It is with deep sorrow that we share the news of the passing of former ROA National President and Executive Director, MG Roger Sandler, USA (Ret.).
MG Sandler was a Mustang, an elite Soldier who served both in the enlisted ranks and as an officer. After starting out as a battalion clerk in West Germany in 1956, he commissioned into the Adjutant General Corps in 1962. Throughout his storied Army career, MG Sandler commanded at every level, eventually rising through the ranks to become Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command in 1991 in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm. When the end of the Cold War brought pressure to draw down the force by some 22,000 Soldiers, it was his leadership, education, and diplomacy that helped craft the Offsite Agreement, which to this day apportions much of the Army’s essential combat support and combat service support to the Army Reserve.
General Sandler’s devotion to ROA ran just as deep. He joined ROA in 1962 and became a lifetime member. He served as ROA’s Army Vice President, Board of Trustees chair, and as a leader in UPORFA. From 1987-1988, Sandler was ROA’s National President, and in 1994 he became ROA’s Executive Director. Under his stewardship, the Reserve Components saw significant gains, including establishment of separate reserve commands for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. And in 1999, ROA won three-star rank for the Reserve chiefs. Following his retirement from ROA in 1999, Sandler continued to be an active ROA member and advocate for the Reserve Components. He was inducted into ROA’s Minute Man Hall of Fame in 2023.
We offer our sincerest condolences to MG Sandler’s family. They will always be a member of the ROA family.