President Bill Nagy presenting a certificate of appreciation to guest speaker Jerry Wilkerson
Lorna Fairchild, Secretary
The Catalina Mountains Satellite Chapter met January 19, 2019 at the MountainView Mesquite Grill in SaddleBrooke. The speaker was Jerry Wilkerson, a former U.S. Navy serviceman, from a military family which includes two Marine Corp Generals. Jerry told us about his experiences as a press spokesman for two U.S. Congressmen. Jerry’s intro into politics was running for and being elected for office of the small Indiana town of Maryville, Indiana. In addition, he was also the Police Commissioner of Michigan City, Indiana. He shared with us about his time on both radio and television talk shows discussing the local politics where he lived. And he described how he was able to film and do voice over public service announcements using the bi-centennial theme and music that was happening at that time. He then described his ascent into the DC political scene. The most significant point Jerry made about Washington, DC was that officials there tend to work on the “what’s in it for me?” principal. He also made the statement that “DC is 50 square miles surrounded by reality.”
At the meeting, Col Bill Nagy, President of the Catalina Mountains (Tucson) Chapter of MOAA, presented a Certificate of Achievement and a cake to Col Charles (Chuck) GuteKunst in recognition of his reaching his 100th birthday. Col GuteKunst is a former WWII B-17 pilot and served during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. He retired with over thirty years of continuous active service with the USAF (1943-1973).
Our next meeting is scheduled on Saturday, February 16 at 11:30 a.m. in the Catalina Room of the Mesquite Grill in the MountainView Country Club complex. Please contact LTC Andrew “Drew” Fairchild, Catalina Mountains Satellite Membership Chairman, [email protected] or Col Kurt McMillen, Catalina Mountains Satellite Treasurer, [email protected] for reservations and specific information on attendance, location and parking.
Subsequent meetings will be held on the third Saturday of each month at Catalina Room of the Mesquite Grill in the MountainView Country Club complex starting at 1130 with lunch followed by a short business meeting and a speaker. Spouses are welcome and invited.
For additional MOAA information, contact Col Bill Nagy, Catalina Mountain Satellite President, [email protected] or Col Tom Owens, MOAA Tucson President, [email protected]. Check the website www.tucsonmoaa.com for information.
The Catalina Mountains satellite is part of the Tucson Chapter and encompasses northwest Tucson to include Catalina, Oracle, parts of Oro Valley and Marana, SaddleBrooke and Sun City.
The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is a nonprofit veterans’ service association dedicated to maintaining a strong national defense and to preserve the earned entitlements of members of the uniformed services and their families and survivors.