Capt. Chuck Vaughan presents Maj. Gary Goebel with Certificate of Appreciation. (Photo by George Bone)
Former Lt. William Myers, CEC, USN
The Catalina Mountain Chapter (CMC) of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) held its most recent luncheon meeting on Dec. 16 at SaddleBrooke Ranch. The meeting began with a business session presided over by retired Capt. Chuck Vaughan, U.S. Navy, President, during which members were updated on the chapter’s current and upcoming activities.
Retired Col. Kurt McMillen, U.S. Army, First Vice President, announced the slate of officers recently elected by the membership for 2024 and 2025. They are as follows: President: Capt. Vaughan; First Vice President: Col. Kurt McMillen; Second Vice President: retired Col. Bruce Huffman, U.S. Army; Secretary: former Lt. William Myers, U.S. Navy; and Treasurer: retired Lt. Col. George Bone, U.S. Army.
Our December speaker was retired Major Gary Goebel, U.S. Air Force, whose service time extended from 1967 through 1987 in a variety of Air Force aircraft from the F-105 Thunderchief and F-111 Aardvark during the Vietnam Conflict to the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
Maj. Goebel discussed both his military career and that of his father who was a Double Ace (11) victories while flying 61 missions in the then-new P-51 Mustang in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. His father then returned home and had not yet turned 21.
Maj. Goebel further discussed the book authored by his father, Mustang Ace, as well as Maj. Goebel’s own literary endeavors, including Tinman’s Tale, reprising his military flying experiences.
The January luncheon CMC meeting will be held at the SaddleBrooke Ranch Grill on Saturday, Jan. 20, beginning at noon instead of our usual starting time of 11:30 a.m. because of the Activity Fair at SaddleBrooke earlier in the day.
Our speaker will be retired Lieutenant Colonel Dana Allmond, U.S. Army, who is the Director of the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services. Lt. Col. Allmond will detail the important subject of the rights of veterans in our state, as well as legislation that is pending in the state legislature that will affect these rights.
Ms. Allmond’s military career began in 1989 by enlisting in the U.S. Army Reserve as an administrative specialist. Ms. Allmond was later commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1994, having graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in individual psychology. She also has a Master of Counseling and Leader Development from Long Island University and a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University.
If you are a former or present officer of the uniformed services interested in joining our organization, please contact Membership Chair, retired Lt. Col. Donald Timian, U.S. Army, by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 571-216-3679.
The membership of CMC encompasses the areas of Catalina, Oracle, parts of Marana and Oro Valley, SaddleBrooke, SaddleBrooke Ranch, San Manuel, and Sun City. For additional information, please visit our website catalinamountainsmoaa.org.
The CMC and MOAA are nonprofit, Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(19) tax-exempt veterans’ organizations dedicated to maintaining a strong national defense and preserving the earned entitlements of members of the uniformed services and their families.