Military Officers Association of America
Southwest Illinois Chapter

MOAA SW IL Title
Our Mission
MOAA SW IL 5-Star Award
The Southwest Illinois Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is a professional organization of military officers supporting the efforts of a nationally chartered veteran organization comprised of more than 320 chapters that is defending the interests of active duty, Reserve component, and retired military members to the national legislature. Within our local area, we support other veteran organizations supporting our men and women currently serving and those who have served. We meet monthly on the second Saturday evening of each month at a different location from September to June and feature guest speakers from the area who are of interest to our membership. We also sponsor annual scholarship awards for children, grandchildren, or relatives of Chapter members. Our annual Scholarship Auction raises funds for the scholarships locally and nationally. We welcome your participation and membership in the national and chapter organization.



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President's Message

"Listen, my children, and you shall hear
of the midnight ride of Paul Revere
on the 18th of April in seventy-five.
Hardly a man is now alive,
who remembers that famous day and year."

Believe it or not, these words written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of America's greatest poets, were penned in an attempt to incite courage and patriotism as the nation moved toward civil war in 1860. Nowadays, our concerns turn more toward preparing and submitting our tax forms on time. Nevertheless, there are events that have occurred in April across many years that deserve our remembrance. Don’t worry…there won’t be a test later.
  • April 6, 1917 - America enters the "War to End All Wars"
  • April 9, 1865 - General Robert E. Lee surrenders the Confederate forces to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, ending the five-year civil war
  • April 18, 1942 - Doolittle's Raiders, a squadron of B-25 bombers, were dispatched from the USS Hornet to bomb Tokyo and three other cities in Japan
  • April 19, 1775 - The “Shot Heard Round the World” starts the Revolutionary War in the American colonies
  • April 21, 1836 - General Sam Houston defeats the Mexican army at the battle of San Jacinto, winning freedom for Texas
  • April 30, 1779 - George Washington is inaugurated in New York City as the first President of the United States
So, now it's April. Springtime and flowers. And, of course, taxes. Hopefully yours are done or nearly done and the bill is not too terribly high. Another significant event - Advocacy in Action (AiA), MOAA's annual visit to the members of Congress to discuss issues affecting our currently serving military men and women, and those who have served. The issues this year deal with housing allowance for currently serving military members and the reduction in TRICARE pharmacies. Both of these issues are important to ensure our All-Volunteer Force is supported while serving and after their service. Fact sheets should be out on moaa.org that you can use to help explain the issues to your elected representatives (Senators and members of Congress). Please help educate our legislators by either visiting their offices and sending the messages from the Legislative Action Center on the MOAA website.

Closer to home, DoD is now issuing a new, more secure type of ID card that retirees with current paper-based cards with "indefinite" expiration dates can replace at their convenience, but not later than 2026. Visit the Military Personnel Flight (MPF) service centers at Scott AFB (375 FSS, 932 AW, or 126 ARW) to obtain the new ID card. The new card may also be used to get through the gate at Scott AFB after registering for the Scott Pass. Saves time when the line for ID checking is long!

God bless you all and thank you for your continued participation in the Chapter and supporting and serving locally, state-wide, and nationally! Together, we will make things better. Never stop serving!