Your Table is ready Mr. Ambassador

Mac. Petty Officer Mac. Chief Mac. Mister Mac. (and a hundred various civilian titles including manager, trainer, leader, coach, speaker, preacher and on and on).

Of all the titles I have had in my life, one that I have never had was Ambassador.

At least not until this week. This week, I raised my hand to serve the Charleston USSVI Submarine Base as the Ambassador for the USSV Charitable Foundation. The USSV Charitable Foundation (USSVCF) is a standalone fully certified 501 (C) 3 charitable organization. This foundation is the charitable arm of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc (USSVI).

Several years ago, I became a life member of USSVI and this year I joined the Charleston Base where I celebrated my 50^th year since qualifying.

USSVI is the national organization that perpetuates the memory of our submarine fellowship. In a nutshell, it essentially has three major purposes.

125 Years of Excellence … with an eye on the past, present and future

The USSVI organization was an outgrowth of the WW2 submarine veteran’s organization so historically one of the purposes was to honor the past. This year, the submarine service in the US officially reaches its 125^th anniversary. So, saluting all of those who have gone on before us is a main focus. That salute includes the tolling of lost boats ceremonies throughout the year as well as physical monuments and boats that are still preserved around the country. That means that the first focus is looking back and honoring that very significant past.

The second focus is to support the current submarine force and help the men and women who are manning the watch. This is done by direct relationships with new and existing submarines during their life. Providing physical and other tangible support can be in the form of crew morale events, commissioning support and family support in the form of scholarships (for those that meet the eligibility requirements).

The third focus is on supporting our shipmates. As we move away from the service that we all shared in common, life events and aging can create challenges that require help. Health issues related to service or just the aging process are certainly things that have negative impacts. The life we lived on boats took a toll on some of us during service but becomes amplified as our bodies wear out. I have been to a number of reunions and sadly one of the conversations that happens once the sea stories run low is a catalog of different health issues that seem to fill the room.

It’s not just health issues that can affect our “Golden Years”.

Life happens in a blink of an eye. One minute you are enjoying the rugged view from your back porch in North Carolina and the next, your porch and your house are being swept down the valley by raging floods. Or that Canyon home that you spent your life building and improving gets blown away by an out-of-control wildfire, Hurricanes, fire, flooding and tornadoes really don’t care that you qualified as diving officer at the age of twenty-five. Being the COB or Bull Nuc won’t stop you from being made homeless by a catastrophe. To paraphrase what this translates to, I borrow a line I learned on my first boat from a crusty old Chief: Shit Happens.

So, what exactly is the Charitable Foundation and how does it relate to any of these three purposes?

Glad you asked. The fund is now in its 25^th year. I have been spending a lot of time reading in the past week and have found some of the answers. The CF established a permanent fund that allows people to donate to help all three areas of focus. The charitable foundation consists of nine different activities.  Each is called a Fund

• Brotherhood Fund
• Building Fund
• Kap(ss) 4 kid(ss) Fund
• Museum Boat Fund
• Scholarship Fund
• Memorial Fund
• Library Fund
• General Fund
• Legacy Fund

Over the course of the next ten days, I will cover more about what each fund is used for. At the end of this post, I will put the link to the national page in case you want to cheat and look ahead.

In my training, I have discovered a lot of hidden nuggets that I did not know about the Foundation. That is kind of sad that I had not done the research before since it would have helped me in working with some shipmates that have fallen under the Shit Happens category. I also learned that a lot of things I care about can also be impacted by what the foundation is able to assist.

I got my “qual card” yesterday from the Vice President / Executive Director (George Palmer) and even though it’s not an official requirement, I am working my way through it to make sure I can be a good Ambassador. I’ve already been doing fund raising for a number of groups over the years but have never felt more compelled to want to be the best that I can be. The people that created the foundation had a vision that is compelling and that is translated into their mission:

1. Provide Scholarship assistance to the children and grandchildren of submarine veterans and active-duty submarine personnel
2. Establish, support, and maintain memorials, museum boats and public monuments dedicated to honoring the memory of deceased shipmates who lost their lives in the line of duty,
3. Establish and maintain a library and / or museum concerning the history of the submarine service.
4. Support the procurement and maintenance of a building to house operations, items and assets of the Foundation and other veteran-related organizations.
5. Undertake appropriate activities to promote a strong submarine force, and
6. Promote other activities as may be appropriate for an organization operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes.

Number 6 includes things like the Brotherhood Fund. I suspect that at some point in time, the name of that fund may have to adjust with time and circumstances. I have some very dear friends that are “sisters” serving on boats that will someday become Sub Veterans. Qualified is qualified.

So, what is my job description as an Ambassador?

First, understand what the Foundation does so that I can explain it to my local base. I am already working on that by studying the materials on line. I’ve found in my past fund-raising work that its important to understand the bylaws and limitations of the organization. That’s kind of important since you need to build trust with the stakeholders and potential funders. It’s also about keeping on the right side of the law. I look horrible in orange jump suits and have luckily never had to wear one as a result of previous assignments.

Second, understand the programs that exist and how to connect those programs to the needs of the folks they were designed for. The trust fund has a significant amount of money to fund the areas identified. But if you don’t know they are there, they might as well not exist. Over the next few weeks, I will be highlighting those funds individually as well as giving some examples of what they have done in the past.

Third, encourage you to decide if this organization’s goals align with your goals. I know we all get bombarded every day with requests for money. I think Tunnel to Towers, DAV and Wounded Warriors all have me on speed dial. They all do wonderful work and if you can help them, it’s a good feeling. But we are unique in what our mission does. So, as an Ambassador, I hope to be able to show you how you can add value in ways you may not have known existed before.

As promised, here is the web site. But please make it a point to come back and read about some of the great opportunities to help or get help.

https://www.ussvcf.org/

The USSVCF deliberately focuses its effort and charitable funds to provide National Natural Disaster Relief, Memorials, Visits to Children’s Hospitals and especially to a Higher Education Scholarship Program for the Children and Grand Children of our members. All Donations to USSVCF are Tax Deductible

Ambassador Mac