to read the March 2015 Newsletter - the 10

Recognized by the United States Congress, the New York State Assembly, and the New York State Senate, as the representative union of retirees of ALL ranks of the New York City Police Department.
CLUB OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
Gary Rosen
LENNY ABRAMS
1st VICE PRESIDENT
VICE
PRESIDENT
Joe Phillips
JOHN CONTE
2nd VICE PRESIDENT
Barney Fincke
TREASURER:
AUGIE LUCENTE
TREASURER
Jack Murray
DUES/ROSTER
JACK
LINCKS
SECRETARY
Gail Petersen
SECRETARY & CHAPLIN
SGT-AT-ARMS:
BILL
CARLE
James Crawford
SGT. AT ARMS:
EDITOR & PENSION REP:
JAMES
CRAWFORD
Eddie Woods
EDITOR
& PENSION REP:
SUNSHINE
EDDIE
WOODS
Milton Williams
VOLUME 29, ISSUE 3
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
386 597 7888
386.214.0303
845 548 3686
386.846.1015
386 736 7032
386.445.5812
407 340 7569
386.246.5092
386 447 1250
386.325.3546
386 437 3208
386.437.3208
407 417 7779
407.417.7779
386 437 2961
TRUSTEES:
SUNSHINE
Marty Syken
904.461.7381
MILTON
WILLIAMS
386.437.2961
Jack Lyons
386 742 4318
Vic Nevins
904.641.4000
TRUSTEES:
GEORGE McCANN
904.461.5461
CHAPLAIN
VIC
NEVINS& CORRESPONDENCE
904.641.4000
Al McEvoy
386 490 1538
JACK
MURRAY
407.340.7569
PAST PRESIDENTS
Peter Graus
‘82 -‘82
‘83- -‘83
‘84- ‘84
Jim Burke**
‘85 -‘85
‘86- -‘86
‘87- ‘87
Mike Demchak
‘88 -‘88
‘89- ‘89
Bill McLiverty
‘90 -‘90
‘91- ‘91
Barney Fincke
‘92 -‘92
‘93- -‘93
‘94- ‘94
Jim Hollywood
‘95 -‘95
‘96- -‘96
‘04- ‘04
Al Gleason
‘97 -‘97
‘98- ‘98
Don Templeton**
‘99 ‘99
Ken Klinkenberg
Klinkenberg
Ken
‘00 -‘00
‘01- ‘01
Bill Carle
Carle
Bill
‘02 -‘02
‘03- ‘03
Eddie Woods
Woods
‘05 - ‘05
‘06 -- ‘06
‘07 -- ‘07
‘08 -- ‘12Eddie
‘08 ‘13
Milton Williams
Williams
‘08
Milton
08
Gary Rosen
Rosen
‘09
Gary
09- -‘10
10- -‘11
11- ‘14
Lenny Abrams
‘11
**
Deceased
**Denotes
Denotes Deceased
10-13 Club of Northeast FL Inc.
PO
Box 35260110-13 Club of
NEW
Northeast
FL Inc.
PALM COAST,
FL 32135-2601
NEW
PO Box 4025
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Wilmette Ave., Ormond Beach. Meetings
start at 7:00 PM.
http://northeastflorida10-13.org/
Web
Web:Site:
northeastflorida10-13.org/
facebook.com/groups/193600020768524/
MARCH 2015
“WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN”
Our last meeting in Palm Coast was well attended. National President Tony
Perrone informed the membership of new Bills that have been submitted to
the New York State Legislature that would enhance our benefits. Tony feels
confident that these Bills will have a good shot of getting approved. He
bases on the fact that if enacted there would be no cost to the City since the
money would come from the Pension Fund.
Past President Milt Williams made a motion to amend the Clubs By-Laws
which would allow Associate l Members to run for the position of Trustee. A
review of our By-Laws and those of our National revealed that the position
of Trustee is part of the Board of Directors. To hold that position, you must
be a retired member of the NYPD. After much discussion, Milt withdrew his
motion.
During the Report of Officers, Treasurer Jack Murray informed the membership that the Club's three accounts, General, Widow's and Scholarship
funds are all in a very healthy condition. Under the stewardship of Jack
Murray, past President Eddie Woods and past Treasurer Augie Lucente the
Club is in its best ever financial condition.
A trip to the Police Museum in Titusville is scheduled for Saturday, Feb.
28th.. If you are interested in attending, please read the details contained in
the N/L.
The Club is in the process of planning a trip the UDT/SEAL Museum in Fort
Pierce sometime in June.
I would like to thank all the members who have paid their dues. If you haven't, this is your last chance before you are dropped from the rolls. Don't
lose your Club benefits.
Please pray for our troops overseas, especially for the ones that are serving
in Iraq. ISIS would like nothing more than to capture one of our military and
either behead them or burn them alive.
Flash—was just notified by his daughter Linda, that her father Richard
Lauria passed away last November 2014
Fraternally,
Gary Rosen
IN GOD WE TRUST
THE OPINIONS AND STATEMENTS MADE IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE THE SOLE OPINIONS Of THE 1013 CLUB OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA, INC.
Page 2
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS:
Operations Desk
NYCPD General Info
Pension Section
I D Card Section
Employee Benefits
P B A Health & Welfare
P B A Caremark Drug Plan
P B A Satellite
DEA
SBA
SBA Health & Welfare
RSA
LBA-SOC
GHI
Empire Blue Cross
Medicare Re-Imbursement
Medicare
Social Security
Social SecurityTTY #
NYC health Line
NYCPD (DIF)
VA Benefits-Assistance
VA(TDD):
VA Headstones/Markers:
Do Not Call Registry
646.610.5580
646.610.5000
866.692.7733
646.610.5150
212.513.0470
212.349.7560
877.772.7911
954.977.3880
212.587.9120
212.226.2180
212.431.6555
516.564.1861
212.964.7500
800.358.5500
800.433.9592
212.513.0470
800.633.4227
800.772.1213
800.325.0778
800.521.9574
212.374.5508
800.827.1000
800.829.4833
800.697.6947
888.382.1222
SHIELDS & PLAQUES
John Briganti, a member of the Northeast Florida 10-13 Club can have
shields or plaques made. A small portion of the sale price of each shield sold
will go to the club. Contact John to
place an order. Johnny Bee's Tel.
386.871.5941 or [email protected]
LARGE SHIELDS
P.O. & SGT'S
$50.00
DET, LT, CAPT
$60.00
D.I., INSP, CHIEF
$70.00
MINI SHIELDS
P.O. & SGT'S
$20.00
DET, LT, CAPT
$25.00
D.I, INSP, CHIEF
$30.00
Police Plaques priced as per order
Mini NE Shield $20.00
10-13 Club of Northeast FL
UPCOMING SOCIAL EVENTS 2015
April 18
Night out w/Cin. Reds
July TBA Day Meeting Golden Corral
Sept 11
Heroes Park, Palm Coast
Nov 3 DAY MEETING 12:00 Elks
Dec TBA
Christmas Dinner
P
T
L.
C
A
R
D
I
L
L
o
NYCPPF http://www.nyc.gov/html/
nycppf/html/home/home.shtml
Medicare
http://www.medicare.gov/
SOCIAL SECURITY
www.ssa.gov
VETERANS ADMIN
www.va.gov
Survivors Benefit
Andre
Bergeron
Chin
Costeira
Englehardt
Herndon
Jennings
Klinkenberg
Kump
Lucente
Maher
Menninger
Morris
O’Reilly
Pecora
Peyer
Pinela
Quinlan
Rodriguez
Russo
Sekula
Sergent
Vonderosten
Wagner
Weisgerber
Woods
Zachery
Fund-Donors 2015
Rudy
Don
Walkin
James
Thomas
Richard
John
Kenneth
Irwin
Augie
James
Thomas
Thomas
Thomas
Eileen
Robert
Richard
Thomas
Antonio
Charles
John
Richard
Robert
Robert
Matt
Eddie
Joseph
$10.00
$100.00
$20.00
$20.00
$25.00
$20.00
$10.00
$60.00
$20.00
$50.00
$10.00
$70.00
$15.00
$10.00
$10.00
$25.00
$10.00
$25.00
$25.00
$10.00
$10.00
$20.00
$5.00
$20.00
$30.00
$30.00
$30.00
This list was last updated
2/22/14
Survivors Benefit
Fund-Donors 2015
Scholarship Donors
FitzGerald Family
Halpin Family
Don Bergeron
6
Det
2015
$1000.00
$100.00 Dance
$100.00
Deceased Members
2014
Donavan
George
Barrett
Alvin
Mustin
John
Canavan
Daniel
Tingling
Lloyd
Lauria
Richard
Deceased Members
2013
11
McShane
Joe
Krzemieniecki
Gerry
Winfield
Leon
Sabbatini
Ray
Cromartie
Maceo
Kronk
Stephen
Halpin
Jerry
Davey
George
Barrett
Eileen
Milan
Edward
Smith
Daniel
Deceased Members
2012
4
11
Deceased Members
2011
Please keep our deceased brothers in
your prayers
new
Anthony J. Venditti
$10.00
Club Shirt $20.00
$10.00 Plus Shipping
Page 3
http://www.nycpba.org/index-flash.html
10-13 Club of Northeast FL
Member News
Chaplain's Corner:
I hold the appointed position of Chaplain of the Northeast Florida 10 - 13 Club. When I first started in this role, I
asked myself what is a Club Chaplain, what does he do and are their any special spiritual requirements to hold this position? The answer is, not really. I was asked by the President to fill an open position and I accepted. Essentially, the
function is to lead the membership in a prayer at the beginning of the monthly meeting or other official function such as
the Christmas Dinner. Our club has an open membership and is non-denominational. Therefore, out of respect to everyone, the prayer message is non-denominational with strong emphasis on military and police officer safety. I’ve noticed that a shorter rather than longer prayer is also preferred by the membership.
Occasionally, when I think I have something to say that might be of interest, I write a little column for the
monthly newsletter called, “The Chaplain’s Corner” . It does not appear every month because I don’t necessarily have
something interesting to say every month. When I started to write the column, I placed some personal restrictions on
what I would present. The article would be non denominational, non confrontational, non opinionated and non political.
It would never intentionally offend anyone. It would only contain my thoughts on some light topic of the day which would
hopefully generate some additional thought of the subject by the reader.
In preparing the article my mind often contemplates the conflict that we as police officers face as we are asked
to accept as truth, the parables that have been passed down for thousands of years, when the world was believed to be
flat and even a primitive education was limited to a very few. Because police officers are trained to examine evidence
and facts, we acknowledge that some of these faith based facts do not pass scientific muster as our knowledge base
expands exponentially every year. What we now know about the world we live in, learned by our search of the universe
through super telescopes, computers and space ships could not have even been imagined by the people who occupied
the earth more than two thousand years ago. In order to convey an important event to the masses, it was necessary for
Profits to convert the event to an easily understood parable which survived the ages and formed the basis of what we
accept in our current belief system. Throughout our lives, we have professed to accept all of these parables on blind
faith although some of us, myself included, question how certain events were possible in light of current wisdom.
In my own not scientific observations, it appears to me that those families who have accepted a philosophy that
there is a higher power, who worship together and have adopted a strong belief system have healthier, happier lives,
are involved in worthwhile community projects and are less inclined to be involved in socially unacceptable behavior. Conversely, when we look at those who are continuously involved in questionable conduct, we observe an equally
weak value system with respect to family structure, personal motivation, self and impulse control and their religious belief in general. Most sociology research suggests that strong family structure develops a strong value system which in
turn develops a strong self esteem.
Given the choices, unanswered questions notwithstanding, I prefer to stick with the faith I have had since childhood, passed down to me by my parents and ancestors. Our natural tendency is to search for truth. In the end, however, its how we apply the answers in our daily lives will make us that much stronger as individuals. Keep the faith.
Member Bob Michelman 93 years young Lake Mary Health and Rehabi (321) 710-8513
Bob’s Favorite Nurse, Bob Still Has It
Page 4
10-13 Club of Northeast FL
http://www.nycpba.org/index-flash.html
N/E Florida 10-13 Club Function Saturday, February 28th, 11;00 am
American Police Museum
Members with Police ID - No charge
Lunch at Dixie Crossroads
6350 Horizon Drive, Titusville
Tel. #321-264-0911
Spouses and guests - $13.
1475 Garden Street, Titusville
Children aged for 4 - 12 - $8.
Meet 11:00 am at the museum
Please wear club shirts or NYPD hats.
Please contact the following members if you are going to attend. Joe Phillips - Tel. #845-548-3686 Ron Young Car Pooling is an option.
Tel. #386-437-5231
COME JOIN US AT
JACKIE ROBINSON STADIUM
FOR A DAY OF FUN - FOOD
BEER AND SODA
AND OH YEAH
A BASEBALL GAME
DAYTONA REDS vs.
TAMPA BAY YANKEES
SATURDAY APRIL 18th 2015
GAME TIME 7:05 PM
BBQ 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
PRICE FOR BBQ AND BALLGAME
$25.00 PER PERSON
CALL MILT WILLIAMS
386 437 2961
Page 5
10-13 Club of Northeast FL
NEVER FORGET PTL. CARDILLO
Most decorated cop ever had 476 NYPD awards
While Ralph Friedman is the most decorated detective in NYPD history, he’s actually No. 2 among all ranks.
Top honors go to a friend and former Fort Apache colleague, Lt.. Robert DiMartini, who collected an astonishing 476
NYPD awards, a total no one believes will ever be surpassed. Himself a fearless plainclothes ace, DiMartini had uncanny instincts about when a person was carrying a weapon — an odd bulge, his gait, a quick pat on his coat pocket
He and fellow cops were relaxing off duty at The Riddler’s bar in The Bronx one night in the 1970s when a stickup
tandem walked in. The moment the robbers reached for their weapons — a shotgun and handgun — DiMartini snapped into
action. He and the other officers opened fire on the perps. “One died in the bar,” he recalled. “The other was hit three times
and went out” — only to expire on the hood of a car. No cop was hit.
He put his sixth sense to use as head of the Bronx robbery squad from 1980 to 1985, when his two-man teams —
dubbed “Supersquad Six” by newspapers — averaged 15 arrests and five guns confiscated per night. DiMartini “has
probably taken more guns off the street than any other police officer in the history of policing in America,” said NYPD
chronicler Mike Bosak.
His proudest moment might have come after a crazed man, bent on torching his wife and kids, hurled a
Molotov cocktail at his own six-story apartment house. DiMartini raced to the fire and found a woman with two toddlers trapped on an upper floor. “The flames were whipping around them,” he recalled. “I said, ‘We have to get up there or
these kids are going to burn.’” He and a colleague grabbed a ladder and scrambled up the fire escape. “She handed them off,”
he said. “Everybody made it safe.” Friedman and DiMartini, who came on the job within a year of each other, stay in
touch. After all, they have plenty to talk about.
DeMartini earned a record 476 awards.
.
Meet the Most Decorated Detective in NYCPD History
It was the bad old days of 1974, the South Bronx, and NYPD Detective Ralph Friedman and his partner,
Robert De Matas, were working undercover, posing as cab drivers. They watched a group of teens ask a man, Joaquin Castro, 37, for money. Castro turned them down.
“The kid called him a cheap bastard, so [Castro] pulls out a gun and shoots him right in front of us — his chest
explodes,” Friedman recalled. The cops sprinted after Castro along John Street, the killer firing at Friedman as he
fled. De Matas tried to outflank him. Castro jumped behind cars and reloaded.
I stop by a stoop, so I’m covered,” Friedman said. “I shoot at him. He shoots at me, I duck. He turns and shoots
at my partner. Then he turns and shoots at me. Then he reloads again. I go to a second gun. I’m lining him up in my
sights like I’m shooting at paper, and I’m like, ‘Why isn’t this guy going down?
“My partner fires one round, and the guy grabs his shoulder. He goes down. I run up and am standing right
over him, and he starts to lift his hand up, and I shoot him right in the head. That did it. He dropped the gun. His brains
fell out onto the street. And when they get him downtown, would you believe I’d hit him like nine times — in a good
grouping right around the belly?” .
Friedman was given the Combat Cross, the department’s second-highest honor, for his actions. For that battle, and the three other men he killed when they tried to murder him in the line of duty, Friedman gave himself something else, a tattoo on his right trigger finger that reads:
“Justified 4X.”
Continued on page 10
Page 6
From John Valles
NEVER FORGET PTL. CARDILLO
10-13 Club of Northeast FL
January 19, 1908 | The Dog Squad
New York Police Department Dog Squad, c.1910.
Collection of the National Law Enforcement Museum, 2006.
New York Times, 1908
"Ever since the newspapers learned … that the possibilities of the dog as a policeman were being considered at 300 Mulberry Street, a mysterious silence has been maintained regarding the proposition. A strict
embargo was put upon all ‘dog news.’"
On January 19, 1908, the New York Police Department (NYPD) finally broke its silence and allowed a New
York Times reporter “to penetrate into the zealously guarded interior of the preparatory school for the dog
squad—a place hitherto untrod by civilian foot—and see the four-footed members put through their official
paces.” The five members of the newly formed squad—Jim, Nogi, Max, Dona, and Lady—patrolled wearing a
badge and muzzle. They were trained to seek out potential thieves lurking in suburban neighborhoods at night
and bark when they found them. If the suspect tried to run, the dog would tackle them and wait for its twolegged partner to arrive.
The leader of this experimental squad was Lt. George Wakefield who had traveled to Ghent, Belgium,
the police dog capital of the world, to train in the subject and acquire five puppies for the New York force. The
pups were a scarce commodity, since police dogs were all the rage throughout the major cities of Europe. The untrained 6-month old pups cost $10 a piece (about $250 in today’s dollars) and their training lasted three months.
Several cities beat out New York for the honor of first police dog squad and bloodhounds and other
dogs had long been used for tracking criminals, especially in rural areas. Despite all the great press, sophisticated training for police dogs in the United States was not common until the late 20th century when it was conceded that a dog’s nose could not be beat by man or machine.
Page 7
10-13 Club of Northeast FL
http://www.nypd-lba.org/
From FDNY UFOA RETIREEGRAM
Empire BlueCross BlueShield Alerts
Consumers to Protect Themselves from Scam Email Campaigns
Media Contact: Sally Kweskin, 212-476-1421, [email protected] @empirebcbs
NEW YORK, NY, February 6, 2015 –– New York residents who may have been impacted by the cyber attack
against Anthem, should be aware of scam email campaigns targeting current and former Empire BlueCross BlueShield and Empire BlueCross members. These scams, designed to capture personal information (known as
“phishing”) are designed to appear as if they are from Anthem, (Empire’s parent company), and the emails include a “click here” link for credit monitoring. These emails are NOT from Anthem or Empire.
•
DO NOT click on any links in email.

DO NOT reply to the email or reach out to the senders in any way.

DO NOT supply any information on the website that may open, if you have clicked on a link in email.
•
DO NOT open any attachments that arrive with email.
Empire also is NOT calling members regarding the cyber attack and is not asking for credit card information or
social security numbers over the phone.
This outreach is from scam artists who are trying to trick consumers into sharing personal data. There is no indication that the scam email campaigns are being conducted by those that committed the cyber attack, or that the information accessed in the attack is being used by the scammers.
Empire will contact current and former members via mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service about the
cyber attack with specific information on how to enroll in credit monitoring. Affected members will receive free
credit monitoring and ID protection services.
For more guidance on recognizing scam email, please visit the FTC Website: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/
articles/0003-phishing . Additional information about the cyber attack against Anthem is available at
www.AnthemFacts.com .
About Empire BlueCross BlueShield
Empire BlueCross BlueShield (Empire) is the trade name of Empire HealthChoice Assurance, Inc., and
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO is the trade name of Empire HealthChoice HMO, Inc., independent licensees of the
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Empire is available at www.empireblue.com Also,
follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/healthjoinin
or @empirebcbs, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
HealthJoinIn , or visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/healthjoinin
From: [email protected] in Behalf Of hkatowitz
Additional Info on Anthem (Empire BlueCross/Shield)
Cyber Attack
Who is Affected?
Consumers insured by one of Anthem, Inc.’s plans:
• Anthem Blue Cross
• Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield•
• Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield
• Amerigroup
• Caremore
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia
• Unicare
• Healthlink
• DeCare
What Happened?
According to a statement from the company (http://www.anthemfacts.com/), Anthem experienced a
“sophisticated external cyber attack.”
Personal information of Anthem’s insureds and employees exposed includes:
• Names
• Birth dates
• Medical IDs
• Social Security numbers
• Street addresses
• Email addresses
• Employment information/income data
Anthem states that there is no evidence that credit card or medical information was compromised.
What to Do? Anthem states they will individually notify those whose information was accessed However, if
you are insured by one of the Anthem plans you need to be aware of the following now:
Continued on next page
NEVER FORGET
Page 8
Continued from preceding page
9/11/01
10-13 Club of Northeast FL
Anthem is providing these identity protection and credit monitoring services to
all impacted members for two years,
Consider Placing Fraud Alerts
You have the right by federal law to place fraud alerts with the three national credit reporting agencies (CRAs).
This will place a statement on your credit reports to alert credit issuers that you may be vulnerable to identity theft
and that they should take reasonable steps to verify that the person applying for credit is actually you.
Place an alert with all three CRAs by calling just one:
Equifax: 888-766-0008
Experian: 888-397-3742
TransUnion: 800-680-7289
Read LegalShield Identity Theft Plan Alerts
If you receive an alert from your Identity Theft Plan and do not recognize the activity as something you authorized, please call 888-494-8519 to speak to an Investigator.
Be Cautious
Scammers may try to use this event to trick people into giving up personal information. If you receive an email or
phone call from someone claiming to be from Anthem and asking for your personal information, do not respond to
them. Call Anthem directly at 1-877-263-7995 to determine if it was their actual representative who contacted
you.
Read LegalShield Identity Theft Plan Alerts
If you receive an alert from your Identity Theft Plan and do not recognize the activity as something you authorized,
please call 888-494-8519 to speak to an Investigator.
Be Cautious
Scammers may try to use this event to trick people into giving up personal information. If you receive an email
or phone call from someone claiming to be from Anthem and asking for your personal information, do not respond to
them. Call Anthem directly at 1-877-263-7995 to determine if it was their actual representative who contacted you.
Retirees May Deduct Cost of Benefits
In 2006, Congress passed the Pension Protection Act (“PPA”), which contains many provisions that
affect members of the New York City Police Pension Fund. Among those provisions is the ability to exclude up
to $3,000 from the amount of income distributions reported to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for payment of premiums for accident or health insurance or long-term care insurance.
 Distributions used to pay premiums for a spouse and dependent children are also excludable.
 This exclusion can be made if the amount paid for the premium would have otherwise been included in your income and is deducted directly from your pension allowance.
 What this means for retired NYPD officers is that the cost of the City’s optional benefit rider may be excluded from the total amount of your pension reported annually.
 The maximum amount allowed by the PPA to be excluded is $3,000; however, the amount excluded may not
exceed the actual amount paid.
 To claim this benefit, you must reduce the taxable benefit on line 16B of the 1040 by the amount of the exclusion and write “PSO” on the line for “public safety officer.”
 The exclusion will not be reported on 1099 forms issued by the City, so any retiree who claims the benefit has a
responsibility to report it to the IRS.
Accordingly, pensioners who retired on ADR (accidental disability retirement) are not eligible for this exclusion because at this time their pension is not taxed.
This information is provided as a courtesy to PPF members and is based on the Fund’s current understanding of the
law, but does not constitute tax advice and should not replace the advice of a qualified tax professional.
Note: Retirees should save their Quarterly Statement (for those with electronic deposit) or their monthly pension check stub, in order to document their premium deductions for any health insurance or long term care insurance, as required proof for the IRS, if asked. No other documentation will be provided by the Pension Fund.
Please contact Marie Elena Brusco @ (212) 693-6058 questions regarding this matter.
* Acknowledgement to NCPERS for their effort and research on the 2006 PPA bill.
Page 9
NEVER FORGET
New York City Police Pension Fund
PTL. CARDILLO
Yesterday at 9:47am
Police Pension pay dates are the
last day of each month. When the last day
of a month falls on a weekend or holiday,
retirees who have elected Electronic Fund
Transfers (direct deposit) will have their
accounts credited the next business day.
Physical checks are dated for the last day
of the month and are mailed two business
days prior. The calendar dictates when retirees receive their pension payment. The Police Pension Fund direct
deposit pay dates are highlighted on the Fund’s website at www.nyc.gov/nycppf
EDITORS NOTE: Several months ago, I believe it may have been at the Anniversary meeting, the question of disability
pensions (the result of terrorist attacks) were tax free was discussed. The issue was brought to the membership by one
or more of our members who received injuries or sustained illnesses due to these attacks. It was to be researched.
In the most recent issue of the “CHEVRON” a publication of the Retired Sergeants Association, there was an
article that addressed this issue. If you are a retired Sergeant and an active member of the RSA, then you may be familiar with it.
Last month, the Internal Revenue Service updated Publication 3920 to clarify taxability of income from disabilities caused by terrorist attacks. Until now, it was unclear and employers and agencies at times made errors. With the
help of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, IRS Publication 3920 was revised.
IRS Publication 3920 was originally written to explain some of the provisions of The Victims of Terrorism Tax
Relief Act of 2001. However, certain income was unclear on whether it was taxable, hence the revision. In summary,
The Act determined the following items are NOT included in income:
Certain disability payments received in tax years ending after September 2001 for injuries directly sustained in a terrorist attack. Payments from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001
Qualified disaster relief payments made after September 2001 to cover personal, family, living or funeral
expenses incurred because of a terrorist attack.
Death benefits paid by an employer to the survivor of an employee if the benefits are paid because the
employee died as a result of a terrorist attack.
Subsequent to September 2001 an individual injured/disabled as a direct result of a terrorist attack can exclude
from income Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
The Act also forgave income tax liabilities of those who died of certain terrorist attacks.
Some Clarifications.
1 - For a person or spouse that has died as a result of a terrorist attack, there is a forgiveness of tax for the
last 3 years before death with a minimum tax benefit of $10,000. Decedents whose total tax forgiveness benefit for
all eligible years is less than $10,000 are entitled to $10,000 minimum relief. Even decedents who were not required
to file tax returns for the eligible tax years are entitled to $10,000 minimum relief. An amended return must be
filed by the April filing deadline within the year period.
2 - Companies/Agencies may have incorrectly reported nontaxable payments as taxable payments on W-2,
wage and tax statements(1099-R), distributions from pensions, annuities, retirement or profit-sharing plans, IRA's, Insurance contracts etc. In order to correct this, you must file form 1040X. It is important that you contact the company/
agency to get a corrected W-2 or 1099-R. Finally, you can only amend tax returns for three years from the due date.
Accordingly, if there were errors, the only years available to amend are 2011 [tax due either 4/15/12 or 10/15/12],
2012 and 2013.
3 - For those who died from the Oklahoma City attack, income tax is forgiven for 1994 and all later years up to
and including the year of death. However, if you previously included it in income in 1994, your refund can only go back
three years from the due date which currently only includes tax years 2011, 2012 and 2013. Form 1310 must be submitted with all returns and claims for refund.
4 - If an individual is age 58 and is receiving as a direct result of a terrorist attack, the income is not taxable. Assuming this person's normal retirement age is 66, the individual's is converted to normal retirement
Social Security and may now be taxable income [you must complete the social security benefits worksheet in
the tax return instructions to determine if any amounts are taxable].
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10-13 Club of Northeast FL
He has been in 15 gun battles and shot eight perps, including the four he killed. He collected 219
NYPD awards and 36 civilian honors, while piling up more than 2,000 arrests, 105 off duty.
broke his hand twice, fractured his skull, and was smashed over the head with a tire iron.
He has been stabbed,
He has other ink on his chest for his years at The Bronx’s notorious 41st Precinct during the city’s most violent era. “Fort Apache ’70-’75,” it reads, using the precinct station’s old nickname, popularized by the 1981 film “Fort
Apache, The Bronx.” Another tattoo on his back reads, “The rush was worth the risk.”
Friedman once cut short a double date with his brother Stu, a decorated transit cop, because he suspected
youths outside a deli were up to no good. The brothers hid and watched in the snow for 30 minutes. When one kid
pulled a shotgun, the two arrested all three suspects before they could rob the place or fire a shot. “The ’70s were a
different animal,” said Friedman, a Bronx-born DeWitt Clinton High School grad and massive bodybuilder who could
once bench press 400 pounds. “You had to be combat ready.”
He had no friends or family on the force — his dad was a hotel manager — but when two pals asked if he
wanted to take the police test with them, he agreed. After he passed, he ditched his furniture-moving job to join the
NYPD in 1968 as a trainee handling calls for the city’s new 911 system. When Friedman hit the streets in 1970 — the
same year as future Commissioner Ray Kelly — he couldn’t wait to get started. “I wanted the action,” he said.
He came to the right place. Fort Apache was a festival of murder, arson, drug dealing, robbery, burglaries and
car theft. “It was probably the most dangerous neighborhood in the world,” he said. Cops in the 41st — like Richie
Biller, who once dragged two suspects into the station house with a knife still in his shoulder — would “come in with
a collar every day. These were the guys I looked up to. They made me want to be like them,” Friedman said.
His first arrest was of two suspects he saw passing money and slips with numbers. When he hauled them in, a
supervisor said, “Hey, kid. Do you even know what you got here?” He had no clue. “You got a KG, a known gambler.”
His first shooting came in June 1971. His girlfriend called, saying she and her mom were shopping on Jerome
Avenue and got into a dispute with two guys in a truck over a parking space. The men came after him with tire irons.
“I’m amazed. I got a gun in my hand, and they’re swinging at me,” Friedman said. “I didn’t want to shoot.”
He blocked one swing with his gun, which broke his hand, then got clubbed on the head from behind, fracturing his skull. Friedman shot the suspect in front of him. The bullet ripped through the perp’s neck, into his arm and
out. The second suspect was about to hit him again with the iron when another cop intervened. “We all went to the
same hospital,” Friedman said. “Everybody recovered, even the guy I shot.”
Eight weeks later, Friedman was back at work. “My first day, we get a burglary run.” Someone had broken into
a store. While cops rushed in, the thief came out on the roof and jumped down to the street. “He landed right in front
of me. I punched him right in the face. He goes down. Right away, I knew I broke my hand again. First day back and
I’m in a cast and out of work,” he said.
But he soon returned to Fort Apache’s plainclothes unit. In 1972, he and partner Kalman Unger arrived at an
apartment where a resident, Charles Williams, was “beating up his girlfriend.” Just as they entered, Williams “jumps
out of the back and starts firing at us. We were three feet away. We all open fire. Six shots apiece, 18 bullets. Smoke
everywhere. My partner’s hit seven times, once in the heart,” he said.
“The guy runs into me. I grabbed him with my left, and he ran into the gun, right on his nipple. I fired. The bullet killed him. We rush my partner to the hospital. He needed 72 pints of blood in three hours. But he lived.” Somehow, Friedman was not hit. After that, he made sure to arm himself with a second gun — his “detective’s special,” a
snub-nosed Colt .38 revolver strapped to his ankle. Paired with his NYPD-issued Smith & Wesson revolver, he had 12
rounds at the ready.
There were two other fatal gunfights, including a rooftop scrum in the 52nd Precinct in 1977 when he and his
boss, Detective Sgt. Steve Cantor, traded shots with weapons dealer Hector Nuñez, who was armed with a Winchester .30-.30 rifle. After they hit and wounded Nuñez, a second man came after Friedman with a knife. The cop put him
down with a shot to the head.
Friedman was more than an extraordinary gunfighter. He made headlines for dozens of drug collars and 15
bribery arrests. He foiled crooks wherever he went. While looking at holsters in a police-supply store, he nailed a
shoplifter who had pocketed badges. At a baseball game, he arrested a guy for mugging a spectator. It came to an end
in 1984, when another cop car rammed his as both raced to aid an officer. The impact shattered his hip and broke 22
other bones. “It knocked the s- -t out of me,” he said.
The accident nearly gave Friedman what he didn’t want: the Medal of Honor, the NYPD’s highest award —
given posthumously in most cases. Instead, he spent two months in traction. At the time, Friedman says, he was dating eight women — and when he woke up in the hospital, he was horrified to see them all at his bedside.
“
I saw them and made like I passed out again,” he recalled.
Continued on page 12
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DUES ARE NOW IN ORDER
10-13 Club of Northeast FL
LAST NEWSLETTER FOR THE UNPAID
Dues Are $30.00.
Lifetime Members must pay
$10.00 assessment
Also passed, in 2013, was a new definition of a Lifetime Member. “Any member who has attained
the age of Eighty (80) years of age, and has been a member for five ( 5 )consecutive years.”
IF YOU WERE 76, 77, 78 or 79 IN 2013, YOU ARE STILL A LIFETIME MEMBER
Make Check Payable to NE 10-13 and Mail to: PO Box 4025 Enterprise, FL 32725
Should a member’s dues not be paid by January 31st, a letter or email will be mailed out indicating payment is due and if not by the last day of February, said member could be removed
from the Club’s rolls.
From: Al McEvoy
10-13 Scholarship Reminder
Dear Members,
It is not too early to start thinking about the Northeast Florida 10 - 13 scholarship award for 2015.
This award is given annually to the child or grandchild of a dues current member. In past years we have given
two five hundred dollar and one two hundred and fifty dollar award to eligible graduating seniors who have been accepted to an accredited college. The application process consists of writing a 500 word essay and completing
the application form.
The applicant's high school transcript is submitted to the committee along with the essay and college
acceptance letter.
Albert McEvoy,
Chairman
==================================================================================
Scholarship Application
Applicant’s Last Name:______________________ First______________ Date of application____________
Address:_______________________________
City/Town _______________________ State______
Zip Code__________ Phone Number:_________________________ Date of birth:__________
Name of Sponsoring 10-13 member:______________________________
Relationship to Sponsor:
(Parent, Grandparent or Great grandparent) _____________________________
Current Grade in School:________________
Last Four Digits of Social Security Number:______________
School Currently Attending: ________________________________________________________________
College you will attend next year: ___________________________________________________________
Two $500.00 Scholarships and One $250.00 Scholarship
Applications must be submitted no later than April 30, 2015
The application should consist of an essay not exceeding 500 words describing your scholastic
achievements & extra curricular activities, what your goals are for college and the future. Additionally you will need to include a letter of acceptance to the college you will be attending and a
copy of your high school transcript. A panel of judges will determine the winner based on the
documents submitted. Results are final. Use only the last four digits of your social security number on all attached documents.
Send completed application to:
Al McEvoy
Chairman, Scholarship Committee
10-13 Club of Northeast Florida, Inc.
P.O, Box 4025
Enterprise, Fl. 32725
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10-13 Club of Northeast FL
MEMBER
One of them, Grace, “stuck with me” — and became his wife. Friedman says he misses the job,
misses the action. “I’d go back tomorrow,” he said. “I miss it, but I can’t run.” He retired and recently moved
with his wife into a new house in Danbury, Conn., where he rises at 5 a.m. to work on his 185-pound frame in
his home gym.
Thirty years later, he still has unpleasant dreams in which he’s shooting at a bad guy but having no
effect, or he fires and watches in slow motion as his bullet slowly exits the barrel and drops.
But his “4X” fatalities don’t bother him a lick. “I was never traumatized,” he said. “I never felt bad. I felt I
saved my life or someone else’s life.
Next Meeting, Monday
March 2nd; 7pm, Elks, O. B
NE FL 10-13
POB 4025
Enterprise FL 32725
From Mike Bosak
Cops sit for lectures the first two days at
the NYPD’s brand-new $750 million
academy in Queens, and on the third day
learn techniques meant to be used instead
of the forbidden chokehold.
About 80 percent of cops retrained after Eric Garner’s death called the threeday Police Academy program a “waste
of time,” and many fell asleep in their
seats, says a high-ranking NYPD official.
But the cops are not put through real-life
simulations, the insider complained, and
the multimillion-dollarHollywood-style set
at the academy which includes a bank,
bodega and police cars sits unused.
Cops say training after Eric
Garner’s death is a ‘waste of time’
Ret Det. Ralph Friedman
A day after The Post revealed that a goofball department bigwig wanted to arm
LAST NEWSLETTER FOR THE UNPAID
officers with breath mints as part of
sweeping reforms, a disgusted member of The NYPD has already retrained 4,000 cops
the brass revealed that much more is and reviewed about 2,000 surveys, the boss
wrong with the program.
said. Another 16,000 officers will be trained.
On the first day, officers participate in
“Blue Courage,”a cultural-sensitivity workshop created by a consulting group and
used by other police departments . “Blue
Courage is a way of being, a philosophy
that inspires one to embody the noblest of
character and unquestioned devotion,”
The veteran boss said that the $35 million “smart policing” primer is a flop,
and that eight out of every 10 cops give it
give it negative reviews when they finish
the training.
On the second day, officers get lectures
on “the legitimacy of policing — why police
officers do what they do,” he said. In the
final session, held in the gym, officers are
taught the “high-low takedown,” In an attempt to be accommodating, the NYPD
allows cops to train during the hours of
their tours. With cops who work midnight
shifts, “Instructors are saying that students are falling asleep,” the source said.
“You wouldn’t take a college course at
midnight.”
A day after The Post revealed that a goofball department bigwig wanted to arm
officers with breath mints as part of
sweeping reforms, a disgusted member
of the brass revealed that much more
is wrong with the program.
But the high-ranking source said the new
regimen has been a bitter failure. “Officers
thought they were going to get some real
hands-on, quality training on how to deal
with a hostile prisoner or arrestee,” the
source said. “They didn’t get that.” Instead,
most of the training involved eight-hour —
with some cops dozing off, he said. “It’s
three days, it’s boring and there’s no real
tactics,” he said. “They’re not putting them
in scenarios. Cops felt they would get more
tactical training in light of the Eric Garner case-
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10-13 Club of Northeast FL
FEALGOOD FOUNDATION
NO RESPONDERS LEFT BEHIND
FealGood Foundation Press Release: Going to St. Petersburg & Stuart Florida - March
5th & 6th. Are you a Responder? Know one? Do you suffer from PTSD? Cancer? Sleep
Apnea? Breathing Difficulty? This is a seminar you won't want to miss! Breakfast & Lunch will be
served. Come, it's free & it's informative!! #KnowledgeIsPowerFor911Heroes
WERE YOU THERE? Did you travel to Ground Zero on 9/11? The Pentagon? Shanksville, PA?
Do you know someone who did? You might be eligible for a Federal program which provides Care
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10-13 Club of Northeast FL
Help Support GOA-backed "Constitutional Carry" Bills!
GOA-backed “Constitutional Carry” Bills Introduced in Congress! -- Urge your congressmen to cosponsor the
Stutzman bill
Not a GOA member yet? Make sure to join Gun Owners of America!
From JOHN VALLES
Last week, Congressman Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) introduced H.R. 923, a concealed carry reciprocity bill
that will prohibit anti-gun states like New York and California from cancelling the Second Amendment rights of
Americans from other states.
If you have a concealed carry permit -- or if you come from a freedom-loving “constitutional carry” state
that doesn't require one! -- you should be able to carry anywhere in the country without fear of losing your constitutional rights because of where you are.
Stutzman Bill Protects Constitutional Carry States
There are six constitutional carry states -- and about a dozen states that are considering such laws this
year. The Stutzman bill is quite different from competing bills which would require states like Vermont to
change their pro-gun laws so that their citizens could enjoy reciprocity.
By contrast, Stutzman’s H.R. 923 imposes NO RESTRICTIONS upon pro-gun states that recognize the
right of citizens to carry without a permit.
To be clear, his bill would NOT force citizens living in constitutional carry states to get a permit to travel
out-of-state -- something that competing reciprocity bills would do.
Stutzman Bill Protects God-given Rights
A few GOA members have written us, arguing that reciprocity legislation is unnecessary because the
Second Amendment recognizes the God-given right to carry wherever we want.
We agree that Americans have that God-given right. But sometimes a "right" -- even a God-given right - needs a mechanism to enforce it against a lawless tyrannical government and a politicized judiciary.
When Shaneen Allen was arrested in New Jersey for carrying a firearm with a Pennsylvania concealed
carry license, the Garden State was flagrantly denying Shaneen’s God-given rights and acting unconstitutionally.
Shaneen faced over a decade in prison -- and was only exonerated when gun owners pressured Governor Chris Christie, whose presidential ambitions made him unusually receptive to our message. So consider
this: When you carry concealed in New York, New Jersey, California, or another state, the fact that you are
"right" isn't going to keep you from going to prison for decades -- unless the Stutzman bill is passed into law
and force these lawless states to comply.
On the other side of Capitol Hill, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has introduced S. 498, a companion bill to
Stutzman’s.
ACTION: Contact your Representative and Senators and urge them to cosponsor the “constitutional
carry” friendly reciprocity bills (H.R. 923 and S. 498).
Cops instructed to 'close eyes' during tense situations
Cops should “take a deep breath’’ — and close their eyes — when dealing with angry people, according
to the NYPD’s new “retraining’’ program.
The potentially dangerous advice is part of a $35 million “smart policing’’ primer by Mayor Bill de Blasio and
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton that most of the cops who have gone through it say is completely useless.
One cop who sat through two full-day programs called them “not realistic’’ and “pretty silly.”
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10-13 Club of Northeast FL
Iraq War Vet Lost Leg, Now Patrols Georgia
PERRY -- When Mark Smith applied to work for the Georgia State Patrol, he wasn't sure if anyone would
want to hire a trooper with one leg.
Smith was a Marine serving in Iraq in 2006 when he stepped on a mine that badly mangled his leg. It eventually had to be amputated.
The State Patrol agreed to give him a shot at going through trooper school, which Smith said is similar to Marine basic training, although less intense.
"They said 'That's awesome that you are trying out, but don't expect any special treatment,' " Smith
recalled. "I said, 'I absolutely don't expect that. In fact, I would be offended if I did receive special
treatment.' I had to do everything just like everybody else."
In August he became the first amputee to graduate from Georgia's school for state troopers. Smith
said there may have been troopers who were hurt on the job and returned as amputees, but at his
graduation he said Gov. Nathan Deal announced Smith as the first amputee to graduate from the
school.
Smith, who is from Macon and now lives in Warner Robins, works for the State Patrol post in Perry, which
serves a four-county area. As he walked toward his patrol car to go on duty Thursday, no one could have detected he had a prosthetic leg. His gait is normal, and Smith said he is confident he can run down a suspect if he has to.
In fact, he already has.
When he was in field training -- riding with an experienced trooper before going out on his own -- he
had a suspect run from him. He and the other trooper ran him down and tackled him together. After
the suspect was in custody, Smith said another trooper asked the suspect, "Do you realize you just
got outrun by a man with one leg?"
Smith was an avid runner before he was injured, and he still is today. With the use of a prosthetic especially made for running, he ran a 10K (6.2-mile) race a year to the day of his injury.
That was not at all what Smith thought his future would hold when his doctor first told him that amputating his leg might be the best option. Smith said it was the hardest decision he ever had to make.
"When the doctors told me I had to make the decision to amputate my leg, I envisioned myself scooting around on my butt for the rest of my life," he said. "I was crushed."
Prosthetics, he said, have advanced "light years" since the Vietnam War. He said his prosthetic is
fairly comfortable. The one he wears on duty was especially made for that purpose, including a modification that allows him to carry a small backup pistol in a holster around the ankle.
Smith would go on to serve another six years in the Marines following the injury. He wanted to return
to the infantry, but he wasn't allowed. Instead he was made a small arms technician, essentially a
gunsmith.
So he knows his way around a weapon, and he got the shooting proficiency award in trooper school.
His supervisor, State Patrol Sgt. Craig Smith, said the rookie has been a model trooper, and his
handicap has not held him back at all.
"Bottom line is that he has good moral character," said Craig Smith, who is not related to Mark Smith.
"He has proven himself above and beyond since day one."
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10-13 Club of Northeast FL
My HealtheVet
The Department of Veterans
Affairs My HealtheVet website is designed to
allow veterans enrolled in VA health care to check their health records, make and cancel appointments, or refill prescriptions
from a computer or tablet. Veterans can send secure e-mails back and forth to their doctors about available treatments without having to go in for an appointment or wait for a phone call. The VA hopes to expand the program and other benefits under one specific
app for Android or iPhones as early as this summer.
Lawmakers Noncommittal on Military Retirement and Health Care Changes
President Obama and members of
Congress on Thursday were quick to praise the Military Compensation and Retirement Commission for its report -- two years in the
making -- but are holding off on saying what recommendations may get passed into law. The commission laid out 15 recommendations that included overhauling the Defense Department's retirement and health care systems. It even offered a
new retirement system that would enroll service members into a Thrift Savings Plan and offer new retirement options beyond the
pension service members can receive after 20 years of service. For more details, see this Military.com article.
Senate to Vote on Suicide Prevention Bill
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday voted to send to the floor
legislation intended to help tackle suicide among veterans. The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act has been
reintroduced in the Senate following its overwhelming support in the House of Representatives. The anti-suicide bill was headed for
easy passage in December when it failed on a procedural maneuver. The full Senate is expected to quickly pass the bill. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that, on average, some 22 veterans take their own lives each day.
Free Admission to Florida Military Museum
The Southwest Florida Military Museum and Library is dedicated to preserving and displaying military artifacts and memorabilia while educating the public about our nation's military heritage. It is the largest
military museum in southwest Florida. All of the artifacts have been donated or loaned by the military, government and individuals.
The museum is at 4820 Leonard St., Cape Coral, Fla. It is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, visit the Southwest Florida Military Museum and Library website atswfmm.org.
VFC Website Update
If you've not visited our website, maybe you should visit today! Since going on-line on 10/28/12 we have
been averaging between 2,800 and 5,000 visitors per day and have had 2,015,376 visitors to date. Visit today and subscribe, it's
100% FREE of charge to all! Just be sure to use a valid E-Mail address so the system can send you an authentication E-Mail.
We have the largest One-Stop-Shop Veterans website available that is user friendly, offers a host of information on many topics,
Several forums, Frequently Asked Questions and Answers, a massive Documents Library with more than 9,000 documents, various VA and DoD forms, over 4,000 articles which is updated at minimum every one to two days and more.
www.veterans-for-change.org
Army approves awards for victims of 2009 Fort Hood attack
Secretary of the Army John McHugh announced today that he has approved awarding the Purple Heart and its civilian
counterpart, the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom, to victims of a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, following a change in the medals' eligibility criteria mandated by Congress. Thirteen people were killed and more than 30
wounded in the attack by Major Nidal Hassan, who was convicted in August, 2013, of 13 counts of premeditated murder
and 32 counts of attempted murder.
"The Purple Heart's strict eligibility criteria had prevented us from awarding it to victims of the horrific attack at Fort Hood,"
McHugh explained. "Now that Congress has changed the criteria, we believe there is sufficient reason to allow these men
and women to be awarded and recognized with either the Purple Heart or, in the case of civilians, the Defense of Freedom
medal. It's an appropriate recognition of their service and sacrifice."
Under a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015, Congress expanded the eligibility for the Purple Heart
by re-defining what should be considered an attack by a "foreign terrorist organization" for purposes of determining eligibility
for the Purple Heart. The legislation states that an event should now be considered an attack by a foreign terrorist organization
if the perpetrator of the attack "was in communication with the foreign terrorist organization before the attack" and "the
attack was inspired or motivated by the foreign terrorist organization."
In a review of the Fort Hood incident and the new provisions of law, the Army determined that there was sufficient evidence to conclude Hasan "was in communication with the foreign terrorist organization before the attack," and that his radicalization and subsequent acts could reasonably be considered to have been "inspired or motivated by the foreign terrorist organization."
Previous criteria required a finding that Hasan had been acting at the direction of a foreign terrorist organization.
McHugh directed Army officials to identify soldiers and civilians now eligible for the awards as soon as possible, and to
contact them about presentation of the awards. Soldiers receiving the Purple Heart automatically qualify for combat-related special
compensation upon retirement. Recipients are also eligible for burial at Arlington National Cemetery