Reserve Officers Association

The Reserve Officers Association is a 65,000-member, professional association of officers, former officers, and spouses of all the uniformed services of the United States, primarily the Reserve and United States National Guard. It is a congressionally chartered Association that advises the Congress and the President on issues of national security on behalf of all members of the Reserve Component.

Basic facts

The ROA was founded in 1922 in Washington, D.C. One of its key founders was General John J. Pershing. In 1948, the Army Reserve Section was joined by the new Air Force Reserve, and the Naval Services. The ROA holds a Congressional charter, established in public law in 1950 as a corporation to support and promote military policies that will provide adequate national security. [The ROA Story, John T. Carton and John F. Slinkman, 1982, ISBN 0-9609528-0-2]
* ROA membership is open to all federally recognized commissioned officers and warrant officers, and their spouses, from the United States Air Force, United States Army, United States Coast Guard, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps, plus the United States Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
* Several U.S. Presidents, including Harry S Truman, who signed ROA’s charter and was a former Army Reserve soldier, have been ROA members. Others include George W. Bush (ANG), Ronald W. Reagan (USAR), and Gerald R. Ford (USNR).
*Senator for South Carolina and Army Reserve Major General Strom Thurman was elected president of ROA in 1954, and served until 1955, being elected to the U.S. Senate that same year.The ROA’s national headquarters is the historic Minuteman Memorial Building in Washington, D.C., at First Street and Constitution Avenue, N.E. in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol Building, and across the street from the Dirksen Senate Office Building and the Russell Senate Office Building. It is one block north of the Supreme Court Building.
* The ROA comprises 55 departments, one in each of the 50 States, plus Latin America, the District of Columbia, Europe, the Far East, and Puerto Rico. These departments include approximately 450 chapters worldwide.
* ROA members are major participants in the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR), Interallied Confederation of Reserve Medical Officers (CIOMR), and Pan American Union of Reserve Officers of the Armed Forces (UPORFA), international organizations that hold annual events in Europe and South America. All national Reserve officer organizations of NATO have joined CIOR since its founding in 1948.

Legislative priorities

The ROA has a long history of strong and effective legislative activity and can claim many legislative victories on behalf of the nation’s warrior citizens, such as drill and retirement pay. Today’s legislative priorities, largely shaped by the requirements of the War on Terrorism, are:
* Assuring that the Reserve and National Guard continue in a key national defense role, both at home and abroad.
* Advocating for continuous and Full funding of the equipment and training requirements of the National Guard and Reserves.
* Providing adequate resources and authorities to support the current recruiting and retention requirements of the Reserves and National Guard.
* Taking an independent stand on issues that best support the National Guard and Reserve.Details of these legislative initiatives for serving and retired members of the Reserve and their families are at the website [http://www.roa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=legislative_agenda here] .

Leadership

Each year delegates to the annual national convention elect new leaders to serve as principal officers and members of the National Executive Committee. The principal officers for 2007–2008 are:
*National President Col Ladd Pattillo, USAR (Ret.)
*President Elect RADM Paul T. Kayye, USNR (Ret.)
*Immediate Past President Col Paul R. Groskreutz, USAF (Ret.)
*Vice President, Army COL Timoth N. Hoon, USAR (Ret.)
*Vice President, Air Force Col William J Forshey, JR., USAFR
*Vice President, Naval Services RADM James R Fowler, USNR

Twenty-three other National Executive Committee members and National Officers are appointed by the president or elected by the membership.

Full-Time Staff Directors
*Executive Director LtGen Dennis M. McCarthy, USMC (Ret.)
*Deputy Executive Director MG David Bockel, AUS (Ret.)
*Director, Defense Strategic Education &
*Director, Army Affairs LTC Robert Feidler, USAR (Ret.)
*Director, Air Force Affairs &
*Director, Communications Mr. David Small
*Director, Naval Services &
*Director of Legislation CAPT Marshall Hanson, USNR, (Ret.)
*Director of Member Services Col William Holahan, USMCR (Ret.)
*Director, IT & Data Services Mr. Jason M. Real
*Director of Industry Affairs & Business Relations Ms. Lani Burnett
*Director, Web Development Mr. Kelly Matthews
*Editor, "The Officer" Mr. Eric Minton

Organizational meetings

The ROA holds two major organizational events each year: the Mid-Winter Conference featuring its annual Legislative Forum at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C., from February 1-4, 2009 and the National Convention held in different cities across the United States. The 2009 National Convention will be held in Orlando, Florida, from July 8-11.

External links

* [http://www.roa.org ROA website] .

References