V O L U M E I S S U E 3

ENLISTED ASSOCIATION NATIONAL GUARD OF ARIZONA

The Desert Chronicle

Message from EANGA President 1SG Bernardo Acosta
As I write this message, were going through some uncertain times with the ongoing government shutdown and looming deadline for the debt ceiling. Im hopeful that it will come to an end soon. Through it all, the Enlisted Association has been keeping a close eye on events as they unfold and have been involved in the initiation of bills to address some of the unintended consequences of the shutdown. We have you and your family in mind as we support bills to stop the furloughs and retain our benefits. Please see more information on this subject in our Legislative Update on page 3. Most importantly, let's make sure we are all keeping an eye on our Battle Buddies and Wingmen. Financial stress caused by this shutdown can have a profound effect on our fellow guard members. In some cases, drill checks are the only stable income many members have and for the mil techs, that paycheck may be their familys sole income. While we continue to monitor those issues on the national level, your state association (EANGA) has a lot of events coming up in our future. I hope you will join us for our annual Holiday Party and Membership Appreciation Night which will be held on Thursday evening, December 5th at the 161st ARW Dining Facility, Sky Harbor ANG Base. Additionally, we will be working very closely with our Senior Enlisted Leaders as we host the Arizona Army & Air National Guard Awards Banquet on March 22, 2014, at the Arizona Grand Resort. For the first time, this will be a joint celebration recognizing the most outstanding AZNG Soldiers and Airmen of the Year. The spring will also bring plans for our annual State Conference...stay tuned for more info! And finally, the biggest event on our calendar is coming up on August 10-14, 2014. We are already in full gear as we get ready to host the 2014 EANGUS National

FALL 2013

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

EANGUS Conference Report The big reveal . Legislative Update Seeking volunteers Member Spotlight CSM Higgins Membership Special

12 2 3 3 3

Conference which will be held in downtown Phoenix. This edition of our newsletter contains some information about the conference and well be reaching out to you throughout the year to provide additional info as we draw even closer to the big event. I hope you will join us and participate.we have a great core team but your association needs your support and involvement to make these events successful. Please join us to make this upcoming year a memorable and successful one. Finally, is your EANGUS membership current or do you know unit members who are not members? Being a member and making your opinion count is more important than ever. See info on page 4 about a special discounted membership rate were offering thru the end of the year. Thanks for your support! 1SG Ben Acosta

Custom OCC 5 Motorcycle

2013 EANGUS NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Twenty-one Arizona enlisted members, spouses and significant others attended the 2103 national conference held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from August 18-21, 2013. The South Dakota Association did a great job from start to finish. They kicked off the opening ceremony with the posting of a US Flag that had been flown over Mount Rushmore and then run in a relay across the state by SD Soldiers and Airmen, ending at the Veterans Memorial Park just in time for the ceremony. Conference attendees thoroughly enjoyed the Welcome Night event at Falls Park as well as the All Area Hospitality event at the J&L Harley Davidson. Despite the cancellation of the Professional Development authorization shortly before the conference, there were over 900 attendees including EANGUS representatives from every State in the nation with the exception of Guam, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. EANGUS was honored to have General Frank Grass, Chief NGB as one of the featured speakers. General Grass presented a video titled... (story continued on page 2)

Arizona attendees at the 2013 All States Banquet

PAGE

2013 EANGUS National Conference (continued from page 1)

Voices of the Guard and he discussed the value and need for the National Guard to remain an operational force, noting that over 19,000 National Guardsmen are currently deployed worldwide. Other guest speakers included Congressman Tim Walz (MN); LTG Stanley Clarke, Director of the Air NG; LTG William Ingram, Director of the Army NG; and MG Stephen Danner, President of NGAUS. The EANGUS Junior Enlisted Committee also hosted a Senior Enlisted Panel which allowed junior enlisted personnel and other attendees to ask questions of the Senior Enlisted Advisor (SEA) for the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, CSM Mike Schultz; SEA to the Dir/ANG, CMSgt James Hotaling; and SEA to the Dir/ ARNG, CSM Brunk Conley. With the 2014 conference coming up in Phoenix, the AZ Association performed a right-seat-ride with the South Dakota Association. Led by our conference chair, MSgt EJ Causbie and Co-Chair/Operations Chair, CSM Sean Sojourner, we learned a lot about the behind-thescenes requirements for hosting a national conference. Our hardworking AZ Pre-Registration Team, consisting of TSgt Mary Thompson, Nicole Craig, SMSgt Martha Dominquez, SSG Mary Gonzales, and SGT Bruiguir Begay, pre-registered approximately 400 attendees for the 2014 conference. Other Arizonans manned our fund -raising booth where we sold shirts, hats, computer bags, and raffle tickets for the custom OCC motorcycle. We were also very happy to have State CSM Pamela Higgins on site and participating in the many committee meetings and business sessions. We are also proud to report that Arizona continues to be active at the national level. In addition to being our 2014 Conference Chair, MSgt Causbie serves as the EANGUS Resolutions Chair. This is one of the most important and busiest EANGUS committees since most legislative activity starts there. CMSgt Dean Miller serves as the Rules & Credentials Committee Chair, and just stepped down as an Area VI Director after a 2year tour. CSM-R Karen Craig serves as the Area VI Chair and also brought home honors from the Publications Committee for the Desert Chronicle, which took 1st place in the non-commercial category. All in all, it was a successful conference and with your help, were hoping we can achieve the same success in 2014 when we bring the EANGUS Conference to Phoenix!

Photos above: Congressman Tim Walz (MN) speaks to EANGUS attendees. During the Area VI Caucus, CSM-R Karen Craig presented a certificate of appreciation to CMSgt-R Dean Miller for his service as Air Director for Area VI. Photos to the right: CSM-R Harry Hensell finds his name on the Scroll of EANGUS Pioneers and Founders. State CSM Higgins and AZ attendees gather around the custom OCC motorcycle and the #88 NASCAR display. 2014 Conference Chair, EJ Causbie and the SWTDT team are pictured with the custom motorcycle to be raffled off during the 2014 EANGUS National Conference.

Roll Call.the big reveal !

As tradition dictates, each State attending the EANGUS National Conference gets 60 seconds during the Roll Call of the States to show their state pride and announce that they are present.except when you are a future host of the conference. This year in Sioux Falls, EANGA had 15 minutes to show our ARIZONA pride, and welcome and encourage EANGUS members to come to Phoenix in 2014. Our presentation, given by Conference Chair EJ Causbie, included memories of the last time AZ hosted the conference in 1979, talk of cowboys, red-rock buttes, cactus, the Hyatt Regency and downtown Phoenix, as well as our more than 300 days of sunshine.to which we all explained, Its a dry heat! After showing a short Arizona video, Chair Causbie encouraged attendees to stay longer and enticed them with thoughts of cool mountain air in the high country, the Grand Canyon, Old Tucson, Karchner Caverns and Tombstone, as well as golf, casinos, and D-Backs games. Just as everyone thought he was wrapping up the presentation, more AZ team members ran out in red shirts waving our AZ flags, with music blaring and the engine revving up, revealing for the first time, the custom motorcycle built by

Paul Senior of the famed Orange County Choppers. Driven onto the conference floor by Sean Williams, President of Southwest Truck Driver Training (a corporate partner and sponsor), this awesome bike will be going home with someone next year when we pull the winning raffle ticket. We wish to extend our sincere thanks to the SWTDT team (pictured above) who drove all the way to New York with Chair Causbie to pick up the bike and bring it to Sioux Falls and then home to AZ. They continue to be great supporters of the Enlisted Association! See the last page of this newsletter for all the specs on this OCC custom motorcycle, and info about tickets.

2014 Conference Slogan: Weve Got Your Back...in Arizona!

THE DESERT CHRONICLE

VOLUME ISSUE 3

Legislative Update - the shutdown continues...

interpret that law narrowly and furloughed hundreds of thousands of defense department employees. Subsequently, DoD issued new guidance and EANGUS is pleased that most of those furloughed DoD employees have returned to work. As you know, the Department of Defense is still canceling inactive-duty training (IDT) and we still have some of our Military Technician brothers and sisters furloughed. That is why last week EANGUS worked with Members of Congress to support H.R. 3241, the Pay Our Guardsmen and Civilian Defense Personnel Act. This bill would amend the Pay Our Military Act and ensure that there is funding for inactive reservists and IDT as well as removing the Secretary of Defenses determination as to what civilians he deems are providing support to members of the Armed Forces thereby clarifying that the law intended to fund all defense civilians and dual status military technicians.

PAGE

EANGUS, your voice on Capitol Hill, is continuing to monitor the government shutdown. For those who have been watching the news, you know this situation is still very much in flux. Last week EANGUS sent all members a list of resources that can be used to help navigate this shutdown. We encourage all members of EANGUS to review that list and use the resources that are available. As many of you may know, prior to the shutdown Congress passed, and the President signed, H.R. 3210 the Pay Our Military Act which was designed to pay the military and Department of Defense personnel throughout 2014 when other appropriated funds may not be in effect, such as during a government shutdown. It was Congress intent that the Pay Our Military Act would allow all DoD civilians, contractors, and military personnel to remain at work and receive a paycheck on time. However, DoD decided to

EANGUS also worked with the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs to introduce S. 1564, the Protecting Those Who Protected Us Act of 2013. That legislation will protect mandatory compensation and pension benefits for Veterans and their families. This legislation would also allow Veterans to continue to use their post-9/11 GI Bill and other VA education program benefits. Members can read EANGUS letters of support for both of these bills on the EANGUS Facebook page. Unfortunately, the United States Senate has yet to act on either H.R. 3241 or S. 1564. We are continuing to urge our members to call their Members of Congress to encourage them to pass H.R. 3241 and S. 1564 as well as to express your thoughts on the government shutdown and how it is affecting you a member of the National Guard. Please go to www.eangus.org for more info on how to contact your members of Congress on these vital issues.

Join our Team.Were looking for volunteers!

As you know, the 2014 EANGUS National Conference will be held in Phoenix. To put on a great conference for our attendees, we have formed a number of committees and EANGA is currently locking in the Committee Chairs and CoChairs based on the volunteers weve gotten so far. However, if you are interested in volunteering, its not too late...we still need volunteers, and hope you will join us! Committees being formed include: Admin, Facilities, Flight Operations, Ground Transportation, Fund-Raising, Band/ Honor Guard, Communications & AV, Medical, Operations, Protocol & VIP, Public Affairs, Registration, Security, and Special Events. If you have any of these special skills or are willing to help, let us know. Volunteering to work the conference on August 10-14, 2014 will also allow you free access to most of the conference events and will give you a birds-eye view of how your association works for you. Additionally, we are looking for individuals who have connections with corporations or businesses to assist us in securing sponsorships or getting goods or services donated for the conference. We are also open to additional fund-raising ideas. We have a plan, but were always open to your ideas. Want to volunteer? Have some ideas or questions? Contact our 2014 Conference Chair, MSgt EJ Causbie or Co-Chair, CSM Sean Sojourner at 2014Conference@eanga.org

Member Spotlight - CSM Pamela Higgins

The AZ Enlisted Association is proud to spotlight the newest Enlisted member of the Arizona Command Team Command Sergeant Major Pamela Higgins. She was selected as the 8th Command Sergeant Major for the Arizona Army NG in May 2013. CSM Higgins was born in Bismarck, ND and graduated from Harlowton High School in Montana. She joined the MT Army National Guard in January 1978 during her senior year in high school and became a 73C, Finance Specialist. As a civilian technician, she worked fulltime for the MT National Guard, as well as the NY National Guard before her interstate transfer to AZ. She held various jobs of increasing responsibility as a civilian technician to include her last position as the AZ State Family Programs Director. Her previous military assignments include Brigade CSM for the 158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade; Battalion CSM for the 158th CSSB (which includes a deployment to Afghanistan from Oct 2009 to Oct 2010); G-1 Sergeant Major; J-1 NCOIC for Operation Jump Start-Task Force Arizona Border Mission; Battalion CSM for the 158th QM Supply & Services Battalion; First Sergeant for Det 7, HQ State Area Medical Command; and the Finance Senior Operations Sergeant, 158th Finance Battalion. She also held the collateral duty of the JFHQ Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Program Manager for four years. CSM Higgins has received numerous military awards to include the Bronze Star. She is a 2003 graduate (Class 28) of the USA Sergeants Major Academy, and has a BS Degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. She resides in Gilbert, AZ with her husband Calvin; they have four grown children and four grandchildren. Regarding the Enlisted Association, CSM Higgins said, "I attended the EANGUS National Conference in Sioux Falls, SD this year and was simply amazed at the process. Every member of the Army and Air National Guard should be thankful that this professional organization is working very hard to represent the enlisted men, women, their families and retirees by making their voices heard on Capitol Hill. EANGUS fights hard for you on issues that may affect pay, benefits or retirement. Since Arizona is hosting the 2014 National Conference here in Phoenix, it would be great to see a strong representation from the enlisted force of Arizona!"

Enlisted Association National Guard of Arizona

5636 E. McDowell Road Phoenix, AZ 85008-3495
President: 1SG Bernardo Acosta president@eanga.org or bernardo.m.acosta@gmail.com Vice-President Army: CSM Sean Sojourner seansoj@yahoo.com Vice-President Air: MSgt Earl Causbie ejcause@hotmail.com Vice-President Junior Enlisted: TSgt Mary Thompson mkt1266@yahoo.com

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.
Legislative First. Membership Always!

Were on FaceBook! .Find information about EANGUS legislative actions, our activities, and other news Be a friend of EANGUS, as well as EANGUS AREA VI, and EANGA.

Were on the web! www.eangus.org

SAVE THE DATE:

EANGA Executive Board meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 1700 hrs; location alternates between Phoenix and Tucson with dial-in capability. Contact us! December 5, 2013, 1700hrs: Annual Holiday Party and Membership Appreciation Night, Phoenix Sky Harbor Dining Facility

January 17-19, 2014: EANGUS Area VI and VII Mid-Winter Conference, Vancouver, WA February 22, 2014: ARNG Retiree Appreciation Day, PPMR (rescheduled from Oct 26th) AZNG Outstanding Soldier & Airman Awards Banquet: March 22, 2014, Arizona Grand Resort, Phoenix

End of Year Discount Membership Special - Join or Renew before Dec 15th - Pay $15
Is your membership going to expire soon? Has it already lapsed, or do you know of other AZNG enlisted personnel who are not members of EANGUS? As President Acosta mentioned on page 1, once again, the US is at a crossroads and your livelihood and benefits for military personnel and our Veterans are in jeopardy. We encourage you to renew your membership or join the one professional military organization that works for you - EANGUS. To support you and make it easier to become a member, the AZ Enlisted Association has reduced the annual membership rate to just $15 from now thru Dec 15th a savings of $5. To take advantage of this opportunity, you can pay with a credit card at www.eangus.org or contact us at memberchair@eanga.org. We will send you an application that you can mail in with your payment. Additionally, if you want a chance to win a trip to Vancouver, WA, or $500 in cash, see the flyer to the right and contact me for more information about the Rocky Mountain Minuteman Recruiting Competition. The one person in Area VI that recruits the most new (or renewed) members for EANGUS will win!

MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNT UPDATES: Is your membership account up-todate? Are you receiving the New Patriot Magazine at your home address? Do you get the Minuteman Update emails? If not, log-on to www.eangus.org to update your record, or contact me! Karen Craig, CSM-R EANGA Membership Chair memberchair@eanga.org