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Army Reserve Ambassadors link local communities

Volunteer advocates bridge the lines of communication between soldiers and civilians

From left to right: Oregon Ambassador Kurt Loop, Washington Ambassadors Mary Miller, William Aronow, Stan Flemming, and Oregon Ambassador Dan Hitchcock. Photo credit: Mary Miller

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"Ambassador" is one of those honorifics that sounds a bit antiquated, like it's from the same bygone era as "Viceroy" or "Archduke", but it's still in use today. In fact, the Army Reserve has been using it ever since ye olden times of 1998.

Army Reserve Ambassadors act as liaisons between the Reserve and the public. While Reserve unit leaders, ambassadors are local residents active in their community, serving as constant "figureheads" and lending a degree of permanence to the Reserve in each state.

The Army Reserve counts on its ambassadors to not only relay information, but to garner support from local officials, promote Reserve events and generally increase awareness of the Reserve in their communities. Additionally, ambassadors serve Reserve members by securing support from businesses, universities, trade schools and military and veteran service organizations to provide resources for Reserve members once they leave the service.

In addition to being active members of their respective communities, ARA's are retired soldiers themselves, and they've essentially continued their military service without compensation because they have a vested interest in the well-being of their fellow soldiers and citizens. Washington has three ambassadors: Fred Aronow, Mary Miller and Stan Flemming.

Amb. William "Fred" Aronow is a retired Army colonel with 32 years of service. In addition to being an ARA, Mr. Aronow serves his fellow soldiers as a judge in the Veterans Enhanced Treatment (VET) courts. Aronow also founded and serves as chairman of the Spokane Veterans Forum, a nonprofit that provides rehabilitative services for convicted veterans with PTSD and related issues. Aronow serves his community in Spokane as a pro tem judge in two counties, an elder in his church and in various veterans and civic organizations.

"I do it to continue to serve the Army and the country," Aronow said. "I find we're really helping these units by relaying information and connecting with community leaders."

Amb. Mary Miller is a retired Army sergeant major. In addition to being an ARA, she serves her community by volunteering for Yakima schools, the Yakima Symphony, the Capitol Theatre Backstage Board and the Yakima Tennis Club Board and actively works with the Army Reserve's Minuteman Scholarship to provide college education for Reserve members.

Amb. Stan Flemming is a retired brigadier general with 34 years of service and needs no introduction in Pierce County. Among his many titles and accolades in addition to being an ARA, Flemming served as the first mayor of University Place and the chairman of the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department. He is the cofounder of Pierce County Community Health Clinics and Caring with Coats, which provides warm winter coats to the needy. He currently works as an Osteopath in Puyallup while serving as a member of the Pierce Council in Tacoma, the University Place Chamber Of Commerce and many other civic and philanthropic organizations.

This Veterans Day, take a minute to remember veterans aren't just heroes for past service to their country, they're heroes for their service to their communities as well.

For more information on the Army Reserve and its Ambassadors, please visit usar.army.mil.

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