THE COUNCIL AND ITS PURPOSES

The JROTC issue continues in the news with the Council taking no action to date one way or the other.

Some members say the JROTC programs are important to the schools and students and in the best interests of the country and national defense.

Others insist the JROTC programs are local in scope and have nothing to do with national defense, indicating that the Council has no business getting involved.

The matter can be debated. It’s true that some JROTC graduates move on to college and the senior ROTC programs and later graduate as commissioned officers; in some cases, the young JROTC program participants never serve in the armed forces, yet will have had the advantage of leadership and other valuable training.

Should CAL-MOAA get involved in the ROTC controversy? Should the Council actively support the JROTC programs, perhaps write letters to certain officials urging that the programs be retained? Perhaps yes and maybe no.

How should the Council approach other opportunities and problems that come along from time to time? What can be considered appropriate vs inappropriate action?

The place to go for answers is the Council bylaws and specifically the purposes as stated therein:

–To promote the aims of Military Officers Association of America, hereinafter referred to by its short title, MOAA, as stated in the preamble to the bylaws of that association;
–To further the legislative and other objectives of MOAA;
–To protect, in matters of state legislation, the rights and interests of the retirees of Uniformed Services, and their dependents and survivors;
–To provide assistance to Affiliated Chapters to enable them to serve effectively their members, their communities, and their nation;
–To establish and maintain active liaison and cooperation with legitimate related organizations that have purposes and objectives similar to those of MOAA.

MOAA, as stated in Military Officer Magazine, is a non-profit veterans’ organization dedicated to maintaining a strong national defense and to preserving the earned entitlements of members of the uniformed services and their families and survivors.

If the JROTC is an officer training program then it seems to have a direct tie to national defense regardless of the numbers of students who graduate and enter the armed forces. It would then be an appropriate for CAL-MOAA to become involved with the issue and indeed support efforts to retain JROTC programs. Green light.

Should the Council have an opportunity to join forces with the Navy League, Reserve Officers Association (ROA), or other such organizations with purposes similar to the Council’s, it is clear from the purposes that such cooperation would be in line with what the organization is supposed to do. Green light.

Should the Council enter into the political process and work for the election or defeat of candidates for office who support or fail to support Council efforts? Absolutely not. Red light.

Before considering undertaking some kind of action, Council members should carefully study the MOAA and CAL-MOAA purposes as outlined in the bylaws plus mission statements, strategic and operational plans, and any other appropraite directives.

A careful check will often provide an important green light/red light indicator.

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