Lawrence Romo | |
---|---|
12th Director of the Selective Service System | |
In office December 4, 2009 –January 20, 2017 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | William A. Chatfield Ernest E. Garcia (acting) |
Succeeded by | Don Benton Adam J. Copp (acting) |
Personal details | |
Born | San Antonio,Texas,U.S. | July 13,1956
Alma mater | United States Air Force Academy (B.S.) Montana State University–Northern (M.Ed) |
Nickname | Larry [1] |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Air Force |
Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
Lawrence Guzman Romo (born July 13,1956) [1] is an American civil servant and former United States Air Force officer. He served as 12th director of the Selective Service System in the Obama administration. He is a former National Commander of the American GI Forum,and served from August 2018 to August 2021. He is the current American GI Forum National Legislative Director and was appointed by Congressman Adam Smith to serve on the Base Naming Commission until October 2022.
Romo was born and raised in San Antonio,Texas and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Air Force Academy in 1978 and a Master of Education degree from Northern Montana College in 1983. [1] [2]
Romo served in various assignments for the United States Air Force,both on active duty and in the reserve. He served as a United States Air Force Academy admissions advisor in various positions,supporting the operation of the Minuteman Missile Weapon and Launch System,in training operations,and as an air transportation officer. Upon retiring from the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel,Romo was the USAF Academy liaison officer director for South Texas. He joined the United States Civil Service Commission in 1987,serving from 1987 until 1992 as an item manager for the Directorate of Special Weapons,and from 1992 through 1999,as the transition assistance program specialist at the Kelly Field Annex. He also served as the chairman of Bexar County Veterans Committee and a member of the American Legion,American GI Forum,Association of United States Army,and the Military Officers Association of America. He served as chairman of the San Antonio Commission for Children and Families for the City of San Antonio,Texas. [3]
Prior to being Selective Service System director,he was the soldier and family assistance program manager for the United States Army Recruiting Command.
While director of the Selective Service System,Romo supervised the agency that registers all United States citizens and foreign nationals living in the United States who are male (except prisoners and mental hospital patients [4] ) and who are between 18 and 26 years of age.
Romo's term as director ended with the Obama administration,and he was replaced by Adam J. Copp,who served on an interim basis. [5] President Donald Trump later selected former Member of the Washington State Senate,Don Benton,who took office in April 2017. [6]
Lew Allen Jr. was a United States Air Force four-star general who served as the tenth Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As chief of staff,Allen served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization,training,and equipping of 750,000 active duty Air Force,Air National Guard,Air Force Reserve,and civilian personnel serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,he and the other service chiefs function(ed) as the military advisers to the Secretary of Defense,the National Security Council,and the president.
Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio,Texas. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas,U.S. Representative from Tennessee,Tennessee and Texas governor,and first president of the Republic of Texas,Sam Houston.
Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Bexar County,Texas,United States. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group,Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and an enclave of the city of San Antonio. It is the only site for USAF and United States Space Force enlisted Basic Military Training (BMT).
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is a United States service academy in Kings Point,New York. It trains its midshipmen to serve as officers in the United States Merchant Marine,branches of the United States Armed Forces,and the transportation industry. Midshipmen are trained in marine engineering,navigation,ship's administration,maritime law,personnel management,international law,customs,and other subjects important to the task of running a large ship.
General Muir Stephen Fairchild was a United States Air Force officer and the service's second Vice Chief of Staff.
Brigadier General Robert Francis McDermott was the first permanent Dean of the Faculty at the United States Air Force Academy,and later served as Chairman and CEO of USAA. He is often referred to as the "Father of Modern Military Education" for his contributions to that field.
John F. Regni is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant general who served as the 17th Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy from 2005 to 2009.
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in San Antonio,Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,it encompasses 154.7 acres (62.6 ha),and as of 2014,had over 144,000 interments. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) is a national non-profit civil rights organization formed in 1968 by Jack Greenberg to protect the rights of Latinos in the United States. Founded in San Antonio,Texas,it is currently headquartered in Los Angeles,California and maintains regional offices in Sacramento,San Antonio,Chicago,and Washington,D.C.
The American GI Forum (AGIF) is a congressionally chartered Hispanic veterans and civil rights organization founded in 1948. Its motto is "Education is Our Freedom and Freedom should be Everybody's Business". AGIF operates chapters throughout the United States,with a focus on veterans' issues,education,and civil rights. Its two largest national programs are the San Antonio-based Veterans Outreach Program,and the Dallas-based Service,Employment,Redevelopment-Jobs for Progress,Inc. (SER). The current National Commander is David Rodriguez.
Gustavo "Gus" C. Garcia was an American civil rights attorney. Garcia worked with fellow attorney Carlos Cadena in the landmark case Hernández v. Texas (1954),arguing before the US Supreme Court for the end of a practice of systematic exclusion of Hispanics from jury service in Jackson County,Texas. Even though Mexican Americans composed more than 10% of the county's population,no person of Mexican ancestry had served on a jury there and in 70 other Texas counties in over 25 years. The high court,led by Chief Justice Earl Warren,ruled that United States citizens could not be excluded from jury duty based on national origin,because such exclusion denied the accused a jury of his peers.
Marcelite Cecile Jordan Harris was an American who became the first African-American female general officer of the United States Air Force.
The Women's Air Force (WAF) was a program which served to bring women into limited roles in the United States Air Force. WAF was formed in 1948 when President Truman signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act,allowing women to serve directly in the military. The WAF program ended in 1976 when women were accepted into the USAF on an equal basis with men.
Robert F. Hale was the United States Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) from 2009 until 2014 and before that the Comptroller and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management. Hale has over thirty years of experience as a professional financial manager serving in a wide range of national defense related roles. In addition to his most recent position as Under Secretary of Defense and his previous appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force,Hale has also served in the National Security Division of the Congressional Budget Office and as Executive Director of the American Society of Military Comptrollers. Hale is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and a former member of the Defense Business Board. He was appointed to the National Commission on the Future of the Army by Representative Adam Smith (D-WA).
Jamie Michael Morin is a former senior official in the United States Department of Defense. He was a private sector economist and research consultant before earning a Doctorate degree in political science from Yale University. He then served as a professional staff member on the United States Senate Committee on the Budget. Morin was Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation at the Department of Defense. Previously,he was Assistant Secretary of the Air Force,and served concurrently as Acting Under Secretary of the Air Force from 3 July 2012 to 28 April 2013. He joined The Aerospace Corporation in 2017 as executive director of the Center for Space Policy and Strategy and vice president of Defense Systems Operations.
Mark Anthony Welsh III is the 27th president of Texas A&M University,former Dean of the Bush School of Government &Public Service at Texas A&M University,a retired United States Air Force four-star general,and a member of the board of directors of Northrop Grumman. Prior to his current role,he served as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate. Prior to that,General Welsh served as Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe,as the Associate Director for Military Affairs of the Central Intelligence Agency,and as the Vice Commander of Air Education and Training Command. In earlier portions of his career,he served as a fighter pilot and was a commander at the squadron,group and wing level,in addition to assignments in training,operations,intelligence and acquisitions. He also served as the commandant of cadets of the United States Air Force Academy.
Thomas Carl Richards was a general in the United States Air Force,the former chief of staff of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe,and 12th Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Wilma L. Vaught is a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general. She was the first woman to deploy with an Air Force bomber unit,and the first woman to reach the rank of brigadier general from the comptroller field.
Alfred K. Flowers is a retired United States Air Force major general who served in many roles,culminating as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget. At the time of his retirement,Flowers had served more than 46 years on active duty,making him the longest-serving airman in Air Force history and the longest serving African American in the history of the United States Department of Defense. Prior to his retirement,the enlisted members of Air Education and Training Command presented Flowers with the Order of the Sword,the Air Force enlisted force's highest honor for officer leadership.
Troy Edward Dunn is a retired United States Air Force major general who served as special assistant and senior military advisor with duties at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness from 2023 to 2024. He previously served as commander of the Air Force Personnel Center from 2022 to 2023.