AOH Veterans Report (January 2023)

National:

On call with AOH National Veterans Chair.

• Update to the website with veteran chairs on the website along with the AOH Digest Veterans article.

• PACT Act: Burn pit legislation covering CENTCOM Area of Operations-ODS/ODS, OEF, OIF operations.

• Veterans’ small business certification will shift to SBA no longer VA.

• Disability payments increase to 8.7% effective 1 January 2023.

• AOH National website has veterans support agencies and contacts

• Looking for 100 word veterans event descriptions with pictures of charity events.

State: I have spoken to the local Virginia Veterans Support Office in Fairfax. They are having a shift in personnel. Will have two new Veterans Service Representatives (VSR). Loudon, Springfield also have officers from the Virginia State Department of Veterans Affairs.

History and Patriotism-Irish in the Military

Continuing the effort to highlight the veterans in our Division, this month I will again focus on a Navy vet. As a note, we have had a couple of Navy vets and a couple of Army vets, still need more participation including USAF, USMC, USCG or even our new Space Force.

This USN vet joined the Navy in 1984 as an Aviation Electronics Technician. His various assignments included:

• 1985-1988 Assigned to VQ-2 Rota, Spain working on P-3/EP-3/A-3 a/c
• 1988-1990 Assigned to NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA working on F-14s and – Deployed on USS John F. Kennedy – Mediterranean Cruise, serving as a flight deck troubleshooter; this included working on aircraft that shot down 2 Libyan MiGs
• After attending the University of Washington Seattle, he was Commissioned  as an Intelligence Officer in 1992.
• 1992-1993 – Last class of Naval Intelligence Officers to go through the ground portion of flight training at NAS Pensacola
• 1993-1996 VAQ-138 EA-6Bs Electronic Attack Warfare NAS Whidbey Island Oak Harbor, WA where he served as served as Intelligence Officer (N2) with 100 backseat flight hours; deployed on USS Nimitz to Gulf and WestPaC
• 1996-2001 he served with CINCPACFLT N2 Staff Hawaii, Intelligence Readiness Officer responsible for responsible for the manning, training, equipment of deploying units; Joint Intelligence Pacific (JICPAC) in Hawaii as China Watch Officer, China Navy Analysis Branch Chief, and Daily Briefer for PACOM J2
• 2001-2004 COMPHIBRON Staff N2 San Diego, CA Staff N2 responsible for current intelligence and readiness of USS Tarawa and three other amphibious ships during workups and while deployed; he deployed onboard USS Tarawa during Gulf War II deployment serving on PHIBGRU N2 Staff when Tarawa became the flagship for all amphibious operations, worked with 15th MEU in preparation of their deployment to the Al Faw Peninsula.
• From 2004-2007 he served at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) as Russia Branch Chief/Eurasia Deputy Division Chief Middle East Branch.
• He retired in 2007 as a Lieutenant Commander.

Who is this swabbie? Hint he is a past Division President (LCDR (Ret) Rick Ring)