America’s 250th: Honoring Our Past and Preparing for the Future

Reserve Voice Magazine 2026

By Maj. Gen. Peggy Chamberlain Wilmoth, USA (Ret.), ROA President

We are celebrating America’s 250th Birthday this year, which has me thinking about my ancestor, David Chamberlain, a Revolutionary War soldier from Massachusetts. He served as a minuteman and drummer under the command of Paul Revere. I wish I knew more about him. What prompted his patriotism? What were the battles in which he participated? What was it like to serve under Paul Revere’s leadership? Did he ever meet George Washington? Why was he so passionate about the ideals of freedom, democracy and self-determination? Why was he willing to give his life in support of a country that was not yet formed? David survived the Revolutionary War, married and lived to be 75 years old, dying in 1821.

I am proud of my family’s legacy and role in the birth of our country just as I am passionate about the value of ROA to those who volunteer to wear the cloth of our great nation. Gen. Pershing was equally passionate about those who serve and equally concerned about the future of America and its historical unpreparedness for the next war when he led the formation of what was then called the Reserve Officers Association in 1922.

Pershing’s concerns continue to be central to the reason why ROA has thrived for over 100 years and his concerns are just as relevant for us today as they were in the years following World War I:

Advocacy for Readiness: Following the “drawdown” years post-WWI, Pershing feared that complacency and isolationism would weaken national defense. We are witnessing some of that today, following 20+ years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. What will that mean for the future of the Reserve Components? How is America readying for the future? And what does it mean to be ready?
Supporting the Reserve Corps: ROA was created to act as an advocate for the young Organized Reserve Corps, ensuring they had a voice in Washington to secure necessary training and resources. ROA continues to advocate on behalf of today’s Reserve Components and their families. Today’s Reserve is an operational force – but just what that means for the long term in terms of funding and programs has yet to be clearly defined and funded.
Preventing Future Unpreparedness: Having witnessed the challenges of rapidly training an army, Pershing wanted a permanent institution that would promote the importance of a well-trained, available reserve force to ensure the nation’s security. The same concerns are present today – as we are witnesses to how warfare has changed since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The advent of drone warfare has changed much of warfare—including logistics and the concept of medical evacuation. The days of rapid return of our wounded to CONUS are over as, most likely, are the survival rates we witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The medical community is concerned about the ‘Walker Dip’—named after Vice Admiral Alisdair Walker, former Surgeon General of the British Armed Forces—where specialized combat casualty care skills, which peak during wartime due to high trauma exposure, decline during peacetime, requiring them to be painfully relearned at the start of the next conflict.

As Bob Dylan wrote in his song, The Times They Are A-Changin’ (1964)

Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’

So are the times changing for ROA—not in terms of who ROA is or what ROA stands for and does for America’s Reservists and families—but rather on how ROA engages with all of its stakeholders. The goal is for ROA to remain the ‘premier military service organization for the Reserve Components, their members and families’.

When I assumed the office as your 84th President, I vowed that ROA would remain Relevant and Optimized as we Advocated for the Reserve Components. Remaining relevant means we must change to meet the times.

Membership will look different as we move forward. Yes, we are and must continue to be a membership-based organization but the ways in which individuals engage will be increasingly dependent on what the individual needs and wants—and not based on what the organization wants. As an example, Gen X is pragmatic and seeks a results-oriented and independent involvement. They value direct, transparent communication, high-impact volunteer opportunities, and flexible engagement options that respect their time, often favoring peer-to-peer, skill-based, or leadership roles.

Conversely, we know that Gen Z views membership in professional organizations as ‘digital-first’ and prefer a values-driven engagement rather than a traditional, passive affiliation. They seek immediate ROI through networking, skill-building, and career growth and prioritize organizations that demonstrate authenticity, social responsibility, and flexible engagement, preferring online communities over traditional, in-person committee structures. And the ‘Millennial’ generation is somewhere in between Gen X and Gen Z on what they seek when joining professional organizations.

It is up to ROA to build avenues for each of these generations to engage so that ROA can continue to be strong in our advocacy for our constituency and for the nation.

ROA is increasingly communicating in the digital world—as you can tell by reading this issue of the Reserve Voice online. Our digital presence is ramping up and soon ROA will be hosting podcasts as another way to reach our key stakeholders. The ROA Academy will be morphing into webinars that will be available 24/7 to aid chapter and department leaders in fulfilling their responsibilities.

ROA’s structure must morph as well. Departments and Chapters are already meeting virtually—so why not consider departments based on needs and interests of members? This could range from being organized around military occupations to shared interests, policy advocacy, or other topical interests. Likewise, voting in blocks by department will also need to be examined and modified.

While change is never easy, ROA must adapt so that we can fulfill our chartered mission, “to support and promote the development and execution of a military policy for the United States that will provide adequate national security”.

As General Shinseki once said, “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less” (2001).

America is turning 250 years old this year because she both changed to meet the times, yet has held dear to her founding principles of human liberty, equality, popular sovereignty, and limited government.

Happy Birthday America!