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erans Day and seems to forget to do anything the rest of the year,” he says. Honoring veterans “should be ongo- ing, like this project, with activities throughout the year.”


Remembering the fallen In 2015, the Southern Nevada Chap- ter (www.moaa-lasvegas.org) partic- ipated in Wreaths Across America Day, where volunteers coordinate ceremonies and place wreaths on the graves of veterans and their families at Arlington National Cem- etery in Virginia, as well as more than 1,100 locations across the U.S. On Dec. 17, the chapter again will participate in the nationwide event, held locally at the Veterans Memo- rial Cemetery in Boulder City, Nev. Chapter members sponsor wreaths, which can be made in honor or in memory of someone, and help place the wreaths at the cemetery. Civil air patrol cadets accompany the volun- teers, salute the gravesite, place the wreath, and then stand at attention. For many members of the South-


ern Nevada Chapter, participating in Wreaths Across America is personal. “Many of our widows have husbands buried at that cemetery, and some of the men have wives buried there,” says Janet Snyder, legislative chair of the chapter and a surviving military spouse. “Plus, even if we don’t have someone there, we know that’s where we’re probably going to end up.” This program is only one of many Southern Nevada Chapter members are involved with that support vet- erans and their families. “We try to support and honor the entire military community all through the year,” Snyder says. “All of our activities are with that in mind.”


PHOTO: SEAN SHANAHAN Making It Happen


Leadership remains one of the funda- mental keys to MOAA’s success. The way a council or chapter leader conducts business is a good indicator of the organization’s recruit- ment efforts, community programs, legisla- tive involvement, scholarship programs, and ability to take care of its members. Over the years, the following tendencies have consis- tently been indicative of successful councils and chapters. • Effective serving officers often use the word “we” quite frequently in meetings with their members, as in “We conducted a drive to collect school materials to help kids get ready to go back to school,” “We gave out five scholarship awards,” “We recruited four new chapter members last month,” or “We are working with another military veteran organi- zation to plan the upcoming Veterans Day observance.” These leaders tend not to overuse “I” statements. Effective leaders don’t seek per- sonal credit; their priority is to recognize their team’s good work and to continue to make good things happen in their communities. • Next, there is a leadership team in place, not just one person who carries the load and makes things happen. Several people — serving officers as well as former council/chapter officers — comprise the lead- ership team; size varies, but there always is a team. At chapter meet- ings, volunteers also contribute to making things happen by welcoming members and guests and helping last-minute arrivals find their seats. • Most successful chapter and council leaders strive to establish pro- grams that involve the majority of their members. They also understand they need to have multiple events to keep members engaged. Good leadership teams attempt to include everyone. They develop programs that can involve all types of members, including new members, work- ing members, retired members, spouses, and surviving spouses. Many of these successful teams schedule events at different times of the day and on different days of the week to increase the likelihood that all members will be able to occasionally attend events. Some chapters even have subgroups that only convene with the main chapter two or three times annually due to schedules. MOAA is lucky to have as members men and women who led success-


ful units and organizations during their military service. Most effective councils and chapters have a leadership team helmed by an individual who strives to include as many folks as possible. I can attest that successful leaders come in all colors, shapes, sizes, genders, and ages. Thanks to all the leadership teams for making good things happen; I look


forward to seeing you at a future chapter meeting. — Col. Barry Wright, USA (Ret),


director, Council and Chapter Affairs NOVEMBER 2016 MILITARY OFFICER 41


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