PRESIDENT’S FORUM
WINTER 2007
I want to discuss what I think is important about the Air Force Association. We are in a changing mode from a veterans’ organization to an education organization that is still dedicated to the very same principles of the late 1940's. The war was over and there was a great need for keeping the boys together. Further, the founders of AFA knew that the future of airpower depended on aerospace education.
Since that time, Korea, Cold War, Vietnam, Gulf I, Gulf II, have given us new generations of the ”boys and now girls” (pardon the diminutive). And we have reaped the benefit of aerospace education from CAP to General Billy Mitchel's dream of a military academy for the air force. What is different now?
Simply this, the core of AFA is getting smaller because the more recent generations just don't participate to the level that the “greatest generation” did. Since the “greatest generation” is rapidly leaving us where does that leave us? When I first signed on as Del Rio Chapter President in the late 80's, I could count on a meeting with 50-60 folks showing up. Of those, 30 or more were WWII vets. We are lucky to have 30 people show up for a meeting now. We only have a handful of WWII vets now.
My apologies to Tom Brokaw, but there is little difference between the people of the “greatest generation” and the people of today. The challenges are just different. Our armed forces are more educated, skilled, and lethal as war fighters. There is no difference in camaraderie, morale, and loyalty to the services either. Where does that leave us?
Is it the ‘what's in it for me generation” that is the problem? I really don't think so. As a swamp philosopher once said ‘the enemy is us”…and Pogo is right. We have become so accustomed to past success as an organization that we have become lazy. Guilty…I say Guilty…as charged. We have to sell the organization. How?
Have an effective chapter. Don't rest on laurels. Develop the interest of our target population. Tell them what is in it for them. JUST DO IT.