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It’s possible that
many enlisted members believe the Air Force Association is an
officer's association.
In 1947, the AFA’s
first president, Jimmy Doolittle said, "Generals, colonels, second
looies, top kicks, buck privates are all just plain Mister in AFA.
While I have been elected to head up AFA, Merril Frost, ex Sgt is a
vice president, and John Biehn, a former private is one of the
directors”.
Doolittle could say
about the same today if he were to look at the world’s largest
chapter, the Alamo AFA.
Here are some
statistics to back that up:
-
Alamo Chapter, the world's largest chapter, has a former
enlisted President. Carlos Massiatte is a retired Command
Chief Master Sergeant, formerly with the 433rd Airlift
Wing, the Alamo Wing, flying C-5s
- Eleven of the
Executive Council members are enlisted and 17 are civilian; some
retired, some Air Force civilians. Only 8 are officers.
- AFA’s issue
scope is from cadet all the way through veteran and retiree,
including reserve, guard and civil service.
- AFA is
involved in a number of personnel and benefits related issues
including Survivor Benefit reform, increase in death gratuity
for service members, VA funding, concurrent receipt and TRICARE
refinements.
- Other
organizations have a much narrower focus, i.e., officers,,
reserve officers, non-commissioned officers, air force
sergeants, retired enlisted and so forth. When you look back to
1946 when AFA founded and charted its course, a deliberate
decision was made that AFA would speak for a strong national
defense and that was to include people but force modernization
issues as well. AFA takes very seriously their responsibility to
represent the interest of all its members with the Congress.
The AFA works for
you, is made up of people like you and needs you to keep it strong. |
