Organizational Achievements

CMSgt (Ret) Obermiller also served as the first full-time Executive Director for EANGUS starting in July 1985. By 1990, EANGUS was chartered in all 54 States with membership exceeding 50,000 members. Al was great friends with Sonny Montgomery, and he frequently asked to have Al attend meetings with him.

Organizational Challenges

Getting EANGUS known as a legislative influence on Capitol Hill. EANGUS had challenges getting in doors in Congress, and Al had no issues getting appointments and meetings. Al began getting the EANGUS name out to all the staffers and he was instrumental in getting key Congressmen (Tom Daschel) to put the Commissary Privileges into the NDAA. It was voted down 11-0 when it was in a subcommittee, and it was Al and Nate Monastra who worked behind the scenes to get it passed another way.

During this period of time, EANGUS, along with the NGAUS staff, occupied temporary office space at the D.C. Armory during construction of the new National Guard Memorial Building which was completed in 1991. EANGUS continued to operate with minimal office equipment and supplies, having only two telephones, a copy machine and one computer.

Legislative Accomplishments

In 1986, while serving as Executive Director, he wrote to the Assistant Secretary of Defense in support of maintaining the newly passed Montgomery GI Bill legislation which was subject to termination by the administration who favored continuation of VEAP instead. Testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee in October 1987, while serving as EANGUS Executive Director, to support making the Montgomery GI Bill a permanent benefit for NG/Res. Executive Director Obermiller accompanied HVAC Chairman Sonny Montgomery on a fact-finding visit to Basic Training sites to discuss educational needs with new National Guard trainees. In 1990, legislation was passed to provide Gray Area Retirees access to 12 days of commissary privileges and unlimited BX/PX benefits.