< Previouswww.ausa.org10 AUSA Extra | August 17, 2023 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Awards From Page 9 troop battalion at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center. “This family makes a difference every single day in the lives of every- one they meet,” Nancy Patterson of AUSA’s Central Texas chapter wrote in a letter nominating the family. “As parents, they have taught their chil- dren the importance of selfl ess ser- vice, working together as a team, as- sisting those who might need a little pick-me-up.” In the past year, the Shipley fam- ily logged more than 1,000 hours supporting several events and orga- nizations, including more than 560 hours supporting the troop battal- ion’s Soldier and Family Readiness Group in serving a unit with more than 600 soldiers and a hospital that employs more than 2,000 Army civil- ians and their families. They were instrumental in events celebrating Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiv- ing and Christmas, and they helped coordinate an end of summer bash. The Shipleys also spent more than 360 hours volunteering at and sup- porting events at Memorial Chris- tian Academy. They also volunteered at Memorial Baptist Church, the Killeen Food Bank and Garden of Hope, a shelter for children entering the foster care system. “They are the embodiment of giv- ing from the heart, and their excep- tional level of community involve- ment stands as an example for others to emulate,” Patterson wrote. “They have and continue to touch the lives of many. Their seemingly boundless energy and genuine desire and de- termination to make a difference is truly inspiring.” National Service Award AUSA is honored to present its National Service Award to Veterans United Home Loans, which works to help veterans and military families become homeowners. In the past 20 years, the company has closed over 500,000 VA loans and become the No. 1 VA lender for home- buyers in the nation, according to its website. The Veterans United Foun- dation, the company’s nonprofi t arm, has raised more than $50 million for veteran organizations, military fami- lies and local communities. “In both their highly successful business activities and in their far- ranging charitable work, Veterans United focuses on supporting sol- diers, veterans and their families,” retired Gen. Carter Ham, former AUSA president and CEO, wrote in a letter nominating the company for the award. One key to the company’s success is the “extraordinary effort” it makes to educate current and prospective homebuyers, from determining eligi- bility to taking ownership of a home. “Veterans United stands with their customers every step of the way,” Ham wrote. In addition to hiring veterans, Veterans United also is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of veterans and service members, Ham wrote. The foundation has provided more than $1 million in scholarships to disabled veterans and surviving spouses and children, and it works closely with organizations such as the Armed Forces YMCA, Homes for Our Troops and TAPS to support the military community. Overall, the foundation has do- nated more than $50 million to help the community, and Veterans United employees spend thousands of hours on weekends and evenings giving back, retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston, former AUSA vice president of NCO and Soldier Pro- grams, wrote in a nomination letter. “Veterans United is a unique orga- nization that serves as a role model for their business processes, work en- vironment, training programs, chari- table support and support of veterans and military families,” Preston wrote. Lt. Col. Robert ‘Jody’ Shipley, left, his wife Emily and two of their three children attend a Mommy and Child Superhero breakfast for Shipley’s battalion at Fort Cavazos, Texas. (COURTESY PHOTO)www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY August 17, 2023 | AUSA Extra 11 Retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dai- ley, AUSA’s vice president for NCO and Soldier Programs, speaks at a breakfast hosted by the association’s Fort Leonard Wood-Mid Missouri chapter. (AUSA PHOTO) Leaders from AUSA spend time with soldiers, local chapter E arlier this month, members of the Association of the U.S. Army’s NCO and Soldier Pro- grams and Family Readiness di- rectorates traveled to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, to provide support to the soldiers and families stationed there and participate in events host- ed by AUSA’s Fort Leonard Wood- Mid Missouri chapter. Fort Leonard Wood is home to the Army’s Maneuver Support Center of Excellence. Its mission is to develop competent lead- ers and warriors of character and drive change in the Army’s engineer, military police, protection services and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear branches. During our visit, the AUSA chap- ter had a full day of events sched- uled, starting with the monthly membership breakfast attended by chapter leaders and community part- ners. Brennon Willard, the chapter president, gave opening remarks and thanked the community partners for their tremendous support. After breakfast, we met with Com- mand Sgt. Maj. Jorge Arzabala, se- nior enlisted leader for the Maneu- ver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood. Arzabala orga- nized an NCO leader development forum with a group of more than 100 NCOs from across the Army who NCO & Soldier Programs were attending the post’s profession- al military education schools. I had the honor of serving as the guest speaker for the forum and used the time to share my top 10 leadership tips—a collection of lessons I learned throughout my 30-year Army career. I fielded several questions from the audience and gave them advice on how to be more effective leaders. One of the well-received pieces of advice I gave to the NCOs was num- ber 10: “Never forget that I am just a soldier, no better or worse than any other, but just one of them.” One of the attendees, Staff Sgt. Daniel Cut- shall, a drill sergeant with the 169th Engineer Battalion who is attending Fort Leonard Wood’s Senior Leader Course, said the reminder that NCOs are “just soldiers” was his favorite takeaway, adding that the leader development forum was “really mo- tivating.” When the forum ended, Arzabala escorted us to lunch, where we had the opportunity to talk with a small group of NCOs from across the in- stallation. After a windshield tour of Fort Leonard Wood, we headed to the USO on post for a special event—the opening of an Operation Deploy Your Dress shop at the facility. Opera- tion Deploy Your Dress, a longtime partner of AUSA, offers gently used dresses and accessories to service members and dependents. Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, com- manding general of the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood, provided re- marks at the event, noting that fami- lies are critical to mission readiness. “It is our job to pass on the time- honored traditions and introduce them to our military culture. We want spouses to attend our mili- tary balls and formals, but they are sometimes prohibited by the associ- ated costs,” Beck said. “The addition of an ODYD shop on Fort Leonard Wood will provide our service mem- bers who may otherwise not have the resources the unique opportunity to receive a formal gown at no cost.” AUSA’s NCO and Soldier Programs and Family Readiness teams would like to thank the Fort Leonard Wood- Mid Missouri chapter for an incredi- ble visit and—more importantly—for all it continues to do for our soldiers and families at the installation and in the community. Retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey is AUSA’s vice president for NCO and Soldier Programs and was the 15th sergeant major of the Army. Retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey addresses an NCO leader development forum at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. (AUSA PHOTO)www.ausa.org12 AUSA Extra | August 17, 2023 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Chapter presidents learn about new AUSA initiatives and discuss best practices at a workshop during the 2022 AUSA Annual Meeting. (AUSA PHOTO) AUSA recognizes this year’s most successful chapters T he Association of the U.S. Army has named its Best Chapter winners for 2023 based on their achievements and suc- cess in growing membership, hosting events, raising money for scholar- ships and other programs, and sup- porting Army units and recruiters. The awards will be presented dur- ing AUSA’s Annual Meeting and Ex- position Oct. 9–11 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. “In my first year as director of membership, I have been impressed with and inspired by the energy our chapter leaders and members place into supporting our soldiers, family members and all those who strength- en our Army. These volunteers are the lifeblood of the association, and they work selflessly every day to ad- vance AUSA’s mission,” said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Troy Welch, who previously served as the AUSA’s di- rector of NCO and Soldier Programs. The Best Chapter awards are cal- culated in six groups, with five based on chapter size and one for the best overseas chapter. • The George Washington chapter at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, and the Redstone-Hunts- ville chapter in Alabama are Best Chapters among groups with more than 1,000 members. • The North Texas-Audie Murphy chapter in Dallas is Best Chapter for those with 550 to 999 members. • The Texas Capital Area chap- ter in Austin and the Fort Leonard Wood-Mid Missouri chapter are Best Chapters for groups with 350 to 599 members. • The Major Samuel Woodfill chap- ter in Cincinnati is Best Chapter for those with 200 to 349 members. • The National Training Center- High Desert chapter at Fort Irwin, California, and the Puerto Rico Chapter at Fort Buchanan are Best Chapters for groups with fewer than 200 members. • The Best Overseas Chapter is the Gen. Creighton W. Abrams chap- ter in Wiesbaden, Germany. The rankings result from a review of activities reports from AUSA’s 121 chapters, looking at achievements including membership growth across all categories, meetings and events, scholarship programs, support for local military units and recruiters, and engaging local politicians about AUSA priorities. The overall level of achievement was high, as 106 chapters were des- ignated as Star Chapters for increas- ing their membership over the oper- ating year, 23 had events for ROTC, 61 held events for Army families, 55 supported recruiters, 64 sponsored professional development programs, 35 had events to honor Vietnam vet- erans and 33 hosted young profes- sionals events. AUSA also announced that 21 chapters achieved Chapter of Excel- lence status, 35 chapters qualified as Superior Chapters and 70 achieved Merit Chapter distinction. “Throughout the year, our chapters have faced a variety of challenges and met them all with aplomb. They constantly go above and beyond to support soldiers, families and their local communities,” said Angelina Flores, AUSA’s director of chapter and region support. “I am proud to work with our members in their ef- forts to give back to those who serve and defend our nation.” This year’s Best Chapter awards will be presented during AUSA’s Annual Meeting and Exposition Oct. 9–11 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Wash- ington, D.C. (AUSA PHOTO)Next >