My fellow NCOA members and those nonmembers who have served this nation with pride, past and present, you are appreciated. A life of service in uniform made most if not all of us grow up a bit and instilled many qualities that the world around us only wish they had, like discipline, leadership, integrity and many more qualities too numerous to mention.
Life in this country over the last several years has been a challenge, particularly if you no longer have the structure of being in the military as a safety blanket to fall back onto. Every day we are challenged by circumstances seemingly out of our control that stretch that safety blanket to a point where on some level or another it begins to rip. We are constantly being pressured to compromise our values, our standards and in some cases even our friendships.
When I became a Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy, I took on additional personal and professional challenges to take care of my people, no matter what, and that is a challenge that I have kept even after I retired. I assume that there is a similar standard that all noncommissioned officers in all branches of the military take on from the time that they find themselves in charge of men and women in uniform.
During these challenging times in our nation when we as men and women find ourselves under constant attempts by society, the media, politicians, and in some cases even our own families to forget where we came from and what we learned in the military, I ask you to take a deep breath and think about your core values. Our NCOA President, Vince Patton, said it best when he called us all to live by the 9 core values that make up our 5 branches. Loyalty, duty, respect, service, honor, integrity, courage, commitment and excellence are not just a list of words; they are standards that all who have served should live by.
Every single organization in this country has challenges. That is because every organization is being run by human beings that are not perfect. I can tell you that NCOA has an exceptional human being as our national commander. When I took over the reins of the Board of Directors, I was humbled. I love this association and I have confidence in our leadership. We are actively looking for programs that will provide you with the kind of benefits that will truly impact your lives and the lives of those who are or will serve. We are also looking for benefits that no other organization has so that we can stand out as a group looking out for you!
We need your help. Do you have a spouse or family member that is not a member of NCOA? Do you have a co-worker or a friend who served in the military that believes like you in the core values mentioned above? Sign them up and give us a stronger voice so that we can do even more than what we have been able to accomplish to date. You can go to our website at www.ncoausa.org and look at who we are and what we are doing. Every day we are striving to improve because we believe in you. If you have thoughts or concerns, contact me at chairman@ncoausa.org and I guarantee that your views will be taken seriously. Failure is not an option and improvement is happening daily.