President's Message

By: Frank T. Church
2nd Quarter, 2024

It is said that the only constant in life is change. Our age brings change to our bodies and our minds. It brings change to our family life and social interactions. Change is brought by world, national and regional events. The war we were placed in during our youth, whether by our own choice or that of our government of that time, changed us forever. We came home a changed person and had to adapt to a changed world. Some of us were able to resume our lives as we had originally planned but most of us had a very difficult period of adjustment. Some of us are still not there. Change is unavoidable and the acceptance of it is difficult but we must to survive.

Any Trooper we lose saddens us and each one will have an impact on the organization and the ones who were close to them. When we lose part of our leadership team it can leave a huge gap in the functioning of the 11ACVVC. Most changes are created by unexpected events, and we must react to them. If we can anticipate a loss by an officer choosing not to seek reelection or their health deteriates to the point of not being able to serve we can act proactively and minimize the impact.

Our organization started with a very small group and grew. With that growth came necessary changes because of that growth, and we adapted. That adaptation required us to take steps to conform to the rules and norms that applied to a formal nonprofit military organization. The rapid increase in membership required us to seek larger venues to hold our reunions. For a few years we held reunions in a city of a trooper who volunteered to organize it. That soon became too much for one person to handle and was beginning to cost more than it should. We had to modify our approach and went to a professional organization to help with selecting reunion sites and prices, that was very successful, so successful we still use them. It was a very positive change. Our reunion attendance grew and attracted a thousand troopers and their families regularly. With our larger numbers we could secure a site in any city we chose and got very affordable pricing.

About 5 years ago the rate of our decrease in numbers was becoming very apparent. The 11th ACVVC Officers began to consider how to cope with that. We had a basic plan on how to make changes to adjust. Then the biggest change in our lives came with Covid. We lost many members because of that. Our membership numbers declined at an even more rapid rate. Our reunion attendance plummeted. So, we had to rethink our long-range plans. Post Covid came with a huge increase in costs of everything. We were not immune to that and again we had to adjust.

It is the responsibility of the Officers of the 11thACVVC to manage the organization and they willingly accept this. We do not have the need for a large hotel nor can our members absorb the cost that comes with them. We do not have the bargaining power that we once had. We send out requests for proposals to all those favorite big name and glamorous cities we have gone to in the past but our opportunities with them are very limited or not there at all. This is one of those changes our membership, and officers, are having difficulty in adjusting to.

Change does not have to be a bad thing. There are many smaller cities that are very much interested in hosting our reunions. They do not have the allure of larger cities but can provide a very comfortable and affordable site. Grand Rapids is one example and I believe Omaha will also be rated on the same scale.

Our reunion requirements and the management of the 11th ACVVC will continue to change but what will never change is our desire to meet every year with our buddies we served with in Vietnam and the new friends we make at the reunions. That is the constant behind the decisions we make for the organization. We may not always get it perfect but together we can make the impact of change easier for all of us.

"We were, we are, and will always be “Blackhorse Troopers”!

Frank