April is here and with it a number of themes to recognize. Even though April starts with April Fool’s Day on the 1st, it is the National Month of Hope, Stress Awareness Month and Military Child month. April is the first full month of spring where days start getting longer, flowers and trees start showing signs of life after a long winter and Easter is celebrated. To some Easter is signified by Easter egg hunts, cracking Easter eggs in an attempt to find out whose egg is the most durable. To many, Easter is a day when Christians all over the world celebrate the hope that goes with a Risen Christ. Stress Awareness Month calls attention to the numerous causes of stress in our lives. Recognizing the many types of stress and what we can do to reduce it is important, especially with everything going on in the world right now like COVID and the political and economic issues facing us all. Finally Military Child Month is when we recognize the children of military service members and the value that they bring to our military families and our country.
I want to thank all of the chapters and individual members who have been taking advantage of the WW2 Medallion program. It is important for us to make a concerted effort to find and recognize every WW2 veteran while there are still some out there. They were the “Greatest Generation” and the values and lessons that they imparted on this country were what truly made the United States a shining beacon on the world stage. While it may be difficult to find remaining WW2 veterans, it is much easier to find surviving spouses, children and grandchildren of the Greatest Generation and present these medallions to them for one very important reason. The Medallions are impressive to look at and can become the start of a conversation between the surviving families of WW2 veterans and their children and grandchildren. They provide an opportunity to teach the younger generation what the phrase “Greatest Generation” means. The values and sacrifices of the WW2 veterans formed a blueprint of hard work, sacrifice, and achievement as we built a beacon of freedom called the United States of America. Don’t let that light go out. Contact headquarters at www.ncoausa.org for information on how you can get a medallion to present.
July will be here before you know it and I hope to see all of you in San Antonio, Texas from the 19th to the 22nd. Information is available on our website as to how to reserve a room and register for the conference. This will be the first conference in years that has a professional development aspect. Your International Board has been working hard to make NCOA the best that it can be. We need your help. Get involved on a committee, recruit a new member and don’t forget our Auxiliary.
If you have any ideas or suggestions, either contact headquarters or 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
Chairman, International Board of Directors