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Hello and welcome to the official website of the Montana National Guard Association. I know you will find this site useful and informative, and I hope you take the opportunity to visit it often, to stay informed on all of the happenings, issues and developments of our Association. One of the biggest challenges is quick and effective communication with you the member. We believe this internet website is a great, responsive solution to that challenge, so again, we invite you to use this site as often as possible or necessary.
As the elected Chairman of the Association, it is my sincere hope that we can achieve a number of ambitious goals, and introduce the next season of effective leadership and representation for all members of the Montana National Guard.
Our first goal remains that of educating all Montana National Guard Officers, Air and Army, about the MTNGA, with the intent that all will know how critical their membership and participation is. This is to include the clear understanding that we are an Association that represents not just our membership, but all Montana National Guard Officers, their family and career interests, whether members or not. We accept this charter with the sincere hope that all of our officers will come aboard and work together with us.
Secondly, we aim to increase not only the Junior Officer and Retired Officer membership, but also their active representation and involvement in board and committee activities and leadership roles. Lt Col Buel Dickson (Vice Chairman), the entire Board of Directors, and I sincerely invite you to step forward and visit with one of us personally, if you have an idea or interest in becoming involved. I can assure you, no offers will be refused!
Thirdly, we want to build on the great success of the Corporate Membership Program. This has re-energized the financial picture of our Association, and we have barely scratched the surface of this exciting partnership with the Business and Corporate patriots of Montana and America.
Another great opportunity lies ahead in the legislative arena. The Montana National Guard Association exists for a number of great reasons, but perhaps the greatest is to develop and exercise political influence, on behalf of our membership and the military-related members of the community that share our common interest. This year will see the inception of a statewide legislative action plan, with teams in local unit areas, mobilized and cooperating together with veterans organizations, Army / Navy / Marine Reserve members, MAC Committees, local recruiters, local unit members and retired personnel, to form what has the potential to become one of the largest and most influential voting blocks in our state. I want to personally hear from you if you are willing to lead or serve on one of these exciting new teams.
To build this new agenda properly, we are also announcing the initiation of a new Joint Leadership Team, with the Enlisted Association, to join forces where we can double our effectiveness in serving all members of the Montana National Guard, and their families, in some of those specific areas that make sense to work together. The legislative mission and the insurance programs are just two of the examples where we can team up to win! The issue of Montana's future, in the wake of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) recommendations, is an item of significant importance that we must face and engage together. This new team will include EANGMT President MSG Jim Gustafson, as well as his Vice President SMSgt Lisa Smith, our MTNGA Vice Chairman Lt Col Buel Dickson and myself, along with the always outstanding support of Lt Col Steve Mehring (MTNGA President) and CMSgt Roger Hagan (ENAGMT Legislative Chair). This is an idea and concept just getting started, and we heartily welcome your input and involvement.
We definitely recognize that these are lofty goals, but they are the kind of aggressive thinking and acting that are critical if we are to succeed in representing the greatest warriors on the planet, and see to it that their interests are first and foremost on the minds of our state and national leaders. The tool we use to convey our message at the national level, in Washington D.C. is NGAUS. The MTNGA is part of NGAUS, and together are an incredibly strong organization and voice on Capitol Hill, fighting to promote the development and execution of a relevant force structure for the National Guard. NGAUS is also the tool we use to ensure that the interests of our membership and their families are represented.
In Montana, we have enjoyed unparalleled success this last legislative season with many solid bills that made life better for our men and women in uniform.
I hope this helps illustrate why your membership and participation are so important, and so worth the investment it involves. Your membership dues provide a valuable resource necessary to sustain the fight. That is one reason we feel it is so important for every officer in the state to join the MTNGA, but also as an officer and a professional every one of us should be very concerned about the issues and initiatives that impact the National Guard. This Association is the strongest ally to ensure we continue to be a relevant part of the Total Force, and ready and available as a state resource to the Governor and the people of Montana.
We need your help and welcome your membership. We also want to invite you to play a more active role in the variety of MTNGA duties and activities. We want and need your ideas, and we also need to know what we can do to improve the Association and make it more effective.
I will be happy to discuss any Association issues with any of you at any time. Please feel free to call me at home at 443-0309, or on my cell phone at 459-8022. If need be, you can contact me at work at 324-3422, and we can set up a time to meet.
Thank you in advance for your great help and active support!
LTC John Swanson
Chairman, MTNGA