HowgozitMay 22, 2007

Memorandum from VADM Dunn, Interim President, ANA

This is a sixth howgozit for all ANA Wing Commanders and ANA Squadron Commanding Officers and Membership-At-Large. It would be much appreciated were you to pass this on to all your members.

The election is over and your new ANA now has well-known board of directors. In just a few days the new board will have elected a chairman and a president and appointed an executive director and secretary/treasurer. We will issue a special report when those actions have been completed.

Subsequent to the posting of the ballot for directors in the Spring 2007 Wings of Gold several of you have pointed out that everyone on the slate was a "Tailhooker." Where was representation from other aviation communities? Those of us who were on the re-organization team were and are very sensitive to this. On the other hand, it was necessary that the board be made up of well-known Naval Aviators with the broadest experiences available in order to show the active Navy and others that the new ANA was serious about supporting the Navy. (Recall how the active Navy had drifted apart from the former ANA). Besides, by definition, four-star officers have left their parochial pasts behind and work for the good of the entire Navy, not just one or two communities. Unfortunately, there are no four-star VP, helo, EW or Reserve flag officers.

An included reason for four-stars is that we will expect them to persuade the executives of companies where they work or where they sit on boards to advertise in Wings of Gold and participate in the ANA-sponsored Naval Aviation Industrial Council (NAIC). By and large, retired three-stars and below don't have those same connections.

This lack of representation will be remedied, however. As soon as the new ANA officers are certified, a President's Advisory Council will be formed. The makeup will be one or more reps each from our various Naval Aviation communities. As the name implies, this will be the body that will communicate the various voices of ANA to ANA headquarters and on to the active Navy. The board of directors will necessarily devote itself to higher level executive and fiduciary matters; the Action Committee will be where the action's at. Like the board of directors, we will be looking for dedicated, experienced and well-regarded people to sign up. If you're interested or have recommendations, please feedback.

As for the status of our new ANA, in addition to gaining active Navy support, we continue to show progress in other areas. Slowly, slowly, we ease further into the black on the budget. This is largely because of the generosity of many of our members but we can't survive that way. What we need is more memberships, both individual and corporate. Last month I reported that membership renewals were approaching 70%, but then last month renewals slipped to 68%. More importantly we recruited only 23 new members, down from 43 the month before, and corporate recruiting is still way behind the power curve. We do need your help.

On the other hand, while ANA recruiting may not yet be what we hope, several squadrons are responding like Gangbusters. Reading reports of the way some have shown the way and others have come to life is encouraging and eye watering. Look to the next issue of Wing of Gold for those stories, and add your story to theirs, if you dare.

Back to generosity for a moment, Admiral Jim Holloway's offer of an autographed copy of his recently published book, "Aircraft Carriers at War," is still on the table. Donate $100 or more to ANA and a copy is on its way to you. In it you'll read of surface combat at Leyte Gulf, air combat in Korea, carrier command in the Gulf of Tonkin, task force commander in the Mediterranean facing down the Soviet Med Fleet, Commander Seventh Fleet aboard a cruiser involving close-in surface action in Haiphong Harbor just at the end of the Vietnam War and an eyewitness account of a hands-on participant inside the JCS Tank in the Pentagon and the NSC Situation Room in the White House. This is not only a collector's item and a good read but a purchase will help your ANA besides.

Several of you have asked about the status of your Life Memberships. Even though the association no longer offers Life Memberships, rest assured that anyone who was a Life Member (or Charter Member) in the previous ANA remains a Life Member in the current one.

Others have asked about ANA working with other aviation oriented associations. The answer is a resounding, "Yes!" We have plans to reach out to all of them and I started the process with a meeting with the President of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation in Pensacola earlier this month. Several areas of cooperation were discussed and are presently being considered. I'll keep you posted.

By way of particularly good news, I met with VADM Dave Venlet, Commander Naval Air Systems Command, the other day and he's not only an ANA member but foursquare behind active Navy participation in ANA. Other senior Naval Aviators are returning to the fold. With all that support, I really feel we're on a roll.

Following on to that good news, consider that one of the most stirring events at the Pensacola symposium was a panel of junior officers who had just returned from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Six young Naval Aviators, three Navy and three Marine, four carrier pilots and two helo pilots, described their combat experiences as drawn out by the panel moderator, ANA member RADM Fred Lewis. Stories of six and seven hour missions in single seat aircraft, last minute rendezvous with airborne tankers, emergency support of special forces and Marines and soldiers on the ground and flying through small arms fire as thick as hail on a Kansas prairie and even a few instances of Dilbert-like conduct held rapt the audience of flight students and old fuds alike.

A recent news release tells some of their story from a different perspective. "In Afghanistan, U.S. Navy F/A-18C Hornets dropped GBUs on insurgent targets in Shurakian. Other F-18s dropped GBUs on insurgents in Oruzgan and yet other F-18s dropped multiple GBUs on buildings occupied by insurgents after Coalition forces received small arms fire. In all cases the JTACs (the people on the ground) confirmed successful target impacts and in the latter instance the strikes were key to the survival of friendly forces."

While aircraft and weapons systems may have changed I can report that these young people were bright, interesting and made one proud to be an American and even prouder that they reflect such credit on all those who wear the wings of gold. They and their brother and sister aviators and their support people of all ranks and specialties are who we in the ANA strive to support. Perhaps your squadron could see its way clear to honoring some of them in person from time to time. Perhaps also, you could reach out and recruit others to that good purpose. We do need your help.

Finally, two reminders: Midway Anniversary early in June and the Tailhook Convention in Reno September 6-9.

Have a great Memorial Day holiday and all the best, Bob Dunn.