Greetings Eagle Chapter Members and Friends |
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2022 seemed to have zoomed by! This has been a very active year for us as the surrounding units and agencies emerged from the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Plus 2023 is getting off to a huge bang for us as we prepare for the 55th Commemoration of the Battle of Bien Hoa and the loss of Captain Maisey with a special event planned at the Maisey Building at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling Washington DC. See the events planned below. Karl, Eagle Chapter's Vice Chair AF District of Washington (AFDW), is doing a masterful job of coordinating with HQ USAF and supporting AFDW units for this spectacular event. Please see the article below and sign up. This event has no value without you. I hope to see you there and at other activities planned for 2023.
Next month we start the last of our four-month donation drive. Though you can give throughout the year, we focus on Oct through January so the donations through this period gives us an indicator of what we can and cannot get done during the year. Your donations pay our costs plus the benefit that we can provide to the Airmen, families and our military heritage. You can contribute to us by sending a check or money order or completing the attached form and sending it to us to pay by credit card. You can also go to any page of our website (like the Events page), scroll down the page and click the donate button to donate via PayPal.
We've improved the security of our website - https. Note the "s." We've added domain encryption. You can still use http but for added security the s shows that the page is secure. You'll see the little lock icon showing that the page is secure.
Thanks again for your continuing support and I hope to see you at an Eagle Chapter event this year. Feel free to drop me a line at any time. I'm always happy to have your feedback.
Very respectfully,
"Lee"
Elia C. (Lee) Chambers, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Eagle Chapter Air Force Security Forces Association
P. O. Box 10501
Burke, Virginia 22009-0501
Email: chairman@afspaeagle.com | C: 571-302-0992
We published our previous newsletter on October 29, 2022. Click here to see it again. By the way, to see all or our 2022 chapter newsletters, please click here to go to our Resources page on our website.
Eagle Chapter AF Security Forces Association membership is FREE to all AF Security Forces Association members who work or live in DC, DE, MD, VA, and WV. Contact Chairman for more information.
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Join us - 55th Commemorative Maisey Wreath Laying and Eagle Chapter Luncheon at the Pentagon |
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On January 31, 1968 - Start of the Tet Offensive - Defenders at Bien Hoa Air Base Republic of Vietnam Repulsed an Aggressive, Overwhelming Enemy Onslaught. |
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Each year on the anniversary of Captain Maisey's heroic death, Eagle Chapter holds a wreath laying ceremony in his honor at the Maisey Building. On the 5th anniversary - starting in the 50th - we hold a special ceremony where we invite Maisey family members for the wreath laying and other events on the anniversary of his death.
Karl, Eagle Chapter Vice Chair AFDW Wing, has done a masterful job of coordinating with the Maisey family, HQ USAF (Taps Bugle Player, National Anthem Singer, and Color Guard) and both HQ AFDW (Deputy Commander 11th Wing Commander, and Chaplain) officials plus our association's own - Jim Saulnier President AFSFA, to provide a superb day of events that include the wreath laying in the morning and concluding with an Eagle Chapter luncheon to honor that sacrifice and welcome the family in their attendance. We're pending responses from other speakers.
We're planning a Pentagon Tour for the family plus any folks who are interested.
So far, Captain Maisey's brother, Terry's widow, Judith Maisey, and Terry's only son (Reg's nephew), Michael Maisey, will be attending for the family.
The Eagle Chapter Luncheon is a special reception for the Maisey family attendees. Our keynote speaker will be Colonel (Ret) Marty Strones who fought with Captain Maisey that fateful night plus aided the Defense Department with helping the Vietnam government find the mass burial graves of their fallen troops.
Neither of these events can be successful without you! Please schedule around your doctor's and auto maintenance appointments and come out. Please click below to let us know which event (or both) that you will attend.
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Start time is 0800 31 January 2023 - Uniform of the Day and Business Casual dress. No cost event.
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$15.00 luncheon cost or free to Technical Sergeants E-6s and below. Start time is noon on January 31, 2023. Uniform of the Day and Business Casual dress.
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Eagle Chapter Wows at Veterans Day Ceremony
at the Military Women's Memorial
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Check out those smiles!!!! |
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Carrying the Eagle Chapter Wreath - Their smiles - Kathy Wojciechowski (at left) Eagle Chapter Vice Chair Tidewater Wing and Rachel Vis, Eagle Chapter Secretary and former Vice Chair Tidewater Wing (at right) - lit up the room!!!!
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At Veterans Day - Eagle Chapter lays wreath on the 25th Anniversary of the Women's Memorial at a special ceremony. |
Check out page five to see what organization led the way!!!
My thanks to Kathy and Rachel who traveled six hours round trip from the Langley area to participate in this ceremony at the Military Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Also at Veterans Day, Kathy placed fresh flowers on Senior Airman Thomas "TJ" Richardson's internment at the Phoebus National Cemetery near Langley. TJ, then assigned to Bolling, was medically evacuated to a hospital in Boston Mass from Iraq due to a rare heart cancer. With the help of career field Security Forces Managers, Eagle Chapter raised $5,000 to help his family with living expenses. TJ briefly recovered long enough to attend an Eagle Chapter luncheon at Langley with his mom before losing his battle with cancer, March 2013.
Remembering TJ.
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The Names of Three More Security Forces Heroes Nominated for 2022 - National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC |
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SF Commanders and Project Managers worked hard to nominate three more SF heroes for 2022. |
Our thanks to the project managers who worked very hard to collect the artifacts needed to submit three more of our heroes for recognition by the National LE Officers Memorial in Washington DC. These project managers accepted this job personally and would not give up - even while TDY and handling their day-to-day duties - they found a way to get this job done. Very much appreciated!
Project Manager: Technical Sergeant Atkins Riddick / Approving Commander: Lt Colonel Gilbert S. Wyche II, 673d Security Forces Squadron Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Alaska
Note: Sergeant Riddick knew both of these Airmen. I uploaded photos from their group burial at Arlington onto our website for his information. Click here to see those images. Brig Gen Holmes was the top cop at that time. Col Bob Tirevold led the HQ A4S contingent.
• Technical Sgt Jason L. Norton - End of Watch 1/22/2006 (photo above left)
• Staff Sergeant Brian Scott McElroy - End of Watch 1/22/2006 (photo above center)
Project Manager, Technical Sergeant Stevie Thomas Jr/Approving Commander Lt Col Benjamin Washburn, 48th Security Forces Squadron RAF Lakenheath United Kingdom
• Senior Airman Jason Nathan - End of Watch 6/23/2007 (photo above right)
One package has already been submitted. The second package will be sent before next Friday. My goal at this stage is to always get these in front of the commanders before they go on Christmas vacation and we're there.
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Eagle Chapter - Hail and Farewell |
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First a Hail (Welcome!) to the newest member of our clan |
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HAIL - Welcome - Jackson Curtis Caldwell |
He could not wait until his December scheduled delivery date! :-)
Jackson Curtis joined his two brothers in the Caldwell family on the November 29 at 4:13, Reston, VA. He weighed in at 8.8 pounds and was 21 inches long. Dad, Ian, Deputy Vice Chair Eagle Chapter AFDW Wing and NLEOM Committee Member, tells us that mom, Amanda, is doing just fine as she welcomes another bouncing baby boy to their clan.
Congratulations!
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FAREWELL - Michael Crayton Resigns |
Sadly, we bid a fond farewell to Michael. Mike has been our most active board member to serve as our Vice Chair Public Information. He even continued to support us when he PCSed from VA to Las Vegas Nevada. Michael has recently accepted a new job at TSA which prevents him from continuing to support us. On his way out, he submitted three articles to HQ AFSFA that you'll see in the days ahead.
Thanks again Michael and his bride, Karen, for sharing him with us.
Now that we have a vacancy - Michael has laid a framework that will be easy for the next VCPI to follow and make his fingerprints on this program. If you are interested in becoming the next VCPI, to help publish our articles in the Security Forces Magazine, please reach out and contact me.
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AF Security Forces Association Needs More Bios to Publish Volume III History Book |
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WE CAN HELP! With your help, we're going to assist our headquarters with their goal of publishing the AF Security Forces Volume III History book. We've already begun. So far we have seven biographies - six (so far) from your Eagle Chapter Board Members and one from one of our awesome retired Security Forces Brigadier Generals to get this ball started for our chapter.
You've seen the advertisements in the Security Forces Magazine. I'm providing them here for your convenience. There is no charge if you keep your bio to 150 words or less. If you get long winded like me, it'll cost you $0.15 cents a word. Please click on the image or see the instructions by clicking here.
Here's our simple two-step process:
• (1) submit your MS Word biography document and photos to Rachel, our Chapter secretary at her email address. Note: To see the word count in your MS Word document - go to the menu bar at the top and select "Review" then look over to the left and you'll see a "Word Count" menu item. Click on it and it'll tell you how many words.
• (2) If you go over the 150-word limit, submit your check, money order or use our credit card document to pay the cost. Rachel, will handle it from there to make sure your package gets to AFSFA.
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An Update - Eagle Proud Warrior Coin |
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We've updated the Eagle Proud Warrior Coin. The new coin has a gold brass finish instead of the pewter finish as before. It still is a 3d coin based on the original design that we created in 2006 between a collaboration with Veronica Gonzales of KV Coins of San Antonio and Liz Jacobson's grandmother Sondra Millman. Veronica took out photo image and created the 3d image and the rest is history. We first offered the updated coin for donation at the Eagle Chapter Pentagon Luncheon in October where attendees paid $20.00 each in donations. The quality of the coin really speaks for itself.
We're charging the same amount that we've always charged - $12.00 donation - this legacy amount now incurs at a subsidized cost to Eagle Chapter. So, we ask that you add about $3.00 for shipping and handling (1-3 coins) and - consider donating more to our program. See the examples below:
Example:
1 coin + shipping is $15
2 coins + shipping is $27
3 coins + shipping is $39
4 coins + shipping is $51
5 Coins + shipping is $63
We use proceeds to help offset our costs for attending to SF Airmen at Walter Reed Bethesda. I'm headed up there next week to meet with the new Walter Reed Bethesda AF Wounded Warrior Leadership. With the combat drawdown, we now extend our program to any SF Airman that is medically evacuated to Walter Reed Bethesda.
Click here to see the Eagle Proud Warrior Coin page for a ready reference to these costs as well as an easy way to donate via credit card or PayPal.
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Knife 13 - Commemorative Medallion |
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Vietnam Security Police Association offers a medallion to raise funds to build memorial |
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The Knife-13 medallion is being sold as a fund-raising effort by VSPA to build two memorials to honor the 18 Security Policemen and five aircrew members who were assigned to the 56th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom, RTAFB, Thailand. They perished in a CH53 Helicopter crash, call sign: KNIFE 13, that went down enroute to the Mayaguez Rescue Staging Area on May 13, 1975.
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Eagle Chapter January Monthly Board Meeting |
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Our board meetings are open to all members and significant others.
The board will meet at 2000/8:00 PM Eastern Thursday January 5, 2023.
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In conclusion - Chairman's Annual Christmas Visit to Arlington National Cemetery |
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Each year on the Sunday following the Wreaths Across America's (WAA) visit to Arlington where they endeavor to place wreaths on the over 300,000 graves at Arlington, I go (the following day) to the internments of our 25 to ensure that a wreath is placed on their graves. Lately, WAA has had enough wreaths for all. So if there aren't any of our missed, I place my extras for the family member where there is also a family member interred with the member, for example Major (Ret) Luther and Effie Duffield or Lt Gen (Ret) Howard Leaf and his son, Patrick. |
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One final plug for our annual donation drive - Our members are a major source of our funding. Your thoughtful consideration is very much appreciated. I look forward to your contributions and your notes. We can't succeed without you.
I do want to give a shout out to two of our corporate sponsors:
• Synepuxent American Legion Post 166 - Thanks to Eagle Member Bill "Sarge" Garlitz for helping to have our chapter added to their annual giving. They are our longest serving corporate donor.
• BlinkinCo - Our newest sponsor - a media production, insider threat program management, security services and government contracting company - Many thanks to Karl for adding us this year.
Please send a check, money order or use our credit card form to our Post Office Box or go to any page of our website to send your donation via PayPal. See the address below for mailing your gift.
Eagle Chapter is an IRS-approved 501C-19 Veterans Services Not for Profit organization.
Very respectfully,
//Lee//
Elia C. (Lee) Chambers
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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Sorry, I could not pass this opportunity for a selfie up! Thanks Rachel and Kathy!!! |
P.O. Box 10501,
Burke, VA 22009-0501
(571) 302-0992
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