17-19 April 2012 at the La Quinta Inns & suites

San Antonio Convention Center

Thank you for joining our 2012 National Meeting. We are looking forward to strategically crucial and timely presentations.  Chaplain (Colonel) Herman Keizer, USA (Ret.) is briefing on the subject of moral injuries that occur during war. Chaplain (Brigadier General) Douglas E. Lee, USA (Ret.) is briefing on current religious liberty issues and role of the new Chaplains Alliance for Religious Liberty. During the annual business meeting for MCA members, we will elect six new leaders for our National Executive Committee.

The Military Chaplains Association National Office is handling all registrations and payments. We recommend that you link on the registration and travel information sheet below and review this thoroughly before you complete the registration process.

Important Registration & Travel Information (pdf)

Spouse and Guest Expenses. Spouses are invited to attend all events without additional charge other than meals. Other personal or professional guests are welcome to attend our special meal events even if unable to attend other sessions.

Partial Attendance. For participants who are only able to attend less than half of the total plenary sessions because of official duty requirements, a pro-rated registration fee is available. Please contact the MCA Executive Director at (904) 422-1789 with that request.

Hotel Reservations. Separate from MCA meeting registration, please reserve your room at the La Quinta. The event room block is available through Monday, 2 April 2012. Call 1-866- 527-1498, Option 1. The group booking name is “Military Chaplains Association. The group booking code for our room block is “0501GRAXUM.” As available, the hotel will book extra nights before and after at the special conference rate of $99 plus taxes for single or double occupancy. The famous San Antonio Fiesta begins on Thursday, 19 April and continues for ten days.

Registration Form (pdf)

Registration by Surface Mail. If you prefer to register by surface mail, please download the form from the link above, complete all information blanks, and send to the MCA National Office with payment.

Registration and Payment Online. We recommend that you print out the full registration form above for reference. To register online and make payment via PayPal, continue with the form below. You will receive a copy of your entries via email. So will the MCA. However, your registration process is not finished until the MCA receives a copy of your PayPal payment notification. This means that there will be two separate emails for your online registration. Both are necessary in order to complete the process.

Call (866) 527-1498.  Use Option 1 for group reservations.

Our group listing is “Military Chaplains Association.”  Our room block code is “0501GRAXUM.”  This covers Sunday, 15 arrivals through Thursday, 19 April departures.

Lodging is $99 per night plus taxes for single or double occupancy and includes complimentary breakfast.  Pending room availability, the rate applies three days prior and three days following our event.

Posting the MCA registration form is delayed until Friday, 2 March.  We apologize for the delay.  Expect a $99 registration fee and $45 awards banquet fee.

Tuesday, 17 April - MCA National Executive Committee all day; meeting registration begins at noon; afternoon seminar on moral injury issues; hospitality hour and awards banquet begin at 6PM.

Wednesday, 18 April – Annual membership meeting breakfast; Chaplain Herm Keizer on “Moral Injuries During War” and panel discussion; installation of new MCA officers and memorial service; lunch on your own; afternoon briefing by Chaplain Doug Lee on the new Chaplains Alliance for Religious Liberty; dinner TBA.

From Tuesday morning, 17 April through Thursday morning, 19 April, forward to assistance with recording your story for the Chaplains “213 by 2-03-13″ Campaign in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.

For those interested, Fiesta San Antonio 2012 begins on Thursday, 19 April and continues for ten days.

We appreciate you patience with the change in meeting location!

The outdoor Concert will be free, taking place on Vermont Avenue Northwest with streets between H and I closed for the duration of the event.  Festivities will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 10.  Performances will include the famous rhythm and blues (R&B) group the Chi-Lites, as well as the popular R&B and pop-funk band Kool & the Gang, whose hit song “Celebration” was number one for two straight weeks in February, 1981.

Other attending guests will be daytime soap-opera personality James Reynolds, the pop band Tucker and country music star and the Animal Planet TV channel host Lucas Hoge. The Concert is hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with support from national nonprofit organization Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV) as well as several other veterans service organizations and sponsors. 

“HHV invites the community to join us in this exciting celebration,” said Mike Lynch, HHV president and CEO.  “The Concert is free because we feel that the price of our freedom has already been paid by those who wore the United States’ armed forces uniform.  If you’re able, please do attend this event to show your support of our nation’s veterans.” HHV is the largest distributor of free therapeutic arts & crafts kits to our nation’s military and VA hospitals and state veterans nursing homes, having provided over 27 million craft kits since 1971.  For more information visit www.hhv.org or call (888) 567-VETS.

Reserve your room now at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina Hotel.

PLEASE NOTE! 

Due to funding problems encountered because of the potential U. S. Government shut-down, the Crowne Plaza Marina Hotel has extended our room block rate guarantee through 18 April.

Please call the Passkey Reservation Center at 1-888- 233-9527.
The booking code for our joint room block is “VAM.”  Or use the booking link immediately below with the same code.

VA Chaplains & Military Chaplains Association Conference, 2-6 May 2011

Instructions to the Traveler

The room rate is $77.00 [double or single occupancy].  This includes a very nice buffet breakfast.  On a space available basis, the hotel will honor our room rate for two days prior to the main event.  Any days after the conference will be difficult to obtain because of heavy booking for that weekend in May.

Join us for key leader presentations on Warrior Care issues and important updates on benefits and issues that concern all chaplains – whether active military, Veterans Affairs, or retired.

MCA National Executive Committee members and Veterans Affairs Chaplain Field Leadership Council members should arrive on Sunday, 1 May unless they are local commuters.  Both groups will convene early Monday morning.  All other participants should arrive not later than Monday, 2 May.

Registration begins at Noon and continues until 4 PM.  Then join us Monday late afternoon for a Joint Welcome Reception from 4 to 5:30 PM.  We are looking forward to your participation for this third bi-annual joint meeting.

The registration fee in $125.00 for all DVA, MCA, and other registrants. The Emerson Foundation Luncheon on Wednesday, 4 May is $30.00 per meal.  The Awards Banquet on Thursday evening, 5 May is $45.00 per meal.  You are welcome to bring meal guests even if they can’t participate in other parts of the conference.

Go here for important conference information.  Please read before registering.

Go here for the registration form to download and send by surface mail.

Go here for the  event registration form online and make your payment via PayPal.

MCA members nationwide hold numerous points of view on the DADT policy and any potential change.  Across those diverse perspectives we see a common and insistent thread.  We are deeply concerned about the welfare of all Troops, their officers, and their chaplains.

Should the government choose to repeal the DADT policy, we strongly urge military leaders to safeguard an environment of accuracy, fairness, and justice.  We urge this for all parties affected – whether they favor or do not favor the policy change.

Please pray fervently for the wisdom of our legislators.  Please let your Senator and Representative know your position on this issue. 

Respectfully yours / Chaplain Michael L. McCoy, Sr., MCA National President.