AMERICA’S ARMY RESERVE:
112 Years of Service to the Army and the Nation
On April 23, 2020, the United States Army Reserve will commemorate 112 years of history in service to the Army and the Nation. What began in 1908 as a small corps of medical professionals held in readiness for duty is today the Army’s global operational reserve force, with a presence in all 50 states, five U.S. Territories and 20 Time Zones across the globe.
Established by Congress in 1908 with just 160 doctors and nurses, a somewhat larger Organized Reserve created under the National Defense Act of 1916. A year later, when America entered World War I, more than 160,000 Reserve Soldiers were mobilized to help the Army defeat Germany and the Central Powers. By World War II, more than 200,000 had joined the fight, serving on every front.
Through two world wars, the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, the Global War on Terror and countless other crises, operations and emergencies, the Army Reserve has never failed to meet the challenges of its time – providing quick access to the mission-critical forces and capabilities the Army needs to fight, survive and win on the battlefield, as well the disaster relief and humanitarian assistance our citizens need in times of crisis at home under Defense Support of Civil Authorities.
Currently, the Army Reserve is providing high-demand capabilities, throughout the United States, in support of federal efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to assist in emergency response, the Army Reserve provides all of the Army's Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers (EPLO) and half the EPLOs in the Department of Defense. Army Reserve medical Soldiers are mobilizing Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces to states including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Michigan to assist U.S. Army North, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Health and Human Services at federal medical sites in cities across the nation.
The Army Reserve’s 377th Theater Sustainment Command, New Orleans, Louisiana; Army Reserve Aviation Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky; 76th Operational Response Command, Salt Lake City, Utah; the 4th Sustainment Command, Expeditionary, San Antonio, Texas; and others are also in the fight, augmenting logistical, medical and aviation support across the Nation, while other units are standing by for mobilization.
The world is constantly changing, but one thing is constant: The Army Reserve will remain the dedicated federal reserve of the most decisive and lethal land force in the world – ready to deploy, fight and win, whenever needed, at home and around the world. Our thanks to all of the dedicated Soldiers and Civilian employees of America’s Army Reserve, and to the families, employers and communities that support them.
More Army Reserve History » | Army Reserve At A Glance »
Pictured (from top-down): A World War I Army nurse guides a horse pulling a medical cart. | The 780th Field Artillery Battalion, an Army Reserve unit headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, was attached to X Corps, part of the U.S. Eighth Army. | Maj. Gen. Joe Robinson, commanding general, 3rd Medical Command (Deployment Support), addresses Soldiers from the 5th Medical Brigade before mobilization as part of an Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force in response to COVID-19.