View club membership as investment for future

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Steven Dubriske
  • 71st Flying Training Wing
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  As the staff judge advocate here, I attend a significant number of meetings each week.
While the topics discussed in each of these meetings generally vary, one issue -- club membership rates -- has been routinely raised in multiple forums.
Many of you are probably wondering why this issue would be important to senior leadership at Vance. It is important because many Services functions are set up to be self-sustaining entities based on revenue generated from patrons. If these revenue-generating programs constantly lose money as the Vance Club has done in the past, you do not need to have a Harvard degree to understand that businesses in the "red" do not stay open forever.
Air Education and Training Command and the Air Force Services Agency are constantly evaluating the financial condition of Services activities at Vance and have the authority to shut down financially unproductive activities, including the Vance Club. I would argue the closure of the Vance Club, and the corresponding loss of its food service capability and ballroom venue would significantly impact the Vance community as a whole.
Because the Vance Club receives revenue from dues paid by its members, it should make sense why senior leaders are concerned about the membership rates here. The membership rate for officers was most recently reported at 36 percent. This membership rate ranked Vance in the bottom half of total officer club membership in AETC. While enlisted membership exceeded AETC's goal and ranked Vance No. 2 of 13 installations, the statistics still show there are various rank categories that for some unknown reason do not join the Air Force club system.
Yes, the purpose of my commentary is to ask you, the non-club member, to join the Vance Club. In thinking about how to convince someone that club membership is important, I thought about using the hard-line mentoring I received from my first supervisor. He informed me during my first feedback session that it was my duty as an officer to support installation activities, including the club. He argued every officer and noncommissioned officer was basically an owner of the building that houses the club; thus, it was my responsibility to provide a fair financial share to cover the operating expenses.
I also considered selling the Vance Club from a marketing perspective. It would be easy to take this tack, as the Vance Club, more than any other Air Force club I have seen, has given my family and I the best value for our money. However, if I am being true to the core value of Integrity First, I would have to admit the special member meals, discounts and coupons I receive each month usually do not provide a dollar-for-dollar exchange with my club dues. As such, I understand such an argument may not sway the economic-oriented officer or enlisted member here.
Finally, after thinking about it for a while, I figured out the real reason for an Air Force member to join the club is you are making an investment for your future. Specifically, your investment today in the form of your club dues will ensure you have an Air Force club available when you need one ... and you will need one some day.
For example, you may be a young lieutenant about to graduate from pilot training sometime in the next year. If the Vance Club were to close, your off-base options for an appropriate graduation dinner venue are extremely limited. I guess you could use the back room at one of the local buffet restaurants as a substitute, although the ambiance and service will definitely be less than that currently provided by the Vance Club. Provided you make your investment in the Vance Club now, however, you and your loved ones will have a superb venue to recognize your extraordinary achievement of becoming a military aviator.
Your investment as a club member may be realized when you are recognized for achievements such as company grade officer or instructor pilot during a quarterly awards luncheon. It may also be after a well-deserved promotion, as 23 new major-selects did last month when they used the Vance Club to celebrate their accomplishments with not only family and friends, but also with complete strangers who came for the free food and drinks.
Finally, the recoupment of your investment in the Air Force club system may not be so immediate. In fact, it could take your entire career to recognize the importance of your investment today as a club member. Just ask Chief Master Sgt. Ron Prewitt. Today, Chief Prewitt will be honored with a retirement ceremony at the Vance Club recognizing his almost 26 years of exceptional service to our country. As Chief Prewitt had the foresight to invest in the Air Force club system early in his career, he is now able to harvest the fruits of his investment by having an appropriate venue available to hold both his retirement dinner and ceremony.
Hopefully, we will all be as fortunate as Chief Prewitt to have an Air Force club available when we need to celebrate a significant personal or professional milestone sometime during our military career. The question is, will you make the investment now?