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Day at the RacesFEBRUARY 2014A NATIONALLY RANKED FIVE-STAR CHAPTERA MOAA affiliate from January 23, 1956 - El Paso Chapter of Military Officers Association of America - Our 58th Year
Inside this issue:INPUTPresident’s MessageApril 201435Luncheon MenuProgramGuest Speaker6Events Schedule7Chaplain’s Corner9Who needs a knee .10Army Nurse Corps .11Personal Affairs12-13EP MOAA Images15Membership18Scholarship information20Legislativedeadline forBorder Bulletin3 March 2014The Border BulletinNEWSLETTER COMMITTEEEditor: LTC William L. Moore 842-9650EDITORIAL COMMITTEEMG John Oblinger, USA 751-4699MG William H. Riley, Jr. 584-8798Advertising Manager: LTC William L. Moorepublications@elpasomoaa.org Printer: Northeast Printing,755-6089February 2014 Vol 58 No 1The Border Bulletin is the Official publication of theEl Paso Chapter ofThe Military Officers Association of AmericaP.O. Box 6144, Fort Bliss, TX 79906-0144.This bulletin is published Bi-monthly.Subscription is included in the annualdues of 20.00.Statement of PublicationThe Border Bulletin is the newsletter of theEl Paso Chapter, Military Officers Association ofAmerica. It is published bi-monthly, even months,to inform the membership of issues and activitiesof interest to all. elpasomoaa.org is a non-profitentity within the State of Texas organized torepresent the membership and to support theactivities of the Texas Council of Chapters andMOAA National. Advertising contained on thewebsite and in the newsletter and directory are notendorsed by the Chapter and does not representany recommendation to the membership.Opinions expressed in articles contained hereinare not necessarily those of the membership asa whole or the Chapter. Questions should bedirected to the Editor, at the Chapter office.El Paso Chapter, MOAAP.O. Box 6144, El Paso, TX 79906-0144publications@elpasomoaa.orgCategory 1 Outstanding ChapterRunner-up2000 and 2001Five-Star Chapter2001 thru 2013Communications Award Print NewsletterWinner2004 and 2012Runner-up2008 thru 2011Communications Award Print Legislative CoverageWinner2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012Communications Award WebsiteWinner2010, 2011 and 2012Runner-up2009Special Communications Award20072 Border BulletinChapter Staff EmeritusCOL Margaret H. Baskfield 584-6826Mrs. Penelope Cochran 778-5723Mrs. Hedy Forcier 751-2638LTC Rafael G. Garcia 593-1469CWO Emiliano Gorgas 594-0444Major E. Dexter Lyerly 585-9619Mrs. Blanche J “Maggie” Maguire 584-7682CW4 Manuel Martinez 751-3791LTC James L. McLaughlin 566-4976MWO Edward C. Ney 592-6518CW4 William M. Ryerson 772-6759LTC Daniel J. Schulte 755-3387Mrs. Kathleen Schulte 755-3387MAJ Edwin S. Stone, III 598-6058Captain Jeanne B. Thompson598-0891COL Martin C. Wehmhoner 585-9106WM. DAVITT, EYE M.D.Eye Diseases Lid Surgery Research BOTOXWilliam F. Davitt III, M.D.8815 Dyer, Suite 130757-39379728-A Dyer StEl Paso, TX 79924PH 915.755.6089FAX 915.757.2452northeastprinting@yahoo.com
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGECOL Lennie Enzel, USA, RetiredI hope you all enjoyed a fabulous holidayseason and that Santa was good to you.As you probably heard, the Grinch visitedCongress. Right before their holiday break,the Senate passed the Bipartisan BudgetAct of 2,013 (BBA) by a vote of 64-36. Whileit is wonderful that they finally performedone of their main jobs –passing a budget,they clearly did it on the backs of currentand future military retirees. The two-yearbudget deal includes a provision that reducesworking age retirees’ annual cost-of-livingadjustment (COLA) by one percentage pointuntil they reach the age of 62 and does notgrandfather existing retirees and currentlyserving members who contemplate to serve a20-plus year career.As many members of Congress wereapparently caught off-guard by the completefinancial effect retirees would face, one mustconclude that again they planned to pass thebill and read it later. Presumably, they did thisin haste so they could go home punctuallyfor their holiday recess. It seems to me to bethe equivalent of “ready, shoot, aim.” So hereare the facts: service members who retireat the 20 year point will experience a near20% reduction in their retired pay when theyreach age 62. And albeit they said that theCOLA adjustment would exempt disabilityretirees, there is no exemption for Chapter 61retired pay or for certain survivors’ benefits.Survivors of retirees who are under the age of62 will see a reduced annuity. However, whentheir retiree would have reached age 62, thesurvivor’s annuity will be recalculated to thefull annual COLA. And it continues: since thebill omits a critical provision that would haveguaranteed active duty service membersa 1.8% pay raise to keep pace with privatesector wage growth. That omission ensuresthat President Obama’s executive order toonly permit a 1% pay increase will becomeeffective on 1 January. So not only are theyfinancially injuring current and future retirees,they are hurting those who they repeatedlysend into harm’s way. Interestingly, the billallows defense contractors to have theircontracts adjusted based on the EmploymentCost Index (an increase of 1.8%), but again,caps military pay at a 1% raise. Hmmmm Additionally, the bill authorizes a reductionof over 40,000 active duty personnel from FY2013 levels, but prohibits the Pentagon frominitiating another round of BRAC. Happily, thebill flatly rejected all proposals to establishor increase TRICARE fees and will allowTRICARE Prime Remote beneficiaries toremain in the TRICARE Prime Program. TheBBA also included a 3-month delay in the 24%cuts to Medicare and TRICARE physicianreimbursement rates scheduled to take effecton 1 January. We hope that by 1 April, we willhave a permanent fix to the annual insanity ofthese caps.Lucky for those of us who live near ourbeloved William Beaumont Army MedicalCenter (WBAMC), our TRICARE For Life(TFL) beneficiaries will not be required tofill maintenance medication prescriptionrefills through the TRICARE Home Delivery(mail-order) pharmacy system. Starting 14February, those not living near a militarytreatment facility (MTF) or not a nursing homeresident, must comply with that edict. Themandate applies to maintenance medicationsonly. Initial prescriptions can be filled at aretail store, and beneficiaries can fill up totwo 30-day refills at a retail store during thetransition. The mail-order pharmacy systemlowers costs for both beneficiaries and DoD.A 90-day refill of generic medication is freethrough the mail-order pharmacy, but costs 5 per 30-day refill at a retail drug store. Forbrand name medications, the cost is 13 for a90-day refill through mail-order versus 17 fora 30-day refill at a retail store. Beneficiariesmay opt out after using the mail-order refillsystem for a one-year trial period.Sadly, the defense bill fell short on manyMOAA-supported issues. The bill did notinclude provisions to end the SBP-DIC offsetor to expand concurrent receipt. Theseprovisions, along with restoring full COLAsfor military retirees under age 62 will beamong MOAA’s legislative priorities in 2014.Following the bill’s announcement, MOAAorganized a “Storming the Hill” event withThe Military Coalition and The AmericanLegion. “Hill stormers” visited every senateoffice on Monday urging them to strip theprovision affecting military retirement, andsurvivor’s benefit pay. But, seemingly, ourCongressional representatives could not findany other programs to decrease to balancetheir budget. I hate to be the bearer of all thisbad news, but hope it will spur you to staypolitically astute and to take an active role incontacting your congressional representativesand voicing your opinions about the BBA.In case you are unaware, the next threatis to our commissary benefit. Our ownCongressman has stated “it, like everythingelse, is on the table to be examined.”Here is some happier news! Our DecemberBrunch was a great success and there weremany laudatory comments about RosaGuerrero’s presentation. Many thanks toCol Bob Pitt for all the great work he doesat putting together our luncheons. We alsodonated a table full of diapers, baby formula,and food to the Junior Enlisted Family Center.A big thank you to all who contributed to thiseffort. We were grateful to have the WBAMCCommander, COL Mike Heimall and his wife,Lynda, join us. COL Heimall gave an updateon WBAMC’s initiative to enroll severalthousand retirees and their family membersfor Primary Care. He also did us the honor ofswearing in your 2014 MOAA-El Paso Boardof Directors. After the brunch, several of usattended the Army-Navy Game. Although Iam still stinging from yet another Army loss(12 in a row), I am grateful to LTC Bill Moore,LTC Joe Gollasch, and MAJ Ed Stone forrecruiting several new chapter members. I amalso thrilled to announce that COL Heimallvolunteered to serve as our Post Liaison,a position that has been long vacant. I amhopeful this will lead to the recruitment ofmore active duty service members whileinforming them of the organized attack ontheir earned benefits.Upcoming events include our FebruaryMeeting which will happen on 8 February atthe Underwood Golf Course. Mayor OscarLeeser will be our guest speaker. Our annual‘Day at the Races’ will take place on 8 Marchat Sunland Park Racetrack. We look forwardto enjoying the day with our MOWW, NAUS,and SMW colleagues. On 12 April, we willagain return to the Golf Course with COLHeimall as our Luncheon guest speaker. Ilook forward to hearing about the plans for thenew WBAMC.I hope to see you in the very near future.Please never hesitate to contact me oranother Board member if we may better serveyou.Lennie EnzelCOL, USA, RetiredPresident3 Border Bulletin
7.25 in. Mine was earned inVietnam. By my dad.9.75 in.Barbara Q., USAA memberUSAA Auto Insurance. Earned once. Cherished from generation to generation.At USAA, our commitment to serve the financial needs of our military members,veterans who have honorably served and their families is without equal. In fact,families regard USAA Auto Insurance so highly, 95% of USAA members plan toremain with USAA for life.1Begin your legacy. Get a quote.usaa.com/insurance 800-531-3550Insurance Banking Investments Retirement AdviceBased on 2011 Member Communications Trend Survey.Use of the term “member” or “membership” does not convey any eligibility rights for auto and property insurance products or legal or ownership rights in USAA. Ownershiprights are limited to eligible policyholders of United Services Automobile Association. The term “honorably served” applies to officers and enlisted personnel who served onactive duty, in the Selected Reserve or in the National Guard and have a discharge type of “Honorable.” Eligibility may change based on factors such as marital status, rankor military status. Contact us to update your records. Adult children of USAA members are eligible to purchase auto or property insurance if their eligible parent purchasesUSAA auto or property insurance. Automobile insurance provided by United Services Automobile Association, USAA Casualty Insurance Company, USAA General IndemnityCompany, Garrison Property and Casualty Insurance Company, USAA County Mutual Insurance Company, San Antonio, TX, and is available only to persons eligible for P&C groupmembership. Each company has sole financial responsibility for its own products. 2013 USAA. 139265-01131Page 44 Border Bulletin
February Guest Speaker:Mayor Oscar LeeserOscar Leeser is the 53rd Mayorof the great City of El Paso. Hewas born in Chihuahua, Mexico,where later his family relocatedto the Sun City when Oscar wasnine years old. Since an early age,Oscar realized the importanceand value of hard work; his firstjob came when he was 16 yearsold. In 1979, Oscar began hiscareer in the auto industry, workingwith several dealerships in ElPaso. His most notable careeropportunity came in 2001, whenOscar became president anddealer operator of Hyundai of ElPaso. Through his leadership,Oscar turned a store that was onlyselling 15 cars a month into today’snumber one overall dealer in ElPaso. His store is also the numberone Hyundai dealer in the SouthCentral Region and ninth in thenation for Hyundai dealers. Oscarsays his career is the definition ofthe American dream, “through hardwork all is possible.”Oscar currently serves as amember of the UMC El PasoChildren’s Hospital FoundationBoard and also holds severalprofessional positions as well. Heis the President of the HyundaiSouth Central Region, a memberof the National Dealer Council,serves on the National Partsand Service Committee, and theHyundai Advertising Committee. Inaddition, Oscar actively supportsmany local charities and youthorganizations.Despite his passion for businessand service, Oscar’s most proud ofhis amazing family. He has beenmarried for over 30 years to hischildhood sweetheart, Lisa; theyhave four children and six beautifulgrandchildren.Lunch MenuFebruaryBBQ BrisketGreen Bean AlmandinePotatoes au GratinTossed Green Saladw/Dressing, Roll & ButterWater, Coffee, andIced TeaFebruary MembershipMeeting ProgramSaturday, 8 FebruaryUnderwood Golf Course1100 - 12001200 – 12151215 - 12301230 - 13151315 - 13451345 - 13551355 - 14001400SOCIAL HOUROPENINGCEREMONYBOARD UPDATESMEAL SERVICEPROGRAMDOOR PRIZEDRAWINGCLOSINGADJOURNMENTPlease submit your BrunchReservations no later thanWednesday, 5 FebruaryTreasurer: MOAAPO Box 6144El Paso, TX 79906-0144All lunch reservationswith payment to ourpostal mail box Guest Speaker Rosa Guerrero and Chapter President Lennie Enzelat the December 2013 Brunch.20 Per PersonREMITTANCEENVELOPE ENCLOSED5 Border Bulletin
JIM SWANSONBuilders2014EL PASOCHAPTERMOAAEVENTSSCHEDULEFebruary 8, 2014March 8, 2014April 12, 2014June 14, 2014August 9, 2014February Membership Meeting and LunchMOAA Day at the RacesApril Membership Meeting & LunchJune Membership Meeting & LunchAugust Membership Meeting and LunchCabinet Shop andGeneral ConstructionSpecializes in Fabrication andInstallation of Handicapped Devicesin your HomeKANE KERBYOwner10350-C Grouse RoadEl Paso, Texas 79924(915) 821-3754LICENSED & BONDED FORYOUR PROTECTIONRetiree and Annuitant Pay Dates for 2014Entitlement MonthJanuary 2014February 2014March 2014April 2014May 2014June 2014July 2014August 2014September 2014October 2014November 2014December 2014Retiree Payment DatesFriday, January 31, 2014Friday, February 28, 2014Tuesday, April 1, 2014Thursday, May 1, 2014Friday, May 30, 2014Tuesday, July 1, 2014Friday, August 1, 2014Friday, August 29, 2014Wednesday, October 1, 2014Friday, October 31, 2014Monday, December 1, 2014Wednesday, December 31, 2014MOAA Spouse Blog:Casualty AssistanceCenterMonday - Friday:0730 - 1700915-568-2903/3093/6338After Hours (Installation)915-569-6950/6951Making it in the MilLife Making it in the MilLife is the blogwhere you can get deeper insight oncurrent issues affecting military spousesand families, follow our spouse programsand read interviews with communityleaders. Spouses are each other’sbest resource, so if you would like tobe considered for a guest blog entry,contact us at moaaspouse@moaa.org.Annuitant Payment DatesMonday, February 3, 2014Monday, March 3, 2014Tuesday, April 1, 2014Thursday, May 1, 2014Monday, June 2, 2014Tuesday, July 1, 2014Friday, August 1, 2014Tuesday, September 2, 2014Wednesday, October 1, 2014Monday, November 3, 2014Monday, December 1, 2014Friday, January 2, 2015Fort Bliss GateOperating HoursAlabama Gate, WBAMC, is openMonday through Friday from 5 a.m. to9 p.m. and is closed weekends andfederal holidays.IBCT North Gate is open Monday Friday 5am - 0900 Closed on holidays.WBAMC Pharmacy ServicesMain Hospital PharmacyMonday through Wednesday and Friday:ThursdaySaturday, Training Holidays:Closed Sundays and Federal Holidays7:30 AM – 6:30 PM8:30 AM – 6:30 PM9:00 AM – 5:00 PMFreedom Crossing PX PharmacyMonday – FridaySaturday & Training HolidaysClosed Sundays and Federal Holidays8:30 AM – 6:00 PM9:00 AM – 5:00 PMSoldier and Family Medical Clinic (SFMC) PharmacyMonday – FridayClosed Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal Holidays7:30 AM – 6:30 PMSoldier Family Care Clinic (SFCC) PharmacyMonday – Friday7:30 AM – 6:30 PMClosed Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal HolidaysPharmacy Refill Services6 Border 2-1400915-742-1400
Chaplain’s CornerLTC John H. G. RasmussenChaplainPaul Harvey’s Wishes for His GrandchildrenAs I was thinking about thoughtsfor the New Year I came across thismarvelous piece from the late, greatPaul Harvey.We tried so hard to make things betterfor our kids that we sometimes madethem worse.For my grandchildren, I’d like better.I’d really like for them to know abouthand me down clothes, homemadeice cream, and leftover meat loafsandwiches. I really would.I hope you learn humility by beinghumiliated, and honesty by beingcheated.I hope you learn to make your own bed,to mow the lawn, and wash the car.–And I really hope nobody gives you abrand new car when you’re sixteen.It will be good if at least one time youcan see puppies born and your old dogput to sleep.I hope you get a black eye fighting forsomething you believe in.I hope you have to share a bedroom withyour younger brother/sister. And it’s allright if you have to draw a line downthe middle of the room, but when theywant to crawl under the covers with youJUNIOR ENLISTEDFAMILY CENTER,YMCA FOOD PANTRYThe YMCA Food Pantry providesservices to E-5s and below and islocated in building #1717 (the oldcommissary) on Marshall Road. Theentrance for the Food Pantry is behindthe building by the loading docksnear Pleasonton Road. The hours ofoperation are Tuesday, Wednesday,and Friday from Noon to 1700 hours.In an emergency, occasionally a Jr.Grade Officer or a Retiree is helped.To receive food, a form must be signedby a chaplain or someone in authorityin the soldier’s unit. Families mustshow a military I.D. The center focusesbecause they’re scared, I hope you letthem.When you want to see a movie and yourlittle brother/sister wants to tag along, Ihope you’ll let them.I hope you have to walk uphill to schoolwith your friends and that you live in atown where you can do it safely.On rainy days when you have to catch aride, I hope you don’t ask your driver todrop you two blocks away so you won’tbe seen riding with someone as uncoolas your Mom.If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dadteaches you how to make one instead ofbuying it.I hope you learn to dig in the dirt andread books.When you learn to use computers, I hopeyou also learn to add and subtract inyour head.I hope you get teased by your friendswhen you have your first crush; andwhen you talk back to your mother Ihope you learn what ivory soap tasteslike.May you skin your knee climbing amountain, burn your hand on a stoveand stick your tongue on a frozenflagpole.on helping truly needy families.The pantry accepts any sealed nonperishable food. Items that routinelyrun out of are peanut butter, cannedtuna, cereal, pasta, and pasta sauce.Disposable diapers in all sizes, babyformula and baby food are, also, inneed.If you are redecorating your homeand you have furniture, or otherhousehold items in good conditionI don’t care if you try a beer once, but Ihope you don’t like it And if a friendoffers you dope or a joint, I hope yourealize they are not really your friend.I sure hope you make time to sit on aporch with your Grand Parents and gofishing with your Uncle.May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joyduring the holidays.I hope your mother punishes you whenyou throw a baseball through yourneighbor’s window and that she hugsand kisses you at Christmas time whenyou give her a plaster mold of yourhand.These things I wish for you – toughtimes and disappointment, hard workand happiness.To me, it’s the only way to appreciatelife.As your chaplain, I would only addthis—I hope that you will come to realizethat God holds all these things andyou in the hollow of his hand.A Happy and Blessed New Year in2014.that you would like t
USAA Auto Insurance. Earned once. Cher ished from generation to generation. At USAA, our commitment to serve the financial needs of our military members, veterans who have honorably served and their families is without equal. In fact, families regard USAA Auto Insurance so highly, 95% of USAA mem
