september 2014 northern new jersey chapter northern...
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome : Congressman Rodney Freylinghuysen
President’s Message — Lt Col Chuck Sweetman, USAF, RET
As we go into our last Chapter Luncheon
before our summer break, we have be-
come more pro-active in our efforts to sup-
port State and National issues. The major
source of impetus for this effort is named
MAJ Joe Richardson in his leadership as
State Council President. He has presented
us with a clear roadmap for communi-
cating with our legislatures at the State
and National level for MOAA issues. He
and LTC Mike Renahan have produced the
document which was submitted to Nation-
al for a Five-Star Level of Excellence
Award. Our chapter continues to shine as
a beacon of excellence for our financial
status through USAA. We will continue to
present four (4) College ROTC Scholar-
ships, and we continue to present 16 to
20 high school JROTC awards. Our chap-
ter is actively involved in the formation of
a Veterans Administration Community
Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) for the
Warren and Sussex area (thank you MAJ
John Bowen). Over the past two years we
have supported (donated) the efforts to
have a State cemetery for Veterans on the
property of the Sussex County Vo-Tech
School. Lastly, our outstanding guest
speakers (thank you LTC Renahan). We’ll
culminate with a visit by Congressman
Rodney Frelinghuysen on 19 June. He has
been a tremendous advocate for Veteran
issues for many years.
Have a great Summer.
http://nnj-
moaa.org
September 2014
Northern New Jersey Chapter
RETIRED, ACTIVE, RESERVE, NATIONAL GUARD, & FORMER OFFICERS
Comrades for Life
PRESIDENT
Lt Col Charles Sweetman, USAF, RET
1st VICE PRESIDENT
BG William Marshall, USA, RET
2nd VICE PRESIDENT
LTC Michael Renahan, USA, RET
SECRETARY
MAJ Joseph Richardson, USA, RET
TREASURER
MAJ Arthur Tokle, Jr., USA, RET
PAST PRESIDENTS
† Capt Walter Humak, USAF
† Maj William McNally, USAF, RET
† CDR Chester Handley, USN, RET
LCDR Richard Parsons, USN, RET
† Lt Col Nelson Lenhardt, USAF, RET
† CW4 Maurice Nielsen, USA, RET
† CAPT Franklin Beardsley, USN, RET
LCDR Robert Metsger, USN, RET
† COL Peter Dudrow, USA, RET
† CAPT Austin Volk, USN. RET
† CAPT Donald Beers, USN, RET
COL Victor Arzoomanian, USA, RET
CDR John Hall, USCG, RET
Lt Col Charles Sweetman, USAF, RET
COL Ralph Hemecker, USA, RET
COL Richard DeMarco, USA, RET
Capt Richard Forman, USAF, RET
MAJ Joseph Richardson, USA, RET
LTC William Hart, Jr., USA, RET
As Chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Frelinghuysen has be-
come a well respected voice on foreign, military and intelligence affairs. He has made nu-
merous trips to Afghanistan and the Middle East to see the situation through the lens of
those New Jerseyans serving our nation.
He is a member of the American Legion Post 59 and a life member of the Veterans of For-
eign Wars Post 3401. His Congressional outreach initiatives include his Youth Advisory
Committee and the Picatinny Working Group.
Inside this issue:
Letter to the Editor 2
John Adams’ Comment 2
May Speakers 3
Various Notices 3
Luncheon Schedule 3
Officers & Chairmen 3
Meeting Reservations 4
http://nnj-moaa.org
June 2015 Northern New Jersey Chapter
We are proud to welcome, as our June speaker, Congress-
man Rodney Frelinghuysen (R NJ-11) . His last visit with us
was in May of 2011. Frelinghuysen graduated from Hobart
College in 1969. After graduation, he completed basic
training at Fort Dix and served in Vietnam with the 93rd
Engineer Battalion (Construction) in the Mekong Delta.
He is serving his eleventh term as the Representative for
New Jersey's 11th Congressional District. In the 114th Con-
gress, Frelinghuysen serves as New Jersey's senior mem-
ber of the House Appropriations Committee and on three
key appropriations subcommittees: Defense, where he
serves as Chairman, Homeland Security and. Energy and
Water Development.
Page 2 Northern New Jersey Chapter
A Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor:
Last month we remembered and celebrated the memories of the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who gave
their lives for us and our freedoms. Next month we will celebrate the birth of the new nation for which they gave their lives.
Over the years, 239 to be exact, there have been many challenges to our great country. Some were from the outside, such as
the foreign wars, and some were from the inside such as the tragic Civil War. There have been other challenges that were and
are far more subtle.
The second sentence of the Declaration of Independence reads: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed,...” This has been called "one of the best-known sentences in the English language", containing
"the most potent and consequential words in American history".
The Preamble to our Constitution reads: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, es-
tablish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the
Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
There are two points that I wish to make here. In the Declaration of Independence it states that the government derives
its powers through the consent of the governed. The Constitution states that the government is to provide for the common
defense.
As officers of the United States Armed Forces we took an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic”. As members of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) we remain
committed to that oath. We are still serving in that we are actively supporting legislation at the state and federal levels that
will insure that we have a strong, vibrant military.
We need to keep the families of our service men and women ever at the front of our daily actions. Imagine yourself as a
mother raising young children alone while your husband is deployed for a year. Imagine that has happened five times before
he was 30 years old. Imagine the young 21 year old soldier who was killed on his third deployment and is now buried at the
Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown .
We, as members of MOAA, need to keep the pressure on our legislators to maintain a strong military. That means giving
our service personnel an adequate salary, not arbitrarily cutting it to save money. We need to fund the training and equipment
necessary to retain our position as the only existing superpower. Remember, no one messes with the biggest, toughest guy on
the block. We need to be that guy or the little guys will surely take advantage of us. We need to take care of our troops. We
cannot nor should not ask them to deploy as often as is now the case. We cannot allow this to happen and then cut their pay.
We cannot allow this to happen and then reduce the medical support for them or their families.
It is up to us, all of us, to maintain pressure on our legislators to support MOAA’s agenda. I strongly recommend that all of
you, husbands and wives, subscribe to MOAA’s Legislative Update. In last month’s Chapter newsletter was a step-by-step pro-
cedure on how to access your federal legislator. Take advantage of it. Let your voice be heard, the same way as those who
signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution made theirs heard.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA AND GOD BLESS OUR BELOVED TROOPS !
Respectfully Submitted,
A Fellow Patriot
The second day of July 1776, will be the most memorable epoch, in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be cele-
brated, by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by
solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells,
bonfires and Illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more. You will think me trans-
ported with enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this Declara-
tion, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that
the end is more than worth all the means. And that posterity will triumph in that days transaction, even although we should rue it,
which I trust in God we shall not. —- John Adams, 2 July 1776
John Adams’ Comments on the Birth of a Nation
Various Notices
Page 3 Northern New Jersey Chapter
Checks for CHAPTER dues, scholar-
ship fund donations, and luncheons are
to be made out to NNJ-MOAA. Please
indicate the purpose of the check, i.e.,
dues, scholarship, etc.
Checks for luncheons should be
mailed to Chuck Sweetman at the ad-
dress on page 4.
Checks for CHAPTER dues and schol-
arship donations are to be mailed to:
Treasurer, NNJ-MOAA
USARMY ARDEC
Building 121
Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806
Annual Chapter dues are:
Regular Members $25
Auxiliary Members $15
Checks for MOAA National dues are
to be made out to MOAA National
and sent to:
MOAA
PO Box 1488
Merrifield, VA 22116
2015-16 Luncheon Schedule
No Luncheons in July and August
September 18, Friday
October 16, Friday
November 20, Friday
December 12, Saturday
January 15, Friday
February 19, Friday
President Lt Col Charles Sweetman, USAF, RET (732) 574-8976 [email protected]
1st Vice President BG William Marshall, USA, RET (973) 663-2950 [email protected]
2nd Vice President LTC Michael Renahan, USA, RET (973) 822-1529 [email protected]
Secretary MAJ Joseph Richardson, USA, RET (973) 838-7823 [email protected]
Treasurer MAJ Arthur Tokle, Jr., USA, RET (973) 625-1973 [email protected]
Archivist MAJ John Bowen, USA, RET (908) 850-5178 [email protected]
Scholarship / Awards LCDR Barbara Schultz, USN (908) 813-3211 [email protected]
Chaplain Father Edward Dillon, NYPD, RET (610) 982-5294
Assistant Chaplain Father Daniel Chajkowski, CDNAF (201) 620-7179 [email protected]
Council Affairs MAJ Joseph Richardson, USA, RET (973) 838-7823 [email protected]
Legislative / Auxiliary Mrs Irene Richardson (973) 838-4437 [email protected]
Membership COL William Evers, USA, RET (973) 492-1193 [email protected]
Meeting Reservations Lt Col Charles Sweetman, USAF, RET (732) 574-8976 [email protected]
Newsletter Editor MAJ Joseph Richardson, USA, RET (973) 838-7823 [email protected]
Programs LTC Michael Renahan, USA, RET (973) 822-1529 [email protected]
Webmaster CAPT Robert Ardis, USN, RET (908) 879-5806 [email protected]
Board Member LTC John Figueroa, USA, RET (973) 343-7651 [email protected]
Our May speakers were from the Army War College, Carlisle, PA. They each
spoke on their involvement in the military. From right to left: LTC James Ben-
son, USA, moderator of the panel, who spoke on the “Role of the National
Guard in Support of Urban Areas”. COL James Ellerson, USA, who spoke on
Interagency Coordination. COL Marie Dominguez, MD USA, who spoke on
the “Military Health System Reorganization—Lessons from our partner na-
tions”. CDR A.K. Williams, USN, who spoke on the “Integration of Innova-
tion and Technology in the Military”. At the far left is our President Lt Col
Chuck Sweetman.
May Speakers
Current Chapter Officers and Committee Chairmen
Northern New Jersey Chapter
US Army ARDEC
Building 121
Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000
First Class Mail
MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA—NORTHERN NEW JERSEY CHAPTER
JUNE MEETING RESERVATION
MAIL TO: Lt Col Charles Sweetman, USAF
238 Elm Avenue
Rahway, NJ 07065-3241
Make checks payable to NNJ-MOAA. Guests are always welcome !
Reservations may also be made by phone — call Chuck at (732) 574-8976
EVENT: Congressman Rodney P. Frelinghuysen will be the guest speaker
WHEN: 1130 Friday 19 June (reservations required no later than 17 June)
WHERE: The Cannon Gate Catering and Conference Center, Picatinny Arsenal
Number Attending Price Total
Please reserve the following: $20.00
NAME: PHONE:
Because meals must be ordered in advance, no shows may be invoiced if reservations are not cancelled by
Wednesday 17 June. Call Chuck Sweetman at (732) 574-8976. Please pay by check if at all possible.
Picatinny Arsenal is an active military installation, please allow time for the enhanced security
measures now in effect as you enter, particularly if you do not have DoD decals on your vehicle.