The Rocks Incorporated, was founded on October 9, 1974 by sixty-five United States Army officers in Washington, D.C. Headquartered in Forestville, Maryland and with over 1,100 members, it is the largest professional military officers’ organization with a majority African-American membership. The Rocks, Inc. is a non-profit organization composed primarily of African American active, reserve, retired and former commissioned officers and warrant officers of the U.S. Armed Forces, and widows and widowers of deceased members. The organization hosts professional development sessions and social events to improve the officer corps. The Chairperson of the Board is Brigadier General Earl Simms, USA. BG Adams-Ender is author of the book My Rise to the Stars.
History
The Rocks, Inc. began in the mid-1960s as an informal meeting of Army officers assigned to the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The group initially met to help each other "survive" at Fort Leavenworth, and many members continued to meet after being reassigned to the Pentagon and elsewhere in the greater Washington, D.C., area. In the years that followed, the group grew. On October 9, 1974, along with Colonel Robert B. Burke, General Cartwright led an initiative to formally organize the growing network. They dubbed themselves the No Name Club until they agreed on a formal name. On December 1, the No Name Club assembled to ratify an official name when they were informed that General Cartwright and his wife, Gloria, died in a plane crash near Dulles Airport. The No Name Club soon voted to name itself The Rocks, Inc. and established the Roscoe C. Cartwright Scholarship Fund in their namesake’s honor. Today, The Rocks, Inc. has 23 active chapters across the Army.
Membership
Membership is open to the following: Active duty, retired, and former officers and Warrant Officers of the US Armed Forces and its reserve and National Guard components and the US Coast Guard members who served while the Coast Guard was a part of the Department of Defense.
National Programs
R.C. Cartwright Scholarship Fund Rocks, Inc. administers and is the executor of the R.C. Cartwright Scholarship Fund. Annually, the fund recognizes college Reserve Officers Training Corps Cadets academic achievement and require financial assistance to continue their educational endeavors. The cadets must be nominated by their professor of military science. Leadership Outreach The Leadership Outreach Program is designed to assist students in successfully transitioning from college to the active military. Teams of 3-5 officers visit over 20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities annually. The teams are typically led by a general officer or Colonel. The outreach team presents seminars to ROTC cadets on Army socialization, evaluation systems and financial management for newly commissioned officers. Rocks 5-miler Annually, the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Rocks, Inc. host a 5-miler race a Burke Lake Park in Virginia. Proceeds are for the R.C. Cartwright Scholarship Fund.
