AAD Newsletters

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Association of Army Dentistry, I wish each of our members and their families, a joyous and happy holiday season, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a healthy and happy New Year.

Each fall we observe the national holiday honoring the service of all military veterans. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11th, due to the important historical significance of the date. Great Britain, France, Australia, and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World War I and World War II on or near November 11th.

The summer season holds several holidays of significance to the military and our country: Memorial Day, honoring those men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country while serving in our Armed Forces, Flag Day celebrated on 14 June, and Independence Day on the Fourth of July. The U.S. Army, America’s First National Institution, was officially established on June 14, 1775 and has played a vital role in the growth and development of the American nation over the last 244 years.

As the Association of Army Dentistry began 2019, the Board of Directors convened on 10 January and 5 February. MG (Ret) Ronald D. Silverman, COL (Ret) Edward M. Knights, COL (Ret) James C. Kulild, and Andrew W. Lehmkuhl, Edge Advisors, relinquished their board positions. The AAD thanks these members for their leadership and service to our organization – your inspiration, guidance, and dedication as board members is greatly appreciated and will be missed.

With the recent celebration of Thanksgiving and the holiday season here, it is time to be thankful for our blessings. As I reflect back on my military career, I am thankful for the opportunities presented to me, friends I made, role models and mentors who shaped my career, and the memories of the places that I served. As I reminisce about the Army days with friends, we realize we stayed for the people and a cause greater than ourselves, serving our country. We traveled extensively, worked with great people, and took care of the greatest patients in the world, America’s Soldiers.

Each fall we observe the national holiday honoring the service of all military veterans. Veterans Day, the official United States public holiday honoring those who served in the United States Armed Forces, is observed annually on November 11^th. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major hostilities of World War I formally ended at the 11^th hour of the 11^th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States observed Armistice Day, until the U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Late spring and early summer offer the opportunity to observe two special holidays.  Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, honors those men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving in our Armed Forces.  Originally known a  s Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.  Each year on Memorial Day, a national moment of remembrance occurs at 3:00 p.m. local time.

Read more about Col. Tan, MG Tempel’s CoC and retirement

The Association of Army Dentistry Board of Directors met on 24 January 2018. At the meeting, MG(Ret) Russ Czerw, MG(Ret) Thomas R. Tempel, and SGM(Ret) Steve Spadaro relinquished their board positions. The AAD thanks these members for their leadership and service to our organization – you will be missed.

On behalf of the Board Members of the Association of Army Dentistry, I wish each member of our Association and members of their families a joyous and healthy holiday season.  We have been working hard to improve our Association and to make it more meaningful and beneficial to all of our members. As an example, we are working on a mentorship program that will assist our members with finding employment or answering questions about beginning private practice when they leave military dentistry. There are other initiatives and ideas coming as well. As we head into 2018, we ask for your continued support of through your continued membership and welcome your suggestions and active participation to make this organization even better. All of us wish you and yours a prosperous and healthy 2018.

It is with sad news that we report the passing of MG(Ret) Bill Lefler this morning at his home in Hot Springs, Arkansas. As soon as we have details about any services we will pass them on.

The Board of Directors would like to welcome COL (Ret) Ron Lambert as our new Communications Director for the Association of Army Dentistry (AAD). Ron brings a wealth of experience to the AAD and we are very fortunate to have him take on such an important role in our ever evolving organization. Over the past several months, our Board Members have been working very hard to improve the AAD and to make it relevant to all of our members. I want to personally thank everyone for their efforts and look forward to watching the AAD grow to become something very special.

We are already well into 2017, but after a series of delays the Board of Directors has had their first meeting of the year.  After serving on the Board since its inception in 2008, MG(Ret) Joseph G. Webb, Jr. has decided to step down.  The AAD wishes to thank MG(Ret) Webb for his dedication and years of service to the organization.  We wish him well in all future endeavors. To fill his position on the Board the members elected COL(Ret) James “Jim” Kulild. Jim has been very active in other dental organizations and brings a wealth of experience and new ideas to our Board.  We all welcome him to his new position!

On April 29^th the Association sponsored the Federal Dental Services Continuing Education Meeting held at Fort Detrick, Maryland.  The Association partnered with the Henry Jackson Foundation to help coordinate the attendee registration and corporate exhibitors for the event.  The bulk of the organization was done by the members of the Army organizing committee that included COL Ingrid Beard-Howell, LTC Keitra George, and MAJ Elizabeth Oates.

The Association recently sponsored events in San Antonio celebrating the 105th anniversary of the Army Dental Corps. COL(Ret) Marshall Cox, along with the rest of his committee put together a full agenda of activities that were thoroughly enjoyed by all attendees. An icebreaker in the host hotel Thursday evening gave people a chance to meet and/or reconnect. On Friday evening a casual reception at the Alamo Brewery, one of San Antonio’s exciting new businesses, proved to be a fun time in a very relaxed atmosphere. A special thanks goes to Jackie Amaya who arranged the reception.

Welcome to 2016! The New Year has brought some changes to the Association, as some board members stepped down from the Board of Directors while others were added. For 2016 MG(Ret) John J. “Jim” Cuddy will no longer be a board member; COL(Ret) Priscilla Hamilton has been elected to fill that position. The AAD thanks MG(Ret) Cuddy for his dedication and years of service to the organization and wishes him well in future endeavors. We are happy to welcome COL(Ret) Hamilton!

With the arrival of autumn everyone should once again be settling into their regular routine after what was hopefully a summer filled with warm weather activities. The AAD was not idle during the summer. In July we co-hosted a welcome social event for over 100 new Dental Corps graduates of the Officer Basic Leadership Course at Fort Sam Houston. AAD board member MG(Ret) Russ Czerw, along with the Corps Chief MG T. Robert Tempel, welcomed the newest officers, both AC and RC, into the Dental Corps family.

Welcome to the summer edition of the newsletter of the Association of Army Dentistry (AAD).  The AAD has been busy with a number of activities this year.  The Association provided financial support to the 104th Dental Corps anniversary celebration in the National Capital Region.  The ball was held on March 14th at the Fort Belvoir’s Officers’ Club.  There were quite a number of participants to include the current Dental Corps Chief, MG Tempel, AC and RC dental officers from around the region, a large number of NCO’s and enlisted soldiers, civilian members of the ADCS, as well as numerous retirees.  The attendees reported having a lovely fun-filled evening!

Welcome to the latest edition of the newsletter of the Association of Army Dentistry (AAD). A number of changes have occurred for the organization in 2015. Foremost is that the Board of Directors has added five new people since the last newsletter. A warm welcome is extended to: M. Ted Wong, MG(Ret), USA; Andrew Lehmkuhl, Principal, Edge Advisors, Michael McQuade, COL(Ret), USA; Michael Rethman, COL(Ret), USA; and Richard Shipley, COL(Ret), USA. The organization would also like to thank the Board members that have stepped down after years of faithful service: Bill Lefler, MG(Ret), USA; Patrick Sculley, MG(Ret), USA; and Robert Brady, BG(Ret), USA. A special thanks is given to Bill Lefler who faithfully served many years as President and Chairman of the Board. He was the driving force behind the establishment of the Association of Army Dentistry back in 2008. His enthusiasm and leadership will be sorely missed!

Welcome to the summer newsletter of the Association of Army Dentistry (AAD). As the organization continues to reorganize, we intend to have more frequent newsletters that will be distributed via email. Please add our email address to your Address Book or Contact List, so that our mailings are not placed in your Spam or Junk folders. We will still send regular mailings for those few members without email addresses.

This is our first electronic Association of Army Dentistry Newsletter. Most of our members have email addresses. Those that don’t will continue to receive the newsletter by mail. The Association of Army Dentistry was founded in 2008 as an organization to promote, support, and recognize the contributions of Army Dentistry. We sponsor activities to promote morale, support recruitment and retention, foster a historical perspective and appreciation of Army Dentistry, and provide a means of recognition of those who have served the nation via Army Dentistry.

It has been a very busy five years since the AAD was founded and then celebrated our 100th Anniversary of our Corps on 3 March 2011.