November 2014 commandery news with front cover

Hawaii Commandery THE Military Order of Foreign Wars

November 25, 2014 Vol. III, Issue 4

Table of Contents:

Chaplains Corner

Commander’s Comments……….…………………………………….. p. 1 Chaplain’s Corner……………………...……………………… …………. p. 1 Veterans’ Day Support………………...………………………………...p. 2 Upcoming Patriotic Observances…...………………….…………..p. 2 Oahu Veterans Center News……………..…………………………..p. 3 Poppy Appeal…………….……..………………………………………..…p. 3 50th Vietnam War Commemoration………………..…………...p. 3 Cadet Awards Program………………………………………. ………. p. 4 Companion News………………………………………………………….p. 4 Days of Patriotic Observance……………………….……………….p. 4 Commandery Future Operations…………………………………..p. 4 Correspondence from the Oahu Veterans Center…….pp. 5-6 Front Cover— The flag pole at Camp H.M. Smith, MCB HI

My friend Nick is an author who just finished writing and published his latest book titled I’m Limping Very Well Thank You…Mind. Mood. Motivation.

W. Nicholas Abraham, M.Div., PH.D. He refers to the book as “the gift that will keep on giving…there is nothing better than a book for Christmas!” I know I am taking the risk of starting my Thanksgiving/Christmas best wishes article like a holiday commercial for my friend’s book. Yet, I believe that this season is a great opportunity to share gifts that are meaningful; gifts which contribute and offer us those qualities that enrich our lives and challenge us…a set of motivators to push us to strain toward an overall more abundant and fulfilling existence.

The following thoughts are a gift from my friend Nick sent to him by the author, Michael Josephson. I now share these thoughts with you…a gift which I pray will bless you…and through you bless all those whom your life touches this Thanksgiving and throughout this Holiday Season.

What Will Matter?

“Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, no hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do-lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

Commander’s Comments.

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we have much to be thankful for as a Commandery. We are blessed with great Companions and Commandery Supporters who translate our ideals into action in our communities. Thank you for another year of success.

As the year 2014 approaches its close, we can look back with satisfaction over the many accomplishments.

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What will matter is not what you bought but what you built.  What will matter is not what you got, but what you gave.  What will matter is not your success, but your significance.  What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.

Continued on page 2

As this will likely be the last issue of the Newsletter for 2014, please accept my sincerest wishes to you and your families for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Arthur N. Tulak, COL, U.S. Army, Retired.

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Chaplains Corner (Continued) 

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Cemetery. Companion Arthur Tulak posted the Commandery flag at the Punchbowl, and handed it over Companions John Gobrick and Jim Burkholder for Phase II in the afternoon at the HSVC. Companion Takai supported both events in the morning and afternoon.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.”

John C. Molina, Chaplain (LTC), U.S. Army, Retired

Veterans Day Support The Commandery was well-represented at two of the major annual observances, namely the National Cemetery of the Pacific and the Hawaii State Veterans

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Upcoming Patriotic Observances The Commandery is invited to participate in the annual December 7th memorial ceremony at MCAS Ewa Field, on Saturday, December 6th. The ceremony begins at 9:30am. Individuals may bring a flower lei to make a presentation of remembrance.

Photo 1: Companions John Gobrick and Jim Burkholder at the HSVC. John’s sons John and Mark assisted, with John being the color bearer

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This historic site is being considered as a registered national war memorial with the US Parks Service so our participation in this event will help to demonstrate our role in preserving military history for future generations.

Poppy Appeal The 2014 Poppy Appeal was successfully completed on 10 November at Fort Shafter AAFES Px. Companions Arthur Tulak and John Gobrick manned the table. Donations collected at this event totaled $324.00

Oahu Veterans Center News The OVC sent a letter to every member organization asking for to donate at least $100 to sustain operations.

While we have not had a chance to discuss this at a Commandery meeting, we can all offer individual donations in the name of our organization. If you are interested in responding to the call (see the letter on pages 4 and 5), visit their www.oahuveteranscenter.com. Just a few small donations from individual members could carry the day.

The OVC will host a Thanksgiving meal on 27 November for Veterans who have no place to go. The event starts with breakfast at 0800 hrs, and continues with a lunch meal at 1100 hrs. The OVC will bring in a big screen TV for the football games.

Commandery Meetings The 30 October meeting did not achieve a quorum, so no official business could be conducted. Informal discussion on the best time of day and day of the week prompted the suggestion to return to lunch meetings, when rush-hour traffic is less of a concern. It was hoped that evening meetings would permit more social interaction, but with our Oahu-based membership stretching from Waianae in the West to downtown Honolulu in the East, traffic remains an important consideration.

50th Vietnam War Commemoration The Commandery announced the deadlines and instructions for the 2015 Essay Competition. Several JROTC instructors, as well as the Commander of the Hawaii Civil Air Patrol Wing committed to their enthusiastic support. We’ll need judges once again to select the top three essays, as well as honorable mentions and “best in category” if we don’t have all categories represented in the top three.

As we look to the future schedule we need your input on the types of activities you would like to participate in, and their timing, please go to Survey Monkey at

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D3CK936

Essays are due not later than 13 March for judging.

and take the survey on what you’d like to see for future meetings and activities. Your candid answers will help to plan for supportable activities.

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Cadet Awards Program

Days of Patriotic Observance:

The medals for the 2015 Cadet Awards program have been ordered from the National Quartermaster. Remember that the season begins in April.

NOV 27th Thanksgiving Day DEC 7th Pearl Harbor Day DEC 15th Bill of Rights Day

On October 3, 1789, President George Washington issued the first "Thanksgiving Proclamation", which declared November 26, 1789 a national day of 'thanksgiving and prayer' for our country.

Last year, Wal-Mart donated the picture frames to accompany the award certificates. The Commandery has submitted a request to Office Max for picture frames for 2015. The last two frames on-hand have been delivered with medals to the Youth ChalleNGe Academy for the 19 December awards ceremony, which will close out the Cadet Awards program for 2014.

Although the issuing of the Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation ceased in the early 1800s for some 45 years, the tradition was re-instituted by President Abraham Lincoln when he gave his 'Proclamation of Thanksgiving' on October 3, 1863, which declared that the last Thursday of November 1863 would be set aside for a nationwide celebration of thanksgiving.

Companion News

December 15th is Bill of Rights Day, celebrating the addition of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution on that day in 1791. This holiday celebrates the freedoms and rights that the Bill of Rights preserve for Americans. In 1941, on the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the date a federal holiday.

Photo 3: Companion Takai celebrates victory on the evening of 4 NOV.

Commandery Future Operations Congratulations are in order for Companion, LTC K. Mark Takai, who won the 1st Congressional District race in the November 4th elections. Companion Takai will maintain his residence on Oahu and commute to Washington DC to represent the state of Hawaii.

The next Commandery meeting will be scheduled tentatively for 22 January 2015, pending the results of the survey.

Essay Judging. As reported previously, the instructions for the 2015 Vietnam Commemoration Cadet Essay Contest have been issued to the CAP and JROTC Cadre. These essays will be available for judging in March and volunteer judges are needed. The judging is done remotely via e-mail, so all of our Companions and Commandery Supporters may serve as judges.

The Commandery wishes Mark all success and we hope to see Mark at future Commandery events when he is in town.

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