From the Desk of the Chairman
August is here and before we know it, summer will be over as next month, kids go back to school. August 1st is Air Force Day. August 4th is the birthday of the US Coast Guard founded in 1790. The Purple Heart Medal was established in 1782 on August 7th. August 10th is National Agent Orange Awareness Day as Agent Orange had a profound impact on so many Vietnam veterans. August 16th is National Airborne Day. For all of you senior citizens, August 21st is your day to be remembered and celebrated!
I am so proud of the Rogue Chapter that has been named NCOA Large Chapter of the Year for 2024 which makes 7 out of the last 8 years. I am also proud of the Roguette Auxiliary for being named Auxiliary of the Year for 2024 which is their first. A huge thank you goes out to all the members of each of these chapters that made these honors possible. If you want to find out how to help, please feel free to contact me at retiredveteran89@outlook.com. I also want to congratulate all our Vanguard award winners for the past year. Several of the past Vanguard winners are part of this chapter.
Many of you may wonder why so much effort is placed on recruiting and retention. Sponsors that are approached to defer expenses for our national conference or even to help sponsor programs like our Medallion Program are quick to ask how many members you have. NCOA represents all enlisted members of our active, reserve and separated forces and their families which totals in the millions. Less than 5% of our entire membership participate in recruiting. Sadly, after the hard work of the few who do recruit comes to the one-year renewal date, perhaps only 50% renewed. The cost of a 1-year regular and a 1-year auxiliary membership pales in comparison to most other veteran organizations. Since NCOA’s staff size is so small compared to the big organizations, I am in awe of what the impact of our Medallion program has on the morale of each recipient. If we had the staff size of the larger organizations, we would be running circles around them in my opinion, but we operate with volunteers. Most of you have at least one family member over the age of 18 that could join for a mere $20, but don’t. If you have not recruited someone in over a year, please do so today. If you are not a life member, please renew your membership. Your membership matters to every enlisted member of our military and their families because they can’t lobby to improve their benefits while still wearing the uniform. That’s our job.
I would love to hear from all of you with your thoughts and suggestions. If you have any ideas or suggestions, either contact me at retiredveteran89@outlook.com and I can assure you that your leadership will take note.
Strength in Unity & Leadership By Example,
MCPO (SCW) Terry M. Haines, USNR Retired
Chairman, Rogue Chapter #1260
