The Black Hills Chapter of the Military Officer's Association of America will next meet on Friday, July 21, 2023 at Minerva's in Rapid City. A table for 30 has been reserved – and we hope you'll be among those attending!
Our gathering will begin at 11:30 a.m. Minerva's is located at 2111 N. Lacrosse St. in Rapid City. As in the past, attendees will order from the menu.
As we receive word regarding a program, along with any other details, we'll post it on this site.
Hope to see you there!
Editor's Note: We were saddened yet again by the loss of another MOAA-Black Hills Chapter leader. Colonel Mike Kain was a Board Member and served as Chairman of our Legislative Affairs Committee. Mike was an active leader and willingly stepped forward to assist wherever needed. Our condolences to Charlene and the entire Kain family for their loss. His obituary follows.
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CWO4 Vernon McGee of Rapid City passed away Monday, September 5, 2022. He was 89 years old. Vernon only recently affiliated with our Black Hills Chapter of MOAA and had attended our most recent meetings with his wife, Dr. Nancy Fay Phipps.
Vernon was born April 1, 1933 in Jackson, Mississippi to Malcom Daniel and Eula (Westerfield) McGee. He married Dr. Nancy Phipps on November 6, 1998 in Rapid City.
Vernon is survived by his wife Nancy; daughter Cynthia (Lance) Weaver; grandchildren Michael, Lucinda and Benjamin Weaver, Anne Sewell, as well as two brothers, two sisters, and many friends and extended family.
Vernon was preceded in death by five brothers, a sister, granddaughter, parents, son, and daughter.
Visitation for CWO4 Vernon McGee was from 5:00-7:00pm Thursday, September 8, at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home. Funeral service was held on Friday, September 9 at the Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home, 2700 Jackson Blvd. in Rapid City.
Graveside service and burial with full military honors were conducted on Friday, September 9, at the Black Hills National Cemetery, 20901 Pleasant Valley Drive, Sturgis, South Dakota.
Editor's Note: Another long-time member and Past President of our MOAA Black Hills Chapter has passed away. Below is the obituary for Colonel Dennis "Denny" York as it has appeared on the Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home website. Colonel York Our condolences to the entire York family. Please note the highlighted area below regarding Visitation, Celebration of Life and Burial for Colonel York.
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Visitation will start at 10 am on Thursday, August 4th at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Lead, South Dakota. Celebration of Life Service following at 11 am. Lunch will be served after the service. Burial with full military honors will take place at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, SD at 2:00 pm.
Denny was born February 28, 1937 in Sioux Falls, SD to Jean F. and Leona E. (Tilbury) York. He grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from Washington High School.
He graduated from South Dakota State College in Brookings, SD with an Electrical Engineering degree. While at State, he played football, wrestled, and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. through the ROTC program. He married Beverly D. Ordal in 1958. He was a career army officer. During his service, he graduated from the University of Florida with a Masters of Civil Engineering. He attended the U.S. Naval War College, Industrial War College, Georgia State University in Management, and numerous Army Special Weapons and Engineering schools. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi. His military awards included three awards of the Legion of Merit, five awards of the Bronze Star, three Air Medals, and numerous other commendation service medals.
He commanded and served in engineer combat and construction units in Vietnam and Germany during nine years of overseas service. Denny was the Vicksburg, MS District Commander in the 1980’s responsible for Corps of Engineers Civil Works in most of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. While not with his troops, he taught ROTC at the University of Rhode Island, conducted a reduction of engineer officers after Vietnam, and was a protocol officer for the Army Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Army. He was the Executive Director for Civil Works out of Washington DC, for the Corps of Engineers when he retired in December 1986.
Upon retirement from the Army, initial plans were changed due to health. Denny and Bev bought the Ponderosa Motor Lodge in Lead, SD, operating it as a family venture. While Bev and son, David, orchestrated the Lodge, Denny served as City Commissioner and Mayor of Lead two terms. He also served on various boards over the past years including Lead-Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Municipal League, Salvation Army, Black Hills Boy Scout Council, Lawrence County Teen Court, Terry Trojan Water District, and the Lead-Deadwood Sanitation District. He was a member of the VFW, American Legion, Golden Gang, Eagles, Kiwanis, SD Service Academy Nomination Committee, and the Military Officers of America Association.
During Denny’s lifetime, he dedicated and advocated for his country, his communities, his alma maters, his God, and his family. His life was to generously and sincerely serve others! A very patriotic man, he never hesitated to show his pride to serve his county and to support any person in uniform. He and Bev immersed their family in every community in which they lived. Home truly was where the family was at any given time. Along the way, they created lifelong friendships. A huge supporter and fan of SDSU, Denny enjoyed attending activities and watch parties. His faith and church family were very important to him. His life revolved around his love of family, supporting and connecting with them at any opportunity that he could. He was very proud of his family.
He was preceded in death by his mother, father, sister, Juanita Class, son, Douglas Todd York, grandchild, Karah Ann Odegaard, and grandchild, Grace Michelle Kainz, and his wife Beverly Deane (Ordal) York. Denny is survived by a nephew, Jeff Class (Deb) and niece, Debbie Smith. He has four children including daughter DeVee and Kevin Dietz (Sturgis, SD), daughter Juli and Joseph Odegaard (Rapid City, SD), son David York (Waseca, MN), and daughter Amy and Dan Kainz (Eagan, MN). As a proud grandpa, he leaves behind 9 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren – with 5 more on the way!
Richard "Dick" Arthur Trankle was the eldest of John and Eva Trankle's four children, born June 14, 1936 in Rapid City and raised in Johnson Siding, SD. Growing up on the farm, Richard was raised with a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility, unwavering commitment to his family, and an appreciation for all of life's joys large and small (including well-timed practical jokes), all of which remained hallmarks of his character throughout his life. He graduated from Rapid City Stevens High School with the class of 1955 as a proud member of the Good Ol' Boyz car club. Richard and his beautiful bride of 62 years, Betty Granaas, began their married life together February 14, 1960, before welcoming a son (Kenneth Dean Trankle) and daughter (Karla Kay West).
Although his children and grandchildren were his greatest joys, his point of personal pride set in his 42 years of service to the South Dakota Army National Guard (SDARNG). Over the first 25 years of his career, Richard served the U.S. Property & Fiscal Office, South Dakota Emergency and Disaster Service, and South Dakota Department of Transportation and Highways. In 1974, Richard was appointed as the state Command Sergeant Major for the SDARNG, serving until his appointment to Warrant Officer in 1985. Richard was honored with many awards and decorations during his military career, including the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters, and the Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters. After retiring from the U.S. Army as a Chief Warrant Officer Four on June 14, 1996, Richard reentered public service as a Special Projects Officer for the state.
Of special note in Richard's service to others was the instrumental role he held in the week following the 1972 Rapid City flood. Within minutes of the floods beginning, Richard was selected by state leadership as the civil defense coordinator, where he led the rescue, recovery, and rebuilding efforts.
Throughout his civilian and military career, Richard – a life-long learner – pursued many continuing education programs, including Explosive Ordnance Reconnaissance, U.S. Corps of Engineers Flood Water Studies, DoD Contract Law, Advanced Warrant Officer School, as well as numerous others.
Richard's life of service extended beyond his professional career with service on various committees, boards, and organizations, including lifetime membership in Disabled American Veterans, Yelduz Shrine, S.D. Civil Preparedness Association, National Search and Rescue Association, the Military Officers Association of America, and many others.
Those who knew Richard knew his personality extended far beyond his illustrious career and commendations. He was an avid reader with a particular fondness for historical fiction and action mysteries. He looked forward to coffee with his friends and "Sunday Night–Pizza Night" with Betty. He insisted peanut butter went well with everything, always asked if "rattlesnake or alligator" were on the menu, appreciated a good scotch, and could spend hours watching Gunsmoke reruns.
Richard was met in Heaven by his parents, brother Ronald Keith, and sister Barbara Ann; his memory lives on in those who survive him, including his daughter Karla (and Wally) West, son Ken (and Jill) Trankle, granddaughter Courtney West, grandson Brandon West, brother Raymond (and Kathy) Trankle, a large family of great-grandchildren (Chayton, Lexi, and Kiara), cousins, nieces, and nephews, and all those who were lucky enough to cross his path.
Richard lived every day of his life in devoted service to God, his family, the State of South Dakota, and the United States of America. He was an incredible man. We miss him deeply and are forever grateful to have known him.
Dick's Funeral Service was Friday, June 10, 2022 at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home in Rapid City. Burial was at 1:30 that afternoon at the Blak Hills National Cemetery with full military honors rendered by the South Dakota Army National Guard and VFW Post 1273.
A memorial was be established in Dick's memory to the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) issued the following statements after the Biden administration’s Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) informed the VA medical facilities in Hot Springs, Wagner, and Fort Meade that proposed recommendations as part of a multi-year nationwide review of VA health care infrastructure suggest they would be closing.
“For nearly a decade, I’ve fought tooth and nail to defend the Hot Springs VA and surrounding communities,” said Thune. “I’ve stood side by side with veterans, health care professionals, and community leaders as we made our case to previous administrations about the significant benefits these facilities provide to America’s veterans throughout the multi-state area they serve. That’s why I’m extremely disappointed by the Biden administration’s proposal to close these facilities. I’m frustrated, and I’m angry, and I know these communities are too. Let me put this as plainly as I can: The VA is wrong, period. This is a massive mistake, and I will do everything within my power to show the administration, by working with the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission, why it would be in everyone’s best interest, especially South Dakota’s veterans’, to immediately change course.”
“The concerns I warned against in 2018 when I voted against the VA MISSION Act have come to fruition,” said Rounds. “Veterans were told they could receive care in the community, and that’s proven not to be the case. The VA MISSION Act also included provisions to include this BRAC-style process, which we learned today will negatively impact much of rural SD. The VA MISSION Act was bad public policy then and it’s gotten no better with age. While the provisions of this BRAC will not be released publicly until March 14th – the threat has become clear to our local veterans. As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I’ll fight like hell to make sure veterans in South Dakota receive the care they’ve earned. I call upon all veterans organizations to help us defend these services in rural South Dakota.”
“Nearly two years ago to the day, former VA Secretary Robert Wilkie came to the Hot Springs VA and announced that the VA would remain open and there would be no reduction in services for veterans,” said Johnson. “In South Dakota, promises mean something. This is a betrayal to the Hot Springs community and its veterans. If the commission is going to move forward with reducing services, they should face the people of Hot Springs, Wagner, Fort Meade, and Sioux Falls and explain why they believe these services should be scaled back. We’ve worked together to fight harmful VA decisions in the past, and we are ready do so again.”
Background:
The delegation’s decade-long fight to save the Hot Springs VA culminated in October 2020 when then-VA Secretary Robert Wilkie notified them that the VA had formally rescinded its earlier record of decision to realign the VA Black Hills Health Care System, which would have significantly reduced services at the Hot Springs VA medical center.
Click here for an op-ed Thune wrote about his involvement with helping to save the Hot Springs facility.
The luncheon gathering was conducted at the Post #22 American Legion Club in Rapid City.
A Life Member of MOAA, General Marlette recognized the outstanding job MOAA does in its advocacy efforts to support the uniformed services.
General Marlette focused on the diverse and expanded role that the South Dakota National Guard has taken on in recent years, and he talked about the threefold role of the National Guard: first the necessity to prepare for and when called, deploy to fight our nation's wars around the world; second, to be prepared to protect the homeland if attacked and support our state and nation in time of need; third, the Guard provides military exchanges and humanitarian support to engage with other nations.
"In South Dakotas case, we have partnered with Suriname for the past 15 years."
Responding to the question about what might happen if Suriname were to become involved in a military conflict with another nation, might the South Dakota National Guard be caught up in it? – the General said that would be a decision to be made at a higher level in the federal government, not the state level.
After summarizing South Dakota Guard deployments along the Mexican Border in Texas, as well as on the other side of the globe in East Africa – among others – General Marlette talked about the forthcoming January 2022 deployment of a South Dakota National Guard Military Police unit to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The next Black Hills Chapter meeting is scheduled for April 1, 2022.
