www.redwoodempiremoaa.us 1

PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

Members and associates

We still have not iden-tified anyone to assist with Chapter publicity and public relations, either within the Chapter or outside. So please keep seeking such assistance. It is vital to the health of MOAA

-REC that we reach as many potential members as possible. After my prior columns about a possible Social Com-mittee and subsequent Board of Directors discussion, there does not appear to be a desire to establish a formal Social Committee that would organize a few other activities each year beyond the regular monthly meetings. However, it does appear that members are open to such activities. Therefore, if any member has an idea for any such outside activity that would be suitable for a group from the Chapter, I encourage you to write an article about the proposed activity and send it to our Secretary, Bob Safreno. I believe it would contribute to the health and potential growth of the Chapter if we had 3-4 such activities each year. As always, I encourage all members to submit any suggestions to Chapter officers and directors. All members are always welcome to attend the Board meetings, the 1

st

Tuesday of each month at 1130 at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial. You are welcome to present any ideas personally, but it would be helpful if you would let Bob Safreno know the topic, so that he can put it on the Board’s agenda. Remem-ber, this is your chapter, not the Board’s or officers’.

LT William P. Matz, USN , President 707-837-2161 - matz@sonic.net

“Sunshine Lady”

Call Myrna Hurst, 707-468-0146, if you know of anyone in the chapter who might enjoy a get well or sympathy card.

VOLUME 49, NUMBER 4 “Serving Those Who Serve America” APRIL 2019

Military Officers Association of America Redwood Empire Chapter

Post Office Box 2801 Santa Rosa, CA 95405-0801

APRIL 25th CHAPTER LUNCHEON

Speaker Alert As of our deadline, we have still not confirmed an April speaker. However, in May we will have a long-overdue update from our new [2018] Sonoma County Vet-erans Service Officer, Mark Orlando. Mark will provide a valuable update on veteran benefits and how the VSO can help. So that meeting will be a good opportunity to invite guests who might benefit from that information. We look forward to a great buffet meal at the April 25th Luncheon. See Page No. Three (3), for Luncheon Menu. Please support our Luncheon Raffle, to help defray ex-penses.

EDITORS NOTE: Reservations for our Lunch-eons must be made in advance. At a previous event we had five (5) who did not make reserva-tions at that luncheon, which put us short on seating them. Fortunately we did have enough food to take care of everyone who attended. ……….. rrs

LEGISLATIVE ALERT

FROM LTC Vern McNamee

Your help is needed. Please check your MARCH 2019, copy of the “MILITARY OFFICER” magazine. There are four (4) blue letters that need to be mailed to our key congressional leaders by our chapter members. NOTE: there is another set for our spouses. The reason these letters need to be mailed is to urge them to make ending the widows tax a priority in this session of Congress. Under current law, survivors of deceased military members forfeit part or all of their purchased Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity when they are awarded the VA’s Depend-ency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) EDITORS NOTE: The letters take a first Class stamp.

MOAA BOARD MEETINGs

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 1130, In the Santa Rosa Vet’s Bldg Conference Room.

Chapter members are always welcome at these meetings. Refreshments will be served.

www.redwoodempiremoaa.us 2

the ARVN 1st Infantry Division in Hue. Same work but cover-

ing only the northern two provinces of Vietnam. When Pete extended his tour there, he was given a stateside leave in August 1969, during which he married his wife, Rosemary. Pete returned to Vietnam for the next 6 months, leaving the war zone for the last time in March 1970.

Pete’s next assignment was as operations officer of the Army Exhibit Unit, under the army’s Chief of Information in Washington D.C. Pete’s duties were to supervise the de-velopment of exhibits depicting various army functions, and to oversee their scheduling and movement around the coun-try. Pete then graduated from the Army Command and Gen-eral Staff College.

In September 1973, Pete was assigned as an In-spector General in Worms, Germany. Lots of travel, enabling him to spend time in almost every European country in which army elements were based. He did a year as an inspector and two and a half years handling investigations and com-plaints. Pete was promoted to lieutenant colonel for his final year there.

Pete’s next assignment was the Director of Plans, Training, and Security of the Presidio of San Francisco, from which he retired in September 1978.

Pete attended Sonoma State University, earned a BA in Management/Accounting, and worked for a CPA firm for a couple of years. Then, deciding that the only way he could stand accounting was by teaching it, he got a job with Heald Business College. He worked there for 16 years as an instructor and Dean of Instruction. Also, during this time, he passed the CPA exam and returned to Sonoma State earn-ing an MBA degree.

Pete has been a member of the Redwood Empire Chapter, MOAA, since 1980 serving as a director, the secre-tary, newsletter editor, and, mostly, treasurer of the chapter. He volunteered with the Red Cross for 15 years, participating in relief work on eight national disasters as well as over a hundred home fires, floods, and other small local disasters. Pete has also volunteered as a docent at the Sonoma State Historic Park since 1998, giving tours and maintaining the docent schedule for the organization. He is currently partici-pating with the Volunteers in Policing (VIP) program of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department.

Decorations and awards include: Combat Infantryman Badge; Legion of Merit; Bronze

Star Medal w/2 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLCs); Meritorious Ser-vice Medal w/1 OLC; Air Medal w/1 OLC; Army Commenda-tion Medal w/1 OLC; Vietnam Service Medal with 7 campaign stars; and several other service medals and unit citations.

LTC Peter J. Rizzo, USA (Ret.)

Pete Rizzo was born, raised, and edu-cated in San Francisco. He graduated with a BS in English from the Uni-versity of San Fran-cisco in 1958 and re-ceived a Regular Army commission through the ROTC program. A week after graduation, he reported to Ft. Ben-ning, GA, for the Basic Infantry Officers Course, Ranger School, and parachute training. He was then assigned to the 2

nd In-

fantry Brigade at Ft. Devens, MA, serving as a rifle platoon and

heavy mortar platoon leader between 1959 and 1961. Pete was next assigned to the Berlin Brigade arriv-

ing in July 1961, a month before the wall was imposed on that city. He served as a platoon leader and company com-mander in the 2

nd Battle Group, 6

th Infantry. After a reor-

ganization of the brigade, Pete was a battalion intelligence officer (S2) running vehicle patrols throughout the Soviet Sector of Berlin.

Pete returned to Ft. Benning in August 1964 for the Infantry Officers Advanced Course. Nine months later, he was posted to Ft. Ord, CA, as a basic training company commander and battalion operations officer (S3). Pete then volunteered to go to Vietnam.

Following a Jungle Operations Course in Panama, Pete arrived in Vietnam in August 1966 assigned as the Assistant Operations Officer (Assistant S3) of the US 1

st

Infantry Division’s 3rd

Brigade. As the Assistant S3, Pete supervised the functioning of the brigade’s tactical opera-tions center (TOC) on various fire bases out in the jungle.

When the S3 of the 2nd

Battalion, 28th Infantry, was

killed in action, Pete replaced him on temporary duty (TDY) with a new S3 due in two weeks. The new guy’s arrival kept being postponed until three months later, so Pete stayed on. During this time, the battalion was conducting combat jungle operations for all but four days. It was a very busy, exciting, and sometimes tense time for Pete. He returned to his brigade job for three months, was promoted to major, and returned to the states in August 1967, assigned to the Army Intelligence School in Baltimore, MD.

As an instructor to the Intelligence Officer Ad-vanced Course, Pete taught order of battle classes and other subjects that the Military Intelligence officers on the training committee were “too specialized” to teach. Pete again volunteered and returned to Vietnam in late August 1968 assigned as Deputy Intelligence (G2) Advisor to the Army of Vietnam (ARVN) 1

st (or “I”) Corps in Danang. This

job required coordination with elements of all military ser-vices of the U.S., Korea and Australia, as well as the CIA throughout the northern five provinces of the country. In May 1989, Pete requested transfer to be the G2 Advisor in

Like us on Facebook

We now have a REC MOAA Facebook page! It’s currently a simple social media presence but over time we hope it will grow and be another way to reach mem-bers new or current. If Facebook is not your thing, no worries as our website will continue to be the principle internet point for chapter information. You can find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/RECMOAA/, Or by searching on Facebook at this address: @RECMOAA Please send any thoughts about the page to Tim Morgan – blackcloudbrew@comcast.net

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Be ready for any emergency with a disaster-preparedness kit

On never knows when the next hurricane, flood, tornado, wild-fire or other natural disaster may strike. These events can be traumatic for families - but they can also be traumatic for pets. That’s why it’s important to make sure your family and pets are ready for a disaster by putting together a disaster prepar-edness kit. Some basic items to consider for your basic disaster kit might include:

• Food and water for at least five days for each pet, bowls

and a manual can opener if you are packing canned pet food. People need at least one gallon of water per person per day. While your pet may not need that much, keep an extra gallon on hand to use if your pet has been ex-posed to chemicals or flood waters and needs to be rinsed.

• Medications and medical records stored in a waterproof

container and a first-aid kit. A pet first-aid book is also a good idea.

• Cat litter box, litter, litter scoop and garbage bags to col-

lect your pets’ waste.

• Sturdy leashes, harnesses and carriers to transport pets

safely and to ensure that your pets can’t escape. Make sure that your cat or dog is wearing a collar and identifi-

cation tag that is up-to-date and visible at all times. Car-riers should be large enough to allow your pet to stand comfortably, turn around and lie down. (Your pet may have to stay in the carrier for hours at a time.) Be sure to have a secure cage with no loose objects inside it to accommodate smaller pets, who may also need blankets or towels for bedding and warmth as well as special items, depending on their species.

• Current photos of you with your pets and descriptions of

your pets to help others identify them in case you and your pets become separated, and to prove that they are yours once you’re reunited.

• Written information about your pets’ feeding schedules,

medical conditions and behavior issues along with the name and number of your veterinarian in case your have to board your pets or place them in foster care.

• You may consider having other useful items such as

newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags, and grooming items or pet toys.

Visit humanesociety.org/disaster or Disaster Preparation board on Pinterest for more resources on staying safe during times of disaster. And remember, if it’s not safe for you, it’s not safe for your pets!

THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES

1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450 Washington, DC 20037

Humanesociety.org

(A Sonoma County Main Chapter event; all members are more than welcome)

Buffet Luncheon, Thursday April 25, 2019 Flamingo Resort & Hotel, 2777 4th Street, Santa Rosa

Socializing 11:00 to 11:45 am, Meeting starts, Lunch 12:00 noon Cost (including tax and tip) - Price $27.00

Salad: Spinach, Romaine, & Endive Salad, carrots, cucumbers, olives, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese. Fresh Rolls & Butter

Lunch: CHICKEN CORDON BLEU RICE PILAF, Seasonal Vegetables.

Fresh Rolls & Butter

Dessert: Chef’s Selection of Desserts. Coffee service, Tea available upon request and Iced Tea.

Enclosed is my check for my advanced reservation____ persons @ $27.00 each. $_________ Note: Pay At Door - Walk-Ins** are $30.00 per person. Please have exact change

**(no reservation or unpaid reservations)

Enclosed is $________ for the Col. Brey Scholarship Fund (Fully Tax Deductible) Guest Speaker: No information available at time of publication of this MOAA VOICE. Will try to notify members later. Name: ________________________________________, Phone: ( ____ )______________________ Guests: ____________________, ___________________, ______________________, ___________________ Please list the names of all guest, so that we can make NAME TAGS for them too, thank you.

Make check (s) payable to: RECMOAA To: MOAA, Redwood Empire Chapter, P.O. Box 2801, Santa Rosa, CA 95405

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MOAA WIVES CLUB (Sonoma County Main - All members welcome)

The next meeting of the Wives Club will be Wednesday, April 10th, at

the Flamingo Hotel. The price is $27.00. Lunch is served promptly at noon. Everyone will enjoy a small mixed green salad with a choice of raspberry vinai-grette or ranch dressing. Entree choices are 1) shrimp scampi with fettuccine, oyster mushrooms, tomatoes, parmesan, Meyer lemon-tomato broth or 2) pod Thai (gluten free, mild spice), rice noodles, snap peas, carrots, peppers, broc-colini spears, shiitake mushrooms, tamari ginger-peanut glaze. Dessert will be chef’s choice.

If the Telephone Committee does not contact you regarding your lunch choice, you may make a reservation up to the day before the meeting; however, cancelations must be made by Monday preceding the meeting. For either situation, call Susan Linch at 538-3342.

The speaker at the March luncheon was Dayle Johnson. We sat in awe, listening to her experiences while traveling around the world for eleven and a half months by herself in 2001-2002. When asked how many countries she visited, she thought for a moment and said, “A lot!” She brought along memorabilia for the group to enjoy.

The speaker at the April luncheon will be Amanda Cummings from Days for Girls. She will tell us how the organization provides personal-health kits for girls living in third-world countries.

Tina Lewis, Publicity 707-539-5546, tinalewis31@comcast.net

2019 Officers

Redwood Empire Chapter Officers and Directors for 2019

President: William P. Matz, USN 707-837-2161

1st Vice President MAJ Diego Espinosa, USA 707-546-1115

2nd Vice President 1/Lt Donald J. Nowacki, USANG 707-595-1047

Secretary: Cpt Robert R. Safreno, USAF 707-795-3963

Treasurer: LCDR Tim Morgan, USNR 707-695-9293

Imed. Past President: CPT Lee P. Hoskins, USA 707-328-2316

CAL-MOAA Director, Area I

Cpt Tom Walther, USAF 530-673-5499

Directors-at-large - Term 2019-2020

CDR Donald D. Confer, USN 707-763-8198

Martina Lewis 707-539-5546

LTC Gary Meagher, AUS 707-544-4089

Mary-Gwen Neisingh 707-481-7614

Directors-at-large - Term 2019

Maj Ken Johnson, USAF 408-466-6764

Col Jack L. Krout, USAF 707-762-8613

Donna Poulter 707-576-0513

CPT Lewis Wall, USA 707-837-7389

Directors Representing Sub-Chapters:

Lake: CAPT Daniel W. Christensen, 707-263-3297

Mendocino: Mrs. Myrna M. Hurst, AUX 707-468-0146

Sonoma Valley: Maj B. K. White, USMC 707-996-1335

MOAA VOICE Co-Editor Tim Morgan 707-695-9293

E-Mail Tim Morgan blackcloudbrew@comcast.net

Editor Mail Distribution Bob Safreno 707-795-3963 E-Mail Bob Safreno Shadowbob1@juno.com

Online …….. http://www.redwoodwmpiremoaa.us

2019 DATES TO REMEMBER

March: 1st Members who have not paid 2019 dues may be dropped. 5th BOARD MEETING - 11:30 am 10th Deadline for submission of MOAA-VOICE information 15th Deadline for submission Scholarship Applications 27th United Veterans Council meeting 28th Luncheon, Flamingo Resort & Spa April: 2rd BOARD MEETING - 11:30 am – Scholarship winners 10th Deadline for submission of MOAA-VOICE information 24th United Veterans Council meeting 25th Luncheon, Flamingo Resort & Spa May: 7th BOARD MEETING - 11:30 am – Scholarship winners 10th Deadline for submission of MOAA-VOICE information ** 18th Armed Forces Day – Rose Parade, Santa Rosa 22nd United Veterans Council meeting 23th Luncheon, Flamingo Resort & Spa 27th Memorial Day Ceremonies June: 4th BOARD MEETING - 11:30 am 10th Deadline for submission of MOAA-VOICE information ** 8 th or 15th Saturday, Picnic at ?? Honor Scholarship Recipients 26 th United Veterans Council meeting July: 2 nd BOARD MEETING - 11:30 am – selection of nominating committee 4th Parade in Calistoga 10th Deadline for submission of MOAA-VOICE information 24th United Veterans Council meeting 25th Luncheon, Flamingo Resort & Spa August: 6th BOARD MEETING - 11:30 am 10th Deadline for submission of MOAA-VOICE information ** 17th Riverfront Regional Park, Annual BBQ 28thUnited Veterans Council meeting

September: 3rd BOARD MEETING - 11:30 am – Approval of 2020 officers 10th Deadline for submission of MOAA-VOICE information ** 21st - 22nd Air Show at CMS Airport? 25th United Veterans Council meeting ** 20th or 27th ?? Friday, Luncheon, Two Rock USCG ($10.00?) October: 1st BOARD MEETING - 11:30 am 10th Deadline for submission of MOAA-VOICE information 23rd United Veterans Council meeting 24th Luncheon, Flamingo Resort & Spa, Election of Officers for 2020 November: 5th BOARD MEETING - 11:30 am 10th Deadline for submission of MOAA-VOICE information 11th North Bay Veterans Day parade (Monday) 15th Friday, Lobster Feed, Santa Rosa Veterans building 27th United Veterans Council meeting 28th Thanksgiving Day December: 3th BOARD MEETING - 11:30 am ** 7th Pearl Harbor Survivors program ?? 8th Sunday, Holiday Social Flamingo Resort & Spa 10th Deadline for submission of MOAA-VOICE information NO United Veterans Council meeting

** Not Confirmed at this time. 06/32/06

President: Patty Schneider Vice President: Dayle Johnson Secretary: Tina Lewis Treasurer: Florence Wall Parliamentarian: Donna Poulter

707-528-6752 408-466-6764 707-539-5546 707-837-7389 707-576-0513

Facts & Trivia (Upbeat Times, May 2018) The first post office in the United States was created in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1774. The United States Naval Academy was established in 1845 in Annapolis, Maryland. Carp and herring account for about 50% of all sea-food caught each year. The carp was the mascot of the radio station WKRP on the TV show ’WKRP in Cincinnati’ which ran from Sept. 18, 1978 to Sept. 20, 1982.