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AFHA is recognized by the DOD under the Office of the
Secretary of the Army.
The association provides information to families
transferring to overseas or continental United States
(CONUS) duty stations. Files are kept on military
installations worldwide. Information is available on
schools, campsites, and tours nationwide. AFHA also
provides Welcome Aboard packets for newcomers to the
Washington, DC, area and keeps files on consumer
issues as well.
The organization offers its services to officer and
enlisted personnel of all branches of the uniformed
services and to authorized civilian personnel.
To request information, write to Armed Forces
Hostess Association, Room 1A736, the Pentagon,
Washington, DC 20310-3133.
ARMED SERVICES YOUNG MEN’S
CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
Today’s AS/YMCA programs focus on
contemporary needs of young enlisted personnel and
their families.
The AS/YMCA offers a broad range of activities
and services, including prenatal, birthing, and parenting
classes, and counseling or treatment referrals for
substance, spouse, or child abuse. The AS/YMCA also
provides emergency services such as transportation to
medical facilities, commissaries, and base service
agencies. Additionally the AS/YMCA is involved with
General Educational Development (GED) and English
as a Second Language (ESL) classes for foreign
dependents and those seeking to complete their
secondary education programs to complement services
provided by the military.
The AS/YMCA also sponsors many support groups
such as Waiting Wives to assist those whose spouses are
deployed; Healing Hearts to assist those who have
suffered the death of a child; as well as groups to help
those with disabled children, those who have recently
lost a spouse, or those with other family
stress-provoking experiences.
The AS/YMCA is a charitable, nonprofit
organization that relies on individual donations and
contributions from the United Way and the CFC.
For more information on the services that are
available, write to the Armed Services YMCA, Suite
215, 6225 Brandon Ave., Springfield, Virginia
22150-2510.
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
ASSOCIATION
The Non-Commissioned Officers Association
(NCOA) was organized to promote and protect the
benefits and rights of noncommissioned officers, petty
officers, and veterans of all branches of the armed
forces, active duty, Reserve, and National Guard. In
1980, an International Auxiliary and a Veterans Division
were added to the NCOA. In 1991, an Apprentice
Division for service members in paygrades E-1 through
E-3 was authorized. The NCOA offers members a wide
variety of services, including the following:
Veterans’ employment assistance
A mini resume computer-assisted matching
program to help in job searches
Scholarships to children and spouses of NCOA
members
Medical trust fund to offset major medical costs
Health, life, and property insurance; supple-
mental Civilian Health and Medical Program of
the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) insurance
Community awareness programs such as special
olympics and voter registration drives
The NCOA also actively lobbies Congress on
matters affecting the military and veteran communities.
The NCOA has four categories of membership–Regular
Division, Veterans Division, Associate Division, and
International Auxiliary.
Membership in the International Auxiliary of the
NCOA is open to spouses of active duty members in
paygrades E-1 through E-9, other family members 18
years of age or older and living in the service member’s
household, and former spouses of armed forces
personnel. There is an annual membership fee.
Widows or widowers of former members, or of
persons who would have been eligible for membership
in the Regular or Veterans Divisions, can join the
Associate Division. There is annual fee.
For more information about membership or
benefits, write to the Non-Commissioned Officers
Association, P.O. Box 33610, San Antonio, Texas
78265.
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