Securing Our Future
Welcoming a New Generation

Like many military families, the Murphy-Clarke family has a tradition of service. Retired Lt. Col. John Murphy Jr. served in the Air Force, as does his son, Dr. Sean Murphy. Col. William Clarke, father of Sean's wife, Karen Murphy, also served in the Air Force, retiring in 1984.

Now, this family has started a new tradition - TROA membership. John and William each joined TROA more than 20 years ago. But just a few years ago, Sean - who still has years to go before he retires from active duty - and Karen learned that TROA isn't just for their fathers. Now they are continuing the family tradition of TROA membership.

Welcoming a new generation of officers like Sean is part of the reason TROA has proposed changing its name. All too often, these officers don't realize that they can, and should, be TROA members.

Sean thought he had to be retired to join. But in 1998, after finding out that TROA is for all officers, he didn't hesitate a minute to become a member. He and Karen enjoy TROA's legislative updates and travel benefits. "Now we tell all of our active duty friends ... most of whom also [thought they had] to be retired to join," explains Karen.

As one of TROA's 30,000 active duty members, Sean is convinced the proposed name change could help educate the public about the association's mission as an advocate for a strong national defense. "TROA ... is a long-term organization that has ... advocacy at its heart. That advocacy applies to both active duty and retired military. ... [I'm] not sure if everyone understands this."

Like many of TROA's members, William has mixed emotions about the name change. But many members also realize the importance of welcoming a new generation to our ranks, as the Murphy-Clarke family has done.

Retired officers always will form the core of TROA's membership and remain the focus of its agenda, but as active duty member Maj. Don Perry, USAF, says, "It's important to see the younger officer taken care of." TROA always has taken care of the younger officer, but the association's current name has shielded that fact from many people. The new name would lift this shield and allow TROA to build a stronger association by inviting the next generation to join.

The officers who banded together in 1929 to form TROA built the foundation for today's organization. Now we have the opportunity to pass on a stronger, more effective association to the next generation. Today's active duty officers are tomorrow's retired officers. We're all in this together, and we're at our strongest when we act together. It's time TROA's name reflected who we really are: an association representing the interests of all officers at every stage of their lives.