heard, and heard LOUDLY. There is strength in numbers. Also, as you interact with family, friends, and neighbors, make sure they too are informed of the issues facing the military, veterans, and their families.

Be informed, stay engaged and most important, TAKE ACTION when we need to make our voices heard. That is one of the primary reasons for our being a Chapter. Visit our Legislative Affairs page on our website for more information and to keep up to date.

To stay informed and TAKE ACTION bookmark these pages: https://takeaction.moaa.org/moaa/?0 and https://www.floridavets.org/news/veteran-legislation/

01/19/2021

Financial Literacy: Investing Tips for Busy People by Captain Bob Houle, USCG (Ret)

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 17:06:07 GMT

I am too busy!

What does this really mean? And who are we saying that to? And what does this have to do with investing?

Meaning? Being “busy” means nothing. It is not an excuse. It is not helpful in getting things done. It is not an indicator of how important we are or how much we are contributing to the overall cause. It is not a badge of honor or a status symbol or a signal how valuable we are.

“Busy” is a relative term. It is a dismissive term. It sends two unflattering signals about us to others:

I am not competent at managing my time, and
You (or your project) are not important to me.

Who are we saying that to? There are two audiences for the “too busy” excuse: to others and to us. “To others” is too broad a topic and off the focus of this article. Instead, this article is about us and what we are saying to ourselves about how we use our time. It is a matter of priorities. If it is important to us (or our family) we will find a way; if it is not, we will find an excuse (such as “too busy”).

Too busy for investing? Regardless of how busy we are we cannot afford to put off investing. Our family’s financial security and independence, if important to us, is the priority guiding us. The sooner we start investing, the wealthier we (and our family) will be in the future through the power of compounding. Too busy is not, and never was, a valid excuse. Putting off learning how best to lay the foundation for a successful investment program (savings and debt) and learning how to become an effective and successful investor because we are “too busy” jeopardizes our future well-being. Procrastinating on planning for our future departure from this world (estate planning, survivorship planning) undermines whatever success we may have achieved in life in securing our financial future.

Our chapter’s Financial Literacy program has had a common theme since its inception almost four years ago: communicating the importance of knowledge about what we should be doing to achieve financial security and independence and what we should be watchful for and avoid. Financial Literacy complements two other programs our chapter sponsors to assist our membership.

Unlike this Family Financial Literacy program, which is a life-long process, the other two are provided to help our membership during stressful transition periods in our life. All three can be, and need to be, supported by your active volunteer service in our MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter.

We need your help. We want our future financial literacy articles to be responsive to your needs and interests. In these COVID times of contact avoidance we have lost the personal touch we enjoyed sharing anecdotes that triggered article topics. Last month we announced the creation of an online survey blog to collect your ideas on what you would like to know more about or what concerns you may have about your financial security and independence. Granted, not much time has passed between announcing this blog and the writing of this February article (only 6 responses so far). But we need your participation.

In last month’s article (you can find it and prior articles here) we listed the fifteen biggest retirement planning mistakes people make. Which ones are things you want to learn more about? Which ones are important to you? Please take this short survey and let us know. In future articles we will share with you the survey results and tailor our contributions to your financial literacy so that they are helpful to you.

Won’t you take the time to share your views … or are you “too busy?”

Thank you again for your service to our country and to our fellow members and their families. It is time for all of us to take action and help others become financially secure and independent. Never Stop Serving!

⇒ Share your Ideas Here ⇐

01/11/2021

Florida Council of Chapters Leadership Seminar - Leaders Workbook

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 18:47:01 GMT

01/08/2021

Governor DeSantis and FDVA Deputy Executive Director Hartsell Highlight 2020 Successes Impacting Florida Veterans

Sun, 03 Jan 2021 01:27:58 GMT

01/02/2021

Chairman’s Message: Your Association’s Goals for 2021 By: Gen. Walter L. "Skip" Sharp, USA (Ret)

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 19:43:13 GMT

From the halls of Congress to their local communities, in person and virtually, MOAA members made a difference in 2020.

01/01/2021

Watch: MOAA’s 2020 Year in Review

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 19:41:16 GMT

12/31/2020

Financial Literacy: Rule #1 - Don’t Lose Money

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 02:30:13 GMT

Financial Literacy: Rule #1 - Don’t Lose Money

by Captain Bob Houle, USCG (retired)

This being the January issue one would expect that this month’s topic would be on New Year Resolutions and things that we should do to be financially successful. Not this time. Why?

Various studies have shown that avoiding losses is much more of a motivator than the possibility of a gain. Loss aversion is the tendency to prefer avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains. The principle is prominent in the domain of financial literacy. Some studies have suggested that losses are twice as powerful, psychologically, as gains. The math backs that up: a 50% drop in your portfolio requires a 100% gain just to get back to even.

This brings us to our topic: don’t lose money. In every aspect of the financial literacy domain there are very real opportunities to experience pain from making poor choices.

Financial literacy education is a very broad topic area with all kinds of proven success tips. To get an appreciation of how big the program area is we only need look at the subjects that are required to be covered in military financial literacy programs.

The programs specify significant triggering events in an individual’s service when financial instruction must be delivered, including at initial entry training, arrival at first duty station, each transfer of duty station, during leadership training, at time of investment in the Thrift Savings Plan (the military retirement plan), and upon promotion, pre-deployment, or post-deployment.

Training also coincides with each servicemember’s major life events, such as marriage, divorce, birth of the first child, and disabling sickness or condition.

In each of these areas there is the likelihood to suffer real pain from making bad decisions. The desire to avoid making bad decisions is much more of a motivator than the potential gain from making good decisions. New Year resolutions are worthless unless action is taken. Action taken to avoid pain is a very valuable topic for developing our New Year resolutions.

Let’s focus on one segment of the financial literacy domain by listing the fifteen biggest retirement planning mistakes people make.

Falling for too-good-to-be-true offers
Planning to work indefinitely
Putting off saving for retirement
Debt
Emergency savings
Claiming Social Security too early
Downsizing your retirement contributions while you’re working
Borrowing from your retirement funds
Putting your kids first
Avoiding the stock market
Running out of money before running out of time
Health care
Long term care
Neglecting Estate Planning
Borrowing against your home

Each of these topics warrant further discussion in future Financial Literacy articles. Which ones would you most like to know more about? Click to take a short survey to let us know (https://sites.google.com/view/moaacc-finlit/moaacc-finlit?authuser=0).

Thank you again for your service to our country and to our fellow members and their families. It’s time for all of us to take action and help others become financially secure and independent. Never Stop Serving!

12/10/2020

The Latest on the SBP-DIC Offset Elimination

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 21:53:20 GMT

12/03/2020

Florida Amendment 6 Passes with Overwhelming Majority

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 23:28:46 GMT

TALLAHASSEE – Amendment 6, which helps spouses of older combat veterans with service connected disabilities retain their earned property tax discount upon the passing of the veteran, has passed with nearly 90 percent of the vote. More than nine million voters approved the state constitutional amendment, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2021.

From the ballot summary:

“Provides that the homestead property tax discount for certain veterans with permanent combat-related disabilities carries over to such veteran’s surviving spouse who holds legal or beneficial title to, and who permanently resides on, the homestead property, until he or she remarries or sells or otherwise disposes of the property. The discount may be transferred to a new homestead property of the surviving spouse under certain conditions.”

11/06/2020

MOAA 2020 Annual Meeting of the Membership (Full Recording)

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 22:05:26 GMT

10/28/2020

Meet MOAA’s 2020 Surviving Spouse Liaison Award Winner (Mary Dunagan from MOAACC)

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 13:50:46 GMT

10/24/2020

COVID-19 Facility Closures - PAFB

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 13:59:01 GMT

Team Patrick/Cape,

As the number of COVID-19 cases in the State of Florida and Brevard County rise, we are taking additional measures to ensure the safety of our members, the mission and our community. We have had positive cases associated with Patrick Air Force Base, including team members within the MDG, and will be temporary closing facilities/limiting services for sanitation and deep cleaning.

Clinical operations are suspended for the remainder of the day and a large portion of the MDG will be tested to ensure we have a solid understanding of the current level of spread. The Satellite Pharmacy will remain open and we are working to arrange for any urgent needs.

The MTF will be open with limited services on Monday and working to provide only those essential services.

Public Health has done extensive contact tracing for those who have tested positive, and has contacted all of those who had close contact and are at risk. MDG leadership is dedicated to safeguarding our members, while recognizing the need to accomplish medical care and ensure mission capabilities across the wing.

In accordance with public health tracing, the Child Development Center will close one classroom for deep cleaning and impacted parents are being notified. The classroom will reopen on Monday, 22 June along with the PAFB Fitness Center.

As a reminder, all personnel are strongly encouraged to follow safety protocols issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the State of Florida.

· Physical Distancing. Wherever possible, all individuals should maintain a minimum of six feet of physical distance from other individuals.

· Disciplined Personal Hygiene. Frequently wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using >60% alcohol hand sanitizer. Avoid touching eyes/nose/mouth. No handshaking. Sneeze/cough into the crook of your elbow. No sharing food, drink, towels, or utensils.

· Face Coverings. Face coverings must be worn to enter/exit all buildings and to/from work areas (e.g. walking in the hallway), and when six feet of physical distancing is not possible. Coverings must be worn at all time while visiting the MDG clinic, Base Exchange & Commissary, Riverside Dining Facility, the Post Office, Child Development Center, Youth Center, and all customer service locations (to include the Visitor Control Center, Finance Office, Military and Civilian Personnel Offices, and Legal Office). Persons without a cloth face covering will be denied access to these locations.

When in doubt wear a face coverings and highly recommend members wear a face covering when off base as well when appropriate physical distancing cannot be maintained.

Any individual experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should contact Public Health at (321) 494-8292/8193, after seeking care from their primary care provider. If you are a beneficiary with COVID-19 symptoms, you are strongly encouraged to be tested on base. As noted above, any individual tested for COVID-19, at any location – to include off-base testing centers – must report testing to 45 MDG and may be denied installation access until medically cleared by the PHEO.

We appreciate your patience, resilience and cooperation as we continue to fight COVID-19.

Respectfully,

Brigadier General Doug Schiess

08/27/2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources and Updates

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 14:01:19 GMT

08/20/2020

MOAACC Designated 5-Star Level of Excellence by MOAA for 2020

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 13:41:21 GMT

08/12/2020

Financial Literacy: Military Support Programs-Part 2

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 12:54:40 GMT

Financial Literacy: Military Support Programs-Part 2

by Captain Bob Houle, USCG (retired)

Why should MOAA or our MOAA chapter care about financial literacy even if we accept that financial illiteracy has a serious adverse impact on military mission performance? What can we do? What should we be doing?

MOAA national cares! Throughout our MOAA.org website are embedded major sections dealing with financial programs, pay and benefits, career transition, family issues and other resources related to our memberships’ financial and emotional wellbeing.

Our MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter cares too! Our Financial Literacy Program began over four years ago and has expanded its scope over the progressive leadership of our last five presidents and chapter boards. Our chapter’s financial literacy program complements two other programs sponsored by our chapter to assist our membership. Unlike Financial Literacy, which is a life-long process, the other two are provided to help our membership during stressful periods in their life: Survivor Assistance and Transition & Career Support.

Why should we do anything? As commissioned officers our leadership culture demands that we take care of those under our command, including their family. “Force Protection” is not a readiness status but a leadership imperative. Never Stop Serving means never stop caring, even when we are not actively serving.

Why? Family members provide support to service members while they serve or when they have difficulties; family problems can interfere with the ability of service members to deploy or remain in theater; and family members are central influences on whether members continue to serve. We as MOAA members have a vested interest in the military family.

What can we do? Our program primarily consists of educating our membership to be aware of their need to be financially literate and providing informational and motivational resources to expand and share this knowledge with others. We do this primarily through articles such as this one and through member training workshops/webinars on related topics. We have credible but limited volunteer member resources to provide coaching and mentoring in select areas such as investing through our chapter’s partnership with the North Florida Chapter of BetterInvesting.

What should we be doing? That is the leadership issue and challenge we face as a chapter. Your participation in the leadership, operation and future direction of our chapter is essential if we are to meet our chapter’s mission challenge. An emerging focus area is expanding our advocacy with local commands to encourage their full implementation of their services’ mandated programs to support their personnel. Other areas to support military families and those other organizations that support these families remain to be explored.

How can you help others? Our MOAA chapter provides a broad spectrum of services for our membership and the military members of the local commands in our chapter area. There are many opportunities to contribute to the mission. Paying forward is our mantra.

It is time for all of us to act and help others become financially secure and independent. Never Stop Serving!

08/11/2020

Congratulations to 2020 MOAACC Scholarship Winners

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 01:00:34 GMT

08/03/2020

Good Deeds Foundation Provides Record Grants to All Brevard JROTC Units in Time of Need

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 01:07:17 GMT

On Friday, 31 July at Rockledge High School RADM Wayne Justice USCG, Ret, Treasurer for, and representing , MOAACC’s Good Deeds Foundation (GDF), presented a symbolic check for $13,500 to nine JROTC Instructors attending the “en mask” pre-school reopening JROTC planning meeting. Each Unit was given a real $900 check!! The total amount is a record by far for MOAACC and likely any other chapter in MOAA in the world. In addition, GDF will award $550 each checks to the two Sea Cadet and two Civil AirPatrol Units in the County and will try to distribute the remaining 6 JROTC checks before school reopens on 24 August, a delay caused by COVID.

Joining RADM Justice at the ceremony were MOAACC members CW04 Dan McIntyre USCG, Ret, Student Affairs; President MAJ Tim Pishdad USA, Ret; 1VP COL Steve Bond USA, Ret; and CPT Donn Weaver, USA Fmr, Public Relations and Marketing Chair. Many of the JROTC Instructors are MOAACC members, including the seminar leaders, LTC Brian Whalen, USA, Ret (Rockledge) and LTC Joe Pavone, USA, Ret (Cocoa). MOAACC officers also discussed many other support activities worked with the JROTC programs including Vets Back to Class (to go Virtual this year); the Veterans Memorial Center Museum and Park tours, programs and Raider Challenge Meets; Boat safety training through the USCG; Color Guard Ceremonies with MOAACC and the VMC; medals and special awards to outstanding JROTC cadets and more. The Instructors responded with clear gratitude to receive the record donation, but also to have the partnerships.

Thanks to all MOAACC members and others who support GDF to enable such record breaking events. That MOAACC and the GDF still find ways to complete our Missions despite COVID19 and pending hurricanes is noteworthy in itself.

Pictured below is the “Big Check” Ceremony and the MOAACC members preparing to speak to the group. Photo and story courtesy of a MOAACC member not pictured — any guesses?.

07/31/2020

MOAACC presents Florida Tech with $1000 for Obstacle Course Maintenance

Fri, 24 Jul 2020 13:41:45 GMT

Military Officers Association presents Florida Tech with $1000 for Obstacle Course Maintenance

Melbourne, Fl – July 22, 2020 –

The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC) presented a $1,000 check to the Florida Institute of Technology for maintenance on the Air Assault Obstacle Course on July 22^nd. The check was from MOAACC’s Good Deeds Foundation (GDF). The Air Assault Obstacle Course is part of the Florida Tech Challenge Course Complex located in Fellsmere, Florida. The complex is a unique asset among colleges across the nation and provides a variety of military specification courses, including not only the Air Assault Course, but a Leadership Reaction Course, Marine Course, High Rope Course, and Small Unit Tactics “Airsoft” Course. Florida Tech’s ROTC has priority for use of the courses, but it is also used by area high school ROTC programs, and units from Patrick SFB and the Coast Guard. Other organizations such as scouts, corporations, and even Olympic Athletes have used the facility in the past, but are required to pay for use, serving to defray operating and maintenance costs.

The Air Assault Course and other courses are used to build leadership skills and confidence, as well as prepare Florida Tech ROTC cadets for Air Assault School. Due to COVID-19, course usage is down and that means revenue for upkeep and maintenance is also down. Dave Beach, the Assistant Director for FLA Tech Outdoor Operations thanked MOAACC for the generous donation, stating it will go a long way to off-set costs incurred due to the COVID-19 situation.

MOAACC is leading an effort to organize other service/veteran organizations and corporations in the community to ensure this unique asset remains available for use by the area’s aspiring military officers, military oriented students, and military units.

Photo Caption: Colonel Steve Bond, USA-Ret, MOAACC Vice President (center right), presents a $1,000 check to Dave Beach (center left), Asst Director of FLA Tech Outdoor Operations for Air Assault Obstacle Course maintenance at the FLA Tech Challenge Course Facility. LTC Jimmy Crook, Professor of Military Science at Florida Tech (far right) and MOAACC’s CPT Donn Weaver, USA-Former (far left) look on.

About MOAACC

Located in Brevard County, Florida, the Cape Canaveral chapter is the largest chapter in MOAA with 1300 members. MOAACC supports MOAA’s aims at the national and local level, engages in philanthropy by providing direct support—monetarily and with volunteer hours—to local military, veterans, and their families, and is a social organization sponsoring activities for members. For more information, visit our website at www.MOAACC.org.

Media Contacts

Marilyn Sanford

978-758-7348

marilynmsanford@gmail.com

CPT Donn Weaver, USA Former

757-871-6576

DonnWeaver2020@@gmail.com

07/22/2020

Financial Literacy: Military Support Programs-Part 1

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 01:45:47 GMT

by Captain Bob Houle, USCG (retired)

How do we know that financial literacy impacts military readiness? How do we know if that impact is serious enough to even be a concern? And why should MOAA or our MOAA chapter care? This month we’ll address the first two questions. In September we’ll discuss why it is a concern to MOAA and to our own chapter leadership.

There are at least three major indicators that financial literacy has a major impact on a unit’s mission readiness. Anecdotally, at the local unit level, a member with financial problems impacts the command’s readiness in two primary ways:

the member’s personal effectiveness is degraded while dealing both with the problem itself and the stresses the problem has on family, and
one or more members of the command leadership must divert time and resources away from unit mission performance to monitor and tend to the member’s issues.

Another set of indicators are the various national surveys undertaken to assess the state of military family finances and the trend over time on the scope and severity of the various financial issues our military families are facing. Some progress is slowly being made but the situation is still dire.

In the 2019 Military Financial Readiness Survey conducted by Harris Poll more than one-third of enlisted military members do not pay their bills on time and about half say they had to get a second job to supplement their income.
Another 2019 survey reports that career military families are lagging behind their civilian counterparts not just in pay comparability but in basic money knowledge, reflecting a long-term gap in financial readiness.

This latter survey is particularly concerning since it marks the seventh consecutive year that service member families scored below the general population in financial literacy despite 40% of military survey-takers saying they have completed a financial literacy or education program compared to just 18% of the general population.

That brings us to the third major impact indicator: the coordinated, systemic, mandated responses to the financial readiness issue by the US Congress and the military services. Effective January 2016 10 U.S.C 992 mandated the Armed Forces conduct financial literacy training. DOD and the US Coast Guard have formal, comprehensive financial literacy programs to which substantial financial and personnel resources have been allocated.

Future articles in this series will discuss the apparent efficacy of these service programs and what impact, if any, our MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter can have on our membership’s participation in and benefit from these varied programs. In the meantime all our members are urged to become familiar with the materials found in our Financial Literacy Forum on our new MOAACC.org chapter website (look under the “Events & Activities” tab). We have curated information there on these service programs and our own chapter’s program along with articles and other resources.

It’s time for all of us to take action and help others become financially secure and independent. Never Stop Serving!

07/09/2020

Financial Literacy: SECURE Act Affects Estate Planning

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 20:10:35 GMT

06/19/2020

COMMON GROUND: The Intertwined History of IRCC and MOAACC

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 18:23:20 GMT

Long before the Indian River Colony Club (IRCC) was a gleam in the eyes of its founders, many of those same founders already belonged to a Chapter of The Retired Officers Association or TROA. That chapter was established on Patrick Air Force Base in 1958. Over the years the local TROA chapter grew to over 2500 members, and was renamed two decades ago as the Military Officers Association of America (which allows not only active, retired officers, and surviving spouses to join, but former officers as well) Cape Canaveral Chapter or “MOAACC”.

The MOAACC of today includes over 1230 members, almost 275 of whom are IRCC residents. Every month MOAACC delivers about 150 copies of THE INTERCOM newsletter to the uniform mailboxes in IRCC. MOAACC doesn’t exist just for current or former uniform wearing officer members. It includes dozens of IRCC residents who are Surviving Spouse Members and Spouses. MOAACC has a special responsibility to take care of surviving spouse members. The Chapter includes a Surviving Spouse Coordinator, a Survivor Assistance Team, and an Auxiliary Committee of surviving spouses and spouse members that supports many IRCC families each year with support, and to help them understand and ensure they receive the benefits afforded to veterans. MOAACC also works hard with more than 350,000 other MOAA members worldwide to foster Legislative Advocacy that protects the benefits and programs of active duty and retired military personnel and their families. Thereby, MOAACC is of direct benefit to many IRCC residents, MOAACC members or not.

Today the Cape Canaveral Chapter is the largest MOAA Chapter in the country and has won MOAA’s prestigious annual “Five Star Award for Excellence” 16 years in a row — in fact every year since the award began! Dozens of IRCC residents have always been active and key leaders in MOAACC, including one of IRCC’s key founders, Brig Gen Gordon “Bat” Masterson, USAF, ret. and two-time MOAACC President MG John Cleland, USA, ret, whose contributions to IRCC, MOAACC and the entire Community are legendary. There are many, many others who link IRCC and MOAACC. A MOAACC Past President, CAPT Robert Watts, USN-Ret, became the IRCC Board Chairman not long ago.

For five decades, as best as the historical records tell us, even after IRCC was opened, the TROA/MOAACC leadership focused on keeping the organizations separate. There was even a reference to keeping “A Chinese Wall” between the Chapter and IRCC, since the latter was commercial venture. PAFB remained the full home of MOAACC until 2015, although years earlier MOAACC began holding one Thursday Morning Breakfast Club (TMBC) meeting per month at the 19th Hole IRCC Golf Clubhouse. At first the MOAACC home base was the PAFB Golf Club House, with big events being held at the former Officers Club until it burned down when monthly luncheons and other formal events were shifted to the Tides Club.

Five years ago, when PAFB raised rates and reduced services to MOAACC, the Board contracted with IRCC to become the new MOAACC home base, thus broadening the relationship quietly begun while IRCC was being developed. The IRCC Golf Course became the home of three MOAACC Good Deeds Foundation Fund Raising Golf Tournaments and there have been hundreds of TMBC meetings and luncheons hosted at IRCC in those five years. Only COVID-19 temporarily halted the meetings. With MOAACC now holding virtual Board and TMBC meetings, almost every one includes a question “When can we go back home to IRCC and meet in person?”.

The common ground is firmly set and the IRCC—MOAACC relationship extends far beyond real estate. IRCC supports many veteran and others causes ranging from the Veterans Memorial Center, to the Space Coast Honor Flight, Wreaths Across America, Veterans History Project, student scholarships and other youth support, etc. MOAACC advertises IRCC in every publication, including THE INTERCOM monthly newsletter, and our bi-weekly e-Newsletter, as well as on our website. In turn MOAACC gets many new members each year from current and new residents of IRCC and appreciates the great hospitality and ambiance at reasonable prices given to us by the staff and management of IRCC.

For more information about MOAACC, please see their website at www.MOAACC.org.

— MOAACC members including Steve Bond, Larry Jackson, Robert Watts, and Donn Weaver contributed to this article.

——————————

Photos with Captions:

COMMON GROUND: IRCC’s Colony Hall has hosted hundreds of MOAACC special events and luncheons over the years. IRCC residents, some not members or active in MOAACC, often come to hear Guest Speakers, learn about Current Events and enjoy dances or charity golf tournaments put on by MOAACC’s Good Deeds Foundation.

COMMON GROUND: Over the years many IRCC members have contributed to MOAACC 501c3 projects like the College/Grad School Scholarship program administered by MOAACC’s Scholarship Corporation (pictured here). In 2019, the Scholarship Corporation provided $35,000 to college students who are descendants of area veterans and active military. The Good Deeds Foundation supports Veterans in need; Active Duty Junior Enlisted causes; ROTC and JROTC Youth Programs and other special events and programs. Last year alone, GDF donated $50,000 to these groups. The MOAACC.ORG web site offers much more information and when IRCC residents check it out, they will see dozens of their neighbors active in MOAACC’s renowned Philanthropy Pillar.

COMMON GROUND: IRCC’s Foundation supports many special causes in the community — So does MOAACC!! Here the Good Deeds Foundation presents a grant to the Space Coast Honor Flight program, which has hosted dozens of IRCC residents and members over the years and to which many IRCC residents contribute.

06/15/2020

D-Day Plus 76 Years: Check Out These 6 Ways to Commemorate WWII History Online

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 14:08:40 GMT

06/06/2020

Orlando VA Healthcare System including Brevard County Clinics

Fri, 29 May 2020 17:47:23 GMT

06/01/2020

Our Chapter Goes Dark

Thu, 21 May 2020 19:28:13 GMT

In 1960 things apparently were going well for the new “Retired Officers Club of Brevard County, Florida.” The first “Bereavement Committee” was formed (the predecessor of our Survivor Assistance Committee). One of the committee’s goal was to prepare a “Service Widows Package” which would include a check list to help them.

Just as things were beginning to click for the Chapter the president and secretary were both transferred by RCA and resigned. A new president and secretary took their place in June, 1960. The Chapter apparently did not hold any events during the summer of 1960 and didn’t emerge again after this summer shutdown.

During the early part of 1967 BGEN Bill Matheny held a meeting in his home in Indialantic in an effort to reactivate the Chapter. That meeting must have been successful as General Matheny sent a letter on 3 April 1967 to TROA stating that he was considering reactivating “Brevard County Officers Association.” In a letter to TROA dated 14 August 1967 COL Howard Dellert, AUS, Secretary forwarded a list of officers and the Chapter was back up and running.

Once again we have a lapse in our records and have no record of events until 1974. That year a telephone committee was formed. The committee used a pyramid recall system with each member being responsible to notify 10 to 12 other members of upcoming Chapter events. This system seems to have been very efficient and stayed in place until 1976. That year the Chapter received their franking privileges and The Intercom was published.

A quick aside: on 28 May 1960 a dinner dance was held by the Chapter at PAFB Officers Club. The cost of your choice of filet mignon, prime rib or lobster cost $3.50 per person. This price included a free cocktail party!!!

Next Month: “The Roaring Seventies.”

05/21/2020

Veteran Memorial Center (VMC) Gradual Re-Opening Plan: Starts 1 June

Thu, 14 May 2020 14:28:36 GMT

Veteran Memorial Center members and friends;

We have received some direction from the County Parks and Rec that we can start reopening after the 18th of May. We are taking a phased approach to clean and prepare. We are planning on a Memorial Day Open House from 0900-1200 on the 25th to honor our fallen veterans and then open the Museum and Facility for DAV interviews (mostly encouraged to be done by phone) on the 1st of June. We do not plan on opening our library to the public until we work out more procedures to protect our staff and the public.

The Museum will be reopened on June 1 from 1000 - 1600 (10 AM - 4 PM) Mon thru Sat and 12 AM to 4 PM on Sun. We are urging social distancing and will have hand sanitizer available. All interactive displays will be off limits. We are asking our Docents to wear masks and all visitors to wear masks. We will also be installing "sneeze" guards at our store checkout location. We will be implementing procedures to wipe down surfaces touched by Docents and visitors on a regular basis.

Plans for opening our facility to rentals have not been implemented yet, but I expect to have a policy in place by June 1. Nick Sine and Bob Doyle have been working in the Grey Hall, resurfacing the floor, repairing and repainting walls, sound system and lighting system. It is an impressive improvement. Thanks to Ed Pingston and Ted Schmid for their help and to all involved in this project.

Look for more information and direction when the Courier is published this month. Thanks, Dean Schaaf

05/14/2020

2019 Boating Educator of the Year - MOAACC Member CWO4 Dan McIntyre

Sat, 02 May 2020 01:25:45 GMT

Dan McIntyre has been a Coast Guard Auxiliarist since 2008. He is a veteran who served in the Coast Guard Reserve for 42 years, retiring in 2000 with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer, CW04. Dan was recalled to active duty in 2002 and served for another 2 1/2 years as a Performance Excellence Consultant at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He has had an exemplary record of service with the Auxiliary and has earned numerous awards and promotions as he has moved up the ranks. He was finally allowed to really retire in 2005.

In 2015 Dan found his calling when he became fully engaged in the area of Recreational Boating Safety Public Education. Motivated by the increasing number of drowning fatalities among children in Florida each year, he decided to seek a solution. He researched child water-related accidents and statistics and consulted with other Coast Guard Auxiliary and organizations. He finally adapted a syllabus that had been shared by Auxiliary Flotilla 14-1. Dan then envisioned teaching children how to be safe in the water, around boats and how to respond to water emergencies. His goal was to grow more responsible boating adults by developing a simple, yet impactful course that would instill basic water safety concepts in 9-year old students. That spring, Dan partnered with the Brevard County School Board to deliver a unique course to third grade elementary school students entitled "Boats N ' Kids”.'

Since that humble beginning, the Brevard Schools have asked Dan to return every year with class sizes averaging 15 to 30 students. From 2015 to 2018, he served over 2,300 volunteer hours as a Recreational Boating Safety instructor or facilitator. Dan's work has resulted in the delivery of 120 “Boats N ' Kids” classes at 31 Brevard County schools that have produced 1,959 third-grade graduates. Dan achieved this level of success while also delivering a full schedule of adult and youth “About Boating Safely” classes. During that same period, he taught or facilitated 52 adult classes at 14 schools resulting in the graduation of 619 adult, and 1,533 youth graduates under the age of 17.

As a result of Dan’s dedication and hard work, the “Boats' N Kids” class safety initiative has become a 7th Coast Guard Auxiliary District priority after the 2019 Nationa l Executive Board Meeting. Dan is planning for implementation of a new program with instructor activities designed for 6 to 11-year old in groups. The program will focus on life jackets, dockside safety, boating safety, environmental stewardship, and basic emergencies, designed to be taught with a team of two or more instructors. In his current position as Assistant District Staff Officer for Public Education, Dan has embarked on an ambitious plan to export this class beyond Brevard to encompass schools throughout the Auxiliary 7th District Area of Responsibility which includes Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

05/01/2020

MOAACC’s Gone Virtual!

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 19:25:08 GMT

MOAACC’s Gone Virtual!

by COL Steve Bond, USA-Retired

Like many adapting to COVID-19 challenges, MOAACC made the leap into the “virtual” world over the past month. Fortunately, we were moving in that direction already. For example: Have you checked out our new website (www.MOAACC.org)? It is first class and full of information! Have you used our new on-line membership system to update your membership information with your current e-mail or home address; made reservations or paid for our events; or looked up information on another member? Are you receiving Campaign e-mails from the chapter with announcements, and receiving the bi-weekly electronic newsletter MOAACC Five Things? Did you know The Intercom is e-mailed out over a week before it is received through the mail? Are you a member of our Facebook page (MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter)? If you answered “NO” to any of these questions, you are being left behind, but we’re here to help and the past month drove home the point of needing to move into the “virtual world”.

In the past, we relied on The Intercom and our weekly business meeting—TMBC—as our primary means to keep members informed. However, the information in The Intercom was often 4-6 weeks old when it hit mailboxes, and only about 5% of our members attend TMBC. With the fast-breaking events of March, TMBC and other events were cancelled, and the April Intercom was already at the printer. Getting timely information out was a challenge, but we had started the transition to web-based tools. Examples:

Last year we stressed all our members needed to have an e-mail address, but we still don’t have valid emails for 165 members.
In 2015, we started a Facebook page to post information of interest and activities, but only 100 members have joined.
We implemented a bi-weekly e-Newsletter, MOAACC Five Things, just over a year ago to push timely information to our members. By the way, recent editions have been full of information from CDC and Public Health Authorities, Base operating changes, MOAA’s Legislative Advocacy Actions, and health care information from DoD, Medicare, Tricare, and the VA. We received rave reviews (Thank You!), but less than half our members are opening it.
With our new website and membership management system, we have a mass campaign e-mailer to send focused e-mail information ‘blasts’ to members--it came in handy over the past several weeks, but again, less than half of those receiving the emails are opening them. The email address is MOAACapeCanaveral@gmail.com and it can sometimes go into your “spam” or “promotions” folder. Our website also hosts the “MOAACC Press Room” where we post information about the chapter, veteran-related local news, and support and service organizations (DFAS, DoD/Services, MOAA, VA, etc.).

Through March and into April, our work went on remotely. In April, our Financial Literacy team produced an outstanding on-line “webinar”. Scholarship Corporation went about selecting 2020 recipients. We worked out the logistics of delivering MOAA awards to ROTC cadets with school out of session. We submitted our yearly MOAA Level of Excellence award package on-line. As we will likely be dealing with coronavirus effects for the foreseeable future, we were fortunate to have tools to work remotely available. But we still needed other tools as well. We obtained teleconferencing capabilities, and purchased a video-teleconferencing (VTC) capability (Zoom) to hold “virtual” meetings as well. Our recent Board of Directors meeting in March was conducted via teleconference, and the April Board was conducted via Zoom. We re-started our TMBC meetings via Zoom VTC on 23 April. Be looking for future chapter meetings and events to be conducted virtually and on-line.

As we think about the future, one thing is certain—the post-COVID-19 world will be different. Face-to-face meetings may not be possible or preferred. Our investment in digital and virtual technology was timely. It will be key to reaching out to our members and conducting business in the future. Don’t be left behind. If you need help using it, please tell us--Contact any Chapter Officer (phone #s on page 2) or send us an email at moaaccmembers@gmail.com.

We’ve gone virtual!

04/15/2020

Surviving Spouse Corner: 10 Helpful Resources for Surviving Spouses

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 16:35:16 GMT

Surviving Spouse Corner: 10 Helpful Resources for Surviving Spouses

Having a list of go-to resources is essential for peace of mind and coping with loss.

By Suzanne Walker, staff advisor, Surviving Spouse Advisory Committee

These resources can help surviving spouses navigate the complex world of obtaining military benefits, find much-needed comfort and support, and work through the difficult days after the loss of a spouse.

National MOAA. MOAA can be your first line of information. You’ll find online resources such as links to most benefits agencies and articles written by experienced professionals and regular folks who have been where you are.

MOAA Chapters. Find your local MOAA chapter, and you’ll have a community of supportive friends who are willing to assist you with many of your questions. Most chapters have a surviving spouse liaison who is directly connected to a network of people who have a shared experience.

MOAA Surviving Spouse Virtual Chapter. Join this quarterly conference call for information and have your questions answered. It is a great forum to connect with the military community of surviving spouses. Hear firsthand from experts in financial planning, benefits information, and more. For additional information or to join, email mssvc02@gmail.com.

Military OneSource. Find information and resources for all areas of military life on this comprehensive website. Special sections include DoD Casualty Assistance information and links to other important resources.

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). TAPS offers many resources for those experiencing the loss of a loved one, including a library of books, retreats, camps for children, and a social community.

Financial Adviser. Hopefully you have a financial adviser who can assist in navigating the complex world of filing for benefits and how to manage financial resources in the days ahead. Be sure to have an adviser who is not trying to sell a product but can deliver expert advice. Look for someone with the certified financial planner (CFP) credential.

Department of Veterans Affairs. The Department of Veterans Affairs is a very large government agency, and it might be difficult to navigate to get the answers you need. A veterans service organization can assist you.

Snopes.com. There are many internet rumors and fake stories. You can avoid miss-information by checking with a trusted source. Snopes.com provides the background and lets you know if what you heard is fact or fiction. Beware of the ads that are peppered throughout the site; they can be easy to click on by mistake.

Gold Star Wives of America Inc. This organization was founded after World War II and provides a unique service for a widow/widower not available from any other organization.

Surviving Spouses of MOAA Facebook Page. If you have an account on Facebook, you can join this group and make connections with MOAA surviving spouses from across the U.S. The page has been a valued resource for information about the Survivor Benefit Plan-Dependency and Indemnify Compensation offset and was instrumental in the advocacy that led to its repeal.

04/02/2020

How Your Voice Can Help MOAA’s Advocacy Mission

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 20:30:41 GMT

Make an impact on legislative issues by calling, emailing, using social media, or showing up in person.

01/30/2020

MOAACC Membership

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 00:17:33 GMT

The new decade of 2020 has arrived! In the last century they had the Roaring ‘20s. We on the Space Coast will have our own Roaring ‘20s as American rockets begin sending astronauts to the ISS and return man (and woman) to the moon. At the same time, and closer to home, we need to assure that this chapter is still vibrant and thriving. The only way to ensure this happens is to maintain and grow our membership.

As the incoming Chairman for Membership, I want to challenge all our members to bring in one new member this year. It’s an “All Hands on Deck” effort. At the recently held Florida Council of Chapters Leadership Seminar it was stress over and over the importance of increasing membership. The larger we are enhances our ability to impact legislatively locally and nationally, provide support to local veterans and active duty personnel, and support to our charitable organizations.

The last membership report showed us with a total of 1388 members, which was less than the previous year. This year our goal is to increase our chapter membership to more than 1400.

So, two objectives need to be met. 1) Current members renew your membership if you haven’t already done so and 2) get a new member. I would bet that each member knows at least one other officer who qualifies for chapter membership, so ask them. If you are enjoying your membership, why would you not invite them?

01/25/2020

MOAACC Survivor Assistance Lessons Learned

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 15:34:49 GMT

Submitted by Lt Col Chuck Shaw, USAF, (Ret)

Even though the repeal of the so called “Widows Tax” has been signed into law, it’s taking a while to find out some important details of how and when it will be implemented. I did some research on the DFAS website at: https://www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary/survivors/SBP-DIC-News , and found what I hope will be some useful information.

I did some cut and pasting of the important parts. Bold print is from DFAS, underlining is by me:

“SBP-DIC Offset Phased Elimination News

[DFAS] will post news here regarding the status of the implementation of the "Phase-Out of Reduction of Survivor Benefit Plan Survivor Annuities by Amount of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation," as directed by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020.

Please plan to check this webpage for updates.

We are already at work analyzing the change, and making plans for the implementation. We will be not be able to answer questions about the full effect of this change in the law until we obtain legal interpretation of the changes and identify all of the impacts on policy and procedures.

Based on the NDAA, Spouse SBP annuitants who are subject to the DIC offset will see the first change in the SBP annuity payment they receive on February 1, 2021. Full SBP AND DIC will be phased in from 2021 to 2023.
The most important action SBP annuitants can take at this time is to ensure your annuity account information is up-to-date and includes your correct mailing address so we can contact you, if needed. If you’re not using myPay, set up a profile now and add your email address.
We are unable to provide individual estimates of the upcoming changes in spouse SBP annuity payments. Please do not call DFAS Customer Care Center to request an individual estimate.
If you previously received a refund of SBP premiums paid due to the SBP-DIC offset, you will NOT need to pay back that refund.
The "Repeal of Authority for Optional Annuity for Dependent Children" and "Restoration of Eligibility for Previously Eligible Spouses" in the NDAA only affect those spouses and children of service members who died on active duty or inactive duty when the surviving spouse previously elected to transfer the SBP annuity to a child or children. They do not affect previous or future SBP elections by retirees or SBP annuities for a retiree's beneficiaries.”

I will keep you up to date on updates, but for 2020, there are no changes that will affect you…

01/22/2020

THE MOAACC SCHOLARSHIP STORY —- 2020 —- CHAPTER 37

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:52:37 GMT

Thanks to you MOAACC scholarship donors, our success story continues Our story so far has had 36 “chapters”, one for each Scholarship Awards Luncheon since 1984. In that beginning year, chapter members decided to use donated proceeds to award a MOAACC Scholarship - one scholarship for $1,000. From that modest beginning, your MOAACC members very gradually expanded the Scholarship Program to two $1,000 scholarships in 1985. By 1987, chapter 4, three $1,500 scholarships were awarded. Ten years later, Chapter 14 of our success story featured nine $2,000 scholarship awards. Finally, skipping al the way to Chapter 22 in the year 2005, the MOAACC Scholarship Program had reached 10 scholarships valued at $3,000 or $3,500 each year, including last year, 2019 which was Chapter 36.

Until now, beginning with our Chapter 36, our generous member donors have awarded a total of 263 scholarships. The total dollar value has reached $700,000! The heroes and heroines of this success story are the MOAACC members who, year after year, help the deserving descendants applicants to become our nation’s patriotic leadership. Your Scholarship Selection Committee will look at the Whole Person. This includes the applicant’s scholastic record, outstanding citizenship, moral character, attitude, leadership attributes, volunteerism and extracurricular activities.

This New Year, 2020 begins Chapter 37 of your MOAACC Scholarship “Story”. Our goal for this year is to collect enough donations to increase the award amount of the scholarships presented at our July Scholarship Awards luncheon to $5,000 per awardee and to recognize your donations to the Scholarship Fund. This is an exceptionally effective way to serve America by “PAYING IT FORWARD” and “PASSING THE TORCH” to deserving descendants. Eventually, as our success story continues, your Scholarship Corporation is working to attain a permanent fund of at least $1 million which would allow MOAACC to award ten scholarships each year in perpetuity.

Please consider a 2020 New Year’s resolution to participate in our annual fund drive, to make a larger donation to honor your family name, or perhaps in memory of someone special, or to make your LEGACY DONATION of $10,000 or more, which will ensure that you and your descendants will be remembered and honored this year and every year for generations. Help MOAACC to make 2020, Chapter 37, another historical “storied” year for your MOAACC Scholarship Program. To learn more, go to www.moaacc.org and click on Scholarships.

Submitted by Col D. Brent Baysinger, USAF Ret

01/20/2020

Passing the Torch—Veterans conduct ‘Fireside Chats’ with Florida Tech ROTC Cadets

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:39:26 GMT

Melbourne, Fl – November 2, 2019 –

The Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion conducted a pre-summer camp field training exercise for cadets in Malabar recently. The field exercise included patrol base operations, squad tactics, day and night land navigation, and “fireside chats” by Army Veterans.

Four veterans were invited to share lessons, tips, and experiences they learned over their military careers with the cadets. The veterans—all retired members of the U.S. Army—were Command Sergeant Major Gary Baura, Lieutenant Colonel Bob Faulkender, Colonel Tony Deane, and Colonel Steve Bond. They shared their combined experiences of over 100 years of military service, stretching from wars and military operations in Vietnam, the Cold War era, Panama, Desert Shield and Desert Storm, to on-going operations in the war on terror. Faulkender, Deane, and Bond are members of the Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC) Speakers Bureau. The MOAACC Speakers Bureau provides a community service to area organizations and clubs by providing information on military service, patriotism, leadership, military and U.S. history.

“Over the course of our military careers, we all benefited from mentors providing us with hard-learned knowledge, guiding us, and sharing their experiences--This is one way we can ‘pay it forward’ with the future generation of Army leaders”, said Retired Army Colonel Steve Bond. LTC Jimmy Crook, Professor of Military Science at Florida Tech, thanked the veterans for providing invaluable information to the cadets.

For more information about the MOAACC Speakers Bureau, visit our website at www.moaacc.org.

Photo Caption: Florida Tech Panther Battalion Cadets pose with Veteran Mentors following “Fireside Chats” during recent field training in Malabar. Center L-R in civilian clothes: LTC Bob Faulkender, CSM Gary Baura, COL Steve Bond, and COL Tony Deane--all Retired U.S. Army.

About MOAACC

The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC) is an affiliate of the national Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). MOAA and affiliates are nonprofit veterans’ organization dedicated to maintaining a strong national defense and ensuring our nation keeps its commitments to currently serving, retired and former members of the uniformed services, their families and survivors. Membership is open to those who hold or have ever held a warrant or commission in any of the Uniformed Services or their surviving spouse. MOAA and its affiliates are nonpartisan organizations. Located in Brevard County, Florida, the Cape Canaveral chapter is the largest chapter in MOAA with 1400 members. MOAACC supports MOAA’s aims at the national and local level, engages in philanthropy by providing direct support—monetarily and with volunteer hours—to local military, veterans, and their families, and is a social organization sponsoring activities for members. For more information, visit our website at www.moaacc.org.

Media Contacts

Marilyn Sanford

978-758-7348

marilynmsanford@gmail.com

CW3 Amir Pishdad, USA Retired

321-752-1999

pish104@bellsouth.net

11/02/2019

MOAACC Survivor Assistance Lessons Learned

Sun, 13 Oct 2019 01:08:57 GMT

Back in the June, 2019 Intercom, I introduced a simplified “Big Picture” for the phases of a Survivor dealing with the loss of a spouse and tackling the potentially very intimidating government “paperwork mill” of notifications and claims, etc. The first phase: “Preparations Beforehand” makes an assumption (always dangerous!) that there has been a reasonable amount of financial planning done to assure an adequate income for the survivor. CAPT Bob Houle’s article this month on Financial Literacy (Financial Literacy: Myth Busting the End Game) does a great job to help get you started on that financial planning and should be included in that first phase of the simplified “Big Picture”. If you need more motivation, look back at the July, 2019 SAT (Survivor Assistance Team) Lessons Learned article in the Intercom. Your situation may not be that desperate, but inadequate financial planning can have a devastating effect on a Surviving Spouse’s financial situation. An unfortunately very common scenario was discussed way back in the May, 2018 SAT Intercom article to remind you that the process of submitting benefits claims and then having them processed seems to be taking longer than in the past. It is not un-common to have VA claims, and even DFAS claims to take 2-3 months before the survivor starts receiving the benefits (and remember the previous retired pay is stopped till the death benefits are processed). The SAT is positioned to help facilitate the notifications and claim submittals to help keep that time as short as possible. On top of that, remember the bottom-line income for the Survivor will be less than before. So, in addition to the short-term financial planning for being able to cover expenses till the benefits do start, you MUST also plan to cover the long term reduced income.

The ”SAT Lesson Learned” for this month is to not forget to include financial planning in that first phase of the “Big Picture” (Preparations Beforehand), and the best way to do that is to become “Financially Literate”!

10/12/2019

VA Appeals Modernization: Opting in from SOC/SSOC

Sat, 04 Jan 2020 16:55:36 GMT

Veterans who have a legacy appeal pending with VA have an opportunity to opt in to the Appeals Modernization program’s decision review program. The new process provides more options and a faster decision without changing their date of claim.

The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 (Appeals Modernization Act) went into effect February 19, 2019. By joining the modernized process, Veterans and claimants will receive more choice and control over their disagreements, and more timely decisions.

The new review process was validated during the Rapid Appeals Modernization Program (RAMP) pilot, which began in November 2017. As of August 1, nearly 84,000 claims have been completed and more than $410 million in retroactive benefits have been paid to beneficiaries.

To opt in to the modernized process, you must have a pending legacy appeal and have received a Statement of the Case (SOC) or Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) within the previous 60 days. By completing the appropriate form and submitting it to VA within 60 days of receipt of an SOC or SSOC, your pending legacy appeal will be moved from the legacy appeals process into the modernized decision review process.

If you choose to enter the modernized decision review system, you are not “starting over.” In fact, since a primary benefit of the new system is more timely decisions, you will most likely receive your decision within a few short months (depending on your lane selection). Regardless of the lane selected, effective dates for any granted benefits are protected.

There are three options, or lanes, available under the modernized process:

Supplemental Claim:
- Submit a VA Form 20-0995, Decision Review Request: Supplemental Claim. Check “OPT-IN from SOC/SSOC” box under Part II, 13 (see below).
- This lane requires the submission of new and relevant evidence.
- VBA will assist you in obtaining evidence for your claim and provides a review based on newly-received evidence.
- VBA’s goal for completing Supplemental Claims is an average of 125 days.

Higher-Level Review:
- Submit a VA Form 20-0996, Decision Review Request: Higher-Level Review. Check “OPT-IN from SOC/SSOC” box under Part III, 15 (see below).
- No new evidence is allowed in this lane. This lane provides a review by a senior, more experienced adjudicator to determine whether the previous decision was correctly decided or should be decided in a different way.
- You have the option to have an informal conference over the telephone with the reviewer to point out the error in the previous decision.
- VBA’s goal for completing Higher-Level Reviews is an average of 125 days.

Appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals:
- Submit a VA Form 10182, Decision Review Request: Board Appeal (Notice of Disagreement). Check “Opt In from SOC/SSOC” box under Part III, 12 (see below).
- This lane allows you to appeal directly to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board).
- You may choose one of three Board dockets: (1) Direct Docket: no new evidence and no hearing; 2) Evidence Docket: new evidence but no hearing; or 3) Hearing Docket: hearing with or without new evidence).
- The Board’s goal for completing appeals on the Direct Docket is 365 days. Appeals on the other two dockets may take longer than 365 days.

The SOC/SSOC Opt-In Fact Sheet, is sent with all SOC/SSOCs notifications.

For more information about VA’s appeals modernization process, including relevant forms, please visit https://www.va.gov/decision-reviews/.

10/01/2019

News from Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral Chapter (MOAACC)

Gold Bars Earned: Seven Florida Tech Cadets Commissioned as Army Officers

Grassroots Advocacy in Action!

Unofficial VMC Brevard Vets Events Calendar - May 2026 and Beyond

DFAS Retiree Newsletter

From MOAA's President: Building a Stronger Association in 2026

Space Coast Honor Flight Welcome Home Celebration. Help Welcome Our Heroes

Army Echoes - The official newsletter for Retired Soldiers, Surviving Spouses & Families

MOAACC member named Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine Student of the Year

Florida Tech ROTC Commissions three new Army Lieutenants

Do You Know Where Your Military Paperwork Lives?

Brevard Veterans History Project

How does VA health care work with Medicare and TRICARE For Life?

How New Tax Laws May Impact Your Charitable Giving

MOAACC 2026 Leadership Nominations

Celebrating Veterans—Veteran Appreciation Events!

Viera Senior Life - George Rosenfeld to Celebrate 100th Birthday (Page 11)

Veterans Needed for Mental Health Research

"Scammers present ‘persistent threat’ to troops, veterans, expert warns"

WATCH: Retired U.S. Army Col. Steve Bond Sits Down with Friday Night Locker Room’s Steve Wilson at Erdman Automotive Studio in Cocoa

Congratulations to 2025 MOAACC Scholarship Winners

6th BDE US ARMY HQ, JROTC Division Recognizes the MOAA Cape Canaveral Chapter

DOD Pharmacy Update

Changes coming in June for Retired Soldiers who pay SBP monthly premiums directly

Changes coming in June for Retired Soldiers who pay SBP monthly premiums directly

By DFAS Cleveland

Launching Toward Success: MOAACC Honors Military Academy and College ROTC Scholarship Bound High School Seniors

Florida Tech ROTC Commissions three new Army Lieutenants

MOAA Advocacy In Action 2025 (Florida Participants)

FinLit Program Survey - Your Input Matters

Real ID Act and NextGen ID Card

Are You Ready for VA’s Sign-In Changes?

Best of 2024: Top VetResources of the year

Veterans may be eligible for one more year of G.I. Bill benefits

DOD Eases Pharmacy Process for Prescriptions Processing

2025 Veterans Benefits Guide Now Available

Reminder: VA Modernizes Online Sign-In Experience for Veterans

Prepare for VA’s secure sign-in changes

Intercom Photo & Article Submission Rules

Florida Tech ROTC Commissions Four New Army Lieutenants

2024 Veterans Day Deals, Discounts and Freebies

MOAACC Leadership Nominees for 2025

Cape Canaveral National Cemetery to Honor Unclaimed and Unaccompanied Veterans

2024 Orlando Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD) Information Packet

MOAA Council of Florida Chapters 47th Annual Convention in Daytona Beach

Florida Tech ROTC Commissions four new Army Lieutenants

Advocacy in Action—2024

MOAA Advocacy in Action - 2024 Issue Papers

It's Only Has Hard As You Make It!

MOAACC Speakers--Speaking of National Security

MOAACC Speakers--Speaking of National Security By Colonel Steve Bond (USA-Ret)

Support MOAACC Legislative Advocacy to Help protect your benefits and those who Served!

Kathie Vogt turning 102!

DoD Expands Online ID Card Renewal

'An obligation to our veterans' Oak Hill cemeteries that include 22 vets receive repairs

Groups honor Black veterans by working to restore Oak Hill cemetery

MOAA’s 2023 Stakeholder’s Report

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion Commissions Five New Army Second Lieutenants

2023 Veterans Day retail discounts, free meals and other offers

Veterans Day originated at the end of World War I

Find your Veterans Day events

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion to hold virtual Town Hall on ROTC Scholarships

Veteran Surviving Family Eductional Seminar - "Preparing for the Final Chapter"

Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Inductee - Donn Weaver, U.S. Army Veteran (MOAACC Member)

One Senior Place - Brevard / Space Coast Events

How to Recognize (and Report) 5 Common Text Scams

Saving For College Costs, Part 1 by CAPT Arnold Lim, USNR (Ret)

Tunnel To Towers Foundation - Larry Jackson, Captain, USAF (Fmr), Tunnel to Towers Ambassador

Some Civilian Retirees Must Get New ID Cards or They Could Soon Be Barred from Bases

Best Turnout Yet: Fifth Annual BCSO/VMC July Fourth Parade on Merritt Island

Military Officers at One Senior Place June 28, 2023

USPHS Documentary

GOLD STAR FAMILIES CHERISH MEMORIES

Survivor Benefit Plan

MOAACC delegation at The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall

Florida Tech ROTC Panther Battalion Commissions eight new Army Second Lieutenants

Advocating for All Veterans! Colonel Steve Bond, US Army-Retired

Check Out These 2023 Military Appreciation Month Discounts

GDF Sponsors Special PSFB Ceremony

Gold Star Mom’s Painting’s Displayed at Florida’s Capitol and Porcher House

MOAACC Speakers--Speaking of National Security
By Colonel Steve Bond (USA-Ret)