Norm Noble
On Tuesday morning, February 13, Rotarian Norm Noble and Rotarian Bill Crump will discuss the circumstances of how their families came to colonial America. One family came as immigrants from England; one came because a Hessian soldier was paid to fight for the Crown. Going back 350 years in history can shed some interesting insights into how things have changed in our country.
On Tuesday morning, February 20, Angelica “Angel” Pilato (a Rotarian from Portland, Oregon) will present a fascinating account of surviving in a war zone and overt sexism, but also will recount fond memories about her time managing an Air Force Officers’ Club during the Vietnam War. Her vivid stories of that time caused many of her friends to say, “You’ve got to write a book.”
She did. It’s titled Angel’s Truck Stop: A Woman’s Love, Laughter, and Loss During the Vietnam War.
Pilato, a native of New York who studied in Michigan, joined the Air Force to get out of snow country and see the world. She was on active duty for five and a half years and in the reserves for 16 years as a training specialist. She retired as a Lt. Colonel.
In 1971, she talked her way into a one-year assignment at a Thailand base, where fighter pilots took off for North Vietnam. “It’s a war zone unfit for a woman,” she was warned. She assured the officers, “I won’t plant any flowers in the urinals.” Instead, she took calls in the wee hours when pilots celebrated too rambunctiously, observed the social code of “Be discreet; don’t blab” and learned to deal with high-echelon egos.
She became disillusioned with the war and its political direction, Pilato said, but she hopes readers will empathize with the people she met in the war zone. Her memoir also gives context to social history, especially the women’s movement and sexual equality. “I want to give readers an idea of what it was like for women then,” she said.
On Tuesday morning, February 27, Deeann Griebel from Moors and Cabot will discuss the four aspects of Social Security Income:
A. Exactly how the SS Trust Fund operates and what the “IOU’s” really are
B. Provide data on how projections of the SS Trust Fund’s depletion date are calculated
C. Discuss the potential impact of the future depletion of the SS Trust Fund’s assets on high-net worth recipients
D. Explore the possible negative impacts to non-profits and society at large of this depletion (around 2030)
The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes meets for breakfast every Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m. in the Oakwood Country Club Ballroom. The meetings start at 7:00 a.m. and end promptly at 8:00 a.m. Cost of breakfast is $13. To make reservations for any meeting, contact Rotarian Peter Meade at 480-600-2458. For Sun Lakes residents, if you want to know more about the club, contact Charles Loew at 602-721-3680. SunBird residents should contact Walt Mills at 480-883-8007. See more about the club at www.sunlakesrotary.com.