WHY SHOULD I BECOME A MOAA MEMBER?

As a currently serving Officer or Warrant Officer why should I become a member of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) since I have my own service or branch specific organizations? It is hoped that the following information will answer your questions and concerns.

MOAA changed its name from The Retired Officers Association (TROA) to MOAA in 2003 to better reflect its primary mission which is to embrace the entirety of the military community and to provide a professional umbrella organization to advocate for them before Congress and the DOD.

MOAA is the nation’s largest and most influential association of military officers and is second in membership among the 36 members of the Military Coalition; only the American Legion has more members.

MOAA is an independent, nonprofit, politically nonpartisan organization and is a powerful force speaking for a strong national defense and representing the interests of military officers at every stage of their careers. continue reading

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ONE CHAPTER’S MASS MAILING EXPERIENCE

Since March, when we first became active in recruiting, we’ve added some 30 new officer and 3 auxiliary members.

Of the new officers, 21 have joined to date as a result of the mass mailing recruiting effort, out of some 490 retired or former officers solicited.

Working on late renewals, from April to June, some delinquent two or three years, we managed to renew about 15 officers and 8 auxiliaries. On the other hand, we ended up dropping about twice that many for various reasons - failure to respond, deceased, living outside the area, etc.

The mass mailing recruiting process, as you know, is not complicated but requires significant time and effort. continue reading

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NEW TOTALS FOR COUNCIL AND CHAPTERS

199920002001200220032004200520062007

ALTA CALIFORNIA 92 120 128 128 124 163 149 148 116 REDWOOD EMPIRE 321 333 315 315 315 330 290 310 285 SACRAMENTO 826 809 714 615 540 569 373 496 371 SHASTA COUNTY 195 162 175 158 135 135 121 101 123 VALLEY RIDGE 59 84 91 100 100 100 108 95 103 SAN JAOQUIN VALLEY 68 71 7377 71 65 54 63 40 CONTRA COSTA 208 222 209 232 219 206 206 200 165 MARIN COUNTY 394 355 298 263 230 199 164 156 161 SOLANO COUNTY 313 302 283 300 237 238 235 221 217 MONTEREY COUNTY 270 254 221 214 200 185 169 167 157 SILICON VALLEY-PENNISULA 699 573 473 436 422 357 349 336 300 SAN FRANCISCO 298 293 149 128 128 129 112 70 57 SANTA CRUZ 53 52 53 69 102 108 98 53 59 continue reading

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NATIONAL AUXILIARY MEMBER ADVISORY COMMITTEE LAUNCHES PROJECT

Our Aux Member Advisory Committee has launched a special project and we need your help!

The project will be a featured article which will appear in Military Officer Magazine.

The focus of the article will be on the various changes in survivor benefits and services over time. It will be about the survivors of those KIA in WWll, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq (War on Terrorism).

Their stories will describe the benefits and services they received after the deaths of their spouses. Also included may be descriptions of how they coped, financially and emotionally, after the deaths of their spouses. Anything that relates to this subject will be welcome.

Candidates can send responses to our email address: auxcom@moaa.org or to Anne Patton: apatton@ucsd.edu and she will forward them. Responses should include name, address, phone, email address and the conflict in which the spouse died.

The Auxiliary Committee wants very much to move forward on this project as soon as possible. We ask that candidates contact us as quickly as they can.

We are also requesting that the chapters write about this for inclusion their respective newsletters. We are asking, if at all possible, that it appear in the October issues or November at the latest .

Thank you,

The Auxiliary Member Advisory Committee Carolyn Epling (co chair) Marge LeTourneau Jennifer McCollum Paula Muth Anne Patton Violet Smith (co chair)

Anne Findlay Patton 858 759 2715 fax: 858 759 1606

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NEW AUXILIARIES TAKE FIRST STEPS, ADJUST TO LIFE

The music has stopped, the dance has ended, your partner has left! What happens next? You want to keep dancing, but you think you cannot dance alone…or can you? There is another person inside you, one you didn’t know even existed, so bring that other person out into the open, put on your dancing shoes, and take the first steps forward. The new steps may be difficult; they are not the same as the ones you and your partner danced to. The tempo will be different, not the same as when you danced with that partner of so many years. However, you can still take the first steps, even on your own.

You will learn to take those first new steps one at a time, and the first big step will be getting out with friends–and organizations that you and your partner enjoyed belonging to–for example, your local MOAA chapter. So get out there yourself and join the MOAA family. They are there for you, and you can help them by offering your services, talents, and skills. You have more time now, so go forth (if that local chapter has not called you, forgive them for not doing so), call them and volunteer your time and services. Let them know you want to be involved. continue reading

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AUXILIARIES ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY AND FULLY

What do we mean by “auxiliary”? MOAA uses the term to identify the surviving spouse of a deceased member. Of these survivors, 99 percent are women. In the St. Petersburg (Fla) Chapter of MOAA we refer to auxiliaries as “special members.” Regardless of what we are called, we are the surviving spouses of MOAA members and hopefully play an important role.

Now that our spouses are no longer with us, we must remember to look to MOAA for help, guidance, and support just as our spouses did. They believed in MOAA, and perhaps your loved one made it possible for you to continue a life membership or annual membership. MOAA at the national level is there to help you, and so are the officers of your local chapter. Please remember that, and call on them when you need answers. continue reading

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HOW TO SPEAK TO PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS

There’s a rumor going around that California’s Adjutant General, MG William H. Wade II, is telling Army and Air Force National Guard personnel that it would be useful to join and participate in a professional military association.

He supports the concept.

In the future, MOAA members might find themselves at a military installation, standing before a number of officers, and with an invitation to speak and promote MOAA membership.

It could happen.

And if it does, what would you say? continue reading

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MOAA MEMBERSHIP BY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Here is a most useful table showing MOAA members in each of our 53 Congressional Districts in CA.

It was provided by Carol Robertson in Lee Lange’s office.

Auxiliary   Reg-    Reg-ACT Reg-FRM Reg-RET Unknown Total
48  0   101 6   77  0   232

CA01 210 1 35 5 516 3 770 CA02 205 1 41 9 532 3 791 CA03 381 3 79 8 1,000 3 1,474 continue reading

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