Letter

Commander’s Comments.
Aloha loyal Companions and supporters of the Gaylord-Dillingham Memorial Chapter!  Welcome back! After our traditional Summer Break, it is time to get ready for another busy autumn and winter.  Recruiting continues to be a top-priority task, and I encourage all members to make the personal effort to find and recruit new Companions to our Order and Chapter. At our next meeting on 30 September, we’ll review the way ahead for our first Youth Leadership Conference under lead of LTC (Ret) Bob Takao. We also have to plan for our annual Veterans Day observances at the National Cemetery of the Pacific and the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery.
LTC (Ret) Jeff Tom

Installation of Officers
At the 24 June Chapter meeting, the new officer slate was installed. Your 2016-2017 officer slate is Arthur Tulak as the Sr Vice CDR, Les Bise as Jr Vice CDR, Doug Thomas as Adjutant, Les Loo as Treasurer, and Edna Loo as Chaplain.

Region and State MOWW Commanders Meeting.
The Council of Region Commanders and the Council of Department and State Commanders, met in San Diego, CA on 31 July, 2012. Our Chapter is in Region XIV, which has the greatest number of chapters (fifteen).  MOWW Chief of Staff BG Morrill reminded everyone of the importance of submitting their 990-N to the IRS and completing the IRS Certification (HQ MOWW Form 1) to National HQ NLT 30 September. BG Morrill reported that MOWW has made progress since the past year, but still had a long way to go for timeliness and completeness of the financial reporting.

2013 National Convention –
The Dallas and North Texas Chapters, proudly hosted the 2013 National Convention in Dallas Texas from 13-18 August. The City of Dallas passed a proclamation designating the week Military Order of World Wars Week. 
Outgoing CINC, LTC Gary O. Engen, USA (Ret) reviewed the goals set for 2012-2013, which remain valid still:
• 5% net increase in membership.
• increase or emphasis in chapter outreach programs,
• recognition of chapter Companions,
• chapter/MOWW visibility and
• improved training for chapter leaders.
Captain, USAF (Ret), Deborah A. Kash, Senior Vice Commander-in-Chief, mentioned our Chapter in her report to the Convention for having competed in the Chapter Newsletter competition for the first time, as an example of our activity.  Region XIV Commander, Thomas E. Hanson, provided several hard-hitting observations that are worth repeating here for our consideration as a Chapter:
“Chapters must be more than a “Senior Citizens Knife and Fork Club”; they must be doing things that are interesting to both members and non-members alike, things that are appealing and stimulating to companions and their families, and the public.”  Following these points, the report of the Membership Committee reminded all that “the impetus of recruiting and retaining members is to make the membership in MOWW meaningful to the community.” To read more about the National Convention, visit:
https://www.militaryorder.net/2013%20CONVENTION%20BOOK--FINAL%20VERSION.2--6%20Aug%2013.pdf

Veterans Day Commemorations – the Chapter will once again support Veterans Day observances at the National Cemetery of the Pacific and the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery on 11 November. Volunteers are needed – if you would like to support, contact the Commander.

Chapter Future Operations
Our next Chapter meeting is on Monday, 30 September at Sam Choy’s Island Bar and Grille on Hickam Air Base. Invitations will be sent out via e-mail along with a special lunch menu. We are inviting once again officers from the NOAA Corps and Public Health Service to come be our guests for lunch, and learn about our organization.

Patriot Day. Title 36 of US Code( § 144) requests the President to issue each year a proclamation calling on: 1) State and local governments and the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day, 11 September, with appropriate programs and activities, and; 2) all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and interested organizations and individuals to display the flag of the United States at half-staff on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Constitution Week. Title 36 USC (§ 108) requests the President to issue each year a proclamation— 1) designating September 17 through September 23 as Constitution Week; and 2) inviting the people of the United States to observe Constitution Week, in schools, churches, and other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day, observances are held across the country on military installations, hips at sea, state capitols, schools and veterans' facilities. It is traditionally observed on the third Friday in September each year. Congress has mandated the flying of the National League of Families' POW/MIA flag for POW/MIA Recognition Day and Veterans Day.  October 3, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the 7th uniformed service, was established on this day in 1970 under the Department of Commerce.
Days to display the American Flag:
11 Sept - Patriots Day
17 Sept – Constitution Day
18 Sept – U.S. Air Force established 1947
20 Sept – POW MIA Recognition Day
Companion Birthdays:
Hau`oli Lā Hānau! to our companions who will soon, or recently have celebrated a birthday. We value your membership and wish you another prosperous year.
September birthdays:
Ann Morano – 4 Sep
Bicentennial Commemoration of the War of 1812:
  Two hundred years ago, on September 5, 1813, the very first U.S. Navy Ship to bear the name Enterprise, was on patrol on the eastern seaboard when it sighted and gave chase to the brig HMS Boxer. The USS Enterprise with 16 guns with 102 men defeated and captured the HMS
October birthdays:
LTC George Vickers – 9 Oct

Boxer with 14 guns with 66 men off Pemaquid Point, Maine.
Civil War Sesquicentennial.
One hundred fifty years ago last month, on 14 August 1863, Confederate forces under Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith begins an invasion of Kentucky as part of a Confederate plan to draw the Yankee army of General Don Carlos Buell away from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and to raise support for the Southern cause in Kentucky.
On August 30, in a decisive battle, General Smith led his 10,000 troops in an encounter with a Union Army force, under the command of General Mahlon D. Manson. General Manson’s force of 6,500 troops, who were defending the high ground around Richmond, included many new soldiers with no battle experience. The Confederate advance routed the defending Union Army with most of it being captured during the pursuit.
The loss was complete for the Yankees. More than 4,300 of the 6,500 Federals were captured, including Manson and his entire staff. Confederate losses stood at 98 killed, 492 wounded, and 10 missing out of 6,800. The Rebels captured Lexington two days later.
50th Commemoration of the Vietnam War:
While the official 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War will be in 2015, the president and Congress requested the secretary of Defense to begin planning the Vietnam War commemoration in 2007. The DoD Vietnam 50th Commemoration Committee will be active across the country for the next decade honoring the generation that went to war in Indo-China to protect the freedom of the people of the Republic of Vietnam.
Fifty years ago in October 1963, American troops in South Vietnam rose to 16, 732.1 After visiting Vietnam to further assess the military and political situation, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and General Maxwell Taylor confirm the progress of the war.
In accordance with the McNamara-Taylor recommendations, President Kennedy signed National Security (NSAM) 263 on October 11, 1963, which directed the withdrawal of 1,000 U.S. troops from Vietnam by the end of the year.2 From mid-1962 until President Kennedy’s death in November 1963, the administration formed a plan to disengage from direct, large-scale military involvement in Vietnam, but found it difficult to implement. U.S. funds had created a large South Vietnamese army, but despite the training provided by U.S. advisors, the ARVN was challenged by the less equipped Viet Cong.
On November 24, 1963, Johnson said, "the battle against communism... must be joined... with strength and determination." The pledge came at a time when Vietnam was deteriorating, especially in places like the Mekong Delta, because of the recent coup against Diem. President Johnson reversed Kennedy's disengagement policy from Vietnam and signed NSAM 273 on November 26, 1963 to expand the war.3
Stolen Valor Act:
The Stolen Valor Act was signed into effect as Public Law 113-12 on June 3, 2013, making it a criminal offense with financial punishments for those who try to profit from fraudulently claiming to have received the Medal of Honor and other high military honors.
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_in_the_Vietnam_War
2 https://www.vietnamgear.com/war1963.aspx
3 https://vietnamwar-database.blogspot.jp/2010/08/lyndon-b-johnson-expands-war-19631969.html
Figure 3: “The Enterprise and Boxer” 1838 Engraving by Abel Bowen
Photo 4: UH-1, Ban me Thout Air Strip, September 1963