NGAAZ News October 06
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NGAAZ NEWS VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3 2006 From the NGAAZ President ~ LTC Moscarello The NGAAZ Board sent 13 delegates and a total of the national level. NGAUS is continually doing INSIDE THIS 25 people to the National Guard Association of dynamic work in support of the National Guard. ISSUE: the United States (NGAUS) 128th General Con- I feel this conference has been helpful in develop- Legislative 2 ference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The con- ing some new ideas for improving our state or- Updates ference opened with a local cultural celebration, ganization. Every Arizona National Guard Officer Roll Call of States, and speeches by Lt. Gen. H that is looking for a great officer development Company Grade 3 Steven Blum, chief, National Guard Bureau, and program should plan on attaining next year’s OPD Air Force Gen. Ronald E. Keyes, commander, Air conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Combat Command. Some of the other key speak- Moment in 3 ers during the three day conference were Secre- We start our membership drive on 1 October Guard History tary of the Department 2006 for the early-bird NGAUS Conf. 4 of Homeland Security drawing. Anyone that pays Photos Michael Chertoff, Sec- before our membership due retary of Veterans Af- date, 1 January 2007 will be Membership 5 fairs R. James Nichol- in the drawing. Our mem- Registration son, New Mexico Gov. bership drive goal for 2007 Bill Richardson, Army is 70 percent. The key to Secretary Francis J. achieving this goal rests in Harvey and Air Force our ability to communicate Gen. Duncan McNabb, the value of our association commander, Air Mo- to potential members. My bility Command, Lt. expectation for this year is Gen. Clyde Vaughn, that we can continue to director, Army Na- achieve several goals. The tional Guard; Army Lt. first goal is to continue to Gen. Russel L. Honore, MG Rataczak and LTC Moscarello at educate all Arizona Na- commander, First U.S. the NGAUS National Convention. tional Guard Officers about Army; Army Lt. Gen. the benefits of our Associa- Jack C. Stultz, chief, Army Reserve; Air Force tion so that each of you know and understand Gen. Bruce Carlson, commander, Air Materiel how valuable and important your membership is Command; and Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, direc- to this organization. The second goal is to in- tor, Air National Guard. Most speakers ad- crease Junior Officer and retired membership in the Association. As an Officer and a professional NATIONAL GUARD dressed the conference theme, National Guard: ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA Pathway to America’s Defense, or military issues you should be very concerned about the issues affecting the Guard. These issues included cur- and initiatives that confront the National Guard. 5640 E. MCDOWELL RD rent overseas operations, the Guard response to The Association is your strongest ally to ensure PHOENIX, AZ 85008 Hurricane Katrina, the implementation of the we continue to be a relevant part of the Total Base Realignment and Closure decisions, military Force. This can only happen if each and every PH: 602-275-8305 Officer becomes a member and is active in the FAX: 602-275-9254 transformation, current military budget battles, [email protected] the new Southwest border mission and future Association. Our membership base is the best roles and missions. There were also presentations means to provide the National Guard with a truly WWW.NGAAZ.ORG by recent returning veterans of the Iraq and Af- effective voice in Washington. ghanistan war. It was an honor to be part of this delegation that represented the state of Arizona at PAGE 2 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE TRICARE WANTED Expanded eligibility of selected reserve members under the TRI- Members for the NGAAZ Legislative BN. CARE program in the 2007 Na- tional Defense Authorization Act Volunteer to support our National Guard bills! provides coverage under the TRI- CARE Standard program to all members of the Selected Re- serves and their families while in a non-active duty status. Add your name to a list of people that we can contact Participants would be required to pay a premium that would be via email who would volunteer their time to make an 28 percent of the total amount determined by the Secretary of appearance at upcoming bill committee hearings to Defense as being reasonable for the TRICARE coverage. This section does not extend TRICARE eligibility to reservists who represent the National Guard. Other participation can were also federal employees entitled to Federal Employee include putting in a call, email or fax to your senators Health Benefits Plan coverage under title 5, United States and representatives about your legislative priorities. Code. Further, this section repeals the three tiered cost share TRICARE program for reserves established by the fiscal year To join the BN or for more information please call 2006 National Defense Authorization Act. Mike Krouse @ (602) 275-8305 or email NGAo- New TRICARE coverage for all members of the National Guard [email protected]. was available on October 1, 2006. Please see the following link for more information: www.tricare.osd.mil/reserve/index.cfm. NATIONAL GUARD EMPOWERMENT ACT On April 26, 2006, the National Defense Enhancement and National Guard Empowerment Act of 2006 was introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. This legislation proposes significant changes to the role of the chief of the National Guard Bu- reau and other Guard relationships. It is completely logical that the policies and procedures that have guided the effective use of the National Guard be considered for revision in light of the sweeping changes to the mis- sions and employment of our armed forces. NGAUS will monitor this legislation in the weeks ahead. You are encouraged to share your thoughts on this bold initiative. For more information about the National Defense Enhancement and National Guard Empowerment Act of 2006, review the National Guard Empowerment Act Fact Sheet and Frequently Asked Questions sections at ngaus.org. Source: NGAUS.org “GANG” Corner National Guard Association History With the help of NGAUS, the The GANG (Graduates of the AZ National Guard) is the National Defense Act of 1933 group of retired Arizona National Guard Officers that made the National Guard an stays committed to the well being and future of the sol- Army component at all times, diers in the AZ National Guard by continued participa- not just during war. The act tion in the National Guard Association. Members of the established that each mem- GANG participate in State and National Association ber belonged simultaneously activities and are encouraged, like all officers, to become to his state Guard and the Federal Reserve force. lifetime members of the NGA of AZ. Besides being able NGAUS worked long and hard to maintain the strength to keep in better touch with Guard friends, their in- and readiness of the Guard in its dual role, but the volvement also provides a great mentoring opportunity United States withdrew into isolationism, and funding for junior officers in the association. If you are inter- was cut as the nation slipped into the Great Depres- ested in ensuring your seat on the GANG as you ap- sion. However, the looming onset of war in Europe proach retirement, or know of a retired officer who would lead to the rebuilding of the nation’s military. would like to get involved please contact MAJ (R) Clay- ton Marlowe at [email protected]. Source: NGAUS Notes PAGE 3 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3 Professional Development for Company Grade Officers The NGAUS Conference in Albuquerque was a professional development opportunity of a lifetime. Four junior officers from Arizona CPT Tim Woods, 1LT Heidi Halverson, 1LT Herbert Glad- well and 1LT Celeste Snyder, were able to attend the annual conference in duty status to participate in NGAUS coordinated professional development sessions with some of the Guard’s highest ranking officials. Activities included question and answer luncheons with LTG H. Steven Blum, Chief Na- tional Guard Bureau and LTG Clyde Vaughn, Di- 1LTs Gladwell, Snyder and Halverson relish an opportunity to speak with rector ARNG. After the Generals passed on MG Rataczak, TAG for Arizona. words of thanks and en- National Guard Bureau and get an honest and immediate couragement to answer was a valuable experience for all in attendance. the company grade Other development sessions included Mentorship and Lead- officers, they spent ership presentations by LTG (Ret.) Edward Baca, former most of their time Chief of the National Guard Bureau and Maj. Gen. (Ret.) answering ques- Don Sheppard, CNN military analyst, as well as a comical tions from the and enlightening presentation “Generations Apart” from Dr. crowd. To be af- Leonard Wong, instructor at the U.S. Army War College. forded the oppor- These opportunities made a lasting impression on four AZ 1LT Halverson and LTG (Ret.) Edward Baca pose with the original flag waved over Cabanatuan POW tunity to ask press- junior officers this year, and hopefully AZ participation will Camp in WWII. ing questions to grow in the year’s to come. the Chief of the A Moment in Guard History ~ October 1st, 1961 Mark Your Calendar Nationwide — In response to So- viet threats against West Berlin, October 19th ~ NGAAZ Board Meeting President John F. Kennedy mobi- lized two Army Guard divisions, November 7th ~ Election Day the 32nd Infantry (WI) and 49th Armored (TX) along with 264 November 16th ~ NGAAZ Board Meeting non-divisional Army Guard units on this date. In addition a total of December 21st ~ NGAAZ Board Meeting 163 Air Guard units were also mobilized. They consisted of both January 1st ~ Pay NGAAZ 2007 Membership Dues! flying units, including 43 fighter Left: 32nd Infantry Div “Red Arrow” squadrons, and non-flying units Right: 49th Armored Patch such as hospitals and weather forecasting flights.