The Association of the United States Army AUSA St. Louis Gateway Chapter

Gateway Today

The Association of the United States Army AUSA St. Louis Gateway Chapter

8007Chivvis Drive, St. Louis, MO 63123

| (314) 544-7196

Spring 2015

The President’s CornerSpring 2015

Voice for the Army – Support for the Soldier. That’s what the AUSA stands for. The soldier is the person who runs towards the chaos instead of away from it and has written a blank check made out to Uncle Sam that’s payable up to, and including his or her life. We cannot share a foxhole with the soldiers standing in harm’s way but we can help support the soldiers, veterans and their families. The St. Louis Gateway Chapter of the AUSA takes this responsibility very seriously and we do it, not because we have to, but because it’s what we believe in.

As it appears that warmer weather is finally arriving in the Midwest, we hope to invite the groundhog to be the honored guest at a barbeque and once he hears the sizzle of meat on the grill, he might think twice about showing his furry face again next year. That’s the St. Louis way…if we can’t deep fry it, we throw it on the coals.

Finishing up the first quarter of the year, we look towards the great events that we have coming up to support soldiers, veterans and their families including the Annual Leadership Awards Ceremony on Sunday, April 26th this year. At our yearly event, we recognize the Soldiers of the Year from 28 commands in our territory which stretches from the eastern half of Missouri to north of Springfield, Illinois and give them a cash award and a certificate from the AUSA. We also give scholarships to soldiers in uniform, children of veterans and children of defense workers. In addition to these annual awards, our chapter is involved in other activities to support veterans and we have a lot of fun each year by feeding and entertaining over 1200 troops, veterans and their families with a tail gate party for Military Appreciation Day at Busch Stadium.

I would like to challenge every member of our chapter to get involved in what we do as it makes a big difference to our brothers and sisters in arms and those that have served. How can you help? It’s very simple, volunteer to give us a hand at one of our events such as Military Appreciation Day each fall or make a tax deductible donation to help support one or more of our events. The AUSA is a recognized and registered 501(c)(3) organization and 100% of your money goes straight to where you intended it…supporting the soldiers. Whether you plan to attend the Leadership Awards Ceremony or not, please consider making a small contribution to help us continue our efforts and even grow our ability to help. You can even send it in with your reservation or use the envelope to get your contribution to us.

Thank you for your support, your membership in the AUSA and for your consideration. We hope to see you at our events! Voice for the Army – Support for the Soldier.

Upcoming Chapter Events

Annual Leadership Awards Ceremony April 26, 2015 Four Seasons Hotel, St. Louis, MO

AUSA 2015 Golf Tournament June 8, 2015 Sunset Country Club, St. Louis, MO

Military Appreciation Day at Busch Stadium (Date to be determined)

Gateway Chapter membership meets at Scott Air Force Base

The general membership of the St. Louis Gateway Chapter met at the Scott Club at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois on November 12, 2014 to hear Colonel David Gaffney, the Deputy Commander of the U. S. Army Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) talk about the command’s mission. Also speaking at the luncheon meeting was out going Chapter President Doug Stuart who is taking over his duties as the President of AUSA Region V. Doug reviewed the activities and accomplishments of this organization during the past year.

The meeting was followed by an election of chapter officers for a two year term. The new president is Brett Cox who has served on the board of directors for several years. LTC (Ret) Michael Bamber is the new Vice President for Membership and Peter Mason assumes the position of Vice President or Programs.

In January 2015, the Chapter Secretary LTC (Ret) Jaime Torres resigned to assume the Chairman for the Hispanic Leaders Group of Greater St. Louis. The new Secretary is Mollie Thompson who serves as the organizer of our Annual Golf Tournament.