The most recent items are listed first.
 The Bulletin Board now
has its own archive for past news. Visit here.
Only the current month's news will be displayed here from now on. Thank
you!
The Web Roster
has been posted up to date. Would you please access the roster,
audit your record and tell the webmaster if there is anything that needs
changing. The dues status is posted current through 3 February 2010.
PLEASE TELL US WHEN YOUR
ADDRESS CHANGES!!
- The Web
Master
A list of those
registered for the reunion is on the REUNION page.
27 June 2010
5 June 2010
We are working on the backlog of
updates. We appreciate your patience.
Jim
Cook has moved to
Carmel,
IN.
Jim
Agresta has moved to
Phoenix,
AZ.
LTC
Earl NICKS
is a new
member. Earl and Cynthia live in Fairfax Station, VA.
31 March 2010
The problem with the intent form has been fixed. J. Claud has received 15
forms as follows, listed in the order received. If you sent a form and are
not listed in the 15 please send it again. J. Claud will acknowledge all
forms so you can be sure of success. J. Claud
Wallace J. Claud COL
Gordon Bob MG
Bayliss Bill LTC
Johnson C. Graham COL
Martens James LTC
Rusk James LTC
Metcalf Douglas COL
South Daniel SGM
Garza Robert SFC
Jones David SGM
Penick Jeff MSG
Barranco Conrado S. SFC
Warrick Sheldon Manley SGM
Mollock Samuel L. CSM
Pedersen Richard E. COL
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
PATIENCE!
30 March 2010
IMPORTANT: There has been a hiccup with
the RAFINO Reunion form on this site. We have had at least one report of
the form not working for a member. If you have sent us a form within the
last week, please confirm with the
webmaster that we received your info. The form is offline now, and
will be until we can be assured that it is working properly. Thank you for
your patience and understanding. We will keep you updated as we go.
21 March 2010
Bill STERLING
advises that Bonnie BUNDICK is having a hard time after Ed's death.
Their daughter who had been Ed and Bonnie's close helper died suddenly
last fall of cancer. They do have a son who helps them. We feel
badly that we are in Arizona and not close enough to visit her. Please
keep her in your prayers.
Gary COMFORT
was discharged from the hospital on Monday 15 March and is now home. The
operation went quite well according to the limited information from the
doctors while he was still in the hospital. His care after surgery was
outstanding. Recovery progressed faster than they had predicted by about a
day, and he is continuing to do well at home He walks 3 times per day for
about 10 minutes. Gary says thank you again for your continuing concern,
support and prayers!
14 March 2010
Elizabeth
P.(Tib) HEFFELFINGER,
wife of BG Ed, passed away on 5 January 2010 after a long battle with
ovarian cancer.
Gary COMFORT
had his heart procedure done 11 March 2010. His wife Gina says the surgery
was successful and that he is doing very well. Gary had told Bill
TOLBERT earlier that he fully expects to be up and about soon and that
he plans to be at the reunion meeting in May Gina is staying in Seattle for
the next several days so she doesn't have to drive back and forth. Cards
would be most welcome. I don't have the hospital address so just use the
home address.
You may
remember SFC Wayne "Be Bop" MOYER from Heidelberg or Indy. He passed
away suddenly Friday 12 MAR 2010.
7
March 2010
My heart is at half-staff for BG
HALL. I was truly honored to know him! CSM Robert W. (Bob) JOHNS
Kevin TROLLER sends "I join in saluting BG HALL, he was one
of the Army's finest. A true gentleman. His family remains in our thoughts
and prayers."
Dick RANKIN sends from Hawaii, "BG Bruce HALL was really the
first general officer I got to know pretty well. I really liked and
respected him. I think all of us did. We will all miss him. God Bless!"
Bob SPEER sends, "Our prayers are with Sharon and the family and
nothing but fond memories and admiration of BG Bruce HALL. Bruce was as
Army and Finance Corps professional and leader in addition to being a true
friend and mentor to those who were so luck to share time with him. He
will be missed but not forgotten!"
Robert L. (Bob) MUNN sends, "General HALL recruited me into
this new organization called "DFAS" in 1991. I didn't know what it was or
how I would fare, but BG(Ret) Hall's absolute professionalism was not hard
to detect even on the phone at the end of a long line in Great Britain - I
signed up on the spot. Here is one Air Force Colonel (ret) who owes much
to BG HALL. He, Sharon and the Hall family are in our thoughts and
prayers. The Junior Service and its' military members benefited much from
BG HALL's influence in forming DFAS and we acknowledge that gratefully.
Truly BG HALL lived the motto: 'Support and Serve'."
Al CONTE sends, " We have truly lost a great, gentle man and a
great leader. A man of integrity, grace and honor. If God wills it, I
would consider it a privilege and a blessing to be able to spend more
quality time with Bruce HALL in the everafter. May the Lord bless
his soul. May He also bless his family and each one of you and yours."
Mo DENNY sends, "Thanks for informing us, God has received another
outstanding soldier, man, and leader."
Reba CHAMBERS posted on Facebook, "I am deeply saddened to hear
that retired BG Bruce HALL passed away 2 March 2010. My deepest sympathy
go to Sharon and the family. Another loss for the Army Finance Corp."
Derald EMORY sends, "Bruce HALL was truly one of the finest
gentlemen you would ever be around. A true professional, a great mentor
and a wonderful person. We will all miss him."
Lola HARRISON sends, "This is a great loss, Gen Hall was all things
right."
Saturday 27 Feb Don BRITTAIN
had all the classic symptoms of a heart attack. He called 911 and an
ambulance came. The stents that were placed in the left main coronary
artery on Wed. had failed. Even with doses of morphine he remained in
pain. Sunday morning they went back in telling us the outcome could be
bad. After 1 hour the cardiologist said he could not get into the blocked
area but would continue to try - another 45 minutes later he placed two
new stents. There was some damage to the heart. Don improved remarkably
and is home but tires easily and gets winded but we are thankful he is
still here - a lot of prayers were offered - the doctors stressed the
heart is weak but with God's help he will continue to enjoy life. Please
remember him in you prayers. He does enjoy hearing from everyone.
Roger
EDGINGTON
had a pacemaker put in 11 February . That should hold him for awhile.
Susan
McNAIR
has refused the offer of paid membership in RAFINO by Jim RUSK.
LTC
George Hal McNAIR
has accepted the offer of Jim RUSK for paid membership in RAFINO. Hal and
Julie live in Niceville FL where Hal is a
JSOU Instructor.
LTC
Kevin GULLET
has accepted the offer of Jim RUSK for paid membership in RAFINO.
Kevin and Betty live in Leavenworth, KS.
COL
Johnny L. GARRETT
has accepted the offer of Jim RUSK for paid membership in RAFINO.
Johnny and Starr live in Fort Belvoir, VA.
COL
Douglas H. METCALF
has accepted the offer of Jim RUSK for paid membership in RAFINO.
Doug and Kathy live in Carmel, IN where he is
Chief of Staff for the Indiana Board of Animal Health.
1SG Don BRITTAIN
was to have a stent placed in his Left Main Artery on 26 February but also
needed a stent in his Circumflex. He came through very well - that's five
stents in eight days - only one more to go - next week he will have a stent
placed in his 80% blocked carotid artery. The Dr. says his heart is now in
good shape. Thank you to all of you who have kept him in your prayers-they
are really working! He is ready to take on at least another ten years! Don
really enjoys the e-mails, calls, and cards. I will let you know how well he
comes through the next procedure and then no more hospital stays for years
to come! God has been so good to Don and me.
Dennis
PAPENDICK
has
moved within San Rafael, CA.
4
March 2010
Services for General Bruce HALL
will be held this coming Sunday 7 March at the Fishers United Methodist
Church, 9690 E. 116th St, Fishers, Indiana 46037 (phone: 317-849-1805).
Pat SHINE will be doing the eulogy at services for Bruce. Sharon
asks that if anyone has a funny antidote, story, experience, etc.,
involving Bruce, she would appreciate hearing about it. You may forward
the stories either directly to Pat (pcshine@comcast.net)
or to Russ DOWDEN (rhd3876@aol.com).
Visitation will be at the church from 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM. Services,
also at the church, will be from 3:00 PM until 4:00 PM. Internment will
be at Crown Hill Cemetery, Field of Valor, Indianapolis, at a date yet to
be determined.
3
March 2010
BG Bruce HALL passed away shortly
before 8:00 PM, 2 March 2010. General Hall had not shown improvement
since yesterday and, after close examination, his physician determined
that he had experienced a sizeable stroke in the brain stem. The stroke
had killed approximately 2/3rds of his brain stem cells and he was placed
on life support systems awaiting the arrival of close family members. He
was removed from life support and passed. He will buried in Crown Hill
Cemetery in Indianapolis -- details have not been finalized. Please
remember Sharon, his children, family and friends in your prayers.
3
March 2010
Reunion 2010 Intent to Attend Form is now
LIVE!
Go register! Come play with us in Tacoma, Washington this September!
1
March 2010
Bruce HALL is ill: (This
recap is from Russ Dowden.)
Bruce & Sharon HALL returned from a trip to Florida on 19 Feb. On
21 Feb, General Hall complained of pressure on his chest, numbness in his
left thumb and some "tingleing" up his left arm. Thinking that perhaps he
was having a heart attack, they went to the St. Vincent Heart Hospital and
saw his cardiologist. Several tests were run to determine if he had, in
fact, suffered a heart attack. All of the tests came back negative:
enzymes were good, a cardiac catherization showed no blockage, blood
pressure was fine, heart rhythm was fine, EKG and CAT scan were
unremarkable, blood cultures were started to check for a bacterial
infection, everything appeared stable. Nevertheless, the physician was not
satisfied and kept Bruce in the hospital until the 26th doing more tests
and trying to determine the cause for his discomfort. An transesophageal
echo and a regular echo cardiogram were performed. On one of the echoes
the doctor noticed that the mitral valve was not functioning correctly but
was still perplexed as to what was causing the abnormal functioning. They
continued to perform blood cultures and eventually one of the cultures
indicated that Bruce had a bacterial infection. The cause of the infection
is still undetermined. He was placed on antibiotics and allowed to go
home, without any restrictions on what he could do. So, on Friday, 26 Feb,
Sharon took him home. They went to an event in Indy and returned home.
Later that evening Bruce complained to Sharon that he was tired and had a
headache. He took Tylenol and rested. The headache persisted and after he
received no relief, Sharon called the cardiologist and 911. After
eventually reaching the doctor, and before the ambulance arrived, the
cardiologist asked that Bruce be taken to Community North Hospital and not
the Community Heart Hospital, since he did not suspect that the problem
was cardiac (although that is what sounded the first alarm). When Bruce
arrived at the hospital he complained to the staff there of the severe
headache he was experiencing and a neurosurgeon was called in for consult.
Further examination revealed that General Hall was experiencing some
bleeding around the lower portion of the brain and at 12:30 AM, Sunday, 28
February, he was taken to surgery to attempt to stop the bleeding. While
that surgery appeared to be successful the neurosurgeon remained watchful.
Additional bleeding, in the same area, reoccurred 28 Feb, with an
additional complication of fluid accumulating at the top of the brain.
Bruce was taken back to surgery to quell the bleeding and to install a
drainage tube to relieve the fluid build up on the brain. As of 1:00 PM, 1
March , he had not yet awakened from the last of the surgeries. Keep
Bruce, Sharon and their family in your prayers as he fights his way back
from this series of serious events.
Bruce HALL update from Bob GORDON Mon evening 1 March after
a conversation with Sharon.
The latest is that the bleeding has stopped and Bruce has shown some
limited movement. When one of the nurses attempted to adjust the drain
tube, he flinched, which was a good sign. The attending nurses have said
that today was better than yesterday and we’ll just have to take baby
steps each day. Keep Bruce in your prayers.
21
February 2010
Barbara SCHRADER
will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Monday 22 March at 1 PM.
SGM (R) George J.
LAW died of a massive heart attack on 1 Feb 2010 in Dawson, GA. George
retired to Dawson, GA in 1990 and was the owner of B-Sting Bait & Tackle for
14 years. George will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery at 1300 hours
on 9 March 2010.
Jackie SERBERT (wife of LTC Alan) passed away 13 Feb 2010 after a
lengthy bout with deteriorating health.
Ed BUNDICK died 17 Feb 2010
NEW MEMBERS: Jim RUSK has offered membership and paid dues for the
following 8 retired Finance Officers. All they have to do is accept Jim's
offer.
COL Nick DIENER, COL Johnny GARRETT, LTC Kevin GULLET, COL Doug METCALF, LTC
Hal McNAIR, LTC Susan McNAIR, COL Fred NORITAKE & COL Tim WANSBURY.
Lowe's Expands Military Discount
Home improvement retailer Lowe’s has expanded its 10 percent military
discount to all day, everyday, throughout 2010 for active duty, National
Guard and Reserve, retired, and disabled servicemembers, and their families,
company officials announced Wednesday. Those who want to receive the
discount must present a valid military ID card. All other military veterans
will receive the 10 percent discount on the holiday weekends of Memorial
Day, Fourth of July and Veterans Day. The discount is available on in-stock
and special-order purchases of up to $5,000. It cannot be used for online
sales, previous sales, or on sales of services or gift cards. (From NAUS
Weekly Update 2/12/10)
31 January 2010
William (Bill) LEDFORD died
early Monday morning 18 January 2010. He had a blood vessel burst in his
brain on 23 December 2009. They operated immediately but could not restore
him so that he could breathe on his own. He was unresponsive for several
days before death.
Bob RADOMSKI died 7 Jan 2010
William ANDREWS is reported as
dead in the current FEB MOAA book. There is no date of death. If anyone
knows the date, please let me know.
MAJ Leon W. Hutton from Springfield
VA is a new member. He is Deputy CFO, Def Acq Univ.
1
January 2010
Bob RADOMSKI
has just canceled his cruise. He has kidney failure and may not last
another week. He is in hospice now.
Many of you will recall Carl G. (Andy)
ANDERSON
from your past assignments. Andy is a retired Sergeant Major and Department
of the Army Civilian. He worked as the Banking Officer for many years in
the office of the DCSRM in Heidelberg. Recently his wife, Anita, informed
us that Andy has Alzheimer's. Andy had been staying at home under Anita's
care but more recently his condition has deteriorated requiring her to move
him to a nursing home so that he can receive the care and attention he
needs. Anita continues to visit with on a daily basis. Please remember to
include Andy, Anita and their family in your prayers."
Barbara
SCHRADER,
wife of COL Fred, died 3 January 2010, was cremated and
the
internment is scheduled for 22 March 2010 at 1:00 PM at
Arlington
National
Cemetery.
Brian put the following site together.
In Memoriam: Barbara Hughes Schrader (June 25, 1937–January 3, 2010).
If that doesn't work, go to
www.Barbara.Niwotian.com.
Barbara Hughes
SCHRADER, 72, an executive secretary and an Army wife, died of
respiratory ailments Jan. 3 at Inova Alexandria Hospital. She lived in
Alexandria.
For almost 30 years, she accompanied her husband to various military posts
in the United States and overseas, including her favorite three-year tour in
Heidelberg, Germany. She and her family settled in the Mount Vernon area of
Alexandria in 1987. She worked for Aaronson Investment in Alexandria and as
the executive secretary to Gannett Corp.'s vice president for real estate
until she retired in1996. Mrs. Schrader enjoyed art glass, music, antiques,
bird watching, gardening and her second home in Ocean City.
Mr.
James J. LEONARD,
GS 18 (Ret), a native Philadelphian and current resident of Frederick, died
Sunday, 22 Nov 2009.
Tom
SEAMANDS,
son of Lorie and George has been promoted to the rank of BG in the AG corps.
Jerry Elizabeth VAN HOOK,
wife of LTC Jackie Van HOOK, passed away on 5 October 2009.
Jane HOLDER,
wife of LTC(R) Neville EM HOLDER died of cancer on 3 January 2010.
Robert D. BETKA
died 26 Sept. 2009.
NEW
PAGE about JOBS.
Any member may list a desire for a job and
anyone who needs help can list openings. Just send your information, in
short form please, to
jclaudwall@aol.com . The purpose of this page is to help match those
who need jobs with those who need help. FINANCE JOBS is
accessed on the second diamond on the home page.
14 November 2009
COL. Jim
BLISS
IS OUR NEWEST MEMBER. Jim and Julia live in Boiling Springs, PA.
Here is a short resume of Jim as an introduction to our members. “I
served as a Finance Corps officer from May 1980 until July 2006 with prior
enlisted service as an Infantryman from 1976 - 1978, at Fort Campbell,
KY. Assignments as a Finance Corps officer included posts across the
continental US and overseas in Alaska and Germany with deployments to the
Sinai, Grenada, and Bosnia. Commanded the 82nd Finance Company from 1985
to 1986 at Fort Bragg, NC, the 267th Finance
Support Unit from 1991- 1993 in Alaska and the 10th Soldier Support
Battalion from 1999-2001 at Fort Drum, NY and in Bosnia. I served as the
I Corps G8/DCSRM, Fort Lewis, WA from 2004-2006. Jim is now serving as
an Army Civilian, Chief of Managerial Accounting, Letterkenny Army Depot,
Chambersburg, PA.
8
November 2009
Bob Speer has been
selected to be the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army
(Financial Management and Comptroller). See the story in
Family Updates.
27 September 2009
PASSPORT
FOR CRUISE? Our cruise planner, John Powell has
provided the following information concerning passports. “Since the RAFINO/RAFINCO Cruise is roundtrip Seattle no passports are required at
this time. If someone got sick in Canada and needed to fly back from
Canada, they would need a passport. It is a good idea to have one.”
20 September 2009
CRUISE 2010 FOLLOWING REUNION
2010:
RAFINO/RAFINCO
Cruise will sail from Seattle for Alaska on Sunday 12 September 2010. This
is immediately after the Reunion 2010.
Here are details of
the Cruise:
1. The ship is the
Sapphire Princess.
2. Cost of Cabins
(based on double occupancy, cost is per person.)
$699 for inside
cabin
$849 for Ocean
view partially obstructed
$1,149 for
Ocean view or Ocean view with balcony
Add $115.71 to
each for international taxes and fees.
3. Deposit
requirements:
A. Special
between now and 1 December 2009.
Fully
refundable deposit is $100 per person
Each
will receive special bonuses like ship board credits, coupon book
and other amenities.
B. After 1
December 2009 the deposit is 20% of the cruise cost, and the special
bonus is not received.
4. Tour Conductor
Credit:
The amount paid
by each 16th person who cruises with us will be divided
between the cruise participants. (This only applies to those who book with
John Powell who is our Cruise Planner.)
5. Itinerary:
1. Sun 12 Sep
2009 Seattle, WA depart 4:00 pm
2. Mon 13 Sep
At Sea
3. Tue 14 Sep
Ketchikan, AK arr 6:30 am, dpt 4:00 pm
4. Wed 15 Sep
Tracy Arm Fjord, AK arr 6:00 am, dpt 10:00 am
Juneau, AK arr 2:00 pm, dpt 10:00 pm
5. Thu 16 Sep Skagway, AK arr 6:00 am, dpt 5:00 pm
6. Fri 17
Sep At Sea
7. Sat 18 Sep
Victoria, B. C. arr 7:00 pm, dpt 11:59 pm
8. Sun 19 Sep
Seattle, WA arr 7:00 am
6. Make
reservations with or ask questions of John Powell at 800-642-2566. John has been our Cruise Planner for years and knows the cruise
business. John has a block of cabins reserved and is in direct
negotiation with Princess. Identify yourself as with RAFINO or RAFINCO when
you call John.
7. The Cruise is
open to all RAFINO/RAFINCO members, their families, in-laws &
close friends. Attendance at the Reunion is not a pre-requisite especially
for Friends and family members.
8. Miscellaneous:
A. We
will have “First Sitting” for dinner. Tell John if you want “Late
Sitting”.
B.
Transportation from the Reunion hotel to the Ship & return will be
arranged.
C.. Web
site
www.rafino.org will list all cruisers as deposits are made. Other web
sites may also list cruisers.
D. To
get information search on
www.Princess.com and locate the
Sapphire Princess to Alaska on 12 Sep 2010.
E. More information such as shore tours will be provided as it becomes available.
F.
Cruise Master Bob Radomski
rpradomski@q.com or Web Master J. Claud Wallace
jclaudwall@aol.com will be glad to assist by getting answers to
your questions.
COL Brian C. DAVIS died 12 June
2008. He was not a RAFINO member.
13 September 2009
Barbara LOTT is still
hanging in there. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday Barbara leaves the house
at 6:30 AM goes to the Village Inn for breakfast then to the Dialysis
Center where she get hooked up for cleansing of blood at 8 AM and she gets
unhooked and returns home about 12:30 PM. When she gets home she is
usually thirsty and hungry so we go where she wants to go for lunch. Rarely
if ever does the food she orders taste like she hoped it would. Thus she is
still hungry and ready to eat again by 6:30 PM which we do. Kirby says that
he is the only one getting fat. They decided along time ago to stop
cooking at home, because Kirby is too lazy to cook and clean and wash the
pots and pans. Barbara needs lots of rest and they do not travel any more
because it would be to tiring and would require arrangement for Dialysis
along the way.
To all RAFINCO and RAFINO members:
WWII VETERANS
The 2010 Reunion
Planning Committee wants to honor all surviving Finance Corps World War II
Veterans at our final banquet on September 11, 2010. I know some of you are
WWII Vets and others know of people who are. Membership in RAFINCO/RAFINO
is not required, only that they be members of the Finance Corps. Some of
you/them may not have been in Finance during the war but later transferred
to the Corps which is okay. We want to honor all of you/them. We also
realize that some will not be able to attend because of health and other
issues Our plan is to recognize each of them whether or not they are
present at the Reunion and banquet. Please assist us by sending any
information to me at:
william.tolbert@comcast.net
If you nave other information or items you wish to submit you can mail it to
me at: William Tolbert, 2218 Railway Circle, Gold River, CA 95670. Thank
you for any and all assistance in this vital and important endeavor.
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