THE DESERT CHRONICLE

Newsletter of the Enlisted Association National Guard of Arizona

Volume 2, Issue 4 WINTER 2011

Message from the new AZ State President, MSgt Gary Jack

As your newly elected State President, I am humbled and excited to serve the 6,500 Airman and Soldiers of the Arizona National Guard. It is with great appreciation that I wish to thank the previous AZ President, MSgt Dave Morgan, for his exceptional leadership for the past year and a half. Dave leaves office having achieved a significant growth in membership and having forged stronger relationships with the Arizona Command Staff, Unit Commanders and Enlisted Leaders, the National Guard Association of Arizona, and junior enlisted. As your new President, I want to continue the legacy that Dave started and expand EANGAs reach even further. I believe its possible to reach the goal of 1,500 members (double our current membership) by the close of 2013. EANGAs objective is to represent Arizona Airman and Soldiers by influencing federal and state politicians to support new legislation for better benefits. We are also working hard to communicate with you more and keep you updated and aware of critical issues. The Arizona Association also serves the enlisted force by providing scholarships to our members, and by hosting an annual State Conference and other social and morale-building activities. We hope we will be able to provide enlisted professional development at our State Conference again this year. As an association, we want to meet your demands and support the needs of our diverse enlisted force, but frankly, we need the support of more than just 10% of the 6,500 Arizona enlisted personnel. Although our membership has increased to approx 650 members, this is much less than what we need to make an impact and get the attention of our National and State congressional representatives. With potential cuts to the defense budget being considered, membership in professional organizations is more important now than ever before. I encourage you to write to your elected officials and let them know whats important to you! The Enlisted Association was formed in the 1970s in order to give our enlisted members a voice. One year ago, I joined EANGA just to learn about the issues that Soldiers and Airman face. At that time I had no idea the impact EANGUS has had on the history of the National Guard and the benefits we sometimes take for granted. Now, I understand the importance of working to help the organization grow. We have a core group of Arizona members who have become a synergetic group, full of passion, and working hard for you. If youre not currently a member, please consider becoming a memberand talk to others about joining. With this year coming to an end and a new year beginning, I am excited to move into the Centennial celebration of Arizona in 2012, and look forward to meeting many of you. Best wishes to each of you and your family for the New Year! Gary Jack, MSgt, AZANG, President

Save the Dates...

EANGUS Legislative Workshop, Feb 5-8, 2012 Washington, DC Area VI and VII Mid-Winter Caucus Feb 17-19, 2012 Portland, OR AZ EANGA State Conference Apr 27-28, 2012 Phoenix, AZ EANGUS National Conference Aug 26-30, 2012 Long Beach, CA

Happy Holidays!

2012 NG Heritage Calendars Available Now!

Get your 2012 National Guard Heritage Calendar now. These calendars celebrate our rich NG heritage from the formation of the militia in December 1636 through today. A tax-deductible donation of $5.00 is requested and will benefit the EANGUS We Care for American Foundation which provides grants to National Guard members and families needing emergency financial assistance. The calendars may be purchased at the NG Sales Store located at Papago Park Military Reservation, or by contacting EANGUS Area VI Directors Karen Craig at kcraig1955@cox.net or Dean Miller at deanmiller1@cox.net. Also, watch for more information after the New Year when the Arizona Enlisted Association will be offering a speciallabel wine to commemorate Arizonas 100th Centennial year.

Inside this issue:

Legislative Update Mid-Winter Conference Details Member Spotlight Army Guard Names Top Soldiers Who We Are Membership News 2 2 2 3 4 4

Legislative Update
The Call 11-9: Guard Empowerment Act under attack! Long time champions of the National Guard, Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator Lindsey Graham, have garnered 70 Senators in support of their Guard Empowerment Bill, S.1025. Two vital aspects of this legislation will make the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) a full member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) as well as reestablish the post of the Vice-Chief of the NGB at the threestar rank. The bill was offered as amendment SA 1072 to the FY-12 NDAA and unanimously passed the full Senate on Nov 28th. Even with 70 United States Senators supporting the Leahy amendment, Senator Jack Reed and Senator Jim Webb will offer amendments SA 1321 and SA 1201 as second degree amendments intending to undermine and gut Senator Leahys Empowerment amendment. This opposition to the CNGB being added to the JCS is not only against the will of 70 Senators, but also reflects the institutional bias present against recognizing the proven contributions of the National Guard. This is unacceptable and all EANGUS members must answer this call. Please take the time to have your voice heard by going to http:// capwiz.com/eangus/issues/alert/? alertid=57322516 and answer Call 11-9. Ask your Senators to vote against SA 1321 and SA 1201. Speak loudly for our National Guard of today and of tomorrow- We Are Guard! Always Ready, Always There !!

SAVE THE DATE: The EANGUS Annual Legislative Workshop and Legislative Awards Reception will be held Feb 58, 2012 in the Washington DC area. Similar to past years format, Sunday Feb 5th will be a travel day, with briefings and Capitol Hill meetings on Monday and Tuesday and Feb 8th is the travel day home. Selected AZ Enlisted Association attendees will receive updated information regarding EANGUS legislative efforts and will schedule individual appointments with our AZ Congressional members or staffers on the Hill.

Mid-Winter Conference, Portland, OR

The EANGUS Area VI and VII Mid-Winter Conference will be held in Portland, OR from 17-19 Feb 2012. This conference brings Enlisted Association members from all 13 States on the West Coast together to collaborate and coordinate legislative, membership and other initiatives for the rest of the year. EANGUS President, CMSgt-Ret Roger Hagan and EANGUS Auxiliary President Jenny Lainhart have already committed to attending and a full 1 1/2 day conference agenda is in the final planning stages. In addition to the meetings, a reception is planned for Friday evening, and a 2 1/2 hr dinner boat cruise on the Spirit of Portland is available on Saturday evening for those that want to participate. The meeting will be held at the Portland Downtown Marriott, with rooms available for $113 a night; ask for the Enl Assoc room block. The $75 conference registration fee includes four meals. More information is available and registration is required on the web at www.eangor.com. If you are interested in attending and want more info, contact President Gary Jack at president@eanga.org

Area VI and VII Conference Registration: www.eangor.com/register Hotel Reservations: 800-266-9432

Member Spotlight SMSgt Teresa Denogean

In this issue of the Desert Chronicle, we are proud to highlight SMSgt Teresa Denogean. She says she joined EANGA to make a difference for our Airmen and Soldiers, and that she believes in the EANGUS organization and knows they have our National Guard members best interests in mind. Born in Winnemucca, Nevada, SMSgt Denogean first joined the Army Reserves, and then enlisted in the 162nd FW of the AZ Air NG in September 1988. She has been AGR since September 1994 when she was selected for a full-time position with the Mission Support Groups Orderly Room. Since then, she has served as the Support Group Commanders secretary, worked in the Civilian Personnel Office of the Military Personnel
Page 2

Flight, and in October 2000, she became a recruiter. As a rookie recruiter, she established the Non-prior Service Student Flight which was recognized as a best practice in the Air National Guard. She became a Recruiting Office Supervisor in 2003, and in 2011, she was selected as the Recruiting and Retention Superintendent for the AZ Air NG, transferred to the JFHQ, and promoted to Senior Master Sergeant. Teresa has earned numerous awards to include the Century Club Award (Bronze level) as a result of getting over 200 accessions, the AZ Production Recruiter of the Year, and the NGB Region 1 Recruiter of the Year in 2003. Teresa was also recognized and received many accolades from the EANGUS leadership after serving as a member of the 2011 National Conference Staff in West Virginia. Currently, as our AZ Conference Chair, she is working hard to provide a great State Conference for you; it will be held in Phoenix on April 28th.
Volume 2, Issue 4

AZ Army NG Selects Most Outstanding Soldiers for 2011

The Tempe Mission Palms Hotel was the site of the 2011 AZARNG Soldier Awards Banquet held on October 22, 2011. The Enlisted Association was there and hosted a special enlisted pre-dinner reception to honor CSM John Gipe, the 9th Senior Enlisted Leader to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs; and the guest speaker for the event. Under the direction of State CSM Max Butler, the night of recognition was opened with the Posting of the Colors by the Arizona Rough Riders The Arizona Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and selected members of Arizonas Own 108th Army Band paid tribute to our patriot service and recited a number of historical narratives in celebration of the National Guards 375th Birthday. The evenings highlight was announcement of the Most Outstanding Soldiers for the AZ Army National Guard. This announcement followed a three-day hands-on competition held the week before to test and ultimately determine the Best Soldier, NCO, and First Sergeant of the Year. Of the twenty-five Soldiers who competed in those three enlisted categories, the winners are: Soldier of the Year: SPC Benjamin Mason, 860 MP Co NCO of the Year: SGT Brian Bower, 819th Sapper Co 1SG of the Year: 1SG Max Hamlin, 855 MP Co In addition to awards presented by the AZARNG, each of the enlisted winners received an EANGA Minuteman Trophy, Certificate of Achievement and Coin of Excellence presented by the Enlisted Association President. Congratulations to the winners and all those who competed. SGT Bower and SPC Mason will go on to compete in the Region 7 NCO and Soldier of the Year Competition which is the next step to reach the Sergeant Major of the Armys Best Warrior Competition. Others recognized during the ceremony were the Officer of the Year: CPT Kenneth Strauss, the Warrant Officer of the Year: CW2 Tanya Burton, and the 2011 Family Member of the Year: Krista Titus, wife of SGT Jeff Titus.

Left: The Color Guard presents the colors. The EANGA President David Morgan recognizes 1SG of the Year, Max Hamlin. Above: MSG Pagan & wife Shawna, with CSM John Gipe, the Guest Speaker. BG Gonzalez presents trophy to the Soldier of the Year, SPC Benjamin Mason, and President Morgan presents the EANGA Minuteman Trophy to NCO of the Year, SGT Brian Bower.

The Desert Chronicle

Page 3

Enlisted Association National Guard of Arizona 5636 E. McDowell Road Phoenix, Arizona 85008-3495
President: MSgt Gary Jack Phone: 520-981-1089 E-mail: president@eanga.org Vice-President Air: CMSgt Dean Miller deanmiller1@cox.net Vice-President Army: SFC Bernardo M. Acosta Bernardo.m.acosta@gmail.com Vice-President Junior Enlisted TSgt Heidi Estes Heidi.estes@ang.af.mil Membership Chair: MSgt Joseph Duyck/SSgt Christie Card membership@eanga.org Other EANGA Leadership: Past President: MSgt David Morgan Secretary: VACANT Treasurer: SMSgt Timothy Garrity Director Air: TSgt Earl Causbie Director Army: SFC Tonya Gonzales Director At Large: MSG DonCarlos Pagan Director Retiree: CSM-R David Austin

The Enlisted Association National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) and the Enlisted Association National Guard of Arizona (EANGA), exist to promote the status, welfare, and professionalism of the enlisted members of the National Guard and to promote adequate National Security. The Association lobbies to provide adequate full-time staffing, adequate pay and allowances, adequate health, medical, family and death entitlements, incentive benefits, first line equipment, resources, and weapons systems, and military construction.

Were on the web!! www.eangus.org

Enlisted Association Auxiliary

Side by Side, We Stand with Pride
The purpose of the EANGUS Auxiliary is to support EANGUS in all of their endeavors. Auxiliary members are valued for their grassroots legislative efforts which result in thousands of letters and contacts with Congressional members regarding National Guard and Veterans benefits. They also support the Ronald McDonald House charities and Yellow Ribbon events in their communities and offer scholarships to members and dependent children. Membership in the EANGUS Auxiliary is open to spouses of enlisted members of state enlisted associations. Contact Mary Hensell, Arizona Auxiliary President at h_w_hensell@q.com for more information or a membership application.

www.eanga.org

The next Executive Council meeting is Thursday, Jan 6th at 1700 hrs. All enlisted personnel are welcome and invited to attend.

Membership Update
Membership Dues to Increase on Jan 1st If your membership in EANGUS is due to expire soon, please take a moment this month and renew early. You can get in on our annual dues of $15 right now, and avoid the price increase (up to $20) when that change occurs on Jan 1st. Please download a copy of our membership application on our EANGA website at www.eanga.org or contact us at membership@eanga.org. You may also renew or join on line at the EANGUS website and pay for your membership with a credit card. Go to www.eangus.org, and select the Membership tab, then State Associations and then Arizona. Dont delay! Looking for Unit Reps (and Recruiters) We are still looking for unit members who would like to be a liaison for EANGUS/ EANGA and help us recruit members from within your unit. If youre an EANGUS member and are interested, well put your picture on our EANGA website, and provide you with a Membership Toolkit and all the info you need. Membership Cards: Although we admit to being behind, membership cards will be sent to all our new Enlisted Association members soon! If you are a new member and dont receive your card by the end of December, please contact us at membership@eanga.org. Membership Chair: The AZ Enlisted Association welcomes SSgt Christie Card, 162nd FW as our new Membership Chair, and sends a great big Thank you! to MSgt Joe Duyck who has performed this duty for the last year or more. Roll into California Membership Competition: This is also a great time to become a Recruiter for EANGUS because Area VI is offering a four day expenses-paid trip to Long Beach, CA for the one person who recruits the most members for EANGUS by 31 Jan 2012. Its not too late to get started. If you want more info on being a Unit Rep and/ or the Roll info California membership recruiting competition, please contact CSM-Ret Karen Craig, the Area VI Chair, at kcraig1955@cox.net.
Congratulations to MSgt Richard Moore of the 162nd FW who won the AR-15 Rifle offered on the recent EANGA Raffle. AZ Congressional Rep, David Gowan, pulled the winning ticket during the EANGA Member Appreciation Night on Dec 1st. MSgt Moore (center) is pictured with MSgt Gary Jack, EANGA President (on the right), and TSgt Mike Martin, another EANGA member from the 162nd FW (on the left).