Summer 2019 · 2019. 8. 21. · positive change for Reservists to help close loopholes in laws...
12
CWO NEWS Summer 2019 U. S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officers Association
Transcript of Summer 2019 · 2019. 8. 21. · positive change for Reservists to help close loopholes in laws...
CWO NEWSSummer 2019
U. S. Coast GuardChief Warrant Officers Association
Greetings Fellow Warrants,
As we celebrated our Country’s Indepen-dence Day, many of you are in the middle of another PCS transfer and I hope everyone enjoyed the festivities, along with having safe travels to new duty stations. As you each report into your new duty station, I highly encourage everyone to become active with the nearest CWOA Chapter, bring other members with you and try to bring a prospective member as well to each meeting!
During our 2019 Annual Meeting Installa-tion Dinner back in April, we had the pleasure
of our guest speaker Capt. Davanzo addressing the truly impactful role of our CWOs, along with sharing his personal experiences and insights as someone who passed through the CWO ranks. With that, I encourage every active duty member to inquire about the roles and responsibility of your Specialty Force Manager (SFM). As many of you are aware, DCMS (Deputy Commander for Mission Support) deleted two CWO SFM (Specialty Force Manager) billets years ago for all the support specialties and we need to push to get those bil-lets back! This is a “Call to Action,” as to if your voice is not heard, we may be looking at a much smaller CWO corps in the near future!
In the spring, I was humbled and honored to represent the CWOA at the As-sociation of the U.S. Navy (AUSN) as they present awards to two Congressmen for their support. Then, I had the honor to represent at the Award Banquet at our Coast Guard Academy, as I presented 1/c Benner Geurtsen with the CWOA Award for the senior mechanical engineering student who contributed to the success of the capstone design project. Then I was able to attend the 2019 Com-mencement Ceremony and now Ensign Geurtsen is proudly serving on board CGC Alex Haley.
In June, Carol (the executive director) and I had the honor to represent the Association at the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) 21st Annual Coast Guard Caucus Breakfast held on Capital Hill. It was vastly different from last years as there were several Congressmen/women in attendance. Our Commandant, Admiral Schultz, was the guest speaker and he delivered a candid speech on budgetary issues.
God speed!
CWO Mark A. Cortor CWOA President
CWOA OFFICERS
CWO Mark CortorPresident
CWO Adam Cain
Vice President
CWO Jake ElksVice President of Reserve Affairs
CWO J. T. Green (Ret)
Vice President of Retired Affairs
CWO Christopher Jones
Secretary
CWO Justus MarksTreasurer
CWO Carol Setteducato (Ret)
Executive Director
CWO Scott Epperson (Ret)CWO News Editor
CONTACT INFORMATION
MARINAAttn: CWO Association, USCG
12 Brookley Ave. SWJBAB Washington, DC 20032
Telephone: 202.554.7753
E-mail:[email protected]
Front Cover:On the photo it reads “Banquet tendered by the Chief Warrant Officer Association in honor of Rear Admiral R. R. Waesche
upon his reappointment as Commandant, U. S. Coast Guard.
Shoreham Hotel. June 15, 1940. Shutz photo 2357.” We hope our 100th
Anniversary can get attendence like this.
CWO News is a quarterly publication of the Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association, U.S. Coast
Guard. The CWOA is a non-profit organization comprised of active duty,
reserve, and retired members.
From The President
https://ausn.org/https://www.fra.org/
“PASSING THE WORD”CWO4 J. T. Green, USCG (Ret) Vice President of Retired Affairs
Summer is in full swing and it’s hot. Remember to check in on your friends and neighbors to be sure everyone is doing OK with the heat (and remember our four-legged friends too!). Some of our shipmates are battling flooding and devastating weather, please keep them in your thoughts also.
As shipmates retire, hopefully you will continue your membership in the Association. I’ve encountered several former members who thought their al-lotment was still in effect after retirement but it wasn’t. When you retire please check Direct access (DA) and start/renew your allotment to the Association. If you have questions you can call PPC/RAS @ 800-772-8724 and talk with Retiree Customer Service. You can find guides for DA at https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/ppc/ras/gp/.
The FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2500/S. 1790) continues to be fine-tuned on the hill. Hopefully our representatives can come to an agreement on the details and we can avoid a repeat of last year’s government shutdown and the negative effects of the untimely, albeit temporary loss of funding. Monitor your representatives and remember they work for you.
If you haven’t updated your ID card in the last 10 years, your card needs to be replaced. The older cards contain your SSN either in print, or as part of the bar code and should be replaced with a newer version that has only a DoD ID number. Make your appointment early as some card issuing authorities have up to a three-month waiting list to get an appointment.
Congratulations to the Coast Guard Auxiliary on their 80th anniversary. After more than eight decades, they con-tinue to demonstrate outstanding service by providing a shining example of honor, respect, and devotion to duty.
The Association’s Permanent Finance Committee (PFC) is back in action and charging ahead to ensure our Association continues to provide our members with the service they expect and deserve. The committee nomi-nated and voted in our chairman, Distinguished Member CWO James Pulse as the PFC Chairman. Thank you, James, for ensuring a steadfast and knowledgeable leadership remains in effect.
I want to send out a big “Thank You!” to CWO Justus Marks. Our main office (aka: the barge) had an issue with the roof and thanks to some quick repairs by CWO Marks the roof has been repaired and the barge is water tight again. Thanks Justus!
Finally, The CG Public Affairs Office is streamlining its content into one central blog. The official Coast Guard Compass blog is located at https://compass.coastguard.blog/. The All Hands blog is no longer active.There are a lot of us on the road enjoying the summer weather. please be careful out there and enjoy your time.
Yours in service,
CWO4 J. T. Green, USCG (Ret) [email protected]://cwoauscg.org/
RESERVE AFFAIRS Greetings Fellow Reserve Chief Warrant Officers:
My name is Jake Elks and I am honored to have been elected as Vice President of Reserve Affairs and represent the Reserve CWO corps. After rising to the rank of Chief Marine Science Technician I became a Chief Warrant Officer in December 2015. I am currently in my 18th year of service and stationed at Sector New York. In my civilian job I also work for the Coast Guard as a Civilian Marine Inspector in Philadelphia, PA, and reside in Unionville, PA with my wife and two children.
I would encourage you to take a moment to visit www.cwoauscg.org to find all things the Chief Warrant Officers Association (CWOA) has going on. We enhance local communities through service projects by our
many local chapters. We provide scholarships to members and their families, and member death benefit to survi-vors. We assist fellow Coast Guard personnel in times of need. This assistance had never been more in demand than during the winter 2019 partial government shutdown. The CWOA raised and distributed tens of thousands of dollars to the men and women of the Coast Guard and their families.
The CWOA is a member of The Military Coalition (TMC) which represents millions of service members, veterans, and retirees to our elected officials. Recently I have endorsed letters circulating Capitol Hill promoting positive change for Reservists to help close loopholes in laws protecting civilian jobs for deployed Reservists and expand laws allowing Reservists to contribute a higher percentage to their retirement.
I need your help and suggestions in how to grow our ranks. As of today, the reserve has 126 CWO billets but only 77% are filled. Our numbers have dwindled to only 97 down from 162 just seven years ago. I find this trend alarming and needs to be reversed before the Reserve CWO Corps becomes irrelevant. We face unique challenges and have limited representation by being a part time workforce. We need to advocate positive change for ourselves and joining the CWOA is a way of accomplishing that change.
If you are already a CWOA member, I commend you for your loyalty and support. If you have yet to join, I encourage you to do so and take part in raising the visibility of CWO corps, especially the Reserve CWO Corps and helping our fellow service members.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at [email protected], [email protected] or on my cell at 910-382-7374.
Very Respectfully,
Jake C. Elks IVVP of Reserve Affairs, CWOA
For more information about and resources for the Reserves go to
https://www.reserve.uscg.mil/
Education NewsThe CWOA has two scholarships available to its members.
Keller Scholarship The CWO John A. Keller, Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association Scholarship Grant was established to financially assist dependent children of members in good standing or who were members in good standing of the CWOA, United States Coast Guard at the time of their death. The assistance shall be a monetary grant for an accredited institution of higher learning.
Grants in the amount of $750 will be presented in April of each year to the most deserving eligible candi-dates. Funds are to be used toward educational expenses at an accredited institution of higher learning beyond high school.
Colona Scholarship The CWOA LT Art and Eleanor Colona Scholarship Grant was established by the Colona Family to finan-cially assist dependent children of enlisted members of the United States Coast Guard (active, retired, or re-serve). Seeking a meaningful way to celebrate the 30 years which LT Colona devoted to the Coast Guard, the Colona family established this scholarship fund to remain in perpetuity with the CWOA. Each year, one or more Colona scholarship recipient(s) will be awarded a $4000 scholarship dispersing $1000 a year over four years of undergraduate studies.
For more details about these scholarships go to http://cwoauscg.org/ and use the Scholarships tab.
New Rules for the Transfer of Educational Benefits
Effective Jan. 12, 2020, only members with less than 16 years of active duty or selected reserve service will be able to transfer their GI Bill to dependents.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill allows you to transfer all or some of your unused benefits to your spouse or dependent children. The military determines whether or not you can transfer benefits to your family. Once your service ap-proves your eligibility to transfer your benefits, your dependents can apply for them through the VA.
Who Can Transfer Their GI Bill Benefits? Any military member who is eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and: has at least six years of service and agrees to serve an additional four years, or: has at least 10 years of service and can’t commit to four more years because of regulation (i.e. High Year Tenure, etc).
You MUST transfer benefits while on active duty.
For more information contact your unit’s education officer.
WELCOME ABOARD NEW MEMBERS Name Unit SponsorCWO (ISM) Tiffany Huerd, USCG C4IT FSD CCB Oakland CWO Collins
CWO (ISM) Nikolaus Schultz, USCG CG Cybercom CWO Williams
CWO (PERS) Jennifer M. Brown, USCG Sector Delaware Bay CWOA
CWO (MSSE) Nicholas Mimms, USCG Sector Delaware Bay CWO Schubert
CWO (OSS) Daniel Capestany, USCG Sector Delaware Bay Philadelphia Chapter
CWO (PERS) Alex AcevedoRivera, USCG PSC-PSD CWO Pellot
CWO4 (PERS) Francine Sak, USCG Retired, Florida CWOA
CWO (BOSN) Heath Smith, USCG National Maritime Center CWOA
CWO (BOSN) Joshua Marzi, USCG USCGC Kukui CWO Caicedo
CWO (BOSN) Richard Seymour, USCG PSC-EPM2 CWO Cortor
CWO (MED) Kristen Gonzalez, USCG PSC-(HQ) CWOA
CWO (BOSN) William Hosford, USCG USCGC Munro CWOA
CWO (BOSN) Gregg Pescuma, USCG CG Sta. Shinnecock CWO Huffman
CWO (OSS) Jonathan Alier, USCG Sector New York Sector New York
CWO (ENG) Ryan Groesser, USCG PSU 301 CWOA
CWO (F&S) Gilberto Correa, USCG COMDT (CG-86) CWO Caicedo
CWO (ENG) April Reid, USCG USCGC Northland CWO Cain
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS
Mid Pacific Chapter donated $250 to the CWOA Scholarship fund.
Mr. Tommy Jones donated $10 to the General Fund.
CWO Richard & Mrs. Hamel donated $150 the CWOA Scholarship fund.
The Juneau Chapter donated $200 to the CWOA Scholarship fund.
CWO (ENG) Clifford Boldan, USCG (Ret)
CWO (MSS) Ralph Eyssen, USCG (Ret)
CWO (PERS) Patrick Omatsu, USCG (Ret)
LT Steven Phifer, USCG (Ret)
CWO (BOSN) Henry Styron, USCG (Ret)
CWO (ENG) James Brown, USCG (Ret)
CWO (F&S) Walter Capps, USCG (Ret)
CWO (ELC) Irvin Gaines, USCG (Ret)
CWO (PERS) Donald Hale, USCG (Ret)
CWO (BOSN) James Lanier, USCG (Ret)
CWO (F&S) Jerry Lewis, USCG (Ret)
CWO (F&S) William O’Boyle, USCG (Ret)
CWO (ELC) Kenneth Olsen, USCG (Ret)
CWO (PERS) Carl Seale, USCG (Ret)
CWO (BOSN) Ernest Styron, USCG (Ret)
CWO (ENG) Clayton Swearingen, USCG (Ret)
CWO (F&S) Nelson Tavares, USCG (Ret)
LCDR John Wenter, USCG (Ret)
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 25 YEAR MEMBERS
The Coast Guard Chief Warrant and Warrant Officer’s Association would like to congratulate individuals that have been members for 25 years. Thank you for your support.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 50 YEAR MEMBERS
The Coast Guard Chief Warrant and Warrant Officer’s Association would like to congratulate individuals that have been members for 50 years. Thank you for your support.
License and Certification Reimbursement for SpousesMembers serving on active duty in the Armed Forces may be reimbursed for their spouse’s qualified relicensing costs after relocation from another state (including the 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia) due to PCS orders.
Qualified relicensing costs include examination and registration fees that are imposed by the state of the new duty station to secure a license or certification to engage in the same profession the member’s spouse engaged in while in the state of the original duty station.
For more information go to https://dcms.uscg.mil/military/Spouse-License-Reimbursement
CWO (F&S) Daniel Wiesman, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on Aug. 23, 2017. CWO Wiesman retired on Oct. 1, 1972 and he was a member of the Association for 61 years.
CWO (MED) Robert Hoffmann, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on Jan. 14, 2019. CWO Hoffmann retired on Sep. 1, 1974 and he was a member of the Association for 51 years.
CWO (ENG) Henry Berry, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on Jan. 31, 2019. CWO Berry retired on Dec. 1, 1980 and he was a member of the Association for 43 years.
Lt. Donald Kirkham, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on Feb. 8, 2019. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. LouAnn Kirkham of 190 North Coventry Ave, #102, Clovis, CA 93611. Lt. Kirkham retired on Oct. 1, 1979 and he was a member of the Association for 51 years.
CWO (CHBOSN) Albert DeBrase, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on March 28, 2019. He is survived by his son. CWO DeBrase retired on Feb. 1, 1965 and he was a member of the Association for 64 years.
CWO (CHSPCK) Ralph Baumann, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on Feb. 25, 2019. He is survived by his chil-dren. CWO Baumann retired on Jan. 1, 1965 and he was a member of the Association for 61 years.
CWO (CHBOSN) Freddie Turlo, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on March 11, 2019. CWO Turlo retired on April 1, 1966 and he was a member of the Association for 60 years.
CWO (ENG) Leon Boland, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on April 17, 2019. He is survived by his children. CWO Boland retired on Aug. 1, 1988 and he was a member of the Association for 42 years.
CWO (ENG) George Spoke, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on April 26, 2019. He is survived by his daughter, Deborah Woodward, of Baroda, MI. CWO Spoke retired on June 1, 1976 and he was a member of the Associa-tion for 49 years.
CWO (COMM) John Aberle, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on April 17, 2019. He is survived by his children. CWO Aberle retired on Feb. 1, 1994 and he was a member of the Association for 36 years.
CWO (ENG) Llewellyn Midgett, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on April 14, 2019. He is survived by his widow. CWO Midgett retired on Aug. 1, 1978 and he was a member of the Association for 48 years.
CWO (AVI) Cornelius Van Zwaluwenburg, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on April 15, 2019. CWO Van Zwalu-wenburg retired on Nov. 1, 1981 and he was a member of the Association for 32 years.
Cmdr. John Arnold, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on May 5, 2019. He is survived by his children. Cmdr. Arnold retired on Feb. 17, 1982 and he was a member of the Association for 50 years.
IN MEMORIAMTo Those Who Have Crossed The Bar
CWO (ENG) Ray Harrison, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on May 12, 2019. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Judy Harrison of Lake Waccamaw, NC. CWO Harrison retired on Aug. 1, 1988 and he was a member of the Association for 29 years.
CWO (PERS) Edwin Martin, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on May 15, 2019. He is survived by his widow Mrs. Jennifer Martin of Maple Valley, WA. CWO Martin retired on Oct. 1, 2012 and he was a member of the Asso-ciation for 14 years.
CWO (INFO) Winstead Nichols, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on May 16, 2019. He is survived by his widow, Anna R. Nichols of 754 E. Main, Cecilia, KY. CWO Nichols retired on Nov. 1, 1969 and he was a member of the Association for 52 years.
CWO (BOSN) William Giessman, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on May 22, 2019. He is survived by his daugh-ter. CWO Giessman retired on Sep. 3, 1998 and he was a member of the Association for 29 years.
CWO (MED) Roger Young, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on May 25, 2019. CWO Young retired on Sep. 1, 1990 and he was a member of the Association for 39 years.
CWO (F&S) Robert Samuelson, USCG (Ret) crossed the bar on June 2, 2019. He is survived by his widow, Annie-Laurie Samuelson of 12410 Old Paris Murray Road, Buryear, TN 38251-3563. CWO Samuelson retired on April 1, 1987 and he was a member of the Association for 49 years.
Senate passes bill to extend disability ben-efits to Blue Water veteransAssociated Press June 13, 2019
The Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill to extend disability benefits to thousands of veterans who served on Navy ships in the territorial seas of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The bill also pertains to veterans that served aboard Coast Guard vessels.
Blue Water Navy vets initially were granted recognition and compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Agent Orange Act of 1991, which presumed certain diseases resulted from exposure to dioxins and other herbicide agents during military service in Vietnam. In 2002, the VA reinterpreted the legislation to apply only to veterans who served in the inland rivers or set foot in Vietnam, stripping away benefits from sail-ors who were stationed in the territorial seas and are known as “Blue Water” Navy veterans.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled overwhelmingly for these vets, find-ing they are eligible for the same disability benefits as those who put boots on the ground or patrolled Vietnam’s inland rivers. That reversed a decade-old ruling by the court. A court majority said Congress clearly intended to extend benefits to Blue Water Navy veterans.
The bill, which passed the House in May, now awaits action by the president.
For more information about benefits go to https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/hazardous-materials-exposure/agent-orange/navy-coast-guard-ships-vietnam/ or talk to a VA representative.
ASSOCIATION CHAPTERSBoston Chapter
Boston, [email protected]
Long Island Sound ChapterNew Haven/New London, [email protected]
Philadelphia ChapterPhiladelphia, PA
Cape Island ChapterCape May, NJ
Baltimore ChapterBaltimore, MD
Washington DC ChapterWashington, DC
Steven Shields ChapterAlexandria, VA
Yorktown ChapterYorktown, VA
Low Country ChapterCharleston, SC. CWO [email protected]
Republic of Texas
Houston, [email protected]
Norfolk ChapterPortsmouth, VA
Greater Miami ChapterMiami, FL
Suncoast ChapterLargo, FL
New Orleans ChapterNew Orleans, LA
Atchafayala ChapterMorgan City, LA
Little Club on the PrairiePaxico, KS
St. Louis ChapterSt. Louis, MO
Sabine ChapterPort Arthur, TX
Great Lakes ChapterDetroit, MI
Empire State Chapter New York, NY
Southern California ChapterSan Pedro, CA
Golden Gate ChapterAlameda, CA
Pacific Northwest ChapterSeattle, WA
Juneau ChapterJuneau, AK
Emerald Isle ChapterKodiak, AK
The Last Frontier ChapterAnchorage, AK
Mid Pacific ChapterHonolulu, HI
Greater Mobile ChapterMobile, AL
Elizabeth City ChapterElizabeth City, NC
Do you want to start a chapter?Do you have at least 10 CWOs in your area?Contact Carol Setteducato, Executive Director, for more information and other requirements to begin.
12 Brookley Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20032
202-554-7753
CWOA Merchandise Order FormItem Quantity Size Unit Cost Total Cost
Embroidered Polo Shirt ______ ____ $32.00 _________
If Ordering 2XL ______ ____ $34.00 _________
Women’s V neck ______ ____ $22.00 _________
Navy Blue Ball cap ______ $17.00 _________
White Ball cap ______ $17.00 _________
Sword Plaque ______ $85.00 _________
Embroidered Patch ______ $ 5.00 _________
Lapel Pin ______ $ 4.25 _________
Decal ______ $ 1.00 _________
Bumper Sticker ______ $ .50 _________
Coin ______ $12.00 _________
Light Weight Windbreaker ______ ____ $38.75 _________
Medium Weight Jacket ______ ____ $54.50 _________
Heavy weight Jacket ______ ____ $58.00 _________
Contact [email protected] to review the 3 different styles of Jackets
Windbreaker or Jacket add $2.00 for 2XL and 3XL _________
Shipping & Handling for Windbreakers and Jackets $15.00 each. _________
Shipping to Alaska $20.00 Each _________
Shipping Costs for all other items. (see table below) _________Total Cost of Ordered Items. _________TOTAL COST ________Shipping Cost Add Shipping Cost Add
Up to $7.00 $2.50 $30.01 to $50 $7.50
$7.01 to $15.00 $3.50 $50.01 to $100 $12.00
$15.01 to $30.00 $6.50 Over $100 $17.00
Ship to:
Name:_____________________________________________________________
Address:___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
City:________________________________ State:___________________
Zip Code:_____________________________ Phone: ________________
Personalized Jacket Embroidery: ________________________________________
Make check or money order payable to “CWOA”,
Mail Form to MARINA, CWO Association, USCG, 12 Brookley Ave. S.W., JBAB Washington, DC 20032
Please contact [email protected] with any questions. Revised 7/2019
We’re on the Web atcwoauscg.org
Friend us onFacebook!
facebook.com/cwoauscg
MARINA:ATTN: CWO Association, USCG12 Brookley Ave, S.W. JBAB Washington, DC 20032
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage
PAIDPermit No. 3Dulles, VA
Distinguished Member of the CWOA, Bill Matoon stands by an exhibit table at a VFW Convention in Jay Peak Vt. June 7. Bill was the Chair of the Events Subcommittee for the Commissioning Committee, for the USS Vermont and transported 14 gallons of water from Lake Champlain down to the submarines commissioning on June 9 in Groton, CT so that the first water to touch the sub was Vermont Water. “Fourteen gallons because Vermont is the 14th state in the union,” said Bill Mattoon, a retired submari-ner and chief warrant officer with the U.S. Coast Guard.
![Military Resistance 9G11 Reservists Accuse the Army[1]](https://static.fdocuments.us/doc/165x107/577d278c1a28ab4e1ea42e5f/military-resistance-9g11-reservists-accuse-the-army1.jpg)
