April 2021 Newsletter
Van Tellfaster’s Corner
The Newsletter
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Spring 2021 / Issue #4 / http://www.vantellfaster.wordpress.com
April 30, 2021
April was another busy month with lots occurring all around us. We can never forget that April opens with April Fools’ Day, a day that sticks in my mind because it was the day I graduated from Air Force Officer Training School in 1980. I’ll share more of my thoughts on this subject later. Many Americans, and Christians around the world participated in religious gatherings for Easter, although I was not able to attend the Fort Belvoir chapel for a second Easter due to Covid-19 restrictions. I offer additional thoughts on Easter below. And believe or not, my wife and I celebrated 52-long-years of marriage this month. That said, we are still losing Americans to Covid-19 with over 575,000 that have succumbed to the killer virus. On the bright side, however, Pfizer began doing vaccine trials on children as young as 2-years old in hopes of soon beginning to vaccinate our kids. As for progress with Covid-19 vaccinations, according to Johns Hopkins University, over 100 million people have been gotten the shot to date, reportedly a milestone, bringing the total to 30 percent of adults in America having received the shot in the arm. Johnson & Johnson temporality halted giving its one-shot vaccination for Covid-19 due to concerns over 15 people that developed blood clots with at least three of the women dying. However, the CDC investigated the matter of the rare blood clots and decided to allow J&J vaccinations to continue, but the government is warning individuals of the potential problem before administering the shots. On the upside, President Biden announced on April 27, 2021 that it was now okay to move around outside, in the open air, without wearing masks if you’ve been fully vaccinated: Running, walking, or biking without a mask has been declared a safe practice in addition to outdoor family gatherings, and enjoying a good meal outdoors at a restaurant. On the evening of April 28, 2021, President Biden addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time. He talked about a sweeping rewrite of new programs to transform the government’s role in the lives of American citizens. Combating the Corona virus, getting Americans back to work, and discussing how we can survive as a democracy. Furthermore, the governor of West Virginia is now offering $100.00 to anyone in his state that gets the Covid-19 vaccination––that’s an original approach! In the meantime, the U.S. Congress is having a tough time coming to some agreement on what to do about the very real problem of policing in our country. From what I can tell, there are a couple of topics that seem to be holding up progress, and they include qualified immunity in policing; and doing away with choke holds by police. I’m hoping our politicians will soon come to some resolution for the good of keeping all our citizens safe.
And finally, I again turn your attention to my first novel, entitled, The Private Investigator, and hope you will visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6BBXXD or my author page at https://booklocker.com/10136 to pick up a copy of my thriller.
Current Hot Topic!!
We’re Leaving Afghanistan
I retired from the United States Air Force at the end of August 2001; a little over one month before the worse terrorist attack took the nation by surprise. After that horrible day in America, former President George W. Bush ordered our troops to Afghanistan in an effort to root out Ben Ladan and his al Quada followers. To make a long story short, ten years later we caught and killed Ben Ladan, and essentially decimated that group of hardcore terrorists.
Along the way, we dealt with the equally dangerous Taliban, who originally provided a haven for al Quada. Now, we don’t face the same threat from large terrorist organizations like al Quada, but the international terrorism threat persists in a more dispersed manner: Some remnants of al Qaeda are present in Iraq, al Nusra, principally located in Syria. Al-Shabaab, a terrorist, jihadist fundamentalist group is based in East Africa and Yemen, and what’s left of ISIS remains in Syria and Iraq.
As a learned man once said, “Nothing will stay the same forever,” and that now seems to be the case with our nearly 20-year-stay in Afghanistan regarding our troops. President Biden recently announced that our men and women in uniform will be out of the country before September 11, 2021. It seems the plan is to start moving U.S. troops out of Afghanistan beginning in early May, and that’s just around the corner.
Recall that in 2011, we had a high of 100,000 troops in the troubled South Asian country, and now there are a little over 2,500 troops about to get out of Dodge. However, Biden’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan is not without controversy. LTG Herbert Raymond (H.R.) McMaster, a Philadelphia native, and former national security advisor to President Trump, believes the withdrawal of our troops is premature, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken believes it is time for us to move on. In addition, some Defense Department officials believe that the Taliban’s level of violence remains too high to withdraw completely our forces. But, one Biden Administration official said, “We went to Afghanistan to deliver justice to those who attacked us on September 11, and to disrupt terrorist seeking to use Afghanistan as a safe haven to attack the U.S.” The official added, “We believe we achieved that objective some years ago. We judge the threat against the homeland now emanating from Afghanistan to be at a level that we can address it without a persistent military footprint in the country and without remaining at war with the Taliban.” I think 20 years is more than enough time to root out the bad guys and blunt the Taliban’s strength there. It is indeed time to bring our troops home. We have the capability to keep a close eye on the Taliban, and terrorists who may attempt to reconstitute in Afghanistan. The U.S. can take the appropriate actions as necessary if need be.
Family News
Last month I told you that Coloradans were still getting snow, even after the beginning of Spring. This month, however, there was snow on the ground in Colorado Springs as recently as April 18th. In fact, I read that the season’s last snowfall typically happens in April. This year, the Springs saw a total of 57.3 inches of the white stuff. As for our grandkids, the snow brought endless joy as Zach and Claudia spent as much time as they could frolicking in the light powdery substance. Now that the snow seems to be behind the kids, they still have plenty of options to remain entertained, that is when they’re not in school. Before Easter, Zach and Claudia gladly helped their mother color lots of eggs for a special homebound event. Easter Sunday was particularly pleasing to Zach and Claudia. They hurriedly went down stairs, accompanied by their mom, then enjoyed their Easter gifts which included chocolate bunnies, and various other sweets. In addition, Claudia was extremely happy to get just what she wanted, a Chewbaca and a baby yoda, while Zach was also happy to get a baby yoda, a nice Easter book, and of course, lots of candy. Later during the month of April, Zach and Claudia helped their mom prepare a special shipment of tropical fruit gladly received. And if that wasn’t enough, the kids had lots of fun with mom and dad hiking in a popular local Colorado Springs park, giving them a chance to expend some of the energy that seems to come from an endless source. In a separate outing, Zach and Claudia enjoyed eating shaved ice on a bright sunny day in the Springs. And while Claudia enjoyed her shaved ice, she did so after a couple of visits from the Tooth Fairy! Later on, things slowed down a bit, especially for Zach, but only for a very short time back at home, while the kids took a break on the couch.
Events
Easter
This is the second Easter that the members of the Fort Belvoir religious community have not been able to gather as we did before the pandemic. There are thousands of soldiers, sailors, Marines, Air Force, Coastguard members, and their families, of all religions who attend the chapels on Fort Belvoir. Adhering strictly to the Belvoir commanders’ orders, a maximum of 50 people are allowed in each of the post chapels at a time. So, again this year, I observed the Easter Triduum––the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Holy Thursday, includes Good Friday, and reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, and closes with Mass on Easter Sunday––from home. I, like the majority of the thousands of Fort Belvoir Catholic community members observed the Triduum services from home zooming in using the video capability. I’m hoping and praying that this will be the last time we, the Catholic community, and the larger Belvoir religious community will have to view Holy week from afar instead of attending services in person.
The Masters’ Golf Tournament
The Masters’ Tournament held in Augusta, Georgia, 8 - 11 April, 2021, is over. The winner: Hideki Matsuyama. The 29-year-old native of Japan won the Masters by one stroke. He signed for a 1-over-73 in Sunday’s final round to win by one shot at 10 under. During the competition, Matsuyama held off Master's rookie Will Zalatoris, 2015 champions Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele to become not just the first Masters champ, but the first men’s major championship winner from Japan.
I watched the after-game ceremony, held at the Augusta club house and after several minutes of commentary by Jim Nantz, lead host and his colleagues, Dustin Johnson, a proud owner of the green jacket, stood behind Matsuyama and placed the coveted jacket on the newly indoctrinated professional golfer into the special club. It was a good day for Matsuyama in more than one way. In addition to winning the well-known tournament, Matsuyama got his green jacket, and took home over $2 million.
By way of history, the Masters, a private invitational tournament launched by Augusta National Golf Club in 1934, didn’t invite a Black competitor to play until 1974, when Lee Elder finally broke the color barrier. Augusta National, which maintains strict secrecy over its membership roster, didn’t admit its first African-American member until 1990, and only then after an uproar around its exclusionary policies. However, on the bright side, things have changed significantly since Elder broke the color barrier. Since Elder, there have been five Black players to play in the Masters. In 1997, Tiger Woods became the first African-American golfer to win the Masters. He went on to win four more green jackets, most recently in 2019. Elder was in attendance for Woods' first win at the Masters' Tournament. My congratulations to the young Mr. Matsuyama!
Military News
After more than a decade in the enlisted ranks, I became a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force on April 1, 1980. That’s right, no joking, it was April Fools’ Day. I’ll never forget that it was a rather cool morning in San Antonio, Texas and there was a sustained overcast in the sky. My family and friends attended the military ceremony, and it was a special day for me and for all the graduates and the attendees. I distinctly remember marching in the traditional graduation parade on the grounds at Lackland Air Force Base’s Medina Annex, the site where the Air Force trained most of its commissioned officers. In fact, only Air Force Academy cadets, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets, and a very small number of direct commissions won gold bars without a stint at Lackland.
However, that all changed in 1993, thirteen years after I became an officer, when the command permanently moved the Officer Training School (OTS), as well as chaplain and legal training, to Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. I had become a major working in the intelligence field at the time officer training moved to Maxwell. Military History has it that prior to 25 September 1993, Lackland’s Medina Annex, established in 1959, was the home to Air Force OTS, one of three USAF officer accession and commissioning sources in addition to the United States Air Force Academy (the military school my son graduated from) and Air Force ROTC. All that said, it was April Fools’ Day, but I really did graduate on 1 April 1980, and it was the beginning of a new and interesting aspect of my Air Force career.
People
Lloyd E. Milburn
I met Lloyd Milburn after I was employed by the Office of Intelligence, Security and Emergency Response, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in the summer of 2002. I didn’t really get to know Mr. Milburn, a man who retired from the US Army after 22 years of service to our nation, until I returned from a temporary assignment with the FBI’s National Joint Terrorism Task Force as a Transportation expert. When I returned to the Office of Intelligence, Security, and Emergency Response, also known as S-60, Lloyd Milburn was the senior adviser, International Civil Emergency Preparedness, to the S-60 director. My interaction with Lloyd Milburn, one of the most professional government workers I’ve worked with, began on a fairly routine basis. He was known for being a go-to guru who provided strategic advice when major disasters strike around the glove. And at the age of 82 in late 2012, Lloyd had amassed decades of experience in international emergency preparedness and response, particularly in civil aviation. He also assisted the U.S., the NATO member countries and 22 other partner countries in crisis planning and training. It turns out that Lloyd Milburn retired from the Transportation Department in 1996, but that wasn’t the end of Mr. Milburn’s already highly successful career. Four years later, Lloyd Milburn was back at DOT after he was asked to do part time work managing a special NATO project. By 2012 Lloyd worked both as an adviser and mentor to agency employees, including me, and often shared his encyclopedic knowledge with all who sought it. When I retired in early 2014, Lloyd Milburn was still going strong as senior advisor to the S-60 director, and a solid mentor to all the members of S-60 and numerous other DOT employees. Mr. Milburn, who is now really retired, just recently enjoyed a birthday, and he is now 91 years young. Go Lloyd, and may you have many more birthdays to come!
Officer L.C. Buckshot Smith (Camden, Arkansas police officer)
I was blown away when I first heard about Officer L.C. “Buckshot” Smith of the Camden, Arkansas police department. What caught my immediate attention is that Smith is a 91-year-old fellow who is still wearing the uniform and protecting his community. According to the report, “Buckshot” Smith was a sheriff's deputy for 46 years before he retired; retirement that lasted for just a few short months. The resilient man quickly realized he missed the work, and couldn’t stay away. The officer has worked in law enforcement for more than 56 years, and with his 92nd birthday coming up in May, he says he’ll retire “when the good lord says so.” Keep up the great work “Buckshot!”
Lester Holt
Lester Don Holt Jr., born March 8, 1959, is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of NBC Nightly News. Holt is also known for his moderation of the first presidential debate of 2016 and was praised by The Washington Post columnists for his role in fact-checking false statements. While NBC Nightly News was the top-ranked evening news program during the Tom Brokaw era and Brian Williams era for over 30 years, ratings dropped to second place after Holt began as anchor.
Regarding Mr. Holt’s early life and education, the successful news anchor was born on Hamilton Air Force Base, Marin County, California, (the base was decommissioned in 1975), and he was the youngest child of four. His maternal grandparents were born in Jamaica, and he was one of 14 children of an Indo-Jamaican father from Calcutta, India, and a White Jamaican mother from England. As mentioned above, his grandmother was born in Jamaica, but she was raised in Harlem, New York, where his mother was born. Holt also has Jamaican roots on his father’s side, as his paternal grandparents were from Jamaica.
Lester Holt graduated from Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova in 1977 and majored in government at California State University, Sacramento, though he never graduated. In 2012, Holt told the American Profile news magazine: "My first on-air job was actually as a disc jockey at a Country and Western station. The only time I could land a full-time gig was if I was willing to report the news." Holt would keep the job with the radio station through his college years. On April 1, 2021, it was reported that Lester Holt received the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism from Washington State University.
In Memoriam
Michael Collins, born October 31, 1930, was an American astronaut who flew the Apollo 11 command module Columbia around the Moon in 1969 while his crew mates, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, made the first crewed landing on the lunar surface. In fact, when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969, I was assigned to the 6168th Combat Support Squadron in Taegu, South Korea. It was huge news in Korea, and for military members around the world, as well as across America. A graduate of the USAFA with the Class of 1952, Collins later became a test pilot and eventually was promoted to Maj Gen in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. The successful Air Force officer was selected as part of NASA’s third group of 14 astronauts in 1963 and subsequently flew in space on two occasions. Collins became one of 24 people to fly to the Moon, which he orbited thirty times. He was also the fourth person (and third American) to perform a space walk.
After Collins retired from NASA in 1970, he took a job in the Department of State as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. A year later, he became the director of the National Air and Space Museum, and held the position until 1978, when he stepped down to become undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1980, he took a job as vice president of LTV Aerospace, and resigned in 1985 to start his own consulting firm. Along with his Apollo 11 crew mates, Collins was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011. Michael Collins died at age 90 on April 28, 2021.
Greetings from Van’s Corner
Special Interest Item
Stay tuned for future special interest items.
VT’s Special Note
I’d like to offer you a hot tip on a very good fiction novel I’m reading currently. The thriller is entitled, Deep State, and it was written by Chris Haughty. It immediately drew my interest as the main character, Hayley Chill, a young army veteran, ended up in Washington, D.C., working at none other than the West Wing of White House. Reading this novel reminds me of my time as an active duty Air Force officer working in the White House. However, this fictional character gets involved in high-stakes politics soon after she arrives at the White House. In this excellent read, Haley Chill’s boss, the White House chief of staff, is found dead in his home. She discovers her boss’s body when she delivered paperwork to his home, and also discovers a single clue that suggests he died from something other than natural causes. I’m less than half-way through this highly interesting and entertaining page-turner, and can’t wait to get through it. I highly recommend it, particularly if you enjoy reading political thrillers.
Buy My Book!
If you haven’t had a chance to pick up a copy of my book, The Private Investigator, here is a synopsis of my thriller: A.J. Williams, a former military police investigator, is now a skilled private investigator employed by one of the nation’s well known international investigative firms. He never pursued a college education after leaving the U.S. Army, but he’s smart, and is a self-starter with a good instinct for ferreting out the facts and solving complicated cases.
After Hutchison and Satterfield International Investigations relocates to Washington, D.C. from Philadelphia––following the murder of the firm’s senior partner––Jerry Satterfield reluctantly has to run the firm. A.J. and his new boss are often at odds over just about everything. But Satterfield understands that A.J. is his top investigator, and doesn’t want to lose him. He assigns A.J. to investigate a new case which requires the PI to visit two Asian countries as he pursues a North Korean spy, who recruited an American government employee to commit espionage.
New Book Trailer
**My book trailer is now on YouTube and can be found at the following YouTube site: https://youtu.be/dT_ec8bQdt0. I encourage everyone to check it out.
My author page:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6BBXXD.
or
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/113005...
or
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id14...
Another place to look is on the BookBub Official site at www.https://partners.bookbub.com. You can sign in with your email address, then search for my novel.
Please also follow me on my Goodreads Profile Page at:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show....
If all else fails, you can Google Van Tellfaster and view my Website. I look forward to hearing from you!
Until next time,
Van Tellfaster
References
1 Official numbers of Covid-19 cases/vaccinations from US CDC, April 30, 2021
2 President Biden announces relaxed changes in wearing masks, April 27, 2021, CNN broadcast; President Biden addresses the Joint Session of the Congress on April 28, 2021, broadcasted by CNN
3 US Forces to Leave Afghanistan by the 20th Anniversary of 9/11
https://www.airforcemag.com > us-forces-to-leave-afgh… April 13, 2021/By Brian W. Everstine
4 Paschal Triduum -Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org > wiki > Paschal_Triduum
5 Golfweek by Adam Woodard, 1 April 11, 2021; Masters 2021: Lee Elder, Cameron Champ spotlight Black golf … https://www.augustachronicle.com > pga > 2021/04/07; The Washington Post, article entitled, “The Masters’ ‘tradition’ is rooted in racism and sexism, by Hemal Jhaveri, Page A17
6 Wikipedia article entitled, Lackland Air Force Base, edited on 2 March 2021, https://www.af.mil > About Us > Fact Sheets
7 The Washington Post, article entitled, Federal Faces: Lloyd E. Milburn, by- From the Partnership and for Public Service, October 22, 2021
8 He’s a cop. He’s 91. And he has no plans to retire, by Malika Budd, CNN, April 16, 2021
9 https://en.wikipedia article entitled Lester Holt; The Spokesman Review by Stephanie Hammett, April 1, 2021
10 https://en.wikipedia.org > wiki > Michael_Collins_(astro…; Apollo 11, https://en.wikipedia.org > wiki > apollo_11
11 https://www.amazon.com, novel entitled Deep State, by Chris Hauty
Photos were taken from the Internet, and my family’s personal photo album.
Newsletter Overview photos: Photo #1 & 2: From my personal photo collection
Photo 3: CDC Hq, cdc.gov, About our Office
Photo #1: https://en.wikipedia.org . wiki . Afghanistan, article entitled Afghanistan, updated 17 April 2021
Photo #2: livemint.com article entitled Beware of fallout of America’s exit from Afghanistan; A file photo of US troops in Afghanistan (Reuters)
Photo #3: Taliban insurgents dead …
trtworld.com
Captured Taliban insurgents are presented to the media after being detained with explosive devices in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. December 10, 2019. (Reuters) Article dated 25 Sep 2020, News Asia
Photo: Easter Triduum/Diocese of Portland, portlanddiocese.org
Photo 1: Masters Winner Hideki Matsuyama could…, forbes.com
article by Justin Birnbaum, Forbes Staff, April 13, 2021, photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
The Washington Post, article entitled, “The Masters’ ‘tradition’ is rooted in racism and sexism, by Hemal Jhaveri, Page A17
Photo 2: Masters 2021: Lee Elder, Cameron Champ … augusta chronicle.com Lee Elder's honors shine spotlight on quest for more Black representation in golf
Wynston Wilcox
Augusta Chronicle
April 7, 2021
Photo #1: FROM MY PHOTO LIBRARY
Photo #2: OTS Graduation, photo by Virin, March 12, 2021, Maxwell AFB
af.mil
Lloyd Milburn, Facebook photo, April 2021
Photo #2: Photo of Lloyd Milburn and me (Van Tellfaster) at my retirement ceremony, 2014
Photo: 91-year-old officer has no plans … cbsnews.com
Photo: Lester Holt in New York, NY on Tuesday August 7, 2018. Photographer: Christopher Dilts / NBC Universal (Christopher Dilts)
Photos 1 & 2: from CNN article entitled Michael Collins, Apollo 11 astronaut, has died at age 90, by Ashley Strickland, Wed April 28, 2021
https://www.amazon.com
The Newsletter
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Spring 2021 / Issue #4 / http://www.vantellfaster.wordpress.com
April 30, 2021
April was another busy month with lots occurring all around us. We can never forget that April opens with April Fools’ Day, a day that sticks in my mind because it was the day I graduated from Air Force Officer Training School in 1980. I’ll share more of my thoughts on this subject later. Many Americans, and Christians around the world participated in religious gatherings for Easter, although I was not able to attend the Fort Belvoir chapel for a second Easter due to Covid-19 restrictions. I offer additional thoughts on Easter below. And believe or not, my wife and I celebrated 52-long-years of marriage this month. That said, we are still losing Americans to Covid-19 with over 575,000 that have succumbed to the killer virus. On the bright side, however, Pfizer began doing vaccine trials on children as young as 2-years old in hopes of soon beginning to vaccinate our kids. As for progress with Covid-19 vaccinations, according to Johns Hopkins University, over 100 million people have been gotten the shot to date, reportedly a milestone, bringing the total to 30 percent of adults in America having received the shot in the arm. Johnson & Johnson temporality halted giving its one-shot vaccination for Covid-19 due to concerns over 15 people that developed blood clots with at least three of the women dying. However, the CDC investigated the matter of the rare blood clots and decided to allow J&J vaccinations to continue, but the government is warning individuals of the potential problem before administering the shots. On the upside, President Biden announced on April 27, 2021 that it was now okay to move around outside, in the open air, without wearing masks if you’ve been fully vaccinated: Running, walking, or biking without a mask has been declared a safe practice in addition to outdoor family gatherings, and enjoying a good meal outdoors at a restaurant. On the evening of April 28, 2021, President Biden addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time. He talked about a sweeping rewrite of new programs to transform the government’s role in the lives of American citizens. Combating the Corona virus, getting Americans back to work, and discussing how we can survive as a democracy. Furthermore, the governor of West Virginia is now offering $100.00 to anyone in his state that gets the Covid-19 vaccination––that’s an original approach! In the meantime, the U.S. Congress is having a tough time coming to some agreement on what to do about the very real problem of policing in our country. From what I can tell, there are a couple of topics that seem to be holding up progress, and they include qualified immunity in policing; and doing away with choke holds by police. I’m hoping our politicians will soon come to some resolution for the good of keeping all our citizens safe.
And finally, I again turn your attention to my first novel, entitled, The Private Investigator, and hope you will visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6BBXXD or my author page at https://booklocker.com/10136 to pick up a copy of my thriller.
Current Hot Topic!!
We’re Leaving Afghanistan
I retired from the United States Air Force at the end of August 2001; a little over one month before the worse terrorist attack took the nation by surprise. After that horrible day in America, former President George W. Bush ordered our troops to Afghanistan in an effort to root out Ben Ladan and his al Quada followers. To make a long story short, ten years later we caught and killed Ben Ladan, and essentially decimated that group of hardcore terrorists.
Along the way, we dealt with the equally dangerous Taliban, who originally provided a haven for al Quada. Now, we don’t face the same threat from large terrorist organizations like al Quada, but the international terrorism threat persists in a more dispersed manner: Some remnants of al Qaeda are present in Iraq, al Nusra, principally located in Syria. Al-Shabaab, a terrorist, jihadist fundamentalist group is based in East Africa and Yemen, and what’s left of ISIS remains in Syria and Iraq.
As a learned man once said, “Nothing will stay the same forever,” and that now seems to be the case with our nearly 20-year-stay in Afghanistan regarding our troops. President Biden recently announced that our men and women in uniform will be out of the country before September 11, 2021. It seems the plan is to start moving U.S. troops out of Afghanistan beginning in early May, and that’s just around the corner.
Recall that in 2011, we had a high of 100,000 troops in the troubled South Asian country, and now there are a little over 2,500 troops about to get out of Dodge. However, Biden’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan is not without controversy. LTG Herbert Raymond (H.R.) McMaster, a Philadelphia native, and former national security advisor to President Trump, believes the withdrawal of our troops is premature, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken believes it is time for us to move on. In addition, some Defense Department officials believe that the Taliban’s level of violence remains too high to withdraw completely our forces. But, one Biden Administration official said, “We went to Afghanistan to deliver justice to those who attacked us on September 11, and to disrupt terrorist seeking to use Afghanistan as a safe haven to attack the U.S.” The official added, “We believe we achieved that objective some years ago. We judge the threat against the homeland now emanating from Afghanistan to be at a level that we can address it without a persistent military footprint in the country and without remaining at war with the Taliban.” I think 20 years is more than enough time to root out the bad guys and blunt the Taliban’s strength there. It is indeed time to bring our troops home. We have the capability to keep a close eye on the Taliban, and terrorists who may attempt to reconstitute in Afghanistan. The U.S. can take the appropriate actions as necessary if need be.
Family News
Last month I told you that Coloradans were still getting snow, even after the beginning of Spring. This month, however, there was snow on the ground in Colorado Springs as recently as April 18th. In fact, I read that the season’s last snowfall typically happens in April. This year, the Springs saw a total of 57.3 inches of the white stuff. As for our grandkids, the snow brought endless joy as Zach and Claudia spent as much time as they could frolicking in the light powdery substance. Now that the snow seems to be behind the kids, they still have plenty of options to remain entertained, that is when they’re not in school. Before Easter, Zach and Claudia gladly helped their mother color lots of eggs for a special homebound event. Easter Sunday was particularly pleasing to Zach and Claudia. They hurriedly went down stairs, accompanied by their mom, then enjoyed their Easter gifts which included chocolate bunnies, and various other sweets. In addition, Claudia was extremely happy to get just what she wanted, a Chewbaca and a baby yoda, while Zach was also happy to get a baby yoda, a nice Easter book, and of course, lots of candy. Later during the month of April, Zach and Claudia helped their mom prepare a special shipment of tropical fruit gladly received. And if that wasn’t enough, the kids had lots of fun with mom and dad hiking in a popular local Colorado Springs park, giving them a chance to expend some of the energy that seems to come from an endless source. In a separate outing, Zach and Claudia enjoyed eating shaved ice on a bright sunny day in the Springs. And while Claudia enjoyed her shaved ice, she did so after a couple of visits from the Tooth Fairy! Later on, things slowed down a bit, especially for Zach, but only for a very short time back at home, while the kids took a break on the couch.
Events
Easter
This is the second Easter that the members of the Fort Belvoir religious community have not been able to gather as we did before the pandemic. There are thousands of soldiers, sailors, Marines, Air Force, Coastguard members, and their families, of all religions who attend the chapels on Fort Belvoir. Adhering strictly to the Belvoir commanders’ orders, a maximum of 50 people are allowed in each of the post chapels at a time. So, again this year, I observed the Easter Triduum––the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Holy Thursday, includes Good Friday, and reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, and closes with Mass on Easter Sunday––from home. I, like the majority of the thousands of Fort Belvoir Catholic community members observed the Triduum services from home zooming in using the video capability. I’m hoping and praying that this will be the last time we, the Catholic community, and the larger Belvoir religious community will have to view Holy week from afar instead of attending services in person.
The Masters’ Golf Tournament
The Masters’ Tournament held in Augusta, Georgia, 8 - 11 April, 2021, is over. The winner: Hideki Matsuyama. The 29-year-old native of Japan won the Masters by one stroke. He signed for a 1-over-73 in Sunday’s final round to win by one shot at 10 under. During the competition, Matsuyama held off Master's rookie Will Zalatoris, 2015 champions Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele to become not just the first Masters champ, but the first men’s major championship winner from Japan.
I watched the after-game ceremony, held at the Augusta club house and after several minutes of commentary by Jim Nantz, lead host and his colleagues, Dustin Johnson, a proud owner of the green jacket, stood behind Matsuyama and placed the coveted jacket on the newly indoctrinated professional golfer into the special club. It was a good day for Matsuyama in more than one way. In addition to winning the well-known tournament, Matsuyama got his green jacket, and took home over $2 million.
By way of history, the Masters, a private invitational tournament launched by Augusta National Golf Club in 1934, didn’t invite a Black competitor to play until 1974, when Lee Elder finally broke the color barrier. Augusta National, which maintains strict secrecy over its membership roster, didn’t admit its first African-American member until 1990, and only then after an uproar around its exclusionary policies. However, on the bright side, things have changed significantly since Elder broke the color barrier. Since Elder, there have been five Black players to play in the Masters. In 1997, Tiger Woods became the first African-American golfer to win the Masters. He went on to win four more green jackets, most recently in 2019. Elder was in attendance for Woods' first win at the Masters' Tournament. My congratulations to the young Mr. Matsuyama!
Military News
After more than a decade in the enlisted ranks, I became a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force on April 1, 1980. That’s right, no joking, it was April Fools’ Day. I’ll never forget that it was a rather cool morning in San Antonio, Texas and there was a sustained overcast in the sky. My family and friends attended the military ceremony, and it was a special day for me and for all the graduates and the attendees. I distinctly remember marching in the traditional graduation parade on the grounds at Lackland Air Force Base’s Medina Annex, the site where the Air Force trained most of its commissioned officers. In fact, only Air Force Academy cadets, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets, and a very small number of direct commissions won gold bars without a stint at Lackland.
However, that all changed in 1993, thirteen years after I became an officer, when the command permanently moved the Officer Training School (OTS), as well as chaplain and legal training, to Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. I had become a major working in the intelligence field at the time officer training moved to Maxwell. Military History has it that prior to 25 September 1993, Lackland’s Medina Annex, established in 1959, was the home to Air Force OTS, one of three USAF officer accession and commissioning sources in addition to the United States Air Force Academy (the military school my son graduated from) and Air Force ROTC. All that said, it was April Fools’ Day, but I really did graduate on 1 April 1980, and it was the beginning of a new and interesting aspect of my Air Force career.
People
Lloyd E. Milburn
I met Lloyd Milburn after I was employed by the Office of Intelligence, Security and Emergency Response, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in the summer of 2002. I didn’t really get to know Mr. Milburn, a man who retired from the US Army after 22 years of service to our nation, until I returned from a temporary assignment with the FBI’s National Joint Terrorism Task Force as a Transportation expert. When I returned to the Office of Intelligence, Security, and Emergency Response, also known as S-60, Lloyd Milburn was the senior adviser, International Civil Emergency Preparedness, to the S-60 director. My interaction with Lloyd Milburn, one of the most professional government workers I’ve worked with, began on a fairly routine basis. He was known for being a go-to guru who provided strategic advice when major disasters strike around the glove. And at the age of 82 in late 2012, Lloyd had amassed decades of experience in international emergency preparedness and response, particularly in civil aviation. He also assisted the U.S., the NATO member countries and 22 other partner countries in crisis planning and training. It turns out that Lloyd Milburn retired from the Transportation Department in 1996, but that wasn’t the end of Mr. Milburn’s already highly successful career. Four years later, Lloyd Milburn was back at DOT after he was asked to do part time work managing a special NATO project. By 2012 Lloyd worked both as an adviser and mentor to agency employees, including me, and often shared his encyclopedic knowledge with all who sought it. When I retired in early 2014, Lloyd Milburn was still going strong as senior advisor to the S-60 director, and a solid mentor to all the members of S-60 and numerous other DOT employees. Mr. Milburn, who is now really retired, just recently enjoyed a birthday, and he is now 91 years young. Go Lloyd, and may you have many more birthdays to come!
Officer L.C. Buckshot Smith (Camden, Arkansas police officer)
I was blown away when I first heard about Officer L.C. “Buckshot” Smith of the Camden, Arkansas police department. What caught my immediate attention is that Smith is a 91-year-old fellow who is still wearing the uniform and protecting his community. According to the report, “Buckshot” Smith was a sheriff's deputy for 46 years before he retired; retirement that lasted for just a few short months. The resilient man quickly realized he missed the work, and couldn’t stay away. The officer has worked in law enforcement for more than 56 years, and with his 92nd birthday coming up in May, he says he’ll retire “when the good lord says so.” Keep up the great work “Buckshot!”
Lester Holt
Lester Don Holt Jr., born March 8, 1959, is an American journalist and news anchor for the weekday edition of NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC. On June 18, 2015, Holt was made the permanent anchor of NBC Nightly News. Holt is also known for his moderation of the first presidential debate of 2016 and was praised by The Washington Post columnists for his role in fact-checking false statements. While NBC Nightly News was the top-ranked evening news program during the Tom Brokaw era and Brian Williams era for over 30 years, ratings dropped to second place after Holt began as anchor.
Regarding Mr. Holt’s early life and education, the successful news anchor was born on Hamilton Air Force Base, Marin County, California, (the base was decommissioned in 1975), and he was the youngest child of four. His maternal grandparents were born in Jamaica, and he was one of 14 children of an Indo-Jamaican father from Calcutta, India, and a White Jamaican mother from England. As mentioned above, his grandmother was born in Jamaica, but she was raised in Harlem, New York, where his mother was born. Holt also has Jamaican roots on his father’s side, as his paternal grandparents were from Jamaica.
Lester Holt graduated from Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova in 1977 and majored in government at California State University, Sacramento, though he never graduated. In 2012, Holt told the American Profile news magazine: "My first on-air job was actually as a disc jockey at a Country and Western station. The only time I could land a full-time gig was if I was willing to report the news." Holt would keep the job with the radio station through his college years. On April 1, 2021, it was reported that Lester Holt received the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism from Washington State University.
In Memoriam
Michael Collins, born October 31, 1930, was an American astronaut who flew the Apollo 11 command module Columbia around the Moon in 1969 while his crew mates, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, made the first crewed landing on the lunar surface. In fact, when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969, I was assigned to the 6168th Combat Support Squadron in Taegu, South Korea. It was huge news in Korea, and for military members around the world, as well as across America. A graduate of the USAFA with the Class of 1952, Collins later became a test pilot and eventually was promoted to Maj Gen in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. The successful Air Force officer was selected as part of NASA’s third group of 14 astronauts in 1963 and subsequently flew in space on two occasions. Collins became one of 24 people to fly to the Moon, which he orbited thirty times. He was also the fourth person (and third American) to perform a space walk.
After Collins retired from NASA in 1970, he took a job in the Department of State as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. A year later, he became the director of the National Air and Space Museum, and held the position until 1978, when he stepped down to become undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution. In 1980, he took a job as vice president of LTV Aerospace, and resigned in 1985 to start his own consulting firm. Along with his Apollo 11 crew mates, Collins was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011. Michael Collins died at age 90 on April 28, 2021.
Greetings from Van’s Corner
Special Interest Item
Stay tuned for future special interest items.
VT’s Special Note
I’d like to offer you a hot tip on a very good fiction novel I’m reading currently. The thriller is entitled, Deep State, and it was written by Chris Haughty. It immediately drew my interest as the main character, Hayley Chill, a young army veteran, ended up in Washington, D.C., working at none other than the West Wing of White House. Reading this novel reminds me of my time as an active duty Air Force officer working in the White House. However, this fictional character gets involved in high-stakes politics soon after she arrives at the White House. In this excellent read, Haley Chill’s boss, the White House chief of staff, is found dead in his home. She discovers her boss’s body when she delivered paperwork to his home, and also discovers a single clue that suggests he died from something other than natural causes. I’m less than half-way through this highly interesting and entertaining page-turner, and can’t wait to get through it. I highly recommend it, particularly if you enjoy reading political thrillers.
Buy My Book!
If you haven’t had a chance to pick up a copy of my book, The Private Investigator, here is a synopsis of my thriller: A.J. Williams, a former military police investigator, is now a skilled private investigator employed by one of the nation’s well known international investigative firms. He never pursued a college education after leaving the U.S. Army, but he’s smart, and is a self-starter with a good instinct for ferreting out the facts and solving complicated cases.
After Hutchison and Satterfield International Investigations relocates to Washington, D.C. from Philadelphia––following the murder of the firm’s senior partner––Jerry Satterfield reluctantly has to run the firm. A.J. and his new boss are often at odds over just about everything. But Satterfield understands that A.J. is his top investigator, and doesn’t want to lose him. He assigns A.J. to investigate a new case which requires the PI to visit two Asian countries as he pursues a North Korean spy, who recruited an American government employee to commit espionage.
New Book Trailer
**My book trailer is now on YouTube and can be found at the following YouTube site: https://youtu.be/dT_ec8bQdt0. I encourage everyone to check it out.
My author page:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6BBXXD.
or
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/113005...
or
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id14...
Another place to look is on the BookBub Official site at www.https://partners.bookbub.com. You can sign in with your email address, then search for my novel.
Please also follow me on my Goodreads Profile Page at:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show....
If all else fails, you can Google Van Tellfaster and view my Website. I look forward to hearing from you!
Until next time,
Van Tellfaster
References
1 Official numbers of Covid-19 cases/vaccinations from US CDC, April 30, 2021
2 President Biden announces relaxed changes in wearing masks, April 27, 2021, CNN broadcast; President Biden addresses the Joint Session of the Congress on April 28, 2021, broadcasted by CNN
3 US Forces to Leave Afghanistan by the 20th Anniversary of 9/11
https://www.airforcemag.com > us-forces-to-leave-afgh… April 13, 2021/By Brian W. Everstine
4 Paschal Triduum -Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org > wiki > Paschal_Triduum
5 Golfweek by Adam Woodard, 1 April 11, 2021; Masters 2021: Lee Elder, Cameron Champ spotlight Black golf … https://www.augustachronicle.com > pga > 2021/04/07; The Washington Post, article entitled, “The Masters’ ‘tradition’ is rooted in racism and sexism, by Hemal Jhaveri, Page A17
6 Wikipedia article entitled, Lackland Air Force Base, edited on 2 March 2021, https://www.af.mil > About Us > Fact Sheets
7 The Washington Post, article entitled, Federal Faces: Lloyd E. Milburn, by- From the Partnership and for Public Service, October 22, 2021
8 He’s a cop. He’s 91. And he has no plans to retire, by Malika Budd, CNN, April 16, 2021
9 https://en.wikipedia article entitled Lester Holt; The Spokesman Review by Stephanie Hammett, April 1, 2021
10 https://en.wikipedia.org > wiki > Michael_Collins_(astro…; Apollo 11, https://en.wikipedia.org > wiki > apollo_11
11 https://www.amazon.com, novel entitled Deep State, by Chris Hauty
Photos were taken from the Internet, and my family’s personal photo album.
Newsletter Overview photos: Photo #1 & 2: From my personal photo collection
Photo 3: CDC Hq, cdc.gov, About our Office
Photo #1: https://en.wikipedia.org . wiki . Afghanistan, article entitled Afghanistan, updated 17 April 2021
Photo #2: livemint.com article entitled Beware of fallout of America’s exit from Afghanistan; A file photo of US troops in Afghanistan (Reuters)
Photo #3: Taliban insurgents dead …
trtworld.com
Captured Taliban insurgents are presented to the media after being detained with explosive devices in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. December 10, 2019. (Reuters) Article dated 25 Sep 2020, News Asia
Photo: Easter Triduum/Diocese of Portland, portlanddiocese.org
Photo 1: Masters Winner Hideki Matsuyama could…, forbes.com
article by Justin Birnbaum, Forbes Staff, April 13, 2021, photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
The Washington Post, article entitled, “The Masters’ ‘tradition’ is rooted in racism and sexism, by Hemal Jhaveri, Page A17
Photo 2: Masters 2021: Lee Elder, Cameron Champ … augusta chronicle.com Lee Elder's honors shine spotlight on quest for more Black representation in golf
Wynston Wilcox
Augusta Chronicle
April 7, 2021
Photo #1: FROM MY PHOTO LIBRARY
Photo #2: OTS Graduation, photo by Virin, March 12, 2021, Maxwell AFB
af.mil
Lloyd Milburn, Facebook photo, April 2021
Photo #2: Photo of Lloyd Milburn and me (Van Tellfaster) at my retirement ceremony, 2014
Photo: 91-year-old officer has no plans … cbsnews.com
Photo: Lester Holt in New York, NY on Tuesday August 7, 2018. Photographer: Christopher Dilts / NBC Universal (Christopher Dilts)
Photos 1 & 2: from CNN article entitled Michael Collins, Apollo 11 astronaut, has died at age 90, by Ashley Strickland, Wed April 28, 2021
https://www.amazon.com
No comments have been added yet.
