THE
CONSTITUTION
Revised:
Article
I…..Name of Group ………………….………
II…..
III…..Membership………………………..……..
IV…..Dues……………………….
V…..Reunions…………………………………
VI…..Meetings………………………………….
VII…..Newsletters……………………………….
VIII…..Officers…………………………….………
IX…..Duties of Officers………………….……
X…..Quorum…………………………………
XI…..Amendments…………………………….
XII…..Committees……………………………….
XIII…..Rules of Order…………………………….
XIV…..Liability and Dissolution…
ARTICLE I
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Name:
The name of this organization shall be known as “Iwo Jima Veterans” and referred to in this document as IJV.
ARTICLE II
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The mission of the Iwo Jima Veterans is to provide those who
were stationed on
ARTICLE III
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Membership:
Membership in this organization is open to any military
personnel who were stationed on
Members in good standing shall be entitled to all rights and privileges of the IJV Group, and all members shall share in its responsibilities.
Spouses or children of those who served on
Members who are delinquent in their dues for the current year are still considered as members of the IJV group, but not in a good standing status.
Only members who are in good standing may participate in meeting discussions, make a request for a special meeting or vote at any business meeting.
Members who do not respond to Membership Surveys issued periodically by the Membership Committee will be put on the “Deceased / No Longer Available“ list and taken off distribution for the Newsletter.
Spouses of deceased members are entitled to become Associated Members by requesting this in writing to the Commander. Associate members will be mailed the Suribachi Sentinel Newsletter and may attend all reunions provided registration fees and other cost are paid in advance.
ARTICLE IV
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Dues:
Membership dues shall be fifteen (15) dollars per calendar year. Membership dues shall be paid to the Treasurer of the IJV Group. Dues must be paid in full for the current calendar year for the member to be considered in good standing.
Members who plan to attend a
ARTICLE V
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Reunions:
Reunions are to be schedule and held yearly when possible,
normally in the August to November time frame. The reunion location is to be
determined by a majority vote of the membership at a scheduled business
meeting.
Members who are in good standing may bring guest to all held reunions provided all fees associated with the reunion have been paid in full.
ARTICLE VI
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Meeting:
A business meeting of members shall be held at the time reunions are held for the Group. Special meetings may be called by the Commander, or a request made in writing to the Commander signed by ten members in good standing within the group. All paid membership must be notified in writing of date, time, location and purpose for all special meetings which are called.
ARTICLE VII
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Newsletters
The Newsletter will be called “Suribachi Sentinel” unless
changed by majority vote of members in good standing at a Business Meeting or
majority vote for change by the Executive Committee. It is recommended that a
Newsletter be published a minimum of three (3) times a year. Suggested
publishing dates are within two (2) months after a
The size of the Newsletter will depend on the number of articles submitted by the membership. It is recommended that each officer submit an article on the status of their duties.
The Reunion Host (or Committee) will issue status reports of upcoming Reunion Progress.
The publisher of the newsletter will select the articles used based on content, size, space available and mailing cost.
Articles for newsletters must be submitted within thirty (30) days after a reunion to the Commander, or thirty (30) prior to an announced newsletter mailing to insure it will be in the next newsletter mailed.
ARTICLE VIII
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Officers:
The elected Officers of the IJV Group shall consist of a Commander, an Adjutant, a Special Service Officer, a Treasurer and a Quartermaster.
The Commander will appoint from the membership a Chaplain and Assistant Chaplain.
The term for each officer shall commence the day following the close of a reunion or membership meeting at which they were elected. Their term of office shall continue until the next schedule election, which is normally during the time a reunion is held or they are replaced by majority vote of the Executive Committee.
Nominations for IJV elected Officers shall be made by a Nominating Committee appointed by the Commander. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three (3) members in good standing. Further nominations may be made from the floor at the time of the election by and for any member in good standing. Any member who will not be present at the time an election is held may submit his request for a specific office or nominee in writing to the Nominating Committee and it shall be presented at the time of nominations. Elections for officers will be held during the Reunion Business Meeting, unless approved else where by the Executive Committee. All elections shall be by secret ballot of members in good standing, unless a secret ballot is dispensed by a unanimous vote, with a majority vote of all members present and voting for the choice. It is recommended that the Chairman of the Nominating Committee be the Immediate Past Commander.
Previous officers can be nominated and be reelected for more than one term. A member or officer may also be elected to hold more than one position.
Any vacancy in office shall be filled by the Commander or by a special meeting called for to fill a vacancy.
ARTICLE IX
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Duties of Officers:
Commander
Presides over every meeting, is empowered to form any necessary committee, and may sign any checks from the treasury, and acts in any capacity as the Commander-in-Chief and is an ex officio member of all Committees of this Group except the Nominating Committee. The Commander will take no action binding upon the Group without specific prior authorization or subsequent ratification by a majority vote of members in good standing at a called meeting at which the vote was taken, or the majority vote of approval by the Executive Committee.
Adjutant
Is the second ranking Officer of the group and will replace the Commander if necessary. He acts as an aide to the Commanding Officer and is responsible for insuring in the publication and mailing of the Suribachi Sentinel Newsletter to members. The Adjutant will take no action binding upon the Group without specific prior authorization or subsequent ratification by a majority vote of members in good standing at a called meeting at which the vote was taken, or the majority vote of approval by the Executive Committee.
Special Service Officer
Is responsible for keeping accurate record of meeting and activities of the IJV Group. Works with the IJV Reunion Host for arrangements with hotels including hospitality suite, banquet arrangements and other reunion activities. The Special Service Officer is the third ranking Officer of the group.
Treasurer
Is responsible for maintenance and accounting of all funds, and will receive and disburse funds. Will provide a financial report at each meeting, or as requested by the Commander, of income, expense and bank account amounts.
Quartermaster
Is responsible for the provision of IJV mementoes (shirts, caps, insignia, etc.). He receives and dispenses orders for same, and forwards any receipts of money to the Treasurer for deposited in the Group’s treasury.
Chaplain
Writes letters of condolences to surviving spouses on behalf of the IJV Group. Writes periodic spiritual articles for the Suribachi Sentinel. Organizes prayer services at reunions for interested attendees.
Assistant Chaplain
Shall assist the Chaplain with reunion prayer services, writing of articles for the Suribachi Sentinel and other duties to aid the Chaplain in meeting the spiritual needs of the Group.
ARTICLE X
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Quorum:
A quorum for the transaction of all business or election of officers for this group at any called meeting will consist of not less than ten members being present who are in good standing. This excludes decisions made by the Executive Committee, which requires a majority vote of the seven (7) members.
ARTICLE XI
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Amendments:
This Constitution may be amended by a majority vote of members in good standing at any called meeting. Amendments must be submitted in writing giving the Article to be amended with both current and proposed wording.
ARTICLE XII
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Committees:
The Standing Committees of the IJV Group shall be the Executive,
Advisory, Finance, Newsletter, Memorial, Membership,
Executive Committee:
The Executive Committee shall consist of the Commander, who serves as the presiding Officer, the Adjutant, Special Service Officer, Treasurer, Chaplain, Immediate Past Commander and Founder. This Committee shall have charge of all business affairs of the Group and shall consider all matters concerning the welfare of the Group, and shall submit all actions of the Committee to the Group. By a majority vote of members of the Executive Committee any Officer may be removed and the office declared vacant.
Advisory Committee:
The Advisory Committee shall consist of Past Commanders. Having served as the Commander of this Group automatically places the member on this committee. This group shall act in an advisory roll, which the Current Commander and Executive Committee may call upon for advice in governing the Group. Members of the Advisory Committee are to communicate to and work with the Commander for any operational problems that they may have knowledge of.
Finance Committee:
The Finance Committee shall consist of the Commander, Treasurer, Immediate Past Commander, and two IJV members in good standing. This Committee shall be consulted prior to the commitment of any onetime expense that exceed three hundred (300) dollars and is outside of the normal operating funds for postage, printing or other day to day operational costs. A majority vote of approval of members of this committee is required for expense of funds above this three hundred (300) dollar limit.
Newsletter Committee:
The Newsletter Committee is responsible for the publication and mailing of the Suribachi Sentinel Newsletter. The Commander will appoint the Chairman of this committee and the Chairman may then appoint additional members in good standing as necessary for the publishing and mailing of the newsletter.
Memorial Committee:
The Memorial Committee is responsible for a location search, design, cost and placement of a Memorial, which will allow the IJV Group to be known in future years. The Commander will appoint the Chairman of this Committee and the Chairman may then appoint two members who are in good standing to also serve on this Committee. All costs associated with the carrying out of this responsibility are to be approved by a majority vote by the finance committee.
Membership Committee:
This Committee is responsible for the Membership database. The Commander will appoint the Chairman of this Committee and the Chairman may then appoint two members in good standing to also serve on this Committee. The Committee Chairman will insure that all member information is backed up and secured. This database will be maintained so mailing labels or other reports can be generated as required by the Officers of this group. This Committee shall mail a membership list yearly to all members who are current in their dues.
Membership List is for the sole purpose of communicating within the IJV Group. Under no circumstances are member names that appear on these list to be used for solicitation, distribution, telemarketing or any other purpose that may be considered unacceptable to the organization. Any questions or complaints are to be directed to the Commander.
This Committee shall consist of the Reunion Host from the prior two held reunions. This Committee shall work with the Special Service Officer and the current year Reunion Host as advisors to insure that all requirements are covered for the reunion.
Flag Committee:
This Committee is the Keeper of the Flag and is responsible
for the safety and flying of the IJV Flag. The Commander will appoint the
Chairman of this Committee and the Chairman may then appoint two members in
good standing to also serve on this Committee. This Committee shall work with
members in having the IJV Flag flow in all States of the
Historian Committee:
This Committee is responsible for maintaining all artifacts of the IJV Group including pictures, newspaper articles, past copies of the Suribachi Sentinel or other related items. The Commander will appoint the Chairman of this Committee and the Chairman may then appoint two members in good standing to also serve on this Committee. This Committee shall insure that all artifacts are maintained for ease in viewing and available for members at each reunion.
All donated items to the IJV Group shall remain the Property of the IJV Group and shall be assigned to the guardianship of the Historian.
If the Historian is unable to attend a called meeting, they will contact the Commander who will provide instructions for shipment of selected artifacts to the reunion site. All shipment cost shall be paid for by the IJV Group.
ARTICLE XIII
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Rules of Order:
The general procedure of meeting of this Group shall be in harmony with the principles set forth in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised and shall be the final authority as to parliamentary procedure.
ARTICLE XIV
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Liability and Dissolution:
This Group and its members shall be responsible for expenses incurred at its direction in connection with its operation, functions and activities. In the event of dissolution of this Group, distribution of any funds after payment of any indebtedness may be made by a refund to members in good standing or by contribution to any military memorial as approved by the Executive Committee.
This Group will be considered dissolved if a business meeting has not been held in the prior three (3) calendar years, or a quorum has not been met for conducting business at all called business meeting during this three year period.
Approved by majority vote of the members attending a Business Meeting which was held on:
Date Commander Signature