OMSA President's Message

Dear Fellow OMSA Members:

United States v. Alvarez, the “Stolen Valor” case that I talked about in my January-February message, was scheduled to be argued on Wednesday, February 22nd. By the time you read this, the Supreme Court will have heard from the lawyers in the case.  Depending on the questions from the justices, it may be possible to anticipate how the Court will rule. For those of you who are interested, check the internet to see what the ‘experts’ have to say now that oral arguments are over.

Director Bill Emerson has spent hundreds of hours editing OMSA publications as our Monograph Chairman. For example, Bill edited Campaign Decorations and Medals of the Persian Gulf War, Decorations and Medals of the Peacekeeping in the Balkans, and Marksmanship Awards of the National Guard in Pennsylvania. He also found time to write and edit his own monograph on U.S. Army Badges, a superb reference that belongs on every OMSA member’s shelf.  Finally, Bill is now hard at work on a revision of Tony Margrave’s long out-of-print Medals for Service in Mexico and on the Mexican Border 1911-1917.  But all good things come to an end, and Bill has decided to give someone else the opportunity to produce our monographs. Fortunately, the good news continues, as long-time member Ed Emering, a prolific writer (and monograph author) has volunteered to be the new OMSA Monograph Chairman. Bill Emerson will hand his duties over to Ed Emering in August 2012; they will work together to ensure a smooth transition. But please join me in thanking Bill for his superb work with our monographs and join me in welcoming Ed to the OMSA publications world.

Don’t forget that our Convention this year will be held in Dallas.  Many of you go every year and know that it is always a fabulous time.  If you have never been, or haven’t been in a while, do come.  It is a time to see old friends and make new ones among our society.  The dates are from August 16 until August 19, 2012.  Since the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Hyatt Regency is already at the DFW airport, members will not have a lengthy and expensive ride after stepping off the airplane. And as we are already at the airport, the theme for this year’s convention is “Aviation.”  In keeping with this theme, our Saturday banquet speaker is Paul Oelkrug, the coordinator for Special Collections at the University of Texas at Dallas. Among the items in this collection are a wide array of materials on aviation history, including the papers of Jimmy Doolittle, perhaps most famous for his role in the bombing of Tokyo in 1942, and Vice Admiral Charles E. Rosendahl, who was in charge of the United States Navy's airship program. Paul Oelkrug’s talk is certain to be interesting to one and all. Look for the Convention registration form in the JOMSA or for more information at our website, www.omsa.org.  I hope to see you there!