Posted By ROA Staff,
Thursday, June 22, 2023
Updated: Friday, May 26, 2023
Describe why you are proud to be an ROA member.
“ROA works to ensure that our military families are supported during their member's time in the military. They work on large legislative issues, personal issues for families, and they support families in many ways with resources and information of importance for the families well being. ROA has a great network of members across the US which is a fantastic way to "spread the word" about issues and solutions that can be developed and shared.”
Describe how ROA has benefitted you in your military career.
“ROA's members provide a network of friendships and people who are willing to help our military members to find the support and help they may need on both large national and small individual family issues. As we have traveled across the country, there is always an "ROA friend" that we are excited to see and visit with in their hometown. I am thankful for these friends and their friendships over many years.”
Posted By Dept. of Virginia president Col. Thomas Hueg, USAF (Ret.) ,
Monday, June 19, 2023
Updated: Wednesday, June 21, 2023
The Department of Virginia held its convention at the picturesque American Legion Post 354, in Midlothian, June 10.
ROA’s executive director and department member, Jeff Phillips, delivered a “state of the association” brief that addressed ROA’s legislative campaign, Citizen-Warrior Coalition and its work to increase readiness through support of reservist hiring and retention by the private sector, and the new membership impetus provided by newly hired Cmdr. Trey Criner, USN (Ret.).
Unquestionably, however, a unique highlight was the presentation on POW/MIA history, recovery and identification by Crystal Coon, assistant director of education at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. Coon, previously a U.S. Park Service ranger who worked on the National Mall, did an internship at Gettysburg National Military Park.
Department of Virginia president Col. Thomas Hueg, USAF (Ret.) made a focus on membership within the department. "Virginia has 90 percent of its membership in holding and unaffiliated chapters,” said Hueg. “Imagine the leadership potential if we could meaningfully engage those members."
ROA “Virginia Gentlemen” Col. Barton Campbell, USA (Ret.) (left) and Department of Virginia President Col. Tom Hueg, USAF (Ret.) stop to get a photo during the department convention.
Going back to America’s first wars, the Virginia War Memorial’s Crystal Coons discusses the history of Prisoner of War/Missing in Action recognition.
Photograph credit: Lt. Col. Cynthia Marquez, Department of Virginia.
Posted By ROA Director of Operations Tremayne Criner ,
Sunday, June 18, 2023
U.S. Air Force Reserve Update
The U.S. Air Force provides weekly updates. Here are items from its reserve component notes:
ANG/AFRC: According to Lt. Gen. Michael Loh (AF/NGB/CF), a difficult recruiting environment could leave the Air National Guard and the reserve component of the Air Force up to 4,000 recruits short (of its staffing requirements for 2023. Loh noted delays related to various administrative changes and lingering effects from the coronavirus are having a major impact on recruiting. Click here to read more.
AFRC/ACC: As the U.S. Air Force looks to increase the number of airfields at disparate locations to provide for more flexible combat operations, 25 Airmen from Mountain Home Air Force Base trained at Dobbins Air Reserve Base to identify whether Airmen could repair an airfield without any previous specialized training. The beta test was conducted as part of the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept to train Multi-Capable Airmen. Click here for more information.
AFRC/AFMC: As part of the Air Force’s B-52 Radar Modernization Program, a B-52 bomber out of the 307th Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base arrived at a Boeing facility in San Antonio to have the Active Electronically Scanned Array system (AESA) installed. The initial AESA capability is planned for 2027 and is one of the largest upgrades in the history of the B-52 fleet. Click here to read more.
Posted By ROA Executive Director Jeffrey E. Phillips ,
Saturday, June 17, 2023
ROA congratulates David Jasse and his DMJ Studios film production company in New York for their several Telly Awards, including our “A Century of Service to America.” David is the owner and creative director at DMJ having a host of experience from various major cable networks.
Honoring excellence in video and television across all screens, the annual Telly Awards recognized in May, the video made for ROA’s centennial, “A Century of Service to America” with a 2023 silver award.
Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards “honor excellence in local, regional and cable television commercials with non-broadcast video and television programming added soon after.”
Jasse and his DMJ Studio team join a distinguished list of past Telly Awards winners to include HBO, ESPN, NBC and Bloomberg.
We also recognize Kalen Arreola and her KMC Digital for their work on the film. Arreola, based in Rhode Island, and an Army Reserve veteran of the Iraq campaign, manages ROA’s communications. “It was my honor to work with such a stellar team at DMJ Studios to tell the ROA story. It is no easy feat to capture the depth and breadth of work that ROA has accomplished over the last 100 years, but I’m proud of what the team captured and produced. Huge congratulations to the producers and editors who thoughtfully captured the heart of the organization.”
This is not the first time a ROA video has been recognized by Telly Awards. In 2012, the Bronze Telly Award was awarded for the video “ROA – Citizen Warrior.”
Now that ROA videos have won the Bronze and Silver Telly Awards, the next ROA video milestone is to take the Gold Telly Award.
Learn more about this year's award recognition here.
Posted By ROA Staff,
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Updated: Friday, May 26, 2023
Nomination by Richard E. Nelson III Col USAF (Ret) President - Department of Missouri.
“I proudly nominate Richard L. Kallemeier. Dick, a 50+ year member, has served ROA and Missouri (MOROA) in many roles - National Councilman, Department President, Chapter Officer, a longtime member of the ROA Communications Committee, and currently as MOROA's longtime Secretary and its award-winning newsletter editor. His tireless and efficient efforts are the essential glue for the operation of the Department.”
Posted By ROA Director of Operations Tremayne Criner ,
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Cols. Robert Case and Scott Russell represented ROA at an Air Force Yellow Ribbon event in Orlando, Florida during Memorial Day weekend, May 26-28, 2023.
The two manned a vendor table and talked to deployers about how ROA can help them. STARs school kits were very popular with the pre-deployers and the post-deployers were interested in ROA's Law Center.
The event had approximately 550 people attending with most of them being post-deployment.
Cols. Robert Case (above left) and Scott Russell represented ROA at an Air Force Yellow Ribbon event in Orlando, Florida during Memorial Day weekend, May 26-28, 2023.
The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) is a DoD-wide effort to promote the well-being of National Guard and Reserve members, their families and communities, by connecting them with resources throughout the deployment cycle.
Commanders and leaders play a critical role in ensuring that National Guard and Reserve Service members and their families attend Yellow Ribbon Events where they can access information on healthcare, education, employment, and financial and legal benefits.
ROA's involvement in these events helps foster connection with local families who serve across the nation.
“We had a chance to talk to people about what ROA has done, and our legislative priorities for the current Congress,” said Russell.
There are two more upcoming Air Force events in Orlando and another one in Anaheim, California and Russell is looking for anyone interested in representing ROA at these events.
Members looking for upcoming Yellow Ribbon events taking place in their local area can conduct a search at www.yellowribbon.mil.
Posted By ROA Staff,
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Updated: Friday, May 26, 2023
Describe why you are proud to be an ROA member.
"In days gone by, ROA was encouraged by my unit leadership and upon commissioning, I became a life member. I have proudly served as department and chapter president and led those in our department. Over the years I served as chair of the former national civil preparedness committee and as a member of the national budget and finance committee. I gave my first retirement check to join the "wall of gold". I am proud to serve as an advocate for those issues critical to ROA and critical to our national defense."
Describe how ROA has benefitted you in your military career.
"Right from my commissioning, the knowledge gained from participating and listening at conferences and in publications enabled me to better understand my responsibilities as an officer and to better interact with my personnel, within my units, and with intra and inter-service contacts. ROA made me a better officer and broadened my understanding of the role of the reserves as a part of the military."
From June 9 to July 7, nearly 260 of the most popular tactical gear products will be available to win. All authorized Exchange shoppers can enter at ShopMyExchange.com/sweepstakes.
“The Exchange is thrilled to bring another exciting sweepstakes to the military community.” said Army Col. Brian Memoli, Exchange deputy director of Logistics. “We are honored to celebrate Soldiers, Army retirees, Veterans and their families for everything they do for their Nation.”
Prizes include:
Elite Summit backpack (one winner)
Ira Green Mission First tactical backpack (six winners)
Posted By Director of Legislation and Military Policy Matt Schwartzman,
Monday, June 5, 2023
Updated: Friday, June 16, 2023
WASHINGTON,
D.C. -- On May 18 and 26, the U.S. Senate and House introduced bicameral, bipartisan legislation that expands access to affordable healthcare for early age reserve component retirees, also referred to as “gray area” retirees.
Public Law No:
110-181, the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, reduced the retirement age for certain eligible reserve component servicemembers from age 60 to no less than 50. This was designed to recognize the increased reliance on the Reserve and
National Guard in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
Gray area retirees have retired from the military, but have not yet attained the age required for receipt of benefits. The FY 2008 NDAA did not provide these gray area retirees
with access to the same subsidized healthcare benefit(s) offered to all other military retirees. Rather, these patriots are expected to enroll in the TRICARE Retired Reserve program, which requires beneficiaries to cover the full cost of care.
As a result, healthcare is substantially more expensive for all gray area retirees and unaffordable for most.
“Early-age retirees of the Reserve and National Guard served their nation, often in harm’s way – just as their active component
comrades did. They should not have to pay thousands of dollars more for health care than all other military retirees,” said ROA’s executive director, retired Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Phillips, U.S. Army. “This bill brings us closer to achieving equity in the
military health system and ends penalizing servicemembers who earned their early retirement with deployments to war.”
H.R.3668/S.1670, the TRICARE Fairness for National Guard and Reserve Retirees Act, would eliminate this barrier to service-earned
healthcare by aligning the age that retirees begin receiving retirement pay with the age they become eligible for the less costly TRICARE healthcare plans.
In letters to Representatives Bill Johnson and Dean Phillips, and Senators JD Vance
and Elizabeth Warren, the champions of these companion measures, Phillips extended thanks and expanded on the need to urgently move this to the president’s desk for signature.
“On behalf of the Reserve Organization of America, the only national
military organization that solely and exclusively supports the Reserve and National Guard, thank you for your leadership in Congress and sponsorship of H.R.3668, the TRICARE Fairness for National Guard and Reserve Retirees Act,” Phillips wrote. “By eliminating
this component-centric, congressionally created barrier to healthcare, the TRICARE Fairness for national Guard and Reserve Retirees Act passes our litmus test for support with flying colors.”
Achieving equity between components in the military health system is ROA’s leading legislative priority for the 118th Congress. ROA looks forward to meeting with members and staff on this important issue.
An official copy of ROA’s issue paper on this bill can be found here.
Posted By ROA Staff,
Friday, June 2, 2023
Updated: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Clifton Truman Daniel (above left), grandson of President Harry S. Truman, poses with Maj. Gen. Evan "Curly" Hultman during a recent event at Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum in Waterloo, Iowa.
Clifton Truman Daniel’s presentation at ROA’s Centennial Convention banquet in the fall of 2022 inspired Maj. Gen. Evan "Curly" Hultman to recommend Daniel to visit the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum in his hometown of Waterloo, Iowa.
Daniel is the oldest grandson of President Harry S. Truman and his wife, Bess. Truman was the president who signed ROA's Congressional Charter in June of 1950.
His appearance at ROA's centennial came about fortuitously, as Daniel was in Washington, D.C. for the installation of his grandfather's statue in the Capitol Rotunda during the week of ROA's Centennial Convention.
He even presented ROA's distinguished Truman Award to past ROA President Judi Davenport and past Dept. of Tenn. President John Davenport -- a first for this award to be presented to a couple, and by a Truman family member.
In his keynote address, Daniel spoke about the military life of his grandfather; however in his appearance at Waterloo, he spoke about what it was like growing up with a grandfather in the White House, especially during WWII.
Thanks to the initiative of former ROA President and Executive Director Hultman, the Truman Legacy lives on -- especially at our ROA Headquarters on Capitol Hill where we carry out our chartered mission "to support and assist in the development and execution of a military policy for the United States which shall provide adequate National Defense."
Greene and Hultman were among several sponsors of the event, along with the American Legion Foundation of Iowa; family members of several deceased local World War II veterans; as well as the Robert Hibbs VFW Post in Cedar Falls.
Sullivan is the granddaughter of Albert Sullivan, the youngest of the five Sullivan brothers, from Waterloo lost during World War II on the USS Juneau off Guadalcanal. She is a third-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Cedar Falls, and is the official U.S. Navy sponsor of the destroyer "USS The Sullivans (DDG-68)."
Pictured in the back row from left to right are David Greene, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Battle of Iwo Jima; Hovey Brom, who served as a forward observer in the 16th Armored Division of Gen. George S. Patton's U.S. Third Army; and Gen. Hultman. Greene, Brom, and Hultman all played roles in the design, construction, and fundraising for the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum. They are pictured with Clifton Truman Daniel and Kelly Sullivan.
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