Down Loadable version of March / April 2008 Newsletter, click Here / Down Loadable version of January / February 2008 Newsletter, click Here
March / April 2008
From the Presidents Desk :
Hello Windy City Chapter members,
Despite a heavy, late afternoon snowfall, a reasonable representation of Windy City’s loyal diehards intrepidly made the journey to Park Ridge VFW for our February 12th chapter meeting. Conversation related to the North Central Regional Conference dominated topics discussed. The members present determined that it would be a real drawing card if National Executive Director Steve Sandy could attend and make a presentation on current legislative buzz and allow Midwest members to meet first hand, the fine Gentleman we send to represent us on Capitol Hill and at The Military Coalition meetings. WC Treasurer Gene Kolker finally gets his dream come true: Windy City NERA meets the Navy Club. Not only are arrangements in place for our attendance at the Great Lakes Recruit Graduation on Friday (4/18) before our conference, but also Navy Club Ship #1 will be there, along with their National Staff. The Navy Club’s itinery includes socializing with conference attendees at the Ramada. Gene has a special plan to provide liquid libations at the hospitality suite. A plan has been devised that will allow Navy Club member’s conference registration fee to be applied to annual dues. I thank members of the conference committee for meeting twice at Ed & Marsha Whiteside’s home to organize the arrangements. If you’ve never attended a regional or national conference; don’t miss this opportunity. We’ll have a great time, and be updated on the status quo. Speakers will be Steve Sandy and local SELRES who have recently been deployed for the GWOT (global war on terror). The Constitution and Bylaws prescribe that proposed resolutions for consideration at the next national Conference should be considered first by chapters and at regional conferences. Bring your ideas!
Butch Michaelson – WC Prez
Mark Your Calendar:
Planning Ahead!!!
Meetings are conducted at 2000
on the second Tuesdays of even numbered months at the VFW Post # Canfield
at Higgins (alongside the Kennedy Expressway) : on the 2nd deck
adjacent to the bar. 2008 Windy City NERA Meetings schedule: Apr 8, June 10,
Aug 12, Oct 14, Dec 9th. Next
Meeting: Tuesday,April 8th
In this issue:
N/C reg.conference approaching; 2/12 meeting
minutes; Rest in peace: Bernie Fink; Capt. Gainer Senate Sargent –at- Arms;
Marines kicked out of Toledo; Marine animal abuse; New Coast Guard vessel
behind schedule and over budget; What’s happening; Guard & Reserve Comm. Final
report out; Dues due this quarter; The Armed Forces Vacation Club; N/C
Registration Form
Windy City Chapter is the host for the “08 North Central Regional conference to be conducted April 18 & 19 at the Ramada Waukegan Hotel @ 200 N. Green Bay Rd. Waukegan, Il 60085. This site is about a mile and a half north of the Great Lakes Main Exchange (Burkey Mall), between Belvidere and Grand Ave. For locals who have never attended a NERA conference this is a great opportunity to get your feet wet at minimal cost and inconvenience. If you need accommodations contact the hotel directly at 847-244-2400, be sure to ask for the NERA rate(Code NESA). You will find a conference registration form at the back of this newsletter.
Windy City Chapter meeting minutes –
Naval Enlisted Reserve Association, Windy City Chapter, February 12th, 2008 meeting minutes
Roll Call was taken. President-present, Vice President- Present Treasurer-
Present, Master-at Arms-Excused Executive Counselor Present.
Secretary-Absent.
(1) Pledge of Allegiance
(2) Preamble
(3) moment of Silence
(4) Approval of the Minutes from January 19th(Dec) meeting. Motion
X Premeske; 2nd X Monroe
(5) Treasurer’s report 3 deposits = $324 3 checks written = 1445.19 Balance $5410.26 Approval motion by Monroe; 2nd X Anderson
*Committee reports:
Newsletter Editor’s report: discussion of cost of newsletter pertaining to size.
Reg. Conference Committee Report: Gene Kolker will provide hard liquor; beer discussion on cans vs. keg. The hospitality suite is ours from Thursday evening through Sunday morning. Microwave to be provided, not plates and crock pots are permitted. Appetizers will be available
throughout. Raffle prizes will be in hospitality suite; security by Sea Cadet Petty Officer Richard Koenecke. Numerous prizes available including razors, grills, toasters, tools, women’s novelties, etc.
Old business: President to generate a letter responding to a promulgating message allowing workout t-shirts for a sponsored boot camp company. 70-90 recruits/ company.
Try to determine where original WC flag was purchased.
New business:
Windy City President to request an accounting, from HQ, of NERA National Coins. X Kolker 2nd X Cushing
Navy Club Staff Meeting coincides with Nera NC Regional Conference. Organizations can socialize together. Cross pollinate ideas and membership.
Motion for WC to subsidize NED Steve Sandy’s attendance at NC Regional Conf. Jim Premeske to make arrangements. Motion X Gene Kolker 2nd X Anderson
Motion to amend allowance to limit authorized by WC President & VP. Motion X Premeske 2nd X Anderson.
Suggestion to include info on Armed Forces Vacation Club in upcoming WC newsletter. X Jim Cushing
Discussion of the Pritzker Miliary Library- 610 N. Fairbanks Ct. 2nd Floor Chgo 60611 for future newsletter. Pritzkermilitarylibrary.net X Jim Cushing
Minutes taken by Jim Premeske
Bernie Fink-the Passing of a ERA- May he rest in peace
Windy City Chapter mourns the passing of a key member. Someone who never desired the limelight, never second guessed motives; his only agenda has been to contribute his, and his loving wife Enid’s, time and talents to NERA’s success.
Not only Windy City, but all of NERA owes Bernie a great debt of gratitude; at a time when NERA needed public relations,
Bernie and Enid accepted a challenge from Windy City Chapter for the benefit of NERA’s future.
An initiative of Windy City Chapter: awarding a plaque recognizing the outstanding reservist of each NPSAC (Non Prior Service Accession
Course, later called NRAC) class graduating from Great Lakes Recruit Training Command. Bernie became the face and voice of NERA
among new reserve recruits and APGs.
Bernie witnessed the complete metamorphosis of the Naval Reserve Force. He enlisted in 1950, served during the Korean Conflict and proudly wore his uniform on every legitimate opportunity during Vietnam, a period when it was unpopular to do so.
Bernie began serving when reservists had few benefits; he witnessed the institution of portal to portal insurance coverage, followed by full time coverage, then enormous increases in death benefits. When Bernie enlisted, reservists were only permitted Exchange privileges when on active duty, by the time he retired he had them full time. Later, limited commissary access was gained, with unlimited access occurring only after Bernie already possessed the coveted grey I.D. Card. He suffered the unwarranted indignity of the red crow and hash marks until NERA embarrassed the Navy into granting the donning of gold when earned after twelve years of service. Through all of this Bernie held his head high… and always appreciated that NERA was the catalyst that made life better for sea service reservists.
He often reminisced of the pride he held in being a reservist and the chill of watching color guards pass in review during frequent holiday parades during the fifties. Bernie lamented that today’s youngsters were missing out on such pride and allegiance, and surmised it was the result of the Vietnam Conflict’s civic turmoil.
Bernie’s 1950’s Navy was abundantly supplied with WWII
relics: airborne, ashore and afloat. As a Yeoman Bernie saw the cold war’s
technology improvements from a different perspective than most. His focus was
not electronics, nor weapons systems or propulsion. Bernie measured the
passing of his era in the replacement of mimeographs with copiers, radio
messages becoming faxes, then emails. His typewriter, became a Selectric. With
the advent of computers, files took on a new meaning. He feared implementation
of today’s luxury: the Word Processor. How much better his life would have
been had performance eval software been available; how many retypings could
have been avoided because some young officer distained his copy when he saw it
in print.
Bernie witnessed the ebb and flow of progress within the Naval Reserve. He
participated in GAO effectiveness investigations of the early seventies; he
knew shipmates who appeared in a “SitRep” video CNR distributed touting
NavRes’s modern platform’s (many of which were eliminated before the video hit
the deck plates). Bernie was there when the dream began to materialize with
President Reagan’s “600 ship Navy”; a time when the U.S. Naval Reserve Force
became the “tenth most powerful Navy in the World”. Bernie retired in 1984
after thirty-four years of service.
Bernie was a reliable contributor in his tireless pursuit of NERA’s success.
Enid and he were fixtures at National and Regional conferences. We are
grateful for his service to Windy City Chapter and NERA. He will be sorely
missed by those of us who were privileged to call him our friend. Bernie is
survived by Enid and two daughters. Many of his NERA shipmates joined with
Bernie’s family and friends to celebrate his life on February 4th.
May he rest in peace.
Captain Terry Gainer Sighting!
Following the President’s State of the Union Address Chicago area retired Navy Reservists were treated to a visual of their former shipmate Captain Terry Gainer as he cleared the path for President Bush’s exit from the House Chambers. Captain Gainer, Ret. was appointed late in 2006 as the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms. In this position, Gainer heads the three-member board that oversees the Capitol Police. Gainer led the 2,300-member police force from 2002 until last spring, when he stepped down amid questions of nepotism involving his son-in-law. Colleagues said Gainer was frustrated by frequent sparring with House staff members
Gainer has a long history in law enforcement. Before heading the Capitol Police, he was second-in-command of the D.C. police. He previously worked as a homicide detective in Chicago and was Superintendant of the Illinois State Police in the 1990s.
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His new responsibilities extend beyond police work: The sergeant-at-arms acts as the chief operating officer of the Senate, with approximately 950 staff members who run Senate telecommunications, information technology, postal services, the TV and radio recording studio and the media galleries. The Senate pages and doorkeepers are also his responsibility.
Many remember Terry as a young Lt. in the late 70’s assuming command of ABFC at the Naval Armory in Chicago. He held many billets at Great Lakes, most recently as C.O. of Assault Craft Unit One.
What’s Happening?
Space “A” travel is now available to the families of personnel deployed for periods of over 120 days. This includes mobilized reservists. // The HQ for the new AFRICOM central command will continue to operate from Stuttgart, Germany after being turned down by several African countries. // The Navy is contemplating restoration of the Atlantic’s fourth fleet to increase its prominence in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Fourth Fleet hunted submarines in the south Atlantic in WW2. Among their accomplishments was capture of U505 of the coast of Africa. It was disbanded in 1950. HQ would be Mayport. // Retired carrier JF Kennedy has been unwanted and homeless since its ’04 retirement. Unable to fit into its proposed Philly berth, it has languished a few piers from operational carriers at NORVA. Now an entrepaneur has shown a interest in moving her to Port Everglades or Miami as a tourist attraction. For Chicago area sailors this recalls ill-fated efforts to bring the escort carrier Cabot to Lake Calumet about ten years ago. //
New All-rank Navy Work Uniform delayed
Release of the long awaited new working uniform (E1-O10) has been delayed until winter 08. Design specifics were not disclosed. For the past three years hundreds of sailors have been afforded the opportunity to evaluate several options to determine the optimal design and functionality. These “woodland digital design” work uniforms were provided in a variety of options including:
*Woodland versus digital pattern
*Blue versus gray as the uniform’s predominant color
*Tapered blouse versus standard-style blouse
*Rounded versus pointed collar
*Performance T-shirt versus cotton undershirt
*Pleated versus non-pleated trousers
*Elastic versus adjustable waistband
*Button versus zipper trousers
*No-polish suede versus polished leather boots
*8-point versus round top cover
*Pocket locations and designators
The Navy also plans to wear test a blue parka that will ultimately match the design pattern of the final working uniform. The parka will be designed for wear in various weather conditions, including sub-freezing temperatures, wind, and heavy rain.
Final Report of Commission on Guard & Reserves Completed – On January 31st the Commission, established in ’05 by public law 108-375 published its 368 page report which produced 95 recommendations. The report is considered the most comprehensive reserve component review since WW2. Much of the report focuses on Army issues related to multi theater operations capabilities. Impact on Sea Service Reservists is often what is unwritten, therefore requiring interpretation. Six general conclusions summarize the report. A) The U.S. must retain a reserve component, but must revamp laws and policies or it will be unable to sustain an operational force. B) Reserve interface with Homeland Security must increase C) Current practices are geared to the Cold War instead of 21st Century threats. D) In spite of their flawed policies and practices, the reserves have responded adequately to the current operating tempo. E) A functional reserve force can only be sustained through proper support to reservists, their families and their employers. F) Much of current management inadequacies relate to Upper Eschelon Reserve Component Structure; and the failure of DOD to reasonably fund certain inconveniences the expect from reservists.
Full analysis of these proposals and their implementation schemes is beyond the scope of a single WC newsletter; however we will be tracking this topic over the next year or so. Some of what can be anticipated: Reimbursement for reserviststraveling over 50 miles. The intention to return reserve component jurisdiction, responsibility and assets to the control of active duty; this will be a set back to the 60’s when reserve capability was diminished due to the preferences of active component preferences. The report also chooses to delete the FTS (TAR) program by using Regular Navy personnel to support Reserve activities. Many of us know this worked well previously. The bottom line will always be whether the bosses will share their funding and assets. More to come on this!!!
NERA dues expiring this quarter: George Burchart; Mark Cover; Charles Elliot; Cameron Forbes; Harold Grabow; Kevin Haggerty; Charles Haig; Daniel Hartman; Patricia Hicks; James Johnson; Candace Kotarba; Bob Kulefsky; Rodney Livesay; Sean Paul Merchant; LaVerne Moss; Rodney Nordlund; Keneth Novickis; Sheldon Nowiski; James O’Connor; George Pevitts; Daniel Porcelli; Kevin Robinson; Martin Stortz; Allen Vandeweg; Donald Vogt; Michael Wahlman; DeWayne Wells; Jeffrey Wilkens;
Alert-Alert!! NERA Life Member Dues Increase from $250 to $400 on January 1st, 2009. Isn’t it time to become a life member? 184 of Windy City’s members have already chosen the financial benefit of this long term commitment to NERA’s future. Beat the increase…begin your payment program now!
The Armed Force Vacation Club
Is a "space available" program offering Department of Defense affiliated personnel affordable condominium vacations at over 3,500 resorts around the world.
You do not need an account number in advance of making a reservation. We want you to make your first reservation by calling the reservation center. This provides an opportunity for one of our vacation guides to review rules, conditions a resort might have, and resort rental policies that are different than what you find with a conventional hotel rental.
All you need to make a reservation is your AFVC Account Number (7033-xxxxx), the toll-free number (1-800-724-9988), a credit card number, an idea of when and where you want to go and the desire to get away, relax and have fun! Problem: they don’t guarantee specific dates!
Have the following information ready you when you
call the reservation center to start the reservation process:
Your Name __________________________
How many people are traveling with you _____
Your Service _________________________
Your Installation Number________________
Where do you want to take your vacation?
When do you want to take your vacation?
Your Credit Card Number _____________
Call the Reservation Center at 1-800-724-9988. The hours of operation are: Monday - Friday 7 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Eastern). The best times to call are Monday - Friday 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern).
The Navy
has finally wised up to the fact that spouses often know what they are
doing! Distribution has begun on a 50 page publication written by
spouses to assist reservists with every question they might encounter.
Included:
*Preparing for mobilization
*Knowing your benefits
*Tricare
*Survivor benefits
*A Help & resource index
*Helpful checklists
If not available at your NOSC it can be acquired from 1-877-673-7773.
What of Importance is Happening in DC?
NERA and the TMC (The Military Coalition) are currently working with leaders of the Defense Authorization Conference Committee on issues related to banning TRICARE cost increases, military pay increases, both active and reserve manpower reductions,. further reducing the point at which SBP (survivor benefit plan) is paid off (currently 70), and other considerations. Sounds like a full plate. There is currently little interest in D.C. for age 55 retirement.
The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214's online: http://vetrecs.archives.gov/. This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military files. Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use the new online military personnel records system to request documents.
"Some people spend an
entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the
Marines don't have that problem" -- Ronald Reagan
Mayor to Marines: Leave Toledo
The 200 Marines based in Grand Rapids, Mich., planned to spend their weekend
engaged in urban patrol exercises on the streets of downtown
Toledo. Police knew weeks in advance about plans
for the three-day exercise. Yet somehow the memo never made it to Toledo’s
Mayor, who ordered the Marines out yesterday afternoon just minutes before
their buses were to arrive.
"The mayor asked them to leave because they frighten people," said the
mayor's spokesman. "He did not want them practicing and drilling in a highly
visible area." Members of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marines have trained
periodically in downtown Toledo since at least 2004 and most recently in
May, 2006. Past exercises have involved mock gun fights, ambushes, and the
firing of blank ammunition.
The Reservists' visit was no surprise to Toledo police, who had already issued a news release to media outlets on behalf of the Marines that asked Toledoans not to be startled by the sight of camouflaged soldiers toting M16 rifles.
Maj. Jeffrey O'Neill, the company's commanding officer, said he was disappointed by how events played out, especially because Toledo had been a gracious host for Marine exercises in the past. "You can go to military ranges for live fire [exercises], but there's no way to duplicate the urban jungle unless you actually train inside a city," Major O'Neill said.
Lance Cpl. Brandon Bukrey-McCarty, 22, recalled taking part in the company's 2006 urban patrol exercise. He said he learned skills during that exercise that proved useful during the unit's deployment to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2006-2007. "It was extremely helpful," The training "got me used to looking up on rooftops, looking around every alley, every open door."
Sergeant Davis and other company leaders estimated the total cost of the aborted training exercise, including travel, at roughly $10,000. "… we're Marines," Major O'Neill said. "We'll adapt and overcome."
Editor’s Note: Gary Indiana provides more realistic urban combat training!!
Marine Corps
Investigates Canine Abuse – The Corps is
currently investigating two separate instances of animal cruelty that have
been viewed by thousands on You Tube. In one case a stray dog is wounded by
Marines using a small caliber weapon, possibly a pellet gun. After the dog
is unable to stand on its hind legs, the marines pictured in the video,
jokingly continue to wound the animal as it attempts to escape dragging its
hind end. In the second, more publicized instance, a young Marine holds a
puppy by the scruff of its neck as he laughingly throws the squeeling animal
over a cliff to its death.
Press release- Marine Corps Base Hawaii continues to investigate videos of
Marines mistreating dogs that gained widespread attention on the internet
Monday. The content of the video is deplorable and contrary to the high
standards we expect of every Marine at home and abroad.
MCBH learned of the video Monday morning and immediately began an
investigation to confirm the authenticity of the video and the persons
responsible for the video. The investigation will be thorough and will
examine each person involved. Upon completion of the investigation, it will
be reviewed by each Marine's commander who will determine the appropriate
action to take in each case.
No charges have been filed at this time. In the event that any Marine is
charged with an offense, he will be afforded the constitutional and due
process protections guaranteed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The vast majority of Marines conduct their duties in an honorable and
compassionate manner that brings great credit upon the Marine Corps and the
United States.
Army recruiting continued its use of lower standards to satisfy recruiting requirements last year. Their recruiting commander defended the policy stating ”…many in congress would have difficulty getting into the military today” (Ed’s note: This a statement I really agree with)
Editor’s Note: This magazine has been prepared while your editor is visiting soldiers at Ft. Leavenworth. As always, I have found that the soldiers are intelligent, well disciplined and totally professional. I don’t know where they put the losers but I never get to see them. your Ed.
Those watching President Bush’s State of the Union saw our friend Capt. Terry Gainer clearing the aisle following the speech. More on Gainer’s job as Senate Sargent-at-arms in the next issue.
Now drug smugglers turn to submarines
By Jeremy McDermott in Medellin, Columbia
SOUTH American drug seizures at sea are at a record high, with 70 tons of cocaine worth more than £800 million found by the Colombian navy alone last year, prompting drugs cartels to move their shipments deeper under cover, beneath the waves.
During last year, more than ten "narcosubs" – were discovered by the
Colombian and
United States
navies, more than were found during the past ten years put together.
Until now, the favored method has been the use of super-fast speed
boats, designed to be nautical bullets that take tons of drugs darting
across the water, especially the Caribbean, travelling so fast the navy has
no vessel fast enough to intercept.
Another benefit of the submarines for traffickers is they can carry far
larger cargoes than the super-fast boats. One of the largest submarines in
use was discovered in November in a jungle estuary in the
province
of Narino, by the Pacific Ocean. A massive fibreglass construction almost
60ft long and 10ft wide, the sub could carry 12 tons of drugs, needing a
crew of four. In the same month, a few hundred miles up the coast near the
drug-smuggling centre of
Buenaventura,
two more submarines were found in a guerrilla shipyard, each 56ft long.
The submarines, alongside go-fast speedboats, were being built by
rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). This
12,000-strong army is largely financed by the drugs trade and is now working
in tandem not just with drugs cartels but with right-wing paramilitaries
that were once its sworn enemies. One of the subs was finished, kitted out
with a 350-horsepower diesel engine and fuel tanks big enough to take the
vessel up to Mexico or anywhere in Central America.
Many of the submarines are not fully submersible, in the sense that
they do not dive deep under the water like naval boats. Rather, the drug
subs are "semi-submersibles", which means that the body of the vessel stays
under the water line, with breathing tubes and part of the navigation system
visible.
"What is visible is so small that it is hard for land or air radar to
pick them up".
It is clear that some of the drug subs can travel thousands of miles.
One, 33ft in length, was found off the north-west coast of
Spain
last year, no doubt abandoned after its cargo of up to five tons of drugs
had been unloaded.
As well as semi-submersibles, drugs traffickers are known to use
underwater containers filled with drugs that are attached by cable to
fishing boats and dragged in their wake. The advantage of this system is
that, if the boats are intercepted, the fishing vessels simply drop the
cable holding the drugs, meaning there is no evidence of smuggling.
However, the crews of the drug subs also have orders to scuttle their
vessels rather than allow the narcotics to be captured. On 7 December, four
men were rescued after sinking their drug subs, laden with as much as 12
tons of drugs off Colombia. They were picked up by a US navy vessel, their
clothes showing signs of contact with cocaine. However, the submarine sank
to the bottom of the 10,000ft-deep ocean, according to Admiral Edgar Cely,
the Colombian navy's chief of operations, thus burying much of the evidence
against them.
What also worries US and Colombian intelligence officials is the
military use that these subs could be put to. "There could be five tons of
anything on board these things".
A senior official with the US Drug Enforcement Administration in
Colombia said: "Any viable method to covertly transport large quantities of
illicit drugs over long distances such as these (vessels] could conceivably
be employed to transport other prohibited materials."
HOW SMUGGLERS ARE GOING TO EXTREMES
THE largest narco-sub yet discovered was 100ft long and would have
been capable of carrying 200 tons of cocaine.
The Bogota warehouse where it was being built – apparently to Russian
plans – was raided by Colombian police before the vessel could be used.
The move to find ever more covert ways of shipping drugs is a response
to international efforts to clamp down on the trade. A
US
senate hearing was told last month that the Drug Enforcement Administration
had far more intelligence on South American drug cartels than it had the
capacity to act on.
Nevertheless, the US Coast Guard recently said illicit trafficking in
cocaine was seemingly shifting from the Caribbean to the Pacific, as it
announced record seizures last year.
"We have forced them to adapt to routes that are dangerous and are
expensive," said Coast Guard Commander Bob Watts in announcing cocaine
seizures worth more than $4.7 billion.
Because of the US Coast Guard's increased surveillance in the Caribbean Sea,
smugglers are turning to riskier tactics, including dissolving cocaine in
diesel fuel. They had also been forced to turn to the more expensive and
arduous Pacific routes, including via the Galapagos Islands, since most
routes via the
Caribbean Sea
have been shut down. Africa was increasingly being used as an alternative
trans-shipment route to the drug market in Europe.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime,
Colombia is the world's biggest producer of cocaine, followed by Peru and
Bolivia.
Memberships Expiring This and Last Quarter:
William Bahlaw John Connolly Marc Cover Andrea Dockstader Allan Edquist
Donald Falborski Cameron Forbes Patrick Graham Carl Holzauer Jack Donald
Stephan Krupa John Maxwell William McVey Mark O’Connor Robert Schmidt
June Traeger Michelle
Trimble Allen Vandeweg Donald
Vogt Michael Wahlman
C&BL change highlights:
*Life member dues increase to $400 on 01/01/09
*Past Nat. Presidents no longer have a vote on the NEC
*Public Relations, Building and Retiree Affairs positions deleted-
President with NEC consent may establish AdHoc committees.
Mark your calendar.
MEETING DATES: 2008, February 12, April 8, June 10, August 12, October 14, December 9
The next meeting will be: April 8, 2008. Meetings for the Windy City Chapter of NERA are held at the Park Ridge VFW (Post 3579). The VFW is located @ 10 W Higgins (and Canfield). The meeting dates are the 2nd Tuesday night, Bi-monthly, 2000. Come join us!!
All Inquiries mailed to:
WINDY CITY CHAPTER
P.O. Box 4562
Rockford, IL 61110