The Center for the Study of the National Guard at Southern Miss Celebrates Founding Partner: Armed Forces Benefit Association
Fri, 08/16/2024 - 04:27pm | By: Samantha Alexander
On Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, the Center for the Study of the National Guard (CSNG) at The University of Southern Mississippi hosted a special ceremony and reception to celebrate its founding partner, the Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA) who recently made a multi-year gift commitment of $200,000.
The Center, a collaboration between The University of Southern Mississippi and the National Guard Bureau (NGB), was established in January 2024 as a central hub to honor and preserve the Guard's legacy through archiving materials and oral histories. Despite its 300-year history of service in every American conflict, the National Guard is the one major component of the armed forces without an all-encompassing archive and research center, leaving its story all too often ignored, scattered and underrepresented.
"With this multi-year sponsorship, the AFBA is providing continual support that is laying a solid foundation for this very important work," said Dr. Andrew Wiest, co-founding director of the Center. “This tremendous gift will not only be critical to us in helping to tell the Guard’s story but also our association with the Armed Forces Benefit Association will be a key moment in our continued outreach to other potential supporters across the country.”
As a central repository for archival materials and oral histories, CSNG will be led by co-founding directors Dr. Andrew Wiest and Dr. Kevin Green, as well as managing director Paul Lyon. Its mission to honor and study the stories of the National Guard complements the AFBA's purpose to safeguard those who serve.
Established in 1947, the AFBA offers more than 200,000 National Guard families protection through the State Sponsored Life Insurance program (SSLI), underwritten by 5Star Life Insurance Company.
"With this gift, we are underscoring our unwavering commitment to the National Guard community and the Center's efforts to capture and preserve stories that must be collected and stored," said AFBA President, General Larry O. Spencer, USAF (Ret.). "Knowing that the Center will act as a national resource for studying the Guard's past, present and future – it makes us proud to be a founding partner."
The CSNG intersects with the work of the University's Dale Center for the Study of War and Society and the Center for Military Veterans, Service Members, and Families. Together, they enhance the University's unique position within America's military service community.
"This gift is a resounding statement of support for the guardsmen and women who have answered the call, and it is also a vote of confidence in the work we are doing at Southern Miss to honor the legacy of those who serve," said University President Dr. Joseph S. Paul. "The work of this Center will be an extraordinary force - curating, restoring and telling the stories of the National Guard for future generations, and we’re grateful to AFBA for their support."
The AFBA’s committed gift secures their place as a founding partner of the CSNG. Financial gifts ensure that the stories and experiences of the National Guard are documented and shared for generations to come. Organizations or individuals interested in making a financial contribution to support this initiative can visit The USM Foundation Center for Study of the National Guard Development Fund.
Gifts made to the Center are administered through The USM Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, which serves as a fiduciary of all private funds donated to Southern Miss. Support at any level is welcome and may be paid outright or pledged over five years.
For more information on the Center for the Study of the National Guard or CNS Guard.
About AFBA
With the support of the General of the Army, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA) was established in 1947 in the basement of the Pentagon to ease the strain on military members and their families. At the time, they could not purchase life insurance that would pay a death benefit if the member was killed in combat. Today, headquartered in Alexandria, VA, AFBA continues to honor its mission, in war and peace, promoting the welfare of its members by providing survivor and other benefits to those who serve this great nation, including members of the uniformed services, first responders, government employees, and their families. AFBA has more than 920,000 members with $40 billion of death benefits in force and has paid nearly $2 billion of death benefits since inception. AFBA death benefits are primarily underwritten by its affiliate, 5Star Life Insurance Company (a Lincoln, Nebraska domiciled company). AFBA is not affiliated with any government agency.