Chapter receives $2,000 foundation grant

Thanks to member COL (Ret.) Chris

Dolt, the Bluegrass Chapter has been

granted a $2,000 gift from the Morgan

Stanley Foundation. COL Dolt, Senior

Vice President in the corporation’s Lexing-

ton office, applied for the gift through the

foundation’s volunteer incentive program

which encourages employee participation

in nonprofit organi-

zations. As Sergeant-

at-Arms, he serves as

a member of the

chapter’s executive

board.

The check will be ceremoniously pre-

sented at the July meeting.

Military Officers Association of America Bluegrass Chapter Bluegrass Chapter Military Officers Association of America

July guest speaker recognized

nationally as veterans advocate

Heather French Henry, Deputy Commission-

er, Kentucky Dept. of Veterans Affairs, and a

daughter of a disabled Kentucky Marine Corps

Vietnam veteran, will address the Bluegrass

Chapter on Friday, July 28.

The nationally recognized veterans advocate

has been an outspoken advocate for military

veterans nationwide since she was selected as

Miss America in 2000. Last year she was rec-

ognized with the highest honor available by

AMVETS for her work with veterans. During her year of service as Miss America

Heather chose to highlight the needs of our

nation’s homeless veterans in her tour entitled

“Honoring our Forgotten Heroes: Our Nation’s

Homeless Veterans.”

SEE HENRY, P. 5

WHEN: Fri. July 28; social time, 11:30;

lunch at noon

WHERE: Equestrian Woods Country Club,

107 Clubhouse Drive, Nicholasville

HOW MUCH: Buffet with meat entrees,

vegetables, salad, dessert and drinks for

$17, gratuity included.

RSVP: Please let Pat Jones (contact info

on p. 2) know no later than Monday, July

24, that you plan to attend and bring

guests.

TO GET TO THE CLUBHOUSE: Go south on

Harrodsburg Rd. (U.S. 68) about two

miles past Man o’ War. Spring Crest

Drive is the first right before the Brannon

Road intersection, and Clubhouse Drive

is the next right.

Even if Congress acts now to rid the De-

fense Dept. of looming sequestration spending

cuts, it will take years of stable and higher

budgets for DoD to dig out of the readiness

hole, Defense Secretary

Jim Mattis told the Senate

Armed Services Committee

June 13.

"I retired from military

service three months after

sequestration took effect,"

Mattis said. "Four years

later, I've returned to the

department, and I have been shocked by what

I have seen about our readiness to fight."

The troops bore the brunt of sequestration,

he said, and carried on the worldwide deploy-

ments needed to keep America safe. "But our

troops' stoic commitment cannot reduce the

growing risk," the secretary said. "It took us

years to get into this situation. It will require

years of stable budgets and increased funding

to get out of it."

The situation is exacerbated by 30 continu-

ing resolutions Congress has passed rather

than real budgets, the secretary said. (For

MOAA-suggested letters to legislators on the

harmful effects of sequestration, go to http://

capwiz.com/moaa/issues/alert/?

alerted=74607626).

SecDef Jim Mattis

[Ed. Note — In observance of the U.S. WWI Centennial Cele-bration that began this year, the Bluegrass Bugle will periodical-ly feature Kentucky units and individuals that participated in the “War to end all wars.”] U.S. War Dept. records show that more than 84,000 Kentuckians served in WWI, including more than 13,000 African-Americans. More than 2,400 died, and thousands more came home with debilitating

wounds or lungs seared by mustard gas. Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville became the major post with more than 125,000 soldiers trained there. Ft. Thomas in north-ern Kentucky and Ft. Stanley near Lexing-ton functioned as staging areas for sol-diers sent elsewhere. Ft. Knox (initially as Camp Knox) opened in 1918 as a training facility for artillery.

Chapter Contacts Chapter Contacts

President Col. (Ret.) Tom Peters

(859) 329-7320 thomas.peters03@gmail.com

First Vice President

COL (Ret.) Tom Little

(859) 338-3301

tlittlelex@gmail.com

Second Vice President

COL (Ret.) JoAnn Wever

(859) 336-5938 j.wever@att.com

Secretary/

Newsletter editor

COL (Ret.) John Shotwell

(859) 263-5436

jmshot0@g.uky.edu

Treasurer Mrs. Pat Jones

(859) 271-2606

ppatcatfan@aol.com

Chaplain

CAPT (Ret.) Jerry Cook

(859) 533-7600

cooksurpri@att.com

Sergeant-at-Arms

COL (Ret.) Chris Dolt

(859) 494-3452 christopher.dolt@morganstaley.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MOAABluegrassChapter

Web: http://moaabluegrasschapter.webs.com/

EDITORIAL POLICY MOAA, including the Ken-tucky Council and the Blue-grass Chapter, is an independ-ent, nonprofit, politically non-partisan organization. Member-ship is open to officers from every branch of service - includ-ing active duty, National Guard, Reserve, retired, former officers,

and their immediate families.. The MOAA Bluegrass Chapter is a Sect. 501(c )(19) tax-exempt veterans organization.

Bluegrass Bugle July 2017 p.2

The great American anthropologist Mar-

garet Mead once said, “I do not believe in

using women in combat, because females

are too fierce.”

I don’t know whether Dr. Mead made this

comment as the analysis of a scientific study

into the cultural behavior of women in com-

bat or whether Margaret had her tongue

firmly implanted in her

cheek in a moment of sly

humor.

I do know that as the

husband of a career mili-

tary officer I can appreciate

the fierceness of women in

the military, and I mean

that in a positive sense.

Since the dawn of civilization, males have

gravely underestimated females.

That miscalculation has resulted in the

disrespect and mistreatment of women, often

in the workplace, sometimes in the home, a

phenomenon that unfortunately persists.

Even a 21st century progressive

firm known as Uber is falling

apart at the seams these days

as the consequence of allega-

tions of sexual harassment.

Perhaps a more tragic out-

come of male disregard of the

equality of women has been

the failure of men to place

them into positions of leader-

ship and responsibility during times of na-

tional crisis, when they could have made a

positive difference on outcomes.

Our guest speaker for this month’s meet-

ing has never served in the military, but Dep-

uty Commissioner Heather French Henry,

inspired by her father’s Vietnam War service

and disability, has insti-

gated legislation that

has helped veterans

across the nation.

Among her many re-

sponsibilities at the Ken-

tucky Department of Vet-

erans Affairs is a pro-

gram that seeks to unite

women veterans across the

commonwealth (with

much assistance, I’m

sure, from KDVA coor-

dinator LuWanda Knuckles).

We’ve included a one-page salute in this

issue of the Bluegrass Bugle to women veter-

ans as well as those currently serving in uni-

form. One of the veterans featured is WWII

vet Stella West. Like many women of that

era she proudly freed men to fight but (with

the exception of some military nurses) never

came close to combat. These women per-

formed an extraordinary service for our na-

tion at war. Think what they

could have done if they had

been flying B-17 missions over

Europe, piloting destroyers in the

South Pacific, or dropping ord-

nance over Japan. Think how

many more Allied lives may have

been saved. Their exclusion was

our loss.

Cultural differences dictated

otherwise. It’s taken about 75 years, but

women are finally provided the opportunity

to excel in combat and at high levels of lead-

ership in the U.S. military. Many have been

decorated for their action; some have sadly

perished. And our nation is a safer place

because of the evolution.

Thomas Peters Col., USAF (Ret.)

President, Bluegrass Chapter

The 138th Field Artillery Regiment shown training at Ft. Knox

in 1918 with the French 75mm gun prior to the unit’s overseas

deployment. (from Kentucky Army National Guard eMuseum)

Margaret Mead

p.3 July 2017 Bluegrass Bugle

Stella West (center photo) is a WWII Army vet, age 91, now living in Lexington who took part in the Apr. 22 Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. military memorials. PFC Meghan Aube and SSG Kathleen Braithwaite (left photo) are members of the Kentucky Army National Guard (KYARNG) who were featured in a DoD news release (published in part in the May Bluegrass Bugle) which highlighted recent gains by women in previously male-dominated specialties. SGT TASHA COBLER (below) was one of nine Kentucky soldiers from KYARNG units around the state who were selected to compete in a regional Best Warrior competi-tion last fall. (KYARNG photos by SSG Scott Raymond.)

The Kentucky Dept. of Veterans Affairs will host a

Statewide Women Veterans Conference on Aug. 5. The all-

day event will be capped of by a women veterans reception

from 6-8 p.m. Conference registration is not required for

reception attendance. The event will take place at the Marriott

Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington, 1800 Newtown Pike, near

the I-75/I-64 Exit 115.

With a theme of “Kentucky Women Veterans Unite: Stand-

ing Up and Speaking Out,” the program will include free ad-

mission and lunch, guest speakers, vendors, door prizes,

entertainment, and the opportunity for networking.

BG Barbara Owens, Deputy Commanding General, US

Army Human Resources Command and Rep. Attica Scott (D-

Louisville), the first black woman elected to the Kentucky

General Assembly in 20 years, are guest speakers

There is no admission fee but prior registration is required.

To sign up, go to this Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ky-women-veterans-state-conference-tickets-33436762256.

For more information, contact KDVA Women’s Veterans

Coordinator LuWanda Knuckles, luwanda.knuckles@ky.gov/

(502) 545-4193.

The role of women in the U.S. armed forces has

evolved dramatically over the past several decades. The

1944 poster at left encouraged women to enlist, work-

ing in mostly administrative positions to “free a man to

fight.” The more contemporary poster at right empha-

sizes the strength of women, equal in power to their

male counterparts.

WWII Army veteran Stella West, featured below,

served honorably while working as a postal worker and

in other clerical positions before culminating her four

years of service as a T-5 (corporal equivalent) in U.S.-

occupied Tokyo. Today’s military women make up near-

ly 15 percent of the U.S. military, serving in nearly eve-

ry occupational specialty once dominated by males.

Rep. Attica Scott

Radcliff Veterans Center incorporates Community Living Center model

KDVA Commissioner Norman Arflack announced on May 9 that the Rad-

cliff Veterans Center (RVC) has begun admitting residents.

The 120-bed facility, located adjacent to Ft. Knox, incorporates the Com-

munity Living Center (CLC) model with all private suites with private baths,

country kitchen, dining room and lounge area in each household. The cen-

ter’s CLC plan consists of four neighborhoods, each with three households

which will each house 10 veterans. Each neighborhood has a covered porch,

enclosed courtyard and private entrances.

The heart of RVC is the community center which encompasses rehabilita-

tive services, administrative offices and a great room for large or small func-

tions.

RVC occupancy will begin gradually until the facility has received federal

VA certification. Then KDVA will announce a formal opening and ribbon-

cutting ceremony.

Bluegrass Bugle July 2017 p.4

The administration’s proposed De-

fense budget would cut all funding for

impact aid — those federal funds pro-

vided to local education districts to

offset the loss of school tax revenue

from military families who reside in

base housing but whose children add

to the enrollment of off-base schools.

MOAA urges members to contact

their U.S. representatives regarding this issue and suggests

the following text for letters/emails:

For more on this and other issues MOAA is following on

Capitol Hill, go to the MOAA legislative page at http://

capwiz.com/moaa/home/.

Please maintain full funding for Impact Aid (Title VII), Section 7002 (Federal Properties) of the Elemen-tary and Secondary Education Act. Cuts to Impact Aid would negatively affect all of the students in the 200 school districts and 29 states that use payments for federal property to replace lost local revenue due to the federal land in their communi-ties. This includes school districts near the Air Force and West Point Military Academies, as well as rural communities where members of our military serve. I do not believe that the federal government should reverse its 68-year commitment to federally impacted communities.

KENTUCKY POPPY PROGRAM — Students across the Com-

monwealth are making poppies to honor the WW I Centenni-

al and to be displayed at the KY WW I Exhibit at the 2017

Kentucky State Fair in August. The program is administered

by July’s guest speaker, KDVA Deputy Commissioner Heather

French Henry. Here, Ronnie and Diane French, right, make a

Poppy pick-up at Lewis County Central Elementary School

from teacher Laura Stone. The class made 110 poppies.

(KDVA photo)

KDVA COMMISSIONER HONORED — MG Stephen R. Hogan

(above, right), Kentucky Adjutant General, pins a Distinguished

Service medal on MOAA member KDVA Commissioner BG

(Ret.) Norman E. Arflack for his meritorious service of 38 years

in the Kentucky Army National Guard. Commissioner Arflack

was joined by his wife Cindy (left) at the June 10 ceremony.

(KDVA photo)

A true multi-tasker: You can call her soldier, nurse, professor, and before long, doctor

p.5 July 2017 Bluegrass Bugle

FROM P. 1 HENRY

As her year as Miss America progressed she devel-

oped a full-scale platform that encompassed not only

homelessness among veterans but healthcare, housing,

disability and benefits. Working alongside many of the

nation’s experts on veterans’ healthcare issues

Heather became an integral part of a national movement

to change the face of veterans’ healthcare.

She worked closely with many members of Congress

to establish groundbreaking legislation to create new

opportunities for community outreach in the U.S. Dept.

of Veterans Affairs.

Former U.S. Rep. Lane Evans and the late Sen. Paul

Wellstone honored Heather by naming this comprehen-

sive bill the Heather French Henry Homeless Veterans

Assistance Act.

During the last 14 years she has continued her ef-

forts nationwide by establishing the Heather French

Foundation for Veterans, Inc. focusing on community

outreach to help better educate young and old alike

about programs available to assist veterans and to help

increase patriotism in younger generations. Her efforts

have been recognized by Veterans Service Organizations

nationwide.

Heather is from the Augusta and Maysville, KY, area

and earned B.S. and Masters Degrees from the U. of

Cincinnati. She is married to Dr. Stephen Henry, nota-

ble trauma orthopedic surgeon and former Lt. Governor

of Kentucky, and has two children. As a sideline, she

designs and markets fashions through her own online

showroom and has written and illustrated children’s

books. As Miss America 2000

COL (Ret.) JoAnn Wever, chapter 2nd

Vice, served as an Army Reservist for 22

years. She was selected as Chief Nurse

for two Army Reserve units (810 Conva-

lescent Center and the 5010th USAH).

Among other awards she was present-

ed the "A" proficiency desig-

nator by the Surgeon Gen-

eral for Excellence in Educa-

tion. COL Wever is a gradu-

ate of the Army Command

and General Staff College.

For several years, as an invit-

ed guest, she served as a

member of the Curriculum

and Testing Committee for

the 91C (Licensed Practical

Nurse program) with the

2076 USAR School in Wil-

mington, Del. This was a

one of a kind, unique pro-

gram to train LPNs for both an

MOS and a civilian career.

COL Wever worked at the UK Medical

Center on the Pediatric unit and the Pedi-

atric ICU before beginning her teaching

career at the College of Nursing. She

taught at the University of Kentucky Col-

lege of Nursing for 30+years, tenured at

the rank of Associate Professor. Her spe-

cialty areas are Pediatrics and Admin-

istration.

For three summers she was guest lec-

turer in Pediatrics for Midway College's

extension program in Danville.

In 2005 she became the

Founding Dean of Campbells-

ville University School of Nurs-

ing where she stayed until Au-

gust 2008. Additionally, she

taught at EKU in the BSN

(bachelor of science in nursing)

program,

She’s presented over 60

continuing education programs

or speeches to various nursing

or civic groups. She received

the Nurse Educator of the Year

award from the Kentucky

League for Nursing in 1987. In

2014, this award was renamed in her

honor.

Some examples of her work for profes-

sional organizations include several terms

as president of the Kentucky League for

Nursing (the organization that represents

Nurse educators), two terms as Director

on the Kentucky Nurses Association

Board, Chair of National League for

Nursing Constituent Organization Adviso-

ry Council and President of the UK Delta

Psi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau

(International Honor Society of Nursing).

COL Wever is a charter member of the

UK chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau. Re-

cently she was elected to the board of the

Kentucky Nurses Foundation.

The North Carolina native has multi-

ple degrees in nursing — an associate

degree from Sandhills Community Col-

lege, Southern Pines, NC; a bachelors

from East Carolina University, Greenville;

and a Masters from UK, focusing on pedi-

atrics with a functional area of teaching.

Currently, she’s a student in the Doc-

toral program in Educational Leadership

at WKU (EdD program). Upon comple-

tion of this program, she plans to return

to teaching in an undergraduate nursing

program.

COL Wever was married to the late

Richard J. Wever, MD, who died in

1999. She has no children but three

dogs.

COL. WEVER

Honor Flight Kentucky continues its mission of flying WWII,

Korean War and Vietnam War veterans to Washington, D.C., for

a one-day all-expenses-paid visit to the memorials dedicated to

service and sacrifices. The public is encouraged to the Welcome

Home celebrations for all of these visits at Blue Grass Airport.

The next scheduled flight is Sept. 16 with a 9 p.m. return. An

Honor Flight is also scheduled for Oct. 14

which will be an all-Vietnam veterans flight

with specials programs at the Memorial Wall.

To learn more about these flights and the

eligibility requirements, visit

www.honorflightky.org or call 1-888-432-

2965 or email info@honorflightky.org.

Chapter member MAJ (Ret.) Marty

Pinkston reports that the Gold Bar pro-

gram for this spring’s commissioned

officers paid big dividends for MOAA.

Out of 54 commissioned officers who

received gold bars from the chapter at

the four regional ROTC detachments,

47 (87 percent) joined MOAA.

Following is the per-detachment

breakdown of new officers who joined:

UK Army, 13; UK AF, 11; EKU Army,

16; and MSU Army, 7 (out of 7).

Bluegrass Chapter Military Officers Association of America Mrs. Pat Jones 1660 Atoma Drive Lexington, KY 40511 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Last, first, middle name: Rank: National MOAA member no:

________

Spouse name: Email address:

________

Date of birth (month/day): Street address – city, state, Zip code:

________

Month/year entered service________________ Month/year separated________________________________________

Phone number: Cell number:

Military status (circle all that apply): Active Duty Drilling National Guard/Reserve Retired

Separated honorably ROTC (1 year free) Widow(er) (no charge)

Branch of service (circle one): USA USMC USN USAF USCG NOAA USPHS

Want to make a donation? General use: $________ Vets: $_______ ROTC scholarships: $_______

Bluegrass Chapter, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)

New Membership/Membership Renewal/Donations

Please complete this form and your dues check payable to: BGMOAA.

Mail the form and check to our return address.