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To many people, the Army Reserve seems like a fairly modern concept. The Army has been around since the Revolutionary War, but what about the Army Reserve? As we celebrate its birthday this week (April 23), let’s look back at its history and see how old it really is.
As long as there have been wars, armies around the world have kept reserve forces of some sort. There was always a need for extra soldiers. The modern reserve military forces model came from the British Militia Act of 1757, which gave England its first formal reserve structure. Since then, reserve armies have played key roles in Prussian, French, German, and the United States military action around the world.
The US Army Reserve found its roots in the citizen-soldier forces dating back to the Revolutionary War, the French and Indian War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. When American colonies sought independence in the 1770’s, there was no standing army. Many of the Founding Fathers argued against one, relying instead on the citizen-soldier model to defend the nation. As war with England loomed and colonists recognized a need for a unified fighting force, the Continental Army, led by General George Washington, was formed in 1775 with intentions to disband once the war was over. After the country won its independence, the Continental Army was dissolved.
As the new country faced increasing threats, however, an official standing army was finally formed. By the War of 1812, when America found itself battling Britain once again, the army was at full federal strength and under the control of President James Madison as commander-in-chief.
After the Civil War ended in 1865, scholars began dissecting the intricacies of how armies, both Union and Confederate, operated and how the citizen-soldier model had worked, especially in the areas of bringing in reinforcements. One conclusion was that both armies had needed more troops than originally thought in early battle plans and had brought in additional soldiers.
The Army Reserve became an official part of the US military by an act of Congress in 1908, when the legislature established the Medical Reserve Corp, the predecessor of today’s Army Reserve.
World War I saw the first call-up when nearly 90,000 officers – most of them doctors and other medical staff – and 80,000 enlisted saw action. After the war, some Reservists enlisted and continued a career in the Army, but most went back to civilian life.
By the start of World War II in 1941, the Reserve officer ranks were down to 3,000 but quickly swelled to 57,000. The Korean Conflict saw 240,000 Reservists called to active duty, and nearly 6,000 fought in Vietnam. In all three conflicts, the draft reduced the number of Reservists needed.
Since September 11, 2001, over 200,000 Reservists have been activated to fight the Global War on Terror. Today, almost 150,000 Reservists serve in over 1,600 units.
Even though the Army Reserve got its official start in 1908, these brave “weekend warriors” – commonly called that because of their training schedule – have played a vital role in every major military conflict since the American Revolution.
Happy birthday, Army Reserve! You look great for 109!