COMMANDER'S CORNER
Michael Hert, DAV Wisconsin Commander
All Roads Lead to 2019 Fall Conference
I truly love this time of year in the Badger State. The air is crisp, the Wisconsin landscape is bathed in the bold autumn color
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plus the football season is in full swing. As a DAV member, fall represents that time of year when phenomenal training will occur at our Annual Conference which will be held October 10-12 at the Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Stevens Point Wisconsin.
To me there is always somewhat of a distinction between Convention and Conference. Our Convention is held in June and tends to be more formal in nature. There is a certain degree of pomp and circumstance. It’s more formal in nature, from presenting resolutions to receiving updates from elected officials to VA Representatives. What I truly enjoy about the Fall Conference is that we “roll up our sleeves” and get down to the tactical level of Chapter level life. EVERY DAV CHAPTER in the State of Wisconsin needs to have a member of their leadership team in attendance.
An example: there are always questions regarding the Local Veterans Assistance Program (LVAP). Greg Palo, 2
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Junior Vice Commander, will be doing an in-depth presentation that will answer your questions and provide guidance on the way forward. The DAV membership has changed in the last year. Whether it’s how to sign up a new member or what counts in the system as a new member. Matt Kempainen, Senior Vice Commander, will walk us through details so that you may be successful with increasing the membership of your Chapter. Last year, the feedback received is that Treasurer training was needed. The Department listened and for the 2019 Fall Conference, Dick Marbes and Rod Kalata will walk through the paperwork and timelines required for a Chapter Treasurer. Al Labelle, our Department Benefits Protection Leader (BPTL) will provide the most current legislative updates on the State and Federal level. In this article, I’ve only covered a few things that will be touched upon. In a nutshell, this training is all about making our Chapters succeed. If our Chapters are running strong and flourishing ultimately we are touching the lives of those Veterans in need.
I wanted to share that Stephen “Butch” Whitehead, our National Commander, will be in attendance. This is a great honor to our Department and Chapters. Commander Whitehead is our first National Commander that served in Iraq.
This is a positive reflection as our organization continues to transition throughout the generations of the Veteran community. In closing, have a great autumn and see you in Stevens Point!
