Back to our roots

June 2011 - Navy
by RADM Timothy D. Moon, USN (Ret)

Congratulations to Seal Team SIX and all of the many men and women from all of the services and other agencies who worked together to bring Osama bin Laden to justice a few weeks ago. This was a great achievement by all who were involved, and a great testimony to the ability of the services and civilian agencies to work together, share information and execute a difficult mission. I was never so happy to have a movie interrupted on a Sunday night!

The highlight for AUSN since my last column was the very successful Navy Now Forum hosted by AUSN at the Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., in April. This event provided a forum for senior Navy and industry leaders, and AUSN members, to socialize over lunch while discussing issues and concerns facing the Navy and industry. The keynote speaker was VCNO ADM Jonathan W. Greenert who touched on several topics including recent operations in Libya and Japan, and ongoing initiatives to train and equip Sailors while taking into account the existing economic and wartime reality. I feel confident that we met our objective of hosting a forum that gave Navy and business leaders the opportunity to enhance and develop relationships that will prove critical in maintaining a strong Navy for today and well into the future.

AUSN benefits from a tremendous Headquarters staff who work tirelessly on our behalf. They create the Navy magazine; sign on corporate sponsors; interact daily with the Navy, Congress and other veterans’ service organizations; answer the many requests and questions that come from AUSN members; and complete a host of other tasks that come up in the daily operations of AUSN. We all benefit from their dedicated efforts, but they cannot do it alone. We also rely heavily on contributions from volunteers. Volunteers doing great things to support the mission and vision of the Association is why we are successful as an association, and why AUSN is considered a most respected advocacy group by Congress, the Navy and other associations. This recognition and respect continues today, but the numbers of volunteers actively engaged in AUSN activities have decreased dramatically over the past few years.

Voluntarism, the principle or system of doing something by or relying on volunteers, is the legacy and sustaining lifeblood of AUSN. We have many opportunities for volunteers to step forward and make a contribution with their time and expertise. We need members to serve in AUSN national offices. We need members to provide an interface with NROTC units and Navy Operational Support Centers around the country. We need members to represent AUSN to the various officer and enlisted communities and affinity groups. We need members to contact other members who have expiring memberships. We need members to help coordinate and run our fundraising events like the Navy Now Forums and the annual golf tournament. If you have the time and the interest to volunteer, please send me a note. I will be happy to find a spot for you to engage.

By the time you get this, we will have completed another successful AUSN golf tournament, this time in partnership with the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation. We will continue to look for opportunities to partner with other organizations that have similar or complementary missions supporting Sailors of all ranks and pay grades and their families. I look forward to seeing you at the AUSN National Conference in New Orleans from 13 to 16 July. You can register for the conference on the AUSN Web site at http://www.ausn.org. It is not too late. Please sign up, join us, and bring a friend to introduce them to AUSN!

“Volunteers are seldom paid; not because they are worthless, but because they are PRICELESS!” (Author Unknown). We need your help. It is time to get back to our roots, so please volunteer. Have a great start to the summer.