Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Highlights of my first trip to AUSA

When I was invited by LTG (ret) Don Jones, the AUSA 4th Region President, to join the Ft. Hood chapter at AUSA, I figured there is no better way to go than with the award-winning (Best Chapter 2009!) chapter from deep in the heart of Texas! They have recruited me from as far away as Salt Lake City. It was a great pleasure to meet General Casey, General Chiarelli, Sec. McHugh, and one of my role models, General Ann Dunwoody over the Materiel Command. It was also a very pleasant surprise to see MG Tony Cucolo who is deploying to Iraq in the next couple of weeks with the 3ID, since RMS is beginning a major project to help them document the Command and their 3ID proud history and I didn't think I'd be able to check in with him in person before they left...I have a VTC with them tomorrow in fact, to make sure they're good to go on their historical documentation that they will be collecting. They are up to their helmets with everything that has to get done, for sure.

Yesterday, General Casey spoke at the luncheon, detailing the priorities of the Army. Most civilians might be surprised to find out that "training and equipment" is actually the number 2 priority, not no. 1. The number one priority of the Army is to "sustain our Soldiers, their families and the Army Family Covenant" ...."to raise the mental fitness of our soldiers to the level of physical fitness" . I also spent some time with Army MWR folks who are assisting with the funding of the 3ID/ RMS flagship program for the Army, as well as MG Bergner, Chief of Army Public Affairs, and LTG Stulz, Chief of USAR. Very helpful to have everyone in one place!

It was a quick 2 days for me out in DC, but I met a whole lot of new friends, and I even committed to running the Army 10 miler next year....what was I thinking??

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I ran the Army Ten Miler this year. I didn't think I'd really do it when I signed up, but it was awesome! It's a beautiful run and the support along the route will keep you going.

Good luck! :)

The RMS Blog is dedicated to listing the top books, movies, events, locations, and employers that best remember the service of those who serve as part of the U.S. Military. We welcome your feedback on those lists, as well as our posts! To find out more about why RMS leads the way to help your Unit to preserve your history in a digital Military yearbook format, go to our website (RememberMyService.com) or email us for a free live demo: Info@RememberMyService.com. Thank you for your service!