UMA Email I Website I Facebook I YouTube I Flickr I Twitter Email: UMA@uspto.gov

February 2018

The USPTO Military Association (UMA) is a USPTO affinity group and 501(c)(3) non-profit charity whose mission is to provide fellowship, mentorship, and support for military Veterans working at the USPTO, and to help educate others on the important contributions that Veterans have made—and continue to make—to the workforce and our nation. Membership is open to everyone and prior military service is not required. Contact the UMA for more information at uma@uspto.gov.

UMA Membership Drive. The UMA is sponsoring a Membership Drive on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the month of February. We will have an informational table set up in the Madison Cafe hallway to promote the UMA and sign up new members. If you have 30 minutes to spare, please sign up. Your time is greatly appreciated as we help educate employees about the UMA and welcome new members to the UMA family. To sign up for a 30 minute slot, please click here. POC is UMA President, Collin Nole at Collin.Nole@uspto.gov. UMA memberships are open to USPTO employees, contractors and general public. Prior military service is not required. If you know someone interested in joining, please visit our website for the membership forms.

Battle of An Nasiriyah 15 Year Reunion. On 23-25 March, 2018, the Marines, Sailors and Families of the Fallen members of the Battle of An Nasiriyah, Iraq "Garden of Eden" will hold a historic multi-unit 15 Year battle reunion in Fort Worth, Texas. We will celebrate our victories on the battlefield, re-unite those bonded in the cauldron of combat, honor our fallen heroes and pass forward legacies. Click here for more information.

VII Corps Desert Storm Reunion. The VII Corps Desert Storm Veterans Association is having its 27th reunion weekend at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, 23–25 February 2018. We will gather, as always, to commemorate our victory together as part of the Coalition, while also remembering and honoring those of our ranks who did not return. Click here for more information. Calendar of Events: • Weekly Coffee Break every Tuesday in the cafeteria area nearest Madison West from 9:30-10:00. • February Monthly Board of Directors Meeting (second Tuesday of

the month from 1:00-2:00) Check meeting invite for location. • February is National African American History Month • March 12 – UMA Quarterly Member Meeting. (Open to all

members and potential members) 11:30-1:00 in Remsen Conference Center. Veteran Educational brief will be provided – Lite lunch will be provided.

• March 29 - National Vietnam War Veterans Day

UMA Rewards Program. The UMA Board of Directors has voted to implement the UMA Rewards Program! Woohoo! Below is a breakout of the rewards program and items received for referring a new member. You may also purchase these items – prices noted below. These items will be available at coffee and other UMA events. • 1 New Member = 1 Coffee Mug ($5) • 2 New Members = 1 Baseball Cap ($10) • 3 New Members = 1 Tee Shirt ($15) • 5 New Members = 1 Polo Shirt or 1 Windbreaker ($25)

A big THANK YOU to Gabriela Craciun for leading this effort. If you have any questions, referred a member or would like to purchase an item, please contact Gabriela directly. USPTO National African American History Month. The Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity (OEEOD) is sponsoring several Black History Month events in February. The theme for this year is “Blacks in the Military.” USPTO events are listed below.

Army Registries. The Army Historical Society has a registry to recognize and honor active duty Soldiers and Veterans, civilians who worked with or for the Army, and animals that served a role during conflicts. Anyone who served honorably in or for the U.S. Army deserves to have his or her name and service history placed on record at the Museum. If you served or supported the Army, click here to join the Army Registries. Do You Know a Speaker? We are always looking for amazing guest speakers to come in and meet with us. If you know someone who may be a great speaker, let us know!

Did You Know? The first African American to win the Medal of Honor was Army Sgt. William H. Carney, who earned the honor for protecting one of the United States' greatest symbols during the Civil War -- the American flag. On July 18, 1863, the soldiers of Carney's regiment led the charge on Fort Wagner. During the battle, the unit's color guard was shot. Carney, who was just a few feet away, saw the dying man stumble, and he scrambled to catch the falling flag. Despite suffering several gunshot wounds, not once did he allow the flag to touch the ground. Carney was promoted to the rank of sergeant for his actions. For his bravery, Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 23, 1900 Click here to read more about Sergeant Carney and the actions that earned him the Medal of Honor.

Have a story you want to share? Family members you want to note being deployed? Any special announcements to share (retirement, births, career achievements, etc.)? If you have an event, charity or community service you would like to share with other UMA members – let us know? This is YOUR Scuttlebutt. So please let us know how we may help communicate what’s

going on in YOUR world. The 2018 UMA Board of Directors:

Officers Representatives-at-large • President: Collin Nole • Vice President: Candice Dow • Treasurer: Mariyah Chaudry • Secretary: Olivia Wise

• Melissa Wiley • Troy Tyler • Dean Dominique (Historian) • Robin Hylton • Kim Bilas • Michael Arguello • Anhtuan Nguyen • James Miller (Texas Regional Office) • Fritzgerald Butac (Silicon Valley Regional Office)

UMA memberships is open to USPTO employees, contractors and general public. Prior military service is not required. If you know someone interested in joining, please visit our website for the membership forms.

The Scuttlebutt may include stories, links and references not directly connected to the USPTO Military Association, but which may be of interest to our Veteran community. If you have questions or comments about anything appearing (or not) in the UMA Scuttlebutt, please contact us at uma@uspto.gov.

2017 UMA Annual Report

2017 Membership: • 325 dues paying members • 566 on the UMA email distribution list • 60 new members

Fellowship and Mentorship Events • Weekly coffee break celebrations

o Service Birthdays o Military Spouse Appreciation Day o Purple Heart Day o Gold Star Mother’s Day o Airborne Day

• Speakers o Mighty Oaks Founders Chad and Kathy Robichaux o Meet the Author of “The Filthy Thirteen,” Richard Killblane o Meet the Author of “One Hell of a War,” Dean Dominique o Former Iraqi Interpreter, Dina AL-Qubran o VA Disability Compensation Briefing, MOAA o Veteran Inventor and Entrepreneur, Gary L. Walters Jr. o Executive Director Wreaths Across America, Karen Worcester o Veteran Advocate, Wade Spann

• After-hour activities o Monthly Happy Hour o UMA Night at the Ballpark o Army vs. Navy Football o Navy vs. Air Force Football

• Established the UMA Reward Program • Initiated the “Wrapped in Love” program to provide USPTO families of deployed service members with gifts as a

small way to acknowledge the price of their service, dedication and sacrifice to our great nation • Provided information to Veterans about the USPTO New Examiner Mentoring Program • Assisted in coordinating mentorship among members

Support Events • Began operating as a 501c3 Public Non-Profit Charity • Ensured the POW/MIA flag was flown on National POW/MIA Recognition Day • Established a Scholarship program for UMA Members which resulted in two $500 scholarships • Introduced “Wrapped In Love” initiative which provided Christmas gifts to the children of deployed USPTO family

members • Co-sponsored Operation Gratitude with PTOS to send letters to service members for the holidays • Coordinated a VA Disability Brief • Support to Veteran-related charities

o Purchased a brick to support a local Wounded Warrior through the Gary Sinise Foundation o Organized and executed the annual Wreaths Across America Award Ceremony o Purchased Christmas Tree Ornaments for Service Members through the USO-Metro’s Trees for Our

Heroes program.

o Provided Christmas gifts to local lower enlisted Service Members through the USO-Metro’s Operation Elf

o Members participated in Wreaths Across America Day o Collected donations for Hurricane Harvey Support o UMA Member participated in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Reading of the Names o Participated in the Armed Forces Retirement Home Volunteer event o Collected tattered flags for the Stars For Our Troops charity o Members participated in the Honor Flights at DCA Reagan National Airport o Sponsored a Wounded Warrior to attend Serve Our Willing Warrior fund raising event o Coordinated assistance to local Wounded Warrior

• The UMA supported the following USPTO Events: o Co-sponsored the Veteran Inventor Exhibit at the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame o Assisted in coordination of Veteran-related charities for CFC Charity Fair o Supported the USPTO Veteran Hiring Program o Co-sponsored the 2017 Pride Month Event o Members participated in the USPTO’s social media campaign to highlight Veteran keepsakes o Community Day o PaTh Expos o Blood Drives o Wellness Fair o Participated in the USPTO International Food Festival

Educate Events • Led two USPTO Veteran-related holiday events

o Memorial Day o Veterans Day

• Veteran Recognition o National African American History Month Articles o Women’s History Month Articles o Veteran Highlights

Tanya Hellams Candice Dow Pat Patterson Michael Maharajh Aretha Grayson Troy Tyler Mark Booker Jill Leyden

• Presented free copies of the U.S. Constitution to celebrate Constitution Day on main campus and two regional offices • Coordinated PTSD Awareness Month event • Man In the Arena Awards

o Chad and Kathy Robichaux, Co-Founders of Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs o Karen Worcester, Executive Director Wreaths Across America o Dean Dominique, Past President of the UMA o Gary L. Walters Jr., Veteran Entrepreneur o Fred Steckler, Executive Sponsor of the UMA

2017 Annual Budget Report

2017 Income $17, 793.22 2017 Expenses ($22,095.62) EOY Balance $18,276.48

Income

Source Amount Payroll Deduction $16,298.00 Annual Dues Non Payroll Deduction $260.00 Donations $452.00 Reimbursements $558.22 UMA Reward Program Sales $225.00 Total $17, 793.22

Expenses

Event Amount Annual Awards Total ($1,992.99) Cake Total ($91.23) Challenge Coins Total ($799.00) Constitution Day Total ($566.10) Donation Total ($1,289.12) Fees Total ($483.47) Flags Total ($159.29) Happy Hour Total ($916.97) Insurance Total ($683.00) Lanyards Total ($849.10) Marketing Total ($821.49) Memorial Day Total ($645.27) Misc. Total ($259.05) Office Supplies Total ($256.37) Postage Total ($71.00) Pride Month Event Total ($300.00) Quarterly Meeting Total ($1,241.97) Reference Material Total ($201.89) Retirement Gift Total ($142.76) Reward Program Total ($3,197.03) Scholarship Total ($1,000.00) USPTO Food Festival Total ($450.00) Veterans Day Total ($4,622.80) Website Hosting Total ($138.83) Wreaths Across America Event Total ($916.89) Total ($22,095.62)