SECTION 1 - NWHA UNITS

A Unit shall portray an historical military unit of the era 1939-1945 in the European Theater of Operations. Any number of Units may be formed in the NWHA.

SECTION 2 - FORMATION OF A NEW NWHA UNIT

a. A representative of the proposed new Unit shall present a written proposal to the Board of Directors at a regular Board meeting. The proposal shall include:

2. The name of the proposed Unit Commander. This Member shall be a General Member in good standing for a continuous period of not less than eighteen (18) months immediately preceding the date of the proposal and shall be not less than eighteen (18) years of age.

3. The proposal shall include a general statement identifying the proposed historical military Unit to be represented, a very short unit history (50-100 words), and a general outline of the types of uniforms to be worn.

b. The proposed new Unit shall be recognized as a Unit within the NWHA upon the attainment of a two-thirds (2/3) approval vote of the Board.

c. The Board may set additional requirements for approval and recognition of a Unit.

d. The Board may waive, at its sole discretion, any or all of the requirements for the formation of a Unit, other than the requirement for a two-thirds (2/3) approval vote of the Board.

SECTION 3 - DEFINITION OF AN ACTIVE UNIT

An Active Unit shall consist of not less than six (6) Members. Any Unit with fewer than six (6) Members shall be considered a Provisional Unit.

SECTION 4 - INACTIVATION AND REACTIVATION OF UNITS

a. If the membership of a Unit decreases to fewer than four (4) Members, that Unit may be placed on probation for a period of six (6) months. If within this time the Unit does not attain six (6) Members, it may be inactivated.

b. Members of an Inactivated Unit may apply to join an Active Unit of their choice, with the approval of the Unit Commander of that Active Unit.

c. If the membership of an Inactivated Unit increases to four (4) or more Members, that Unit may be reactivated upon the request of the Unit Commander to the Board.

SECTION 5 - TRANSFER BETWEEN UNITS

A Member in good standing may officially transfer from one Unit to another by the following procedure:

2. Written notification to, and approval by, the Unit Commander of the Unit to be transferred to; and

3. Written notification to the Secretary of the NWHA.

SECTION 6 - FORMATION OF ASSOCIATE UNITS

a. Associate Units will be formally recognized as part of the NWHA under the following guidelines. Associate Units shall make an application as in Section 2 above for approval and recognition by the Board of Directors. This application should include, but is not necessarily limited to, the following:

2. The name and contact information for a representative to the Board;

3. The number of events the Unit will participate in on an annual basis and a description of how the Unit will participate in these events; and

4. Authenticity guidelines for its members.

b. An application for approval and recognition of an Associate Unit by the Board of Directors shall be considered and determined at the next regular meeting of the Board following the submission of its application. Approval of the application by the Board shall be determined by a simple majority of voting members. Approval is at the discretion of the Board, and not based on any formal criteria or benchmarks.

c. Approved Associate Units shall receive the following privileges:

2. Inclusion in the NWHA web site;

3. Inclusion in the NWHA newsletter;

4. A non-voting representative on the Board of Directors;

5. The right to propose NWHA events; and

6. The right to register membership within the NWHA as a primary impression.

d. Associate Units may propose NWHA events under the following criteria:

2. The proposed event shall not conflict with an existing Board-approved event; and

3. The Associate Unit shall be responsible for coordinating the event.

e. Membership in an Associate Unit shall be of two types:

2. Secondary impression: An individual who is a member of another NWHA Unit may also be listed as a member of an Associate Unit, but shall be considered a member of the other NWHA Unit for NWHA purposes.

f. All participants at approved events sponsored by an Associate Unit, either as a Member or as a Guest Member, are subject to the Bylaws, Policies, and Policies of the NWHA.

SECTION 7 - FORMATION OF LIVING HISTORY UNITS

A. Living History Units will be formally recognized as part of the NWHA under the following guidelines. Living History Units shall make an application as in Section 2 above for approval and recognition by the Board of Directors. This application shall include, but is not necessarily limited to, the following:

2. The name and contact information for a representative to the Board;

3. Planned events for the calendar year and a description of how the Unit will participate in each event;

4. Authenticity guidelines for participants;

5. A list of participating individuals, both Members and non-Members of the NWHA;

6. A list of any events that the Unit participated in during the previous calendar year, and a description of how the Unit participated at each event; and

7. A list of members who participated at events during the calendar year.

b. An application for approval and recognition of a Living History Unit shall be considered and determined by the Board of Directors at the next regular meeting of the Board following the submission of the application. Approval of the application by the Board shall be determined by a simple majority of voting members. Approval is at the discretion of the Board, and not based on any formal criteria or benchmarks.

c. Approved Living History Units receive the following privileges:

2. Inclusion in the NWHA web site;

3. Inclusion in the NWHA newsletter; and

4. A non-voting representative on the Board of Directors.

SECTION 8 - ORGANIZATION OF UNITS

a. Each Unit in the NWHA shall be autonomous and may adopt Unit policies and standards which do not conflict with policies and standards adopted by the NWHA.

b. Each Unit shall annually fill three (3) positions within that Unit by means of election by the Members of that Unit. All positions shall be filled by Members in that Unit and may be filled by one individual or different individuals may be elected to fill each position at the discretion of the Members of that Unit. The results of the required election shall be timely reported to the NWHA Board of Directors in written form.

c. The Unit Commander position shall serve as the technical lead in all matters related to Unit functioning. This position is responsible to the Unit and to the Board of Directors for the membership of that Unit. The Unit Commander shall be a General Member in good standing for a continuous period of not less than eighteen (18) months immediately preceding the date of the election and shall be not less than eighteen (18) years of age. He or she shall approve qualified and desirable applicants for membership within that Unit, except in cases in which that authority is retained by the Board. The Unit Commander shall hold commissioned or enlisted rank at his or her discretion.

d. The Board Representative position shall serve as the representative to the Board from that Unit, shall serve as the representative from the Board to that Unit, and shall serve as a Director of the NWHA. The Board Representative shall be a General Member in good standing for a continuous period of not less than eighteen (18) months immediately preceding the date of the election and shall be not less than eighteen (18) years of age. The Board Representative shall be responsible to the Unit and to the Board to attend Board Meetings, to represent first the interests of the NWHA and second the interests of his or her Unit, to vote on matters presented for vote by the Board, and to give a valid Proxy to a qualified Member if he or she is unable to attend a Board Meeting.

e. The Unit Authenticity Officer shall serve as the technical lead in all matters related to authenticity issues within that Unit.

SECTION 9 - NWHA UNIT IMPRESSION
(Section 9 Added: NWHA Board 25 Oct 2008)

a. Each NWHA Unit has been approved by the NWHA Board of Directors to portray a specific historical military unit within a specific historical timeframe, and that portrayal shall constitute the approved NWHA Unit Impression of that NWHA Unit. Individually and collectively, the Members in that NWHA Unit shall honor the historical members of that historical military unit by portraying as accurately as possible the overall visual appearance of that historical military unit.

SECTION 10 - BASIC PERSONAL IMPRESSION
(Section 10 Added: NWHA Board 25 Oct 2008)

a. “Basic Personal Impression” is defined as all of the minimum items of uniform and equipment necessary to be worn and/or carried by a Member in an NWHA Unit to realistically and accurately portray a member of the historical military unit on which that NWHA Unit is based. These items shall generally consist of the externally visible components of the uniform and equipment, shall be properly fitted, worn, and maintained, and shall be consistent with the approved NWHA Unit Impression of that NWHA Unit.

b. Each NWHA Unit shall develop guidelines specifying the items of uniform and equipment which are approved by the Unit Commander of that NWHA Unit to meet the requirements and standards of the Basic Personal Impression of that NWHA Unit.

c. The Unit Commander of each NWHA Unit or designee shall provide to each Member and prospective Member in that NWHA Unit a complete and current copy of the guidelines for the Basic Personal Impression as approved by that NWHA Unit.

d. The Unit Commander of each NWHA Unit shall insure that each Member in that NWHA Unit acquires the items of uniform and equipment necessary to complete his or her Basic Personal Impression as approved by that NWHA Unit.

e. Each Member in each NWHA Unit shall acquire the items of uniform and equipment necessary to complete his or her Basic Personal Impression as approved by that NWHA Unit. It is generally expected that a new Member will substantially complete his or her Basic Personal Impression within approximately one year.

f. Until such time as a recently-recruited Member in an NWHA Unit completes his or her Basic Personal Impression, such Member may, with the approval of the Unit Commander and the Unit Authenticity Officer of that NWHA Unit, wear and/or carry items of uniform and/or equipment which would not otherwise meet the standards of the Basic Personal Impression of that NWHA Unit, but shall not wear and/or carry items of uniform and/or equipment which are completely inconsistent with the Basic Personal Impression as approved by that NWHA Unit.

g. No NWHA Unit shall dishonor the historical members of the historical military unit on which that NWHA Unit is based by recruiting or retaining as a Member in that NWHA Unit any individual who is unwilling or unable to substantially comply with the requirements of the Basic Personal Impression as approved by that NWHA Unit.