Blackhorse E-Newsletter November 2008

Our improved web presence should come to fruition next week when we replace the old web page with an improved web page at www.blackhorse.org ——-We think it will be more attractive, intuitive, interactive and provide us the ability to provide information to the membership on a near real time basis.

On Tuesday, 28 Oct. I signed a contract with Finish Line Awards (FLA) of Colorado to again provide Blackhorse memorabilia shopping for our soldiers and members. FLA indicates that they will go all out to get our memorabilia available for online shopping within four to five weeks. They already provide this service to two other regiments and several other division and service connected associations. We have placed a "Blackhorse Gear" link on our new web page to connect shoppers to FLA for ordering much like we previously provided through the Sutler Store. In a separate action, representatives from FLA, the Association and officials at Fort Irwin will meet within the next two to three weeks to discuss ways to again offer a "store front" at Irwin for in store shopping for our soldiers.

The Fulda Reunion Committee has stepped up their promotion for that gathering because of very limited commitments to date. Study carefully Glenn Snodgrass’ notice in this Blackhorse E-News email to assist his planners—–we need time to react in event of a venue change for the 2009 reunion. Some of us will go to Fulda but if participation is such that we cannot conduct Association business due to lack of quorum, we will go to extraordinary lengths to accommodate our members at another stateside venue. Please help Glenn and the committee by responding promptly to their need for information about your intentions regarding the Fulda Reunion. And, in case we schedule a reunion at a different venue, watch for that news in the Blackhorse Newsletter, this monthly Blackhorse E-News and on our new web site.

Gene Johnson, Director of Memberships has spent countless hours debugging our membership data base. When he published our Blackhorse Newsletter, he printed and mailed almost 19,000 papers to the members. In concert with the USPS, he did a four year address change review that is now about 80% reconciled. We know this has been a criticism of our members and we are bearing down hard on fixing the problem. Charlie Watkins and Gene have, just this month, fixed over 150 deficiencies where we over the years have been delinquent in posting correct addresses and responding promptly to the mailing of membership cards. Some problems still exist but rest assured this group of Officers and Directors is spending countless hours making things right. But I must say, many of the problems stem from members not updating address changes. So, we must all work together in this effort.

Those at the Las Vegas Reunion will recall that the membership gave our leadership authority to revamp the scholarship program to accommodate the new scholars program. This Blackhorse Scholars Scholarship was made possible by a member who wishes to remain anonymous. This generous donor committed to $50,000 a year for four years and will match members’ donations to $100,000 for the same four years so as to provide full scholarships up to $25,000 a year for four years to special kids who have proven they deserve a scholarship of this tremendous magnitude. On 11/11 we will present the new scholarship guidance and application guidelines on our new web page that will be placed online on 9 November 2008, our Association’s 38th Birthday.

Our next edition of the Blackhorse Newsletter will be posted in late January so be sure to watch for it. Gunner Wagner, who lives in the Philippines, has completed a detailed terrain walk and much study on the last Cavalry Charge and has been fortunate to be in contact with the Officer that commanded that charge. Colonel Ed Ramsey led that charge and has communicated with Gunner, confirmed Gunner’s map trace and terrain walk and has given his permission to Gunner to use many of his works in his article to be printed in the next Blackhorse Newsletter and subsequent posting on our new web. Colonel Ramsey is a member of the Association and we thank him for his permission to use his work in our publication. We need more of you to contribute to our three communication mediums—-Newsletter, E-News and Web. Share your experiences. We have arranged the new web to accommodate news and events and unit news. Dom Izzo has provided some great news on the Red Devils,Wes Walters on Thunderhorse and Glenn Allardyce on Workhorse. We need and welcome your input—–All you need to remember is that we are a 501 © 3 non-profit charitable and as such, the IRS requires us to remain apolitical. And of course, we Blackhorse folk would not use language that would embarrass or offend our children.

Finally, you need to know how proud I am of the great group of Officers, Directors and Staff you provided me at the Las Vegas Reunion. They have helped us conduct an extraordinary due diligence effort. Their work as a result of our due diligence finds our Association in the finest condition of our 38 year history insofar as legal and statutory compliance and scholarship financial condition. But we as an Association have a dismal record of supporting the Association with operating funds. Without operating funds, we cannot implement a scholarship program—plain and simple. Example of our latest failure, we posted 19,000 Blackhorse Newsletters with four cut-out raffle tickets to garner funds for operations.

With this change from the 14th Cavalry, the planning committee is discussing how to proceed. WE NEED TO MAKE SOME HARD DECISIONS BY 15 DECEMBER. In order to determine if we will have sufficient numbers to justify continued planning, WE ARE ASKING FOR AN "EMAIL SHOW OF HANDS"OF THOSE WHO ARE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING ATTENDING. By seriously we mean IF YOU ARE 80% SURE NOW THAT YOU WILL ATTEND IN JUNE OF 2009 we would like to know that. This is not a formal commitment, but we are trying to gauge what the participation level will be. Please let me, Glenn Snodgrass (jgs525@nullcox.net) or Tom Smart
(tom.smart@nullL-3com.com) know as soon as you can, but NOT LATER THAN 30 NOVEMBER, if you plan to attend the reunion scheduled for 24-28 note to them so we can get the best head count possible.