Capt. Tim Stark, USNR, wasn’t considering joining another military group when he attended the 2003 U.S. Naval Institute Symposium in Virginia Beach, Va. Then he saw MOAA’s information booth. * Stark had joined MOAA as a life member only weeks earlier, so he went over to meet the officers at the booth. They were members of the Hampton Roads (Va.) Chapter, and they were recruiting. * One member, Capt. Ray Hart, USN-Ret., began talking to Stark. He learned the drilling reservist had two college-age children, an active career, and served part-time as a Navy Blue and Gold officer, presenting area high school students with appointments to the U.S. Naval Academy.

The chapter needed help running its ROTC and Junior ROTC (JROTC) outreach program, and Hart realized he could match the chapter’s needs with Stark’s interests. So, he gave him his best sales pitch.

“The next thing I know, I’m a local chapter member and chairing the community relations committee,” says Stark.

Now in his third year as committee chair, Stark presents certificates and MOAA medals to the outstanding cadets in each of the seven JROTC and three ROTC units the chapter supports. He also presents a $500 check from the chapter to officials who run a local JROTC drill meet each year.

Stark says he’s glad he joined the chapter because it’s given him another outlet for helping young people. Currently, he’s working with another member of the chapter’s board of directors to reach out to active duty and National Guard and Reserve servicemembers and get them involved in the chapter.

“I still think there are a lot of people who don’t know MOAA is not just for retirees anymore,” says Stark.

Changing perceptions

Forty-one percent of the officers who joined national MOAA in 2004 hailed from active duty or reserve components. Some MOAA chapter leaders are making an effort to welcome these new MOAA members into the fold.

The Hampton Roads (Va.) Chapter, for example, matches prospective members’ interests with existing chapter programs. The chapter also added a Job Exchange program to increase its appeal to younger members.

“Our attitude is sign ’em up and keep ’em interested,” says Hart, who now is chapter president. “You have to have some activities geared toward this younger group so their membership has value.”

In addition, chapter members are trying to bring more younger officers into the association by distributing information about MOAA and the chapter at events such as the U.S. Naval Institute Symposium, which is attended by hundreds of active duty and Guard and Reserve servicemembers. Currently, members are planning to adopt an active duty squadron at nearby Naval Station Oceana so they can reach out to officers of all ranks.

According to Membership Chair Col. James Smith, USA-Ret., the 733-member chapter is gaining ground slowly but surely. In 2001, 2.6 percent of the chapter’s members were active duty and Guard and Reserve servicemembers. By 2004, that number had increased to 8.6 percent.

Help at home

Activated reservist and Pikes Peak (Colo.) Chapter President Col. Nanette Mueller, USAR, who is a member of two other military organizations, joined the chapter in 2001 and immediately began serving on its board of directors.

“I knew I needed to get involved in a community program, and I liked the idea that this was both community and military related,” says Mueller.

The Pikes Peak Chapter offers a variety of programs that help both members and the community. The 2,575-member chapter supports several JROTC and ROTC units and has its own personal affairs program, medical benefits advisor, singles club, and investment club.

Members interested in giving back to the community can join the chapter’s Paint and Hammer Gang, which does repair work for needy seniors and low-income homeowners in the area. The chapter also is one of the sponsors of The Home Front Cares, a nonprofit organization that helps the families of area servicemembers who are deployed in harm’s way. In addition, the chapter’s officer placement program is considered to be one of the area’s premiere job-networking groups.

Although Mueller has a demanding career, she’s committed to helping the Pikes Peak Chapter grow by increasing membership participation and initiating more community service projects. She also plans to reach out to currently serving members by adding several junior vice president positions on the chapter’s board of directors, which will be filled by lower-ranking officers from each service branch. In addition, Mueller plans to have members present second lieutenant bars to ROTC cadets graduating from area colleges and universities. This outreach effort would include the nearly 1,200 airmen who graduate from the nearby U.S. Air Force Academy each year.
 
Recently, Mueller formed a group that’s looking for ways to increase active duty and Guard and Reserve participation. One member of that group, Lt. Col. Willis Magee, ANG, currently is helping organize a golf tournament for members.

A voice in politics

Maj. Timothy Hossack, USA, joined the Southwest Oklahoma Chapter in July 2004 after learning its members were working to exempt military retired pay from state income tax. Hossack and his wife are stationed at Fort Sill, Okla., and they plan to retire in the area within the next three years.

“When I went to the first chapter meeting, I heard members talking about what they could do to influence the local economy, and I was impressed,” he says. “I wanted to join in and help make a difference.”

Now a member of the chapter’s board of directors, Hossack is trying to involve other active duty servicemembers. He’s enlisted several members who are considering retiring in Oklahoma. Currently, Oklahoma exempts $5,500 of military retired pay from state income tax. Hossack figures he’ll lose approximately $500 a month in military retired pay unless the state income tax law is changed.

“My starting line when I’m recruiting someone is, ‘If you want to avoid paying $500 a month, give me $15,’ ” he says. “When they ask me what they’re going to get for their $15, I tell them that’s how much it costs to join the chapter, and we’re working to exempt military retirement from state income tax.”

The chapter’s long-term goal is to exempt 100 percent of military retired pay from state income tax, but its short-term goal is to increase the amount exempted to $11,000. Members’ lobbying efforts are working; the state legislature is considering exempting as much as 50 percent of military retirement pay from state income tax. Many chapter members wield political clout at both the local and state levels. The mayor of nearby Lawton, Okla., and several former post commanders are members. Representatives from the state legislature also visit frequently.

Hossack says he’s been able to participate in the chapter because meetings are held at the officers’ club at Fort Sill and never last more than 45 minutes. He also likes that the chapter is issue-oriented, “because that’s the way you get things done.”

President Maj. Gen. Toney Stricklin, USA-Ret., says the chapter has managed to strike a balance between its retired members and those who are on active duty or serve in the Guard or Reserve.

This balance was achieved early on when an active duty servicemember and three retired officers formed the chapter in 2001. Today, the Southwest Oklahoma Chapter is the largest MOAA chapter in the state, and active duty and Guard and Reserve servicemembers account for 20 percent of the chapter’s 243 members.

“We’ve been very successful in telling our active duty members, as well as our Guard and Reserve friends, about the benefits of being a member and why it’s important to join,” says Stricklin.

Say aloha to new members

Both MOAA chapters in Hawaii are welcoming active duty and Guard and Reserve members into their ranks. Last year, the Hawaii Chapter added a new leadership position—third vice president—that always will be filled by one of these members.

Cmdr. Sam Tate, USN, is the first active duty servicemember to serve as third vice president. Tate, the commanding officer of the Naval Reserve Center in Honolulu, is using the chapter as a networking resource so he can better assist the state’s 640 naval reservists. He’s also distributing information to drilling reservists to get more of his peers involved with MOAA.

Second Vice President Lt. Col. Bill Quirk, USA, also an active duty servicemember, is working to develop meeting programs that appeal to both existing and new chapter members. Quirk says he’s had no trouble finding common ground with some of the chapter’s retired members.

“One time, my wife and I went to a dinner meeting, and we were sitting next to a retired Navy captain and his wife who were in their early 70s,” he says. “They were running marathons and traveling all over the world, which I thought was very impressive. [Those are] the kind of people I like to be around.”

Tate and Quirk say they’re impressed by the breadth of programs and services offered by the Hawaii Chapter. The chapter’s The User Group (TUG) is one of the oldest computer users groups in Hawaii. Committees such as the Legislative Affairs and Veterans Affairs (LAVA) Committee work to protect members’ interests, while the Personal Affairs Committee assists members having trouble navigating the military’s benefits system. The chapter adopted an Army platoon in Iraq this past year, and members support numerous JROTC and ROTC units.

Members of the Aloha Chapter also are reaching out to active duty members, such as Capt. Dell Epperson, USN. Although Epperson joined national MOAA many years ago, he didn’t join a local chapter until 2004.

“We hadn’t been living in Hawaii long when I received a call from the Aloha Chapter’s then-Chairman of the Board of Directors Gen. Allen Ono, [USA-Ret.],” says Epperson. “He said, ‘We’re looking for active duty people, would you be interested in joining?’ ”

Epperson not only accepted the invitation, he agreed to serve on the chapter’s board of directors. This year, he chairs the chapter’s publications and public relations committee.

Something for everyone

Although Epperson was aware of the many benefits of being a national MOAA member, he was surprised to find out just how many services and issues his chapter was tackling at the local level. For example, the chapter currently is working to preserve the statute that exempts military retired pay from state income tax—something that likely will become more difficult as the number of retirees in Hawaii increases. He also gives the chapter’s new scholarship program high marks.

“When they look at scholarships, [people] normally think of the kids and grandkids of members,” says Epperson. “I’m pleased that the chapter opened it up and not just included those groups, but also those who are on active duty and who are seeking to further their education, as well as their spouses.

“For years and years, the association was called [The Retired Officers Association] for a reason,” says Epperson. “Then the name changed for all the right reasons, I think. What we’ve got to do now is a better job [of telling people] what the advantages are of joining for members who are still on active duty.”