Army Association Keeps Nation Up-to-Date

By Chuck N. Baker
Our nation’s intelligence agencies work diligently to keep top secret information about America’s military just that — top secret. But there is much information about our armed forces that can be accessed by the public, if they know where to look. One source comes from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA).

The AUSA is a nonprofit educational and professional development association serving the nation’s Army, soldiers, Army civilians and their families as well as industry partners and their families, including other supporters of a strong national defense. The organization works to connect the Army to the public at the national, regional and chapter levels. At its annual national convention in Washington, D.C., programs and seminars relate the latest non-secret information about how the Army operates. Although the information is public, it generally can only be accessed by an AUSA member or convention attendee.

Las Vegas native Phil Stage is a retired Army colonel and head of the sixth region of the AUSA. At the October confab, he said, “The organization represents all members of the Army, Active, Guard, Reserve, retirees and family members,” adding, “We have about 8,500 members within our six-state region. That is California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Nevada.” The Silver State has two chapters; Reno and Las Vegas. Stage now resides in California and visits all six states in his role as regional director.

When in Las Vegas, he confers with the office of the Army’s Sixth Recruiting Brigade that covers the entire Pacific Northwest. “We have signed a Statement of Understanding between Major General Frank M. Muh, commander of the United States Army Recruiting Command and General Carter F. Ham, commander of AUSA, that (the organization) supports recruiting.” He said recruiting goes beyond basic Army units. It also includes medical units, Special Operations, warrant officers and other select departments. At the Washington gathering, he said he was taking advantage of educational forums and professional development. For example, at one workshop he learned about new military systems. The information was presented by Lt. General Patrica McQuiston (Ret.), “One of the few female three-stars in the history of the Army,” he said.

Reno is home to the General William Westmorland Chapter. Stage said, “It’s run by a lady named Jenny Logan, an Army spouse. Her husband was Colonel Logan who served in Vietnam.” He said most of the Reno members belong to the Air National Guard or Army Reserve units. High ranking officers who have been associated with the chapter include generals and Army Component Commanders.

The president of the Las Vegas John C. Fremont Chapter of AUSA is retired Army Sergeant Ken Salazar. He attended the Washington convention and discussed activities in Southern Nevada. “We just got on board with the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce,” he said. “We’ve been working with community business leaders and they are very energized and invigorated to be a part of our association to support the Army.” He said, “Many people in Las Vegas have no idea about the Army or about the association,” adding, “Las Vegas is a very big city, and majority of the people who live and work there have zero connection to the military. So, having someone like myself working with the business community is great in order to educate people about our Army and the military.”

Salazar explained, “Las Vegas has a large contingent of Army Reserve and that’s something I want to bring forward to our Las Vegas business leaders. Maybe they might adopt a company of Reservists and maybe get a better understanding of those ‘uniforms’ that are right there, living and working with us. It’s people they might not normally see.”

Salazar explained the D.C. symposiums and seminars were extremely informative. “This is the largest land symposium AUSA puts together in the world. So, this really brings the ‘Big Army’ to life for everybody who attends. It’s a lot more than just ‘one-two-three Maintenance Company’ or ‘Engineer Company.’ This is all the nuts and bolts that make the Army what it is. From all the 160-plus countries that we’re involved in, all the installations that we have throughout the United States — all the things that soldiers do everyday, 24-hours a day, our men and women are on guard. It lets us know how important our Army is.”

There were dozens of nuts and bolts panels and symposiums that covered numerous topics of interest to former and current military personnel. One panel discussed the readiness of Army brigade combat teams, explaining the teams are in better shape today than they were several years ago. But in order to keep up, it was suggested that more modernization is required – from recruiting to rifles to tanks and helicopters and beyond.

New equipment is one thing, personnel another. In a luncheon address, Army Chief of Staff James McConnville said talent management initiatives are not only geared toward officers. When the time is right, enlisted soldiers and Army civilians will also benefit from new talent advances. He said his office will be publishing an “Army People Strategy” explaining how the service can take better care of its personnel. Yet another symposium said soldiers in the field will have an opportunity to comment on which new light tank machines will be built. Testing of prototypes will be evaluated at two Army installations and take place over several years.

Salazar’s wife Gen is also involved with the AUSA. They were married when Salazar was still on active duty. Raised in the Philippines, she said “It is a challenge being married to someone on active duty. It’s a different culture, not a civilian culture. You travel a lot, but the spouse is always away. Especially for an immigrant like myself who was trying to adapt to a new culture, it was challenging.” Now that her husband is home all the time, she laughs as she adds a touch of humor to their lifestyle, “He’s the general and I’m the major. What it means is, he makes the general decisions and I make the major decisions!” And “General” Salazar, sitting next to his wife the “major,” nodded, “Yes Ma’am!” and smiled in full agreement.