50 Years of Service & The 1980s

In 1979, the Association marked its 50th anniversary. Membership had grown to 3,179 and would increase to 3,302 the following year. The annual meeting and 50th Anniversary celebration were held September 27–29 in Washington, D.C., at Coast Guard Headquarters and the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel. One month later, more than 100 warrant officers and Association members gathered at the Coast Guard Academy for a Cadet Review, further commemorating the milestone.

New clubs continued to form and reorganize during this period. The Philadelphia Club was chartered in late 1980, followed by the Space Coast Club at Merritt Island, Florida. In Astoria, Oregon, 11 warrants sought to reestablish the Columbia River Club. By 1981, the South Texas Club had also been organized in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The early 1980s brought renewed concern about warrant officer retention. Following the transition to an all-volunteer force after the Vietnam War, all armed services intensified recruiting and retention efforts. Within the Coast Guard, the Office of Personnel established several study groups to address these challenges. The Association participated actively, with the president and other members assigned to Headquarters representing the warrant corps in these discussions.
The CWO-to-Lieutenant program remained in effect, and additional professional development initiatives were introduced. In 1981, a new program was launched for Personnel and Finance & Supply warrants, offering three selected warrants the opportunity to pursue a fully funded two-year college education.