Greetings Pacific Region!
Welcome to our region’s homepage and thank you for visiting! I have been the regional director since 2024 and it is a privilege to serve all of you and be a member of SAFN’s Board of Directors.
About me: When I retired from my second career in late 2020, my husband Stan and I left Northern Virginia for our new home in Portland OR. After 21 years in Virginia, it was quite a transition to the Pacific Northwest, but a long-awaited return to our west coast roots. Stan and I are from California and met at San Francisco State many, many, many years ago. We are very happy to be back to “the best coast” and enjoying the abundant outdoor activities with our beloved Pomeranians in tow. Our son and daughter-in-law are also Air Force and they have triplets. Grandchildren are the best!
About our Pacific Region: We currently have about 141 SAFN members in the region and we all need to capitalize on opportunities to recruit new members. If you find yourself in conversation with a nurse who is currently in the Air Force, or has served, tell them about the Society and invite them to join. Our organization provides great avenues for fun, friendship, sharing memories and building new ones. And as we all know, the more the merrier!
Our Region’s VIPs
The Pacific Region includes members living in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and (Misawa) Japan. California has the most members, and three regional chapters: Travis - Coordinator Maggie Todano, Sacramento - Coordinator Diane Schertz and Los Angeles - Coordinator Ruth Thorpe. Washington has two chapters: Jaime Lee and Linda Duffield as co-coordinators of SeaTac. and Spokane - Coordinator Louanne Hausmann. Oregon has one chapter: Columbia, with members from Southwest Washington and northern Oregon - Coordinator Barb Brannon. Nevada has a Las Vegas chapter and Lynn Von Schlieder is the coordinator. Alaska, Hawaii and Misawa each have three members. ( Misawa’s members are active duty). Misawa’s chapter coordinator is Maj Sayjai Boonmee.
Lynn Von Schlieder is our region’s Memorial Committee representative and, in that capacity, coordinates information regarding the deaths of former or retired Air Force nurses in our region with the SAFN Memorial Committee chair. Lynn contacts the next-of-kin after the death of one of our SAFN members to offer a Nightingale Tribute ceremony at the funeral or memorial and if possible, she attends the funeral or finds a designee who lives nearby. She also sends a condolence card to the next-of-kin. Lynn keeps a record of members who have died for the electronic Book of Remembrance available on the SAFN website. At our biennial regional reunion, Lynn conducts a memorial remembrance for all Pacific Region members who have died since the last regional.
Cathy Pluta is the Pacific Region’s Outreach Representative and she contacts our members who report they, or a significant other, is experiencing medical/physical challenges or difficult life events. Members may request that Cathy shares this information only with other regional members or that it be shared with all SAFN members. If they elect to have information shared with the Society, Cathy will contact the Outreach Coordinator who then communicates this update and any requests to Society members. Those on Outreach may request cards, calls and/or prayers. The list of members on Outreach is posted on the SAFN website and in a monthly email message.
What’s Coming Up? We plan to have a Pacific Region reunion every two years, and we have some terrific recommendations from our members for one in 2026. Stay tuned for information early next year. Last August we had a terrific gathering in Anchorage, AK, and that will be hard to beat! Location, location, location as the saying goes. Thirty-seven people attended, a combination of SAFN members from the Pacific, other regions, and their guests. Jane Serie, our Anchorage member, coordinated the activities with a local tour company and attendees gave it rave reviews.
I am really looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones at the 2025 SAFN National Convention, which will be from 14-17 October in Warwick Rhode Island. There is no shortage of things to see and do in the Boston area and I’m sure it will be a great event. I will also be joining the Fall Foliage Cruise that follows the reunion. Hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Cheers!
Barb Brannon
Pacific Region Director
