President's Message
Greetings all. I have not had the opportunity to thank all for your vote of confidence by electing me as your new Florida State Council President. I will work hard to gain your trust and support. I also would like to congratulate our new FSC officers and appointed Committee members on their successful election and appointment. They will be the face and future of our VVA Florida State Council for the next few years. I encourage all our membership to support and work with them as the need arises.
As your new President, it is important that I share some things you may not know about me. I have a different leadership style than my predecessor. I served twenty years in the U.S. Navy and retired as a Chief Petty Officer (E-7). I have two combat tours in Vietnam, one onboard the U.S.S Maddox DD-731 and the second with Task Force 117, Mobile Riverine Force, River Assault Division 112, Mekong Delta, RVN. I am a proud awardee of the Navy Combat Action Ribbon. I have encouraged our new officers to develop the concept of working as a team. I look at our 5,000 plus membership as a team and hope we can all work together as such.
I firmly believe in transparency and sharing information.
I firmly believe in the military concept of training the person below me. It is my duty to prepare our 1st Vice President to stand in for me when needed.
In the past, we have had some members become disruptive during our meetings. It will be our policy to have disruptive behavior removed from the meeting.
In cases where conduct or trustworthiness violations occur, I will attempt to keep everything at its lowest level. I do not enjoy airing dirty laundry outside FSC.
When an issue causes lengthy discussion and debate, I will encourage it to be discussed further during a “sidebar’’.
Our Parliamentarian will have the final say on opposing discussions when it involves the VVA Constitution, By-laws and Election procedures.
I firmly believe we should not waste time and effort rebuilding the wheel. If it works, leave it alone.
I encourage every Chapter President to recognize those who work hard for our organizations. They deserve the “pat on the back’’ by their leadership.
I strongly support our AVVA and encourage all VVA Chapters to have an AVVA Chapter Representative. Did you know it only takes one AVVA member to form a Chapter? VVA members are encouraged to join the AVVA as dual members.
I look forward to working with our team of veterans. When at speaking engagements I tell the audience “Nothing makes me more humbled, honored and prouder than to walk into a room full of veterans’’. When I was new to the VVA I asked the State President why we did not have a uniform like all of the other veteran organizations. His response surprised me but left me with a guide to follow from that day forward. The President thought for a moment and in his deep Southern accent replied, “because we’re different’’. Those three words resonated with me and gave me the courage to face adversity, make change when needed and work closely with Incarcerated veterans. To me, this was the “green light’’ to go forward with the mission and values of our organization. No member will ever be in trouble for trying. I must caution that I don’t like surprises, so keep me advised when you get into gray areas. It’s easier for two people to solve a problem than just one.
Build membership by never leaving another veteran behind.
Gary Newman, FSC President
