Membership in Professional Military Associations

“A young boy was walking with his father along a county road.  They came across a very large tree branch, the boy asked, “Do you think I could move that branch?”  His father answered, “if you use all your strength, I’m sure you can.”  So the boy tried mightily to lift, pull and push the branch, but he couldn’t move it.  Discouraged he said, “Dad, you were wrong, I can’t do it.” His dad said, “Try again.”  This time, as the boy struggled with the branch, his father joined him and together they pushed the branch aside.  “Son,” the father said, “the first time you didn’t use all your strength.  You didn’t ask me to help.” 

Given the number of responsibilities you juggle on a daily basis, joining a professional military organization may not be one of your top priorities.  After all, who has time for more meetings and activities?  However, such thinking may lead to both you and your military organization to missing out on the full potential of “using all your strength”. 

Service in the Profession of Arms is unlike any other profession, both as an institution as well as with respect to an individual member.  The consequences of failure in the profession of arms for the Armed Forces member, and the Nation, are direr than in other profession.  Members serving in the profession of arms are distinguished differently from other professions by the "unlimited liability" they assume in their oaths of office.

It is not important what your rank, branch or occupational specialty is, membership in a professional military association benefits both you and the Profession of Arms as a whole. 

Individual benefits include:  

-          A.  Networking and Professional Relationships

-          B. Professional and personal advocacy for your career.

-          C. Discounts and privileges with a variety of business partners.

Organization benefits:

-          A. Stronger voice on Capitol Hill

-          B. Improves state’s association operations

-          C. Communicates the organization’s “story”; our strengths, capabilities and needs - a clear and consistent message.

Through service in the profession of arms and the California Army National Guard, your membership in professional military associations helps to build our “entire strength” through a united voice.   While all ranks are encouraged and welcome in any association, oftentimes associations will be tailored for certain ranks or branches.  An example of this is the National Guard Association of the United States and of California, which are postured for officers.  The Sergeants Major Association and the Enlisted Association of the National Guardsmen of the United States (EANGUS) and California (CAL-EANGUS) are each postured for senior NCOs and enlisted personnel.  There are many more military professional associations that you can participate in, starting with service organizations like the Air Force or Army association; however, only NGAC and NGAUS focus specifically on Army and Air National Guard issues.  I highly recommend and encourage all California National Guard members to seek out and join a professional military association this year.  It’s an opportunity that will strengthen your career and your choice to be a member of the profession of arms.  

New program will assist recently discharged troops

By Michael Gardner, U-T SACRAMENTO BUREAU

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 12:20 a.m.

SACRAMENTO — Touched by troops fighting wars overseas and convinced that the state should do more when they return, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will launch the Operation Welcome Home outreach campaign tomorrow.

His initiative will set aside $20 million in one-time special funds to hire 325 combat veterans who will personally connect with newly discharged service members in need of job assistance. More than 30 of the workers, who are scheduled to start this year, will be based in San Diego County.

Money for the program — the first of its kind in the nation, those knowledgeable about its provisions say — will come from the Employment Development Department. Future funding is dependent on the next governor.

Schwarzenegger also envisions recruiting 1,000 volunteers as part of a new, ongoing CalVet Corps to expand outreach for housing, health care and other services for veterans. The volunteers would help participants access services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, municipal governments, professional organizations and charities. They also would stay in touch with the veterans to monitor their progress.

Schwarzenegger wants troops to “transition successfully from the battle front to the home front,” according to a briefing paper obtained by The San Diego Union-Tribune that was later confirmed by people familiar with the plan.

The goal is to encourage more aggressive outreach, especially because veterans might not be aware of certain services or they avoid seeking them out of fear of government bureaucracy.

Operation Welcome Home will be unveiled as part of the governor’s State of the State address before the Legislature, but it doesn’t need legislative approval.

“This is really going to help us reach out to veterans,” said Tom Splitgerber, veterans service officer for San Diego County. “They’ve paid a price. We should be able to help support them when they get back.”

Roughly 17,000 troops leave the armed forces each year in the San Diego region, Splitgerber said. California has slightly more than 2 million veterans — including about 244,000 in the county — and an estimated 30,000 who return each year from a combat tour.

Tom Richards, chairman of the newly formed San Diego Veterans Community Action Coalition, welcomed the job-outreach program, particularly as the ranks of jobless veterans have swollen.

“I think that’s a national tragedy,” Richards said. “These people put their lives on hold and on the line for freedom. We have an obligation.”

Schwarzenegger feels the same way.

“California has more returning veterans than any other state. So our state, as well as the federal government, has a special responsibility,” Schwarzenegger said in draft remarks quoted in the briefing document. “We have a fundamental obligation to anyone who has shed or risked blood for this country.”

The governor has been a champion of veterans, going so far as to issue condolences to the families of each service member killed in action.

Operation Welcome Home grew out of Schwarzenegger’s pre-Thanksgiving surprise visit to troops stationed at Camp Victory in Baghdad. The trip convinced Schwarzenegger and his advisers that more had to be done for military personnel as they transition to civilian life.

The briefing paper notes that nationally, combat veterans generally have high rates of unemployment, homelessness, substance abuse and mental health problems. They also are more likely to commit suicide than most other groups.

But Schwarzenegger also wants to stress that most veterans have returned with an education and other skills that they want to channel into solid jobs.

“Veterans have cutting-edge training and exceptional leadership skills,” the briefing document said. The new program, it said, will “help transfer military training to California’s labor force.”

The governor will demand more coordination among far-flung state agencies to help organize nine regional outreach teams, including one based in San Diego. That way, he reasons, they can more effectively connect veterans with local offerings.

“Services for veterans are Balkanized and spread throughout various levels of government,” according to the briefing paper.

Schwarzenegger also will call on cities, counties and nonprofit groups to increase cooperation and communication as they serve veterans.

Splitgerber and Richards, while not disparaging local efforts, said teamwork can always be improved.

“There are many different organizations trying to do the same things,” Richards said.

Splitgerber said organizations helping veterans in San Diego County are in the process of building a coalition that can better close gaps in services.

“This is to maximize everything we have,” Splitgerber said.

Schwarzenegger has listed benchmarks to determine whether Operation Welcome Home succeeds. Among them: seeing whether veterans’ rates of unemployment and homelessness eventually drop, whether more veterans enroll in college, and whether more veterans are screened and treated for mental illness related to combat.

Fit For Combat

with Nita Marquez

The Fit for Combat series (more books coming soon), written by a former military officer and an IFBB Pro athlete, is quickly proving that fitness really is a matter of life or death.  “There are no greater tasks in the world than those enacted by Soldiers at war for their country.  The sacrifice is insurmountable and the stakes are even higher when a person is out of shape…  If your enemy is in better physical condition than you are in any battle, what do you think is going to happen?” At 4’10 and in their faces, IFBB Nita Marquez directs these types of sentiments to her audiences when speaking  to Battalions. There are a number urgencies here, and yes, life & death are very poignant, but America’s Best erects the presence that millions of others look up to.  When young people, peers, colleagues and family members look to America’s Best, how much of the best is each person living up to, when judging by their health?

Fit for Combat was written in the name of military combat, on the basis of what Nita and JD know about the impact fitness can make on a person’s chances of staying alive in battle.   If a person’s agility, speed, strength, and endurance are collectively very powerful, then that Soldier has a higher likelihood of returning home unharmed. 

There are a number of fitness notions out there, but the proof of what works stands solidly above the imitations and fads.  JD is a combat filmmaker now, filming on the front lines, getting shot at, and now he has learned with his own system, influenced by IFBB Pro Nita Marquez, that there is truth to needing fitness in battle.  Filming as an out of shape producer when you are being shot at could get you killed, which is why this whole system was formulated.  After years of fitness fads, half-hearted attempts to being in shape, and no significant progress, the reality set in.  JD had been hit in battle while performing his production responsibilities during battle.  He was nearly 60 pounds overweight, a moving target with moderate speed but low endurance.  There were too many signs telling him that his nine lives were running short.  JD finally decided to get serious about his health. FIT FOR COMBAT‘s 4-point system, outlined through this narrative book, will not only educate you; but JD tells a story about fitness, so the book is actually an interesting read. 

The FIT FOR COMBAT system is bound to change your life now.  If you are a Soldier, a Commander, or a mom just wanting to get into shape, the fitness pointers in this book will guide you as you customize the system itself to suit your personal needs and goals. 

Buy the book online at: www.fitforcombatsystem.com or Amazon.com. 

To bring IFBB Pro Nita Marquez as a keynote speaker, trainer, or FIT FOR COMBAT system education personality, see more at: www.nitasworld.com or www.fitforcombatsystem.com/nita

A VETERAN’S HOW-TO GUIDE was written with the intent of guiding veterans (combatant /non-combatant) through a process established by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Disability Benefits and Pensions Qualification System when applying for Veteran’s disability benefits. By using the book, veterans are better able to navigate the complicated approach of applying for disability benefits

The Author, Bill Bowman holds a Ph.D. in philosophy, master’s in theo-centric business and ethics, and a master’s of divinity. Bill Bowman certainly knows his subject as he served in the U.S. Marines, fought in Vietnam, 1967–68 (“Tet Offensive”) and was granted a 100% disability rating.

Every veteran who applies needs a support team, a knowledgeable veteran’s service officer and faith in God. Throughout this book, biblical scriptures are quoted to assist the reader in becoming, and staying motivated and maintaining a peace of mind through faith and trust in God.

 Chaplain Mowman says, “Most veterans are unaware they have emotional problems, or that they may be in a state of emotional denial. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently take (a long) time to surface. All the veterans and their families entering a claim for disability benefits need know is to be prepared for an uphill battle. My personal experiences, which were written about in this book, should help relieve individuals of some frustrations and enable them to get their benefits in a more expedient manner. I received my disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, but not without a three-year fight which included two appeals and daily prayer. “

“The veterans who are requesting and applying for veteran benefits, because of their emotional or physical ailments, are facing a long and demeaning process. This guide will provide a step-by-step method for obtaining their VA benefits, eliminate some frustrations and provide, through biblical scriptures, a calming force through faith in God.

“The format in developing this book is considered to be simple. The format is also people-friendly while maintaining wording that all people can understand when discussing physical and emotional problems and the government disability processes. You will have to repeat yourself when answering to the Department of Veterans Affairs. You must always tell the truth and have documents to back your statements. When you are required to appeal, again, you will be asked to repeat yourself … Get used to it!”

For more information about the book, you can go on-line to Amazon.com, or to Barnes & Noble, or Borders bookstore and use the ISBN # 1-607-03-659-2. Alternatively, you can go to www.publishamerica.com . as well.