Pay It Forward
Recently I mailed in a membership renewal application for a member and didn’t think twice about looking at all the details of his personal info. But, as I looked closely at the application I realized this member was born in 1929…82 years ago! I started to think “what benefit does this member stand to gain in continuing his membership with AFSA”? But, my focus quickly turned to the 21 year old Senior Airman or even the 42 year old Chief Master Sergeant who is not a member.
Who stands to prosper more in being a member? It’s not the 82 year old retiree living on a limited budget and has not seen a Cost of Living Allowance increase for the last three years. It’s the Chief who has been getting annual pay raises every year since enlistment. It’s not the retiree who has to pay $460 a year for TRICARE, plus faces the reality of a 13% fee increase and future increases based on inflation. It’s the Airman who doesn’t have to pay for TRICARE. It’s not the retiree who was stuck with VEAP as a dismal education program. It’s the Active Duty Airmen who can take advantage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill or transfer their education benefits over to his/her dependents.
The 82 year old retiree who knows there was a time when the voice of the enlisted Airman was nowhere to be heard… until the spring of 1961. So, the next time you ask someone to join AFSA and they say, “What’s in it for me?” Think about the 82 year old retiree who served 20+ years and is living on a fixed income. Explain to them the importance of being a member not only protects their benefits of today, but also protects the benefits of those Airmen who served before us and the future generation of Airmen to come.
SMSgt (ret) Steve Zalesky
Division 89 Vice President