"It made perfect sense for us to join," said Alicia Nelson, manager of the Olympia Auto Mall Dealers' Association. "Especially when it was as close as a subchapter right in our backyard."

Nelson is referring to one of the latest Captain Meriwether Lewis Chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) subchapters, which she actually helped to create, in Olympia.

"I am a mother of a single Soldier, so I really understand how important it is to support them and let them know that we care," she explained. "Once the subchapter was in place, I asked all my bosses at the dealerships if they'd be interested in joining and they all got on board as corporate members."

The following Olympia Auto Mall dealerships are now active members within the AUSA subchapter: All Star Ford, Capitol City Honda, Hanson Motors, Lincoln Mazda of Olympia, Olympia Nissan, Olympia Chrysler Jeep, Topping Volvo of Olympia and Toyota of Olympia.

The Olympia subchapter of AUSA supports Soldiers and their families and is specifically tied to the 593rd Sustainment Brigade.

"Whether we are business or personal members, we want to support our Soldiers," Nelson said. "They are our neighbors, our families and this is important. AUSA is skilled at supporting Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the right way and we want to continue to do more under their guidance."

For more information about joining AUSA or the Olympia subchapter, visit www.ausafortlewis.com or www.ausa.org.