NGAUS

There is an old Willie Nelson song that has the recurring main melody of “Here we go again!” It is one of my favorites and seems to apply to the situation that NGAUS finds ourselves in again this year. I want to emphasize how grateful as an organization we are to the North Carolina National Guard and the conference committee that has put in so much work preparing for the NGAUS conference, they have done a tremendous job and have dealt with situations completely out of their control.

After the virtual conference last year and the discussion that the Board participated in at the last Board meeting, I think the overwhelming consensus is that it is critically important that the Guard family can come together and meet in person this year if at all possible. The limitations that are currently in place in North Carolina will prevent us from our normal gathering and activities. The North Carolina leadership is not optimistic about the environment changing dramatically in the next few months, just very difficult to predict. After in depth discussions with the Chairman and the guidance and priorities that were brought up during the Board discussion at the last meeting, we are making the decision to re-direct the conference location to an area that will be more permissive in terms of attendees and all the normal activities associated with the conference.

We are currently assessing several different options and hope to have a decision soon. I will be reaching out to some of the leadership in some of the states that would be good options. We think we have some good options but just need to sort out all the details and facilities. This is going to be quite the undertaking to re-direct at this point but not impossible and I just cannot emphasize how important I think it is that we come together in a face-to-face conference that will be a re-union of Guard Nation.

It is important to this Association and critically important to the 450,000 members of the National Guard we represent in the Halls of Congress here in Washington. I ask for your patience and understanding as we work through this, it will work out fine and the benefits of a robust and well attended conference will be achieved. More information will flow soon as the situation continues to develop.

The AFBA NGAUS Active Life Member Scholarship awards two $5,000 scholarships every July to Active Life members of NGAUS or dependents of Active Life members seeking an undergraduate, graduate or post graduate degree. The applicant must be a full-time student. The application period runs March 1 through June 1.

NGAUS and Grantham University will award two full graduate scholarships. One scholarship is for an active NGAUS member and current Guardsman who is a commissioned or warrant officer ranked O-5 and below. The second scholarship is for a spouse of an active member. Each scholarship is valued up to $14,200 and covers tuition costs, required textbooks, software and fees. Scholarship value depends on the degree selected and credit transferred. The application period will open June 3. The deadline to apply is Aug 3.

Established in 2015, Van Hipp donates 100% of the proceeds from his book, The New Terrorism: How to Fight It and Defeat It to the Van Hipp Fallen Heroes Scholarship Fund which will award scholarships to Guardsmen wounded in action in the War on Terror. This initiative is administered by the National Guard Educational Foundation. The application period is now open. Deadline to apply is July 1, 2021.

Since September 11, 2001, nearly 800 Guardsmen have made the ultimate sacrifice in support of the Global War on Terrorism. These heroes left behind more than 1,000 children. Established in 2011 and underwritten by Leonardo DRS, the Leonardo DRS Guardian Scholarship Fund provides college scholarships to the children of National Guardsmen who have been lost in service to our nation since 9/11. Over the past decade, NGEF has awarded 88 scholarships to students through the Leonardo DRS Guardian Scholarship Fund. The application period is now open. Deadline to apply is June 30, 2021.