United States Services

The Army's fundamental purpose is to fight and win the Nation's wars by establishing conditions for lasting peace through land force dominance. This dominance is established through integration of the complementary capabilities of all the services. With this fundamental purpose in mind, the framers of the Constitution intended that armies were to be raised to "provide for the common defence" and, together with the Navy, to "repel invasion."

When the United States became a world power in the 20th century, the Army was called upon to defend our national interests and rights on a wider scale that drew us into alliances in regions far removed from our shores. In the combat operations of the World Wars, in Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf, the Army responded to the call to duty and performed that duty well. To soldiers on the ground, Operations Urgent Fury in Grenada, and Just Cause in Panama were indistinguishable from the combat operations of their forefathers. Knowing that simply joining the Army demands a willingness to place one's self at risk, many have still joined and made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Air Force bases these core competencies on a shared commitment to three core values -- integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. The Department of the Air Force is headquartered in the Pentagon, Washington D.C. The service is organized in eight major commands throughout the world which provide combat aircraft, airlift, refueling, reconnaissance and other support to the Unified Combatant Commands.

The Air Force also has more than three dozen Field Operating Agencies and Direct Reporting Units which directly support the mission by providing unique services. Together with Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard forces, the United States Air Force is the best in the world.

The first test for the newly created Marine Corps Reserve came when the United States entered World War I. Marine Corps combat units, with many reservists in their ranks, were among the first to be sent to the battlefields of France. The integration of reservists into the regular Marine Corps was so seamless that combat records do not even indicate which Marines were regular and which were reservists. In all, nearly 7,000 enlisted and more than 400 officer reservists served in combat. The ranks of the wartime Marine Corps reserve also included women for the first time. The majority of the wartime Marine Corps were not career Marines but had enlisted "for the duration."

With demobilization after World War I, the Marine Corps and its reserve had to fight to justify their continued existence. With almost no money, the Marine Corps reserve was active during the 1920s and 30s making its training more frequent and realistic. Even during this time of economic depression, most Marine reservists drilled without pay. The reserve did become more structured and more closely tied with their active duty counterparts.

When World War II began in Europe, the total active duty strength of the Marine Corps was fewer than 20,000. By the time Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, there were over 66,000 Marines on active duty. At the height of the war, the Marine Corps numbered more than half a million. This phenomenal growth was almost entirely achieved through the reserve. Approximately 70 percent of all Marines and 90 percent of the Marine aviators who served during World War II were reservists.

The Marine Corps reserve made tremendous contributions to the total war effort in the Pacific. Reservists took part in virtually every Marine Corps operation of the war and many combat units were comprised almost entirely of reservists. Of the six flag raisers in the famous Iwo Jima picture, three were Marine Reservists. Of the 79 Marines who earned the Medal of Honor during the war, 44 were reservists. Of the 11 Marine Corps aviators who won their country's highest award, six were in the reserve.

During the Korean War, the Marine Corps grew in active strength from 75,000 to 261,000 thanks to the reserve. By September 1950, all organized reserve ground units had been called up and 17 reserve squadrons were active. For the first time, women Marine reservists were called up. Fifty percent of the enlisted and 100 percent of the officer reservists coming on active duty were classified "combat ready" by virtue of their experience and reserve training. At the end of 1950, 80 percent of the 2nd Marine Division was made up of reservists.

During the Vietnam War, the Marine Corps reserve did not face a general mobilization. The country's political leadership was concerned both by the potential political costs and the need for the Marine Corps reserve to remain as a strategic reserve for Atlantic contingencies. By not mobilizing its reserves, the Marine Corps experienced severe shortages of officers, helicopter pilots, noncommissioned Officers, technical military occupational specialties and infantrymen. Instead of trained and ready reservists, the Marine Corps had to rely heavily on a small core of professionals and a mass of draftees. Marine reserve units remaining at home organized and supported a special civic action fund to aid the rural pacification program in South Vietnam. As in previous wars, the majority of the junior officer corps during the Vietnam War were reservists who earned their commissions the same way their fathers and brothers did during World War II. During the height of the war, these reserve officer programs more than doubled their output.

During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991, over 31,000 reserve Marines were mobilized. The Marine Corps Reserve Support Command played a vital role in reinforcing and augmenting the Total Force. More than half of the Selected Marine Corps Reservists were placed on active duty, the highest percentage of any service. More than 13,000 reservists were deployed to the war and represented 15 percent of the Marines in theater. Many other reservists and reserve units were deployed outside the United States to meet the requirements of forward units. Because of the efforts to ensure reservists were effectively trained and ready to go when called, their employment overseas with the active duty forces presented few problems. Several reserve units such as Bravo Company, 4th Tank Battalion achieved notable success with the highest number of tank kills among Marine units. Hotel Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment engaged Iraqi tanks at point-blank range while 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines captured more than 200 enemy soldiers.

Marine Corps Reserve mobilization, supported by Marine Corps Reserve Support Command (MCRSC), was so effective during the Gulf War, it has been cited as a model for the other services. Since then, the mission of MCRSC has continued to grow in importance. MCRSC remains the largest administrative command in the Marine Corps responsible for over 64,000 Marine's records with unit diary entries exceeding millions each year.