May is upon us and there are several days to remember. May 7th is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. May 8th is the anniversary of the end of WW2 in Europe. Mother’s Day is the 9th and date that all guys had better remember. May 16th is Armed Forces Day, so whether you served or are the family member of someone who served, thank them for their service on the 16th. Finally, May 31st is Memorial Day, the day when we honor all of our fallen brothers and sisters.
July and our annual conference will be here before you know it. We are closing in on our recruiting goal of 1,000 new members by conference. If you have a spouse or adult family member over the age of 18, please consider bringing them into the fold as it only costs $20 and it will be a tremendous help for the Association.
COVID has been a huge distraction around the world and within the military. It is another shot that our troops are being faced with. Deployments and PCS moves have been impacted. School closures for our kids and a wide variety of restrictions including having to wear masks have been imposed. I got my COVID shots because I want my freedoms back. How about you?
I am excited to see several new locations considering starting up new chapters. Ft. Campbell, Washington DC, and perhaps even Offutt AFB are showing interest and I again want to congratulate Ft. Bragg for coming online. It only takes 5 members to start a chapter and you can even start a virtual chapter with all of the technology available.
A friend of mine shared a simple quote from an unknown source but it makes a lot of sense. “If it is to be, it is up to me.” Guess what fellow members. You are the “me” in that quote. Think about it and take that training from your service and stop waiting for someone else to start the ball rolling. They are waiting on you, so we have a standoff. Make the first move and we will all be better for it. 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