Vice President of Membership Report

We Are Stronger Together

By CDR Michael Short, USN and LCDR Bill Teal, USN

EVERY MEMBER COUNTS AND WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. With that said, I would like to recognize Trident Home Loans for sponsoring $3000.00 towards the 2021 Max Beep Membership Drive. It is almost a Catch 22. Sponsors support strong growing organizations. With their generous contribution NHA can strengthen our membership base and provide value to your membership and attract more sponsors. As I said in my prior article, HSM-75 was able to receive the first-place check of $1500.00 for 100% Ready Room NHA membership and their submission was received first. But here is the thing. They were the only squadron that submitted 100% Max Beep Spreadsheet. That meant that $1500.00 was not awarded to two other commands for submissions to the 2021 Max Beep. That $1,500 will role over into next year’s Max Beep.

Max Beep Results

We want to encourage Ready Rooms to experience NHA as a team. The NHA staff has earmarked $1,500.00 more to add to the rollover from 2021 to bring Max Beep back to $3,000.00 for 2022.

1st Place Prize = $1500.00 to your Ready Room

2nd Place Prize = $1000.00 to your Ready Room

3rd Place Prize = $500.00 to your Ready Room

Your NHA Rep needs to email the NHA office at membership@navalhelicopterassn.org to get the NHA Max Beep Form. Once instructions are followed, email back the form and your entry will be logged as submitted. Awards will be given to the FIRST three Ready Rooms with 100% membership. Tie Breaker will be number of enlisted members reported. Have your NHA Reps direct all questions to the email above. The Max Beep Window will open 21 February and go until 20 April. This is for all regions!

Wolfpack Max Beep Winners at the World Famous I-Bar

This is my farewell article. I am in the process of turning over with LCDR Bill "WYLD Bill" Teal. WYLD Bill has a lot of great ideas and has a passion for NHA. Cradle to grave support is his mantra. I know that with him at the stick, NHA will be just fine and will continue to grow. Hopefully with him working at Whiting Field we can strengthen our Nugget membership ranks.

I took on this role in June of 2019. We had just completed the first successful Symposium at Viejas Casino and Resort and was asked to step into a gapped role and help build our organization. I knew this was a big task. I say our organization because I heard a lot of JOs say that NHA was meant for O-4s and above. For career minded helo pilots…..lifers. Look at the way your career path is structured if you get out at the end of your MSR you should be an O-4, so that again means NHA is for everyone. Once you stand on that stage and pin on those Wings of Gold you will always be a part of Naval Helicopter history. You may choose to walk away after your MSR, or stay till they kick you out, but you will always be a rotor head.

I am proud of a few things that I helped push past the goal line. One is the establishment of the Lifetime Membership Program. I will always be a member of NHA and I will always be Lifetime Member #1. Today we have over 580 Lifetime Members. The program has members in every rank, officer and enlisted. Cradle to Grave!

Second is the Mentorship Portal. Value added to your membership. Old guys like me can list our past jobs and if you see a job, location, or even community that interests you, you are free to reach out and ask questions.

Last is a project I have not fully completed and that is a civilian job portal. Again, NHA members who have crossed the blue line can post the opportunities that they used or even opportunities that are available. Sooner or later, you must leave the canoe club. It may be at your MSR around the 10year mark or like me somewhere around the 28-year mark. I enlisted in 1995. In 1996, I became a Naval Aircrewmen and have enjoyed the Naval Helicopter community ever since. But I did not do it without help and mentors. When I hang up my flight suit for the last time, I will be reaching out to some of those mentors and I will be looking for guidance and help with the transition. We are stronger together………and every member counts! Hope to see you at the 2022 NHA Symposium.

Bill you have the controls.

Thanks Bus, I’m excited to be part of the team. I often tell new advanced helicopter students that they need to drop the “single seat mentality.” In rotary aviation, we work together as a crew. It is those efforts, everyone working together, that allow us to accomplish the mission. I look forward to working with our entire NHA Crew to grow our organization in size, strength and value. Until then, keep beating the air into submission.

Your coin: Don't go to the I-Bar without it

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