NGAUS and EANMNG conventions get down to business… Your membership is now more critical than ever By Joseph Vigil, Chief of Public Affairs, NMNG SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M – The Enlisted Association of the New Mexico National Guard and the New Mexico National Guard Association of the United States held their annual state conferences at the Santa Ana Star Casino and Resort April 26-27 with both enlisted and officer executive council meetings kicking off things on Thursday evening. Members were updated on the associations’ work at the Saturday morning breakfast and business meetings while laying out plans for the way forward on their agendas, building membership and strengthening both associations. Maj. Gen. Ken Nava, the Adjutant General of New Mexico, addressed both memberships to thank them for the important work they do in support of the New Mexico National Guard. “I couldn’t do what I do on the legislative front without the important work you do in our associations,” Nava said. “Lobbying is an important part of what these associations do and it is critical we stay involved to protect our future and the fundamentals of how the National Guard is structured.” Nava asked both associations to work together and smarter to make the New Mexico National Guard better. He stressed the importance of taking care of our Soldiers and Airmen, getting them the training and resources they need. He challenged them to make both associations a better source of professional development to include bringing in world-class speakers. He encouraged them to build tremendous value for their memberships. “At the state level, the legislative receptions you have sponsored have provided folks the opportunity to see what we are doing in the New Mexico National Guard,” said Nava. “These receptions have led to $500,000 in additional capital outlay for the museum and they will continue to provide us with greater visibility on the legislative front.” He also said that in order to address our issues in New Mexico, we need to build our membership to be more significant at the national level. “Word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing tools so we need to talk to all our Soldiers and Airmen to inform them as to why it’s important for them to join our associations,” said Nava. “Commanders at all levels need to support this effort, educating everyone in our ranks on the benefits of how a strong association benefits them and helps their professional development.” Nava praised EANMNG on reaching the 500 membership mark and for their work to continue to grow. He recognized their strong work on their website, its content and their efforts to communicate with their membership. “Thank you for what you are doing for our state and nation,” he said. “We could not do what we do without our enlisted corps and our NCOs and I am proud of the work you are doing in the Enlisted Association.” Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Rudy Checkley and Lt. Col. John Scott gave detailed legislative reports on all the work that was done on behalf of the New Mexico National Guard and the state’s veteran community over the past few months. They cited the meetings TAG and senior leaders hosted with Congresswomen Xochitl Torres Small and Deb Haaland – members of the Arms Committee on the Hill – on the issues we face. These meetings have given the congresswomen the tremendous value of seeing, touching and hearing the needs of the NMNG. “In 16 years on the resolution team, at no time have I ever seen this state and this association as huge a difference than right now,” said Scott. “Our TAG is on it, our folks are on it and we have the right people who are listening to us up on the Hill that want to come to see what our problems and issues are and get some wins,” Scott said. Checkley, who spoke about the work done at the state and federal level with the enlisted membership, said we have great targets of opportunity and we have work to do. Both scholarship committees awarded financial assistance to college students of the members who participated in the application process. The convention also provided members the opportunity to team build and play as teams took to the links at the beautiful Twin Warriors Golf Resort and the Santa Ana Softball Diamonds to compete in the annual golf and softball tournaments and catch up with battle buddies and wingmen they had not seen in a while. They continued to build camaraderie, network and make new friends at social events throughout the evening. Members and the spouses also enjoyed dinners with their respective association members and then gathered at The Stage for an evening of dancing and fun. Both associations were grateful for all the sponsors who made the conference possible. Beyond the events at the convention, the work done on behalf of our Guardsmen, Guardswomen and our veterans throughout the year is vital to our organization and the time has never been more important than today to join these associations. Join the fight to protect your benefits by joining your perspective associations by registering at www.ngaus.org/membership for warrant officers and commissioned officers and www.eanmng.org for enlisted and NCOs. To attend the NGAUS national conference in Denver, Colorado from August 30 – September 2, register at www.ngaus.org To attend the EANGUS national conference in Des Moines, Iowa, August 4-7, register at www.eangusconference.org
