AUSN attends VSO roundtable

December 2011/January 2012 - Navy
By RADM Casey W. Coane, USN (Ret)

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a wish for a great holiday season from the staff here at headquarters. Last month, we had a wonderful Veterans’ Day celebration here in Washington with guests from the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation, the Sea Services Leadership Association, and the Navy Intelligence Professionals joining us in our box at the Arlington Amphitheater. Rear Admiral Moon and his father placed our wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. This month, as we celebrate, we think of family and friends but also those serving far from home. Many of you have missed the holidays while deployed and today we have a new generation serving under difficult conditions. We are thankful for our blessings and consider our military, particularly our Navy, to be high on that list.

This issue marks the first of our move to a bimonthly magazine. As part of our communications strategy, we are shifting more resources to electronic communications. We are now sending our e-newsletter out every Thursday afternoon. In that newsletter, you will find links to articles posted on the Web as well as timely news. In keeping with our themes for December and January, our guest column this month focuses on family and comes once again from the National Military Families Association. They are one of our partners in The Military Coalition and we appreciate their submission. Our feature comes from the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command and educates us on the riverine squadrons. What the future holds for these squadrons will bear watching as the current conflict winds down. Many of you can remember after Vietnam when we put this capability into the Reserve Component and eventually did away with it completely. Today’s boats are a couple of generations better than their Navy predecessors, but cuts are being considered.

As you are reading this issue, your 2012 membership card along with a request for donation has already arrived or is on the way. Presently, we ask for donations four times a year and your donations are tax deductible. So, as we near the end of this tax year, please think of AUSN. Every dollar counts and we need your support to continue our efforts to be sure that our veterans’ earned benefits are protected. AUSN works hard at this as you know. Last month, RADM Moon, CAPT Puzon, and CMDCM Featherstone attended another VSO roundtable discussion with Leader Pelosi. We take advantage of every opportunity to press our issues, but we cannot do this without your generous contributions.

The end of another fiscal year brings a chance to reflect. This year, we added American Hearing Benefits and DRS Technologies to our list of corporate partners. We also signed the formal partnership agreement with the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation. Our new Board of Directors are getting their sea legs, and we expect to elect two new members this month.

Each year brings change and the challenge is always to make the best of it. This past July, CAPT Tom McAtee retired and moved to Florida. He is still working for us part-time to ensure that we have access to his wealth of knowledge that has helped so many over the years. Retired CMDCM Jerry Featherstone has joined the team and is already a big part of the day-to-day operations. Some of you have learned that CAPT Ike Puzon will not be with us next year. While his expertise will be missed, we will continue to be represented in The Military Coalition and the National Military Veterans Alliance where your voice will be heard. As we bring new talent on board, we will press ahead with the many issues that are always swirling in Washington. AUSN is moving ahead and will continue to do so with the needs of our members firmly in mind.

May the season find you and your loved ones well and sharing a special time together.

As always, enjoy the read.