Commander

For National Commander Biography click this link or the profile picture to the right.

Prestigious Organization: All of us in Arnold Air Society/Silver Wings know how great our organizations are. Although we are nationwide, AAS as a whole lacks notoriety among the general student population. Our organization is made up of devoted cadets who have the passion and potential to do great things for our college communities. In order to become the organization that I know we can be, we need to take steps in the right direction, which can be done with the right leadership.

We need to make sure that we are recruiting all the deserving cadets that are eligible for AAS. I’m certain with the right motivation and initiative we can increase membership within every squadron.

Next, we need to make sure that we are focused on one of our main core objectives, developing Air Force Officers. The best way to do this is through serving our community. Setting up service activities serves a dual purpose. First, improving the community, and secondly providing cadets with more opportunities to step up and gain leadership experience. The more service activities we do the better leaders our members will become.

Finally, the community needs to be informed of what we are doing. We need to put more emphasis on getting our activities in newspapers, radio, and TV stations. Our name will be heard more often giving us the respect and reputation we deserve.

Now by this point you’re wondering what our staff can do to make this happen. My staff and I are very motivated to improve the society as much as we can in the little time we have. We are very excited and confident that we are the right people in our respective jobs. That being said, we are prepared to work with each and every area staff member to provide them with the right assistance and tools. Some of which we have already begun working on; for example, new streamlined bookkeeping system to aid in financial management and new training programs to help develop our incoming members. This is a short list of the many new and useful improvements that this staff is capable of developing and implementing.

Unity: AAS is a very large student organization for our command structure. Compared to a “national” Fraternity, our organization has a ridged and visible chain of command that is followed and respected. As with any system it comes with both pros and cons. While it allows for some great leadership experience, some squadrons don’t have the infrastructure necessary for robust experiences which leads to uneven development of our members. This is something that worries me while looking at squadrons nationwide. Traditionally, successful squadrons gain most of the attention of the Area Staffs, when in fact it is the struggling squadrons that go unnoticed, yet need the most attention. As National Commander, my staff and I will work on trying to bridge the gap between strong and weak squadrons. We must get behind our weaker squadrons and help push them forward.

In order to do this we have set aside money in our budget to help financially struggling squadrons to get back on their feet, and help them find fundraising activities to strengthen their bank account. This way, all the squadrons can support themselves more effectively.

We also pledge that we will stay in constant communication with Area Staffs to find out which squadrons are falling behind, so that we can make sure they receive the support they need to improve. We believe with our leadership, motivation, and initiative we can help turn the weaker squadrons around.

Communication: The only way to accomplish the aforementioned goals is through clear, effective, and consistent communication. As in most organizations, communication is a weak point throughout Arnold Air Society. We have communication breakdowns on nearly every level, from National Headquarters to Squadron Actives. My staff and I are going to put communication at the top of our list of things to work on. We will make sure that we are available via E-mail, phone, AIM, telegram, snail mail, smoke signals, or any other form of communication you would like to use.

We also want to stress the communication between squadrons and AFA chapters. This is yet another area that is flawed in some squadrons, and this is not just the squadron’s fault; there are AFA chapters that either don’t know or don’t care about AAS. As National Staff we will work on both ends– reminding squadrons to get/continue a relationship with the AFA, and reminding the AFA that AAS is a big part of their future.

My Staff and I believe that we have the ability to change and improve our society. We are up to the challenge and excited to have the chance to be your National Staff. If given your approval we will help take Arnold Air Society to a whole new level.

DAN WHALEN, C/Brig Gen, AAS
National Commander, Arnold Air Society
West Virginia University
AFROTC Detachment 915
162 Stansbury Hall
Morgantown WV, 26506
commander@arnold-air.org
AASNationalCC@gmail.com

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