Conference Summary
Second National Conference
National Organization of
Chamorro Veterans in America (NOCVA)
25 & 25 April 2016
Suncoast Hotel and Casino, 9090
West Alta Drive, Las Vegas, NV
Attendees
National Coordinators
Cel Aguigui
Lorenzo “Larry” Cruz
Francisco “Frank” Blas
2016 Conference Chairman
Roland “RC” Combado
2016 Conference Moderator
Roland F. Taitano, National
Advisor
National Staff and Advisors
Norma Jeter, Administrative
Coordinator
Lourdes “Lou” Q. Barrett, Special
Advisor
Libby Aguigui Nau, Public Relations
and Media Coordinator
Joanna Torre, National Advisor
Anthony “Tony” Reyes Borja,
National Advisor
Mariano Roy Cruz Leon-Guerrero,
National Advisor
Tom Fernandez, Membership
Regional Coordinators
Robert “Bob” Maano, Washington
State
Vicente “Ben” Nededog, Oklahoma
Edward Sablan, Riverside/San
Bernadino
John Salas,
Washington-Maryland-Virginia
Speakers and Guests
Kim Pool, District Representative
from the Office of Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus
Bill Cundiff, Chairman, Guam
Veterans Commission (Guam)
Martin A. Manglona, Director,
Office of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Governor (Guam)
Oscar Hilman, Brigadier General (Ret.), Department of
Veteran Affairs Office of Minority Affairs Ron Sagudan, Program Analyst,
Department of Veteran Affairs Office of Minority Affairs
General
NOCVA members, spouses, and
supporters
Conference Overview
NOCVA,
the National Organization of Chamorro Veterans in America, a grassroots
advocacy organization representing Chamorro veterans in the U.S., Guam, and the
Northern Mariana Islands, continues to mobilize members and build momentum to
help Chamorro veterans.
At
their 2nd national conference recently held on 25 and 26 April in
Las Vegas, Nevada, NOCVA leaders urged Chamorro veterans to break down barriers
that prevent them from working together to solve long-standing issues. The conference theme, “Chamorro
Veterans in America: Working Together, Moving Forward With NOCVA Leading the
Way,” set the tone.
The two-day conference was planned under the direction
of Roland “R.C.” Combado, who also serves as president of NOCVA’s Riverside/San
Bernardino Chapter. Roland F. Taitano
served as the conference moderator.
With
this conference, NOCVA hopes to change the way Chamorro veterans groups
interact. “It’s a lost opportunity when
we don’t work together. We need to unite
our efforts and help each other,” said Cel Aguigui, one of the co-founders of
NOCVA. He pointed out that NOCVA can
make a real difference in improving quality of life issues for Chamorros in
Guam, such as gaining voting rights, filling gaps in earned veterans benefits,
and recognizing island warriors.
To be
effective, however, NOCVA needs Chamorro veterans groups in Guam to provide
data that shows what issues need attention. With the right information and a
clear list of problems, NOCVA members living in the states can lobby legislators
and government organizations in the U.S. to make changes to benefit all
Chamorro veterans. As a national nonprofit advocacy organization, NOCVA can
bring national attention to issues important to Chamorro veterans.
The
conference agenda was planned to appeal to interests of Chamorro
Veterans and featured speakers representing the U.S. Congress; Guam veterans’
organizations; the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and NOCVA leaders,
advisors, and representatives.
Fundraising items were available
for purchase, including copies of the Chamorro Veterans Commemoration Ceremony
DVD, as well as a variety of items featuring the NOCVA logo: bumper stickers,
decals, baseball caps, and totebags.
National Conference Agenda Highlights
1.
Pledge of
Allegiance/Pledge of Guam: All
2.
Inifresi/CNMI
National Anthem: All
3. Invocation: Henry Miner, Chaplain, Washington
State Chapter
4. Presentation of Chelu Tribute: Roland (RC)
Combado, Tony Borja (Chamorro version), and Roland Taitano, (English
translation)
5. “NOCVA Moving Forward” Opening Remarks and
Introductions: Roland (RC) Combado, NOCVA 2016 Conference Chairman,
highlighted specific goals for each chapter and encouraged members to actively
move forward on NOCVA’s mission. He described the unique nature of NOCVA’s
Chelu Tribute and recommended that all chapters adopt guidelines when
presenting it as requested during the interment of a Chamorro veteran.
6. Personal Perspective of Chelu Tribute: Mike
Chargualaf, son of Antonio Chargualaf, expressed his heartfelt appreciation for
the posthumous tribute given by the San Bernardino NOCVA chapter in recognition
of his father.
7. Guest Speaker: Kim Pool, District
Representative for Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District, NV, and
member of House Veterans committee), presented welcoming remarks and an
overview of her office’s role in serving veterans. In her remarks, she thanked the 60,000
Chamorro veterans in the U.S. for their role in defense of the country. She said that “Guam has the highest population of
veterans in the nation; about 1 in 8 people on the island are veterans. Per
capita Guam residents serve in the military three times more than the rest of
the country, and are six times more likely to be Killed in Action. As American
citizens and soldiers, you all have helped make this country safer.”
In 2013, Rep. Titus helped NOCVA
recognize one of her constituents and a Chamorro veteran, the late Frank
Flores, for his service in helping fellow Chamorros work with the VA as NOCVA’s
technical advisor.
8. Lack of Recognition and Equal Opportunity of
Chamorro Veterans: Joanna Torre, a NOCVA national advisor, addressed the
lack of recognition and equal opportunities for Chamorro veterans with a
presentation called “Chamorro, the Forgotten Veteran.” She outlined the
long-term disparity that Chamorro veterans in Guam have experienced in the
areas of health care services and recognition of service compared to those in
the mainland and Hawaii.
9. Elimination of 2-Year Restriction for Insurance
Eligibility: Tony Borja, a NOCVA national advisor, proposed changes to the
current Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance program, which would remove a
two-year deadline restriction for all veterans to apply for a VA-paid $10,000
life insurance policy benefit. He advocated for greater participation in local,
state, and national programs to ensure adequate representation and urged all
members to register to vote.
10.
Guam Veterans --
Update and Status Reports:
-
Bill Cundiff, Chairman, Guam Veterans Commission
-
Martin A. Manglona, Director, Office of Veterans
Affairs, Office of the Governor
Mr. Cundiff and Mr. Manglona
each emphasized the importance of working together to increase cooperation in
order to better serve Chamorro veterans.
They outlined the roles of their
offices and the various programs they cover; they provided status reports on
various initiatives serving veterans in Guam, especially those involving
veterans benefits and health care on Guam and the CNMI. Highlights included
recent approval of a VA Choice Program and the participation of 138 health care
providers available to Guam veterans. However, out of the 20,101 veterans
registered with the Guam Veterans Office, only 4,100 are signed up for health
care.
Mr. Cundiff initiated an
outreach drive to encourage more veterans to register and sign up for health
care programs. The increased
registrations for VA health care could mean increase funding and expansion of
the current CBOC facility and/or the construction of a VA hospital on
Guam.
Mr. Manglona provided an
overview of the various programs he oversees and explained his efforts to make
them more applicable to the needs of veterans in Guam.
11. VA Office of Minority Affairs
Programs -- Update and Status Reports:
-
Oscar Hilman, Brigadier General, (Ret.), Army
National Guard, shared his experiences working with Chamorro veterans during
his tenure as Chairperson of the VA Office of Minority Affairs.
-
Ron Sagudan, Program Analyst, Center for
Minority Veterans, explained outreach programs available to Chamorro veterans
and urged them to become aware of the various Minority Affairs committees that
applied to them.
-
Representatives from the Nevada Department of
Veterans Affairs provided informative briefings and question-and-answer
sessions on Veterans Benefits Entitlements, Health Care, Caregiver Program,
National Cemeteries, and Minority Veterans Programs. They were present during
both days of the conference to provide educational materials and answer
specific questions.
James Ruester, National Cemetery
Administration, Riverside National Cemetery
Monica Lowry, Veterans Benefits
Administration, Reno
Mr. Lowrance and Ms. Zygas,
Caregiver Program
12. Public Relations Overview: Libby Aguigui Nau
explained the power of public relations in gaining attention for NOCVA and how
it has helped NOCVA grow despite limited resources; she urged members to learn
about NOCVA’s website and public relations materials to help spread the word
about NOCVA.
13. Clarification of NOCVA’s Tax Exempt Status:
Cel Aguigui clarified key regulations that are required to ensure that NOCVA
maintain its non-profit 501(c)(3) status; he explained the benefits that allow
NOCVA to engage in fundraising efforts to support future planning and
activities.
14. Recognition of Donation: Albert Taitano Yanger
from Galaide Professional Services, Inc (GPSI), a professional technical
services company based in Guam, was recognized for being the first organization
to give a substantial contribution to NOCVA, money that will be used to defray
costs of the conference. Mr. Yanger, a Chamorro Veteran, expressed his support
for NOCVA and said he would encourage other business to provide financial
support to NOCVA.
15. Treasurer’s Annual Report: Larry Cruz, NOCVA
Treasurer, provided the annual financial report.
16. Proposal for 2017 Chamorro Veterans Convention:
Roland Taitano, a NOCVA national advisor and conference moderator, outlined
plans for a future NOCVA initiative to host the first Chamorro Veterans
convention, suggesting the advantages of specific venues.
17. Chapter Activities and Updates: NOCVA regional
coordinators provided status reports on membership, chapter activities, and
initiatives.
- Washington
State (Bob Maanao)
- Riverside/San
Bernardino (Ed Sablan)
- D.C./Maryland/Virginia
(John Salas and Lou Barrett)
- Oklahoma
(Ben Nededog)
- North
Carolina (Frank Blas)
18. Introduction of New Pin, “Chamorro Veterans in
America”: Roy Leon-Guerrero of the
Washington State Chapter presented a prototype for a new lapel pin and
explained the meaning of each design element.
19. Wrap-Up/Final Comments: Cel Aguigui,
co-founder of NOCVA, ended the conference by sharing his vision of the future
of NOCVA. He started by honoring the
first Chamorro veterans who often faced discrimination while serving. “We are riding on the shoulders of those men.
If we work together, if we have the will, we can move our agenda forward all
the way to Washington and realize the full political power of the Chamorro
people.” He believes NOCVA can be the catalyst for gaining recognition at the
national level but only if Chamorros are willing to organize in large numbers
and work together with one mission.
To the best of my knowledge, the foregoing conference
summary is accurate and complete.
Signed:
Libby Aguigui Nau, 17 May 2016
Note: This summary included contributions
by Joanna Torre, Tony Borja, and Norma Jeter.
