From the Desk of the Chairman
March has a lot going on. The Navy Reserve birthday is March 3rd, and the Seabee’s birthday is March 5th. Daylight Savings begins March 8th so don’t forget to set your clocks forward 1 hour or you could be late for work on Monday. St Patrick’s Day is the 17th. Spring begins on the 20th, which also marks the day OIF began in 2003. Palm Sunday is the 29th which is also Vietnam War Veterans Day.
With a big push for participation in the Medallion program, your chapter has been working hard to promote this program. To date we have awarded over 1901 Medallions. We have a good supply of all Medallions, but I anticipate several presentations in March and April that could impact on our supply in a significant way. There will be efforts to recognize Vietnam veterans on the 29th an due to a delay in getting replacements for HQ, we have been advised to expect at least a 4-week delay on orders if we have a significant order. Don’t forget the senior retirement homes as that will likely be where many of our older veterans may be residing. These Medallions have proven to be one of the best recruiting tools that we have available. I recently signed up two veterans who were curious about what we did and because I was there presenting a medallion, I had an opportunity to explain what our chapter and our association is doing to impact on our veterans and those currently serving. Please print off the application that accompanies this newsletter and have it with you when you do a medallion presentation.
February Member of the Month was Air Force veteran John Hunrath. He has the skill to create graphics for our Sporting Clay event and helped me create a presentation to share with the local Chamber of Commerce. This program to recognize members for their contributions is a way to let our membership know that effort is recognized and appreciated. Who will be the Member of the Month in March? Maybe it will be you!
Leadership is not always easy and at times most leaders will tell you that they feel isolated. It is not uncommon for leaders to feel like they are unappreciated, and some may even tell you no matter what they do, there will always be those who oppose them. I have been blessed! I took on the position that I wouldn’t ask anyone to do something that I wasn’t willing to do myself. The reality is that there are two kinds of people in this world: leaders and followers. There are far more followers than leaders. A good leader will be consistent, fair and respectful. They will also listen to input and give credit for ideas that came from others. I have been blessed to have some real leaders in my life. MCPOCG Vince Patton has been a friend and mentor, RMCS Jack Shorb showed me that sometimes a leader must take risks to correct a real threat, CWO4 Mike Burns constantly demonstrated encouragement and support, and Admiral Lisa Franchetti impressed upon me early on in my career the value of real leadership. Thank you one and all. They all helped me to become the leader that I became.
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