Colonel Duffy Speaks on Veteran's day 2011

Colonel Don Moomaw 2011 Veteran on The Year

Don Moomaw, a retired Air Force/Army colonel, was named as the 2011 Wayne County Veteran of the Year during the event.
"This is a surprise," Moomaw said, a retired United States Air Force colonel, as he thanked those in the 555th Honors Detachment who recommended him and others who selected him as Veteran of the Year.
Moomaw, a decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War, also served as an Air Force reservist as well as in the Ohio Organized Militia. He has been married 64 years to his wife, Betty. They have four children.
"It's been an honor to be able to wear the uniform and serve," Moomaw said.
His name will now be enshrined on a plaque with past Veterans of the Year, which hangs in the Wayne County administration building.

Vivan Duffy, a retired Colonel in the United States Army, was the day's featured speaker.
His speech focused on the importance of upholding the oaths and pledges to the nation, as described in oaths taken by military members at the time of their enlistment.
"If we forget we are one nation under God, then we will become one nation gone under," Duffy said.
And an emotional Eric Coots, president of the Joint Veterans Association and veteran of the Somalia conflict, urged everyone in attendance to honor current troops as they begin returning home.
"Make sure to give special recognition to the veterans currently serving in Afghanistan and the far-reaches of the world," he said. "And thanks to the families of veterans... without their families, a lot of veterans wouldn't be where they are today."
Tim Neal, county clerk of courts, sang the national anthem and "Proud to be an American" during the ceremony.

555 Member Speaks in Doylestown.

Chuck Craig speaks to the Veterans Day dinner at the Doylestown American Legion Post on Nov. 6. Craig is the President of the Wayne County Veterans Service Commission.

He Looks Like Us...He Is Us..

A POEM WORTH READING

(Author Unknown)


He was getting
old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew whereof he spoke.


But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For old Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won’t be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Someone who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end?

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

British Air Show

AIRSHOW: See 16 Spitfires in the air at once ......... What a sweet sounding engine !!!

See great aircraft pictures at: http://www.airshows.org.uk/2010/airshows/duxford-battle-of-britain-airshow-review.html

Old pix of Davis-Monthan AFB

THIS PHOTOGRAPHER HAS DONE A MAGNIFICENT JOB OF DESCRIBING HIS PHOTOS OF MILITARY AIRCRAFT RETIRED TO THE BONE YARD MANY YEARS AGO. To seethe complete collection go to: http://www.dhc-2.com/Monthan_Memories.html

TRICARE Reduces Pharmacy Home Delivery Co-Pays

September 07, 2011
No. 11-56


FALLS CHURCH, Va. - Copayments for some medications provided through TRICARE
Pharmacy Home Delivery are being reduced to zero. As of Oct. 1, 2011, Home
Delivery beneficiaries may fill generic prescriptions at no cost to themselves.

Generic formulary drugs purchased through Home Delivery currently cost $3 for a
90-day supply, but as of Oct. 1 the copayment drops to zero.

"These new copays make using TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery more affordable than
ever," said Rear Adm. Christine Hunter, TRICARE Management Activity deputy
director. "Home Delivery offers a great value for patients taking maintenance
medications for chronic conditions."

The following changes to the TRICARE pharmacy copayments are scheduled to go
into effect Oct. 1:

. Generic formulary drugs purchased at retail pharmacies will go from $3 to $5.

. Brand name formulary drugs from retail pharmacies will go from $9 to $12.
. Non-formulary medications will go from $22 to $25 in both retail and Home
Delivery.

Brand name formulary drugs purchased through Home Delivery will have the same $9
copayment. Copayments for prescriptions filled through Home Delivery cover a
90-day supply, but only a 30-day supply when purchased at a retail pharmacy.

"This is the first change to TRICARE pharmacy copays since 2002," Hunter said.
"Our goal is to keep costs as low as possible for our beneficiaries and DoD."

Military, their families and retirees are increasingly using Home Delivery to
get their maintenance medications conveniently delivered through U.S. mail -
saving TRICARE about $30 million in 2010. Use of Home Delivery has grown in 2011
by nearly 10 percent over 2010. More than 1 million prescriptions per month are
filled through the service.

For more information about TRICARE pharmacy, the new copayment rates and Home
Delivery, visit www.tricare.mil/pharmacy.


SOURCE: TRICARE News Release at http://www.tricare.mil/mediacenter/default.aspx

More Sleepwalker Pictures

The Greatest Generation

RITTMAN - The city paused a bit July 28 in its revelry to honor "The Greatest Generation."
As part of the Sleepwalker Festival, the intersection of Main Street and Ohio Avenue filled up after the parade that night to give a salute to the veterans of the Second World War.
"I am truly honored to have this opportunity to welcome you to this special tribute to a group of local heroes," Mayor Bill Robertson said in his opening remarks. "We are humbled by their service to our country and we honor them today as a symbolic representation of all World War II veterans from throughout our area, our state and our nation."
The tribute began solemnly with long-deferred honors for a deceased veteran. Cpl. John Grieves died in 1950 and was buried without military honors in Cleveland. His daughter, Jackie Grieves-Bauman, had his remains transferred to Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in 2002. The 555th Honors Detachment, a group of volunteer veterans who provide honors at the national cemetery, saw an opportunity both to give Grieves the honors he didn't get and to let the general public see a military funeral.
"The 555th wanted to do a memorial service," said funeral director Bob Gillman, whose business provided the hearse and empty casket for the service, said. "A lot of the public doesn't get to witness a military funeral."
Gillman Funeral Home also provided flowers to Grieves' family.
Veteran Chuck Craig narrated each segment of the funeral service as the honor guard brought the flag-draped casket out and folded the flag, presenting it to Bauman. A squad of seven riflemen fired three volleys in salute.
After the funeral honors, 10 World War II veterans were escorted to the platform on the east side of the intersection. Presenters from the 555th read a brief synopsis of each veteran's service and the mayor presented each with a proclamation. Representatives from the state and county governments were also there to salute the veterans, as well as a member of U.S. Representative Jim Renacci's office.
"Honoring these veterans today lets the veterans of our current wars know that they will not be forgotten," Maj. Gen. Todd Carmony of the Indiana National Guard said.
Carmony reminded the audience that about 12 percent of the nation's population at the time fought in the second World War, compared with less than 1 percent in our two wars today.
"Those who were not serving produced materials for the war at a tremendous rate," Carmony said, adding that the enormous casualty rate of the conflict meant nearly every family in America was affected in some way.
"By their example, we learned what it means to be an American," Carmony said.
Honored veterans were: Joseph De Luca Jr., Army; Dale Roher, Army Air Corps; Ike Frase, Army; Dean Foster, Navy; Robert McCarter, Navy; Francis Elmerick, Merchant Marine; Meryle Schaefer, Army Air Corps; Lloyd Boyer, Army; George Allenbaugh, Navy; and Orin Rufener, Army.
One of the veterans is also a prominent Rittman citizen. Dale Rohrer and his wife Elizabeth were both honored as Outstanding Citizens by the mayor.

The 2011 Triple Nickel Spouse Photo (7/11)

Frank Buckles

Frank Woodruff Buckles (February 1, 1901 – February 27, 2011) was one of the last three surviving World War I veterans in the world, and was the last living American veteran of the war.[4] At the time of his death, Buckles was also the oldest verified World War I veteran in the world, and the second-oldest male military veteran in the world.[5] Although not in the military at the time, Buckles spent the majority of World War II as a prisoner of war. After the world wars, he lived at Gap View Farm, in Charles Town, West Virginia, and was the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation

Bill Graham

We are all saddened to hear of the death of our comrade and friend Bill Graham. We will all miss his council and humor, his dedication and friendship. The newspaper announcement follows:


WOOSTER -- William Marshall "Bill" Graham, 76, of Wooster, died peacefully on Monday morning, Feb. 28, 2011, surrounded by family.

Bill was born May 14, 1934, in Wooster, to Paul W. and Mary Gladys (Marshall) Graham, and had attended Wooster City Schools. He was co-captain of the 1951 WHS football team, and president of his 1952 graduating class.

He was raised and had worked on the family farm until going to serve in the U.S. Army from 1955-57 stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. Upon his return he worked as a mechanic with several Akron-Wooster based trucking firms. He retired in 2000 after 25 years as head bus mechanic for Triway Local School District.

Surviving are a daughter, Jackie M. (Fred) Acord and granddaughter, Karlie Acord of Wadsworth, and a son, Gary W. Graham of Wooster; a brother, Richard (Joan) Graham of Wooster; a stepsister, Elaine (John) Ludwig of LaHabra Heights, Calif.; his stepmother, Vivian Graham of LaHabra, Calif.; and his ex-wife, Faye Saurer Graham

His parents preceded him in death.

Bill was a member of Central Christian Church, Ebenezer Lodge No. 33 F&AM and was a 32 degree master mason. He served as a member of the 555 Military Honors Detachment "The Triple Nickel" performing military burials at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman.

He was an avid Green Bay Packers fan and collected and restored older two cylinder John Deere tractors, played drums in the Stocksdale Square Dance Band and loved to dance and 50s music. One of his greatest joys was to watch all the smiling faces on the kids at "Rural Youth" square dances over the years.

He enjoyed skiing in Colorado, telling and hearing stories, "Fridays at the Parlor" and volunteering for various Wayne County groups. He loved spending time with "his buddy" granddaughter, Karlie and watching her play fast pitch softball and basketball.

A Masonic memorial service will be Thursday, March 3, at 10 a.m. at Central Christian Church, with the Rev. Kevin Phipps officiating. Burial will be in Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman at 2 p.m.

McIntire, Davis & Greene Funeral Home, 216 E. Larwill St., Wooster, is assisting the family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hospice & Palliative Care of Greater Wayne County, 2525 Back Orrville Road, Wooster 44691 (for the construction of the new inpatient building); or Central Christian Church, 407 N. Market St., Wooster 44691.

As a family, we extend our sincere thanks to all the friends who sent cards with special notes and memories to Dad in his last weeks. He was humbled and said he did not realize that he had touched so many people's lives. Dad did not lose the battle, he was a 5 1/2 year survivor of pancreatic cancer and it was time to move on to the land of more.

2011 SCHEDULE - NOTE TUESDAY MEETINGS

555 Christmas Stockings Enjoyed in Afganistan

Below is SGT Shamp's message to us:

Thank you for the box of Christmas Stockings! It got here just in time. I collected them up and passed them around to the guys that were around and they all wanted me to thank you guys. The lens of my camera had dust on it when I was taking the pictures, but I guess that just adds to the "realness" of the images!
Merry Christmas! Mason

PFC Liber Berardinelli

Indigent WWII vet in Ohio gets proper burial

By Brian Albrecht - The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer via AP
Posted : Monday Apr 26, 2010 22:07:25 EDT

RITTMAN, Ohio — Army Pfc. wasn't alone when he fought across France and Germany during World War II.

He had buddies to watch his back.

And the 85-year-old former infantryman from Euclid wasn't alone Friday, when he was laid to rest at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman.

He may have died indigent, and there may not have been any family or friends to say goodbye at the funeral, but he had buddies there, too.

The first link in a chain of caring started with Michael Brown, assistant law director for the city of Euclid, whose duties include arranging for the burial or cremation of indigent residents.

He handles about a dozen such cases every year. But the one involving the April 5 death of Berardinelli brought back a rush of old memories.

Berardinelli had been his neighbor on Dille Road when Brown was growing up. Brown had cut the guy's grass. Berardinelli's wife, Bessie, made extra spaghetti sauce for the Brown kids. The Berardinellis attended all the graduations and first communions of the Browns. And the Browns went over to Berardinelli's house every Christmas Eve.

"He was a really nice guy. Very friendly," Brown recalled. "Just a down-to-earth guy."

Sometimes the vet, who worked as a school crossing guard, would talk about the war. About landing on the D-Day beaches of Normandy where — as Brown said Berardinelli once put it — "your life expectancy was about 15 seconds."

When Brown received notice of Berardinelli's death and indigent status, he was unable to find any family members. So he decided to make sure the old soldier got a proper military burial.

"He was a good guy and he served our country, and he deserved to be treated like that," he said.

Berardinelli actually had two brothers, Anthony, 82, of Cleveland Heights, and Joseph, 84, of Cleveland. But Anthony Berardinelli said Friday that he and Anthony had been estranged from Liber, at his insistence, since their high school days in Collinwood.

He was not aware that his older brother had died.

After confirming Berardinelli's military history through the county Veterans Service Commission, Brown contacted the Corrigan Craciun Funeral Home to arrange for a casket, hearse and transportation.

Jim Craciun, a manager of the funeral home, said the Veterans Service Commission provides $995 toward the burial expenses of indigent veterans. The sum doesn't cover the actual costs, he said, but "if you're not doing this, you're not doing what you should be doing in the community.

"Everybody's helping out," he added. "Us, this attorney (Brown), the people of Cuyahoga County, the cemetery. This guy's going to get a beautiful service."

Come Friday, as the one-car funeral procession traveled from Cleveland to the national cemetery, preparations were under way to provide Berardinelli with full military honors.

Every veteran and spouse gets a burial plot, vault, headstone and perpetual care at the cemetery, where 65 percent of the graves are those of World War II veterans.

Each vet also gets ceremonial honors including a three-volley rifle salute, the playing of "Taps" and the formal folding and presentation of an American flag by active-duty military members.

"It doesn't matter whether you have money or not. Everybody gets this, everybody deserves this," said Lorri Tagliaferro, cemetery program assistant. "That's the least we can do for them.

"Nobody goes out alone," she added. Sometimes when mourners are totally absent, cemetery volunteers will step in.

When the hearse bearing Berardinelli's casket pulled up to the cemetery's open air chapel, members of the 555th Honors Detachment of Wooster braced to attention. For the ceremonial flag, rifle and bugle salutes, 41 volunteer honor teams of Northeast Ohio veterans rotate the cemetery duty.

As the hearse arrived with no motorcycle escort, no procession, no grieving relatives and no pallbearers, Detachment member Russ Davidson, 60, a Vietnam-era veteran, noted, "It happens, and it's unfortunate.

"But he's entitled to the same ceremony as anybody else," he added. "That's who we're doing this for — the veteran. As for us, it's just our way of giving back."

A cemetery worker wheeled Berardinelli's casket into the chapel, where the air hung heavy and suitably somber.

Michael Brown took a front seat, a lone mourner in a chapel of empty benches and whispered breezes.

A member of the honor team read a poem, "Reflection on a Friend."

"... We do not know if he was enlisted or called. We know that when his country called, he answered ..."

Seven rifles drilled into the blue skies overhead. "Taps" drifted from an invisible bugler via the chapel sound system.

Two white-gloved members of the Ohio Army National Guard's Honor Team removed the flag covering the casket and crisply tucked it into a triangle. Staff Sgt. Larry Jenkins handed the folded flag to Brown, in lieu of a loved one, with the formal "on behalf of a grateful nation" salutation.

As usual. As always. Everything to the military letter in 13 minutes flat. The only thing missing was people.

Yet for Brown, a guy who had seen this through solely on the weight of some distant childhood memories, it was an unexpectedly moving tribute.

Red-faced, clutching the flag to his chest, he said, "I feel — I don't know — more emotional than I thought I would.

"But I feel good," he added. "He was paid his respects for serving his country, and I feel good. I wanted to be here, so I'd know he was taken care of."

Brown walked back to the hearse for the long ride home, a buddy that Liber Berardinelli never knew he had.

But as it turned out, one of many.

Military Fellowship Endures

When a Veteran leaves the 'job' and retires to a
better life, many are jealous, some are pleased, and others,
who may have already retired, wonder if he knows what he is
leaving behind, because we already know.

1. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of
camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing
for those past times.

2. We know in the Military life there is a fellowship which
lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the
closet.

3. We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him
with every step and breath that remains in his life. We also
know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was
and in his heart still is.

These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at
people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or
choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the
Military world with a respect for what they do; only grown
in a lifetime of knowing.

Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life.
You are only escaping the 'job' and merely being
allowed to leave 'active' duty.

So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into
retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment
that you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the
world has ever known.

NOW! Civilian Friends vs. Veteran Friends Comparisons

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you're too busy to talk
to them for a week.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will
happily carry on the same conversation you were having the
last time you met.
------------------------------ ---------------------
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have cried with you.
---------------------------------------------------
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget
it's yours.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give
it back.
------------------------------ -------------------
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from
you.
---------------------------------------------------
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what
the crowd is doing.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will kick the crowd's ass that left
you behind.
---------------------------------------------------
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are for a while.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are for life.
----------------------------------------------------------
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have shared a few experiences.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences no
citizen could ever dream of.
---------------------------------------------------
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think
you've had enough.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the
place and say, 'You better drink the rest of that before
you spill it!' Then carry you home safely and put you to
bed...
----------------------------------------------------
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk crap to the person who talks
crap about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will knock the hell out OF THEM for
using your name in vain.
---------------------------------------------------
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will ignore this.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will forward this.
----------------------------------------------------
A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or reserve- is
someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check
made payable to 'The Government of the United States of
America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my
life'.
From one Veteran to another, it's an honor to be in your company. Thank you

MAJ Richard 'Dick' Winters dies at age 92

PHILADELPHIA -- Richard "Dick" Winters, the Easy Company commander whose World War II exploits were made famous by the book and television miniseries "Band of Brothers," died last week in central Pennsylvania. He was 92.

Winters died following a several-year battle with Parkinson's disease, longtime family friend William Jackson said today.

An intensely private and humble man, Winters had asked that news of his death be withheld until after his funeral, Jackson said. Winters lived in Hershey, Pa., but died in suburban Palmyra.

The men Winters led expressed their admiration for their company commander after learning of his death.

William Guarnere, 88, said what he remembers about Winters was "great leadership."

"When he said, 'Let's go,' he was right in the front," Guarnere, who was called "Wild Bill" by his comrades, said Sunday night from his South Philadelphia home. "He was never in the back. A leader personified."

Another member of the unit living in Philadelphia, Edward Heffron, 87, said thinking about Winters brought a tear to his eye.

"He was one hell of a guy, one of the greatest soldiers I was ever under," said Heffron, who had the nickname "Babe" in the company. "He was a wonderful officer, a wonderful leader. He had what you needed, guts and brains. He took care of his men, that's very important."

Winters was born Jan. 21, 1918, and studied economics at Franklin & Marshall College before enlisting, according to a biography on the Penn State website.

Winters became the leader of Company E, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division on D-Day, after the death of the company commander during the invasion of Normandy.

During that invasion, Winters led 13 of his men in destroying an enemy battery and obtained a detailed map of German defenses along Utah Beach. In September 1944, he led 20 men in a successful attack on a German force of 200 soldiers. Occupying the Bastogne area of Belgium at the time of the Battle of the Bulge, he and his men held their place until the Third Army broke through enemy lines, and Winters shortly afterward was promoted to major.

After returning home, Winters married his wife, Ethel, in May 1948, and trained infantry and Army Ranger units at Fort Dix during the Korean War. He started a company selling livestock feed to farmers, and he and his family eventually settled in a farmhouse in Hershey, Pa., where he retired.

Historian Stephen Ambrose interviewed Winters for the 1992 book "Band of Brothers," upon which the HBO miniseries that started airing in September 2001 was based. Winters himself published a memoir in 2006 entitled "Beyond Band of Brothers."


Associated Press Maj. Richard "Dick" Winters in December of 1945. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Sgt. Maj. Herman W. Clemens, Ret.)
Two years ago, an exhibit devoted to Winters was dedicated at the Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society. Winters, in frail health in later years, has also been the subject of a campaign to raise money to erect a monument in his honor near the beaches of Normandy.

Winters talked about his view of leadership for an August 2004 article in American History Magazine:

"If you can," he wrote, "find that peace within yourself, that peace and quiet and confidence that you can pass on to others, so that they know that you are honest and you are fair and will help them, no matter what, when the chips are down."

When people asked whether he was a hero, he echoed the words of his World War II buddy, Mike Ranney: "No, but I served in a company of heroes."

"He was a good man, a very good man," Guarnere said. "I would follow him to hell and back. So would the men from Easy Company.