Presidents Piece
What is out Future?
We have to make our own future!I think we are at a place where we have to decide whether we want to be a “social” beer drinking outfit or a more formal businesslike Association.
Why? Because, we will start to see a more rapid decline in members. that's just nature and our age.
With this goes a loss of a lot of military history. ASA was just a small but important part of the Army and US intelligence history with a very rich and vibrant part. I would like to see us pass our story on to future generations. The question is how do we do this? ASA was always on the razor's edge. Where we a signal entity or where we an intelligence outfit? I think this answer today is to look at who took over many of our assignments and functions.. NSA.
To become the real deal requires a little more money, structure and vision. A mission to provide something for eX ASAers and give them to participate in they want to preserve history. There are three things I want to achieve this year:
- Become a 501(c) Corporation so it donations are a tax write off.
- Develop a relationship with Ft. Huachuca in MI Museum to get more ASA stuff recorded there.
- Develop and ASA Remembers Project that has asked ASA or is right or videotape up to one half hour of video for our archives detailing ASA experiences and assignments.
ASA Remembers Project
I ate breakfast once a week with Otis Wilburn for five years. He didn't say much was, pleasant guy you could kid once in a while, and in one day he was gone. Liver cancer. Then I found out that he was the world's expert on every piece of electronic equipment from 1959 to 1975 that ASA ever had. Rumor had it if he saw a radio he could tell everything about it but the serial number. Wow! We get stories once in a while from Otis, but how many did we lose?
The ASA remembers project shadows the Library of Congress, project which I looked at. it requires you to have a certain certified mentors to record write up the story. Many of us joined ASA for only three or four years. We got out went to another branch like intelligence or signal and it wasn't a major part of our career. However, for many of us it was the most fun part of our career. I started looking at cheap video cameras after I found many articles regarding how to post to YouTube.com. The most common thread was a FLIP Video a cheap $150 camera with a flip out USB port to send the right to the Internet.
Before Christmas I purchased an upgraded version of the video camera for $120 and went to England for the family reunion. It was a no-brainer anybody can use it. Turn it on, pointed it and record. Mine is fancier because you can either it attach directly to the computer or you can take out the memory chip. I used to take pictures at the Cochise Cowboy Poetry Gathering this year. My cowboy guest liked it so much, that the videos that he and his wife took will be put up on YouTube.com to show what he can do.
So how or what would this project consists of. I envision four basic things.
- An ASA person requests the package to be sent or given to them. This can be done by mail or by Internet with a form on our site.
- A form will be sent to the requester asking for basic information, dates of service, a hold harmless form for the Arizona ASA Association, requesting that the package sent, be returned at a certain date. When the forms are received a package will be sent to that person.
- The package will consist of the following:
- a sample script:
- who you are
- when did you join
- what your assignments and stories, probably in chronological order
- what we are looking for the stories:
- events you witnessed
- experiences
- funny things that happened
- an old buddy story (you might want to change the name to protect the innocent)
- A small video camera with simple instructions. The requester will be asked to preview their performance before they send the video camera back.
- The video will come back and be screened by one or two volunteers to make sure it meets publishing quality. For instance will be looking for the following items;
- Is the picture video focused?
- no or little profanity
- Can you hear the person speak properly?
- The size of the file or length of time (we want half-hour or less?)
- Upon successful review the video will be burned to CD a copy of the CD will be sent to the originator so they can view it and will ask for corrections or changes. The originator signs a form giving consent and ownership to the Arizona ASA Association Remembrance Project. If at the time of recording the originator previews and edits likes the video they can sign the form at that time. But I think we need a signed consent and ownership form to hold the Arizona ASA Association harmless when it is published.
- Finally Arizona ASA Association will publish it in our website. Note: if this takes off we may have to pay for more storage and bandwidth our website, which will be a cost to the Association.
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