The meeting was opened with an invocation led by Lynn Cairns, and then, President Larry led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-Way Test.
After enjoying our meal and conversation, President Larry reported attendance of 23 Rotarians in-person and 7 attending via Zoom. The only guest was our speaker
President Larry gave another $2 for another Penn State win over the weekend. He gave an additional $3 to report a good check-up from the doctor regarding his liver transplant and he reminded us to be organ donors.
Peter Lagerberg gave $2 in because he was happy to have his daughter and her children visit from Phoenix, as well as his son, who visited from Virginia.
Anna-Mae Kobbe felt that it was necessary to give some of her winnings from the 50/50, so she announced her happiness with football wins by the KC Chiefs and the University of Tennessee.
Barb Zimmerman gave a couple of bucks to give a lengthy announcement about the upcoming Oktoberfest. She thanked the volunteers and donors who have already come forward, but told us that we need some more volunteers to bring desserts. She also asked us to help sell tickets. More on that will be sent via email soon.
Fred Salek told us that he brought his NY loyalties with him when he moved to PA. He was happy for football wins by the Giants and the Jets.
Alex Hayes gave an announcement on behalf of Mike Deshong, with the New Oxford group. They will once again be selling Christmas Wreaths this year for $20. There will be several pick-up places for them. An email with more details will follow.
Anna-Mae Kobbe announced the following:
Each year on October 24 Rotary celebrates World Polio Day as a way to increase awareness of polio eradication and thank donors and volunteers for their efforts to end polio. The goal is for each Rotary member to contribute at least $45 to the End Polio Now campaign.
If you donate a least $45 I will donate 100 recognition points to your Foundation account; if you donate $100 or more, I will donate 200 recognition points to your Foundation account to help you obtain your Paul Harris Fellow pin.
Donations will be collected at sign-in on October 18 and there will be red collection buckets on the tables on October 25. Checks must be made payable to The Rotary Foundation. There will be envelopes available for cash contributions. You may also mail your check to Anna-Mae Kobbe, PO Box 806, Fairfield, PA, 17320. All donations received by October 30 will count toward this promotion.
Thank you for your donations to Rotary’s signature project, the eradication of polio. All contributions will be matched 2 to 1 by the Gates Foundation.
President Larry welcomed a group of new members into the club. although some have been on the register for some time.
Pictured above are: (L to R) Ken Farabaugh, sponsor for new member, Lina Ma, President Larry (back), Andrea Proulx, Peter Miele (back), Laura Goss, Erica Duffy, David Kushner, Barb Zimmerman, sponsor, Fred Salek, and his sponsor Ralph Serpe.
PDG John Kramb has provided the following information regarding his latest fundraiser:
Here is the link to my most recent fundraiser for PolioPlus. I want to raise $2100 as a challenge for me to complete the Cross Egypt Challenge. That challenge is, oddly enough, 2100 kilometers in length.
Kindly consider making a donation. And please publicize widely.
Peter Lagerberg introduced our speaker,Colonel Wes Wilhite (shown above with President Larry) and provided the following biography:
Lieutenant Colonel Wes Wilhite is a student at the United States Army War College and hails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He received his commission as an Armor Officer from the United States Military Academy in 2001. He is a graduate of the Armor Officer Basic Course and the Maneuver Captains Career Course, Airborne School, Air Assault School, and US Army Command and General Staff College.
Prior to his arrival at Carlisle Barracks, he was assigned to the U.S. Army’s Fifth Corps, where he served as the Secretary of the General Staff. Previous non-command assignments include service as a Tank Platoon Leader, Tank Company Executive Officer, the Battalion Logistics Officer, and the Brigade Logistics Officer in the 1st Infantry Division in Germany; Chief of Plans at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Battalion Operations Officer and Executive Officer, 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment also in Germany; Brigade Operations Officer and Brigade Deputy Commander, 194th Armored Brigade, Maneuver Center of Excellence in Fort Benning, Georgia; and a Fellow at the Department of State’s Office of Foreign Assistance-Policy in Washington, DC.
His command assignments include 33 months as Commander, D Company and later Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, Fort Stewart, Georgia where he deployed twice to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; 27 months as Commander, 2nd Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia.
Lieutenant Colonel Wilhite holds a Masters in International Relations degree from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelors of Science in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy. His military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal (three awards), the Meritorious Service Medal (six awards), the Army Commendation Medal (three awards), the OIF and OEF Campaign Medals, the Overseas Ribbon (five awards), the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, and the Combat Action Badge.
In total, Lieutenant Colonel Wilhite deployed three and half years in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and station for nine years in Europe in his twenty-year military career.
Noteworthy, Wes’ family has maintained strong roots in the Keystone State. His late grandfather grew up in the Philadelphia area and attended Drexel University playing football and baseball in the 1930s. He later taught in the Greater Philadelphia area for over 25 years. His uncle, Joe Rhile Jr, also a retired teacher of over 30 years, currently resides in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
Col. Wilhite presented a PowerPoint with the title, "Afghanistan in Conflict - A Historical Perspective"
He started by asking three questions:
1. How did we fell on 9/12/01? On 8/26/21?
2. Was it all worth it? (2,400 casualties. Bin Laden was eliminated. No Large-scale terrorist attacks on the U.S. The Taliban remains in power.
3. What went wrong?
He talked about the personal investment of the American soldier - how they are willing to go where needed and give their lives when necessary, and how they are always serving and helping.
Part of the presentation covered the historical perspective of the great powers of USSR and USA in the nation of Afghanistan. The problem with the DOHA Agreement was that the government of Afghanistan was not involved. The Taliban still attached U.S. soldiers. According to that agreement, the number of U.S. troops was reduced from 13,000 to 8,000 in May 2020. In January 2021, the number was reduced to 2,500. On August 30, 2021, the last U.S. soldier left the country. July 2, 2021, the Bagram Airfield was deserted by the U.S. troops. On September 28, 2021, several senior Department of Defense officials testified that they recommended leaving 2,500 troops in the country.
Col. Wilhite discussed the culture and geography of Afghanistan: The people are a nation of minorities, containing various people groups. The country is roughly the size of Texas with some mountains in the interior with an elevation over 14,000 feet above sea level. It contains roads that total 21,000 miles in length. Compare that to Texas, which has over 680,000 miles of paved roads. The nation has a weak sense of national unity with lots of nepotism and corruption.
There was a quote given by Col. Wilhite from his master's thesis which predicted and outlined the failure of the U.S to maintain a presence in that country.
He concluded his presentation by trying to answer the questions posed at the beginning, by stating that maybe we tried to do too much.
President Larry welcomed a group of new members into the club. although some have been on the register for some time.
