Reserve Organization of America (ROA)

As we come to the end of Black History Month, we take a step back to remember all the trailblazers who have made history in the Reserves, and we thank all who continue to keep their legacy alive. The “Six Triple Eight” was the first-and-only all-Black, all-female Army unit to deploy overseas during World War II. It consisted of 855 women under the command of Lt. Col. Charity Adams, the first African-American woman commissioned in the Women’s Army Corps. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3ETqQXP. Photo Source: National Archive and Records Administration. #BlackHistoryMonth #AlwaysRemember #ArmyReserve

On January 8, in a step that builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s focus to fulfill the nation’s sacred obligation to the nation’s Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is making acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, urinary bladder, ureter, and related genitourinary cancers presumptive for service-connection for Gulf War Veterans. Gulf War Veterans: Veterans who served in Somalia or the Southwest Asia theater of operations (which includes Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above these locations) during the Persian Gulf War on or after Aug. 2, 1990. Post-9/11 Veterans: Veterans who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, or Uzbekistan and the airspace above these locations during the Gulf War on or after Sept. 11, 2001. This includes Veterans who served at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) base in Uzbekistan after Sept. 11, 2001. Read the full article at:https://bit.ly/4jILNVp. #ROAMembership #Advocacy #ReserveLife #ReserveStrength

Today's the day. ROA's February 25 Advocacy Day. Please review our Resource Guide and join us for an in-person joint hearing before Congress: https://bit.ly/4iho7pz. Want to learn more? Read about ROA's Feb. 25 testimony and advocacy day at: https://bit.ly/4bdnRFN. #ROAAdvocacy

Col. Amy Johannsen shares why she joined ROA. #ROACentennial #ROAMembership #Advocacy #FacesOfROA

What is the CIOR Military Competition? The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers Military Competition (CIOR MILCOMP) is an annual competition for Reserve Soldiers. It is a team competition in which each member of the team must complete the competition events together. The three-day competition consists of pistol and rifle shooting on the first day, obstacle course and utility swimming on the second day, and orienteering with additional tasks like range estimation, map reading and hand grenade throwing on the third day. Competitors come from NATO member states and other participating nations with 34 countries in total, representing 1.3 million reservists. The MILCOMP, which has been held since 1957, is a military pentathlon testing service members in pistol and rifle marksmanship, land and water obstacles and orienteering. CIOR History CIOR, an organization that emerged from the determination of Reserve Officers who had fought in the Armed Forces and Resistance during World War II, aimed to use their experience to enhance collective security and pass down their values to future generations. For more information: https://bit.ly/3Q1Jsap. #ROAMembership #ReserveLife #ReserveStrength

The storied history of the U.S. Army’s Buffalo Soldiers remains alive and well, thanks in part to two museums dedicated to preserving their legend. The Buffalo Soldiers Museum in Tacoma, Washington, and the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, Texas, both capture the story of these heroic Americans. The term “Buffalo Soldiers” came into use shortly after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Though this doctrine officially freed all slaves in the United States, it didn’t end segregation. In 1866, Congress established six all-Black regiments, each containing about 1,000 soldiers. The U.S. Army units created included the 9th and 10th Cavalry, along with the 38th, 39th, 40th and 41st Infantry. It wasn’t until 1948 that the military ceased segregation. Initially, the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments conducted campaigns against American Indian tribes on the Western frontier that extended from Montana in the northwest, to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona in the Southwest. Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4gTAcAb. #BuffaloSoldiers #BlackHistoryMonth

Happy Birthday to the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve from the Reserve Organization of America. #ReserveLife #ReserveStrength #USCGRBirthday #USCGReserve

Happy President's Day! "Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today." - Abraham Lincoln #PresidentsDay #GeorgeWashington #Celebrate #Presidents

At a somber ceremony at Oklahoma’s Fort Reno Cemetery on Dec 15, 2024, visitors put Christmas wreaths next to the tombstones of deceased American veterans as part of a nationwide “Wreaths Across America” program hosted by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). Leslie Dietrich, regent of Fort Reno’s chapter of NSDAR, said the group lays wreaths to remember, honor, and teach about those who served in the military and protected our freedoms. Their purpose is “not to decorate graves…” but to express a “symbol of honor for their (veterans) sacrifice. During the program, Dietrich and Grace Ellsworth, state regent of Oklahoma’s NSDAR, explained the purpose and history of wreath-laying each year (nationally since 2005), an Honor Guard posted and retired the U.S. and other flags, and Nancy Seaton of the Fort Reno chapter gave a prayer of remembrance. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3CxBFhh. #WreathsAcrossAmerica

ROA member U.S. Air Force Maj. Keisha Dobney-Boykin of the Greater South Georgia Chapter has been selected as a member of the Air Force Reserve Legislative Fellowship for the CY25 cohort. This prestigious program will allow her to engage directly with policymakers and advocate for the needs of the Air Force Reserve. Advocating for the service members who dedicate their lives to protecting our country is a responsibility I take to heart, said Dobney-Boykin. "I'm honored to represent our Reserve force and ensure our voices are heard in the halls of Congress." According to the Air University website, the program exists to provide competitively selected, highly qualified field-grade Air and Space Force officers and their civilian counterparts an in-depth education in national security policy through assignments to a distinguished civilian institute or placement in a key government agency or department. Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4jC9qyK. #ReserveLife #ReserveStrength #ROAMembership #Advocacy