About us..

The inception of NEREA

In the world of acronyms, the inception of the NAVY EXCHANGE RETIRED EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION gave birth to NEREA.

September 1993, a group of dedicated Navy Exchange retired employees, knowing there were no persons, agencies nor associations, watching out for the well being of retired Navy  Exchange System (NES) employees, and someday into the future there lurked a strong possibility an organized concerted effort would be needed to protect the retirees benefits, the  Navy Exchange Retired Employees Association was created. Eighty retirees, later to become NEREA dues paying members and meeting in Staten Island, NY, elected a slate of officers, with William Butler as the first NEREA president.

It soon become apparent the formation of an Association would be time consuming and hard work. Initially, 6000 letters were sent to the  retired community, soliciting their membership in the fledging Association. Concurrently, a set of objectives were developed and a  Constitution and Bylaws written and approved. The developed objectives were as follows: ' NEREA is an organization of retired Navy Resale Employees who have joined together to further our individual and collective interests, keep in touch with former associates and maintain an effective relationship with the Navy Exchange Service Command.

Mission Statement

At the Annual meeting/convention in 1998, the NEREA Mission Statement, was formulated:

'to use our talents, energy, experience and resources to enhance a just society" by supporting a comprehensive health care for all'
by keeping our retirees informed on judicial and legislative affairs
by encouraging our retirees to be actively involved in national, state, and local issues that support a just society
by providing social events that strengthen fellowship and friendship
by providing financial assistance(within limited resources) and administration of a college scholarship fund for dependents of NEXCOM retirees and associates
by coordinating with NEXCOM on issues that affect retirees benefits'.

Background

Membership has grown steadily from the beginning of NEREA in 1993 which was 250 members, to an all time high of 2350 dues paying members August 2003 .

In May 2009, Bill Harper became the seventh President of NEREA, and has pledged his continued support in all areas that would be beneficial to the Navy Exchange Retired community.