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POW-MIA Event

POW/MIA Recognition Ceremony

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POW/MIA Recognition Ceremony, Orlando September 19th at 10:30am

I encourage everyone to come out and attend the City of Orlando’s September 19th, 2025, POW/MIA Recognition Ceremony that honors United States military prisoners of war and those still missing in action as part of National POW/MIA Day. Join Mayor Dyer and his Orlando Veterans Advisory Council at 10:30 am paying tribute to our nation’s heroes and standing together as a community to honor their service and sacrifice.
Join us in the Devos Family Room at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and hear from special guest speaker, Army Private First-Class Jessica Lynch, the first successful rescue of an American POW since World War II.
Hosted by WKMG News 6, Trooper Steve, this year’s event includes the presentation of colors by the UCF Army ROTC Honor Guard, patriotic music from the VFW Post 2093 band, and a meet and greet opportunity with the speaker. FREE parking will be available in the City Commons Garage, 460 Boone Ave, Orlando and will be validated at the event.

Get Tickets & Register Here

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FBI Seal

FBI Warns Seniors about Billion-Dollar Scam Draining Retirement Funds

Communique', FBI Warning / By

FBI warns Seniors about Billion Dollar Scam that an Artificial Intelligence (AI) scam has been used to drain entire life savings or retirement accounts has become “devastating” for seniors. FBI Los Angeles on July 15 sent out a reminder about the Phantom Hacker Scam, which has cost Americans over $1 billion since at least 2024, according to the agency. The FBI said the scam targets senior citizens and warns that victims could lose their “life savings.” The scam operates in three phases: a “tech support impostor,” “financial institution impostor” and a “US government impostor.”

In the first phase, a tech support impostor will contact victims through text, phone call or email, then direct them to download a program allowing the scammer remote access to their computer. Then, the scammer asks victims to open their financial accounts to “determine whether there have been any unauthorized charges,” which the FBI says, “is most lucrative for targeting.” Afterwards, the scammer will choose an account to target, then tell the victim they will get a call for further instructions from the “fraud department” of the bank hosting their account.

In the second phase, the financial institution impostor will then call the victim and inform them that their funds have been “accessed by a foreign hacker” and must be moved to a “safe” third party account. Victims are then instructed to send the money via wire transfer, cash or cryptocurrency, and are told to send “multiple transactions over a span of days or months.”

In the third phase of the scam, the victim could be contacted by someone posing as a U.S. government employee, who prompts the individual to move their funds to an “alias” account for protection.

In addition, scammers are using AI to get personal information with some of their tactics, targeting people with specific interests they have. It’s been happening with scammers going into our MOAA Chapter website (and the MOAA FL Council website) to write emails as if they are the President asking for chapter members to send gift cards. In the article, an example was given that seniors are posting things on Facebook or other Social Media, and in this case, a senior said they’re a “Corvette” Collector. The criminals are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to look for that type of characteristics and profiles. And they’ll send you an email or a message saying, ‘hey, that Corvette that you ordered a month ago is now available for immediate delivery if you pay a delivery fee of $500, you can get it delivered right away.” The senior may very well have ordered a Corvette and says, ‘well, I’m a Corvette collector. Maybe I was forgetful to pay the delivery fee.” This is a simplistic example, and I can well imagine AI is using Amazon or E-Bay information to also scam buyers.

FBI Warns Seniors about Billion-Dollar Scam Draining Retirement Funds Read More »

Surviving Spouse Pat Green

Surviving Spouse Corner – September 2025

Surviving Spouse / By

Dear Readers, Last month I urged you to check beneficiaries on all your assets. Continuing on paperwork readiness, I am offering some more advice. Since we are reviewing wills…. If you receive an SBP annuity, print the information that follows and file it with your will. Your family, attorney or personal representative will be grateful.

Report a SBP Annuitant’s Death

Eligibility for a Survivor Benefit Plan annuity ends with the death of the annuitant. Prompt reporting of the annuitant’s death can help avoid delay in the final settlement of the annuity. All outstanding checks or direct deposits must be returned to DFAS before a settlement of arrears of annuity may be made.

Entitlement to the SBP annuity pay ends on the last day of the month prior to the SBP annuitant’s death. Prompt reporting of the annuitant’s death can help avoid overpayment.

Please follow the steps below to report the death of an annuitant:

Step 1 Call 800-321-1080 to report the death of an annuitant.

Step 2 Send a copy of the annuitant’s death certificate showing cause of death to:

DFAS US Military Annuitant
8899 E 56th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46249-1300
FAX 800-982-8459

Step 3 Inform the financial institution receiving payments about the death of the annuitant.

In addition to notifying DFAS, you should also notify the following agencies/departments as soon as possible.

Contact List

Social Security Administration 800-772-1213

Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) 800-538-9552

Department of Veterans Affairs 800-827-1000 for annuitants receiving DIC (Dependency Indemnity Compensation)

Surviving Spouse Corner – September 2025 Read More »

MOAA CFC Board President

President’s Message – September 2025

Presidents Message / By

It’s become obvious that summer is turning the corner when we see coffee companies bringing out their fall collection that includes “pumpkin bread with cream cheese flavoring” and our grocery stores are propping up their collection of yummy snack food items to eat while watching College Football games! I’m hoping that everyone has returned from holidays away, and ready to catch-up with each other at our September 9th MOAA luncheon at the DoubleTree UCF. We have a terrific guest speaker, Army veteran Mike Kepner, the Director UCF Military Veterans and Student Success Office. Out of the 69,818 enrolled UCF students, there are well over 2,000+ veterans and family members who are enrolled in this Fall Semester. There is every reason to believe some of the veterans will re-enter military service and become our future leaders in uniform! Not a MOAA Member? We encourage anyone who is interested to attend this luncheon and connect with a huge resource for our local veterans in Central Florida. If you are eligible to join our MOAA Chapter, the first lunch is on the Chapter if you join!

Please give pause and remember the souls we lost, and the families left behind on September 11th as it marks the 24th anniversary of the tragic attack on the New York City World Trade Center Towers, the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where one of the hijacked planes crashed.

I encourage everyone to come out and attend the City of Orlando’s September 19th, 2025, POW/MIA Recognition Ceremony that honors United States military prisoners of war and those still missing in action as part of national POW/MIA Day. Join Mayor Dyer at 10:30am in the Devos Family Room at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and hear from special guest speaker, Army Private First-Class Jessica Lynch, the first successful rescue of an American POW since World War II. See below for additional information.

I thank MOAA members Angela Hong, who is the President of Central Florida Korean Association, and her husband MAJ (ret) Ron Navratil for their continued efforts to raise awareness and honor our veterans. On August 16th, in support of the 80th anniversary of the National Liberation Day of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Association highlighted the service of Lake Nona Community Living Center Korean Veteran Tech Sergeant Richard Decker. Several members from the Chapter can attest that the events honor our veterans with colorful entertainment, commodore, and delicious, authentic food that makes the events even more meaningful. Mark your calendar for their next event on October 4th; see below for more information>

Central Florida Korean Association Korean Thanksgiving event October 4th at 5pm There will be a Central Florida Korean Association Thanksgiving Korean event October 4th at 5pm and all are welcomed. There will be special recognition of any attending Korean War veterans. The event will include entertainment and a dinner provided afterwards. All activities are free and open to everyone. The event is held at the University of Florida Extension/Education Center, 6021 S. Conway Rd., Orlando, FL 32812. POC is Angela Hong President Central Florida Korean Association 407-968-7474 and MOAA MAJ (ret) Ron Navratil, 321-689-2775

We are excited to announce our Healing Through Expression is hosting a Veteran Artist Showing on October 11th from 4pm-8pm at the DoubleTree Orlando East – UCF Area. The DoubleTree is located at 12125 High Tech Ave. Orlando. Typical with a high-end art showing, we will be showing off our veteran’s artwork and hearing stories about how unleashing their artistic abilities has brought to their lives. Like what you see? Support our veterans by offering to purchase their artwork! If you are looking for a great date night, along with live music, appetizers and a drink coupon will be offered to each attendee. This is also a perfect venue to bring along someone to meet our MOAA Chapter members and artists, and if eligible, become a Chapter member. Please come out and support this first of a kind event to honor the efforts of our local veteran artists!

AN APPEAL: Our current Board of Directors Secretary is Joanie Fiebrandt and she has done an outstanding job keeping our Board Minutes straight. Joanie has taken on more responsibilities in other areas to help her community, and family, and we are looking for an immediate replacement for her. It’s not a time-consuming position, but an important one that requires a presence on a Zoom Board Meeting when we have them (about every two months). The Board Members are given a detailed agenda, and the Zoom is recorded. Please give Joanie a call (954-695-5222) or email jfiebrandt@yahoo.com to gain more information – I would like to make this happen sooner rather than later to free up Joanie! And it goes without saying that I’m not disappearing from our MOAA Chapter I now sit on 10 different Veteran Councils as the MOAA representative and this is mutually exclusive from being the President. I will continue to sit on the councils, and like all organizations, we need new blood at the helm as the MOAA President for our Central Florida Chapter!!

Cheers, Lorraine

President’s Message – September 2025 Read More »

Purple Heart Day

We Honor Purple Heart Day on August 7th

Special Events / By

The Purple Heart was instituted in 1782 by George Washington and is the first American decoration. Originally it was awarded for bravery in action, currently it is awarded to those wounded or killed in action, in the latter case posthumously. An Oak Leaf Cluster is added when a previously wounded person already has a Purple Heart. The decoration is a purple, heart-shaped badge with bronze edges. It depicts in relief a bust of George Washington wearing the uniform of a General in the Continental Army. On the reverse side is the inscription: “For Military Merit” with the recipient’s name below. It is estimated that just for World War II 1,076,245 Purple Hearts were awarded. Go to www.thepurpleheart.com to find a list of recipients.

Our very own Navy CAPT (Ret) Rich Sloane of MOAA Central Florida Chapter is a member of Chapter 400 General Bob Betts Memorial of the Military Order of the Purple Heart in Central Florida. Chapter 400 meetings are at 6:00 pm on the third Tuesday every month and are held at VFW Post 4287 located at 3500 South Goldenrod Road, Orlando, Florida. Check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MOPH400Orlando/ . Each member is a decorated war veteran who has completed military service. “During my time and service, I lost five shipmates in a combat situation,” said Chapter 400 Adjutant Rich Sloane. Rich is a Navy man himself, but the bond he shares with his fellow service members across all branches of the military is something he says he will always cherish. “On a day like today and other national holidays around military service, it reminds me of the sacrifices of those individuals and their families,” he said. The Military Order of the Purple Heart is an organization formed in 1932. The Central Florida chapter takes the opportunity to gather and interact with the community and help familiarize people with the history and purpose of the Purple Heart medal. “We try to contribute to the community through volunteer service,” Rich says. “Pinning on the Purple Heart is just an opportunity to think about those folks who made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Rich.

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Surviving Spouse Pat Green

Surviving Spouse Corner, July 2025

Surviving Spouse / By

Dear Readers, I have recently redone my will.
We should all redo or review this whenever a family event happens, or a considerable amount has passed since the last review. As I finished, sign, and had papers witnessed, my attorney handed me a to-do list. The first item on it was “check that beneficiaries are correct on all transferrable assets”.

I thought this was a bit overkill, but complied. Imagine my shock when I discovered that a stranger’s name was listed as a beneficiary on my brokerage account! Coincidently my broker was on vacation. After a flurry of phone calls, considerable paper shuffling, and his return to town all was corrected. The mistake was a software glitch accompanied by a user error, probably a one-time event. Even so, the brokerage firm verified that all other accounts in house had the correct names on their beneficiary records. It was a lot of work for all of us.

During the process, I kept imagining what would happen if I died before a correction was filed? So please, double check that all beneficiary accounts have the correct names on them. Keep a photocopy of all the papers you sign. An ounce of prevention is priceless.

Happy paper shuffling!

Surviving Spouse Corner, July 2025 Read More »

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