Interesting article below about the current Marine Corps effort to keep good Marines in the Reserves when they leave active duty. You may remember there was little effort to do this when we left active duty. I knew almost nothing about the Reserves while on active duty.
Drew Davis and I have an interesting story about this. We were at Command and Staff College at Quantico. We came up with the bright idea of the two of us going to the Basic School and telling the young officers about the Reserves. We contacted the Basic School and set it up.
The Reserve Liaison Officer, a bird Colonel, collared Drew and I and fired us up. According to him, the active duty people thought this was a way for us to try to take people away from active duty to the Reserve and they were angry about it.
I was bobbing and weaving and trying to get him calmed down. Not Drew. He fires the Colonel up and they both get into it. He threatened us and stalked off.
This whole thing apparently went all the way to a two or three star. They finally let us go to the Basic School, but assigned another officer, Pete, a CH-46 pilot to go with us. He had been awarded two Silver Stars.
We were also told that our presentations would be carefully monitored to make sure we did not do any evil recruiting. We would be in big trouble if we did.
On the appointed day Drew, Pete, and I made our presentations. Drew told them about the infantry, Pete told them about aviation. I told them about the EW, Air Control, and Communication communities. I told them we told the grunts and pilots what to do, when to do it, and where to go.
We did not get into further trouble. And I think those Lieutenants knew a heck of a lot more about the Reserves than we ever knew.
Article about Marine Corps and National Guard efforts to retain good people in the Reserves.
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2022/05/23/corps-prioritizing-a-program-that-links-active-marines-with-reserve-slots/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=marine-dnr
Another Reserve story. I got back from Vietnam in June 1971 and grew my beard, started college, and forgot about the Marine Corps. Then I decided to look into the Reserves. I went to Glenview and found a Marine Captain, and told him I used to be a Lieutenant. I asked him if they had any jobs for me. He took one look at my beard and said no.
So I went home and forgot about the Reserves. Then I talked to a Lieutenant I knew from Vietnam, and he told me there was a Comm Squadron in the south side of Chicago.
A Comm Squadron! Ten miles from my home! Amazing, I thought. I wondered how many Comm Squadrons the Reserves had? Maybe they were everywhere.
I went there and got hired immediately. The south side of Chicago was probably the best location in the world for a Commo with Air Wing experience. I stayed in the Squadron for 13 years,
left for the Det and Headquarters Marine Corps, then took Command of the Squadron after Drew.
Woz and Eric Bennet were also long time Comm Squadon Marines.
