Ozark Empire Chapter Newsletter

This months words from the Chapter President - June 2025

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Attendance was down last month. Inclement weather was forecast and several replied they were staying home because of potential storms. There was a glitch with our caterer, and no meal was prepared. Thanks to Chuck Guy for stepping up and bringing sub sandwiches at the last minute. While these situations occasionally happen, we don’t expect any further issues. We will continue with our current caterer for the June luncheon and may consider other options for the future. This may be a topic for discussion at the June meeting.
Important dates to remember in June include (taken from June military observances; & veterans.missouri.edu):

June 6, 2025 – Anniversary of the World War II Allied invasion in Normandy, France, now known as D-Day.
Flag Day is June 14 and celebrates as the official symbol for the United States: our Stars and Stripes. Flag Day was first recognized by Congress on June 14, 1777, which became known as Flag Day.
Korean War Veterans Armistice Day (June 27, 1953).

Our chapter was awarded two Level of Excellence certificates at the recent MOAA Central Region Chapter Leaders Workshop in Oklahoma City on May 2-3, 2025.
Combat-injured veterans, representatives from veteran’s advocacy groups, and lawmakers (like Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.) spoke in support of the Major Richard Star Act during a May 21 press event on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

The Major Richard Star Act, a bipartisan bill with more than 340 cosponsors. Despite similar levels of support in previous congressional sessions, the bill has yet to cross the finish line, either as a standalone measure or as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Wounded Warrior Project organized the Capitol Hill event as part of a renewed push on behalf of not just combat-injured warriors, but for the strength of the future force. This bill could impact 54,000 plus veterans. You can read more about this bill, and the veteran it is named after, in the May 22, 2025 MOAA Newsletter.

This will be our final newsletter until September, as we take the summer months of July and August off. Safe travels if you are planning trips away. Until we meet again.

For all who are Premium or Life members of MOAA, a free Survivor’s Planning Guide is available for download. It can be obtained at www.moaa.org.

As always, our newsletter is freely available on the chapter website: www.OEMOAA.org as well as via email to all members. If anyone wishes to receive this newsletter via US Mail, please make that known to a Board Member or the Newsletter Editor, and we will be happy to accommodate.

Becky Hutchings, President