National Pathfinder Association

National Pathfinder Association

August 22, 2010

“The objectives of the Association shall be to preserve in patriotic reverence the memory of the fame and glory of the Pathfinder; to maintain and strengthen the bonds of comradeship which distinguished the members of the Pathfinders; to provide for the gathering and dissemination of information concerning those members and for their periodic assembly in local and national reunions; to enhance the Pathfinder’s prestige in all military and civilian circles; and to assist active duty, retired, family members of deceased and disabled Pathfinders in achieving a better quality of life for them and their families.”**

**NPA C&BL, Article II

To: Members of the National Pathfinder Association

Subject: After-action report, Board of Governors’ and Officers’ meeting, August 12 and 13, 2010, Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV 89125. The meeting was held in the Carson Tower, Pine Valley Room and began at 1:00 PM.

The NPA Board of Governors met in Las Vegas to discuss 4 major areas of interest. First, from the perspective of the Governors and Officers, is the organization healthy and does it posses the staying power and agility to remain viable and growing since its inception on June 19, 2009? Second, Is the Constitution and By-Laws of the organization meeting the current needs of the National Pathfinder Association (NPA)? Third, in accordance with the NPA Constitution, will elections be orchestrated and the new Governors and Officers be inducted at the 2011 convention? Fourth, can planning and preparation be conducted to facilitate the convention, in Las Vegas, July, 2011.

The following report will follow the sequence of the meeting’s agenda.

1. The following Governors and Officers were present:

Bill, Polar Bear, AntonPresident

Carl, Grease Gun, LagleVice-President

Don, Tinkerbell, FairleyAlt. Governor, 101st Abn. Div.

John, Dash, NortonTreasurer

Dean, Spanky, NelsonAdjutant

Ken, Mike One, MaynardChaplain

Robert, Foghat, FogartyHistorian

Jim, Howdy, HowtonSergeant-at-Arms

1. The meeting was officially opened by Bill Anton, President, at 1:07 PM, August 12, 2010. Bill thanked the Governors and Officers for their work over the past year and to all members of the NPA for spreading the word and remaining loyal to the Pathfinders. Also, he expounded how well the organization is doing for just being a year old.

The 2011 convention premise is an all Pathfinder convention sponsored by the NPA. Attendees need not be members of the NPA to attend. Critical to this theme is getting the word to as many Pathfinders as possible. The 2011 convention theme is: “The Year of the Pathfinder” in Las Vegas.

1. Treasurer’s report. There being no withdrawals to this point, the treasury reflects a balance of $3820.00.

A motion was made by Ken Maynard and second by Don Fairley to accept the Treasurer’s report as read. All present voted “yeah.”

4.Adjutant’s report. Some changes to the Constitution and By-Laws were offered by the Adjutant. A motion was made by Ken Maynard and Second by John Norton to present the changes to the membership in early 2011 for vote at the July 2011 convention. All present voted “yeah.”

Dues. The Adjutant discussed leaving the dues structure the same (yearly dues= $20.00 and Lifetime membership= $250.00) except offering a $5.00 savings to those Pathfinders who desire to pay their dues for two years, or $35.00 for two years. Robert Fogarty made a motion that the $35.00 for a two year membership be adopted and the motion was second by Don Fairley. All present voted “yeah.”

Management of the Honor Roll/Fallen Friends. The Chaplain, Ken Maynard, stepped up and said he would do the job. All present thanked him for his willingness to assist in this very important area. Through his efforts past and lost Pathfinders will always be known and remembered.

Membership. Membership growth has been slow, but should increase as each NPA member gets the word out and that the convention is for all Pathfinders and not just NPA members. There are twenty four charter members from the initial meeting on June 19, 2011, and since that date an additional 13 members have become members in good standing.

Membership by other services is to be sought by the NPA. The President volunteered to get the US Marine Corps Pathfinders on board and the Adjutant will pursue the possibility of any CCT being awarded the torch starting their own chapter—the CCT was sired by the US Army Pathfinders.

Consolidation with other Pathfinder organizations. Article IX of the NPA Constitution discusses how another Pathfinder organization may be consolidated with the NPA. Consolidation requires a two-thirds vote of the organization. However, as discussed in the meeting, and agreed by all present, if a member of another Pathfinder organization desires to join the NPA, the NPA would grant a one-time-only $10.00 discount (for one year or two year paid dues) to offset dues paid to the their former organization. The discussion revolved around opening the NPA arms to all Pathfinders—“come join us”—and granting credit for dues paid to other organizations. All present agreed to the discount and importance of increasing the NPA rolls.

A motion was made by Don Fairley, seconded by Carl Lagle, to accept the Adjutant’s report. All present voted “Yeah.”

5.Vice-President’s Remarks. The VP also thanked the Governors and Officers for their work and for the support given by each member of the NPA. The VP expounded on how exciting the future looks for the organization and that he was glad to play a small part.

Logo Items. The VP is working to place a link on the website for all NPA logo items (shirts, hats, medallions, pins, mugs, statues, etc). NPA logo items will be drop shipped directly from the vendor so the NPA does not get involved with the accountability, transportation and being a middle man in the transaction. The VP is working with vendors and the Treasurer to prepare a photo ready logo. All present agreed that high quality merchandise was the critical element to this effort.

Iconic Statue. The VP in collaboration with the Historian is designing an iconic Pathfinder statue, along the same idea as “Iron Mike.” When this will happen is not known yet.

Website and Facebook. The website and the Facebook (run by the Historian) are getting a lot of action, especially the Facebook site. The VP is going to have a link to the Facebook placed on the website.

Corporate Sponsorships. Several requests are out, but no corporations have signed on as of yet. The VP is working this issue. Suggestions or a helping hand in this area are definitely appreciated.

Elections for 2011. The Adjutant will expedite an email, or USPS delivery to those without email, to all members of the NPA discussing the nomination of candidates for the governor positions and the subsequent election and induction of the governors. Article VI, Section 2, and Section 6.The sequence of the election process will be:

Nominations to the Adjutant NLT April 1, 2011

Slate of nominations to NPA MembersApril 10, 2011

Voting May 30, 2011

Announce and induct new officersAt the 2011 convention

Unit Governors can take the lead in coordinating with their schools and museums, and locate Pathfinders living near the school or museum to be the local point of contact for the specific post or location.

6.Historian’s Report. The Historian presented an outstanding power-point documentary about the history of the Pathfinder. As a result of this presentation, he was asked to do a presentation at the 2011 “The Year of the Pathfinder” Convention for Pathfinders.

Adopt a Pathfinder “iconic image’ to help identify and advertise the NPA. This item was extensively discussed. Consensus was that the “iconic image” concept was a great way to build the organization and that input from other members is greatly appreciated.

Develop a fund to have the “iconic image” made into a statue and placed at one of the US Army museums along with a plaque listing all Pathfinder KIA/MIA. Discussion also ranged to the possibility of incorporating a Pathfinder Hall of Fame display along with the statue and KIA/MIA listings. All present agreed with these ideas, and did agree that this would be a costly venture and maybe this year’s efforts should be expended on membership and The Year of the Pathfinder.

Select NPA members to be designated “point men” for selected Army museums, veteran museums, and Pathfinder schools/units. Volunteers are definitely needed here.

Adopt September 13 as “National Pathfinder Day.” Have a US Senator sponsor a bill, because September 13, 1943 was the first time Pathfinders were used in combat. See attached article.

Establish formal ties to each Pathfinder school and provide a membership and certificate to the honor graduate of each class.

Gather Pathfinder photos and equipment and give the items to museums so Pathfinder representation is displayed at every museum.

Modify the website to allow members to log-in and put blogs, artwork, photos, stories, etc. on the website for viewing.

A motion was made by John Norton and second by Jim Howton to accept the Historian’s report. All present voted “yeah.”

The meeting was recessed until 10:00 Am on August 13, 2010

7.The meeting was called to order by the President at 10:00 AM on August 13, 2010in the Carson Street Restaurant, Golden Nugget, Las Vegas, NV.

8.The 2011 Pathfinder Convention—The Year of the Pathfinder in Las Vegas. July 19-22, 2011

The idea is to have a convention for all Pathfinders and their families, both for NPA members and non members. All Pathfinders are asked to invite all of the Pathfinders they know and to bring a Pathfinder who is not a member to the convention.

The 2011 National Pathfinder Convention will be held at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV. The dates are: arrival day is July 19 with casual gatherings, the 20th and 21st will be convention and activities, and the 22d will be departure day.

Although planning is in its infancy, events are being planned to show what the mission of a Pathfinder is. Presentations will inform the audience as to the special role of the Pathfinder. Events to entertain the Pathfinder and family are also being planned.

Put these dates on your calendar and begin planning to attend now.

9.Open Forum.

The VP mentioned how nice it would be to have a certificate to present to the Golden Nugget for their help during the 2010 planning meeting. The VP and Treasurer will work on this together. All present agreed with the idea.

The Adjutant suggested that the $1200.00 bill paid by Carl Lagle for establishment and operation of the website should be reimbursed. The Governors agreed and voted to reimburse Carl for the cost of the website.

Discussion began about how to honor the NPA founding fathers. First was a discussion as to who was a founding father and what does that entail. Four names were recommended and voted upon for their outstanding loyalty and dedication during the founding of the NPA. The 4 founding fathers are:

Danny, Bear, Rozier

Pat, Dirt Ball, Dougherty

Sean, Jump or Die, Jones

Steve, Brainiac, Campbell

Congratulations to these Pathfinders

10.There being no further business, a motion was made by Robert Fogarty, and second by Don Fairley, to adjourn the meeting. All present voted “Yeah,” and the 2010 Board of Governors meeting was officially adjourned at 1218 PM, August 13, 2010.

11.If you have any questions or see an error, please contact me at 970-353-0146 or .

Dean, Spanky, Nelson