Explore ANSO’s impactful community involvement, scholarship initiatives, and member narratives in our latest release. Not a Member? Learn how you can be part of our mission to empower and support the next generation. Join us in celebrating achievements and fostering community engagement! Click the image below to access the 2024 Spring magazine.
The Winter 2023 Newsletter is Out
Greetings ANSO Familia!
The latest La Ola Newsletter is out. Discover the latest insights and activities in our Winter 2023, Q1 2024 Newsletter! 📰 Stay informed with ANSO as we navigate the dynamic landscape together. Click on the image below to access it. #ANSOUpdates #WinterNewsletter
Happy #GivingTuesday 2023! Spread Kindness, Create Change!
Happy #GivingTuesday, ANSO familia! Today is the perfect opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of coming together to make a positive impact in our communities. Let’s share the joy of giving back through community service and volunteerism!
Why Volunteer? Because giving your time and energy to help others not only strengthens our community bonds but also fills your heart with a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Every act of kindness, no matter how small, has the power to create a ripple effect of positive change.
Whether you’re lending a hand at a local shelter, planting trees in your local parks, or helping the elderly in your community, your efforts make a real difference. Let’s build a stronger, more compassionate community together!
Let’s also take a moment to honor the spirit of military service culture. Our brave men and women in uniform exemplify the values of selflessness, duty, and sacrifice. Today, let’s channel that spirit into our own lives and communities. Whether you have a military background or not, we can all learn from the dedication and commitment our service members demonstrate.
🇺🇸 This #GivingTuesday, consider reaching out to local veteran organizations or military families in need. Extend your gratitude and support to those who have given so much for our country. Together, we can create a network of care and kindness that echoes the principles of service ingrained in military culture.
Let’s make this #GivingTuesday a day of action! Share your volunteer experiences, encourage others to join you, and let’s inspire a wave of positive change. Together, we can make our community a brighter, more loving place for everyone.
Use #GiveBackTogether, #GivingTuesdayMilitary, and #ansomil to share your stories and inspire others to join the movement!
¡Adelante con ANSO!
Happy 248th US Marine Corps Birthday!
Marines, Sailors, and Coast Guardsmen,
On behalf of the ANSO Board of Directors and the entire membership, I want to wish the Marine Corps and every Marine around the globe a Happy Birthday. The United States Marine Corps celebrates two hundred and forty-eight years of defending our great Nation, and I want to take this opportunity to thank all the Marines, their families, and the Civilians for their dedication, hard work, and continued sacrifice in the defense of the United States of America. Since its Birth at Tun Tavern in 1775, the United States Marine Corps’ warrior spirit has become legendary. As the ‘Tip of the Spear,’ the Marine Corps provides our Nation with a forward-deployed ready force that defends the Constitution and our freedom regardless of the enemy or the mission assigned.
The American people and the ANSO family are grateful for all you and your family do daily. America depends on you to answer our Nation’s call, and you never disappoint.
¡Muchas gracias y feliz cumpleaños Marines!
Semper Fidelis,
Sincerely,
LtCol. José L. Montalván
United States Marine Corps
ANSO USMC Service Rep
USFF D License & USYS National Diploma
LinkedIn
Invitation to 2023 Western Region Symposium
ANSO Familia,
The 2023 Western Region Symposium is shaping up to be our best symposium yet. For more details visit our events page. We will have more sponsorship details soon. Marines, the MARADMIN supporting the event has been released and is posted to our events page. We also just launched our 2023 WRS YouTube playlist where we will be posting more event videos like the invite video below. Everyone is invited! Hope to see you all there!
Call for Nominations for ANSO Board of Directors
ANSO members,
We are assembling the slate for the annual election of the ANSO Board of Directors (BOD) and we are issuing a call for nominees for positions due for rotation, and for nominees to fill out-of-cycle vacancies. BOD positions are critical to our mission success and we need all positions filled.
Per Article III, Section 4, of the ANSO Operations Manual, the positions up for election this year, for a 2-year term, are:
- President
- Secretary
- Membership Coordinator
- Judge Advocate
- Public Affairs Officer
Current out-of-cycle vacancies (also two-year terms):
- Service-wide Representatives
- USMC Enlisted Representative
- USCG Enlisted Representative
- USN Enlisted Representative
- US Merchant Marines Representative
- Treasurer
- Western Region Vice President
To have a broad representation on the Board, we are looking for nominees from among the active, retired, veteran, officer, enlisted, and civilian ranks, and who serve(d) in the USN, USMC, USCG, Merchant Marines, or NOAA.
A nominee must be a member in good standing and be interested in the Association’s leadership and decision-making process. The Board controls the assets of the Association, establishes policies, and initiates, implements, and executes whatever measures it deems necessary to further the interests of the Association. For more details on our elections process and criteria, please refer to our OPMAN and ByLaws, which are located under the Resources page on our website (NOTE: you will need to login to the ANSO website to access the Resources page and the nomination form). Board experience is NOT required. This is a great opportunity to gain executive level leadership experience.
If you would like to nominate someone or submit yourself for consideration, please submit your nomination via the ANSO Nomination Form on our website (NOTE: you will need to login to the ANSO website to submit a nomination). You will need to include a one page biography, with a picture that can be used on the ballot, and a brief statement of what the candidate has done to further the goals of ANSO. Also, please check with your nominee to ensure they will serve.
In considering potential nominees, geography need not be a factor. Most business is conducted virtually, except for the annual Board meetings, held during the National Symposiums twice yearly on the East and West coasts.
The deadline for nominations is 30 October 2023. After the closing date, we will validate the names for the ballot from those nominated and members will vote for nominees in each category. Elections will be held electronically on or about 15 November. The election results and new BOD officials will be announced at ANSO’s December symposium in San Diego on 5-7 December.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please get in touch with me or our Vice President, LCDR Rolando Machado.
We are at your Service,
Sincerely,
Roy Love, CAPT, USN (Ret)
President Association of Naval Services Officers (ANSO)
¡Adelante con ANSO!
Happy Birthday America!
ANSO Familia!
We wish you and your families a very happy and safe 4th of July. And to all our brothers and sisters on duty today and everyday, thank you for keeping the watch. Happy Independence Day!
ANSO President 2023 ERS Message
CAPT Roy Love, USN (Ret) invites everyone to the upcoming Eastern Region Symposium. Participation can be in person or virtually. Register today!
Memorial Day 2023 / May 2023 Message
Memorial Day 2023 / En Familia, May 2023
As we approach Memorial Day and take time to remember and honor service members who sacrificed their lives to defend our rights and freedoms, the Association of Naval Services Officers invites members and associates to pause, offer reverence, and reflect on their legacy. The memory of Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, Soldiers, and Airmen who served our country until the end is still alive. There are many lessons to learn from each of them.
Historically, Memorial Day goes back to the years after the Civil War. On 5 May 1868, General John A. Logan released General Order No. 11 and provided guidance on the observance. The order states: “The 30th of May, 1868 is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land.” Opportunities to decorate our fallen heroes’ gravesites are available around the world. The most traditional is decorating with flowers. However, others use flags, painted rocks, or coins as a remembrance. Symbols of this strong bond and connection are endless.
In the second paragraph of the Order, General Logan highlights the purpose of the observance, “We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tells us, for the purpose, among other things, ‘of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion.’ What can aid more to assure this result than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes?” By keeping their legacy alive, speaking their names, and bringing to our memories their honorable service, we preserve and strengthen the relationships that inspire us to keep serving.
While many cities, veteran organizations, and public entities put together special memorials to bring communities together in honor of our Service Members who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. These observances provide a sacred space and time to connect with intentionality. Some Service Members and Veterans may prefer to pay their respects on their own, in private, in silence, and acknowledging the journey of grief and impact of the loss of a friend, a brother, or sister, in arms. Whether in public or private, through an organized event, or in your unique way, honor the legacy of those who have gone. Their lives never end, and their sacrifices are always remembered.
The invitation to sacrifice for someone else is a challenging proposal. Many qualify the worth of actions according to personal gains. Service and sacrifice shift the focus from self to the good of neighbors, communities, and nations. Running into service and sacrifice requires commitment and vision. Author and poet Charles Bukowski wrote a powerful poem about the meaning and purpose of sacrifice:
“If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery-isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you’ll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you’re going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.”
This legacy of service and sacrifice is what we honor on this Memorial Day and what serves as an inspiration to live a life dedicated to service and sacrifice.