Members & Board Meetings * Newsletter * Events & Activities * Special Interest * Photos
Membership & Board Meetings
Cost for the luncheon is $25.00. Please RSVP no later than NOON, one week prior to the scheduled meeting, to Maj Curt Voelbel, USAF (Ret), Tel: 386-479-3400 or via email: lgtcurt@gmail.com.
Our Chapter convenes monthly from September through May. General Membership meetings are held on the 1st Wednesday of the month. Meet & Greet is from 11:00am to 11:40am. Lunch is served at 11:45am followed by a Guest Speaker presentation. A brief business meeting concludes the luncheon. Adjournment is at 1:30pm.
Board Meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 10:00am to 12:00pm and open to the general membership.
Location: All Meetings are held at the DeBary Country Club, 300 Plantation Club Drive, DeBary, FL 32713.
The Volusia Officers Call (VOC)
Winner of the COL Marvin J. Harris Communications Award, 2025
Access the Newsletter Archive from our site navigation bar to View current and past issues of the VOC. Enjoy!
The VOC is our Chapter Newsletter. It is published monthly (September-May) by the West Volusia MOAA Chapter, Inc. (An affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America [MOAA] and the Florida Council of Chapters [FCoC] of MOAA). Opinions of writers are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the position or endorsement of MOAA or the FCoC. Members may submit articles of interest to the membership which are subject to review and publishing at the discretion of the Editor.
“Featured Guest Speaker & Biography for the 02SEPT2026
Events and Activities
Our Next monthly membership meeting is on September 2, 2026, at the DeBary Country Club, 300 Plantation Club Dr., DeBary, FL 32713. RSVP to Maj (R) Curt Voelbel, (386) 479-3400. Our Guest Speaker is Dr. Paul J. Croce. See speaker biography information at Left-> -> -> -> -> -> -> ->->->
08/12/26– The West Volusia MOAAChapter Executive Board meets at the DeBary Country Club, 300 Country Club Dr., DeBary, FL 32713. The meeting starts at 10:00am and is open to all Chapter members.
The U. S. Postal Service is releasing new stamps in honor of the 250th anniversaries of the U. S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The stamps feature the service mark against a white background.
NEW UPCOMING EVENT IN September, 2026
Volunteer to Build a “Veteran” Habitat For Humanity Home!
Don’t Forget to visit the American Legion “Adam Quinn” Post 6, 1087 Biscayne Blvd, DeLand, FL 32724 every Friday night beginning at 5pm for their scrumptious Fish Fry Dinner and other menu items.
American Legion Events to be announced. For more information contact the Post 6 Commander at (386) 740-0622.
Historical Note
FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA -The U.S. celebrates its 250th birthday in 2026. A party is in the works, and it’s going to be a BIG ONE! America’s 250th anniversary planners have an ambitious goal: orchestrating the largest and most inspiring and unifying commemoration and celebration in our nation’s history in honor of the country’s Semiquincentennial July 4, 2026. Celebrate the Declaration of Independence together!
Below: Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), MOAA President Follow @MOAAPrez on X
Veterans Resource Navigator: This is the ultimate way to View and Access VA Benefits. Scan the QR Code…easy to navigate!
In the July 30-August 5, 2026 edition of the West Volusia Beacon Dr. Croce wrote an opinion piece on the American flag as a shared national symbol and explored its historical evolution, the freedoms protected under the U.S. Constitution and the role of civic participation in American democracy. This is part of his ongoing public history work and coincides with the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration. Dr. Croce is host of the “Public Classroom Podcast and can be followed on YouTube at https://publicclassroom.substack.com
**********************************************
September 17 is Constitution Day and it is also recognized as Citizenship Day. This day commemorates the September 17, 1787 signing of the United States Constitution.
Did you know that each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year is required to hold an educational program about the U.S. Constitution for its students on September 17 (if it falls on a weekend; it should be held in the previous or next week).
**********************************************
In case you were wondering, these are the installations that received new names by the Naming Commission in 2024 and whose names were restored by Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth in 2025:
- Fort Benning, Georgia – renamed Fort Moore after Lt. Gen Hal and Julia Moore. Its name was restored in honor of CPL Fred G. Benning, a WW1 Veteran who earned and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
- Fort Gordon, Georgia – renamed Fort Eisenhower in honor of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who also led the D-Day invasion of Normandy in World War II as an Army five-star general. Its name was restored in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt Gary I. Gordon, Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993.
- Fort Bragg, North Carolina – renamed Fort Liberty after the value of liberty. Its name was restored in honor of PFC Roland L. Bragg who earned the Silver Star for service in WW2.
- Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia – renamed Fort Walker after Dr. Mary Walker. Its name was restored to commemorate Medal of Honor recipients Lt Col Edward Hill, 1SGT Robert A. Pinn and Pvt Bruce Anderson for heroism during the Civil War.
- Fort Hood, Texas – renamed Fort Cavazos after Gen. Richard Cavazos. Its name was restored in honor of Col Robert B. Hood who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism in WW1.
- Fort Lee, Virginia – renamed Fort Gregg-Adams after Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams. Its name was restored in honor of Pvt Fitz Lee, who received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Spanish-American War.
- Fort Polk, Louisiana – renamed Fort Johnson after Sgt. William Henry Johnson. Its name was restored in honor of Gen James H. Polk who was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry during WW2
- Fort Rucker, Alabama – renamed Fort Novosel after Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel, Sr. Its name was restored in honor of Capt Edward W. Rucker who received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism in WW1.
CALL TO ACTION: Help Us Meet our GOAL & Support our Local Veterans.
New Event
Starting in January, 2026, immediately following our WVMC General Luncheon, Your Chapter President (LTC Michael Magee) will host a “Book of the Month Club” Meet -n-Greet. “All are invited and highly encouraged to attend.”
September’s book is “A Bridge Too Far,” Cornelius Ryan’s A Bridge Too Far is widely regarded as a masterpiece of World War II military history. It chronicles Operation Market Garden, an ambitious and ultimately ill-fated Allied airborne offensive in the Netherlands in September 1944.
Community Support
We support the Emory L. Bennett State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Daytona Beach. We also support Barracks of Hope in Daytona. They provide transitional housing, health care, and behavior & lifestyle counseling for Veterans. Please bring to each luncheon “hygiene Bags” filled with toothpaste, brushes, shampoo, soap, deodorant, etc. in a plastic zip bag.
News You Can Use:
- Explore US Space Force ranks from Specialist to General. Learn about the rank structure, pay grades, insignias and promotion paths at Military.com.
Emory L. Bennett State Veterans Nursing Home
The Emory L. Bennett State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Daytona Beach (Volusia County) is a modern, state-of-the-art 120-bed facility providing skilled nursing care and the highest quality of life and medical care to its veteran residents. The home opened its doors to residents in December 1993.
Basic admission requirements include an honorable discharge from the Armed Forces, Florida residency prior to admission, a medical review and certification of need of skilled nursing care as determined by a physician.
For additional information, call (386) 274-3460, Ext. 1205. We are located at 1920 Mason Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL 32117.
If you have had trouble logging in to the MOAA National website, please watch the video below.
“We the people of the United States , in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America.” (The Preamble to the Constitution)
The Constitution was signed September 17, 1787, when 39 delegates approved the final text.
Ratified: June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to approve it, meeting the threshold to make it the official framework of government.
Went into Effect: March 4, 1789, when the new U.S. government officially began operations.
Special Interest ->->>->->->->->
Visit us on Facebook: West Volusia MOAA Chapter
| Military ID Card Information | https://idco.dmdc.osd.mil/idco/ |
| VA Mental Health Services | https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/ |
| Veterans Services Office (DeLand) | 110 W Rich Ave., DeLand, FL 32720 Tel: 386-740-5102 |
| Florida Department of Veterans Affairs | https://www.floridavets.org/ |
| MOAA National | https://www.moaa.org/ |
| Daytona Beach Veterans Center | https://www.va.gov/daytona-beach-vet-center/ |
| Deltona VA Clinic | https://www.va.gov/orlando-health-care/locations/deltona-va-clinic/ |
West Volusia MOAA Chapter 
