Military Officer - April 2007 - (Page 12) fromthepresident Sowing Success MOAA’s chapter leaders reap great rewards, both tangible and intrinsic, when they lead members to help their communities, their fellow members, and our nation. I ‘m always energized when I visit an MOAA chapter, especially the many that are blessed with dedicated leaders and other volunteers. Let me tell you about one such chapter and one such leader. In the January 2007 issue of The Affiliate newsletter (available online at www.moaa.org/affiliate), which MOAA sends to all council and chapter leaders, Capt. Don Freese, USNR-Ret., president of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Chapter, wrote about why he serves his chapter. His words struck a chord with me. Like many chapter officers, Freese says he had his “arm twisted a little” last year to become the president. A year later, he reports his arm has recovered, and he’s really enjoying the opportunity to serve. Don never forgets that his fellow chapter members, veterans of Pearl Harbor and Baghdad and the intervening conflicts, are real heroes. Freese also notes that something good occurs every month. He invited a former Navy officer, who suffers from a debilitating disease, to a chapter meeting. The officer now has joined MOAA as a life member and thoroughly enjoys the company of his many new friends. The officer’s sister says MOAA has given her brother a powerful reason to keep fighting his medical problems. Freese gives other examples: The chapter helped a 92-year-old woman get a permanent Reserve ID card for her 95-year-old husband, and a speaker at a chapter meeting helped a surviving spouse MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2007 solve a particularly knotty problem. He concludes by stating why he is an MOAA chapter president: “Because there isn’t a better or more rewarding volunteer job anywhere.” As you might expect, he’s ready to serve for another year. Freese’s story is just one of many. There are countless other chapter leaders going about their chapters’ day-to-day work with great competence, enthusiasm, and selflessness. (Read more about MOAA chapter activities in “Friends in Deed,” page 78.) I have enormous respect for these leaders, and I greatly admire their positive attitudes and personal sacrifices. My respect also goes to their spouses, who often provide crucial, behind-the-scenes support for their chapters. They may sometimes be unheralded, but they are always appreciated. I hope Freese’s story will prompt you to make yourselves available to your local chapter. You’ll be supporting your entire association as well as the work we do in furthering the interests of all members of the military family — and you’ll learn for yourself why he feels so rewarded. — Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT 12 http://www.moaa.org/affiliate
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