Dear Fellow Alumni:

It is an honor and privilege to serve as your President  for the Birmingham/Huntsville chapter of the FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association.

As a 2007 graduate of the Academy and having served on the Board and Executive Committee over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the finest and most dedicated alumni the FBI Citizens Academy has to offer.  

We are fortunate that those who went before us laid a solid and enduring foundation to provide the continuity needed for future success.  Don Lupo, thank you for your leadership over the past two years. Our alumni association is one of the largest, fastest growing and most active associations in the entire country. This didn’t happen on its own. It came under the leadership of a tireless, focused, driven leadership since our founding. 

 

After reading Don’s farewell message you know 2012 was a very busy year. 2013 promises to be equally active.  We will participate in pre-game festivities of the BBVA Compass Bowl on Friday January 4th, allowing us to promote our mission and hand out Child ID kits.  We are hosting our first annual LEO (Law Enforcement Open) golf tournament fund raising event in April. A portion of the proceeds to go to the Fallen Officers Fund.  Additionally, our alumni association will work with the FBI and North Alabama communities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement. These are exciting times and we have the privilege to be a part of these events. 

     

Special thanks to the FBI for allowing our association the opportunity to undergird the FBI mission. The FBI’s mission is to protect us, our children, and our businesses from the most dangerous threats affecting our nation. I look forward to working with SAC Rick Schwein in collaborating in this shared mission and welcome him to the Birmingham/North Alabama field office. He has pledged his support and commitment to our endeavors and I am most appreciative and grateful.  And as always, I thank Paul Daymond for his support and leadership. 

 

This brings us to the serious business of who we are and why we do what we do. The word freedom is one we use to describe who we are as Americans. But those freedoms aren’t free. They came at a price and continue to be costly for those and the families of those who defend our freedoms every day. It is against the forces of destruction that we fight, those that wish to undermine our way of life, encroach on our freedoms, and slowly and subversively erode those rights so that we lose our individuality and our identity. At its core, that is what terrorism does. It forces us to react, usually to our detriment. Benjamin Franklin said “those that give up an essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety”. The FBI is on the front line protecting our liberty and safety to ensure the America we have known and love will endure for the benefit of every American citizen.

 

We do live in challenging times. As citizens of this great country, we need to continue to be responsible, we need to be engaged in protecting our community, and we need to aid the security and law enforcement officials where necessary and become active in this daily endeavor. The FBICAAA allows you and I to do just that. The key word for the FBI is vigilance, to get ahead of the next game changing event.  I will assist this effort any way I can and I know you will also, so that our families, friends, children, grandchildren, and all those who follow us will say they stood up, not stood down; that they rolled, not rolled over; that they held up the ideals that the stars and stripes stand for - nobility, goodness, and freedom.     

 

I am excited about the 2013 year for our chapter. We have a strong and seasoned board that is committed to our mission. Please be proactive in asking how you can participate. We will be busy and our success depends on your involvement. It is our alumni association and it only gets better with active participation from each of you. 

I look forward to serving with you as your President for 2013.

 

Have a safe and Happy New Year.

 

Andrew Smith