News from the Military Officers Association of America | Community

The Catalina Mountain Chapter (CMC) of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) held a meeting on Saturday, February 22, at SaddleBrooke. The meeting began with a business session presided over by CMC’s President, retired Col. Kurt McMillen, U.S. Army, during which members were updated on the chapter’s current activities.

Our speakers were Bruce Hamilton, Chairman of Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans, and his son, Justin, who is a homeless protocol project coordinator for the city of Tucson. Bruce enlisted in the Navy, serving from 1976 to 1980. In 1986, Bruce enlisted in the Army, serving until his retirement as Sergeant First Class in 2021 after 21 years of combined service.

Bruce discussed the mission of Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans, including its employment and housing assistance programs. He provided details about the Vetrans Stand Down and Career Fair being held on Wednesday, March 5 and Thursday, March 6, respectively. Justin added additional details about the current homeless situation in Tucson and the steps that are being taken to continue the decrease veterans’ homelessness.

The April CMC luncheon meeting will be held on Saturday, April 19 beginning at 11:30 a.m. The location for the meeting will be at the Ballroom, SaddleBrooke Ranch Club House, located at 31143 South Amenity Drive, in Oracle, Arizona.

The speaker will be Paula Pedene who began working as the public information officer at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Hospital in 1994, after serving more than 11 years as a U.S. Navy communications specialist.

In 2014, Ms. Pedene became front-page news when she helped a doctor at the hospital expose the deceptive bookkeeping practices that were used to cover up how long veterans were waiting to receive medical care. She is also the co-author with novelist Doug Williams of the 2022 book on this scandal called, “A Sacred Duty”.

If you are a former or present officer of the uniformed services interested in joining our organization, reach out to Membership Chair, retired Lt. Col. Donald Timian, U.S. Army, by email at [email protected] or call (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, visit http://catalinamountainsmoaa.org.

The CMC and MOAA are non-profit, IRS 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.