MOAA speaks up for service members
The Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer states that noncommissioned officers should communicate with their Soldiers, never leaving them uninformed. The Military Officers Association of America is doing just that, communicating the issues and changes facing the American military today by providing a voice for the military in the current political world.
MOAA was founded in 1929 to provide assistance and advice to military officers. Today the organization has more than 370,000 members. The organization was voted as a top lobbyist organization for the fifth straight year in 2011.
The El Paso chapter of MOAA has been an advocate for the military since 1956. The chapter numbers more than 400 members, of which between 10 and 15 percent are active-duty servicemembers.
Originally known as the Retired Officers Association of America, MOAA works to keep officers, active and retired, informed of changes that may be coming from government and military leaders in Washington, D.C., including changes to benefits, retirement and more.
MOAA is open to all officers and warrant officers, active or retired. Persons in the National Guard and Reserve are also eligible for membership. Employees of the U.S. Public Health Service can also become members. Additionally, the organization provides auxiliary membership to widows of servicemembers.
Meetings are held on a bimonthly basis, usually at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center at East Fort Bliss. At the most recent meeting June 9, information on changes current before Congress was presented by Edwin Stone, a retired Army major and Vietnam veteran. Health care changes, retiree payments, retirement benefits and current trends in the civilian sector were his main focus.
Stone, a former El Paso chapter president and currently the chapter’s legislative director, said there is need for a voice for the military in Washington in light of the changes affecting the military currently. Unilateral force reductions and cuts to existing and future retirement benefits were his main points of concern.
Many of those on hand expressed the need for a strong voice in Washington to address these issues. They thought that an increased presence would lend to a stronger position when it came to fighting for what they saw as their right.
Members of the El Paso chapter of the MOAA wait for the start of their bimonthly meeting June 9 at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center at East Fort Bliss. The El Paso Chapter of MOAA has been active since 1956. Photo by Sgt. Robert Larson, 24th Press Camp Headquarters.
“The larger our membership is nationally, the bigger our voice is in Congress,” said retired Lt. Col. William Moore, the chapter’s newsletter editor.
Other members present echoed Moore’s message. B.J. Jackson joined MOAA as a way to track the changes going on legislatively and to see what was going on in the military community, especially concerning retirees.
“MOAA works to make sure that those of us who are retired don’t lose what we worked for and that the active-duty military doesn’t lose what they came in thinking they were going to get when they retire,” Jackson said.
Janet H. Rasmussen, a chapter vice president, was appreciative of all the information that Stone provided for the members in attendance. She did feel a little overwhelmed and said that she would have to take it all home to look it over more thoroughly.
“It’s a lot to digest right now,” Rasmussen said.
Stone said while MOAA is only for officers, the organization fights for military members of all ranks. MOAA has established Voices for American Troops, open to any servicemember E-1 to O-10, as another way for them to get their opinions heard by those in power.
With MOAA, the American military will continue to have a strong voice in Washington.
“It’s organizations like this that know what was promised, what we have gone through, what we need to continue protecting our benefits,” said Rasmussen.
MOAA was founded in 1929 to provide assistance and advice to military officers. Today the organization has more than 370,000 members. The organization was voted as a top lobbyist organization for the fifth straight year in 2011.
The El Paso chapter of MOAA has been an advocate for the military since 1956. The chapter numbers more than 400 members, of which between 10 and 15 percent are active-duty servicemembers.
Originally known as the Retired Officers Association of America, MOAA works to keep officers, active and retired, informed of changes that may be coming from government and military leaders in Washington, D.C., including changes to benefits, retirement and more.
MOAA is open to all officers and warrant officers, active or retired. Persons in the National Guard and Reserve are also eligible for membership. Employees of the U.S. Public Health Service can also become members. Additionally, the organization provides auxiliary membership to widows of servicemembers.
Meetings are held on a bimonthly basis, usually at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center at East Fort Bliss. At the most recent meeting June 9, information on changes current before Congress was presented by Edwin Stone, a retired Army major and Vietnam veteran. Health care changes, retiree payments, retirement benefits and current trends in the civilian sector were his main focus.
Stone, a former El Paso chapter president and currently the chapter’s legislative director, said there is need for a voice for the military in Washington in light of the changes affecting the military currently. Unilateral force reductions and cuts to existing and future retirement benefits were his main points of concern.
Many of those on hand expressed the need for a strong voice in Washington to address these issues. They thought that an increased presence would lend to a stronger position when it came to fighting for what they saw as their right.
Members of the El Paso chapter of the MOAA wait for the start of their bimonthly meeting June 9 at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center at East Fort Bliss. The El Paso Chapter of MOAA has been active since 1956. Photo by Sgt. Robert Larson, 24th Press Camp Headquarters.
“The larger our membership is nationally, the bigger our voice is in Congress,” said retired Lt. Col. William Moore, the chapter’s newsletter editor.
Other members present echoed Moore’s message. B.J. Jackson joined MOAA as a way to track the changes going on legislatively and to see what was going on in the military community, especially concerning retirees.
“MOAA works to make sure that those of us who are retired don’t lose what we worked for and that the active-duty military doesn’t lose what they came in thinking they were going to get when they retire,” Jackson said.
Janet H. Rasmussen, a chapter vice president, was appreciative of all the information that Stone provided for the members in attendance. She did feel a little overwhelmed and said that she would have to take it all home to look it over more thoroughly.
“It’s a lot to digest right now,” Rasmussen said.
Stone said while MOAA is only for officers, the organization fights for military members of all ranks. MOAA has established Voices for American Troops, open to any servicemember E-1 to O-10, as another way for them to get their opinions heard by those in power.
With MOAA, the American military will continue to have a strong voice in Washington.
“It’s organizations like this that know what was promised, what we have gone through, what we need to continue protecting our benefits,” said Rasmussen.