YROW Profile: Lieutenant William Brooks, US Navy Reserve
By Lieutenant Scot Cregan (US)

When US Navy Lt. William Brooks arrived at the Young Reserve Officer Workshop (YROW) in Riga, Latvia, held July 31 – August 5th, he was well prepared to address the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) Summer Symposium’s theme of post-deployment care of reservists.  In his civilian role as the Director of Naval Services, he coordinates the US Reserve Officer Association’s legislative agenda related to military health care issues across all services.

“We had a great workshop in Latvia - it was an honor to share the latest issues affecting deployed reservists and the vital role of their reserve associations’ support,” said Brooks.

Lt. Brooks joined a diverse group of junior officers from 18 NATO counties, along with South Africa, representing their countries’ respective reserve organizations as part an intense YROW week-long workshop.  It is designed to be a young officer’s first international exposure to colleagues from NATO and its partners. The workshop is a unique professional development opportunity for approximately 60 junior officers annually.

“We learned so much from each other since there are so many differences from country to county on how reservists are taken care of back home. I gained a new appreciation for the US since we have services and benefits that most other NATO countries don’t.  For instance, we have a new health care benefit called TriCare Reserve Select that is designed to provide continuous coverage for reservists. Also, the US reservist doesn’t have to worry about losing their civilian job since it’s protected by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA),” Brooks said.

When not working reserve issues first-hand at the ROA headquarters or on the steps of the nearby US Capitol in Washington, DC, Lt. Brooks, a Navy Reserve intelligence officer, dons his uniform and servesat the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), at Suitland, Maryland.  Prior to joining the reserves, Lt. Brooks served as an active duty submarine officer onboard USS Asheville and USS Alabama.  He started his military career as a graduate of the United States Naval Academy.

Brooks’ operational military background and civilian government experience was vital to his contribution to the YROW session.

“We really had to work together and come to a consensus on our top priorities. By the end of the workshop, we all gained more respect for NATO as a whole getting different countries to agree on issues,” Brooks said.

After a week of intense work, the YROW class submitted a paper with their recommendations to NATO via the CIOR Symposium.  At the conclusion of the class, the young reserve officers departed Latvia armed with knowledge to better prepare them for their next deployment.

“YROW was an amazing experience – I’ve made friends for life, “ Brooks said, “Despite the differences we have, it was humbling to see so many young officers with shared values and a common drive to succeed.  I really gained a new optimism for the Global War on Terrorism too.  Just looking at the international representation and caliber of officers in the YROW program … how can we possibly lose?”

CIOR is the largest military reserve officer organization in the world, representing the interests of more than 1.3 million reservists across 36 participating nations.

* Lt. Cregan is a public affairs officer in the US Navy Reserve and serves on CIOR’s PA Committee