 It's a 12 o'clock noon and we have a wonderful show on the military in Hawaii We can talk about the armed forces YMCA with his executive Lori Moore. Hi, Lori Hello, Jay. Thanks for having us today And we have a general Dan fig leaf. I like the way you put that in quotes, Dan Who used to be a PCSS for quite some time and now he's the chair of Of the board of the armed forces Y among other things. Thank you for joining us. Thank you, Dan and thank you, Lori Good to see you, Jay. Thank you So let's talk about let's talk about the structure of the of the armed forces Y I mean, it goes way back deep, you know I mean the armed forces Y one form another has existed in these islands since the armed forces came here And I couldn't say that it was at that time But I know that the Navy first set up shop at Pearl Harbor in 1850. So it couldn't have been too long after that Wow, so talk about what it is today, Lori So you're right, Jay. We've been here since 1917 serving our military here in Hawaii and you know Part of what we do is is remaining relevant in the moment always whether it's 1917 or 2020 and So our mission has obviously changed a lot over the years It kind of started out with a great building downtown anyone who knows what's now the Hawaii State Art Museum used to be one of our buildings and We used to have you know dances and affordable food and a place for our military to stay overnight and kind of get away from it relax and recoup and As things changed we moved on base and our focus became a lot about the military family in addition to the actual service member and So now our programs are really about education and social social services and things like that So, yeah, I think is a big point to be made here that you are Serving at least for the most part active duty military and their families But I imagine you also serve people, you know people who were active duty and who have been released from the service Dischargement service, but still consider themselves Military, you know military veterans of one kind or another am I right about that? Are and in fact, we do have some veteran services along with you know, we we we provide services to those that are DoD civilians Working on base and so our education programs and our social service programs expand to both of those So what would you say the mission is I mean what exactly what do you hope to achieve? By this and I know that it evolves over the years. It was one thing, you know in World War two It's another thing now. What what is it now? You know Jarrett alkaline is strengthening the military Ohana here in Hawaii And that's really what we do and it's really about finding ways to do that in the moment and Helping them meet the challenges of you know serving in our military and and helping them be recognized for the sacrifices Yeah Generally, if it's such a it's such a pleasure to see you you are kind of a sight for sore eyes I've admired you for years and You know, it's nice to see that you're on this board because I'm you know as a as a retired flag officer You bring so much to the table in terms of dealing with you know that mission Can you talk about your life and experience on the board? well, I Frankly wasn't interested in joining the board because I after I left a PCSS in January of 2017 I spent a lot of time writing and did some traveling consulting and conflict resolution and You know, I had enough to do But then a friend of mine you may have known Lieutenant General retired Jeff Remington Who's here is the Northrop Grumman corporate rep and was also my predecessor on the chairman of the board of management He's wrote me into it and it's the best rope that's ever been thrown around me Once I saw both the organization and the board. I couldn't not join It's a dynamic organization from 1915 on it's very responsive to the needs of the military community and I'm sure was here serving the sailors who my dad taught chemistry when he was a Navy ensign in Hawaii 1946 But it's a great organization. The board of management is not that's a better name than board of directors Because we have an executive director does a wonderful job Try not to puffer up too much, but that's a compliment. Yeah, Laurie is incredible But we try to help with the management and help the armed services YMCA We all occasionally step up and say I'm forces YMCA to Meet the challenges that they've got so for For example right now we have an ad hoc Committee on the future of education because many of our programs for the Kiki involve Early education So we've got people with an educational background including me from my time at a PCS And I consult for adaptive learning company now who just come together and try to See the idea been For Laurie as we try to think about what our educational programs will look like post COVID and into the next decade So there are other Financial and things like that that go to but it it's a great board I'm very I tell them that at the end of every meeting because it the members are very diverse But they all care so much about the good work of armed services YMCA Hawaii What what's the you know diversity of the board? I mean what kinds of people are on the board to join you? Well, there's people like me a couple retired military. It's certainly not the majority Some former educators some people with the finance background, but they're all community and business leaders Additionally the spouses of all of our component commanders are part of the board as well and that gives that gives us a great benefit like what we get from the spouses of the commanders is Insight and access that we wouldn't otherwise have and that's a long-standing Approach that we've taken Laurie. I assume we've been doing that as long as you've been associated with Armed services why so it's it's a diverse board. I have part of several boards of advisors directors and everything else. They're all fine but this one is special because of the unselfish commitment that each of the members makes to the organization Yeah, I Later on in the program. I do want to talk about the military in general as a special culture in our country But Lori, let's talk about your activities. What kind of activities do you organize? What kinds of events? What kind of you know gatherings? Educational experiences do you do you create and how are those things affected by COVID? Well, everything is affected by COVID that's for sure, but We have a lot of early education programs and one of the reasons we do that is because when our military moves to Hawaii In order to participate in early education, so we're talking pre-k programs and earlier There's generally very long wait lists out in the community And they're quite expensive And so we work to provide those on a basis more of a rotating basis because all of our members are military So we do have people PCS-ing in and out which makes space available Our wait lists are not quite as long as out in the community and of course our fees are less We are focusing right now on a parent participation preschool And we do that because we like to involve the parents For one, it's it's a great benefit to the child but two it really helps create community among some of these military spouses and You know if you're new here and you've just moved here Sometimes it's difficult to meet folks, especially if you're not living on base and you're out in town And so this gives them an opportunity to meet other military spouses You know find things in common and create their own community Which I think is a huge benefit when we're talking about strengthening families Some of our other programs were after-school programs that we participate in in the public schools Those are on a high at us right now. We're hoping to bring those back We're in conversations about bringing those back in the spring but a lot of that is is focus around deployment support and What we know is that you know when kids are maybe struggling because mom or dad is deployed Or they're they've just moved here to Hawaii and maybe that's their you know fifth move in as many years And and it begins to take a toll both academically and and socially emotionally So this program is really geared towards addressing both of those aspects of a child's life So one-on-one homework help and tutoring In addition to really kind of addressing some of the social emotional issues that a child may experience Yeah, so, you know, I wanted to ask you about the facilities you have you mentioned there are a lot of them and I'd like to start off with saying that when I was in the service in the time of Vietnam I was on the armed forces disciplinary control board and the armed forces Why they're on Hotel Street was a target of our inquiry on a regular basis because very strange things happen in that building And and you know, we we we work to keep a lid on things it was you know in a stark place where Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgneim and Montgomery Cliff They all made a movie there back back when what was it? gee whiz member on the beach and Yeah, it'll come back back to me a very famous movie back when back black and white So that you gave that up It had a tremendous legacy a tremendous history and now you're on the basis. Can you talk about what basis? You're on what what facilities you have where? So we have a full complement of programs and services at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam as well as Scofield Wheeler and Marine Corps Base Hawaii We also have programs over at AMR Aliamanu military reservation And we specifically have programs there because folks can walk to it You know, it's very very close there in the housing area and we're within walking distance We offer children's waiting room at tripler for example So we're up that tripler and Scofield Clinic as well And that particular program allows a military parent or dependent or even a dependent sibling to attend a Medical appointment and the well child is is cared for in our waiting room And doesn't you know necessarily have to go wait with mom and dad for for a medical appointment And it's kept safe and healthy and away from germs, which is very important right now So do you have visited all these places? Do you you make the rounds? I Do I do I do my best to do that and and actually I love Seeing our participants and our staff and Does keep me busy because I I put some miles on my car going from place to place, but You know, it's so worth it and and we love our military family so much We'll bend over backwards for them. You have staff How big is your staff and how many of them are volunteers and how many are you know full-time or part-time staff? so full-time staff where it's it's pretty small about eight folks and We've got about 30 part-time staffers some of them work at you know more than one facility and Last year I don't have the numbers for this year quite yet But last year we had over 1200 volunteers for the course of the year. So we do rely on well 100. Oh, wow Yeah, that's right. Are those volunteers from from the military or they from the community in general or what both both So a lot of times we'll do a hunt of food drops and that's become an important program over the last several months during COVID and We've distributed over a hundred thousand pounds of food since April and We've had a lot of community volunteers take part in that either doing food drives or actually distributing the food You know just wanting to be part of that and assist where they can That's great. So general by the way, I remember the name of the movie it was from here to eternity and I was on the tip of my brain Bert Lancaster was in there also But you know, I wanted I wanted to ask, you know, so we have what amounts to a social safety net kind of organization here There are many or you know There are actually hundreds of social safety Organizations in Hawaii that do sure like this But it strikes me that the people in the military are you know, it's a different community And they're going to be and I know for a fact They're going to be more comfortable with an organization of the military for the military Then they would be for and you know an all-purpose safety net kind of nonprofit. What do you think about that? Is that part of the discussion you have with your board? Well, we all like being Comfortable in our surroundings and you're most comfortable with the world, you know, and they know the military world So sure doesn't mean they don't get support from other community service organizations But it's comfortable and accessible because the on base presence. So But I think that is part of it. They also Had get some additional comfort Through the association of the parents that are involved with their kids and the programs and that's something we see that That's lost a bit during COVID when our operations are somewhat constrained because the military parents So your mom who's got a her husband is deployed and feeling the stress of that and another mama's in the same boat It's a way to connect While your kids are doing whatever so a very high comfort level Everything's tailored to them by people who know what their needs are and we stay in touch with their needs And So I think it's it's a place that feels like home. Yeah to the military families Yeah, and the military families have special challenges that are you know Exclusive to them unique to them But then I wanted to ask you also, I mean, how do you how do you raise the money pay the staff? Make the arrangements, you know, whatever they are, you know A lot of things Laurie is going to be able to get from volunteers and community organizations that would like to contribute for the cause but You still need money. How do you raise it? Where do you get it from? So Would you would it be untoward to put the arm services ymca.org website up there but through donations individual donations and and also get some Return on the building sale back from the national arm services ymca, which was which their board is headed by bicep will retire bill french youth and Then nations now with covid we took a big hit in that because in November We had best funding fundraising event ever I know that because of end of most of them in the islands. It seems they have a breakfast where we honor A number of the military service plus coast guard plus national guard and their family for their community service and the winners are always Inspiring and compelling and it's a gala breakfast. What's the name of the website? It's ymcahi.org we did J we did Do a virtual breakfast We honored in a covid safe manner the recipients who are all wonderful the Some of the commanders opened their homes up for a small responsible gathering, but they still got their gift baskets, which are Best good baskets ever and we're appropriately recognized and that's 80 your non-military listener Who says well, what's this have to do with me in addition having over 36,000 active duty and over 9,000 Reserving guard folks stationed in Hawaii. They're your neighbors and you're they're good citizens and they They're part of the community you'd appreciate what great citizens They are when you saw the good work that the military member and their spouse have done for the community That got them recognized by armed services ymcahi Yeah, you're you're touching into a very important part of hawaii culture You know the military has been here for 150 years or more Make that 170 years And the military is infused into hawaii And it's not just historical It's day to day. It's not just being consumers A part of the you know what I call it the the customer economy It's it's being part of the the whole culture. I mean, you know, you could swing a cat in any direction It's a military person or family around you Participating in the economy in the community the same way and furthermore like you general There are tons and tons and tons of people who have come out of the military and made their lives here Um and retire here and so in the constant. Yeah, go ahead It's not just generals and admals, you know the rouse the guy who used to do my pest control servicing for many years was a retired nco And he and I sure had a lot in common not just our air force background But we'd both come to and fallen in love with hawaii and many of us do The other thing I'd say make two other points one is The deliciousness of hawaii is the diversity of the population. I mean, that's what's truly unique the beautiful it's a beautiful place, but the population is aloha and You get an extraordinarily diverse Group in the military members and their families and they're a group that's generally traveled the world I've been to 72 countries. Maybe they all haven't been to 72 countries But they bring global experiences and share that with their friends and neighbors And that's that's good for our islands But I'd also say that they've faced many of the same challenges that other Folks have in the islands during covid Yes, the military members still have a job And that's safe But many of them Especially the enlisted are dependent on dual income because you're not getting rich in the in the military and this is an expensive place to live So when the spouse loses their Part-time or full-time employment due to covid that has a big big impact And it's another part of the reason that they need the arm certs as ymca safety net Yeah, absolutely in the In the engagement in the contiguous engagement or the integrated engagement Of the military and the civilian community I mean two issues have come up in the past year or so that I like to ask you Whether you've been thinking about this and what your reaction is one is to the extent we have a disaster Um, it doesn't have to be covid, but it might be Uh, it could be extreme weather. It could be some effective climate change Where the where the state is in dire straits and the state needs help Some people say here in hawaii that we can count on the military They need they they need to to help us that's part of their mission to help us in in dire consequences Other people say no the military has its own mission Um, and they they're not, you know, you can't count on You know the military being there and wrapping the community wrapping around the community In case of an emergence out of circumstances. What are your thoughts about that? I think that in any major disaster in hawaii, the military will play a very important role in response and recovery there'll be some limits to what capacity they have and what's legal just under the the structure of federal armed forces and what they're allowed to do in a community But we're here There's another part of that that makes me so even more certain and that is the extraordinarily tight relationships between the community and the military leaders And including the national guard and uh, so the emergency preparation folks and It's better than anywhere. I've served really and I still know the folks who are involved in it You know, we love this place And then we love the people and that can sound a little fluffy It's not If if they can help whatever help can be provided will be provide provided and I'm certain it will be substantial The other question I want to post to you lory. I'll come back to you in a moment This is for the general Is um, you know over the course of this administration People were concerned that the military would be Would would protect a president who didn't want to leave office that may be moot now Okay, but but people raised the question I said, you know, if he if he as a commander-in-chief called on the military to You know prevent a transition of power It was a question as to whether the military would Take instructions take orders from him as a commander-in-chief or whether they would they would dig it and say no We can't just not a legal order. We can't do that And I you know, right, I think the emerging the the concern about that is passed I think most people Feel now that the military would not do that Um general milley is is one person. I think who makes that clear who made that clear But I wonder, you know about your thoughts about that I mean the military traditionally in this country in this democracy has been apolitical Um, and yet we we've seen that tested over the course of the last few years And I wonder what your thoughts are on where we stand with respect to that issue Well, first of all, I take exception with your premise and say that we've tested been tested on that over the last couple of centuries I mean, it's a it's a dynamic tension. Yes Whether Too loyal or not loyal enough that it goes to our oath of office Where we are called upon to obey all lawful orders And we have a strong sense on what lawful orders are all military members are required to refresh themselves on the constitution annually and I have some friends in china who I talked with occasionally and they kind of asked the same question I said First of all, I personally know several of the service chiefs But even if I didn't And so you're worrying for nothing. That's not how we are now many Retired flagging general officers have become more active politically than they have in the past That's not for me. You know every time I write a paper Op ed like was in the story advertiser 10 days ago or so on north korea The last proof read is to make sure you can't tell what my politics are Because I just don't think it's appropriate. I'm not taking issue with those who do but But on active duty We follow the law. We execute our oath of office And do our duty and whatever that duty calls Thank you for that. Thank you for that Really appreciate that on all levels. So lory just come back to you for a minute How do I get your job lory? What do I have to No chance jay. No chance What do I study? What do I have to learn? What do I have to do to get a job like yours? Oh my goodness. Well, I'll tell you um, I come from a family of of service kind of oriented individuals And that's what we do My husband's a retired marine. I've got a our oldest son is a first lieutenant in the marine corps. Is that right? And our youngest son is a senior in college contemplating joining the marine corps so um, you know, I come from a family of service and and My role as a military spouse Besides having my own career and working You know was was to support those around me and to support other military spouses And I feel very strongly about that because one thing we know for sure and that is military families serve alongside the military member And so for me, it's a great pleasure to be able to continue that work in this capacity Um, and you can't have my job jay. I really like it And jay, I I'm going to interrupt and say, I'm not sure you want her job. She worked really hard and She's led our response to covet and we talked about the comfort of the families One of the reasons they're comfortable with our insurances by mca is the extraordinary care they took in all of the post virus sanitization isolation, etc She's done a great job and the whole team has But when you when you go down to one of the facilities You feel it and it's not you don't feel a burden. You feel their commitment Jay for us getting getting back operating as quickly as possible was really important because we knew As far as our military families offering our programs again and our services again Was important to kind of their bounce back and and you know an aspect of resilience for them And so we worked very hard to get Operating as quickly as possible and our team has done a fantastic job Now one one thing one thing I feel strongly about and I'm wondering how you feel coming from a family surrounded by military is I I thought that Ending the draft in the 70s was a mistake And I think national service is a very worthy Important thing for any country, especially this country Um, if it was up to me, I would I would put the drafts back in back in operation again. What about you? How do you feel about that? From a personal standpoint, I would absolutely support national service for any of our individuals. I mean How do you value a country and how do you value your freedoms and rights if you don't have the opportunity to protect those? And I think it's a great lesson for everyone Um And male or female. I think national service is is really important. Whatever that looks like Okay, I really would like the general to weigh in on No doubt I will Jay uh, first of all my um, son has retired. Her first my daughter was an Air Force Intelligence officer for six years. She's married to an Air Force fighter pilot turned test pilot Which is proof that she doesn't really hate her father and My brother served in the Air Force So, yeah, we believe in service but The draft isn't coming back and I think it this time starting with or highlighted by the george floyd situation. It's a good time to talk about The burden we have as leaders To help our military look as much like it's our society as possible at all levels And that doesn't just happen And you don't fix everything By the promotion of one or two The room has to look like our country. Yes part of that is we'll make better decisions diversity Does enable better decision-making if you're all the Same background and think the same way. You're not going to come up with very innovative answers Um, but the other part of is we have parts of our society that are absolutely not invested in national security And the cliche they don't have skin in the game. In this case, we mean real skin the skin of their sons and daughters so I applaud the military's efforts to To promote diversity to get to underrepresented elements of society We can't draft them It's just not going to happen. I don't I don't think it's a realistic hope. So the burden's on us I I couldn't disagree with any of that So general leaf. I really appreciate it coming around. It's really wonderful to see you and talk to you and And and thank you for tolerating my questions too and you too Thank you for coming around and having this conversation and tolerating our my questions And I hope we can do this again and and and dig deeper and uh, you know And see how you're doing going forward. Thank you so much and stay safe you guys Laurie like hearts and relief happy. Thanks giving everyone happy. Thanks giving aloha