US Army Reserve Birthday

US Army Reserve Birthday

Reported By RET C.Brock April 23, 2023

Image credit: US Army

Today, the US Army celebrates the 115th birthday of the Army Reserve.

Founded on April 23, 1908 as the Medical Reserve Corps, the force was expanded into the Organized Reserve as part of the National Defense Act, passed in the aftermath of the First World War. In addition to organizing officers and enlistedmen, this legislation also created the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).

Although the first Reserve unit was created to form a group of skilled medical personnel in case of war, the Organized Reserve recruited and trained hundreds of thousands of Soldiers in various occupational specialties during the interwar years.

In the early months of 1942, US Army Reserve units would be mobilized en masse to fight the Axis powers around the world.

Fighting through some of the toughest combat in the Mediterranean, European, and Pacific theaters, Reserve Soldiers helped turn the tide of the war for the Allies.

Units of the Organized Reserve Corps served through the Cold War, supporting America’s commitment to global security.

But in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse, most Reserve units were demobilized or disbanded. Since then, National Guard units have picked up the slack following that military downsizing.

Today more than 188,000 Reserve Soldiers serve predominantly part-time in a variety of support specialties. Most notably among these are Civil Affairs, Psyops, Quartermaster, and Transportation units.