The question to answer is, of course: What will you get out of this?
In an effort to let you all know what I'm doing over the next few years as I move through "The Chairs" of the National VFW leadership, we created this blog to let you see firsthand what's going on. This is going to be more than the usual Facebook snippet that I'm traveling to location X to have a productive meeting. That is nice to know, but doesn't give you any insight as to what's going on.
So, in that vein, we hope to give you that look behind the curtains. Along with that, you're going to get the mundane as well as the exciting because, after all, that's what life is really like. If I'm wowed by something going on when I visit a Post, you'll hear about it. If I'm stuck in an airport for hours because of flight delays, you might hear about that, too. It's all in a day's work.
To answer that question at the top, I want you to feel connected to a Chair Officer as I travel on your behalf spreading the good news of the VFW. This is just the beginning of three years representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars all over the world. Let that sink in. Representing a million plus organization of combat veterans in the never-ending quest for better veterans service, better veterans benefits, and better legislation! For anyone with a passion for doing what's right for veterans, THIS is the job to have.
Do I have things I'd like to see implemented in the future? Yes. Are there things I'd like to see change for the better? Yes. But, I'm mindful that this isn't about me. It's about our organization and the men and women who make it work on a daily basis. I can lay out my plans, but there are so many moving parts that at the end of the three years all I can really hope for is that I've moved the ball downfield and made it a little easier for those who will follow me.
The VFW is an institution. It will still be here when I'm long gone. If I'm fortunate to make a meaningful mark that's great. But a better legacy will be: He did his best FOR VETERANS.
