[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 43 (Monday, April 14, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3113-S3114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO THE RESERVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ON THE 
                   OCCASION OF THEIR 75TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. THURMOND. Madam President, just across the street from the east 
front of the U.S. Capitol stands the Minute Man Memorial building, 
which houses the Reserve Officers Association of the United States, one 
of the most patriotic and self-sacrificing organizations in the Nation. 
This year marks the association's 75th anniversary, and its origins, 
history, and accomplishments are all well worth remembering.

[[Page S3114]]

  At the beginning of World War I, America found herself unprepared to 
enter the fight in Europe because we had an inadequate supply of 
trained military leaders for our Armed Forces. Confusion prevailed at 
the War Department while recruiters rushed to select, and the military 
hastened to train, an officer corps that would be large enough to lead 
``Doughboys'' and ``Devil Dogs'' on the battlefields of France and 
Germany. Despite the lack of initial preparation, the United States' 
entry into World War I proved to be the decisive factor in securing 
victory against our enemies and bringing peace to the continent. After 
the armistice was signed and our troops came home, American military 
leaders were wisely determined to never be faced with another shortage 
of commissioned officers, and on October 2, 1922, 140 reserve officers, 
at the suggestion of General of the Army John J. Pershing, met at the 
Willard Hotel in Washington, DC. At that meeting, General Pershing 
said, ``I consider this gathering perhaps one of the most important, 
from a military point of view, that has assembled in Washington or 
anywhere else within the confines of this country within my time,'' and 
the Reserve Officers Association of the United States [ROA] was 
organized.
  The new found commitment to a well-trained and equipped force got off 
to a positive start with the passage of the National Defense Act of 
1920 which created a 2 million member ``Citizens Army,'' to be led by a 
200,000 member Officers Reserve Corps. However, it was clear that the 
success of this civilian army and reserve corps of officers would 
depend entirely upon the patriotic and voluntary spirit of Americans. 
With this understanding, General Pershing charged ROA with the 
responsibility to recruit the corps, develop public support for it, and 
petition Congress to appropriate adequate funds to train these citizen 
service members.
  As the United States grappled with recovering from the Depression and 
getting its economy back on its feet, the seeds of war were being sowed 
in Europe and Asia, and on December 7, 1941, a surprise attack on 
American Navy facilities at Pearl Harbor finally pushed our Nation back 
into another global conflict, World War II. Though still under-prepared 
for war, we thankfully had an Officer Reserve Corps that had grown to 
115,000 and the chaotic rush to recruit officers that took place in the 
First World War was not repeated. General George C. Marshall said, ``In 
contrast with the hectic days of 1917 * * * with no adequate reservoir 
of officers to draw upon * * * we now have available in the Officers 
Reserve Corps a great pool of trained men available for instant 
service.'' Clearly, the R.O.A. had done their job.

  During the war, the ROA suspended its activities as its members were 
off serving in the branches of the various armed services; once, 
however, the hostilities ceased and the troops came home, the ROA 
resumed its activities as advocates for the Reserve forces and a strong 
national defense. That the founder of one of the first ROA chapters in 
Kansas City, Harry S. Truman, was now President of the United States 
signalled that the reserve structure was to grow and grow stronger in 
the post-World War II/cold war era. During his administration, 
President Truman ordered his Secretary of Defense to aggressively build 
a reserve military structure, and the Chief Executive took personal 
pride in the passage of a strong Armed Forces Reserve Act.
  It was also during this period that Congress took the unusual step of 
granting the ROA a charter mandating the organization ``to support a 
military policy of the United States that will provide adequate 
national security, and to promote the development and execution 
thereof''. With this infrequently granted charter, Congress, in effect, 
was telling ROA that it respected its expertise and desired the 
association's advice on legislation affecting national security, as 
well as matters involving the military, both Reserve and Active.
  Over the years, the ROA has taken its charter and congressional 
mandate seriously. Its positions are without partisanship and are based 
solely on promoting a strong defense. The officers and members of the 
ROA have supported initiatives they thought would strengthen our 
Nation's military, and opposed those which would undermine America's 
preparedness. The ROA helped block attempts to eliminate the Coast 
Guard and Air Force Reserves, and to cut the Navy Reserve in half; and, 
they stood strong against the Panama Canal and the SALT II treaties, as 
well as any budget or manpower cuts to our Reserve forces. On the other 
hand, revitalizing the Selective Service System, lifting the embargo on 
arms sales to Turkey, selling AWACS to Saudi Arabia, and activating the 
Reserves during the early days of the gulf war all were supported by 
the ROA During the Clinton administration, the Association has been out 
front in seeking postwar benefits for military personnel including 
medical treatment for victims of gulf war illnesses, and it is most 
notable that since 1982, the ROA has successfully supported more than 
$15 billion in equipment procurement and construction for the Reserve 
and National Guard.

  Madam President, the ROA of today is a strong and vibrant association 
whose 100,000 strong membership includes active, retired, and honorably 
discharged officers of all the services; cadets and midshipmen from the 
service academies and ROTC programs; and officers of the Public Health 
Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That 
more than half of these individuals are life members is an indication 
of the amount of support the ROA has among the Reserve community, and 
the credibility it has as representatives of our Nation's truest 
``citizen-soldiers''. Obviously, such a dynamic organization requires 
dynamic leadership and I am proud to note that my friend and fellow 
South Carolinian, Maj. Gen. Herbert Koger, Jr., USAR, is serving as the 
president of the ROA this year, an office that is rotated annually 
among each of the services. Additionally, retired Maj. Gen. Roger W. 
Sandler, who was Chief of the Army Reserve prior to his 1994 
retirement, very capably serves as the association's chief of staff. I 
commend both these men for the excellent jobs they do, especially for 
the input they give Congress on matters related to our national 
security.
  Madam President, as the Reserve Officers Association prepares to 
enter its fourth quarter of a century of service, I think it is 
appropriate to cite another quote by General Pershing, who said, ``It 
would be false economy to save a few dollars by neglecting commonsense 
preparation in peace times, and then to spend billions to make up for 
the deficiency when war comes.'' These are the watchwords of the men 
and women who makeup the ROA, and words each of us should bear in mind 
as we approach the 21st century and begin to consider the future needs, 
roles, and missions of our armed services.
  Congratulations to the Reserve Officers Association of the United 
States on its 75th anniversary.

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