Capt. Vaughan swears in Col. Huffman. (Photo by George Bone)
Capt. Vaughan presents Lt. Col. Allmond 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 Jan. 20 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.
CMC’s newly elected second vice president, retired Colonel Bruce Huffman, U.S. Army, was sworn into his position by President Chuck Vaughan. All the other CMC officers had been re-elected in November 2023, having been previously sworn into office after their initial election in 2021 as the organization’s officers, while a satellite of the Tucson Chapter.
Our speaker was retired Lieutenant Colonel Dana Allmond, U.S. Army, who is the director of the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services. Lt. Col. Allmond discussed 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 in individual psychology. She also has a master’s degree in counseling and leader development from Long Island University and a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University.
The February CMC luncheon meeting will be held at the SaddleBrooke Ranch Grill on Saturday, Feb. 17, beginning at 11:30 a.m. CMC is honored to have as our speaker Ms. Marsha Moon. She is both a First Nation Navajo and the Gold Star Mother of Sergeant Chris Moon. Chris was killed in action in Afghanistan in July 2020, while a sniper for the 82nd Airborne Division. She will speak about her son, his mission, and her loss. Chris’ career with the 82nd Airborne, as well as his last mission, is included in the book The Last Patrol.
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.