It was my pleasure to present the Robert F. DeMeter Chapter Service Award for 2022 to Chaplain (LTC) Timothy H. Atkinson at our Awards and Recognition Luncheon on the 18th of March 2023. The DeMeter award is the most prestigious award the Chapter can bestow upon one of its members. The award consists of a rotating trophy which the recipient retains for a year, and a certificate.

The citation reads as follows : “For sustained outstanding service as Cape Fear Chapter Chaplain from July 2015 to October 2021. As Chapter Chaplain for over 6 years, Tim Atkinson’s ministry was commendable and widely praised. In addition to his principal duties, he served as the Personal Affairs Officer when that position became vacant, and he volunteered to serve as a member of the ROTC Scholarship Awards Committee and was a regular presenter of MOAA Leadership Awards to JROTC cadets. Whatever the chapter has asked of him, Tim has delivered without equivocation or anticipation of reward. He is an inspiration to others and epitomizes the MOAA’s motto “Never Stop Serving.” Tim Atkinson always exemplified the spirit of service and dedication to the Cape Fear Chapter and the Military Officers Association of America. His contributions over a period of eight years are immeasurable and certainly worthy of the Robert F. DeMeter Chapter Service Award.”

Congratulations Tim, you have earned our eternal gratitude for your dedicated service and unselfish contributions to the chapter.

See list of all previous DeMeter award recipients at download bar above.

Several chapter members were recognized for special acts and/or contributions to the chapter during CY 2022 at the Annual Awards and Recognition Luncheon on 18 March 2023.

Chaplain Tim Atkinson was presented the Robert F. DeMeter Chapter Service Award for his distinguished service as Chapter Chaplain for six years (July 2015 to October 2021).

Other chapter members were recognized as follows:

Teresa Vaughn was awarded a certificate of appreciation and chapter coin for invaluable contributions and assistance to the chapter over a period of two years.

Tad & Diane Davis were presented a chapter coin for the excellent job they did as Event Managers for the Chapter’s Day at the Ball Park event in July 2022, and for recruiting two new chapter members during the year.

Chapter coins were presented to Maria Chavez and Greg Williamson for recruiting two new members each during 2022.

Chapter coins were presented to the following for their exemplary attendance at chapter meetings: Lester & Marieta Beery; Robert & Kathryn Covalucci; Tom & Maxine Donnelly; George & Elisabeth Glann; Lois Ives; Carol Ivey; Pat Stang; Ron O’Brien & Diane McGhee; and Jim & Rosi Wilde.

The Cape Fear Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America celebrates the anniversary of its founding on 22 March 2023 completing 62 years of continuous dedicated service to our nation.

The Cape Fear Chapter’s long record of exemplary service to the surrounding military community representing active duty, reserve component, veterans and ROTC/JROTC is widely acknowledged and praised.

The Chapter’s steadfast support of MOAA’s military advocacy mission and legislative goals year in and year out has been instrumental in the passage of significant legislation benefiting our all-volunteer force, our military retirees and our veterans.

Every Chapter member can be justifiably proud of being a part of this great organization that remains true to the MOAA motto "Never Stop Serving". Happy Anniversary!

Review the Chapter’s history of its founding by clicking on the History tab below.

Merry Christmas to all and happy holidays! We had a very successful year and many things to be thankful for. Currently, I am thankful for those who volunteered to serve on our Board of Directors.

Thanks to Bill Bell and Charles Pimble for stepping up to fill the long-standing vacancies on the Board. Thanks to Harold Thacker for agreeing to edit our newsletter Infogram. Thanks to all the serving Board members who agreed to stay on for an additional two years. Now all I want for Christmas is a Golf Tournament Director.

On January 14, 2023, Retired US Navy Captain Frank Michael, MOAAs Program Director for Council and Chapter Affairs will officially install our new Board of Directors. I ask everyone to please join us for the dinner and ceremony as a way of showing our appreciation and respect for our fellow members who have volunteered to lead our chapter forward.

I look forward to the new year and the challenges it may bring. I am very proud to be part of an organization whose members are so generous with their time and treasure. We are a group that truly exemplifies the MOAA motto “Never Stop Serving”.

I would be remiss if I did not thank our two past presidents Juan Chavez and Ira Watkins for their help and guidance.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a bright New Year. Stay safe and healthy!

Sincerely,

Rich

The following officers were elected by the general membership by acclamation ballot to serve 2-year terms in leadership positions indicated effective January 2023.

COL (Ret) Richard Underwood, USA - President

MAJ (Ret) George Bond, USA - 1st Vice President

COL (Ret) William H. Bell, II, USA - 2nd Vice President

LTC (Ret) Marty Williams, USA - 3rd Vice President

MAJ (Ret) Gerald F. Croll, USA - Treasurer

LTC (Ret) Charles E. Pimble, USA - Secretary

Congratulations are extended to these members who volunteered to lead our chapter for the next two years. They will be officially installed on 14 January 2023 by Retired US Navy Captain Frank Michael, MOAA’s Program Director for Council and Chapter Affairs during the biennial Installation Meeting/Dinner at the Iron Mike Conference Center, Fort Bragg.

At the annual meeting on 19 November 2022, the general membership voted to keep the dues structure as is for 2023, i.e., $20 for regular members and $10 for surviving spouses per annum. Accordingly, the 2023 membership renewal campaign is officially underway!

Our goal as always is to achieve 100% renewal. This is a very attainable goal, but one that has eluded us year after year. If everyone takes immediate action to renew their membership the minute they read this article, 2023 will be our year of achievement!

The quickest and easiest way of renewing is online using a charge card. The other option is to remit by USPS mail by check payable to “CFC MOAA” and mail to “CFC MOAA, P.O. Box 53621, Fayetteville, NC 28305."

There are still several chapter members who have not renewed for 2022. If you fall in this category, please bring your account up to date by remitting for both 2022/2023.

The streak stays intact! For the eighth year in a row, the Cape Fear Chapter was awarded a MOAA 5-Star Levels of Excellence Award for the year 2021.

This is a most remarkable achievement in that the chapter operated with half of its leadership positions vacant all year. We owe a debt of gratitude to those who went above and beyond to make things happen and keep the string of excellence unbroken.

Congratulations and thanks to all our chapter members who so loyally supported everything the chapter undertook during the year. It was a total team effort!

President Underwood will pin the 5-Star medallion on the Chapter colors awards streamer at our annual meeting on 19 November 2022.

Thanks to our commercial sponsors/supporters and chapter members who responded so generously to the call for donations to the chapter’s scholarship fund necessitated because of the traditional fundraising golf tournament cancelation this year. A total of $17,185 was donated collectively by the following:

Commercial Sponsors/Supporters

Anfinsen Plastics & Molding, Inc.

Blue Ridge Power

Carolina Specialties, Inc.

Mrs. Erika Meinhardt

LTC (Ret) Hans Meinhardt

Rudy’s, Inc.

Superior Bakery, Inc.

USAA

CFC Members

COL (Ret) David L. Baggett

COL (Ret) Eli Ballard

LTC (Ret) William Bell

LTC (Ret) David Beshlin

MAJ (Ret) George Bond

LTC (Ret) Timothy E. Brennan

LTC (Ret) Bruce T. Brown

COL (Ret) Juan I. Chavez

LTC (Ret) James Chrishon

MAJ (Ret) Gerald F. Croll

COL (Ret) Addison Davis

LTC (Ret) Thomas W. Donnelly

COL (Ret) George M. Dudley

COL (Ret) John P. Dunigan

COL (Ret) Ronald Elrod

COL (Ret) Ronnie Foxx

LTC (Ret) Robert T. Garman

LTC (Ret) George W. Glann, Jr.

COL (Ret) Elizabeth B. Goolsby

LTC (Ret) Gerald M. Gordner

LTC (Ret) John W. Hazlett

Mrs. Lois Ives

Mrs. Carol Ivey

Mrs. Michelle L. Lame

Mrs. Mary McLaughlin

COL (Ret) Mondrey McLaurin

Gen (Ret) Dan K. McNeill

Mrs. Dorothy B. Miller

BG (Ret) Joseph L. Nagel

MAJ (Ret) Warren O’Brien

Col (Ret) Chester Oehme

LTC (Ret) Charles Pimble

COL (Ret) Deena G. Pittman

COL (Ret) Eddie Rosado

LTC (Ret) Richard H. Shereff

Mrs. Patricia Stang

LTC (Ret) Walter M. Swing

CW4 (Ret) Harold A. Thacker, Jr.

COL (Ret) Richard A. Underwood

Mrs. Sarah Volkmann

Mr. Joseph J. Vonnegut

CPT (Ret) David S. Vroom

LTC (Ret) James W. Wilde

LTC (Ret) Horace Williams

LTC (Ret) Martin C. Williams

CHAP (COL) (Ret) Gregory Williamson

While the donations campaign unofficially closed on 1 October 2022, donations will be gratefully accepted through the end of the year, to allow those who did not participate during the campaign window an extended opportunity to contribute.

Donation checks should be made payable to “CFC MOAA” and mailed to “CFC MOAA, P.O. Box 53621, Fayetteville, NC 28305”. Please enter “xGolf” in the memo.

I will begin with the good news. We earned another MOAA 5-Star Levels of Excellence Award for 2021. With the number of vacant chapter leadership positions this achievement is even more remarkable. Congratulations to all who have gone above and beyond in making this distinction possible.

We held our annual ROTC Scholarships Awards Luncheon on 6 May 2022. Cadet Marquise Woodson from UNC-Pembroke won the Meinhardt Scholarship valued at $3,500.00. Cadet Jasmine L. Thompson-Yates from FSU won the Dr. Charles Pimble Scholarship valued at $3,000.00. Cadet Andrea W. Fennimore from Campbell University and Cadet David B. Hudson from Methodist University were awarded $3,000.00 CFC scholarships each. A total of $12,500.00 in scholarships were awarded to four ROTC standouts. Since the inception of the ROTC Scholarship Program in 1998, the Chapter has awarded $181,500.00 in scholarships to deserving young men and women in their quest to earn an officer’s commission in one of our nation’s military services.

The Chapter distributed MOAA Leadership Medals and certificates to 25 JROTC Units for presentation. These presentations were made at end-of-school year awards ceremonies. Moreover, the Chapter awarded $400.00 support grants to ten JROTC Units in May 2022. The grants support JROTC leadership training and special projects during the summer.

In addition to the MOAA leadership medals and support grants, the Chapter presented Chapter memento packets to five Air Force ROTC cadets and twenty-eight Army ROTC cadets on the eve of their commissioning ceremonies. Twelve NC National Guard OCS Candidates earning their gold bars were likewise recognized. Packets consist of a pocket-sized copy of the US Constitution and a unique set of dog tags with the MOAA Motto, and the commissioning oath embedded on the tag. Also included in the packet is an application for a free one-year basic membership in MOAA.

The Chapter presented a $1,200.00 donation to the National Sojourners to fund the attendance of two worthy JROTC cadets at the Spirit of America Leadership Conference, Youth Leadership Program, Freedom Foundation, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in July 2022.

The Chapter continues to support the American Red Cross, the USO, the Fisher House, and the Armed Services YMCA Food Pantry at Fort Bragg with annual monetary donations. These entities provide safety-net services to our active military and their families at Fort Bragg and Pope Field.

Our Chapter along with other military fraternal organizations participated in the Fayetteville Memorial Day Ceremonies at Freedom Memorial Park. The Chapter President assisted by another chapter member laid a wreath at the Global War on Terror Memorial to honor our military men and women who laid down their lives for their country since 9-11. The Cape Fear Chapter funded the construction of this monument in 2018 as a community support project.

Lastly, the Chapter donated a beautiful wooden American flag décor to the Iron Mike Conference Center, Fort Bragg to be displayed in the Sink Room were the Chapter meets for its monthly Board of Directors meetings. The gift was presented as a token of appreciation for allowing the Chapter to use the room for the past 60+ years.

The not too good news! By now you have received a letter from me announcing that we canceled the golf tournament because of staffing issues we could not resolve. All the good things I mentioned above are solely dependent on our fund-raising efforts. The annual golf tournament has always been our main source of revenue to fund our scholarship program, as well as our philanthropic outreach initiatives in support of our active-duty military and their families here at Fort Bragg and Pope Field, and veterans in our surrounding community. The absence of a golf tournament this year will present us with some financial challenges in 2023.

To enable the Chapter to fund our scholarship program in 2023 and to support programs that are providing key services to our community, I am appealing to all members to consider making an outright donation to our scholarship/outreach fund this year. As a guide, I suggest a donation of $150.00 which is the cost of sponsoring a golf hole if the tournament was held. However, a donation in any amount will be helpful and greatly appreciated. All donors will be recognized for their contributions.

In the meantime, we will continue our search for someone to run the golf tournament next year and beyond. God willing, someone will step up. If you or anyone you know would like to take this on, please contact me.

The loss of a Golf Tournament Director just adds to our staffing woes. The 2nd Vice President and Secretary positions have been vacant for the past two years. Also vacant for the past two years are the Surviving Spouse Liaison, Personal Affairs Officer, Transition Liaison Officer, and Newsletter Editor positions. The Webmaster and eNewsletter Editor positions have been filled by Juan for the past 10 years and he is not getting any younger.

In closing, I just want to remind everyone that this is an election year for our chapter. The elective positions are President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, 3rd Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. All the other special staff positions are volunteer-appointive positions.

Folks! We need new and younger blood to lead this chapter forward. We ARE an organization of proven leaders we cannot allow this chapter to fold for lack of same! I will soon be appointing the Nominating Committee to seek out a slate of candidates for office for the 2-year term starting January 2023. Be ready to answer the call!

I thank you in advance for your consideration, your generosity, and your sense of responsibility.

Sincerely,

Rich

For the ninth consecutive year, our chapter has repeated as a 5-Star Colonel Marvin Harris Communications Award winner in the website and electronic newsletter platform categories. We can all pad ourselves on the back for another noteworthy achievement.

This year’s golf tournament played at Gates Four Golf and Country Club on 11 September was a resounding success. Our heartfelt thanks to all our commercial sponsors for their continued loyalty and support, to the players and active-duty soldiers who made the day special, and to our chapter members for a commendable outpouring of support.

The following is a list of all sponsors and donors; those indicated by an asterisk (*) contributed in multiple ways.

Prime Sponsor

Mr. Steve LaHam, President & CEO

Anfinsen Plastic Molding & Assembly

Major Material Sponsors

Healy Wholesale Company, Inc.*

Meinhardt Family*

Rogers & Breece, Inc.*

USAA

Hole Sponsors

A+ Home Health Care Services*

AAFMAA Wealth Management Trust*

All American Associates Family Medicine*

Chap (LTC)(Ret) & Mrs.Timothy Atkinson*

COL (Ret) & Mrs. David L. Baggett

COL (Ret) & Mrs. Eli Ballard*

COL (Ret) & Mrs. William H. Bell, II*

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. David Beshlin*

Blue Ridge Power*

Bob Maier’s Automotive Services*

MAJ (Ret) George Bond*

Brown & Associates Investment Services*

Buie, Norman & Company, P.A.

Cape Fear Eye Associates, P.A.

Cape Fear Cardiology*

Caroline Specialties International

Catlett Family Dentistry

Mrs. Zobeida Carrion

Caviness & Cates Building Development*

COL (Ret) & Mrs. Juan I. Chavez*

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. David C. Cheney*

LTC (Ret) James E. Chrishon, Jr.

MAJ (Ret) Gerald Croll*

Cruz Masters, LLC*

COL (Ret) & Mrs. Tad D. Davis*

District House of Taps*

COL & Mrs. Stanley D. Dodson*

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. Thomas Donnelly

COL & Mrs. John P. Dunigan*

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. Clark Ecklund*

Elevate Real Estate

Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union

COL (Ret) & Mrs. Ronnie Foxx

Foust Heating and Air Conditioning

LTC (Ret) Dennis Franken*

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. Robert T. Garman*

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. George W. Glann*

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. John W. Hazlett*

Mrs. Dorothy Hinrichs

David & Sandi Hubbard*

Hubbard Kitchen & Bath *

Mrs. Pat Isaacson

Jernigan-Warren, Inc.*

Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches*

Kalli Ziegler Properties

Lafayette Ford-Lincoln

Mash House Brew Company

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur W. Maxwell, Jr.

John & Mary Beth Parker/McDonald’s*

GEN (Ret) & Mrs. Dan K. McNeill

Carl Meinhardt*

Erika Meinhardt*

Metz Glass*

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. Hans Meinhardt*

Morty Pride Meats

BG (Ret) Joseph L. Nagel*

COL (Ret) & Mrs. Chester G. Oehme, Jr.

LTC (Ret) Charles Pimble*

Powers-Swain Chevrolet, Inc.

Public Storage of Fayetteville, Inc.

QwikMed Pharmacy & Clinic*

Mrs. Barbara Raizen

Rhudy’s, Inc.

COL (Ret) & Mrs. Arturo Rodriguez*

SANCO Construction Company, Inc.*

Savvy Cleaning Company

Dr. & Mrs. Richard H. Shereff, MD*

Strickland’s Portion Pak, Inc.

Sullivans Highland Funeral Home

Superior Bakery

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. John D. Szoka

Ric & Ingrid Thompson

COL (Ret) & Mrs. Richard A. Underwood*

Village Family Dental*

Mrs. Sarah Volkmann*

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph J. Vonnegut

CPT (Ret) & Mrs. David S. Vroom*

Tom & Claudie Wallen*

Watson Family Dentistry

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. Jim Wilde*

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. Martin C. Williams*

Chap (COL)(Ret) & Mrs. Gregory K. Williamson

Soldier Sponsors

Arrow Exterminators of Fayetteville

Mrs. Maria Cory

LtCol (Ret) & Mrs. Dan Dederick

Mrs. Mary Eidman*

COL (Ret) & Mrs. Ronald Elrod

MAJ (Ret) & Mrs. Hubert L. Gibson

Hinkamp Jewelers

Mrs. Lois Ives

CW4 (Ret) & Mrs. Joseph A. Jasienowski

MAJ (Ret) Kenneth L. Krahl

Erika Meinhardt & John Parks Families*

Mrs. Dorothy Miller

Simon Funeral Home

Christine A. Spring

COL (Ret) & Mrs. Deogracia Quiñones

Mrs. Pat Stang

MAJ (Ret) & Mrs. Robert S. Tiffany, III*

Mr. Pete Tilton*

LTC (Ret) John R. (Bob) White

Bill & Connie Wink

COL (Ret) & Mrs. Willie Wright

Cash Donors

Mr. Robert Breece, Jr.*

Mrs. Lise Meinhardt*

LTC (Ret) & Mrs. Thomas Delahunty

Mrs. Carol Ivey

LTC (Ret) Peter Leone

MAJ (Ret) Warren R. O’Brien

Prize & Giveaways Donors

Anderson Creek Golf & Country Club

Carolina Lakes Golf Club

Chris’ Steak House

Fresh Market

Gates Four Golf & Country Club

High Forest Releaf

Kings Grant Golf Course

LeClair’s General Store

Meinhardt Family

Ryder Golf Course

Stryker Golf Course

316 Oyster Bar & Grill

The streak continues. For the seventh year in a row, the Cape Fear Chapter was awarded a MOAA 5-Star Levels of Excellence Award for the year 2020. The lion’s share of the credit goes to past Chapter President Ira Watkins who displayed exemplary leadership in keeping the chapter together and functioning during one of the most tumultuous years in our history. Thanks Ira, for your leadership, tenacity and unwavering dedication.

Our current Chapter President Rich Underwood will pin the 5-Star medallion on the Chapter colors awards streamer at our annual meeting on 13 November 2021.

Congratulations to all!

Our chapter was founded on the 22nd of March 1961 at Fort Bragg and became the first affiliate of The Retired Officers Association (TROA) in North Carolina. On January 1, 2003, the National organization changed its name from The Retired Officers Association (TROA) to the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).

To commemorate the anniversary, the chapter received a handsome certificate (at download bar at right) from National MOAA accompanied by a personal note from Lt Gen Dana T. Atkins, USAF (Ret) President and CEO. The note reads as follows:

“Dear Colonel Underwood,

President and CEO”

We belatedly observed our anniversary during the May 7, 2021 luncheon at the Mash House Restaurant being the first opportunity to meet in person this year.

It is my fervent hope that our chapter will continue doing great work in support of our military, our veterans, and our future military leaders for many more years to come.

MOAA National announced the 2020 Colonel Marvin Harris Communications Award winners, and I am proud to announce that the Cape Fear Chapter maintained its string of now eight consecutive years as a dual 5-Star winner intact.

Congratulations to us for repeating as MOAA communications award winner in the website and eNewsletter platform categories.

All of us may add another feather to our caps!

There is a dire need for volunteers to step up and fill some of the vacant positions on the chapter’s Executive Board. Some of these positions have been vacant for over 2 years, and some have been filled by the same person for as long as 8 years and new blood is needed.

While all the positions are important (they would not exist otherwise) some are more critical than others. The following positions need to be filled post haste:

Secretary – Currently, the most critical vacancy; vacant since 1 January 2021.

2nd Vice President (Programs) – Another critical job; vacant since 1 January 2021 as well.

Surviving Spouse Liaison – A must-have position, a spoke person and advocate for our 30 or so surviving spouses. The position has been vacant for 2 years, but the duties have been performed by Ira Watkins as an additional duty.

Personal Affairs Officer – Another must-have position to advise and assist our members regarding benefits, entitlements, and survivor’s assistance. Position has been vacant for 2 years, but currently filled by Chaplain Atkinson as an additional duty.

Transition Liaison Officer – This position has the potential to be a great recruiting tool for the chapter. Active duty officers transitioning to civilian life can be attracted to a chapter that offers an effective transition program. This position has been vacant for over 2 years and is being filled by George Bond as an additional duty.

Newsletter Editor – An organization must be able to communicate with its members to be successful. A newsletter is one of the most important and effective tools to stay in touch. Don Gersh was the Editor for more than 6 years until he had to lay down his quill because of health reasons. The last issue of the Infogram was published in January 2021.

Webmaster – In this technological age, a website is a most important medium of communication. Juan Chavez has been our webmaster for more than 8 years and suffering from “burnout”. We need a younger, computer savvy type to take over and exploit the website’s potential to a new level.

Any of the above positions can be filled by a regular member or a spouse thereof, or a surviving spouse. Most of the work can be performed from home via telephone and computer. The Executive Board meets physically at the Fort Bragg Iron Mike Conference Center on the first Tuesday of each month, and meetings normally last approximately 2 hours.

The continued shortage of officers to lead the chapter forward constitutes an existential threat to the chapter. We simply cannot continue to keep the chapter afloat like this. We need an infusion of new blood, new ideas and new energy.

As we observe the 60th anniversary of the chapter’s founding, the first affiliate in the state, we should keep in mind all those who came before us and who worked so hard to make the chapter what it is. It is our collective responsibility to keep the organization viable for future generations of military officers.

Our prayers for a chapter treasurer were answered, Jerry Croll answered the call and no one was more relieved than President Rich Underwood. Jerry will fill the large void created with the unexpected death of Ralph Hinrichs on 23 February 2021.

President Rich Underwood officially installed Jerry at the monthly Board of Directors meeting on 6 April 2021 by administering the oath of office in the presence of the Board of Directors.

We all owe a great debt of gratitude to Jerry for stepping up to the plate. We wish him the best of success in a position of paramount importance to our organization.