Reserve Officers Association expands eligibility to NCOs

8/20/2013 - WASHINGTON -- Members of the Reserve Officers Association have expanded the organization's membership eligibility to include non-commissioned officers.

Delegates to the association's annual convention overwhelmingly approved the measure over the weekend. The move opens the organization's doors to NCO ranks from all uniformed services.

With the expansion, ROA, historically known as the nation's leading advocate for Reservists and their families adds a level of strength to their voice in Washington. Founded in 1922 by veterans of World War I, this adjustment to ROA's membership is being heralded as a watershed moment for an organization steeped in history.

Speaking to members following the vote, ROA's newly installed national president retired Brig. Gen. Michael Silva praised the rationale behind the decision to expand. "This is about more than strengthening our voice on the Hill; it's about doing what's right for the total Reserve force."

Underscoring the exemplary service of today's NCO's Silva went on to call the expansion "both strategically necessary and morally right." Silva continued, "The unique burdens of Reserve duty extend beyond rank and with this vote we're sending a message to the total force: if you're a Citizen Warrior, in or out of uniform, you belong with ROA."

Echoing the sentiment was the organization's executive director retired Maj. Gen. Andrew Davis. "Today's NCO corps is widely considered the most capable in the history of our military. They have performed and sacrificed on equal footing with our commissioned officers for more than a decade and they deserve a strong advocate working on their behalf."

In a statement to its existing membership of roughly 60,000 commissioned officers, the organization outlined their new eligibility standards: "Any active, retired or former commissioned officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer or petty officer, who at any time upon entering the federal uniformed services took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and, if no longer serving, whose separation occurred under honorable circumstances, is eligible for an active membership."

The Reserve Officers Association is the 60,000-member professional association for all uniformed services of the United States. Chartered by Congress and in existence since 1922, ROA advises and educates the Congress, the President, and the American people on national security, with unique expertise on issues that affect the 1.5 million men and women now serving in America's Reserve Components.