Pursuant to Article 10 of the Articles of Association, the following membership categories are established:

(a) Full Membership:     To be eligible, an applicant shall be primarily either a formerly or presently designated Aviation Warfare Systems Operator (or Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Operator) who was designated as a Naval Aircrewman.  Enlisted Naval Aircrewman who served as either Aircrew Sensor Operators (PBY-5, P-2V, P-3A/B) or SAR Swimmers (H-2, H-3) prior to the creation of the AW Rating in 1968 are eligible upon submission of documents validating their eligibility.  Individuals will be eligible for full membership despite any change of rates or Naval Aircrewman status due to a medical disqualification. Individuals forced to change rate from AW due to disciplinary reasons shall be ineligible for either full or associate membership. Past AWs applying for full membership shall have been honorably discharged from Naval Service.

(b) Associate Membership:   Any person or student AWs, (with the exception of an individual with prior military service discharged for other than honorable (OTH) conditions) who is not eligible for Full Membership, but who is interested in aviation warfare systems operation, is eligible for Associate Membership.

By-Law 2:  Membership Application

      The Treasurer shall notify members of the expiration of their membership not less than thirty days prior to expiration. In determining eligibility for office, memberships renewed within thirty days of expiration shall be regarded as continuous.

        The dues of Members shall be:

(a)  $18 annually or $50 triennially: E-7 and above (active, retired, or separated) Full Members;

(b)  $18 annually or $50 triennially: Associate Members;

(c)  $12 annually or $32 triennially: E-1 through E-6 (active, retired, or separated) Full Members;

(d)  $12 annually or $32 triennially (members 65 years and older regardless or previous rank or status) Full Members;

(e)  Free Life Membership is available for any individual eligible for Full Membership who has been survived a Class A Aircraft Mishap (e.g. crash, ditch, ejection).  The individual must provide documentation or be vouched by two Full Members. Additionally, any former AW forced to have changed rates as a result of a flight-related or aircrew training-related injury (e.g. physiology, egress drills, SAR jumps, etc.) shall receive lifetime membership; and

(f)  A one-third reduction in annual dues is afforded to all Full Members who submit an article that is published in the Association Newsletter.

By-Law 5:  Compensation

       All Directors shall keep themselves informed as to conditions and activities in their territorial division and as to the needs and desires of the members therein in order that they may faithfully and intelligently represent the true interests of such members. They shall attend all meetings of the Board. At least 14 days prior to each annual meeting of the Board of Directors each Director is encouraged to file with the Secretary a written report on the status of the affairs of the Association in their division, together with a statement of their recommendations as to any actions required for the effective administration of the objectives and affairs of the Association.

       The Secretary shall solicit nominations for the each Division Officer in which the term of the incumbent is to expire on the subsequent January 1, in a notice that shall include the name of the incumbent. On any date between the appearance of the first solicitation and noon Eastern Time on the second Friday of August of any election year, any Full member of such division may request official nominating petition forms. To constitute a valid nomination, the original copy of such an official nominating petition form as provided by the Secretary must name a Full member of the Division as a candidate for office; must be signed by five or more Full members of the Division; must be accompanied by a statement signed by the candidate attesting to their eligibility, willingness to run, and willingness to assume the office if elected; and must be filed with the Secretary no later than noon Eastern Time on the third Friday of August of that year. Only original documents shall be accepted by the Secretary and is not authorized to accept facsimiles of any kind. The Secretary shall immediately acknowledge the receipt of nominations to the candidate, and shall forward the nominations to the Election Committee.

        Should it appear that any one person is nominated for multiple offices, the nominee shall inform the Election Committee which office the multiple nominee prefers.  If the nominee is unavailable to determine their office preference, the Election Committee shall enter the multiple nominee's name in the most senior position as determined by the Officer Order of Precedence (By-Law 12).

       The Election Committee, supervised by the Master-at-Arms, shall delete the name of any nominee who may be ineligible to election and the name of any nominee who may withdraw by written or electronic communication. The remaining names shall be listed on a ballot, in alphabetical order. If there is only one eligible nominee, the Election Committee shall declare him or her elected without balloting by the membership. If there are more than one eligible nominee, then on or before October 1 of each year the Secretary shall send by mail or electronic mail to every person who on the tenth day of September of that year was a full member of the League in the divisions in which elections are being held, a ballot listing the candidates for Officer in his or her division, and a return envelope, soliciting a vote for one name. The ballot shall contain a copy of By-Laws and the Articles of Association..

       The Election Committee shall appoint a committee of two Officers and shall arrange to have a Full Member present to certify the results of the balloting; but any member of the Association who shall deliver to the Secretary on or before the first day of October of election year a written petition signed by at least ten full members of a Directorate, stating their desire that they witness the counting by the committee of the ballots from that division, shall be permitted to do so and shall be accorded reasonable opportunity to satisfy themself of the correctness of the count reported by the committee. Ballots, to be counted, shall reach the mailing address established for their return no later than noon Eastern Time on the third Friday of November of election year. No outer envelopes marked as containing ballots shall be opened until the meeting of the committee of tellers held for the purpose of counting the ballots.

        Any electronic mail submissions shall be prefaced by the subject FAW Ballot and submitted to each member of the Election Committee. The committee of tellers shall meet at a pre-arranged location as soon thereafter as possible and in the presence of each other shall open the envelopes containing ballots and shall count the vote, after first eliminating the ballot of anyone disqualified from voting. They shall forthwith prepare and sign in the name of the Election Committee a report of the results of the vote, declaring duly elected as new Officers the candidate in each of the Divisions receiving the greatest number of votes therein; and they shall turn over all their records and ballots to the Secretary for presentation at the next annual meeting of the Board of Directors.

       If there are no eligible nominee, the procedure provided for in By-Laws 8, 9, and 10 shall be repeated three months later and if there is again no eligible nominee, the person then holding the office shall continue in office (subject to the provisions of Article 7 of the Articles of Association), until the next regular election established by these By-Laws for the Division.  If the person is unable to maintain office, the next senior Officer per the Order of Precedence listed in By-Law 12 shall serve as an Acting Officer until a new Officer can be elected.

       The Officer Order of Precedence is President (or Director), Vice President (or Vice Director), Secretary, Treasurer, and Master-at-Arms.

       All National and Divisional Officers shall be elected in the same year until which time the Board of Directors can apportion Directorate Officer elections in alternate years to assure greater continuity within the Association.  All Officers shall assume their office at noon on the first day of January of the year after that in which they are elected.

       All Divisions shall adopt a name that uniquely identifies the Division.  Potential names can include significant landmarks (as trademark law permits), geographical location, deceased AWs, etc.  Divisions under formation shall submit a proposed name and alternate to the Board of Directors for approval.  Additionally, the Division may propose a personalized logo or patch identifying that Division.  At the time of incorporation, anticipated Association Divisions include:

      (a)    Japan “Taco Charlie” Division (Yokusuka, Atsugi, Kamiseya, Misawa, and Kadena).

      (b)    Hawaii “PCT” Division (Kaneahoe Bay)

      (c)    Washington “OHT” Division (Whidbey Island, Puget Sound).

      (d)    Moffett Field “KC” Division (Moffett Field, San Francisco Bay Area).

      (e)    North Island “Mexican Village” Division (North Island, San Diego).

      (f)     New Orleans “Preservation Jazz Hall” Division (New Orleans, Keesler)

      (g)    Pensacola “Trader Jon” Division (Pensacola, Sauffley Field)

      (h)    Jacksonville “Spindrifter” Division (Jacksonville, Cecil Field)

      (i)     Mayport “TBA” Division (Mayport)

      (j)     Norfolk “TBA” Division (Norfolk, Dam Neck)

      (k)    Patuxent River “TBA” Division (Pax River)

       (l)    Crystal City “Hamburger Heaven” Division (Washington)

      (m)   Willow Grove  “Julie Gibson” Division (Willow Grove, Warminster)

      (n)    Brunswick “Beans” Directorate (Brunswick)

      (o)    Europe “TBA” Directorate (Keflavik, Sigonella).

        The creation of a Division requires a minimum of 15 Full Members.  Not all anticipated Divisions may be formed.  Once a Division is formed, the Division must maintain a minimum of 10 Full and Associate Members to maintain its status.  If a Division fails to maintain the minimum number of members for a period of three months, the Board of Directors shall determine whether that Division should be dissolved.

       Any Full or Associate Members not readily located near an existing Division nor possessing sufficient Members within a geographical location to form a separate Division can elect to affiliate with a Division of their choice.

       Per the provisions of Article 7 of the Articles of Association, members of a Division may petition for recall of the Director of their division. Any League member may give notice of proposed recall by mailing to the Secretary by certified mail a letter to that effect. The fact of receipt will be communicated only to Officers, the Director concerned, the sender and the Election Committee. The recall petition shall be presented to the Secretary not later than 75 days after the mailing of the notice of recall and not later than June 1st of the final year of the term of office. A valid petition shall contain the dated signatures obtained on or after the date of mailing of the notice to the Secretary, and will include not less than 10 percent of the number of Full members voting in the election at which the Director was elected or not less than 10 percent of the Full members resident in the division on the preceding December 31st if the Director was elected without membership balloting. Upon certification by the Election Committee that the petition is valid, the Secretary shall prepare a ballot asking the single question, "Shall the Director be recalled, yes or no." If a majority of the votes cast are for recall, then the office of Director shall be declared vacant. No Director shall be subject to more than one recall election during a single term of office.

       The Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors and the Association Membership shall be held in the vicinity of Pensacola, Florida.  The Annual Meeting date should be on or about the 3rd Friday of January. The place(s) of all meetings shall be designated by the President and notified by the Secretary. The times and place(s) of the meetings may be changed provided that specific provision is made therefor by (1) majority vote of the Directors at the next preceding Annual Meeting, or (2) majority vote of the Directors by mail initiated by the Executive Committee or on petition of at least five Directors, such mail vote to be taken at least 90 days previous to the date proposed for the meeting.

       Special meetings of the Board of Directors may consider or act upon only those matters which are set out in the request provided for in Article 4 of the Articles of Association. The call for any such meeting shall specify the matters to be considered.

       A majority of the members of the Board of Directors or of any committee shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Board or Committee. Articles 8 and 9 nevertheless shall be applicable to the election of officers and amendment of any Article or By-Law.

       Prior to any regular meeting of the Board of Directors, the Secretary, upon consideration of the reports of the officers and Directors, shall establish an agenda for the meeting. Proposals for amendment of the agenda or for the deletion or addition of items shall be the first order of business.

       On questions of order and procedure not otherwise determined by these By-Laws the provisions of the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall prevail.

       The President shall preside over all meetings of the Board of Directors. The President shall, subject to instructions from the Board of Directors, and with the assistance of the Vice President, represent the League in its relationships with the public and the various governments, governmental agencies and officials with which the League may be concerned, and shall be the official spokesman of the Board of Directors in regard to all matters of League policy. Any vacancy occurring from time to time by death, resignation or incapacity of any member of the Executive Committee may be filled by appointment made by the President, for the balance of the original term of such member. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all Committees unless otherwise designated.

       In the absence or disability of the President, the Vice President shall preside at meetings of the Board of Directors and in general act in the President's stead. Should the Vice President be unavailable, the next Senior Officer present shall succeed.

       The Secretary shall record the proceedings of all meetings of the Board and of the Executive Committee. The Secretary shall promptly furnish copies of the minutes of these meetings to all officers and members of the Board and publish them the Association Web Site. The Secretary shall be responsible for the maintenance of the corporate status of the Association and the filing of all reports and certificates which may be required of the Association under the association laws of the State of ________.  The Secretary shall be the archivist of the Association and for the performance of such duties may call upon the Vice President for such clerical and stenographic assistance as may be required. To the extent that may from time to time be required by law, the Secretary shall act as agent for the service of process, but only while present in the State of ______ and is not authorized to accept service of process elsewhere.

       The Treasurer, upon consultation with and subject to the general supervision of the Administration and Finance Committee, shall provide for the investment and reinvestment of the surplus funds of the Association in any bonds or stocks or other securities as would be selected by a trustee with the care of a prudent investor. The Treasurer shall make a report at all regular meetings of the Board of Directors and shall attend meetings of the Board. The Treasurer shall serve as a member of the Administration and Finance Committee. The Treasurer shall have the authority to sign checks and other legal documents on behalf of the Association as required in the role as manager of the Association's investment activities.

       The Master-At-Arms is shall maintain good order and discipline at all meetings. The Master-At-Arms shall ensure adherence to all Articles of Association and Association By-Laws. In situations not covered by the prescribed Articles of Association and Association By-Laws, the Master-At-Arms shall refer to the latest edition of Robert's' Rules for guidance.  The Master-At-Arms shall ensure that all issues of ethics or the perception of unethical actions are addressed.

    The following standing committees shall be established:

        (a)    Administration and Finance;

        (b)    Awards;

        (c)    Scholarship;

        (d)    Annual Meeting; and

        (e)    Election.

        Each Standing committee shall consist of a minimum of two Directors plus one or more Vice Presidents or Vice Directors. Appointment shall be made by the President at the Annual Meeting and shall be for a term of one year.  No more than seven persons may be so appointed to each committee. Additionally, the Treasurer shall serve as a member of the Administration and Finance Committee.  The President shall designate the chairman of each committee.  Standing committees shall make written reports at least 30 days prior to each regular meeting of the Board of Directors. Standing committees may originate studies in their fields and may generate recommendations to the Board on their own initiative.

        The Administration and Finance Committee:

(a)    Reviews Association management performance and effectiveness, including Association finances, on a continuing basis.

(b)    On an annual basis, the committee reviews the operating budget prepared by the Treasurer and the Vice President for the coming year and, after approval, forwards to the Board of Directors for ratification.

(c)    Reviews intermediate and long term budgetary projections as prepared by the Treasurer and makes appropriate recommendations to the Board of Directors.

(d)    Makes recommendations to the Board in connection with audit and tax matters, and acts as a Board audit committee.

(e)    Acts as advisor to and supervisor of the Treasurer in regard to the investment of the Association's funds.

(f)    Acts as advisor to the Secretary with regard to the Association's publications programs, including the Association Newsletter and other periodicals.

       The Awards Committee:

(a)    Solicits nominations for the following annual Association awards:

(1)    "Rusty Ten Points Award";  awarded to the most senior VP acoustic AW still on Active or Reserve Duty.  Association membership is not required.

(2)    "Salty Snorkel Award";  awarded to the most senior HS or HSL AW still on Active or Reserve Duty.  Association membership is not required.

(3)    "Grey Gadget Award";  awarded to the most senior VP non-acoustic AW still on Active or Reserve Duty.  Association membership is not required.

(3)    "Wrinkled Tailhook Award", Awarded to the most senior VS AW still on Active or Reserve Duty;  Association membership is not required.

(4)    "Aircrewman of the Year"; awarded for professional achievement as a fixed- or rotary-wing aircrewman still on Active or Reserve Duty.  Association membership is required.

(5)    "SAR Swimmer of the Year";  awarded for professional achievement as a SAR swimmer still on Active or Reserve Duty.  Association membership is required.

(6)    "Lifetime Achievement Award";  awarded for lifetime contributions to the AW rate.  Association membership is not required.

(b)    Review nominations and select awardees:

(1)    Selection process for awarding both the Aircrewman and SAR Swimmer of the Year should consider which candidates are already selected for awards by other organizations.  The Committee shall devise the criteria of evaluating candidates prior to reviewing any nominations.  In all cases, awarding of the Aircrewman and SAR Swimmer of the Year shall be completed by June 15th.

(2)    Selection for the senior positional awards and lifetime achievement award shall be completed 45 days prior to the Annual Meeting.  The selected recipients, if available, shall receive their awards during the Annual Meeting.

By-Law 31:  Scholarship Committee

       The Scholarship Committee:

(a)    Solicits nominations for the following annual scholarship awards:  only children of Full Members shall be considered for nomination.

(b)    Review nominations and select awardees:

(1)    Selection process for awarding scholarships shall consider, in the following priority, the student need, eligibility for other scholarships, application responses, and scholastic ability.  The Committee shall devise additional criteria of evaluating candidates prior to reviewing any nominations.  In all cases, selection of scholarship awardees shall be completed by May 15th.

(2)    The Committee shall coordinate with the Treasurer prior to reviewing nominations in order to determine number and amount of scholarship awards.

       The Annual Meeting Committee shall coordinate all formal and social events at the Annual Meeting.  The Committee should have an agenda available for distribution to the Membership by December 1st.
 

       The Election Committee, supervised by the National Master-At-Arms, shall perform their duties as outlined in By-Laws 8, 9, 10,11 and 13.
 

       There shall be a newsletter maintained by the Association.   A copy of the newsletter shall be supplied (either electronically or hard copy) to every member of the Association in good standing.  Additionally, the current edition and archived copies shall be maintained on the Association web site.  Newsletters will also be distributed, as requested, to naval commands.  The general management of this newsletter shall be in the hands of the Secretary. The policy of the newsletter shall be determined by the Board of Directors.