August is upon us and I want to take a moment to wish the United States Coast Guard happy birthday.  They were established on August 4, 1790 and have done this nation proud for hundreds of years.  August 4, 1964 also marked the beginning of the Vietnam War; a war that impacted many of our more seasoned members and one that surely had a significant impact on our nation.  August 14, 1945 also marks the day Japan surrendered to end the war in the Pacific.

Large Chapter of the Year Award: L-R NCOA President Paul Kingsbury, Trustee Rachael Watters, Chairman of the Board Terry Haines

Last month the association met in San Antonio for the first time in two years thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.  It was great to see many of you and I only wish that many more would have been able to attend.

It is always a highlight of each conference to recognize our Vanguard heroes from each branch and to recognize the Best Small and Large Chapters as well as the Best Auxiliary of the Year.  I have to write this before the conference so please forgive me by not specifying which chapters have won.  I will be on vacation immediately following the conference and then attending a leadership event focusing on suicide prevention.

At this year’s conference, your association will be introducing our first strategic plan that will cover the next 3-5 years of NCOA’s future.  Goals will be introduced as well as a blueprint for how those goals will be achieved, how they can be monitored as we progress towards achievement of those goals and who will be responsible for each piece of the puzzle.  It is our intention to make this document in its final form available to all members because we want each component that makes up NCOA as an association to all be marching in the same direction.  We will be communicating opportunities for every single member, if you are willing, to own one piece of the puzzle.  Many of you have skills that will be valuable to help make NCOA the best that it can be.  After the conference, we will communicate via our website, Facebook, and other social media as well as through the NCOAdvocate where the needs exist.  I encourage all of you that if you have a skill and a small amount of time to please consider helping.

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

Rogue Chapter Chairman presented an NCOA World War Two Medallion to Army veteran Harry Howard at a recent veteran breakfast gathering.

July doesn’t have a lot of days that highlight historical events, but there is one worth remembering.  July 4^th is Independence Day, a date established by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.  The significance of this day has been somewhat lost in recent years as forces try to downplay what this day really means.  Those of us who have served in the military know how disruptive war can be.

The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 patriots, all of whom were men of means and they risked everything should the British have been victorious.  Nine died in combat, five were captured and killed as traitors, two lost sons in the fighting and most of the rest lost all of their worldly possessions.  They signed that document knowing what they risked, yet sign it they did.  Out of the Declaration came our Constitution which housed the Bill of Rights that made the United States of America a special place in world history.

Efforts to water down our Bill of Rights or in some cases eliminate those rights place all of us in a difficult position.  The sacrifice of those who signed the original documents was significant and each citizen of this country could very well find themselves in a difficult place should forces that are challenging our history, our constitution and our freedoms continue to erode those freedoms.  When we served our country, many of us went into harm’s way.  We made that journey not only out of duty, but we did it because we understood that freedom was worth the potential sacrifice.

This July 4^th, remember what that day truly meant to all of those who came before us and take a moment to share those memories with our kids and families.  This year our conference that will be held in July in the home of the Alamo will be a special gathering.  I hope to see many of you there and I hope that we can all take some time to remember the true cost of freedom.  I will, how about you?

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