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New directors bring deep experience related to the association’s membership cohorts

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA) announced today the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2020.   

“We are pleased to welcome General Craig McKinley, Sergeant Major Alford McMichael, and Fire Chief John Butler to the AFBA team.  Their experience, expertise and leadership make them ideal representatives for our membership especially those who serve in the armed forces and as first responders,” said General Ed Eberhart, USAF (Ret.), Chair of AFBA and its affiliate, 5Star Life Insurance Company.

General Larry O. Spencer, USAF (Ret.) President of AFBA and 5Star Life, added, “We are fortunate to have such proven and respected leaders as directors guiding our efforts to serve those who serve this great nation.”

General McKinley retired as a four-star general in 2012 after a 38-year career in the Air Force.  His last assignment was as the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, where he also served as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  In that capacity, he served as military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council.  He has served on the 5Star Life Board (affiliate of AFBA) since December 2019.  He currently serves as National Chair of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

SMMC McMichael served in the United States Marine Corps for more than 36 years and was named its 14th Sergeant Major in 1999.  His military career culminated in his appointment as the first senior

non-commissioned officer for NATO.  He is a managing director or Pinnacle Five, LLC, a consulting company providing advisory services related to veteran and Department of Defense issues.

Chief Butler has been the Fire Chief for the Fairfax County, Virginia Fire and Rescue Department since

September 2018.  He previously served as the first internal fire chief for Howard County, Maryland and was the first chief to have held every rank within that department.  He sits on the Northern Virginia Fire and Rescue Leadership Development Institute Advisory Board, National Fire Academy Board of Visitors, and executive board of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association.  He is a Marine Corps veteran with 20 years of service, including two combat tours.

About Armed Forces Benefit Association

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 who, at the time, 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 providing death benefits 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 over 650,000 members with $40 billion of death benefits in force and has paid nearly $2 billion of death benefits since inception. AFBA death benefits are underwritten by its affiliate, 5Star Life Insurance Company (a Lincoln, Nebraska domiciled company).