The Navy Reserve Today

Powell Black

June, 2006

In his Legislative Update for the Naval Reserve Association's March 2006 Issue, Captain Ike Puzon, USNR (RET), Director of Legislation, wrote, "The Navy Reserve has seen changes in traditional policies and procedures since 2000 (having) spent the 30 years prior rebuilding, rebalancing and transforming into a viable, highly capable reactive surge force.

(It's interesting that the association has not yet changed ITS name and much of the information contained in this article derives from its March issue.)

Captain Puzon goes on to point out that, We all are committed sailors. We all understand honor, courage, rule of law, and service to country. Our country is at war... ;

He added that the Navy is downsizing manpower over the fiscal five-year plan as much as 35,000 active duty personnel. Further, The philosophy of less manpower and more technology is the law of the land in the Pentagon... Manpower is an expendable item in this era of "technology" love;

"Navy Reserve downsized by 31 percent - 10,300 in FY06 alone;

"Navy Reserve staff and support levels greatly reduced;

"Navy Reserve will use Navy equipment to train and go to war both foreign and domestic."

(This last reminded me of the last billet I had before I retired from the Reserve in 1981 when I reached sixty. I was CO of the only such unit on the East coast (there was only one also on the West coast). My job was to ensure the training of sailors in time of war. Fortunately, this never happened. My unit consisted of twenty officers and several enlisteds and was located in Charleston, S. C.. At the time, I was living in Birmingham, AL and flew to Charleston once a month for my weekend drill.

One of my humorous recollections was the day a sub tender moored to the pier invited my unit for lunch and a tour. As we approached the ship, the PA system sounded, the bosun sounded his pipe and announced, "US NAVAL RESERVE CAPTAIN REPORTING." (Got goose bumps at that!) We were treated royally and, when we departed, the announcement was reversed, that the captain was departing. Having been enlisted during my four years during the war, it was quite an humbling experience but one of which I was quite proud, for I felt I had earned the distinction.)

Captain Puzon summarized the feelings of our EURYALE shipmates exactly when he wrote, Sailors are and always have been ready, available, and as capable warfighters as any Sailor in the Active fleet, and that's a direct quote. He just told it like it was when our Blue Beetle, and we as part of its crew, was part of the active duty Navy during World War II.

On March 3, 1915 the United States Naval Reserve was organized as citizen-sailors who have played a vital role in the defense of the nation. That was our birthday for all crewmen of the USS EURYALE AS22 (more affectionally known to the crew as the BLUE BEETLE.)

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