President’s Perspective by Pete Berger

Arizona’s First Chapter

JANUARY 2021 CHARTERED Oct 1956 64 YEARS OF SERVICE TO COUNTRY JANET LANGE, EDITOR

The Arizona Chapter 7912 E. Cactus Wren Road Scottsdale, AZ 85250

In this Issue

Page 1 President’s Perspective

Page 2 President’s Perspective (cont.) New Members 2021 DUES Form

Page 3 National Legislative Update Personal Affairs

Page 4 Personal Affairs (cont.)

Page 5 January 16 Luncheon Meeting Event Information

Page 6 LTC Gennaro Buonocore USNR

Page 7 January Event Menu January Luncheon RSVP Form

Page 8 Beyond “Thank You For Your Service”

Page 9 We The People: Portraits of Veterans in America

Page 10 AZ MOAA Officers and Chairs

FAREWELL 2020 — WELCOME 2021

We have survived a year of historic diffi-culty, one in which many of our peers have not made it through. I say goodbye and good riddance to 2020! I say hello to 2021 and wish all of you a happy and healthy New Year – one in which we will gain control over COVID-19 and return to a more normal activity level supporting military members from ROTC cadets to those on active duty and our large veteran community.

DECEMBER HOLIDAY PARTY

Our December membership meeting via Zoom had over 22 sign-ins. We enjoyed an extremely well-presented history by Erik Berg on flight training in Arizona for WWII pilots and crews. Gary Fredricks led the installation of officers for 2021. We had a Christmas Carol sing-along led by Sherry and Bruce Kosaveach with participation that can best be described as … enthusiastic! Thank you all for joining in.

JANUARY MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Our January membership meeting will include an in-person event at the American Legion Post 44 Hall in Old Town Scottsdale

and a Zoom option for those who will be at home. CDR Gennaro Buonocore, USNR, is an AZ Chapter MOAA member who has very interesting experiences to share. The event program is on Page 5 and his biog-raphy is on Page 6. Thanks to Bruce Kosaveach for coordinating the event. We will be observing CDC guidelines so we hope you will want to participate.

~Continued on Page 2~

ARIZONA CHAPTER MOAA CALENDAR

Board of Directors Meetings First Thursday of each month

January Zoom Board Meeting:

January 7 @ 0900

Member Luncheon/Meetings Third Saturday of each month

January 16, 2021

Social Hour at 1100, Luncheon 1145-1400,

Scottsdale American Legion Post 44, 7145 E. 2nd Street, Scottsdale 85251

Speaker: CDR Gennaro Buonocore,

USNR

Reservations Required

Page 2

Dues for 2021 are payable on January 1. Dues become DELINQUENT on February 28, 2021. If you have become delinquent, you can still pay your 2020 Dues by completing your information below and sending it with your check — $20/year for a Regular Member or $10/year for Surviving Spouse Member. Please make your check payable to “AZ Chapter MOAA” and mail to: Treasurer Charlie Bitner, 134 E. Northview Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85020.

Please check: Dues for 2020 $__________________ and Dues for 2021 $___________________

Member OR Surviving Spouse Member _____________________________________________________________

Spouse Name ____________________________________________

Please make any CHANGES to Address/Contact Information below:

Address:___________________________________________________________________________________

Phone number: ______________________________ Email: _____________________________________________

President’s Perspective (Cont. from Page 1)

Please check out the December MOAA magazine (pages 4 and 82) for the article on our Community Service Grant project. The grant and the project were coordinated by Bruce Kosaveach with Youth for Troops and he will be working on a 2021 grant request. We hope for continued excellent Chapter participation.

Your Board of Directors recently voted in favor of AZ Chapter MOAA membership in the Southwest Veteran’s Chamber of Commerce. The Executive Director is our own Vice President, Tom Sheets and we have partnered with them for mutual benefit. We look forward to building on this success.

We will keep you informed on the status of our meetings in 2021. The McCormick Ranch Golf Club informed us they are not yet scheduling group events for 2021. The Board of Directors will continue to explore options for our membership meetings and other activities. If you or someone you know has information on a potential venue, especially shaded outdoors or large, inexpensive indoors, please let us know. Please be sure to pay your Arizona Chapter dues through 2021. Many thanks to those who have already paid. Do not forget MOAA National dues! I encourage Life Membership for those who can afford to do so. MOAA was recently listed as a top lobbying group for the 14th straight year and is instrumental in improving benefits for all military members. MOAA membership means more clout for our lobbying team in Washington.

The Board of Directors attempted contact with our AZ Chapter MOAA members in December to stay in touch and obtain input for our operations. I encourage staying in touch with one another for camaraderie and support. I thank you for your involvement and support of the Arizona Chapter. Here’s to making 2021 a year in which we achieve our mission and continue the great traditions of the Arizona Chapter.

See you soon!

Peter Berger, AZ Chapter MOAA President

2020/2021 Arizona Chapter MOAA Membership DUES RENEWAL

Welcome New Members!

Nan Harvel, Surviving Spouse of

Brig Gen Don Harvel, USAF (Ret)

LTC Daniel Arroyo, USA (Ret)

LT Michael Gallaway, USPHS

LTC Kathryn Gallowitz, USA (Ret)

LTC Richard Zweig, USA (Ret)

Please welcome our new members at our “in-person” January

Luncheon Meeting

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Personal Affairs by Lee Lange, Personal Affairs Officer

National Legislative Update by Lee Lange, Legislative Chair

COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout - DoD, VA, Medicare, and More

MOAA’s Kevin Lilley reports that in the days since the Food and Drug Administration provided the first emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S., hundreds of thou-sands of doses have been shipped nationwide and now the public is asking medical facilities, care centers, and government agencies to clear up questions on how the rollout will work. As part of MOAA’s ongoing effort to provide health care information to its members, you’ll find some of the details on the early stages of this process below. MOAA will provide updates as new information becomes available. DoD Sites: DoD released plans December 9 outlining the basics of the department’s response. These include the locations where the initial inventory of vaccine doses — just under 44,000 — will be distributed: • California: Coast Guard Base Alameda, Naval

Medical Center San Diego (including Camp Pendleton).

• Florida: Naval Branch Health Clinic Jackson-ville, Naval Hospital Pensacola (including Kees-ler Air Force Base, will administer vaccines to residents at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Miss.)

• Hawaii: Tripler Army Medical Center • Indiana: National Guard (Franklin) • Maryland: Walter Reed National Military Medi-

cal Center (will administer vaccines to the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C.)

• New York: National Guard Medical Command (Watervliet)

• North Carolina: Womack AMC • Texas: Brooke AMC, Darnall AMC • Virginia: Naval Medical Center Portsmouth

(including Coast Guard Base Portsmouth) • Washington: Madigan AMC • International: Camp Humphreys, South Korea

(Allgood Army Community Hospital); Kadena Air Base, Japan (Kadena Medical Facility); Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany.

President Vetoes FY 2021 NDAA On December 23, President Trump vetoed the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill previously passed the House 335-78 and the Senate 84-13 before reaching his desk.

The president issued a statement outlining his reasons for the veto. He was opposed to the renaming of certain bases named for Confeder-ate generals and did not like provisions in the bill restricting his ability to pull troops out of Afghanistan, Germany and South Korea. The bill also limits the President’s ability to redirect funds to the border wall and does not address the presidents Section 230 issue having to do with liability and censorship powers of big tech companies hosting web content. President Trump has been in dispute with Twitter for slapping content warnings on some of his tweets.

Plans for a veto-override vote in both chambers reportedly include sessions the last week of December. The vote tally’s in both houses on the NDAA technically make the bill veto proof. It remains to be seen if members will now vote to override the President with the required two thirds majority.

MOAA believes the NDAA strongly supports servicemembers and their families and will provide for an organized and well-equipped force. You can contact your legislators prior to the override attempt to express your view. Use MOAA’s toll-free Capitol Switchboard number, 1-866-272-6622. Tell the operator you would like to leave a message for your member of Congress. An NDAA has become law every year since 1961. The FY 2021 version authorizes more than $740 billion in defense spending. The last veto of an NDAA took place Oct. 22, 2015, when President Barack Obama vetoed the FY 2016 NDAA, citing concerns with funding caps put in place under the Budget Control Act of 2011. Budget legislation that passed after the veto raised those caps and the bill was modified slightly and signed into law November 22.

Page 4

COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout (Cont. from Page 3) Priority: DoD has divided recipients into phas-es. • Phase 1A includes health care providers and

support personnel at military treatment facili-ties and other care locations. This may include non-clinical staff, contractors, and others who may be in close contact with COVID-19 pa-tients.

• Phase 1B includes personnel supporting “critical national capabilities,” to include those preparing for overseas deployment. The vaccine will not be mandatory while under emergency use authorization, DoD officials stated, though that could change once regular authorization is granted.

• Phase 1B and Phase 2 both include high-risk beneficiaries.

• Phases 2 and 3 include other beneficiaries.

VA

Sites: The VA first announced 37 sites that will distribute the department’s initial vaccine allot- ment. A VA spokeswoman told Stars and Stripes the department received 73,000 doses of the vaccine. On December 21, the VA announced an additional 128 sites offering vaccinations, including 113 that would offer the new Moderna vaccine, which can be stored at warmer temperatures

Priority: The VA’s 88-page vaccine rollout plan, issued December 14 discussed populations of focus for initial COVID-19 vaccination

including the following: • “Critical workforce,” to include health care

providers and those “maintaining essential functions of society”

• Staff and residents of long-term care and assisting living centers (VA veteran homes)

• Patients ages 65 and older • Patients with conditions making them more

susceptible to COVID-19

Cost and More

Per multiple reports and federal guidance, the vaccine itself will be free to all Americans, regard-less of insurance. Providers may charge for giving the shot, but all insurance plans are expected to cover that portion of the bill, with some federal money available to cover that cost for uninsured individuals. TRICARE For Life users, should note that Medicare Part B will cover vaccines without coinsurance or a deductible thanks to an Oct. 28 rule change.

Those seeking care outside DoD and VA channels will be part of a distribution/priority system desig-nated on a state-by-state basis. Initial information from Maricopa County shows Phases 1A (health care workers, long term care workers and resi-dents), 1B (first responders, teachers, childcare workers), 1C (adults over 65), 2 (high risk popula-tions, general population), and 3 (remaining Phase 1, 2 populations and general population). The first three Phases will be conducted through Spring 2021. The final two Phases may start in Spring 2021 and last through Summer 2021 and beyond.

Page 5

Arizona Chapter MOAA

January 16th, 2021 Program

“Checkmate – The King’s Game in the Middle East” Gennaro Buonocore, CDR, USN

CDR Buonocore is a member of the Arizona MOAA Chapter and

currently serves on active duty at the Defense Intelligence Agency

as a Strategic Intelligence Planner. He is a native of Naples, Italy,

and relocated to the USA in 2003 after a 16-year stint in England.

He was commissioned as a naval officer in 2007.

Prior to his US Navy commission, Buonocore served as a reserve

Civil Affairs officer in the Italian armed forces in Iraq and as an

Economics Functional Specialist in Kurdistan, Guatemala, and

Tunisia. He has served with the Special Operations community

with SEAL Team Seventeen in Afghanistan and Syria.

In his civilian career, Buonocore is a twenty-eight-year veteran of

the international investment banking industry. He has operated

across three continents, as a managing director for several

prominent financial institutions. He uses his business background

to develop strategies for soliciting offerings from our coalition

partners to resource our combined operations in Iraq and Syria.

His latest book, Checkmate uses the game of chess to weave

together the multifaceted relationships of various nation states.

Game figurines, each with its own strengths and limitations,

represent the major players in the Middle East today.

He will be presenting an in-depth analysis of cultural heritage in

the Middle East (2020) at:

Scottsdale American Legion Post 44 7145 E. 2nd Street, Scottsdale 85251

REGISTRATION must be received by 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 12th

$25 per person includes lunch. Check payable to: AZ Chapter MOAA and send to:

Charlie Bitner, 134 E. Northview Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85020,

Or contact Charlie at 602-943-0028 or Charles@bitner36.com

Page 6

CDR Gennaro Buonocore, USN Foreign Area Officer – DIA Defense Attache’ Service

A native of Naples, Italy, CDR Buonocore relocated to the USA in 2003 after a 16-year stint in England. He was commissioned as a naval officer in 2007 and initially assigned to the Pentagon (Operation Logistics Readiness 106), then as Officer in Charge for Delta Company, Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 14, in Long Beach, CA. In 2011, he mobilized as a Civil Affairs officer with Commander Pacific Fleet N5 to plan the 2012 Pacific Partnership humanitarian mission. In 2012, upon completion of Defense Information School, he transitioned into the Special Operations community with SEAL Team Seventeen. He has augmented SEAL Team Four in Afghanistan (2012- 13), JSOC Task Force 94-7.1, in Afghanistan (2014,) and Combined Joint Interagency Task Force – Syria (2015). As a plank-holder of the Reserve Foreign Area Officers community, he has served as the Assistant Officer in Charge of the Naval Special Warfare Cultural Engagement Unit, as the Deputy Branch Chief, International Coalition Warfare Coordination for ground operations in Syria and Iraq (D-ISIS, Operation Inherent Resolve) at US Central Command, and as the liaison officer to US Special Operations Command. (2016-2019). He currently serves at the Defense Intelligence Agency, as a Strategic Intelligence Planner.

Prior to his US Navy commission, Buonocore served as a reserve Civil Affairs officer in the Italian armed forces in Iraq and as an Economics Functional Specialist in Kurdistan, Guatemala, and Tunisia. He holds Italian and US parachutist (static line) brevets, and the Small Craft Coxswain (Naval Special Warfare RIB) qualification. He is certified as a Civil Military Cooperation and Functional Economics specialist, with both NATO and with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DNPKO), and as a Team Lead for the Department of the Army’s Human Terrain System.

Buonocore is qualified as a Navy Expeditionary Supply Corps Officer (NESCO) and as a Joint Qualified Officer level 2.

In just 13 years, he has been awarded a Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Joint Service Commendation Medals, two Joint Service Achievement Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, three Navy Achievement Medals, an Army Achievement Medal, two ISAF NATO Medals, the Afghanistan and the Iraqi Campaign medals, the Armed Forces Reserve and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service medals, the Sea Service and Overseas Deployment ribbons. He has been authorized by the Chief of Naval Operations to retain three Italian awards for his service with the Italian armed forces during the Operazione Antica Babilonia (Operation Iraqi Freedom).

In his civilian career, Buonocore is a twenty-eight-year veteran of the international investment banking industry. He has operated across three continents, as a managing director for several prominent financial institutions. He currently chairs the board of directors of the investment company Maitland Primrose Group.

CDR Buonocore is a graduate of the 469 years-old Jesuit’s Istituto Massimiliano Massimo in Rome (Middle and High School), of the Regent’s University European Business School in London (BA Honors), and of the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology at Webster University (MA Finance). In 2006, the Universita’ di Roma III conferred him a Honoris Causa Doctorate in Business Administration for his financial restructuring feasibility study of the Italian Army. He holds certificates in Threat Finance Targeting from USSOCOM Joint Special Operations University, in Global Diplomacy from the University of London, and in U.S. Public Policy from the Harvard University J. F. Kennedy School of Government. He was a visiting lecturer in Threat Finance targeting at the Italian Institute for Defense Research Studies (ISTRID). Since 2015, he has been the adjunct faculty for the Comparative National Security Analysis course at Excelsior College’s School of Public Service. His is the author of Failure of the European Multiculturalism - The Islamist Crusade, which documented the phenomenon of European groomed jihadists (2012), The Afghan Paradox, a study of the US involvement in Afghanistan (2014), and Checkmate – The Kings Game in the Middle East, an in depth analysis of cultural heritage in the Middle East (2020)

CDR Buonocore is fluent in Italian, Spanish and French. He is conversational in Persian Tajik (Dari). Widely recognized as a Middle East and Mediterranean basin’s expert, he has chaired the board of directors of PARSA, an Afghan NGO which has been operating since the end of the Soviet invasion. CDR Buonocore holds a current Department of Defense Top Secret (SCI) security clearance with CI Polygraph.

January Luncheon Menu/Program

WHEN: January 16, 2021 11:00 am Meet & Greet Social Hour 11:45 am - 2pm Lunch

WHERE: Scottsdale American Legion Post 44, 7145 E. 2nd Street, Scottsdale 85251

COST: $25 Per Person reservation by 4 PM on 1/12/2021

DRESS: Business Casual

MENU: Buffet

PROGRAM: CDR Gennaro Buonocore, USNR

JANUARY LUNCHEON RESERVATION FORM

Please reserve _______ meals for (name(s): _________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Enclosed is my check for $ _________________ ($25.00/person) for the January luncheon on January 16, 2021, payable to: AZ Chapter MOAA can be mailed by 1/12/2021 to :

Charlie Bitner, 134 E. Northview Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85020, or contact: Charles@Bitner36.com, 602-943-0028,

Credit Cards will be accepted at the luncheon.

Member reservations or call-ins WILL NOT be accepted after January 12, 2021 Cancellations after January 12, 2021 will be charged and not refunded.

Page 7

LtCol Kathy Lowrey Gallowitz, USA (Ret) is one of our newest members. She wrote a book for civilians to better understand military culture. Her book, “Beyond ‘Thank You for Your Service,’” is featured on Page 8 of this Sentinel.

Kathy also is a member of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Ohio. The museum recently debuted a virtual tour of Mary Whyte's Portraits of Veterans in America which should be quite entertaining, especially if you are isolating at home. Information on Page 9.

Page 8

LtCol (Ret) Kathy Lowrey Gallowitz

VanguardVeteran.com

Kathy@VanguardVeteran.com

Rio Verde, AZ

270-945-7286

Are you a Veteran Champion?

Be a part of the win!

Everyone has the opportunity to give back to

Veterans: Learn how by reading this revolutionary

book: “Beyond Thank You For Your

Service.”

Most Americans love our military, but

don't understand military culture, can’t

relate to their experiences nor

understand how to best support them.

That is, until now!

In this revolutionary book, "Beyond

'Thank You for Your Service:' The

Veteran Champion handbook for civilians,” LtCol (Ret)

Kathy Lowrey

Gallowitz helps

civilians understand

how to provide

meaningful, practical

support for those who

sacrifice for freedom.

Whether you’re a

neighbor, employer, faith community leader, attorney,

healthcare provider, educator, or any member of society,

this book is for you. Learn how easy it is to give back and

become a Veteran Champion.

Amazon Book Link https://bit.ly/BeyondThankYouForYourService

LinkedIn Profile http://goo.gl/AfpkB8

You Tube http://goo.gl/K94K7A

Facebook http://goo.gl/QXN3uk

Kathy is a third generation military Veteran who

served nearly 30 years in the U.S. Air Force as a Public Affairs Officer or

Nurse.

It is her life’s calling to

lead the Veteran Champion movement.

Through her business,

Vanguard Veteran, she equips civilians to become

Veteran Champions to improve quality of life,

workforce and community, coaching employers to

hire/retain Veteran talent and faith community

leaders to create military ministries.

“Its not rocket science,

it’s people science.”

In response to 9/11, she designed and executed a never-been-done-before

statewide outreach program for the Ohio

National Guard to educate and engage civilians in

support of troops and their families.

Page 9

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MEDIA CONTACT: Tamara Brown, 614.371.4446 December 23, 2020 tbrown@nationalvmm.org

PRESIDENT Maj Pete Berger, USAF 602-739-0586 FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Col Tom Sheets, USMC 760-213-3705 SECOND VICE PRESIDENT CDR Jack Farley, USN 412-779-0372 SECRETARY Maj David Boyd, USAF 202-617-0337 TREASURER Col Charles Bitner, USAF 602-943-0028 IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Col Lee Lange, USMC 703-232-3609

DIRECTORS: LTCOL Ron Bright, USA; Lt Col Jim Cullison, USAF; CAPT Bob Fiegl, USN; CAPT Bruce Kosaveach, USN; Janet Lange, USMC Spouse

ADVERTISING Janet Lange, USMC Spouse 571-722-4348 ARRANGEMENTS Col Charles Bitner, USAF 602-943-0028

CHAPLAIN Vacant ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS Lt Col Jim Cullison, USAF 602-482-3838 HISTORIAN / PHOTOGRAPHER Lt Col Jim Cullison, USAF 602-482-3838 JROTC AWARDS Lt Col John Simmons, USAF 623-326-5352 LEGISLATION Col Lee Lange, USMC 703-232-3609 MEMBERSHIP CAPT Bob Fiegl, USN 850-207-9845

NEWSLETTER EDITOR Janet Lange, USMC Spouse 571-722-4348 PERSONAL AFFAIRS Col Lee Lange, USMC 703-232-3609 PROGRAMS CAPT Bruce Kosaveach, USN 602-501-9876 SCHOLARSHIPS CAPT Phil Roos, USN 928-420-2130 SURVIVING SPOUSES

Susan Farrell, Surviving Spouse 602-993-8556 TRANSITION LIAISON CDR Jim Draper USN 480-483-7769 WEBMASTER Carl Ulbrich Jireh Communications

Access Arizona Chapter’s Internet Web Site at: azmoaa.org

Arizona Chapter Military Officers Association of America 41122 N. Majesty Way Anthem, AZ 85086

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

azmoaa.org

Page 10

Licensed Professional Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor Counselor

PETER A. BERGER, MPC, LPC, LISAC Associated Recovery Counselors

7101 East Indian School Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85251 480-429-6292