Army Reserve Birthday
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The Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB) salutes the Army Reserve on its 115th birthday! It was originally formed in 1908 as the Medical Reserve Corps, but soon grew into the Army Reserve.
The men and women who serve in the Army Reserve hold civilian jobs, but one weekend a month, two weeks a year, and when called upon, they are Army soldiers. They truly represent the fighting force the Founding Fathers envisioned as the protection of the nation, since they originally feared a standing army.
The current Army Reserve has over 185,000 citizen soldiers. Since its activation in 1908, the United States has mobilized over one million Army Reservists for our nation’s defense. Since 2001, Reservists have been routinely deployed in over 30 countries around the world and in every major combat zone.
A notable Reservist was MSG Ivan Pierce, who retired from the Army Reserve in 1994. Pierce served fifteen months in Vietnam in the 1960s, where he wrote a book called An Infantry Lieutenants Vietnam. He then resigned his commission as a Captain, and joined the Police Department in Boise City, Oklahoma. He joined the Army Reserve in 1982, this time as an enlisted man. “It took me that long to recover from Vietnam and be able to command men again.”
He served in multiple locations in the Army Reserve, including Germany and South Korea as well as domestically. He spent the past several years living with his wife in the Ambrosio Guillen Texas State Veterans Home in El Paso, Texas, but passed away on June 25, 2022.
The VLB salutes all those who serve as citizen soldiers in the Army Reserve! Thank you to these strong men and women who work full-time jobs and serve part-time as soldiers, but who know they might be deployed at any time.
The VLB is happy to provide any needed help for these American heroes. The mission for the VLB is “to ensure that we offer the very best package of Veterans benefits in the country and those of us who work for the VLB strive to meet those goals every day. For more than 70 years, we have had the honor to serve Veterans, Military Members and their families in Texas, and we look forward to keeping that promise in the years to come.” Call 1–800–252–8387, email VLBinfo@glo.texas.gov, or visit vlb.texas.gov to see the different benefits available.
If you are a Veteran, thank you for your service. Click Here to Sign Up to stay informed on your benefits with the Texas Veterans Land Board.
