130 U.S. VETERANS MAGAZINE WWW.USVETERANSMAGAZINE.COM

PARTNERS

T

he San Antonio heat fueled the enthusiasm of Non Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA) members who gathered at the Hilton San Antonio Airport Hotel on July 19-22 for the 57th Annual NCOA Conference and Vanguard Awards Banquet. The Resolutions Committee, chaired by CMSgt (Ret.) Bonnie Cooper met on Tuesday afternoon to help set the Associations legislative course for the coming year. The Committee reviewed the Associations resolutions for relevance and continued need. NCOA's Director of Government Affairs, Levi Sadr, facilitated the meeting. The Opening Fiesta was a themed event complete with fiesta-themed dcor and the stirring music of Mariachi Azul, a highly-acclaimed mariachi band. New, uninitiated Rats competed in a fiesta-themed scavenger hunt, with Jason Chase and Jerry Bilbrey named Top Rats. Delegates donned their most comfortable party attire, mixed and mingled, competed in a variety of Auxiliary-hosted games, took advantage of the photo opportunity and enjoyed an abundance of fiesta-style fare - the perfect recipe for a night to remember! Accomplishing the business of the Association continued on Wednesday with the Opening Ceremony. NCOA President Paul Kingsbury welcomed the delegates, as did MG Juan Ayala, USMC (Ret.), San Antonios Director of Military and Veterans Affairs. Sadr, NCOA's Director of Government Affairs, briefed the delegates on the Associations legislative activities. As always, we are grateful to the Senior Enlisted Leadership Panel participants who took time from their busy schedules to attend the conference and update our delegates on what was happening in their respective services. Representing the Sergeant Major of the Army was CSM Todd W. Sims, Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army Forces Command; representing the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps was SgtMaj Carlos Ruiz, Marine Forces Reserve/Marine Forces South; representing the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy was FLTCM Del Terrell, Fleet Master Chief MPT&E/My NavyHR; representing the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force was CMSgt Erik Thompson, Command Master Chief, Air Education and Training Command; Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force CMSgt Roger Towberman; and, representing the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard was Master Chief Charlie Salls, Deputy Master Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Coast Guard. Moderating the panel was Mr. Scott McElroy. A new event on this years agenda was the Awards Luncheon. The prestigious C.A. Mack McKinney Award was presented to USAA; Mr. Richard Smith accepted the award. Small and Large Regional Chapters of the Year were recognized. NCOA's Military Vanguard recipients were presented with life memberships in the Association, and the Trailblazers Chapter donated NCOA ballcaps for each of the Vanguard recipients. Chairman of the Board Terry Haines presented the NCOA Chairmans Award to Vicky Hensley. NCOA's Executive Director Joe Terry presented Awards of Excellence to a number of individuals who have been instrumental in supporting the Association - Tammy Sullivan, Terry Haines, Jim Sullivan, Peggy Clark, Michael Grabow and Glenn Medeiros. The Awards Luncheon wrapped up with the traditional Parade of Checks. Thank you to the individuals and chapters that donated to support the Associations benevolent and membership development programs. Following the Awards Luncheon, delegates received an update on happenings around the Association. A highlight of the conference was the participation of Ms. Kristen Christy, Resilience

2022 Vanguard Award Recipients

COURTESY OF NCOA

NCOA 2022 Conference Recap