WebMaster's Corner May 2016
As we begin this "Merry, Merry Month of May", we recall that one of the more important days of the year is Mother's Day . It is 8 May. Don’t forget to recognize the Mothers in our lives especially the one of them that is our wife. Where in the world would we guys be if it were not for the TLC we receive at the hand of our Wives and Mothers.
Armed Forces Day is on Saturday, 21 May and is a reminder of the important military activities that occurred in May.
Memorial Day falls on Monday, 30 May this year.
May is, indeed, a month of remembrance: our mothers, our deceased loved ones, our fallen warriors. It is also a month to be happy with the anticipation of the summer which will inevitably follow the Merry, Merry Month of May.
The gemstone for May is
the Emerald
The flower for May is
the Lily of the Valley .
Now, About May in History:
1 May - May Day
Of course, we cannot forget May Day, the first of May, traditionally celebrating what may well be the first "pole dance".
Over the years, May Day was taken up nby other causes and meanings, from a declaration of emergency to a celebration of the Labor movement.
The German Blitzkrieg of France began on 10 May 1940 (84 years ago); six weeks later France had fallen.
Corregidor, a small rocky island in the Philippines, fell to the Japanese on 6 May 1942. See http://corregidorisland.com/ for more information.
The Germans surrendered in a schoolhouse at Reims, at 2:41 a.m. on 7 May 1945.
On 7 May 1987, the Finance Corps Regiment was activated.
We will celebrate the 79th anniversary of V-E Day on 8 May.
Every day in May our service personnel will be going in harms way in Afghanistan, doing their best to execute what is a perilous retrograde movement. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Shortly after midday on 11 May 1889, a band of robbers ambushed U.S. Army Paymaster Major Joseph Washington Wham (pronounced Wham, as in bomb) (18 January 1840 to 21 December 1908) and his military escort along the Fort Grant-Fort Thomas Road about fifteen miles west of Pima in the Gila River Valley.
On Sunday 1 May 2011 Osama Bin Laden was killed during a Navy SEAL raid on his compound.
First permanent English settlement in America established in Jamestown, VA., May 24, 1607.
On Monday, 30 May we will observe Memorial Day. As we remember those who have given full measure of their lives, also remember that we are eligible to be remembered for whatever we have been able to give for our Country.There is an old Russian proverb that says: “We live as long as we are remembered.”
On 29 May 1860, pursuant to General Order Number 14, a new Army post in Kansas was named Fort Larned, in honor of Colonel Benjamin F. Larned, paymaster of the United States Army. The reservation was four miles square, but the official survey was never carried out. Colonel Larned was serving as Paymaster General at the time of his death.
Statehood Dates
The following states achieved statehood in May:
- South Carolina (8), May 23, 1788
- Rhode Island (13), May 29, 1790
- Wisconsin May 26 (30), 1848
- Minnesota May 11 (32), 1858
TAPS: Since our 2014 reunion in Baton Rouge, we have been informed of 102 members of our Finance family who have died. Please keep them, and their families, in your thoughts and prayers:
| Name | Rank | Died On |
|---|---|---|
| ABRAMSON, NORMAN S. | MSG | 10/19/2015 |
| ADLER, RUTH O. | (WIDOW OF COL JAMES N.) | 7/26/2002 |
| ARBUCCI, PEGGY | (WIFE OF LTC TONY) | 2/24/2015 |
| BARBER, JOYCE | (WIFE OF MAJ GEORGE) | 2/4/2016 |
| BARBOUR, ALFRED E. | COL | 9/25/2009 |
| BEANE, ETHYL | (WIDOW OF CW4 WOODROW H.,) | 6/10/2010 |
| BENTON, DEWARD E. | LTC | 9/30/2012 |
| BEYER, SUELLEN | (WIDOW OF COL DAVID J.,) | 11/13/2008 |
| BIRD, VIRON E. | LTC | 12/31/2009 |
| BORDIGA, CARL J. | COL | 2/29/2008 |
| BRADSHAW, ARTHUR L. | LTC | 3/1/2016 |
| BRIGANDI, GERTRUDE | (WIDOW OF COL JOSEPH,) | 1/9/2010 |
| BROOKE, CHARLOTTE | (WIDOW OF LTC DE FORREST) | 8/5/2011 |
| BRUCHHAUSER, EDWARD E. | CW4 | 12/1/2012 |
| BUTTS, KENT H | LTC | 8/15/2016 |
| CAPKA, ADOLPH J. | LTC | 10/5/2009 |
| CASTLEMAN, KATHLEEN | (WIFE OF SGM THOMAS B.) | 5/30/2016 |
| CLARKIN, PHYLLIS | (WIDOW OF LTC WILLIAM L,) | 8/9/2005 |
| CONVERY, DORIS | (WIDOW OF COL WILLIAM J.) | 2/11/1998 |
| COOK, JAMES H. | COL | 9/8/2016 |
| CROSBY, JIM D. | SGM | 10/23/2014 |
| DAVIS, HERTA M | SFC | 11/1/2015 |
| DAYE, KIPI | (WIDOW OF SGM MERLE) | 2/26/2015 |
| DISSEL, JEANNE | (WIFE OF LTC THAYER) | |
| DISSEL, THAYER W. | LTC | 12/10/2011 |
| DITTENHOFER, MARGARET | (WIFE OF COL MORTIMER) | 9/10/2006 |
| DIXON, JR, RALPH P. | COL | 11/9/2015 |
| DONALD, JR, SAM | LTC | |
| DOSTER, EVELYN | (WIFE OF LTC ROBERT) | 10/10/2003 |
| DOSTER, ROBERT W. | LTC | 7/2/2013 |
| DRAKE, MICHAEL L. | LTC | 7/29/2016 |
| DRENKHAHN, ANDREW O. | LTC | 8/22/2016 |
| EBETINO, MARY | (WIFE OF LTC MICHAEL) | 2/1/2003 |
| EBETINO, MICHAEL T. | LTC | 6/16/2008 |
| ECKART, RALPH C. | SGM | 1/16/2015 |
| ELAM, JEANE L. | (WIDOW OF COL JOHN K.) | 7/8/2014 |
| ELDRIDGE, VIRGIL R. | MAJ | 3/2/2015 |
| ENSLEY, GEORGE H. | LTC | 3/26/2014 |
| FAZAKERLEY, RICHARD G. | MG | 3/17/2016 |
| FELTON, RICHARD O. | LTC | 1/13/2014 |
| FERGUSON, NORMA H. | (WIDOW OF COL JAMES C.) | 7/12/2013 |
| FIGUEROA, EDGARDO | SFC | 7/1/2015 |
| FRUIN, PAULA FAYE | MRS | 12/1/2014 |
| GALLANT, ROGERT L. | SGM | 2/24/2016 |
| GARY, DONALD A. | LTC | 3/14/2015 |
| GIAMMALVO, BERTHA | (WIFE OF MAJ FRANCESCO) | 9/19/2006 |
| GIAMMALVO, FRANCESCO | MAJ | 12/3/2011 |
| GILMORE, EDWARD R. | LTC | 12/13/2007 |
| GOLDEN, HAROLD R. | COL | 8/7/2015 |
| GOLDEN, WANDA | (WIFE OF COL HAROLD) | 3/5/2015 |
| GREGORY, ERNEST J. | MR. | 10/5/2015 |
| GRESICK, ADA MARIE | (WIDOW OF COL BERNARD A.,) | 11/27/2013 |
| HANNAM, DAVID | LTC | 5/28/2016 |
| HAYASHI, RYOKO | WIFE OF MSG NELSON | 5/14/2015 |
| HEARD, JERRY D. | COL | 6/23/2016 |
| HINNRICHS, JEFFERY K. | LTC | 8/1/2014 |
| HOLDER, NEVILLE E. M. | LTC | 1/13/2016 |
| HUNDLEY, KENNETH M. | MSG | 7/16/2016 |
| INDELLICATE, JOHN A. | LTC | 9/12/2012 |
| JOHNS, ROBERT W. | CSM | 3/20/2016 |
| KASSERMAN, ELIZABETH | (WIDOW OF COL HAROLD W.,) | 10/22/2014 |
| KJELLSTROM, JOHN A. | LTG | 10/19/2015 |
| KOEHL, MARGE | (WIFE OF COL LEONARD) | 1/23/2012 |
| KOGER, WILLIAM E | SGM | 4/29/2016 |
| LAMAR, RUTH | (WIDOW OF COL JOSEPH R.,) | 9/24/2010 |
| LIVELY, CHARLES H. | COL | 9/28/2015 |
| LIVELY, ELAINE | (WIFE OF COL CHARLES) | 8/7/2010 |
| MARIANO, ADRIANO C | 1SG | 8/5/2016 |
| MASSEY, MICHAEL RAY | SGM | 9/13/2016 |
| MCANALLY, DOLORES | (WIDOW OF CW2 HEARL P.,) | 2/23/2014 |
| MCKINNEY, JERRY | MSG | 8/13/2015 |
| NELSON, LINDA | (WIDOW OF COL WILLIAM J.) | 4/2/2016 |
| NEWSOME, THEODORE | MSG | 3/31/2015 |
| PASSELL, DAVID W. | COL | 5/5/2014 |
| PECK, HOWARD F. | LTC | 5/25/2012 |
| PEIKER, THELMA E. | (WIDOW OF LTC RAYMOND J.) | 7/19/2005 |
| PREDEAU, MICHAEL E. | 1SG | 8/15/2014 |
| PURCELL, DONALD W. | SFC | 7/17/2016 |
| RAMEY, HUBERT D. | COL | 3/28/2016 |
| RAWLEY, SR, DOROTHY | (WIFE OF COL WILLIAM) | 5/25/2009 |
| REDEMON, JACK | SFC | 4/3/2015 |
| REGO, CHRIS F. | LTC | 6/30/2014 |
| ROGAN, ANN | (WIFE OF COL JOHN) | 1/28/2015 |
| RYAN, BERNARD P. | CW4 | 6/2/2014 |
| SAMARKOS, ANTHONY C. | LTC | 4/13/2015 |
| SCOTT, JOHN EDWARD | SFC | 7/28/2015 |
| SECKINGER, ALYCE | (WIDOW OF LTC GEORGE M.) | 6/5/2015 |
| SIRBAUGH, JAMES HENRY | SSG | 7/7/2015 |
| STEELE, TRAVIS | CSM | 2/15/2015 |
| STEEN, JOSEFA | (WIDOW OF COL JUD O.) | 2/14/2008 |
| STELMACHOWICZ, JOYCE | (WIFE OF COL PETER) | 7/24/2014 |
| STERLING, WILLIAM R. | COL | 10/22/2015 |
| STRINGER, DOROTHY | (WIFE OF COL JAMES) | 1/10/2014 |
| STRINGER, JAMES K. | COL | 10/15/2015 |
| TRYON, MARIAN | (WIDOW OF LTC FRANK H.,16) | 5/18/2006 |
| VARTANIAN, DONALD N. | LTC | 3/9/2015 |
| VOLGYI, SHARON | COL (WIFE OF LTC IMRE) | 12/18/2015 |
| WARD, THOMAS C | 1SG | 8/12/2016 |
| WILSON, JOHN M. | COL | 9/12/2012 |
| WRATISLAW, EDNA MAE | (WIDOW OF COL ROY E.,) | 2/21/2016 |
| WRATISLAW, ROY E. | COL | 12/1/2015 |
| YRJANSON, ROBERT E. | COL | 10/29/2014 |
Dues Status: Anyone who has not paid 2016 dues is now in a seriously delinquent status. Your dues status is always presented to you once you have logged in.
New Member Added to the Roster Last Month
| New Member - COL PAT RILEY |
Some final thoughts ...
We still need some Finance stories from your experience bank. Please cough up a story for us.
Don't forget our next reunion in Las Vegas, NV. Online registration (and/or registration corrections) will remain open until close of business on 30 June 2016, after which we will invoice all registrants. Here are the registrants to date.
We will also be deciding on the 2020 reunion in Las Vegas. There is a list (certainly not a complete list) of potential locations at this page. We welcome other suggestions. We need your input on sponsorship and venue for the 2020 Eeunion. Don't be shy. Send it in now. Be ready to come to Vegas to DECIDE!
RAFINCO/RAFINO Merger
Voting is still continuing in the survey of RAFINCO and RAFINO active, voting members concerning the merger of the two organizations that was proposed in our meeting in Baton Rouge. On the RAFINO side, we sent out 335 ballots and have, so far, received 200 ballots. The RAFINCO side mailed out 241 ballots and have received 120 to date. Early returns suggest that the merger will be approved. Details of the merger are available (if you are logged in) in the section on merger details prominently displayed on the RAFINO.org home page. If you haven't already mailed in your ballot, please do so as soon as possible.
Lost and Found
As time goes in and we periodically send out emails and/or mailings, we get a small percentage that bounce back with some sort of indication that the addressee cannot be found. We make reasonable attempts to find these members. Sadly, they are often found in obituary notices. However, there are others whom we simply cannot find and they are placed in our "Lost and Found" category under the "Membership" tab on the main menu. You can help us out by periodically reviewing the Lost and Found and if you have any information or intel on their whereabouts or how we can (re)locate them, please let us know.
Officer Elections
Regardless of how the merger comes out, we wstill need to come up with a slate of officers. Our president, Jim Martens will soon appoint a nominating committee to come up with a slate of nominees for either scenario (non-merger and merger). The officer positions are:
- President
- First Vice-President (in the merger scenario, this would be an NCO)
- Secretary Treasurer
- Corresponding Secretary
- (if merger happens) VP For Commissioned Officer Membership
- (if merger happens) VP For NCO Membership
Go over the roster(s) and see if you know someone who would be interested in taking on one of these positions. If you find one, let the nominating committee know (check the home page for details oce the committee is formed up). Our organization works so much better when we have an active and committed membership.
J. Claud Wallace, The Webmaster