November 10th is the 243rd birthday for the United States Marine Corps, so a very happy and respectful birthday wish goes out to all Marines, past and present and for those who will serve, the bar has been set high.
Many of you served in combat and can truly understand the significance of service over the holidays. Being away from family and loved ones is hard no matter what day it is, but there is something a bit more emotional when we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas away from home. There are Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen serving all over the world this upcoming holiday season and when I use the word “man”, I also want to call out that there are a lot of women serving proudly right alongside.
There is a base in Afghanistan that my chapter has been supporting for some time. There are Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen at Camp Shorab. NCOA’s mission is to look after the quality of life for our enlisted men and women as well as their families. This holiday season, I am going to ask a favor of all of you. This base doesn’t have a PX and many of the outposts do not even have a chow hall. They are asking for simple hygiene items as well as snacks and canned food to supplement their diet. I received thank you letters from several enlisted Marines thanking NCOA for our support. I am asking all of you to consider sending some care packages and or any service man or women Christmas cards to this base to let them know that NCOA truly does support them. While I have one isolated base to support, you may know of others. In either case, please support our troops on the front lines in harm’s way. What a way to plant a seed that NCOA cares for them and will step up and take care of them. Email me for the address if interested in this specific base or if you have any questions about what to send or how to send it and I will be happy to guide you.
After much thought and research, NCOA will be having our annual conference next year in San Antonio from July 16-18. We need you to seriously consider attending as many significant changes in our organization will be formulated and voted on and you should all be involved in the decision process. There is plenty of time until we meet in San Antonio to budget and come. I hope to see all of you there.
Finally, NCOA has all of the programs that all of the other service organizations have, but we have a leadership team that truly cares about each and every one of you. I have the privilege of working alongside Vince Patton, our National President. Our current Board is made up of active duty and retirees from across the military spectrum. We are working hard behind the scenes to turn NCOA from just another veteran service organization into the premier organization that focuses on “all” of our enlisted forces. Hop onto the crest of this wave and be a part of this process. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I want to hear from you. Email me at chairman@ncoausa.org. Remember, failure is not an option!
Strength in Unity & Leadership By Example
Terry M. Haines
Chairman, International Board of Directors