Photo Credit: McKinley Williams | Full album is available on ROA's Flickr account.

The Reserve Organization of America’s 2025 Annual Meeting united members, leaders, and advocates from across the nation for four days of focused action. The event showcased ROA’s growing influence, sharpened its legislative priorities, and reaffirmed its mission to strengthen the Total Force through informed, strategic advocacy. It was a powerful opportunity to meet many of our dedicated members and witness the transition of ROA’s national leadership.

ROA opened the week with its first Excellence in Legislative Readiness Awards Reception, honoring congressional staff and partners who have advanced Reserve Component readiness and veteran policy. Honorees included key staff from Representatives Derrick Van Orden and Barry Loudermilk, along with former ROA policy fellows now shaping national defense policy. The evening underscored how professional relationships and disciplined advocacy produce real results for reservists, guardsmen, and their families.

The next day, ROA members descended upon Capitol Hill for Advocacy Day 2025, meeting with more than 150 congressional offices across 20 states. The government shutdown only strengthened our resolve. Teams advanced key legislative goals—protecting servicemember pay during shutdowns, improving Reserve dental readiness, defending Air Force Reserve attack and airlift missions, and securing presumptive toxic exposure benefits for 9/11 Pentagon responders. The effort reflected ROA’s operational strength and its ability to deliver under pressure.

That evening, ROA joined the Doughboy Foundation at the National World War I Memorial for a wreath-laying ceremony honoring General John J. Pershing and the 4.7 million Americans who served in the Great War. Outgoing President Layne Wroblewski and incoming President Peggy Wilmoth laid the wreath on behalf of ROA, linking the valor of the “citizen-soldier” of 1918 to today’s citizen-warrior. The ceremony closed the day with reflection and purpose—affirming the continuity of service across generations.

On Saturday, ROA hosted two defining panel discussions. The first, “Current and Future Planning for Helicopters and Aero Combat Casualty Evacuation During Large-Scale Land Combat Operations,” confronted the Army’s plan to eliminate all Army Reserve rotary-wing aviation units by October 2026—removing 141 Black Hawks, 4,400 Soldiers, 600 civilians, and 12 aviation facilities nationwide.

I moderated the session, joined by senior aviation and aeromedical experts who examined how the Army’s transformation risks erasing critical strategic depth in combat casualty evacuation, homeland response, and sustainment operations. While modernization and unmanned systems promise new capabilities, panelists agreed that eliminating Reserve aviation will create gaps that could take years to rebuild, weakening both national and domestic response capacity.

In direct response, ROA delegates voted unanimously to adopt a legislative resolution supporting Senator Ted Cruz’s RESCUE Act—a measure designed to preserve joint force aeromedical evacuation capability. The resolution commits ROA to championing MEDEVAC and related aviation functions within the Reserve Component, ensuring that highly skilled aviators, medics, and maintainers remain integral to the Total Force.

The second panel, “Advocates in the Arena,” examined how advocacy must evolve in a fast-moving, media-driven Congress. Led by ROA Director of Legislation and Military Policy Matthew Schwartzman, the discussion featured senior leaders from the Services, MOAA, NMFA, FRA, NDC, and MCRA.

Panelists reflected on how today’s Congress operates differently; shifting power structures, constrained resources, rapid communication, and constant public visibility. They emphasized storytelling, speed, and accountability as central to modern influence.

Several Reserve Component leaders noted how RC issues often fall behind larger defense priorities, reinforcing the need for persistent advocacy to keep the Reserve visible and valued. The discussion provided members with practical tools to turn engagement into strategic impact, connecting national defense priorities to the real lives of servicemembers and families.

We held our prestigious joint awards ceremony for organizational, service and excellence in communications awards.  This distinguished awards ceremony recognized those whose dedication, leadership, and service made a lasting impact.

Sunday began with an inspirational and respect service and tribute to our fallen comrades and concluded with the adoption of a key governance reform, renaming ROA’s Executive Committee to the Board of Directors, followed by the installation of National President Maj Gen (Ret.) Peggy Wilmoth, Army National Vice President Tony Kanellis, USA (Ret.), Air Force National Vice President Col Don Brown USAF (Ret.), and Naval Services VP CAPT Henry Plimack, USCGR (Ret.).

In all, the 2025 Annual Meeting captured ROA in full stride as the premier military service organization of the reserve components, their members, families, and veterans.