Col. Benedict presents Certificate of Appreciation to Col. Lenzini (photo by William Myers)
Former Lt. William Myers, CEC, USN
The Catalina Mountain Chapter (CMC) of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) held a luncheon meeting on Oct. 19 at SaddleBrooke Ranch. The meeting began with a business session presided over by retired Col. Rett Benedict, U.S. Air Force, former President and Board Member, during which members were updated on the chapter’s current activities.
The speaker was CMC member retired Colonel Martin J. Lenzini, U.S. Marine Corps. Col. Lenzini served 26 years, flying 350 combat missions during the Vietnam War. For these exemplary efforts he was awarded four Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFCs) and 24 Air Medals. Col. Lenzini flew A-4, A-6, EA-6B, A-7, and F-4 aircraft, commanding both a squadron and an aircraft group. Following his military career, Mr. Lenzini worked at Hughes/Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson for 21 years.
Col. Lenzini presented the life and career of retired Col. Ken Collins, U.S. Air Force, Feb. 5, 1929 – May 2, 2022. Col. Lenzini knew Col. Collins for many years through their membership in the DFC Society and The Friday Pilots. Col. Lenzini developed his presentation to honor the memory of Col. Collins.
Col. Lenzini explained through his PowerPoint presentation that Col. Collins was a warrior who flew combat missions during the Korean War; and then flew the Lockheed high-altitude reconnaissance A-12 aircraft for the CIA and the Lockheed long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft SR-71 “Blackbird” for the U.S. Air Force. His presentation was replete with photos of the aircraft that Col. Collins had flown along with illustrations of some of the many missions that Col. Collins had flown in the interest of our nation.
The next CMC luncheon meeting was held at the SaddleBrooke Ranch Grill on Nov. 16. The speaker was SaddleBrooke resident former Lt. Cdr. Steve White, U.S. Navy. In 1970 Steve was commissioned an Ensign through the Navy ROTC Program at Dartmouth College. Steve earned his Special Warfare Designator and during the ensuing nine years he served in an Underwater Demolition Team, a reserve UDT-SEAL Team, and a Seabee Detachment.
Steve presented the military experience of his uncle Nick who enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943 and served in the Pacific Theater, most notably in the battle of lwo Jima.
If you are a former or present officer of the uniformed services interested in joining our organization, please contact Membership Chair, retired Lt. Col. Donald Timian, U.S. Army, by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 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, please visit our website at catalinamountainsmoaa.org.
The CMC and MOAA are nonprofit, 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.