Roslyn Brock To Participate In Department Of Defense's 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference

Marriottsville, Maryland, March 4, 2008 -- Roslyn M. Brock, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Bon Secours Health System, also serves as Vice Chairwoman of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). In that role, she was recently selected to participate in the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC), commencing April 18-26. JCOC is the oldest existing Pentagon outreach program, having been held 74 times since its inception in 1948. A Secretary of Defense sponsored program, JCOC is reserved for American leaders interested in expanding their knowledge of the military and national defense.

JCOC 75 participants will visit five countries, three forward operating locations, two naval bases and a Navy carrier in U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility over the 8-day period. JCOC participants attend briefings by senior military and civilian officials followed by hands-on experience observing exercises, participating in training and interacting with troops stationed across the globe who are engaged in our nation's commercial, diplomatic, humanitarian and military interests in locations that may be unknown to many Americans.

Brock is one of 50 JCOC 75 participants selected from a pool of nominees developed by senior civilian and military leadership from the Department of Defense as well as alumni of the JCOC program. Brock was nominated by the authority of the Commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen Donald Wurster.

The conference will be hosted by the U.S. Southern Command, which is responsible for providing contingency planning, operations and security cooperation for Central and South America, the Caribbean, Cuba and the Bahamas, and their territorial waters; as well as for the force protection of U.S. military resources at these locations.

JCOC alumni are encouraged to share their experiences with their circles of influence when they return home.

Many NAACP members have served honorably in our nation’s armed forces. The NAACP maintains branches on U.S. military installations in Germany, Italy, and Japan.