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| Recent Newsletters and Highlights |
April 2008 Niney-seven members and guests from both the Aloha and Hawaii Chapters gathered to hear Peter Carlisle, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney, speak at the Joint MOAA Chapter luncheon on 16 April 2008. The lunch was delicious and great camaraderie was enjoyed by all at the beautiful Pearl Harbor Channel-view setting in the gazebo of the Hickam AFB Officers’ Club.
As the mahimahi meal commenced, both Chapters' newsletter editors, Mark Webster for Aloha and Ron Bezanson & George Sullivan for Hawaii, were presented National MOAA award certificates for having published outstanding newsletters during 2007. Congratulations!
Peter B. Carlisle, “Honolulu's Beloved Prosecuting Attorney,” both entertained and informed his rather large jury with his opening and closing statements. This included a lively cross-examination with in-depth questions & answers. The verdict was unanimous: we found our Prosecutor to be eloquent and entertaining!!
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Aloha Chapter April 2008 Newsletter |
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March 2008 On Wednesday, March 19, at Pohai Nani, Kaneohe, Dr. Bradley J. Willcox, a physician and investigator in geriatrics at the Pacific Health Research Institute and a physician at the Queen’s and Kuakini Medical Centers, gave a thought-provoking PowerPoint presentation to 65 Aloha and Hawaii Chapter members on how to attain a longer life. He ought to know; he is the co-author of the best-selling The Okinawa Program, a study of the most centenarians per capita on Okinawa than anywhere else in the world.
His key admonitions were to not smoke, eat less, drink very little liquor, eat more vegetables and less meat, exercise more and, nevertheless, try to enjoy life and have a positive, happy outlook.
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Aloha Chapter March 2008 Newsletter |
February 2008 About fifty Aloha Chapter members and guests attended the annual Installation Luncheon at Hale Ikena, Ft. Shafter, on Thursday, February 28th.
At the conclusion of the meal, Joe Magaldi, Jr, our new Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chapter President, introduced our guest speaker, Brigadier General Edwin A. “Skip” Vincent, USAF, Mobilization Assistant, Strategic Planning and Policy at the U. S. Pacific Command, Camp Smith.
BG Vincent enlightened us in an overview of the progress our military has made in establishing friendly relations and mutual trust among all of the nations of the Pacific. Afterwards, he had the honor of installing the new members of the Aloha Chapter Board of Directors and Officers by administrating the Oath of Office to the new chapter leaders.
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Aloha Chapter February 2008 Newsletter |
| January 2008 Our Aloha Chapter’s new officers and directors began their terms this month and will be installed in the annual installation ceremony to be held this year at Hale Ikena, Ft. Shafter, on Thursday, February 28. |
Aloha Chapter January 2008 Newsletter |
| December 2007
Annual Aloha Chapter Christmas Party
Our Aloha Chapter’s annual Christmas party was be held at the Hale Koa Hotel again this year A festive evening of Christmas cheers and singing of carols was the highlight of our gathering on Wednesday, December 12th, and the traditional “gift exchange” brought it to an exciting close.
Annual Christmas Caroling
at VA's Center For Aging
Twenty Chapter members and spouses participated in the annual visit to the VA’s Center For Aging (CFA) for Christmas caroling, beginning at 10 AM on Thursday, December 13th. As we’ve seen over many years, this 60-bed, long-term care facility for veterans resounded with Christmas carols sung by chapter members and spouses as they slowly walked through its corridors bringing joy and well wishes not only to all veterans residing there but to its staff members as well.
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Aloha Chapter December 2007 Newsletter |
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November 2007 Our annual General Membership Dinner Meeting was attended by 43 members, spouses and guests who enjoyed a delicious catered meal consisting of teriyaki beef, sweet-sour shrimp, and baked chicken served with steamed rice, macaroni-potato salad, Caesar salad and, finally, a sheet cake for dessert.
The entire evening’s activities would not have been successful and even possible were it not for the many members and spouses who helped Shirley and Les Ihara with picking up the food from the caterer, serving it, and then cleaning up afterwards.
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Aloha Chapter November 2007 Newsletter |
October 2007 About 40 Hawaii Chapter and 16 Aloha Chapter members and guests engaged in real dialogue with Phil Dyer, deputy director, Benefits and Financial Education for MOAA, after a joint buffet-luncheon at Hale Ikena, Fort Shafter, on Thursday, 18 October 2007. Using a PowerPoint slide presentation, Dyer covered three areas he thought are important to members in both chapters: Legislative Update, Growing Your Chapter, and Getting Involved.
Dyer’s discussion of current legislative issues affecting not only military retirees but also active duty, National Guard and reserve members prompted several questions requesting clarification of MOAA’s legislative priorities, TRICARE issues for retirees not yet covered by Medicare, and Survivor Benefit Program versus Social Security reduction issues.
Citing examples MOAA has gathered from chapters in other regions, Dyer showed how some chapters have recruited younger members still on active duty or recently retired by making direct, personal contacts, asking what would it take to have them join a MOAA chapter, then making that happen.
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Aloha Chapter October 2007 Newsletter |
September 2007 Twinning 2007 An Experience To Cherish!
With the UH Football Team’s whopping 49 –14 victory over UNLV sandwiched in between, Twinning 2007 with the Southern Nevada Chapter in Las Vegas, Nevada, was a series of good and memorable times for the 13 Aloha Chapter members and spouses who participated in it. “Host Chapter’s President Tommy Thompson, Twinning Coordinator Jack Taylor and other dedicated members and spouses literally went out of their way to show us a good time,” said Aloha Chapter President Les Ihara. He added that their offer to do whatever we asked for made our stay in Las Vegas a wonderful experience.
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Aloha Chapter September 2007 Newsletter |
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August 2007 The Merrie Ladies August event was a wonderful experience for all who were able to attend. Twenty-six ladies, their husbands, daughters, and friends enjoyed seeing a bit of the way the richest of the rich have lived. The remarkable estate of the late Doris Duke gave us a glimpse into the passion she had for Islamic art. Her five acre estate overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Diamond Head was aptly named Shangri La by some of her guests who felt they had just entered another world. From the moment you walked into the garden entry, you saw the beautiful symmetry of plants and walkways bordering a long narrow waterway. The one-and-a-half-hour tour allowed us to view the Entry Courtyard, Foyer, Living Room, Mihrab Room, Dining Room, Lanai, Turkish Room, Mughal Garden and Upper Lawn with a view of the Playhouse, pool and water terraces. We were fortunate to hear stories from an artisan who worked directly with Doris Duke in creating and re-creating parts of the tile brought from the Middle East.
After our tour, we were able to enjoy a delicious and quite reasonably priced lunch in the Academy of Arts Dining Room. Our thanks go to Anna Blackwell for setting up the tour and luncheon that all of us enjoyed.
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Aloha Chapter August 2007 Newsletter |
July 2007 Sixty-three members, spouses and guests who attended our July 19th chapter luncheon meeting were fortified both physically with a fabulous all-you-can eat buffet at Hale Ikena and mentally with an abundance of facts, maps and mementoes from chapter members “Jumbo” Joe Kuroda, Mark Webster and their team of experienced Space-A travelers.
Joe and Mark covered both the rules of eligibility and application procedures for traveling space available on various kinds of military and contract aircraft between Hickam AFB and other U.S. military airfields in the Western Pacific and the Continental United States. They advised that quite reasonable space-available, temporary military lodging near enroute and destination air terminals can usually be found within 10-city-blocks walking distance.
Valuable Space-A travel tips gained from good and bad experiences were also openly shared by other chapter members and guests.
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Aloha Chapter July 2007 Newsletter |
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June 2007 About 27 members and guests gathered at the Honolulu Airport Hotel on Thursday, June 21st, for a delicious buffet dinner and a very informative presentation by two NOAA officers. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, a part of our Department of Commerce, our seventh uniformed service with about 300 commissioned officers, is celebrating their 200th anniversary.
LT Kurt Dreflak gave an overall presentation of the mission of NOAA, explaining that the mission of NOAA is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our national economic, social and environmental needs. He then outlined the organizational structure of NOAA.
LTJG Jason Saxe discussed the latest NOAA missions to support and protect the new Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, with emphasis upon the endangered monk seals.
In keeping with the Hawaii Army Museum Society (HAMS) Golf Tournament theme of Support Our Troops, our Aloha Chapter became a Patriot Sponsor sponsoring 4 active-duty military persons to play as our guests in the 26th Annual HAMS Golf Tournament this year. There were 153 players this year, the largest tournament ever. In addition to the entry fee, the four received a lunch, dinner, door prizes and other amenities. Sergeants Tim Dess and Joffre Gillard were invited from Tripler Army Medical Center and Sergeants Brian Ramsey and Joshua Smith came from Hickam Air Force Base.
Nineteen members and spouses volunteered all day to make this tournament a great success.
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Aloha Chapter June 2007 Newsletter |
May 2007 Every Thursday during the month of May—as our tribute to Armed Forces Appreciation Month and to honor our Korean and Vietnam War veterans who served America so valiantly during those wars—our Aloha Chapter, MOAA, cleaned the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials on the State Capitol grounds.
Our weekly groups of volunteers raked leaves and washed and polished the black marble pedestals inscribed with the names of 766 servicemen from Hawaii killed in action during those two wars.
Aloha Chapter respresentatives carried the chapter banner at the Memorial Day services at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl and at the State of Hawaii Veterans' Cemetery, Kaneohe.
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Aloha Chapter May 2007 Newsletter |
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April 2007 A large contingent of two shifts of eager volunteers from our Aloha Chapter gathered at Fern School in Kalihi Sunday morning and afternoon, April 29, to distribute the BBQ whole chickens to people who had bought tickets for $8 each or drove up to make a cash purchase. A preliminary estimate of about $4800 was collected, which will be reduced by the expenses of our cost of 640 chickens and other supplies.
Two groups of members went to IHS to help prepare over 300 donated, complete, hearty BBQ chicken lunches and then man the food line serving them to the grateful men, women and children. One group worked on the food line at the Men’s Facility and the other at the Women’s and Children’s Facility.
Twenty-seven Aloha Chapter members and guests toured the Pacific Air Museum on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, on Thursday, April 19.
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Aloha Chapter April 2007 Newsletter |
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March 2007 Fifty chapter members, spouses and guests attended last month’s chapter meeting at the Hee Hing Restaurant in Kapahulu, which featured Janet Eli, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, Aloha Chapter.
At about 12:30 PM, Janet Eli was introduced as the guest speaker, and she entertained and informed the audience with facts about Alzheimer’s disease, adding humor at times to maintain their attention and interest.
It was more like “Alzheimer’s 101”, an introduction to this complicated and often misunderstood mental condition, which seems to be related to the aging process. Her presentation was laced with personal experiences which many in the audience could empathize with and understand. She made it clear that periodically “forgetting where the keys are” or thinking “what was her name” are normal occurrences of aging—that was certainly mentally relieving!
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Aloha Chapter March 2007 Newsletter |
February 2007 What a wonderful time 35 chapter members, spouses and guests had at the Outrigger Hotel in Waikiki on February 15 attending the Society of Seven (SOS) Ali`i Dinner Show! As soon as most of our party arrived in the lobby of the showroom, they were escorted to their tables via the rear exit before most of the general admission attendees were admitted. The buffet dinner was delicious and plentiful with prime ribs, chicken and fish as the main entrée. The seven multi-talented performers were outstanding in all their many different instrument playing and singing performances. The show ended with a salute to those of us who are or have served in our nation’s military forces with the singing of a rousing patriotic song. All of us proudly stood.
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Aloha Chapter February 2007 Newsletter |
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January 2007 A total of 52 chapter members, spouses and guests attended the 8th Charter Night dinner meeting at Hale Ikena on Thursday, January 25th. The dinner was an all-you-can-eat buffet which was plentiful and delicious. After dinner, the 8th Charter Night cake was cut ceremoniously by both the outgoing President Vernon Von and incoming President Les Ihara.
President Les Ihara then introduced the Guest Speaker and Installation Official, BG John Y.H. Ma, who until recently was the Commanding General, 9th Regional Readiness Command, Pacific Army Reserve, with a short resume of his career. BG Ma, with the help of Immediate past Board Chair Jerry Lesperance, installed the incoming Directors, and, with the help of Board Vice Chair Joe Magaldi, installed the chapter officers and Committee Chairs.
BG Ma then made a short presentation which addressed the Army Reserve in general and the Pacific Army Reserves specifically, including possible changes to come in the near future. BG Ma was presented with a Chapter Mug in appreciation for his services at the meeting.
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Aloha Chapter January 2007 Newsletter |
December 2006 The Aloha Chapter established a new record with more than $6,700 generously donated to the annual Scholarship Fund Drive that ended with the jubilant Holiday Party at the Hale Koa Hotel on December 14 with 81 members and guests attending.
The highlight of the evening was the inspiring speech of Rear Admiral Sally Brice-O’Hara, commander of the Coast Guard in Hawaii, that described her awesome responsibilities to provide security, water safety and crime prevention in the vast 14th Coast Guard District area.
She shared the challenges she faced during her career that led to significant accomplishments and steady advancement to two-star flag rank.
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Aloha Chapter December 2006 Newsletter |
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November 2006 At a catered buffet dinner at the Oahu Veterans' Center, the following officers were nominated and installed to our Board of Directors: Anna D. Blackwell, AUX; Bob Diebler, CAPT., USN, Ret.; Les Ihara, COL, USA, Ret.; Curtis Lee, COL, USA, Ret.; Joe Magaldi, Jr., COL., USMC, Ret.; and Leroy Perry, LTC., USAF, Ret.
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Aloha Chapter November 2006 Newsletter |
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