Membership: the Foundation of the Auxiliary.

As we enter the new year, Auxiliary membership is our most important priority. Luckily, it is also a Priority we can most readily influence.

Each of us can make a tremendous difference in membership by recruiting just one new Auxiliary member.

Imagine twice as many members supporting important Auxiliary programs that assist so many disabled veterans and their families. Think of the positive impact we would have as volunteers in our VA medical facilities and in our communities.

Being a practical woman, I don't set goals beyond my reach, and I know that recruiting one new member between now and the end of June is something each of us can achieve.

There are more than 181,000 of us. We are the sisters, daughters, granddaughters, great-granddaughters, mothers, grandmothers, wives, and widows of veterans who were disabled serving our nation. We are the DAV Auxiliary, and we are related to or know of women just like us who are eligible to be Auxiliary members. We must make it our mission to recruit and welcome these women into our ranks without delay.

We can easily double or even triple our current membership if we set our minds to the task and work to make it happen.

Don't forget our Junior Auxiliary members. As Junior Auxiliary members, these young girls grow into strong women and capable future leaders under the guidance and example of caring Auxiliary members.

I cannot tell you how proud I am to have my daughter and granddaughter involved in the Auxiliary and Junior Auxiliary. Our times together in the Auxiliary are some of my fondest memories.

Remember, too, there are thousands of wounded and injured military men and women returning from operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of these veterans will benefit from the services and advocacy of the DAV. It is up to us to seek out their wives, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters to welcome them into our Auxiliary.

These new members can benefit greatly from our experience They can also benefit from the support of Auxiliary members who understand what they are going through and can empathize with the adjustments they are making in their lives. Just as we once may have wondered where to turn and had an Auxiliary member welcome us into the organization, it is now our turn to pass on the legacy of assistance and support that we and those before us have forged.

I often say, love isn't love until you give it away, and building bitter lives for America's disabled veterans and their families is indeed all act of love, work, and dedication.

I know we can provide twice as much love and assistance for disabled veterans and their families through a bigger, stronger DAV Auxiliary membership. I am also confident each of us probably knows another woman who should be an Auxiliary member. SO, let's roll up our sleeves and make it happen in the new year.

Gertrude E. Tidwell, DAV Auxiliary National Commander, 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY 41076