Welcome to the internet site for the Military Order of the
World Wars (MOWW), a non-profit, voluntary, Veterans’ Association composed of
Federally recognized Commissioned Officers including Warrant Officers who are
citizens of the United States of good moral character and repute who are serving
or have served honorably in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines
Corps, Coast Guard (Active, Reserve, and National Guard), the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps, and the United States Public Health
Service (USPHS) Corps, including descendants and spouses of these officers, who
believe that it is “Nobler to Serve than to be Served”. Unlike other
Veterans groups we do not lobby for benefits for our membership. As Companions
(members) of the Order we continue to serve our Country and communities across
the land with many programs emphasizing support for National Security and the
Constitution of the United States, an evolving Homeland Security program,
support for Law Enforcement, establishment and Commemoration of Memorials for
those who died to ensure our Freedom, and our flagship programs of Youth
Leadership and Patriotic Education programs, including extensive support to the
Junior and Senior ROTC and to Girl and Boy Scout programs.
The Military Order was established right after World War I,
under the leadership of General of the Armies, John J. “Black Jack” Pershing.
General Pershing believed that the stand-down of the military forces required an
association of former Officers to watch our National interests and particularly
our National Security. At the 1926 convention General Pershing told the
assembled Companions “You have fought a
Great War to make the world safe for democracy, and to keep this Nation free,
but your efforts must not stop now. In the future there will be many forces
trying to destroy this freedom, so band together and dedicate yourselves to
protecting that freedom that you have so valiantly won on the battlefield.”
Today the Military Order has 117 chapters nationally with
members from all branches of the Armed Forces plus the U.S. Public Health
Service and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. The Order
continues to monitor our Country’s Nation’s Security programs and much more.
Among the nine tenets of our Preamble, we “further Patriotic Education in our
Nation”. More than twenty years ago MOWW established the first Youth Leadership
Conference (YLC) patterned after the conferences held for many years by the
Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge ,
PA.
Since then, we have been holding both
multi-day and single day conferences and in 2007 achieved 28 multi-day
conferences for approximately 1700 students and 60 single-day conferences for
approximately 7500 students. These conferences instill Leadership values,
Patriotism and Americanism and a feeling for the American Free Enterprise System
in High school students from all over the Nation. The youth of
America truly benefit from these conferences.
The current year began with our National Convention in
Bozeman, Montana concluding on Saturday, July 23, 2011 with a formal banquet. The MOWW Distinguished Service Award
recipient this year was Gen Joseph F. Dunford, Jr, United States Marine Corps,
Assistant Commandant.
If you have not read the “Preamble” to the Constitution and
Bylaws of the Order, please take the time to read it on our link "JOIN MOWW" on
this website. This statement of our core beliefs will give you a good idea of
our guiding principles. We are currently embarked on a program of modernization
and transformation to the 21st Century as outlined in our Strategic
Plan 2015 which is updated annually. This plan is also on the website and
available for your review.
Thank you, again, for visiting our website.
CAPT Russell C. Vowinkel, USN, Retired
