Uncategorized Archives

Category: Uncategorized

February 5, 2025

2024 JROTC/ROTC

MOAA TAMPA RECOGNIZES THE JROTC STUDENTS AT THE APRIL LUNCHEON
By Ken Martin, LtCol USMC (Ret)

At our April luncheon the Chapter presented the MOAA award (medal)to deserving Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) cadets. Deserving JROTC cadets and their guest were invited to our luncheon which was sponsored by the Chapter and the United Services Automobile Association (USAA). The MOAA JROTC awards program recognizes an outstanding cadet or midshipman in his or her next-to-last year in the program who has demonstrated exceptional potential for military leadership.

The following cadets were recognized and presented medals by our President:

Blake High School

Recipient: Cadet 1Lt Ivelise Alicea
In attendance with MSgt Herbert Ayers, JROTC instructor
Completing her 3rd year in the Blake HS AFJROTC program and currently serving as the Unit Athletic Officer
Cadet Alicea is an outstanding student. Holds a District GPA of 4.2. She has excelled across a number of AJFROTC activities:
- Key member of drill team—her efforts contributed to Blake’s “Exceeds” rating on drill for last year’s Unit Inspection
- Key member of the Unit’s 1st ever “Honoring 911” Ceremony & Presentation—Outstand ceremony to highlight fallen heroes
- Chief Narrator for multiple presentations in commemoration of Juneteenth—Presented for the Mayor of Tampa and other Distinguished Guests
- Member of the Parade team—marched in the “Joy of Giving Parade” to support charity events helping local families
-Athlete—Member of the Howard W. Blake HS Girls Softball Team

Freedom High School

Recipient: Cadet Carlean Ross
In attendance with her mother
Cadet Ross is currently the Color Guard Commander . She participated or organized the participation of the Freedom cadets in over 200 color guards, competing in 5 color guard competitions
Participated in 4 orienteering competitions and numerous volunteer events.
She is also the Public Affairs Officer where she is in charge of all media distribution and promoting the program within Freedom HS and families.

King High School

Recipient: Cadet James Shaughnessy
In attendance with his father, Joey Shaughnessy
11th grade, IB student
Platoon commander and competed in JROTC Orienteering
King Varsity Football Captain starting wide receiver, linebacker, punter and kicker
King Varsity Soccer (goalie) and Varsity Track
Honor roll student, member National Junior Honor Society
This summer, Cadet Shaughnessy plans to attend a Service Academy Summer Program as well as an NJROTC leadership program.
Following graduation, Cadet Shaughnessy plans to attend West Point Military Academy.

Middleton High School

Recipient: Cadet Matthew Griffin
In attendance with his mother Desiree (dez-E-ray) Dolly vvand either Major DANIEL P. PAGANO OR SMSgt Rutzke
Cadet Corps logistics officer, responsible for maintaining current inventory of all uniforms, accessories, and ceremonial and drill rifles.  Key contributor to Middleton’s preparations for a HQ Air Force JROTC inspection; expert inventory helped unit achieve the highest rating – Exceeds Standards
Joint Leadership and Academic Bowl ; member of team for sophomore and junior years; provided engineering expertise along with being the team’s expert on various mythologies; helped his team earn a spot at Nationals in June 2023. This was a top-16 placement out of 630+ Air Force JRTOC teams.
Marksmanship Team:  one of the best shooters on the 10m air rifle team; while not an experienced air rifle marksman, he was dedicated to learning and improving his skills.

Strawberry Crest High School

Recipient: Cadet First Sergeant Jordan Smith
In attendance with his parents, Johnny Smith and Linda Smith and LTC John Ingraham
Cadet Smith is Bravo Company First Sergeant, a Drill Team Leader and Color Guard Commander.
Jordan holds a 4.1 District GPA.

Wharton High School

Recipient: CadetSeamanAlannys Cruz Mercado
In attendance with her mother, Iniabel Mercado
Cadet Alannys Cruz is one of the top cadets at Wharton and was a unanimous choice for this award.  
Member of Wharton NJROTC for 3 Years
She has been in a Leadership position for the past two years.
Platoon Commander for 2nd Platoon this year.
Earned a spot on the Top Sporter Marksmanship team in her 1st year.
Plans to attend University of Puerto Rico on an Air Force ROTC Scholarship

By admin

Uncategorized

October 7, 2022

MOAA Tampa’s Transition Event Thriving After Military Service

By Paul McAneny, COL, USAF, RET

On Tuesday, August 23rd, the MOAA-Tampa Chapter hosted it’s fifth ever quarterly event for transitioning military members and their families. The popular event is titled “Thriving After Military Service” and, rather that the typical transition events focused on, job skills, resume writing, networking, etc., the MOAA event addressed leading fulfilling lives following your military service.

Why are we doing this? Simple…because nobody else is.

Thetheme of the morning portion of this unique seminarwas “a focus on the family” with speakers from TRICARE and the Veterans Administration as well as local Financial Advisors and Attorneys.

The afternoon was dedicated to “a focus on the community” with representatives and volunteers from organizations such as MOAA’s own Tampa Chapter, Association of the US Army-SunCoast Chapter,the Hillsborough County Veterans Treatment Court Mentors Group, 1^st US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment – Rough Riders, Tampa Sports Authority, EoS Fitness, and charity organizations addressing both veteran homelessness and mental health.

All that plus free drinks and snacks all day including lunch and a chance to meet other great transitioning military families.

THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL EVENT…you must be in Tampa to attend.

Attendees included a variety of ranks (officer and enlisted) from all military services.One enthusiastic attendee stated, “Extremely valuable! I’m in the middle of my transition now and this was the only venue I’ve seen that covered these topics.”

We are continuing to work with our full time partners, Tampa’s own FIVE Labs/USbioskills Lab and Conference Center. The FIVE Labs CEO comes from a military family and also a member of our local South Tampa Chamber of Commerce; he wanted to participate in an event supporting our local military and veteran community.

The MOAA-Tampa Transition Seminar is held every quarter with the next event scheduled for Tuesday, 15 Nov 2022. Sign-ups are now open at this link: https://MOAA_Tampa_Thriving_Transition_Seminar.eventbrite.com

By admin

Uncategorized

October 7, 2022

2023 Annual Winter Gala Updates

–By Tom Kuhar, CDR USCG RET and Winter Gala Chair

The days to the Winter Gala continue to count down. The registration link is: https://moaatampa.org/winter-gala. The deadline for purchasing tickets is February 9, 2023, so secure your spot for this terrific event (or when seats run out).

For your $140 event price you will receive:

Entry to the beautiful venue we enjoyed last year
2 beverages of your choice from the bar during the cocktail hours featuring passed hors d’oeuvres
An art show
The opportunity to participate in a silent auction and raffle of fantastic items to help raise money for our Chapter’s outreach efforts
Live music throughout the evening
A glass of wine for the evening’s ceremonial toasts • Your choice of one of the following meal options:
- Grilled Petite Filet Mignon
- Chicken Picatta
- Fresh Grouper topped with crab meat – Vegetarian entreìe (Chef’s choice)
Dessert trio dessert platter consisting of three individual dessert servings (Chef’s choice)

So pull out your fancy clothes, make sure they fit and mark your calendars for February 17, 2023 at 6:00 PM for a terrific evening supporting Tampa Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America.

By admin

Uncategorized

April 4, 2022

Freedom High School NJROTC at the MOAA Tampa Winter Gala 2021

By LCDR Pettis Sims, USN (Ret)

Senior Naval Science Instructor, Freedom High School

How do the youth of today learn about those who paved the road before them? How often do they truly get the chance to sit down and listen to their stories and learn from their advice? These opportunities are, too often, few and far between. A handful of cadets from the Freedom High School NJROTC program were given this opportunity during the MOAA Christmas Gala on December 10^th.

During the event cadets were responsible for the Color Guard as well as the POW/MIA table ceremony. Cadet Paola Ortiz-Ortiz mentioned “It was an honor to be there that night and be part of such an important ceremony for us the Cadets and everyone who attended.” This exposure to events honoring our vets, those who are still with us and those who aren’t, is a wonderful learning opportunity for these young adults. The chance to sit down with veterans who served this nation is not lost on these young men and women. When asked to share something about her experience at the gala, Cadet Carlaen Ross shared the following, “I really enjoyed talking to the veterans that were at my table and listening to some unique and interesting stories. They passed on a lot of life advice that I am going to consider following.”

For some of these cadets this was the first time attending a formal event such as this. For other cadets, it was one of many they have attended. They all felt honored to be part of it and welcomed by all the members of MOAA. Cadet Ana Rico, a 12^th grader, said she enjoyed meeting new people and “A lot of people that served in the military and had years of experience and stories to share with us. I kept thinking how amazing it was what these people did and how they’re willing to help students. I loved doing the POW/MIA table and love what it represents and means for everyone.” The food received rave reviews as well, although the cadets seemed to be far more impressed by the people they met and the event they were a part of.

In the NJROTC program there is of course a concentration on patriotism and honoring our servicemembers and veterans. However, sitting down and having the opportunity to speak to members of the MOAA organization and listen to their life experiences is something many of these cadets have never had a chance to do. It was indeed an honor for them. Some of these students come from military families, while others do not. Sitting down and experiencing a gala like this gave ALL of them a new perspective and respect for our military and our veterans, for the camaraderie amongst them, and for the sense of purpose that people in the military feel. When asked about her overall thoughts on the evening Cadet Stephanie Burgos Vazquez remarked, “I felt comfortable, I felt welcomed and that made the night beautiful. I am glad the MOAA program exists and that it is there to give a voice to the people, to our veterans, and the ones we should never forget.”

The students and staff of Freedom High School NJROTC appreciate our relationship with the Tampa Chapter of MOAA and are honored to provide the color guard and other ceremonial personnel for events such as the gala. For our cadets it is a chance to learn from those who have gone before them, those who have blazed trails, and those who have life advice to give. This kind of opportunity is priceless for them and appreciated beyond measure. Thank you to each and every member of MOAA that made this night possible. Thank you to those veterans who took the time out of their night to speak to the cadets and offer life advice. Thank you to Colonel Dalcourt for the opportunity to be a participant in the program honoring our country and our veterans. Many might assume that average teenagers couldn’t possibly find a night like this more enjoyable than whatever it is they normally do on a Friday night, but this was not a group of average teenagers…it was teenagers that think things like this:

“It definitely wasn’t the typical Friday night you’d think a high school senior would be doing but I wouldn’t change it. That was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life and I’m forever grateful for it.”

By admin

Uncategorized

March 30, 2022

MOAA Scholarship 2022

By admin

Uncategorized

February 8, 2022

The MOAA Junior ROTC (JROTC)/ROTC Awards Program 2022

The MOAA Junior ROTC (JROTC)/ROTC awards program recognizes an outstanding cadet or midshipman who has demonstrated exceptional potential for military leadership (exceptional academic achievement in the case of the Marine Corps JROTC [MCJROTC] program.) All military services officially have approved the medal for presentation.

The presentation of an MOAA ROTC/JROTC medal and certificate is an excellent way for chapters to gain exposure in their community and, at the same time, foster a positive military recognition among the youth of the community. Accordingly, it has always been the desire of national MOAA that the medals are awarded by a local chapter and not the national organization.

The typical award consists of a red, white, and blue ribbon 13/8 inches wide with a bronze disc pendant 15/8 inches in diameter and a matching service ribbon and a certificate of presentation.

Our chapter sponsors and presents the MOAA JROTC medal and certificate to the following local high schools: Alonso, Armwood, Blake, Chamberlin, Freedom, Gaither, H.B. Plant, Hillsborough, Jefferson, King, Leto, Middleton, Plant City, Robinson, Sickles, Strawberry Crest, Tampa Bay Technical, and Wharton.

Our chapter sponsors and presents the MOAA ROTC medal and certificate to the following college ROTC programs: University
of Tampa Army ROTC, University of South Florida Army ROTC, University of South Florida Naval ROTC, and University of South Florida Air Force ROTC.

A chapter member usually volunteers and presents the award at the school’s award ceremony. Our chapter also sponsors the high school award winners at our April luncheon.

In 2022 the MOAA Tampa Chapter recognized JROTC Students at the April luncheon and MOAA Tampa Chapter members assisted in helping to present awards to our future leaders at Gaither High School, Robinson High School, Jefferson High School in Tampa and Strawberry Crest High School in Dover, Florida. It’s inspiring and an honor to meet all of these young men and women and their families. We would love to have someone from our chapter at every JROTC Leadership Award presentation next year. COME NEXT YEAR AND GET INVOLVED!!! It’s an experience you’ll NEVER forget!

—submitted by Ken Martin, LTC USMC (Ret) and edited by: Sara Marks, CAPT NC USN (Ret)