UAMA officers participate in UAVeterans' convention (10/22/00)

UAMA officers participate in UAVeterans' convention

by Maj. Yurij Holowinsky, USAFR

WARREN, Mich. - Over the weekend of September 30-October 1 the four past and present commanders of the Ukrainian American Military Association (UAMA) participated in the 53rd national convention of Ukrainian American Veterans (UAV).

Held in Warren, Mich., at the St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church Parish Center, the convention brought together numerous Ukrainian American Veterans and featured a candid question and answer session with Rep. David Bonior, focusing in large measure on the representative's sponsorship of a bill that may lead to the granting of a national charter to the Ukrainian American Veterans.

The delegates also welcomed the renewal of UAV Post No. 26 in Washington, which will be headed by recently retired Maj. Orest Jowyk of the U.S. Air Force. Maj. Jowyk and the other members of Post 26 said they are grateful that retired Maj. Gen. Nicholas Krawciw has agreed to lend his support and is now included on the rolls of Post 26.

Following the working sessions, all who attended the UAV convention met at the banquet ball, where an enthusiastic crowd of over 300 listened to two outstanding keynote presentations. Col. Askold Mosijczuk and Maj. Roman Golash spoke about their work on military medical missions to Ukraine, punctuating and underscoring their words with a slide presentation detailing their respective trips. The unique aspect of the military-to-military contact missions between the United States and Ukraine is the fact that members of the UAMA provide linguistic support. And the language used is Ukrainian.

Maj. Golash emphasized the unique character of this effort, thanking the elder generations, the immigrants who came to the United States and through hard work ensured that the Ukrainian language survived with their children. When called to duty, these Ukrainian-speaking men and women of the armed forces of the United States were ready to immediately step in and help meet vital U.S. national interests by establishing direct links with the Ukrainian military, and doing so in Ukrainian, Maj. Golash noted.

The UAMA, first led by Lt. Col. Yaromyr Oryshkevych, continues to support special projects requiring both military and Ukrainian language expertise. All servicemen and women, of all services and all ranks, of any military specialty, are welcomed to join the UAMA and get on the e-mail list. There are no fees and no dues, and the only requirement is the ability to speak Ukrainian and a desire to participate in special missions running the gamut from medical exchanges, port visits and aerial-refueling activities to peacekeeping exercises and airborne operations. The UAMA provides an opportunity to network with diverse military members and an opportunity to learn. Enlisted folks in particular will benefit greatly from a stellar role model, the UAMA's NCOIC (Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge), Sgt. Maj. Danylo Zahody, who has 26 years of service in the Special Forces, the Green Berets.

Interested persons should send an e-mail message with contact data and a description of their military experience and military specialty to the UAMA membership coordinator, Lt. Col. Oryshkevych at [email protected]; the SGM at [email protected]; Maj. Holowinsky at [email protected]; or any UAMA member you may know.

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