VIC MAHONEY

Ninety years ago on the eleventh day of November 1918, an armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany.  The long drawn out fighting of the  Great War ceased.   

In that quiet moment a loud cry was heard from the City of Lawrence, Massachusetts proclaiming, “what’s going on here?  Why’s everyone cheering”?  Its no big deal, I’m just a new born kid looking for a free meal. 

That was an important date also for Vic Mahoney.  He made his first appearance in this old world on that same date.  He tells us there was an outbreak of patriotism is the hospital that date which led to his first name Victor. A girl born shortly thereafter was named Victoria.  

Born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, he was to graduate from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. in 1941 with a degree in English and History. 

He taught school in New York City for two years before being drafted into the Navy Seabees in 1943. After basic training he was sent to Pearl Harbor.  He will tell you he became a master of K.P. with advanced training in guard duty.  You have to dig deeper to find that during this time he also started a battalion newspaper from scratch complete with photos and cartoons.  All with no journalist training. 

After the war, he received a master’s degree from Seton Hall in New Jersey and taught there for four years rising to Assistant Professor for the princely sum of $2,000.00 per year.  A career move to the Kingston New York school system with a pay increase to $2900.00 and he was on his way.  Vic taught for 15 years in the system and was in a supervisory capacity for another 15 years. He was often called to Albany where he helped to write the Regency Examinations for the New York State school system.  He spent one summer at Vassar College teaching a thousand other teachers about the new state program for Language Arts. Retiring after 30 years, he and Mary moved to Decatur. 

He is a Past Commander of our Post and has been a member since 1983.  The BUGLE CALL RAG started shortly after his joining Post 134.  

A quick survey taken among our members shows that the first read and most often read column in the BUGLE CALL RAG is that written by Vic.  His column teaches, explains, encourages, urges and sometimes brings us up short, but he is always current and on the money. 

Did you know that this dapper man who always has a pleasant greeting for everyone and is never without a ready turn of phrase has won fourteen awards from NALPA for those articles?  Do you remember when he wrote the entire paper?  Did you know that he also wrote feature articles for the Sunday A.J.C. MAGAZINE and for CREATIVE LOAFING and before that he was a featured columnist in the Sunday edition of the KINGSTON DAILY FREEMAN?  Those other publications paid considerably more than the BUGLE CALL RAG, our editor being as stingy as he is, but he is content now to share his thoughts and wisdom with us on a monthly basis without complaint.   

So as you celebrate the events of November 11, 1918 this year, you might also give a salute to one of your own that began his journey the same day the Great War ceased.     

***  COMMANDER SAM STEGER will lead a contingent of the faithful from Post 134 to the EASTSIDE GARDENS assisted living facility in Snellville on Armistice Day to be with the sixteen Veterans at this facility including MARSHAL COOPER who resides there.  It is expected that Marshal will have the veterans standing tall when we arrive.  Additional volunteers are needed for this short event.  If you care to join the team, please call Sam at 770-519-0242 

*** Our sympathy goes to GLENN HESS.  His wife VIRGINIA passed away.  She was 92. 

*** Sick call this month includes ROBERT NEWTON with eye problems.  ROBERT NESBITT is working on various problems as is JOHN KAPSAROFF.  H.T. MARSHALLL had a skin operation and HERMAN ABERNATHY had shoulder surgery.   

*** It came off the line in 76.  It was a rag top, big, red, gaudy and all Cadillac.  It was in all of the Shrine parades and many others. It carried pretty girls, V.I.P.S, pretty girls, potentates, pretty girls, grand poo pahs, and pretty girls and always there was GEORGE HOOTEN, smiling and acknowledging the crowd and the pretty girls.  Alas, this fine automobile with the new motor and brand new paint job caught on fire and is no more. The car caught fire when George was parking it in the carport. He saved the house, but lost the car. For those of you so inclined to do so the family asks that in lieu of flowers, buy another subscription to the BUGLE CALL RAG.  That will cheer George up somewhat.

Back in the 4th or 5th century B.C., a Greek named Antisthenes uttered these heavy words: “Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes.”  Our country doesn’t seem to be asking us to know our enemy, the rabid Islamic fundamentalists.  That’s a mistake.  Instead of our elected leaders arguing and posturing over who is right or wrong in the Middle East, they should be telling us who we are up against, what we can expect, how we can prepare for the long haul.  Strangely, there seems to be a hesitancy to criticize the Muslim extremists lest the Muslims in general be hurt by such criticism.  Western European elitists and our own seem to forget that we didn’t depend upon that attitude in the depiction of Naziism and Fascism and Communism.  The then peaceful world may not have been ready to handle those monsters, but at least some had the mindset to do so when push came to shove.         

We are at war with the Muslim fanatics.  They have been pecking away at us, killing us in dribs and drabs before 9/11 with the slaughter of innocents. They are intent upon destroying us.  They are clever, dedicated, patient, and ruthless.  They are the bad guys who recruit suicide bombers among young men and women. They are the infiltrators more dangerous than the Third Columnists of yore.  We are in for a long and demanding conflict that seems beyond our present national will and knowledge.  It is important to our survival that we know our enemy, that we see the worldwide scope of their intent.         

Islam is the religion of one-fifth of the world’s people.  It is second in numbers only to Christianity. Islam is the predominant religion in Africa, the Middle East, and major areas of Asia.  It is found in China and is heavily so in Indonesia.  It is also thriving in Eastern Europe, in the Balkans, Russia, and Western Europe.  We see growth here in the U.S. as well.         

The Fundamentalists are the enemy.  These are the terrorists.  These are the fanatics who impose and enforce Islamic law.  These are the teachers who relive the Crusades.  These are the leaders who preach hatred of the Western world and its values.  To them, we are the devil.           

Our country must know our enemy; if not, we will be our own worst enemy. 

                               Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

On Friday October 3 The House of Representatives passed HR 1424 known as the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008”.  In our 13 member Georgia Delegation in the House of Representatives all 7 Republicans voted NO, 2 Democrats voted NO and 4 Democrats voted YES.  My representative Hank Johnson of DeKalb County voted NO and I am proud of him for bucking the Democrat majority.

The core of the bill is a plan for allowing the Treasury Secretary to buy “troubled assets” of certain financial institutions, or to guarantee certain assets of financial institutions.  Note that this part of the bill did not change since the House voted the bill down a few days earlier.  The definition of Financial Institution is open ended and not limited to the list of institutions listed in the Act.   

The commander was opposed to the bill because of the great expense involved and doubts as to whether it would solve the problem..  Many news reports now estimate a cost of $850 Billion or more. because of the “Pork Barrel” additions by the House  Another reason for opposition is the vast powers given to the Secretary of the Treasury,

The Treasury Secretary though the new Office of Financial Stability established in the Treasury Department:

· Determines the meaning of “financial  institution”
· Defines “troubled assets”
· Determines the price or value of each type of troubled asset
. Determines the Mechanism of purchasing "troubled Assets"
. Selects and hires asset managers to manage the assets purchased                         

This is a great amount of authority to be given to one man with limited oversight.  The Act establishes Financial Stability Oversight Board which has only advisory authority.  The Board is made up of the Secretary of the Treasury, The Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank, The Director of the Federal housing Finance Agency (successor of “Fanny” and “Freddy”), the Chairman of the SEC, and Secretary of HUD.  It is felt that most all of the board members hold some responsibility for the financial mess that we are trying solve. 

Some good parts of the bill are the increase of FDIC Insurance to $250,000.  An extension of the relief for average tax payer from the Alternative minimum Tax.  There are some restrictions on ”Golden Parachutes” in institutions involved in the Purchase or Guarantee provisions of the ACT.

The commander cannot understand why the purchase of “lousy” investments made by financial institutions by the Federal Government will help prevent a recession or help the average American.  No new regulations were presented to prevent such a “crisis” and no mandates were issued to force the regulators to enforce existing laws.  WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN AGAIN.

*** Look into any organization that is running smoothly and you will almost always find a key man who sits at the center of activity.  When that man is hitting on all cylinders, so is the organization.   Post 134 has that man in HERMAN ABERNATHY, who serves as our Adjutant.  If it is happening within our Post, Herman knows about it, has seen it or already has done it.   

You may know him as the easy to get to know fellow who is always busy at meetings with Post business, but did you know that he is a GEORGIA TECH graduate with a degree in Aero Space Engineering graduating in 1963. He worked his way thru Tech on the co-op program spending his working time with Boeing at Cape Canaveral. He was there when Alan Shepherd made his first launch.  At Tech he was a member of ROTC. After graduation, he entered service as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Ordnance Corp at Fort Benning.  Assigned to the 124^th Maintenance Battalion of the 2^nd Armored Division at Ft. Hood, Texas, he spent 13 months “chasing tanks on the plains of central Texas”.  He spent the next 6 months in Viet Nam as a Transportation officer arranging Army, Air Force and Navy transportation for the 3^rd Brigade of the 101^st Airborne and the Korean Marine Brigade. 

Following service he went back to Boeing in their space program. He left Boeing to get his masters degree in Computer Science from, where else, Georgia Tech. Next, he went to Southern Company working in their computer center for 24 years retiring at age 55. 

There are some underlying health problems which you won’t hear about unless you probe.  He is a complex man with several passions, some of which follow in no particular order.     

God and Country—He believes in both.

His wife KAREN--He loves her and she loves him.  She makes him rock solid.

The Sandy Springs Rotary Club—he is as much involved with that group as he is our Post.

Georgia Tech—He always wanted to be a Ramblin Wreck.Atlanta—He left for several periods of time, but the city always drew him back.

Civil War History—if you take him on, be careful what you say, he is expert in many areas.

Good Scotch—He maintains not the world’s largest selection, but not too far from it.

The American Legion in general, Post 134 in particular and each one of you individually.  He is in the Post because of his admiration for all of you.  And that is special.  And it may also explain why you can always find him smack dab in the middle of what happening at our Post. 

*** If you missed last month’s meeting, you missed a good one.  HAP CHANDLER and TODD COPLEY informed and entertained all  61 members and guests in attendance including several wives.  Inviting the wives to a meeting other than the Christmas party made this a very special meeting.  It could only happen with the wives there, but the story is that KAREN ABERNATHY thought she recognized one of the other women and said to her “you look like Helen Green”.  The other woman replied “honey if you think this looks bad, you should see me in yellow”.  Ouch!!!The ladies were treated to a free meal by one of our members who wishes to remain anonymous.  We respect his request but still want to thank him for his generosity.  THANK YOU.  

*** This turned out to be a busy meeting.  GEORGE HOOTEN received a plaque commemorating his 28 years as editor of the National American Legion Press Association.

*** This months meeting will be October 9 at noon at Petite Auberge.  Our speaker will be Mr. Ted Daywalt.  Mr. Daywalt is the president of VetJobs, the largest military related job board on the Internet.  Vetjobs is ranked as one of the top 11 job boards on the Internet out of 50,000 sites.  Mr. Daywalt is an internationally recognized expert on Internet recruiting.  He has been active in the recruiting industry since 1995.  He had 30 years in the military, seven years on active duty and twenty three years in the Naval Reserve Intelligence Program.  He testifies regularly to Congress on veterans issues. Make your reservations early for this meeting.  

*** In attendance at last months meeting was our newest member ROBERT NEWTON.  Robert is a retired Lt. Colonel having spent time in both Korea and Viet Nam.  He now lives in Sharpsburg, Ga.  He was brought to our group by TOMMY THOMPSON.  Welcome , we look forward to seeing you again in October.  

*** David L. “Bud” Coker, a long time member died on September 13, of this year.  He will be missed.   *** HERMAN has Veterans Benefits contacts now posted on the Post website. Check it out.     

*** In case you missed it, there is a new American Flag standing proudly at our meetings at the Petite Auberge.  The Legion flag which sits in the opposite corner was to be replaced, but on examination it was found the flag is one of a kind.  New Legion flags are not nearly as elaborate as the one we have, so it was carefully and professionally cleaned and returned to its place.  Also if you were at last months meeting you received a special flag pin.  The new American flag, the cleaning of the Legion flag and the purchase of the flag pins was all done gratis by RAMON GARCIA.  A thank you is in order for his efforts.  THANK YOU RAMON. 

*** The Legion Department Fall Conference will be October 24, 25 and 26 in Macon, Georgia.  There is no registration fee.  We have a contingent of four planning to attend, but more are welcome.  See Herman Abernathy for details.  

*** And finally the long awaited and often rescheduled operation on GEORGE HOOTEN finally did take place.  Word from the hospital is that the surgeon had to sharpen his scalpel 3 times before finally getting thru his tough skin and  now all is well.  He is recovering nicely.       

A TALE OF TWO CITIES .Charles Dickens’ novel that features the French Revolution, catches interest with these opening lines: “It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times.”  Those catchy words are useful to us nowadays in discussing our times. 

For the technically young, these are the best of times.  We have advanced computers, an abundance of software, cell phones that take photos, e-mail that speeds up correspondence, IPods, Blackberries, text messaging, digital TV, mind boggling advances in science and medicine, space exploration, and no draft.

For much of the not so young, these are the worst of times.  We have a frazzled economy, a weak dollar that tickles the rest of  the world, a high foreclosure rate on mortgaged homes, the scurry by corporations to outsource jobs, moonshot rise in the cost of goods and services,  the slippery feeling of oil messing up our lives, and rap “music.”   And as the Prophet Jeremiah reminds us: “Terror is all around us.” 

Mother Nature has been dictating the times, too – from west to heartland to east.  We have had an ongoing sadness of wild fires, mud slides, tornadoes, severe flooding, and ruined crops and lives. 

It may be a bit of a stretch of the imagination to make the following  recall, but these times seem much like the late 1930’s.  The Great Depression , the hopelessness of the jobless multitudes, the widespread kinship of poverty, the humiliation of standing in line for handouts – these and related miseries made for the worst of times. 

The ugliness was rising abroad.  Totalitarianism gained tremendous appeal and military strength with Hitler and Stalin and Tojo.  The Wermacht ate up western Europe.  The Japs took what Tojo wanted in the Pacific.  Human life was gnawed up by ideology.    It was the worst of times. 

What saved our country, what saved the free world, was leadership.  For us there was FDR, Truman, Admiral King, General Marshall, Ike, Patton. MacArthur.They led the nation to see and act beyond the partisan political so that the country came first.  They led us into the best of times.  That’s what we need now. It’s about time.