Capt. Vaughan holds Charter presented by MOAA President Lt. Gen. Atkins.
Lt. William Myers, CEC U.S. Navy Former
On Nov. 5, 2022, Catalina Mountains Chapter received its formal charter as the newest chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). For the last eight years, the organization has been a satellite of the Tucson Chapter MOAA.
MOAA’s National President and Chief Executive Officer retired Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, U.S. Air Force, presented the charter to Chapter President retired Capt. Charles F. Vaughan, U.S. Navy. A former U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Pilot, Gen. Atkins has more than 4,000 hours in various fighter aircraft. At the time of his retirement, the general served as commander, Alaskan Command, U.S. Pacific Command; Commander, 11th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces; and commander, Alaskan North American Defense Region, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.
Attending the chartering ceremony was MOAA’s Arizona Council of Chapters President retired Col. Peter Kloeber, U.S. Air Force, who had been promoting the formation of the Catalina Mountains Chapter for some time. The Catalina Mountains Chapter becomes the tenth MOAA Chapter in Arizona. The other Arizona chapters are as follows: Arizona (Glendale), Coronado, Grand Canyon, Green Valley, Luke (Sun City West), Northern Arizona, Superstition Mountain, Tucson, and Yuma.
Also attending the charter presentation was retired Col. William Wojciechowski, U.S. Air Force, the current president of the Tucson Chapter, as well as retired Col. Thomas Owens, U.S. Air Force, the past president of the Tucson Chapter. In 2013, Col. Owens began holding MOAA meetings in SaddleBrooke hoping to establish an MOAA Chapter in northern Tucson.
All three presidents of the Catalina Mountains Satellite Chapter were also present. Retired Col. Rett Benedict, U.S. Air Force, was elected the satellite chapter’s first president in 2015 and served until 2018. In 2019, retired Col. William J. Nagy, U.S. Army, was elected president and served through December 2021. In the beginning of 2022, retired Capt. Charles F. Vaughan, U.S. Navy, took over the reins of the satellite chapter. Capt. Vaughan then became the president of the new chapter on July 14 when the national MOAA Board of Directors approved the organization’s application to become the tenth MOAA chapter in Arizona.
The December luncheon meeting of the Catalina Mountains Chapter was held at SaddleBrooke Ranch Grill on Dec. 17. The speaker was retired Maj. Raymond Caryl, U.S. Army. He talked about his experience flying with the 220th Reconnaissance Airplane Company, the “Catkillers,” in support of U.S. Marine Corps operations in the Republic of Viet Nam. Maj. Caryl is also the author of the book An Army Pilot Flying for the Marines in the Vietnam War, published in 2019.
If you are a former or present officer of the uniformed services interested in joining our organization, please contact Membership Chair former Lt. j.g. David Bull, U.S. Navy, by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 520-825-0604.
The membership of Catalina Mountains Chapter MOAA, Inc., encompasses the areas of Catalina, Oracle, parts of Oro Valley and Marana, SaddleBrooke, SaddleBrooke Ranch, and Sun City. For additional information, visit our website at catalinamountainsmoaa.org.
The Military Officers Association of America is a nonprofit veteran’s organization dedicated to maintaining a strong national defense and preserving the earned entitlements of members of the uniformed services and their families.