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The Western Centurion
Feb 2015
Golden West Chapter MOAA
P.O. Box 2522, Costa Mesa, CA 92628-2522
Email the editor: tcassidycurtis@roadrunner.com
Thank you to Golden West members who supported the
Area 6 event at the Eagle's Nest on January 15th. Votes
of Appreciation to Teddi Alves, Don & Eileen Oldis, Larry &
Terry Schnitzer, Warren & Ellie Strong. Michelle and I were
there too. Back to our regular 1st Friday meeting in February when I think you'll really enjoy hearing from Dwight
Stirling regarding the new Veterans Legal Institute, and
the experience, insight and services he is bringing to the
segments of the new veteran population coming into Orange County from Camp Pendleton. While our members
Capt Fred Wagner, USAF (ret) Ch. President
aren't his target for legal services, the VLI can very much
use our support in spreading the word when we meet
someone who does need legal help, and in financial support to keep the doors open on
his new operation. There is a very brief overview of the VLI in this newsletter, and much
more detail on the website, www.vetslegal.com.
Want to help steer the chapter? We have some open seats at the board meetings! We
call the positions 'Director at Large', and you get to be part of the conversation on what
and where we're doing at our meetings, and what outside activities we're publicizing and
recommending to our members and readers. If you have suggested speakers for our programs, we try to stay booked several months in advance. Also - if you'd like to give the invocation at one of our meetings, let's talk about it! And you can bring friends to any meetings to share our informative programs. See you at dinner on February 6th!
Coming Chapter meetings & events…..
President, Golden West Chapter,
MOAA, Membership
Dinner Coordinator
Capt. Fred Wagner, USAF (ret)
fhwagner4@hotmail.com
714 827 9236
6 Feb—Veterans’ Legal Institute
6 Mar—Dave Hayward, see p. 8
10 Apr—Maj Gen Taverney
Newsletter editor
LtCol Tim Cassidy-Curtis, USAFR (ret)
tcassidycurtis@roadrunner.net
714 549 8931
Secretary and Treasurer
Maj Jamie Cassidy-Curtis, USAFR (ret)
jamiec275@gmail.com
714 549 8931
1 May—Dirk Dedoes, NASA
5 Jun—TBD
All events tentative, & subject to change.
All dates Fridays except where noted.
Director—Programs
John Noone
JBBNJR2117@sol.com
Immediate Past President,
LtCol Albert LoSchiavo USAF (ret)
alwoodwork@aol.com
714-842-9433
2015 GW Board Meeting Calendar
Board meetings, Monday, except where noted
Director—At Large
(President Emeritus)
COL Jess Carranza, USA (Ret.)
jcarranza@socal.rr.com
714 962-5348
2 February
2 March
6 April
27 April
1 Jun
Legislative Liaison
LtCol Tim Cassidy-Curtis USAFR (ret)
The Board meeting will be held at 7PM at
LtCol LoSchiavo’s home—
Director—Auxiliary Liaison:
Jeani Fraser
candjfraser@earthlink.net
714 842-3192
6551 Segovia Circle, Huntington Beach.
Home phone is 714-842-9433
If you need directions, just call! All are invited!.
Newsletter paper printing & mailing—
Mrs. Jeani Fraser
Albert LoSchiavo, USAF (ret)
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 2
Renewing Members!
Last month, we had many
renewing members.
Thank you all for your renewals.
Renewing this month:
David Yonis
Teddi Alves
Anna Davis
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 3
ere
H
Park
GWC meeting location at the Costa Mesa Country club using the map above:
Exit Harbor Blvd South from the 405.
One point one miles south on Harbor.
Turn right on Adams.
Turn left on Mesa Verde Dr. Golf Course Drive is about two blocks (.14 miles) and
tees on the right.
The Golf Course is about one quarter mile on. Go right in & find a parking spot.
The Club is the largest building near the parking lot.
From the South: Mesa Verde Dr. is about a quarter mile past Merrimac Way, one
(1) mile north of West Wilson St., a bit less than one and a quarter (1 1/4) mile
north of West Wilson St., and two (2) miles north of where it tees at Newport Blvd.
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 4
In this commentary, I would like to explore the question: “Did Dr. Who? save the United Kingdom?”
In September of 2014, Scotland had a referendum
regarding its continued unity with the United Kingdom (UK).
The results were 44.7% for independence, and 55.3%
against. The count was 1,617,989 “Yes” and 2,001,926
“No” votes, a difference of 383,937 votes.
Dr. Who? is a television show about a time-traveler
and his ship, a Type 40, Mark 1, TARDIS, who travel through Tim Cassidy-Curtis, Lt Col (ret)
time and space. His name has never been pronounced; he
prefers to be called just “The Doctor,” often prompting others to ask “Dr. Who?”. He has
visited many historical time periods, and his travels take him extensively through the galaxy. The TARDIS looks like a police call box; it can look like anything, on the outside, but
the mechanism that allows it to do so has gotten stuck. The TARDIS is much larger on the
inside than it is on the outside (not an unusual science fiction machination). The Doctor,
himself, is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. He looks completely human, but has two
hearts and can regenerate if mortally wounded. He has had at least twelve incarnations
(he’s looked like a dozen different people). He has had numerous human companions.
Dr. Who? originally aired on the BBC and in America (mostly on PBS) from 1963 to
1989, becoming an icon of British television. The show was restarted in 2005, and has
enjoyed considerable popularity in both the UK and the US, along with several other countries. The Doctor has been played by almost exclusively British actors (with one exception)
during the ‘63 to ‘89 period. This pattern has been repeated (with British actors almost
exclusively portraying The Doctor) in its current production stint, since ‘05. Viewership typically ranges from over 7 to over 10 million, with approval ratings over 80%.
In 2014, however, the Dr. Who? production company did something different; the title role was filled by Peter Capaldi, who is a Scotsman. (The original series also had one
Scotsman play the role).
So, a show enjoyed by up to ten million people, is inevitably watched by fans who are
Scottish; and these viewers must decide in that year if Scotland will remain with the UK.
Admittedly, there were many popular BBC shows in 2014, but how many were British
icons, featuring British actors in the lead role, who cast a Scotsman starting right in that
year? What is the likelihood that four hundred thousand of these fans subsequently
change their minds, and believe that unity within the UK is not so bad, after all? There are
those who say there’s no such thing as coincidences, but that’s another show (NCIS).
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 5
Veterans Legal Institute (VLI)
From their web site: www.vetslegal.com/
About VLI:
Veterans Legal Institute (VLI) seeks to provide pro bono legal
assistance to homeless and low income current and former
service members so as to eradicate barriers to housing, education, employment and healthcare and foster selfsufficiency.
Legal Services:
As veterans or current military members, VLI’s clients have
demonstrated bravery and dedication to the country, protecting it both at home and abroad. Many of our clients have
served in combat, enduring significant physical, emotional,
and psychological wounds in the process.
Get Involved:
The Veterans Legal Institute is constantly seeking pro bono
attorneys, paralegals and other patriots to assist its clientele. VLI is available to train newer attorneys and law firms in
discharge upgrades and veterans benefits in exchange for
them accepting a case pro bono.
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 6
Welcome to Veterans Legal Institute (VLI)
Founded by two California lawyers with military experience, the VLI
is among the only non-profit public interest law firms in the nation
dedicated exclusively to the legal needs of current and former military members.
Located off the 405 freeway in Fountain Valley, California, VLI is a
combined public law firm and think tank which exists to fulfill two
critical objectives. First, VLI assists low income veterans and military members by providing free legal services in an effort to remove
barriers to housing, health care, and employment while promoting
empowerment and self-sufficiency. Second, VLI advocates for increased protections for veterans and military members through its
Think Tank Division, seeking to educate concerned civilians, decision-makers, and attorneys as to veterans-related issues.
Accordingly, VLI contains two separate but related divisions, a Legal
Services Division providing free legal services and a Think Tank, effectively filling the military knowledge gap in the local community.
Veterans Legal Institute
9550 Warner Ave.
Suite 250-04
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(949) 214-4812
Email: info@vetslegal.com
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 7
Dwight Stirling, Esq., M.Ed. President , VLI
Dwight Stirling is President and Co-Founder of the Veterans Legal Institute (VLI), having general executive oversight over VLI and responsibility for
both the Legal Services Division and Public Policy
A military veteran, Mr. Stirling was an active duty JAG Officer with the California National Guard from 2007 to 2014, stationed at the Joint Forces
Training Base in Los Alamitos, California, where he served as the installation’s general counsel and the legal advisor to the commanding general.
He is the former head of the California National Guard’s Criminal Law Division and the former director of the California National Guard’s nationally
recognized JAG Internship, a program he created.
Mr. Stirling’s commitment to the country and its service members began
in December of 2001, when he joined the Army National Guard shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11. He was commissioned from California’s reserve Officer Candidate School as an Armor officer in 2004, becoming a JAG Officer the following year to utilize his law degree. For several years he balanced reserve service and a civilian legal practice, running a
small general litigation and learning the true meaning of the term “citizensoldier.” He closed his firm in 2007 to accept a prestigious position with
the California National Guard.
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 8
In 2009, Mr. Stirling deployed to the Balkans with the Kosovo Force
(KFOR), a NATO-led international peacekeeping force responsible for preventing recurrences of ethnic cleansing in the volatile southern region of
Serbia. He served as Chief of Military Justice on the mission, working under Major General (Retired) Keith D. Jones. In his off-duty time, Mr. Stirling
administrated a joint civil/military leadership program at a rural middle
school, imparting the values of initiative and innovation to teenagers
whose country had been ravaged by sectarian warfare.
At present, Mr. Stirling serves as Co-Chair of the Legal and Re-Entry
Working Group at USC’s Center for Innovation and Research for Veterans
and Military Families. He also teaches criminal justice at Columbia College
of Missouri’s Los Alamitos campus, and is a member of the Los Angeles
County Bar Association’s Armed Forces Committee. In the past, Mr. Stirling
served as clinical professor at Chapman University’s Military Law Institute,
teaching military law and providing oversight of the clinical fellows, whose
practice focused on discharge upgrades and service-connected disability
appeals.
Mr. Stirling has been recognized for his commitment to service members
and veterans by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and the United
States Attorney for the Southern District of California. He has received numerous military awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal and the
Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters.
Mr. Stirling holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Pomona College, a master’s degree in education from Whittier College, and a juris doctorate from the University of Southern California. He continues to serve the
nation as a JAG officer, holding the rank of Major. He got his start in law at
Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell, LLP’s Century City offices and his first career was teaching literature and language arts at the middle school level.
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 9
Six Good Reasons to Join Your Local MOAA Chapter
You know the value of belonging to MOAA and your chapter. But when you’re talking to a potential new chapter member, it’s important to remember that many officers may have only limited knowledge of MOAA’s chapter system. Now is the time for them to join their local chapter to
add their voice to the thousands of other MOAA members making a difference on the legislative
front and in their community.
Here are six good reasons for any officer—active duty, Guard, Reserve, former, or retired, or
their surviving spouse—to join a MOAA chapter today.
1. Make yourself heard. MOAA’s chapters provide critical grassroots support for MOAA’s national legislative agenda. Our benefits are under attack and MOAA is in the fight to preserve
them. Chapter members let their legislators know what’s on their minds and open doors for
MOAA’s legislative team in Washington, D.C. In these difficult times, MOAA members need to
stick together and our chapters are the best way we know to do that.
2. Giving back to the community. Chapter members are MOAA’s ambassadors in their communities, supporting countless programs that make a difference in the lives of others. These members have gone the extra step to give back in the truest sense of servant leadership.
3. Value added to chapter member lives. MOAA chapters sponsor interesting programs and
opportunities to interact with civic, political, military, and business leaders on issues important
to members.
4. Networking with fellow officers. Chapters include second career members in the work
force or retired service-members who have contacts in the community that can be valuable to
transitioning officers.
5. Stay informed. Chapter newsletters, websites, and meetings provide you the latest information on local, state, and national issues and changes to military benefits.
6. Influencing state legislation. Most states have a council of chapters that unites every MOAA
chapter in the state. These councils often lobby for and pass state-level legislation that affects
military members and their families, such exempting military retired pay from state income tax or
increasing funding for state-run VA programs.
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 10
From the National MOAA Website (MOAA.org):
The December Consumer Price Index of 229.909 declined 0.7 percent for the second consecutive month and 1.8
percent from the FY 2014 COLA baseline.
The Consumer Price Index for January 2015 is scheduled to be released on February 26, 2015.
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 11
The Bottom Line—New SecDef, New Congress, Old Problems
From MOAA website: By Mike Hayden, Col USAF (ret.), Jan 2015
The 114th Congress is now in office, and secretary of defense nominee
Ashton Carter awaits confirmation. Many observers in the press are speculating
what this turnover in congressional and Pentagon leadership means for the military community.
You can color me interested, too.
Carter is known within Pentagon circles as a reformer on acquisition costs,
while incoming Armed Services Committee Chairs Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) also have signaled plans to tackle acquisition reform.
But acquisition will not be the only item these three will face.
There are several issues over the coming months that will drive the discussion. By Feb. 1, the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission (MCRMC) will issue its anticipated report detailing proposals to overhaul military compensation and personnel programs.
At the same time, the White House will release its FY 2016 budget request. The request must grapple with the budget caps established by sequestration that return in full force Oct. 1.
Somehow Congress will need to address the conflict between the budget
submission, which is expected to exceed sequestration’s limits, and the caps
established by the law.
Can Congress find cost-saving reforms in time? Acquisition reform can
take years to yield savings. Sequestration’s budget rules limit where money can
be cut to the point where Congress has forced itself to make the false choice
between people programs or weapon systems. But infrastructure and weapons
programs are political hot buttons that often generate “not in my backyard”
cries from legislators.
Continued on next page.
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 12
Continued from previous page
What’s the quickest way to show savings in the accounting books? Draw
down troop levels and shift personnel costs onto the backs of service members
and their families.
The next few months will include a flood of activity for the new secretary of
defense, Congress, and MOAA, with political posturing and the formulation of
defense bills. The question is whether the MCRMC recommendations will affect
the FY 2016 defense bill process.
The first year of a new Congress provides greater opportunity to implement
sweeping reforms. Legislators arrive in Washington emboldened by a sense of
popular mandate in their first year, without the fear of an upcoming election.
It’s unlikely any MCRMC recommendations will be included in the White
House budget submission, as budget planners have been working for months
on the FY 2016 proposal. However, this won’t stop members of Congress from
trying to include them in the defense bill markup process, especially if the proposals come with a blessing from Pentagon leadership.
That endorsement might come quickly. The Military Times already has reported Pentagon leaders plan to take a month to review the MCRMC recommendations and finalize a position for the new secretary — all in advance of the
markup timelines.
MOAA’s biggest concern is that the new Congress will look at the Pentagon
and the MCRMC proposals with the purpose of saving money or cutting the
budget and will make decisions based on arbitrary budget caps, without considering how compensation and benefits are necessary to recruit and retain a high
-quality all-volunteer force.
The bottom line: The next few months will be very busy, and we will need
all hands on deck to make sure your voice on the pay and benefits needed to
sustain the all-volunteer force is heard by legislators. We ask that you pay close
attention to the report in early February and participate in MOAA’s grassroots
efforts to ensure shortsighted budget savings don’t come at the expense of the
health of the all-volunteer force.
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 13
2015 Membership Form Golden West Chapter, Military Officer’s Association of America
Circle all that apply: Regular Member
Auxiliary Member
Honorary Member
Name
Birthday
.
Birthday
.
. Anniversary Month
.
Spouse
_
Street Address
Contributor
City and State Zip Code
Rank
.
Service
Phone Number
E Mail:
.
@
(Thank you)
Special Skills: computer, secretarial, speaking . journalism etc.
.
Average Hours /Week available to support MOAA activities
.
Able to phone potential members during recruiting drives ? Yes ’ No
Can provide rides to other members? Yes / No
Current, retired & former officers & warrant officers of the seven uniformed services, including Guard and Reserve, are
eligible for chapter membership. Widows, widowers, and former spouses holding DOD dependent ID cards are eligible
for auxiliary membership. Chapter dues are separate from National dues, and support Golden West chapter activities.
Dues Amount—Regular Member/Dual Military Couple—$25 Auxiliary Member—$12.50
Honorary Member / Contributor—no dues, contributions optional.
Make check payable to GWC MOAA, and mail with this page to:
Golden West Chapter Military Officers Association of America
P O Box 2522
Costa Mesa, CA 92628-2522
Please notify us of any change in postal or email address
Golden West Dinner Reservation—Friday 6 February. Doors open at 6PM, dinner at 7, program follows
Costa Mesa Country Club, 1701 Golf Course Drive, Costa Mesa
Dinner - ($25 per person): Sliced Roast Beef (Natural Sauce), Walnut Glazed Yams, Fresh Seasonal
Vegetables, or Fish (Catch of the Day), or Vegetarian Pasta. Salad Mesa Linda (G/G, Honey Mustard)
Rolls and butter, Tea and Coffee, Dessert: Plain Cheesecake
Reservations, please! To: Fred Wagner —call with your reservation and entrée preference so we have
enough seats and meals ready!
Phone, Fred: 714 827 9236
Cash or Check at the door of course—sorry, no credit cards.
TWC
Feb 2015
Page 14
You can find out what is happening at our California
Chapter of MOAA (CALMOAA) by going to this website:
http://www.calmoaa.org
You can find: Areas and Chapters, Legislation, Current Events, etc.
To find out more about the activities and issues from
our National MOAA please go to:
http://www.moaa.org/
http://www.moaa.org/2014pay/
Take Action — Top issues facing service members:
http://www.moaa.org/Main_Menu/Take_Action/Top_Issues/Top_Issues.html
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Evelyn Childs
Ron Groves
Susan Seidel
Kay Richards
Dirk and Karol deDoes
John and Lupe Neaton
Larry and Terry Schnitzer
Remember: we get these birthdays and anniversaries from the Chapter Membership
Roster and the forms you fill out (see form on previous page). Without this information, we cannot honor you in this newsletter on your special days.
Taps — Nobody.
TWC
Feb 2015
Whew.
Page 15
Golden West Chapter
Military Officers Association of America
P O Box 2522
Costa Mesa, CA 92628-2522
Feb 2015 Newsletter