Army News MAJ Jeff Maxcy

Greetings Jayhawk Chapter!

      The Army ROTC unit at Kansas University has completed another outstanding semester. On 20 December 2004, we commissioned four cadets as new officers. 2LT Bryan Ault (IN) and 2LT Shane Carter (AG) will serve in the regular Army. 2LT Nikki Dolce (MS) and 2LT Xiang Zhang (SC) will serve in the Kansas Army National Guard. All four new officers received their top branch choice which is a testament to the strength of the KU program and the excellent cadets in this program. We are very proud of these cadets’ accomplishments during their years with the Jayhawk Battalion and look forward to even greater accomplishments as they begin their careers as officers.

      The cadets have been busy the last few months. On 11 November 2004, the cadets participated in Veteran’s Day ceremonies at Washburn University and the Tri-Service ceremony at KU. In addition, during a 24-hour vigil, the cadets stood watch at the KU Vietnam

Memorial and the Campanile Bell Tower World War II Memorial. The cadets also have focused on academics with the end of the semester flurry of papers, book reports and exams.

      However, the end of the semester has not been all work. The cadets enjoyed the Joint Military Ball at which the graduating seniors were honored. The Jayhawk Battalion also held a holiday party which provided a much needed break from studying. 

      The Jayhawk Battalion is looking forward to continuing the tradition of excellence next semester by providing unique and challenging training. Check out our new website at www.ku.edu/~kurotc/ for our upcoming events.

JAYHAWKS LEAD THE WAY!

                                       MAJ(P) Jeff Maxcy

Navy News CAPT Rich High, USN

Update from the Navy:

      I very much enjoyed the opportunity to speak with the membership in November. It was an honor to stand before so many of you that understand the commitment our troops are putting forth today to preserve the American way of life and once again ensure freedom and democracy gains a foothold in a war torn country. They do great work in a demanding and dangerous arena and the whole truth just doesn't seem to get home often enough.

      We have once again completed a fall semester here at Navy ROTC. In the month of December we had two of our Midshipmen (Midshipmen Long and Midshipmen Slone) graduate and receive their commissions on Saturday the 18th at a ceremony in the Dole center. Of note, Midshipmen Slone was given his oath by his father, retired Lieutenant Commander (ret) Don Slone, F-14 Naval Flight Officer, who also graduated from KU in 1982. Both of our new Ensigns start their Navy careers as surface warfare officers and will be reporting to ships after the holidays. The ceremony capped off a beautiful day and included attendance of former KU Lieutenant, instructor Kerry Keehn, who is now working in the Boston area and the former Commanding Officer, Captain (ret) Jim Cooper.

      We start next semester on 20 January and plan to graduate 13 seniors in May. Additionally, we received notification 17 December of the Navy's service selection for NROTC nationwide (Navy's response to the each Mid's choice of warfare community {aviation, submarines or surface ship}). I am absolutely delighted to let you know that all 13 of our Midshipmen got their first choice. In today's Navy, each opportunity for a commission has become greatly competitive. Last semester, the Navy was almost 50 Midshipmen slots over the necessary need for new officer accessions. As a result, a number of NROTC graduates were asked to forego their commissions and join the civilian workforce. Again this year, the Navy is in a downsizing mode for Navy Officers and each commissionee must be very competitive to get the warfare community of

their choice. The message I take away from these outstanding results are, first, Kansas has great respect by the Navy for producing quality officers and secondly, we have an absolutely outstanding group of men and women that make up our Jayhawk Battalion.

      Once again I am looking forward to a productive spring semester and would like to take this opportunity to thank the MOAA membership for their support of our local NROTC program. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with a lot of quality family time and I wish you the most successful of New Years.

                                       Sincerely,

                              R. D. High

                                       CAPTAIN, USN 

Air Force News Col Mike Lee, USAF

      We worked a hectic pace all year, then suddenly on 20 December, right after commissioning, it grew quiet. We knew either the term was over, KU had lost their first basketball game, or someone had offered the cadets free food. Fortunately the quiet meant the end of the term, and a breather for all of us. We commissioned three new Second Lieutenants – Chris Clinton headed for Pilot Training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi; Tanya Destin-Hill headed for advanced Nurses Training at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas; and Kyle Grieves is awaiting orders for Pilot Training based on a pending medical waiver. Grieves was designated a Distinguished Graduate, placing him in the top 10% of his peers nationwide.

      Congressman Dennis Moore was the keynote speaker and he presided over the swearing in ceremony. We made contact with Congressman Moore's office fairly late to engage him as our speaker, but he jumped at the chance to support new KU students taking the step he once took into the military. It's great to get products of our programs back to officiate at these official functions.

      The AF still has 16 Cadets who will graduate and commission in Spring '05. Many still don't even know the field they will go into. We worked an air rescue scenario during a field training exercise in November and we plan a deployment exercise for March or April.

      In a formal change of command ceremony held in December, Cadet Erik Buschelman relinquished command of the Cadet Wing to Cadet John Wright, the Cadet Wing Commander for the Spring 05 term. Buschelman, a EE Major will be an Electrical Engineer for the Air Force, and Cadet Wright, a Bio-Chem and Asian Languages Major, will go on to Pilot Training – both graduate in May.

      Our numbers have declined somewhat in the past three months, but the quality and enthusiasm remain high. We look forward to another semester associated with the Jayhawk Chapter of MOAA and invite you to join in our activities as time allows.

                                       Mike Lee

                                       Colonel, USAF

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THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO RANG BELLS FOR THE SALVATION ARMY ON 27 NOVEMBER.

IT’S GREAT TO KNOW THEY EXCEEDED THEIR GOAL FOR THE 2004 SEASON.

FROM THE KANSAS COUNCIL PRESIDENT

      It is a great honor to have been elected President of the Kansas Council of Chapters for 2005. The Kansas Council of Chapters membership is made up of two officers from each of the current seven Kansas Chapters. The Council currently elects a President, President-elect, Vice President and Treasurer from members throughout the State who are members of local chapters. Our Secretary is one of your very own, COL John Halladay, AUS(Ret) and has held that position for several years. The Council holds quarterly meetings and those meetings are open to anyone who desires to attend. The next meeting of the Council is 5 March 2005, in Overland Park, Kansas. The exact location and time is not finalized at this time but John Halladay, our secretary, I know would be glad to furnish that information to you when it is finalized.

      The mission of the Council is to assist Chapters whenever possible and to promote the purposes of National MOAA.  The Chapter is the backbone of not only the Council but National MOAA. Each Chapter is an independent entity and in no way has to answer to the Council. The Jayhawk Chapter has been extremely active in both State and National issues since its chartering in October 1990. Everyone of the members of the Jayhawk Chapter can be proud of its accomplishments over the past fourteen years, especially the National awards received this past year and I know that the Chapter will continue to excel under the Chapter’s current leadership.

      I look forward to having the opportunity during the coming year to attend one of your Chapter meetings and meet and socialize with the membership.

      I wish all of you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Harry Malnicof

Maj. USMC(Ret)

            President, Kansas Council of Chapters