Use your voice, vote, to be heard on Capitol Hill Published Oct. 18, 2006 By Chief Master Sgt. Robin Callaway 325th Maintenance Group superintendent TYNDALL AFB, Fla. -- When I enlisted in 1977, there were more than 600,000 Airmen in the Air Force. In the very near future, because of budget cuts, force shaping, outsourcing and privatization, the number will most likely be half its current size. As our Air Force continues to get smaller, who is speaking for us on Capitol Hill? A better question might be, "What are you doing for your voice to be heard?" Some options for being heard include writing letters to elected officials, e-mailing politicians through their Web sites or leaving voice mail messages at their offices to voice your concerns. If you are a registered voter, you will most likely receive a response. But most elected officials are bombarded on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis with e-mail and phone messages to the extent that most messages don't get a response. So with that said, how can you be sure your needs are being met by lawmakers on Capitol Hill? I can answer that question with five simple words: Support a professional military organization. Generally, I am amazed by the expressions and answers I receive when I ask Airmen if they are members of a professional organization. Organizations such as the Air Force Association, Air Force Sergeants Association, the Noncommissioned Officers Association, the Retired Officers Association, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars - just to name a few - speak for us daily on Capitol Hill. Unfortunately, as our total force gets smaller, so does their membership, resulting in a smaller voice. So what can we do to provide them with a louder voice? An organization with two or three hundred thousand members has much more influence to their respective lobbyist than just 100,000 members can provide. Much like voting, registered voters during an election can provide a very loud message. Low numbers of members send messages like "we don't have the time," or "we don't really care about the impact of the legislation being considered." As the old saying goes, "There is safety in numbers," which essentially means, the more people are behind something, the more Congress will pay attention to an organization's wants and needs. Over the years, professional military associations have had a tremendous impact on our lives as service members. Some of the biggest issues they have tackled have included: increased allowances and reduction of out-of-pocket expenses during permanent change of station moves; increased pay and benefits; approval of various health care benefit expansion demonstration projects (i.e. Tricare Senior Prime); achievement of an expanded pharmacy benefit, "Tricare for Life" benefit; quality-of-life benefits for reservists and their families; continued protection of military stores (commissaries and exchanges); elimination of source taxes; elimination of the Social Security Earnings test; retirement protection and appropriation/authorization of "Impact Aid" funding for local school districts educating the children of military families and many more. As you can see, these organizations are here for us, the men and women in uniform, but they cannot be an effective and respected presence on Capital Hill without a powerful force behind them. At the risk of sounding like an old "brown shoe" chief master sergeant, if you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem. I encourage you to consider joining a professional military association to make your lifestyle on active duty the best it can be, while at the same time, making your future retirement as fruitful and beneficial as you hope. Will you be heard on Capitol Hill?