May is here. On the 2nd we start with a National Day of Prayer and in 1945 the Germans surrendered unconditionally on May 7th to end the war in Europe. May 10th is Military Spouse Day and May 12th is Mother’s Day. It is in all of us guys best interest to honor our mothers and for the younger among us to recognize our wives who mothered our children. May 18th is Armed Forces Day and the most somber day for all who served is Memorial Day where we honor all of our brothers and sister who gave their lives in the service of this country. This year it is on May 27th and many will spend time at National Cemeteries. The end of the school year is rapidly approaching and many of you may be contemplating where to go on vacation. Before we know it, summer will be here.
The Rogue Chapter has now awarded almost 1,100 Medallions. To the best of my knowledge, at least 28-chapter members have been involved awarding Medallions to worthy veterans or surviving families. I cannot wait until we find out about the next generation of Medallions so that we can start recognizing some younger veterans for their sacrifices. The Medallion program has been and remains the most valuable program that NCOA has done as long as I have been a member. It brings veterans together, honors their service and provides us with an educational tool to teach younger generations about our service and the idea of true sacrifice. Many of you may have heard about a recognition level called the Rat Pack which is a stepping stone to becoming a Knight of the Square Table. Efforts are ongoing to award points towards becoming a Rat for being involved in presenting Medallions. This is a step to encourage recognition of our veterans and our members.
If you have ever worn a hat or a shirt indicating your service in the military and been approached by someone who said, thank you for your service, the most common response from you is probably, thank you. At a meeting, one of my members suggested that a good response might be “you were worth it!” I tried that and was amazed at the looks and the emotion shared back to me for that simple comment. I’ve gotten smiles, a few wows and a lot of “thank you” back at me. I think that letting people know that they were worth my sacrifice and yours goes a long way towards bringing those who never served together with those who did. Try it and you might find it very rewarding.
I hope that this chapter has a good turnout at the conference in San Antonio in July. We will be honoring a former member of the chapter, Sir Troy Hensley as he is inducted into the NCOA Hall of Fame. Please come, support Lady Vicky and honor a man who gave his life to this great association.
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