Each year, MOAA National holds the Col. Marvin J. Harris Communications Award Contest to identify councils and chapters that do an outstanding job communicating with their members and community. We were notified on 4 May 2022 that the Middle TN Chapter received the 5-Star award for it's web site (for the second year in a row!).
Middle Tennessee Chapter Newsletter June 2022
Editor: COL Doug Minton, USA Retired
MOAA Middle Tennessee Chapter Meeting
28 June 2022; 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
MTC Monthly Luncheon Meeting
“Military Women Recognition”
Major Charlynda Scales, USAFR
Entrepreneur
(Our speaker will join us via Zoom)
(Please note change of location!)
Operation Stand Down TN, 1125 12th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203
Charlynda Scales, is a MOAA member, spent ten years in the Air Force on active duty and is currently a Major in the Air Force Reserve, stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB. She is a Clemson University graduate, with a degree in Aerospace Science and Business Management. She also holds an MBA in Strategic Leadership.
She inherited a beloved secret family recipe and turned it into a business to honor its creator, her grandfather, the late Charlie “Mutt” Ferrell Jr., who served in the Air Force as an aircraft inspector and crew chief for 21 years. “When her father passed away, it was the one thing that all the siblings wanted to know: Who got it?”
While still on active duty, she sought mentorship from SCORE, a network of free volunteer small business mentors, about what to do with her inheritance. That was followed up by more training through Boots to Business and other entrepreneurial programs, which eventually led to her becoming a TEDx speaker, brand ambassador, social media influencer, and the founder and CEO of Mutt’s Sauce, LLC, a company that makes “the sauce for every meal.”
Mutt's Sauce was the Grand Prize Winner of Bob Evan's Farms' 2017 Heroes to CEOs Contest. Charlynda has been featured in Forbes.com, MadameNoire.com, CBS News, Black Enterprise Magazine, Military.com, Army.mil, and Air Force Association Magazine. In 2016, she was crowned 2nd runner up, Ms. Veteran America. Charlynda was also selected for the March 2018 cover of Military Spouse magazine.
If her story sounds vaguely familiar, it is because she was one of several entrepreneurs featured in the May 2022 edition of the MOAA Military Officer Magazine, in the feature “The Grit Factor” (p.61-62).
Our speaker will join us via Zoom for her presentation. Please join us for what will be a very lively, interesting program!
(And please remember to RSVP!)
MTC President's Letter
6/5/2022
Ladies and gentlemen, our May luncheon meeting was truly special in so many ways! We gathered at the Old Natchez Trace Country Club to enjoy camaraderie during Military Appreciation Month. We paid special tribute to military and surviving spouses during this event. Mrs. Shelia B. Jones, Survivor Outreach Services Coordinator for the Army National Guard Family Programs, was a truly phenomenal speaker for this special event. As a bonus to her excellent discussion of her duties and time as a military spouse, she treated the audience to a stirring rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at the start of our gathering. Later during the luncheon, an excerpt of the 2022 Presidential proclamation for Military Spouse Appreciation Day (May 6, 2022) was read and military and surviving spouses in attendance were recognized with commemorative pins and certificates. Our tribute concluded with a beautiful reading of the poem, “Warrior” (see below) by Patricia Bergquist, the MTC MOAA Surviving Spouse Liaison. Members in attendance were able to take home commemorative pins to their spouses who were not in attendance.
In advance of Memorial Day, various chapter members gathered at the Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on Saturday, May 28, 2022, to honor military members who made the ultimate sacrifice. Special thanks to former 1LT Colleen Vetere, MTC MOAA Vice President, and COL (ret) Doug Minton, MTC MOAA Membership Chair, for coordinating chapter members to place the six service wreaths during this solemn ceremony. Sincere appreciation to the attendees who took time out of their weekend plans to join us and pay respectful tribute.
June heralds the beginning of Summer and is also a month in which the incredible contributions of women in the military are recognized. On Saturday, June 11th, the Women Veterans of America Chapter 20 will honor all women who have served. LTC (ret) Wanda Bruce Graham, MTC MOAA Personal Affairs Director, will be the guest speaker at this event. More details on the event can be found under, “Upcoming Programs & Events.” The chapter will also honor women veterans with a program featuring Major Charlynda Scales, USAFR, who will join us via Zoom from her home in Ohio. In addition to being a female officer serving our Nation, Major Scales is a nationally recognized businesswoman with an impressive portfolio. The meeting location will now be Operation Stand Down Tennessee on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, to accommodate the technological needs for this briefing.
Middle TN Chapter Memorial Day Service 28 May 2022
Middle TN Chapter Awarded MOAA 5-Star Levels of Excellence Award for the year 2020.
Pictured at right accepting the Middle TN Chapter 5-Star Award is (left to right) Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Dana Adkins USAF, MOAA President and CEO; Lt. Col. (Ret.) Karon Uzzell-Baggett USAF, First Vice President of the Middle TN Chapter; and General Skip Sharp, USA Retired, Chairman of the MOAA Board. The Award was presented and accepted at the MOAA National Meeting in Arlington, VA on 15 October 2021.
Out of just over 400 MOAA affiliates, 162 councils and chapters nominated themselves for awards this year. Input from those who submitted a package for consideration was independently evaluated by two members of the Council and Chapter Affairs Committee of the MOAA board of directors.
MTC Membership Updates
Welcome to the new members that have joined in the 2022 membership year:
