Fleet Reserve Association
 FRA Emblem | |
| Established | January 1, 1924 |
|---|---|
| Founded at | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Type | 501(c)(19), veterans organization |
| 53-0067600 | |
| Headquarters | 125 N West Street, Alexandria, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 38°28′57″N 77°01′53″W / 38.4825°N 77.0315°W |
Area served | Worldwide |
| William J. Starky (NJ) | |
| National Executive Committee | |
Key people |
|
| Publication | FRAtoday |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Website |
www |
The Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) is a non-profit U.S. military and veterans organization headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. chartered by the United States Congress that represents the interests of enlisted Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine veterans and active duty personnel in the United States.
The FRA was named after the US Navy retirement procedure "PERS 836".[1] The organization was founded in Philadelphia on October, 1922, by Chief Yeoman George L. Carlin, and it was chartered on November 11, 1924, by the U.S. Congress[2]. The association is composed of branches located in each State, U.S. territory, and several overseas locations.
The guiding principles of the FRA are Loyalty Protection and Service. In addition to organizing events, members provide assistance at VA hospitals and clinics. It is active in issue-oriented U.S. politics. Its primary political activity is advocating on behalf of the Sea Service enlisted personnel, including support for benefits such as pay and pensions. The organization has also prompts "Americanism and Patriotism" through its essay contest[3].
History
Conceived as the U.S. Fleet Naval Reserve Association. The organization was chartered as Fleet Reserve Association under Title_36_of_the_United_States_Code. Officially chartered by the U.S. Congress[4].
Publications
The organization's official publication was originally launched in 1921 and called Naval Affairs.[5] In December 2006 the publication's name and volume numbering system changed again, this time to FRAtoday.[6]
Organization structure
National
The Fleet Reserve Association Headquarters is located in Alexandria, Virginia. It is the primary office for the National President and also houses the FRA museum, library, membership services, communications, and the magazine editorial offices.[7]
Regions
Each Branch is assigned to a region. Each region oversees 10-30 branches, to help each smaller group have a larger voice.
Branch
The Branch is the basic unit of the Fleet Reserve Association and usually represents a small geographic area such as a single town or a few counties. There are roughly 190 branches in the United States and Philippines. The Branches located overseas are intended to allow active duty military stationed and veterans living overseas to be actively involved with the Fleet Reserve Association as if they were in the United States. Members who do not live near a branch are referred to as Members at Large. The Branch is used for formal business such as meetings and a coordination point for community service projects. Often the Branch will host community events such as bingo, holiday celebrations, and be available to other organizations. It is also not uncommon for the Branch to contain a bar open during limited hours. A Branch member is distinguished by a navy blue garrison cap with gold piping.
Members
Membership peaked for the Fleet Reserve Association at about 190,0000 in the mid-1990s. Membership has been decreasing since then and is estimated to be about 45,000 (2018). A member's FRA service/garrison cap is distinguished by a gold crown, blue sides, gold piping and the Fleet Reserved Association National seal referred to as the Triangle. Members often add gold lettering with the member's status such as Life Member, officer title and Branch number or Member at Large.
The Branch officer is distinguished by a gold-topped garrison cap, navy blue brim with gold piping. The executive committee representative is distinguished by a red-topped garrison cap with gold piping.
Eligibility
Veterans who served at least one day of enlisted active duty or are serving now in either the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine are potentially eligible for membership in The Fleet Reserve Association. Members must have been honorably discharged or still serving honorably.
Notable members
Notable members of The Fleet Reserve Association have included:
Dilbert Black, first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
John_Whittet, second Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Robert_Walker_(sailor), third Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Billy_C._Sanders, fifth U.S. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
William_H._Plackett, sixth U.S. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Duane_R._Bushey, seventh Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
John_Hagan_(sailor), eighth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
James_L._Herdt, ninth Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Terry_D._Scott 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Richard_Antrim, World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
Ernest_Borgnine, American actor, and Navy Veteran
Olivia_Hooker, first African-American woman to have entered the U.S. Coast Guard
Michael_E._Thornton, recipient of the U.S. Medal of Honor
List of Past National Presidents
- William P. Green, 1922-1924
- Francis A. Knaus, 1924-1925
- Ed W. Wintering, 1925-1926
- Charles J. Batchelor, 1926-1927
- Robert A. Young, 1927-1928
- Otto Grunewald, 1928-1929
- Logan E. Ruggles, 1929-1930
- Philip G. Cronan, 1930-1931
- Cornelius E. Anderson, 1931-1932-1933
- Jesse Acuff, 1933-1934
- Abraham M. Rosenberg, 1934-1935
- John J. Bayer, 1935-1936
- Carl A. Viken, 1936-1937
- Jesse F. Cordes, 1937-1938
- Alexander Steele, 1938-1939
- Thomas C. Ryan, 1939-1940
- George C. Corbell, 1940-1941
- Frank T. Walker, 1941-1942
- John H. Burke, 1942-1943
- Clarence Boeckman, 1943-1944
- James H. Van Slycke, 1944-1945
- Robert W. Allen, 1945-1946
- Robert F. Bonomarte, 1946-1947
- Fredrick E. Grammer 1947-1948
- Christopher C. Sanders, 1948-1949
- Leo A. La Belle, 1949-1950
- James J. Ralph, 1950-1951
- James W. Mullins, 1951-1952
- Charles D. Hause, 1952-1953
- Edward E. Keeley, 1953-1954
- Michael F. Catania, 1954-1955
- William F. Hickey, 1955-1956
- Wilson H. Sandefer, 1956-1957
- Edgar H. Cook, 1957-1958
- Robert E. Doherty, 1958-1959
- Harold W. Elke, 1959-1960
- Charles A. Herget, 1960-1961
- Joseph Keehan, 1961-1962
- Robert A. Means, 1962-1963
- Edward C. Duffy, 1963-1964
- George C. Bernatz, 1964-1965
- Eddie King, 1965-1966
- Lawrence M. Bane 1966-1967
- Bernard P. O'hara 1969-1968
- Stanley S. Nahill 1968-1969
- Walter C. Rowell, 1969-1970
- Robert L. Bastian, 1970-1971
- Francis E. McCulley, 1971-1972
- William A. Holdforth, 1972-1973
- Marvin Silverman, 1973-1974
- Albert E. Wilson, 1974-1975
- Joseph D. Morin, 1974-1976
- Thomas A. Heaney, 1976-1977
- Royce J. Hatfield, 1977-1978
- Roderick D. Wiley, 1978-1979
- Marvin F. Harris, 1979-1980
- James W. Neal, 1980-1981
- Lawerence J. Cummings, 1981-1982
- Charles R. McIntyre, 1982-1983
- Daniel Spalding, 1983-1984
- Geworge E. Brown, 1984-1985
- Townsand I King, 1985-1986
- William G. McCarley 1986-1987
- Peter R. Ross Jr.,1987-1988
- John A. Putney, 1988–1989
- Jack A. Coover, 1989–1990
- William E. Combes, 1990–1991
- Wallace E Baker, 1991–1992
- Aloysius D. Caso, 1992–1993
- W.J. "Jim New, 1993–1994
- Geoge P. Hyland, 1994–1995
- J.C. "Jim" Eblen, 1995–1996
- Robert E. Fudge, 1996–1997
- Robert G. Beese, 1997–1998
- Thomas l. Lisher, 1998–1999
- Marvin W. Johnson, 1999–2000
- Eugene Smith, 2000–2001
- Richard M. Smith, 2001–2002
- Ralph A. Schmidt, 2002–2003
- Josweph L. Maez, 2003–2004
- George R. Key, 2004–2005
- Edgar M. Zerr, 2005–2006
- Jerry L. Sweeney, 2006–2007
- Lawrence J. Bourdreaux, 2007–2008
- F. Donald Mucheck, 2008–2009
- Gary C. Blackburn, 2009–2010
- James W. Scarbro, 2010–2011
- Jeffrey A. Gilmartin, 2011–2012
- Mark A. Kilgore, 2012–2013
- Virgil P Courneay, 2013–2014 2015-2016
- John D. Ippert, 2014–2015
- Donald E. Larson, 2016-2017
- William E. Starkey, New Jersey, 2017-2018
- Robert Washington, 2018-
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/career/retirement/EnlistedRetirements/Pages/default.aspx
- ↑ http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title36/subtitle2/partB/chapter701&edition=prelim
- ↑ https://www.fra.org/fra/Web/Events_and_Programs/7_12th_Grade_Essay_Contest/Web/Content/Essay_Contest.aspx?hkey=707c4b42-2eb8-4992-9d57-31b8bd14c68a
- ↑ http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title36/subtitle2/partB/chapter701&edition=prelim
- ↑ [Naval Affairs http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00052862/00001 Naval Affairs,] OCLC 4123895.OCLC Number: Master negative microfilm held by University Microfilms, now part of ProQuest.
- ↑ FRAtoday, OCLC 80940360.
- ↑ Fleet Reserve Association: Office Locations