Tampa Chapter Celebrates 60 Years!
February 11, 2020 – We are very proud to share our success as an affiliate of Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). The Tampa MOAA Chapter has been supporting military families in our community for 60 years, and our goal is to “Never Stop Serving”.
Veteran Strong – Highlighting Local Veterans
Veteran Strong is a program hosted by Brigadier General Lee Gray and highlights local veteran success stories. It airs on cable TBAE (Spectrum 636, Fios / Frontier 34) and is on demand at the link provided below
Operation Traffic Signal
Operation Traffic Signal – 30,000 Views and Growing
James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital
UPDATED JANUARY 2020
Hillsborough County has just provided an update (16 January 2020) on OTS. See update on the below petition site. If you have already signed, please forward this Email to your friends and colleagues. Help keep this James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital / Hillsborough County project on top, 24/7!
Active duty wounded and injured are treated at this Veterans’ Hospital.
Nearly 800 people have signed this free safety petition to help make this dangerous intersection safer. Just Google ” Go Petition @ Remove the Danger.” Also, click on “Signatures” and suggest reading signer comments 312, 409, 410, 491, 578 and 748. Your comments would be greatly appreciated. Also, signers 215 and 421 pertain to the lack of modern streetlights. See petition map, signers are from around the world.
FOIA Response – James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital: “In FY 17, Tampa/673 treated patients from 66 of Florida’s counties, all 50 US states plus D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, as well as seven countries outside of the US and its territories (Nicaragua, Singapore, Austria, Costa Rica, Poland, Qatar, Saint Christopher/St. Kitts And Nevis).”
This intersection is on Tampa’s Bruce B. Downs Blvd at the intersection of the University of South Florida, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and iQ Luxury Student Apartments. To see videos of this intersection, go to YouTube and search “Sawallesh.”
Over 36,000 web site and YouTube views. Help expedite traffic signals, crosswalk signals, turning lanes and modern streetlights by signing this free petition. You may sign anonymously. Thank you!
ORIGINAL TEXT
Operation Traffic Signal
by Robert F. Sawallesh, US Army, Retired, Vietnam Veteran, 9th Infantry Division
Signer 748: “AMAZING hospital, TERRIBLE traffic situation. I have seen many near accidents at this intersection!”
Signer 491 quote: “One of the worst, most dangerous entry/exits to a hospital I’ve ever had to use. I must visit 2 to 3 times a month, and it is certainly unsafe. Please fix it!”
FOIA Response – James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital: “In FY 17, Tampa/673 treated patients from 66 of Florida’s counties, all 50 US states plus D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, as well as seven countries outside of the US and its territories (NICARAGUA, SINGAPORE, AUSTRIA, COSTA RICA, POLAND, QATAR, SAINT CHRISTOPHER/St. KITTS AND NEVIS).”
Help put this traffic signal project on FAST TRACK. Civilians, Veterans and Military are urged to sign this free petition, anonymously if you like, Google < Go Petition @ Remove the Danger
This Hospital opened in 1972. For decades a traffic signal was needed at this dangerous main entrance / exit of the hospital which is on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. In August 2018 the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs funded $1.4 Million for Hillsborough County to construct the traffic signal project. And now the Hillsborough County Government states the projected work will be completed no later than mid-2021. You can help put this project on FAST TRACK!
Urgently needed are critical traffic signals, pedestrian crosswalks with signals, turning lanes and modern street lights. Kudos to the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital which completed action to modernize Richard Silver Way which connects to Bruce B. Downs Blvd!
This traffic signal project is located in “Tampa’s Hospital Row.” Hospitals are the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital; Shriners Hospitals for Children; Moffitt Cancer Center; Florida Hospital, ER Care Coordinated by Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital; USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute; USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and the Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute at Florida Hospital. And many, many medical offices.
In this GoPetition be sure to click on “Signatures,” and read signer comments 312, 409, 410, 475, 491 and 748. Also, click on the petition map to see petition signer locations from around the world.
Who does the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital treat? FOIA 2018 answer: “In FY 17, Tampa/673 treated patients from 66 of Florida’s counties, all 50 US states plus D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, as well as seven countries outside of the US and its territories (NICARAGUA, SINGAPORE, AUSTRIA, COSTA RICA, POLAND, QATAR, SAINT CHRISTOPHER/St. KITTS AND NEVIS).”
USF students living in the iQ Luxury Apartment, adjacent to the Veterans’ hospital luxury apartments are still crossing this very dangerous intersection multiple times day and night by walking, running and skateboarding. And at this intersection, illegal left turns are still being made from Richard Silver Way.
Please sign and comment today, anonymously if you like. Petition is free. Civilians, Medical and Nursing Students, Veterans and Military are urged to sign this petition.
Please post this GoPetition on your social media sites and forward to Colleges and Universities, Businesses, Veterans and Military Communities. It is no doubt that many traveling to and from Tampa’s Busch Gardens drive through this dangerous intersection. Thank you!
News Archives
Guest Speaker Update for January Luncheon
January 6, 2019
We have a change to our Guest Speaker for our January Luncheon scheduled on 9 January, 2020. Click the link below to read more about our new Guest Speaker, Colonel Seth D. Krummrich.
Sick Call Announcement – September 2019
Click the link below for an important announcement about Sick Calls.
Text of Announcement:
September 6, 2019
Dear MOAA Tampa Chapter Member,
I would like to introduce myself and let you know why I’m sending you this letter. My name is Geoff Harrington. I’m a retired U.S. Naval Reserve Commander, a Life Member of MOAA and a member of our local Tampa Chapter.
I am taking over responsibility for our Chapter’s Sick Call List which allows us to let others in the Chapter be aware of any member’s or family member’s illness or injury. We’re a big family with over 350 members and we most certainly do care about each and every one of our members. It allows us as a group or individually to wish you well, offer our support and prayers for a speedy recovery or resolution to your illness or injury.
Rest assured that NO specific information will ever be given out about your illness or injury unless you authorize a very brief description (e.g., I have a broken leg, etc.) to be included with your name on the List.
If you don’t wish to have any notification to be included on the List that will be posted on our internet site (MOAA tampa.org) or announced at one of our monthly meetings but only want to let the Board know about it, there will be no public notification made to our general membership.
If you wish to participate in our Sick Call List program, all you need to do is to e-mail me at [email protected] or text me at (813)727-0026. Please let me know the health, injury or related issues that you would like to let the Board know about and whether or not you want to be added to our Sick Call List.
I would, of course, prefer not to hear from you because that means that you and your family are all experiencing “Fair Winds and Following Seas!” …what can I say, 22 years in the Navy… Hope this letter finds you and your family to good health.
Very Respectfully,
Geoff Harrington, CDR, USNR, Retired
Military Spouse News
Read Our Military Spouse News Archives!
You can find our archived Military Spouse Newsletters below.
See the update of our Sponsored Southeastern Guide Dog, Bella
Past Issues
In November 1953 General R. Beam and a small group of Retired Officers living in Tampa, Florida, concluded there were sufficient numbers of Retired Officers of the Armed Services residing in and around Tampa to form and support a local Luncheon Club Meeting once a month. Cost of lunch was $1.50. The Retired Officers Wives Club of Tampa also was soon formed. There were 30 charter members.
The membership in October 1989 was 287 and they were eventually called Military Officers Wives Club. Our membership, as we started to disband in October 2018, was 109 but we were averaging about 10 – 15 attendees at our luncheons. We had been the only club that met separate from the Officers.
Upon Disbanding, MOWC funds were dispersed as follows: Operation Helping Hand—to sponsor the February dinner, MOAA Tampa Chapter Scholarship Fund, Tinker Elementary School—MacDill AFB, Fisher House—Tampa Veterans Hospital, MOAA for table decorations at the 2019 Annual Convention (which Tampa Chapter is sponsoring), Air Force Aid Society, A Soldiers Child Foundation, and Southeastern Guide Dogs (to name and raise a puppy).