California Militia and National
Guard Unit Histories
A Condensed History of California's
State Defense Forces
Contemporary Roots of America's
State Defense Forces
By SSgt. D. Carl Ehlig, California
State Military Reserve
With Europe and Asia caught in the ever-tightening grip of fear
with German and Japanese military expansionism, it became obvious
to the United States Congress that Federal forces needed to be
strengthened and prepared for possible involvement in this growing
world conflict. Furthermore they realized that most, if not all,
of the different states and territories’ National Guard
units were likely to be mobilized, federalized and deployed abroad,
thus leaving the individual States of the Union standing undefended.
To address this issue and belay the mounting concerns from many
States, United States’ Congress amended the National Defense
Act on October 21st of 1940 to authorize and allow States to
organize local ad interim defense units while in preparation
for their National Guard units to be put into federal service.
Called by some the Act of 1940, it specifically permitted the
States to raise, train and maintain their own militias in any
period that National Guard units faced being federalized and
deployed outside the state. This was consistent with an act passed
by the Congress when World War I unfolded over twenty years earlier.
Thus, before the United States entered the Second Great War,
the majority of states had begun organizing their own standing
military forces.
By the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the state defense forces
were organized in 34 States. Collectively, these State Guard
forces managed a total of nearly 90,000 citizen-soldiers. Each
state was responsible for having their troops trained, equipped
and well-maintained. Only ten days after the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. War Department issued a directive to
states authorizing these State Defense Forces to wear the distinctive
round 2.5" shoulder patch indicating their state and unit
designation. By the start of 1942, units of the State Guards
had been deployed to protect and defend important installations
and coastlines. Nearly all of the large airports were secured
by State Guard soldiers, and many key factories and docks had
protection from these units as well.
Central differences between the Federal and the State Guard forces
included restrictions on a states’ recruiting and drafting
abilities. Participation could only be voluntary, members could
not be federalized, and none could operate outside the boundaries
of their state. In the early stages these restrictions also included
the quantity of arms that could be allocated to these forces.
Additionally, they could not receive Federal pay; only their
own state could finance them. Due to Federal regulations and
in spite of the states’ charters and codes stating that
their soldiers could receive pay according to the schedules equivalent
to those applied by Federal forces, many of these units went
unpaid for their services. Yet they were appreciated and viewed
as a vital component of the national and civil defense.
As the American role in the war rapidly deepened, National Guard
units were rapidly mobilized, federalized and deployed overseas.
It was the local State Guard units that immediately backfilled
the deployed units, securing their facilities, armories, and
assets. Though they were not fighting on the frontlines abroad,
they were indeed on the frontlines in defending the
homeland. By performing the missions in their states, they effectively
ensured that stateside Federal forces could focus on logistical
missions and training for overseas deployment. There were also
thousands of young Guardsmen who received their first military
indoctrination in the State Defense Forces and later went on
to enlist in branches of the Federal forces when they came of
legal age. As a result of their previous training they were much
better prepared and ready for deployment, and most of all, better
prepared to fight distant enemies.
California's Early Militia History, 1836 - 1846
There is a long and rich history of organized militias in California,
reaching back even to the days before it joined the Union in
September of 1850. The first appearance of an organized volunteer
militia was in 1846 when the new California Republic declared
its intention to leave Mexico. Members of a U.S. Army survey
group headed by Major John C. Fremont joined with those calling
for secession from Mexico. And though the secessionists were
primarily made up of immigrants from the United States, there
were also many Mexican nationals calling for independence. In
fact there had been numerous revolts in Alta California against
Mexico in the years leading up this new call for an independent
California Republic.
In 1836, inspired by the victory of those rebelling in the Mexican
State of Tejas months earlier, Californios led by a legislator,
Juan Bautista Alvarado, and a distiller, Isaac Graham, created
a flag and rebelled against Mexico’s rule. The flag was
white with a large red star on it. This became known as the famous
California Lone Star flag. And for a short time this Lone Star
flag flew proudly over the captured city of Monterey, then capital
of Alta California, while the rebels called for independence
from Mexico. And then in 1845, a year short of the Bear Flag
Revolt, the despised military governor Manuel Micheltorena led
a small army against a new rebellion, as the Mexican government
sought to crush all challenges to its authority. At the Battle
of Providencia (fought in the area of Burbank near where the
Providence Saint Joseph Hospital is today) Micheltorena met his
defeat at the hands of the rebels again led by Juan Bautista
Alvarado. Afterwards, to appease the rebels, the more popular
native-born Pio de Jesus Pico was placed into the governorship
for the second time, having served years earlier.
Revolution came again just a week before the Summer of 1846 officially
began. This time there were two rebellious factions; settlers
who had come from the United States and were unhappy with the
military despotism of Mexican rule, and several large haciendas
unhappy with their treatment by the Mexican government. To add
to this resentment, the central government and local authorities
had become unpopular with Californios due to the government’s
treatment and confiscation in recent years of property and facilities
that belonged to the Spanish Missions. These acts of taking the
missions and selling off mission lands greatly strengthened the
general resentment of the government. Together, the rebelling
Vaqueros and American settlers rallied for the cause to emancipate
themselves from Mexican rule, even at the cost of taking up arms.
So began the Bear Flag Revolt, where settlers and Californios
captured Mexico's military garrison in Sonoma, Alta California.
Their flag honored the red lone star revolt of 1836 and featured
a powerful and proud grizzly bear with the words “California
Republic” beneath it and a red strip across the bottom.
These Californians declared their independence from Mexico and
proclaimed their republic on the 14th of June 1846. At the time,
not a one of them were even aware that the United States and
Mexico had already gone to war seven weeks earlier. After declaring
the California Republic's independence, the rebels formed the
California Volunteer Militia. To assist the rebels, U.S. Army
Major John Fremont brought his team of soldiers, hunters, and
guides down to Sonoma from Oregon. Within weeks the U.S. Navy
Pacific Squadron arrived at Monterey. With its arrival the militia
gained official U.S. recognition and authorization from Commodore
Robert Stockton. This officially made the rebels American soldiers
and combatants in the Mexican-American War. Upon receiving Stockton's
authorization, this militia was officially renamed the 'California
Battalion,' with Fremont promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and appointed
as the Battalion commander.
As commander, Fremont required each volunteer to sign a compact
and code of conduct to be honored for the duration of their service
in the battalion. And in the same tradition as early American
militias; these volunteers were to elect their officers from
the ranks. Fremont took his battalion of just under 200 volunteers
south to capture Los Angeles and San Diego. And while the Battalion
was moving south, Commodore Stockton deployed American occupational
troops and established a military occupational government.
Lone Star and Bear Flag Republic, 1847 – 1849
By the time a cease fighting armistice in Alta California was
signed, called the Treaty of Cahuenga, informal as it was, on
January of 1847, the ranks of the California Battalion consisted
of eight companies with a total force of over 400 soldiers. The
following June, after receiving their service pay, all of its
soldiers were mustered out and returned home. California, now
ceded from Mexico as a prize of the war, was a republic in name
only. It had no civilian government and no adopted set of laws,
in these early years it was . Along with this fact, in January
of 1848 gold had been discovered at John Sutter’s Mill on
the south fork of the American River in the foothills of the
Sierra Mountains. Miners and prospectors began pouring into California
as early as 1849. In light of California’s new found national
fame the occupational government called for a Constitutional
Convention in Monterey. Among the delegates were John C. Fremont
and John Sutter. By the close of 1849, California had its first
civilian governor, Peter Burnett, and Constitution, which was
bi-lingual.
The new constitution bestowed liberties and justice previously
withheld under the old rulers upon all its citizens. This bi-lingual
constitution in Article V established the Governor as the "commander-in-chief
of the militia, the army and navy" of the State. Article
VIII explicitly authorized the creation of California's militia
with the understanding that the State was poised to join the
United States. This article states:
Sec. 1 The Legislature shall provide by law for organizing
and disciplining the militia, in such manner as they shall deem
expedient, not incompatible with the Constitution and laws of
the United States.
Sec. 2 Officers of the militia shall be elected, or appointed,
in such a manner as the Legislature shall from time to time direct,
and shall be commissioned by the governor.
Sec. 3 The governor shall have power to call forth the militia,
to execute the laws of the State, to suppress insurrections,
and repel invasions.
Lone Star and Bear Flag State, 1850 - 1866
In September of 1850 California was admitted into the United
States of America becoming its 31st State. Between 1850 and 1866
there were over one hundred organized militias authorized by
the California governor and legislature, with Theron Perlee serving
as the first Adjutant General (April 1850). These militias were
generally referred to as elements of the California Militia.
Most of these were organized for specific missions and tasks,
such as protecting miners and civilians during the Gold Rush
from a wide array of gangs of thieves and robbers. These many
dozens of militia included the California Rangers, First California
Guard, Stockton Blues, Marion Rifles, California Rifles, and
the Mariposa Battalion to name but a few.
In the case of the Mariposa Battalion, a force of three companies
consisting of 200 soldiers, the battalion was authorized by Governor
McDougal, California’s second governor, to quell the hostilities
in Mariposa County between miners and ranchers on one side and
numerous tribes, including the Chow-chilla peoples on the other.
This event became known as California's Mariposa Indian War (1850-1852).
Currently documented by the California State Military Museum
are at least seven Indian Wars occurring in California between
1850 and 1873.
The history of the Bear Flag State’s militias is rich with
the good, the bad, the ugly, and the amazing. Some of its faces
include the short service of Major General William Tecumseh Sherman
who commanded the 2nd Division of the California Militia before
regional politics convinced him to divorce himself from California,
after which he went East and on to become the famous Union Army
commander during the War Between the States.
With the start of hostilities between Southern States and the
Federal government, nearly all of the California's militias had
become galvanized, most in favor of the union, though a few were
supportive of the arguments expressed by the South. And only
one, the Los Angeles Mounted Rifles, decided as a unit to actually
join the Confederacy. In so doing they created quite a stir,
since they took their State issued rifles, muskets, sabers, and
pistols with them. And as this unit rode their mounts East it
is reported that two U.S. Army deserters joined them in crossing
the great American desert in order to join the Southern army;
they were Albert S. Johnson and Lewis A. Armistead, both of whom
later served as generals in the Confederate Army.
As the war began, many of the local guard militias mustered out
of their units to come under the California Militia and thereby
join Federal forces. In some cases northeastern States advertised
in California newspapers for volunteers with shooting and horse
skills to join the ranks of their armies in the fight against
the rebelling States. California is credited with providing over
15,700 volunteers to the Union. Among the California troops anti-slavery
sentiment ran high as a motivation for service. Today, there
are many older cities and communities spread across California
that have memorial statues dedicated to their soldiers that fought
for the Union.
It was not until after the conclusion of the War to Save the
Union that the California legislature chose to create a citizen-soldier
army that could be federalized in emergencies to serve the nation.
These laws enacted in 1866 as Chapter DXLI Statutes, named this
new State Militia the "National Guard of California,"
prior to which there was no mechanism for mustering forces that
could legally leave the State. Thus before 1866 the history of
the volunteer militias in California, as far as the California
National Guard and the California State Military Reserve, were
completely intertwined.
Stepping Upon the World Stage, 1867 - 1916
As the nineteenth century came to a close, California’s
citizen-soldiers were thrust onto the world stage to fight in
the Spanish-American War. Their units, along with many from other
States, were mustered into the U.S. Army and deploy overseas.
The California soldiers received their pre-deployment training
at Camp Merriam, near San Luis Obispo. Earlier that same decade,
an 1891 act by the legislature authorized the creation of California’s
naval militia which also served in America’s first overseas
war. Officially named the Navel Militia of California, for the
Spanish-American War, their officers and sailor’s were mustered
directly into the United States Navy. Due to the contributions
of California’s citizen-soldiers and citizen-sailor, their
readiness to answer the call to duty not only for their own State,
but for the country wherever they were needed. They quickly gained
recognition for their courage and professionalism.
The Great Shake-down, 1906
An important chapter in the history California’s militias’
can be found in the days that followed the most tragic natural
disaster to have struck a region of the continental United States
in the 20th century. It was the biggest quake that had yet been
recorded in North America. Estimated to be 8.3 on the Richter
scale, it hit the northern coast of California like and out of
control freight train and was felt from Coos Bay, Oregon, to
Los Angeles. And besides devastating San Francisco, it wrecked
buildings and property in San Jose, San Rafael, San Mateo, Oakland,
Berkeley, Petaluma, Palo Alto, Vallejo, and Eureka, with deaths
that accompanied all this destruction. And yet it was in this
disaster that the Naval Militia of California (NMC) and units
of the National Guard of California proved their value and ability
in the field and on the waves, serving their communities during
the dark days that followed April 18th of 1906.
On April 19th, the day after the first great shaking began, Captain
G.W. Bauer, commander of the NMC, issued active duty orders to
his First, Second, Third, Fourth and Sixth Divisions. Orders
were also issued for detachments of engineers from the USS Marion,
stationed in Los Angeles, and the USS Pinta, then anchored in
the San Francisco Bay. The First and Second Divisions were stationed
locally, the Forth was nearby, Santa Cruz, the Third in San Diego
and the Sixth stationed at Santa Barbara. By the next day, the
First, Second, Forth Divisions and USS Pinta’s detachment
were reporting for duty at the Armory in the Jefferson Square
Building in devastated San Francisco. The remainder of the called
up units arrived in San Francisco and were on duty in less than
a week. Each division was given specific tasks that ranged in
scope from helping direct the mass evacuation of citizens made
homeless to providing street patrols and area security against
looters and criminals. Initially many of the militiamen were
sent to augment civil authorities and some regular troops and
National Guardsman ordered to duty from the nearby bases. Yet
rapidly, as the refugee situation was handled, the missions of
the militia units turned to stopping the spreading fires and
the protection of records and property.
Over most of the next six weeks, units of the NMC and other militiamen
were kept active and providing continuous support to the security
and relief efforts. By May 31st, almost a month and a half, nearly
all the active militia units were standing down and returning
to their home stations. For the record, as many as a 1,000 people
perished in San Francisco with as many as 100 died in the surrounding
towns. Over 200,000 people in the city were made homeless and
over 28,000 buildings destroyed. The job of managing the refugee
tent cities was massive and the work of the militias, Red Cross,
and Army were heroic. The militias of California were recognized
as doing an incredible job in the face of these conditions.
The Home Guard, 1917 - 1939
The 20th century was born in strife, with tensions running high
in Europe between competing kingdoms and empires. As the second
decade got under way, tensions reached their boiling point and
conflict exploded early in the second decade. Thus the First
World War burst forth to cloud the future. Called the War of
1914, by 1917 Germany was again resuming unrestricted submarine
war on any shipping between Europe and the Americas. Early that
year these attacks resulted in the sinking of seven U.S. merchant
ships. Around the same time, evidence surfaced that pointed to
Germany soliciting Mexico to join them and make war on the United
States as vengeance for their defeat in the Mexican-American
War and loss of much land in subsequent unbalanced treaties.
These events pushed the U.S. Congress to declare war upon Germany
in April of 1917. Along with this the federal government passed
the Home Guard Act of 1917, authorizing State Defense Forces
to have and use weapons.
Furthermore, in the months of tension leading up to the declaration
of war, the U.S. War Department called up California’s naval
militia and its Marine Battalion and integrated them into the
U.S. Navy in anticipation of war. Following the formal declaration
of war, as National Guard units were preparing for war in Europe,
the California legislature authorized the creation of the California
State Defense Guard, which popularly was called the California
Home Guard. The Bear Flag State's Home Guard started with 10
companies yet by 1918 had swelled to 100 companies. Early in
1918 California made a request to the Federal military for 3,600
arms for its internal forces. The mission of the Home Guard was
much the same as that of the CSMR is today, to take over military
assets left behind by deployed federal troops or federalized
National Guard units, provide a presence for keeping the peace,
and to carry out such tasks as directed by the governor, with
the exception that it couldn't be used in labor and industrial
disputes. This force was mustered out in March of 1920.
To prevent any further confusion and ensure the proper commitment
of all National Guardsmen, the U.S. Congress in 1933 made clear
the difference between the National Guard and the state defense
forces by enacting Title 10 and Title 32. These mandated that
each and every National Guardsmen must submit dual enlistment/commission
applications so that they are accepted both by the State and
Federal forces in order to qualify to be in the National Guard.
This made it very clear to the States that they must organize
their own state defense forces should they ever have a need for
non-federal soldiers.
The Great War had given both the California National Guard and
the California Home Guard an opportunity to shine and prove themselves
when the country called, and both did so to great acclaim. For
the National Guard, the Office of the Adjutant General (OTAG)
saw fit to give them their own official State home. This would
be the center of their operation and training outside of Sacramento.
It was a camp located in the middle of the coastal region of
the State equally accessible by its units of the north and south.
To meet the needs of the National Guard, additional construction
was done at Camp Merriam and completed in 1928. The camp, now
the official home of the California National Guard, consisted
of over 6,000 acres. Located on California's famous Pacific Coast
Highway 1 among the rolling hills between San Luis Obispo and
Morro Bay. From this point on its fields and facilities were
host to frequent unit training and field exercises of the National
Guard. And it would play a continuous part in the history of
units of California's state militia forces. By 1941, following
the trend of bases and camps being named for the largest city
near them, this base was renamed Camp San Luis Obispo.
Birth of the State Guard, 1940 - 1946
Only eighteen years had passed since the end of the Great War
and Europe was again beginning to remilitarize. However, this
time across the Pacific, Japan was waging war on its neighbors,
going after French Indochina, mainland China, and Korea. For
many in the U.S. this was a greater concern than the European
arena. In the summer of 1938 Japan had invaded much of the Soviet
Union’s border regions. As Japan continued to expand its
military operations, the U.S. government responded by restricting
the export of massive levels of scrap metal, tools, aircraft,
and parts. These were shipments that Japan had become dependent
on for building and maintaining its war machine. In 1940 Japan
joined the Axis powers, gaining a vast new source of raw materials.
California responded to the growing threat and on the 15th of
November 1940 as the U.S. War Department began funding the building
a mass mobilization center in the middle of the State. Initially,
it was officially named Camp Nacimiento Replacement Training
Center, located north of the sleepy farming town of Atascadero
on the 101 Highway. By March of 1941 the new mobilization center,
designed to house 30,000 troops at any one time, had been renamed
Camp Roberts and was in full operation. Its new name honored
a California WWI tank corps corporal and Medal of Honor recipient,
Harold W. Roberts, who placed his tank in harm’s way in
order to save the crew of a nearby disabled tank, losing his
life in the process while also saving the life of his gunner.
When Camp Roberts opened it was one of the largest army bases
in the country and being named after an enlisted man made it
very unique. At the same time of the camp’s opening, while
Japan was attacking its neighbors, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
sought to protect America's Pacific interests by moving the United
States Pacific Fleet from San Diego, California, to Hawaii's
Pearl Harbor and get additional military assets to the American-occupied
Philippines. The administration also began federalizing National
Guard units around the country.
By the middle of December 1940, California's Military Department
was beginning to commit to paper the plans for the authorization
of state militia troops. On the 19th of January 1941 California's
Governor Culbert Olson, by proclamation, created the California
State Guard. This executive order was in response to several
California National Guard elements being federalized, including
those of the 40th Infantry Division and the Coastal Artillery
Regiments. In the Pacific, rather than being dissuaded from attacking
U.S. interests, Japan mounted coordinated massive attacks on
the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and other British
and American interests in the Pacific. The next day, the 8th
of December 1941, it mounted a full invasion of the Philippines
Islands.
With the shock of Japan's highly successful attack on Pearl Harbor
near year end that crippled the Pacific Fleet, coupled with the
weekly reported successes of Japan throughout the Pacific, Americans
were served a daily plate of cold reality as the Philippines
fell to the Japanese, followed by Wake Island, then Guam, Hong
Kong, Malaya, Singapore and Burma. Californians were certain
their shores would be next, and the federal government agreed
by declaring the entire West Coast a Military Zone (combat zone).
Numerous reports came in with details claiming sightings of Japanese
submarines spotted along the coastal area called North County
and cited as the likely reason for a recent ship sinking. In
the northern Pacific there were attacks on Alaska’s Aleutian
Islands, and in coastal cities such as Los Angeles there were
incidents where all power was shut off in order to hide the city
in darkness after spotters reported sightings of probable Japanese
planes. Early in 1942 mass evacuations were publicly being planned
in most of the coastal cities and communities of California.
This was the context that Californians awoke to in this war;
a pervasive feeling of vulnerability ran through the veins of
many citizens. To them and most people in the Golden State building
and developing the State Guard seemed most significant.
The State Guard was initially authorized for a troop strength
of 10,000 but by the end of December 1941 their actual strength
was more than twice that, measuring over 21,000. By early 1942
there were a total of thirteen Infantry Regiments, identified
as the 1st through the 13th. Along with these regiments there
were two Nautical Corps, a Medical Regiment, and finally a Quartermaster
Regiment, as well as seven companies of naval militia consisting
of five ship’s companies (sailors) and two companies of
Marines. In the early stages several additional units were created,
though these existed only for a relatively short time before
being mustered out of service, their soldiers rolled into existing
units. These temporary units included ten Observation Squadrons,
two Ambulance Battalions, Nursing Corps, Sanitation Corps, Engineer
Regiment, Evacuation Corps, Sanitation Corps, and some provisional
companies. There were at least two documented militia units from
Los Angeles and San Francisco manned entirely of soldiers whose
ethnicity was Asian, formed to counter growing anti-Asian sentiment
that had spiked after the Pearl Harbor surprise attack. On that
day, when the massive air attack on Pearl Harbor and it’s
resting U.S. Pacific Fleet, elements of the California State
Guard's 1st Regiment were ordered to active duty and nearly all
of the 9th and 10th were activated within 3 weeks. California
was preparing itself for a full Japanese invasion along its coast.
By spring of 1942, Sacramento had organized the State into six
regions for command and control purposes. Each of these regions
had their own headquarters and staff. These command regions were
further divided into districts and sub districts. As one of the
adjustments to this structure the State organized a new regiment,
the 311th, made up of elements from the then mustering out 3rd
and 11th Regiments. This provided the State with a total of a
dozen operational regiments and in May of 1943 the six command
regions and dozen regiments were reorganized into units supporting
ten designated regions covering the entire State.
Throughout the rural portions of the state, local communities
were awash in the waves of fear and concern that the war news
invoked. They began forming their own Home Guard units without
the State's blessing. In most cases these militias grew from
efforts of county Civil Defense groups and their Public Safety
Committees. The primary task they saw that must be addressed
was literally guarding their homes and community. With all the
talk and planning for evacuating entire towns, cities and communities
in rural regions, residents and property owners were certain
that looters and thievery would run rampant. In areas like San
Luis Obispo County, the local chapters of the American Legion
became involved with organizing, training, and generally providing
leadership to the local militias. Some of the militia companies
derived their authority and used the title of "Auxiliary
Police," getting sworn-in authorization from local and county
law enforcement. Initially the counties and towns had made appeals
to Governor Olsen for the stationing of trained troops in the
rural areas of mass evacuations. These requests seemingly went
nowhere. Then on the 18th of April 1942, the Governor called
together specific county officials statewide. Along with the
State officials, the governor also specifically invited county
civil defense directors, sheriffs, supervisors, and farm agents
to the meeting. At this meeting he requested that they organize
all men that could qualify into the California State Militia
(CSM). He further stated that these militias would be separate
from the then-operational California State Guard. Specifically
Olsen wanted at least 100,000 men between the ages of 16
to 65 knowledgeable or trainable in firearms that could be immediately
placed into rifle companies that could repel enemy combatants
and stop potentially subversive activities. From that general
meeting the Military Aide to the Governor, Lt Col. Herbert Herlihy
was given the task of putting together a workable plan and seeing
to its implementation. Toward this end Herlihy produced a ten
page pamphlet titled "Rules and Regulations - California
State Militia and Licensed Military Companies." Each provided
history, rules, regulations, and at the end an application for
qualified citizens.
Herlihy's plan was to have the militias organized on a county-by-county
basis. In order to do this he would utilized the County Farm
Agents who were under the direction of the agricultural arm of
the State University system, to act as both the organizer and
recruiter for each militia. The objective was to motivate as
many 16 to 65 year old men to volunteer for service in this new
final defense force. Each soldier would provide their own firearms,
ammunition, and uniform, all without being paid. Once a company-sized
militia was formed and the Farm Agent was satisfied that it was
a cohesive group, the company would elect their officers and
the Agent would license it into the California State Militia
(CSM). He would then maintain the militia’s records until
it was formally incorporated into the CSM. Once the unit was
part of CSM it would take over maintaining its own records, command
structure, and lines of communications to the CSM central command
in Sacramento.
Governor Olson's executive order creating a licensed California
State Militia (CSM) in April of 1942 had an immediate effect
- the biggest being upon the rank and file of the California
State Guard (CSG), all of whom, to put it politely, were unpleasantly
surprised by this unexpected development. However, once the duties
and purpose of the CSM were made clear, there was a reluctant
acceptance. There were also clear differences between the two,
including CSM volunteers providing all their own gear, ammunition,
weapons, and uniform. They were explicitly tasked to be combat
units and not to perform other military duties such as guard
work, security, and peace keeping. Additionally, they were assured
that their units could only operate within their own counties.
Finally, unlike the CSG, there were no provisions or promises
of pay or compensation in any form. Essentially, the State Guard
was a military organization founded to augment the strength and
readiness of the National Guard while the State Militia was preparing
the “unorganized militia” for a last stand.
In four months and after thousands of meetings and a recruitment
campaign waged in mass mailings and over the radio, the CSM had
250 licensed companies with a force of over 24,000 militiamen.
By late autumn of 1942, units of the California State Guard were
operating more and more within the rural areas of the State.
This afforded them the opportunity to work with the licensed
militia companies. Those CSM companies that were sufficiently
trained and of adequate troop strength were in numerous cases
incorporated into the California State Guard, who by this time
had established Paso Robles as headquarters for it’s 3rd
Battalion, 12th Regiment of the "California State Guard
Reserve".
At this time the majority of State Guard troops were on active
duty within the coastal region and still on full alert. This
allowed authorities to keep the threat of panic to a minimum.
This control proved especially useful when several balloon-driven
incendiary bombs lunched from Japan made it to California’s
coast. These simple low tech bomb’s were responsible for
starting some small fires, yet their intended purpose of creating
panic never materialized since the news of these "bombings"
was tightly controlled.
Of course there was never an actual invasion. Most of the units
of the CSM spent their duty time performing air and coastal observation
duties and conducting military training. In some cases their
training was provided with the assistance of civilian organizations
such as the National Rifle Association which ran a "Home
Guard" marksmanship training program designed specifically
for militiamen. While the CSM performed their volunteer duty
the CSG was actively spread across the State providing critical
security along with an array of necessary military duties, from
running military bases to guarding the government buildings from
potential sabotage and so on. However in 1943, with the tide
of war changing in favor of the Allies, the state's need for
such a large internal force diminished. By July the Military
Department had initiated a statewide reorganization of these
forces. During this reorganization most CSM militiamen were absorbed
into the "California State Guard Reserve" (CSGR). With
most of their soldiers taken off active duty, a process was underway
to muster out some of these units altogether. By late August
the State Guard Reserve units consisted of a network of companies
geographically evenly spread across the State.
For the remainder of the war, units continued to train, with
Camp Roberts and Camp San Luis Obispo providing facilities. There
were lots of rumors that as National Guard units returned, State
Guardsmen would be absorbed into their ranks. This did not occur,
though there were soldiers that did individually join the federal
forces. By the fall of 1945 most of the standing companies were
receiving their disbanding orders. Their legacy established,
they had collectively performed essential duties that saved lives
and kept the state together by guarding the lines of communications
and strategic assets. Vital facilities were protected by their
units ranging from the Golden Gate Bridge to the public airports
that had been converted to military transport centers. There
were special duties where units performed search and rescue missions
for crashed military planes and lost personnel. By September
of 1945 over 75,000 citizens had proudly served in California’s
state defense forces.
With victory secured in the Pacific and Europe, National Guard
units began returning in mass. The authorization for maintaining
State Guard units vanished and by 1946 all the units had been
mustered out. Yet some of these units stayed together, being
brought under local authority and re-designated as local militia
with new uniform insignia. It was at this time that the remnants
of California’s State Guard and State Militia were consolidated
and renamed to the California State Military Reserve, though
it was a name in form more than in body.
The Korean Conflict Becomes a Cold Korean War, 1947- 1975
In the smoke and remnants left in the wake of the Second World
War, a new competition grew between some of the victors - especially
those with competing interests. With Europe and Japan still stitching
up their wounds, Korea, divided in half by the Eastern and Western
Allies, became a theater of such contention. What became the
North gained sponsorship from China and the Soviet Union while
the South was firmly supported and occupied by the United States
with support from other Western Allies. For this reason there
were many border skirmishes between troops of the North and the
South between 1948 and 1950. War broke out after the North finally
invaded the South on the 25th of June 1950. The West called it
a "proxy war,” a war between competing ideologies -
a war between the West and the Communist nations. The Koreans
of the North saw their mission more simply as the need to unify
their homeland and save it from being a “Western puppet
state.” Nevertheless, their ranks swelled with volunteers
from China and their vehicles were Russian made. United Nations
resolutions brought forth forces along with the Americans committed
to repelling the northern invaders. As a result, many National
Guard units across the United States were federalized and mobilized
for deployment in the Korean War.
In the summer of 1950 at least a third of California's National
Guard units were federalized. In response the state legislature,
invoking its right to again raise the California State Militia,
created 63 active duty positions in the State for what was now
called the California National Guard Reserve (CNGR). Over the
course of the war, the CNGR soldiers occupied a number of full-time
positions in Sacramento, and the Military Department’s Office
of the Adjutant General (OTAG) grew to nearly 130. And among
the field forces of the CNGR there were 67 full-time positions
filled in support of growing this state defense force. These
field forces reached a strength of over 13,000 and were divided
among two division headquarters, eight brigades, twenty-four
battalions, and ninety-six companies.
As demilitarization occurred after the war, the active duty jobs
vanished and the CNGR once again became a cadre organization,
meaning its authorization called for it maintaining only a skeleton
staff for each battalion. By 1962 the state militia was once
again named the California State Military Reserve and continued
under this banner until it was disband in 1969 in the wake of
an intelligence scandal. A year later the famous Camp Roberts
was closed. The camp reopened the following year as the California
National Guard's new Reserve Component Training Center.
The Rebirth of the California State Military Reserve, 1976
- 1995
Recognizing the value of a military reserve dedicated solely
to the State of California that could provide valued services
during natural and man-made disasters, Governor Jerry Brown in
1976 restored the authorization for the California State Military
Reserve. It was brought back on-line to maintain a cadre force
so that it could support National Guard units, and in the event
of state-declared emergencies it could provide specialized assistance
in terms of communications, logistics, and support. To this end,
the OTAG divided the State into two command areas. Northern California
was the operational arena of the Northern Area Command (NACOM)
and southern half of the State was turned over to the Southern
Area Command (SACOM), each command maintaining numerous cadre-sized
Battalions. There were also specialized units that included a
Training Command, centered out of Camp San Luis Obispo, a Military
History unit that operated the Center for Military History in
Sacramento, a Medical Brigade and an Aviation Brigade. NACOM
established its headquarters at the Alameda Naval Supply Depot
located in the San Francisco Bay. In the case of SACOM, its Brigades
were numbered 301st through the 305th, with its headquarters
being in an upstairs suite of Building 55 at the Joint Forces
Training Base at Los Alamitos in Orange County. Both of these
commands saw joint training as essential, and at least once a
year they would organize Statewide MUTA (Multi-Unit Training
Activity) usually held at the famous WWII troop mobilization
center "Camp Roberts" or at the Home of the California
National Guard, Camp San Luis Obispo. Outside of training and
drill activities most of the units worked with their local NG
units, Chapters of the Red Cross, and community organizations.
SACOM had each of its Battalions assigned to and operating in
specific National Guard armories where they trained, organized,
and supported Guard units.
Some of the direct support to California’s Army National
Guard (CA ARNG) units in this period were what some soldiers
called MEDPREP. Described as a form of SRP processing, the combined
commands of SACOM and NACOM lent troops to this effort. This
all-in-one form of soldier processing that combined the medical
and administrative processing tasks was in practice by 1989.
CSMR soldiers were called upon to Camp Roberts in 1990 to ensure
that ARNG soldiers were processed and ready to deploy in the
Middle East where Saddam Hussein’s Iraq had invaded the
neighboring nation of Kuwait. The following year with the overseas
deployment of additional troops, the CSMR again answered the
country’s call to duty, this time sending soldiers to conduct
unit processing at Camp San Luis Obispo.
Los Angeles Burning
In spring of 1991, following a high speed police chase, LAPD
officers were caught on videotape ruthlessly beating the uncooperative
driver, Rodney King. People across the county were appalled by
what they saw. The mayor condemned the officer’s actions
and the Los Angeles District Attorney charged the four principle
officers involved with use of excessive force. The case came
to trial in April of 1992, and on the 29th the jury returned
three acquittals and hung verdict. Shortly following the verdict’s
announcement, a growing crowd of upset protesters gathered outside
the Downtown LA County Court. As it grew, some of the protestors
reportedly began damaging cars. Across town to the south, as
sunset approached, people in parts of South Central Los Angeles
began gathering and discussing the disturbing verdict. A group
of two dozen LAPD officers were dispatched to disperse the growing
crowd near the intersection of Florence and Normandy. When they
arrived they were outnumbered by an increasingly belligerent
crowd expressing hostility at the officers’ presence. This
group of police quickly retreated. Later, LAPD Chief Daryl Gates
ordered the withdrawal of all police from the South-Central District
as angry citizens began to riot. With several square miles of
Los Angeles cordoned off, it was left in the hands of the gangs
and criminals who quickly realized that the district was theirs.
What followed were four days of looting, arson, and general violence.
By the second night aerial views from news helicopters rolled
across TV screens showing a dark,
powerless section of the vast metropolitian ocean where dozens
if not hundreds of businesses and buildings throughout South
L.A. blazing. It was as if there was a dark wilderness in the
middle of the city spotted with campfires. In the morning thick
smoke from the fires settled on the city like a new layer of
smog. The civil unrest Los Angeles experienced over the course
of those four days was the worst in United States history. According
to the statistics there were 53 deaths, 2,383 injured, over 7,000
fires, and over 3,100 businesses looted and/or damaged. The total
loss was put just under $1,000,000,000 (one billion) dollars.
The unpopular verdict against the officers also spawned smaller
riots and arson events in neighboring cities like Pasadena and
in other parts of the state like San Francisco and Oakland, as
well as nationally in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Atlanta (to name
a few).
To quell the violence and restore order, with local law enforcement
withheld, the mayor appealed to Governor Pete Wilson who then
called in the National Guard and later called for federal assistance.
The Los Alamitos JFTB was used as the staging center for over
4,000 National Guardsmen who were finally deployed on the fourth
day, May 2nd, into the most affected areas of South-Central Los
Angeles. To support the mobilization several teams of CSMR soldiers
were dispatched, most from the Communications-Electronics Detachment-South
(CE Det-South), which was under SACOM. These soldiers received
recognition from the State for their excellent work in assisting
the National Guard troops and particularly in handling statewide
logistics communications in coordinating supply lines to the
base. In one instance an important shipment of materials, supplies,
and ammunition was coming in on a C-130 transport aircraft coming
from Mather Air Force Base, Sacramento. The pilots radioed that
their plane was handicapped and experiencing problems. At that
moment Staff Sgt. (SMR) Jared Lang was alone running the CSMR
Emergency Operations Center HF radio net. He took the pilots’
message and called for a crash crew to meet it on the runway.
This is but one example of California’s state militia making
a difference during a time of great need. The efforts of CSMR
soldiers were later credited with providing communications that
aided in getting essential supplies from locations such as Sacramento
and Fresno necessary for the ARNG troops that deployed on Day
4. There were numerous forces seeking to bring peace to the area
but it was the ARNG soldiers with their boots on the ground patrolling
the streets of Los Angeles that finally stopped the violence.
With the street patrols, check points, and the power turned on,
complete order to the district was restored. Uncertain of civil
stability, the Military Department kept troops and intelligence
gathering in the field for weeks. The value and work of the CE
Det-So teams convinced command to keep them on state active duty
orders until April 18th.
In September of 1992, CSMR commander ordered a Class 5 (statewide)
MUTA to be held at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) where
notes from the April-May Los Angeles Civil disturbances were
looked at and the citizen-soldiers of CE-Det South were appreciated
for their efforts and good work. It was examples like theirs
and those of others that gave impetus to the whole of the CSMR
to excel at their tasks and provide professionalism and excellence
to the state and to their communities.
At the 1993 statewide MUTA held in September, hundreds of CSMR
troops gathered for three days of training. Assigned to WWII-era
billeting, old two story wooden barracks, each unit established
their own security post in their building. The three days were
filled with classes and practice sessions for EOC operations,
communications, and formal documentation procedures. On the last
day all the CSMR units stood in their formations, spread along
the gigantic tarmac in the center of the base and received praise
from their commander, Major General (CA) Ron Markarian. Few if
any knew that this was to be the last large statewide MUTA to
be approved for the CSMR. In late spring of 1994, SACOM would
hold its own MUTA for its Battalions at El Toro MCAS under the
operational name of Operation Squawk Talk with communications
being a focus. In 1995 at Camp Mataquay, a Boy Scout camp in
San Diego County, a training MUTA for SACOM units was called
that included CPR/First Aid training and a wide assortment of
soldier skills, including constructing military modular GP tents
and camouflage netted command centers, along with team work demonstrations
and drill & ceremony practice.
Time for a Change, 1995 - 1998
In 1995 there was a sense of uncertainty among some members of
the legislature and OTAG due to hearing of some bad press about
the activities of a few CSMR soldiers. Primarily these concerns
revolved around certain CSMR soldiers taking it upon themselves
to operate outside of their usual parameters. Their feelings
were that the CSMR may have lost sight of its mission. This initiated
an entire reorganization of the CSMR and creation of new units
better aligned to support their National Guard counterparts.
As 1996 rolled in this reorganization was rolled out. The planned
implementation included all the CSMR soldiers statewide being
mustered out and their units disbanded, immediately followed
by creation of new units. The State appointed officer staff of
each of the new units were authorized to select the soldiers
they wanted to fill their unit’s ranks, selecting them from
the old unit rosters. For each soldier selected an invitation
was sent stating that a position existed that they were deemed
qualified for. Each soldier had to essentially reenlist, take
a new Oath of Allegiance to the State of California’s Constitution
and the United States Constitution, and provide their personal
documentation. The new units included the 49th Military Police
Support Brigade, the 40th Infantry Division Support Brigade,
and the Installation Support Group (to name but a few). However,
there were numerous ranking officers that could not find slots
in the new CSMR and thus retired or mustered out.
Operation Millennium Guardian, 1998 - 2000
As early as two years before the arrival of the new millennium
and amidst growing public fears of disaster or civil unrest on
Y2K (Year 2000), CSMR units donated extra days per month to train
and prepare for the possibility of being activated. This Y2K
training grew increasingly more intense as December of 1999 approached.
There were general fears and media-promoted fears that law and
order in American society would crumble as utilities, infrastructure,
and other services controlled by computers failed due to the
dates in their application turning to zeros on January 1st, 2000.
Components of the National Guard were therefore placed on active
duty along with soldiers of the CSMR.
As December came to an end, more than three CSMR teams in Southern
California were activated, providing security and coordinating
communications. And though the media was proved wrong as far
as it threat forecasts, these teams and their members distinguished
themselves both in the eyes of their command and in the eyes
of the Joint Command in Sacramento.
Another instance of the CSMR readiness in this period, in early
Fall of 1999 following a regular Unit Training Assembly (UTA),
a call came through from OTAG requesting that a team be assembled
from various unit’s Communications sections to handle radio
traffic for a State emergency. Heavy rains in the northern and
central regions of the State were causing severe flooding and
the likelihood for mounting coordinated rescue efforts. To meet
this need the CSMR put a five-member team on active duty at the
EOC (Emergency Operations Center), run by the ISG for the Joint
Forces Training Base at Los Alamitos.
When it comes to emergency operations, the Y2K panic is to date
the most extensive operation that the CSMR had participated since
it’s 1996 reorganization. Those who volunteered spent months
training for the event. The National Guard was spearheading the
operation, with CSMR communication teams in the field to coordinate
the statewide radio network. For the CSMR team roles there were
four teams in the field spread around the lower half of the State.
Their locations and strength: Compton (4), Fresno (4), Los Angeles
(6), and Visalia (4). Deployment took place on December 30th
with the teams traveling to their designated locations. By the
31st the radio nets were up and carrying traffic. The New Year
arrived and thanks to years of preparations and hard work, virtually
none of the predicted disasters of consequence occurred. Though
the National Guard had a malfunctioning helicopter go down, the
New Year and century came in without a hitch. By morning the
teams were taken off duty and life resumed.
A Time to Remember, 1941 / 2001
The new millennium arrived without much fanfare and few problems,
but towards year end of the year 2000 came the chance to commemorate
the 60th anniversary of the California state defense forces,
their creation occurring just prior to the start of WWII.
In late morning of December 2nd, 2000, over a hundred soldiers
and visitors gathered in Southern California on the tarmac at
Los Alamitos JFTB to honor the history and mission of the State
Military Reserve. The soldiers were from the combined units of
the CA SMR, principally the rank and file of the 40th Support,
Military History, and the Installation Support Group. Together
with the state’s commanding officers and local dignitaries,
the men and women of the CA SMR listened to their commanders
recognize the historical and on-going contributions of the State
Military Reserve.
In the words of the CA SMR commanding general, Brigadier General
(CA) Robert Cervantes, "the mission of the California State
Military Reserve is more critical today than ever before".
In his presentation he outlined the services now so critically
provided for units of the National Guard. And reminded the troops
of the importance of continuing to maintain the outstanding level
of service they provide. With reduced budgets and downsized forces,
National Guard reliance on the reserves will only increase he
assured the troops and their guests.
That same month, Governor Gray Davis issued a State Proclamation
recognizing December 12th as State Military Reserve Day. At Los
Alamitos JFTB, the gymnasium was cleaned up so that a luncheon
could be given for the soldiers and local officials, including
several mayors, council members, and county supervisors. Many
of these local officials made presentations and gave certificates
to the units and components of the CSMR stationed at Los Alamitos
JFTB. The ISG was one to receive special recognition for the
services it had rendered to local communities in recent years.
No one can say that the military doesn't like to celebrate! Only
days after having a DAY set aside for recognizing the CSMR, there
was the opportunity to continue celebrating the 60th anniversary
and combine it with their annual Christmas party. In this instance
it was deemed that neither an Officer's Club nor a Club House
would suit the needs of the Southern California units. Therefore
in formal attire of flashy gold braid, royal blue jackets, bow
ties, glossy black dress shoes, evening dresses, and no high
heels was the venue of the evening as the famous WWII merchant
marine ship, the SS Lane Victory played host to the State Military
Reserve’s gala 60th celebration and Christmas party.
The setting, a ship birthed during WWII and only 5 years younger
than California’s State Military Reserve itself, added a
dramatic touch to the significance of the event. With ISG’s
own commander COL (CA) Ross Moen, serving as master of ceremony,
was recounting the 60 years of the service that the CSMR has
provided the citizens and State of California. Following an excellent
buffet dinner were wine and champagne for all. Formal toasts
in military fashion were given to each and every branch of the
service, for fallen comrades, for spouses and partners, for those
still missing, crowning the meal.
Of special significance was the brief speech given by Brigadier
General (CA) Richard Pierce, commander of the 40th Infantry Division
Support Brigade, who went out of his way to appreciate all those
who served him and have been patient with his style of command.
He announced that this would likely be his last command. Also
gracing the celebration with his presence was retired Major General
(CA) Ronald Markarian, who had served as the Reserve’s commanding
general up until the reorganization in 1996.
Exploring the ship was an adventure in looking back into history.
It brought to mind the illustrious history of the California’s
State Military Reserve and was a breath taking exercise of recognizing
the hopes and efforts of tens of thousands of men and women that
built it and have kept it strong to what now stands today as
a symbol of dedication and selfless service to the flag that
waves over it and people it serves.
The War on Terror, 2001 - 2006
After the September 11th, attacks on New York City and the Pentagon,
OTAG issued new order to the CSMR units: RECRUIT - RECRUIT -
RECRUIT! As 2001 drew to a close the authorized size and mission
of the CSMR was expanding. With National Guard units getting
federalized and deployed the CSMR was not longer in cadre mode,
yet had a big mission. One of the first ways this role was manifest
was at Camp Roberts, where thousands of National Guard troops
needed to be processed to determine their state of readiness
and possible deployment. Between the years of 2002 to 2008, CSMR
units from all over the State provided soldiers who could perform
personnel processing duties that ranged from giving soldiers
physicals to updating soldier records. In the initial mobilization,
CSMR soldiers made up the great majority of the processors both
on the personnel and medical sides. At any one time there could
be over 50 soldiers (some from ISG) working on personnel records
and twice that on the medical side at the base spread between
two or more buildings.
An entire CSMR Medical Detachment was running the medical records
and medical checkups at Camp Roberts. Their number always outnumbered
soldiers that were performing the SRP administrative duties.
Depending on the number of units being processed determined the
duration that CSMR soldiers had to commit to in order to be on
state active duty orders. This could range from the minimum of
one weekend (3 days) all the way up to a full month. In the words
of Staff Sgt. (SMR) Ken Walker of ISG, who worked at several
of the SRP events starting in 2006, the CSMR staff was “always
improving and getting more effective.” For him this work
was a tangible way he could contribute to the welfare of the
soldiers being deployed saying it “really made me feel good
contributing.” Though selected CSMR members are sometimes
called upon to perform SRP work today, by 2008 the National Guard
had developed units that could largely handle most of the personnel
processing and medical tasks. Nevertheless the impact and valued
service of the CSMR officers and enlisted personnel involved
with the SRP mission will long be remembered. Of course the war
on active enemies of the United States continues. To meet this
threat, CSMR units such as the ISG's Security Section have been
ensuring that assigned tasks are carried out with full professionalism.
The war on America’s enemies may not end soon, yet we are
better prepared to deal with it now than ever before.
For ISG, the Joint Forces Training Base was expanding its role
in supporting overseas operations, with an increasing number
of National Guard units calling it home. To accommodate this
the base command elected to give ISG a new facility to operate
from, a first floor wing of building 16. It meant acquiring actual
offices rather than the cubicles we had been using for years.
In the end it was a trade, the large meeting room and cubicles
for a long hallway (with “ISG” emblazed upon the floor)
and five offices.
Operation Fall Blaze, 2007
Severe drought had settled on Southern California since the start
of 2007, by March it was a Class D3—extremely hazardous
—and it continued throughout the summer. In July the wildfires
hit on the east side of the Sierras and up in the Reno, NV and
Big Pine, CA areas. In the latter half of September as the extreme
drought continued, high winds whipped across the region and fires
burst forth from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border. With some
starting naturally, from down power lines, others were arson.
In response, the Governor declared seven counties in a state
of emergency and the Office of Emergency Services requested the
California National Guard and California State Military Reserve
send soldiers, including from the Installation Support Group
(ISG) to assist in the logistics, security, firefighting and
air support. Named Operation Fall Blaze, by November the National
Guard had activated over 2,500 troops and the CSMR provided over
100 soldiers. Together this force made significant contributions
to fighting the fires, performing rescue operations, assisting
law enforcement and civilian firefighting operations, providing
communications and handling logistics. Specifically, some of
the ISG teams manned IC4U Commo units to ensure fire operations
communications. By November 9th all of the fires were fully contained.
A half million acres burned in these fires, along with destroying
over 2,050 homes, 239 vehicles, 783 other structures, and 5 lives
lost.
Emergence of the ISC, 2008 - 2012
On the 9th of February 2008 before the salutes of the men and
women who had proudly served her, the colors of the Installation
Support Group were retired. At this event alongside the old PX
near the main entrance to the Los Alamitos JFTB, Brigadier General
(CA) Emory Hagan III and Command Sgt. Maj. (SMR) Robert Delaney
along with CSMR staff shared their praise for the Installation
Support Groups work and achievements and oversaw ISG put to rest
in an honorable ceremony, its colors rolled up and its name added
to the roll of bygone unit in the annuals of California’s
State Defense Forces. In its place was birthed the Installation
Support Command (ISC) with an expanded mission that included
operational support for Camp Roberts and Camp San Luis Obispo.
This was recognition to all the soldiers of ISG, that their efforts
and hard work had not gone un-noticed. And that collectively
they are viewed as achieving in its new role even more.
For the Installation Support Command this meant more challenge,
yet during that spring of 2008 a reorganization propagated throughout
the CSMR seeking to challenge and grows all of CSMR. Units of
the CSMR have responded by meeting our core competencies: Flexibility,
Adaptability, and Continuity. In hind-sight it is quite clear
we have done this.
Operation Lightning Strike
With an ongoing moderate to severe drought continuing in 2008
a June low pressure system passing over Central and Northern
California brought on a unique dry lightning storm between June
20th and the 22nd. In that short period it started nearly 2,000
fires in 17 counties. By July 5th there were 328 active wildfires
being fought. In less than eight months since Operations Fall
Blaze, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger found it necessary to call
upon selected CSMR and National Guard troops for Operation Lightning
Strike to help support containment of the wildfires occurring
from Goleta to Big Sur and across the Los Padres National Forest.
Governor Schwarzenegger dismayed at the cost to people, resources,
and the State, was quoted as saying, now "it is fire season
all year round." For the first time, at least 400 National
Guardsmen, including NG units from others States, were deployed
as boots on the ground to man the fire lines. And in the souring
over the fires Air National Guard units earned their wings while
proving their skill and professionalism running air firefighting
operations. As reported in OTAG's Year in Review, "more
than 155 CSMR soldiers and Airmen served a total of more than
4,240 man-days in support of Operation Lightning Strike..."
ISC contributed numerous soldiers to the operation and formed
special teams, some with the mission to provide logistics and
direct support to the civilian firefighting units and some running
IC4U modular units. An IC4U (Incident Commander's Command, Control,
Communications Unit) is designed as a "universal" communications
providing various types of receiving and broadcast modalities
that help it to plug into the Statewide emergency operations
network.
For all units of the CSMR, 2008 proved to be a very busy year.
Though Operation Lightning Strike occupied several months’
worth of attention units were always seeking to fulfill their
regular commitments. During July, the ISC was asked to move to
building 283, formerly occupies by an adjutant unit. Building
#253 offered several lockable offices and thankfully a large
meeting room. Some examples of specialized tasks include its
dozen chaplains who provided precious services that included
counseling soldiers, both ARNG and SMR, leading 25 funeral services
for active, reserve and retired soldiers, 18 casualty notifications
to families, numerous hospital visits to injured soldiers, and
over 180 counseling sessions to families. The many tough trainers
among the CSMR ranks provided training and instruction not only
to CSMR units, yet also to NG troops. Certainly that was the
case with Task Force Victory, where experienced CSMR instructors
took Guardsmen through urban warfare, convoy operations, small
arms and automatic weapons training, battle drills, and battlefield
communications. With the SRP processing, though its role was
reduced, CSMR soldiers still continued to process more than 1,000
National Guardsmen for deployment to Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The increasing demand for CSMR support pushed it to grow its
ranks to a total strength of over 770.
Things didn't slow down in 2009, the size of the CSMR troop strength
reached 840. In that year, the dozen CSMR chaplains provided
24 casualty notifications, 48 funeral services for all branches
of the service, 284 counseling sessions, 25 hospital visits,
9 suicide interventions, attended 104 briefings, including Safety,
Stand-down, Yellow Ribbon, Strong Bonds, and more. ISC (Los Alamitos)
continued to provide base security, and support to special events,
including ‘Wings, Wheels, and Rotors’, and July 4th
Family Celebration, and exercising lots of flexibility for it
had to squeeze its materials into one office of Building #283
as it adopted to sharing the building with the base’s NG
medical unit, who lost their building to the demolishers.
Training characterized 2010, with fewer natural disasters to
respond to the whole CSMR. Now having grown to 915 soldiers,
we focused on strengthening and broadening our skills base. Even
the support for our chaplains grew, with 3 assistant chaplains
added. Collectively our chaplain corps performed 329 counseling
sessions, 19 hospital visits, 8 suicide interventions, 27 causality
notifications, 27 funeral services, and provided services at
over 60 events, including Yellow Ribbon Reintegration. For the
chaplain portion of SRP processing at Camp Roberts CSMR soldiers
volunteered over 1,400 hours to ensure it was successfully completed.
For ISC, it also was a year of juggling training dates and locations
around as it sought to ensure that the Guard’s medical unit
had the facilities for their work.
The ISC continued its growth in size and operations throughout
2011. Reaching and challenging itself to meet the needs of the
Los Alamitos JFTB and its surrounding communities. During the
year, training, and providing skilled soldiers was the order
of the day. Our troops continued to prove their value by supplying
the State with professional soldiers that exceed the expectations
of Guardsmen and State officials alike.
Notable events of this busy year began with the EMS section assembling
a special training component of over a half dozen instructors
to conduct certified CPR, AED, and first aid training of the
base’s Civil Air Patrol cadets. For the ranks of the ISC
enlisted, their skill building was tested as each prepare for
the annual MILSTAKES soldier skills competition held in February.
At this competition, all NCO soldiers were tested to determine
their proficiency at various basic soldier tasks and skills,
including compass orientation, map navigation, radio net operations,
first aid, HAZMAT, and weapons. Graders gave the competitors
scores and in some instances such as at the HAZMAT station a
stop watch did the grading by supplying the best time for a soldiers
most rapidly dawning their MOPP 4 suit. For the MILSTAKES, speed,
accuracy, correctness, and completeness were the measuring stick
that could put a soldier name on the coveted unit trophy. The
completion’s winner of 2011 was Staff Sgt. Alex Verduga
from the Engineering Section.
In the months to come the ranks of the enlisted were pressed
to hone marching skills as 1st Sgt. Keith Kuba applied his Marine
training and ensured that everyone improved. Meanwhile Sgt. John
Di Bona trained soldiers in casualty triage and first responder
disaster first aid. Even the Command Sgt. Maj. Shaw was leading
general soldier skills training. Section groups like the COMMO
had veterans including their Mater Sgt. Jared Lang doing advanced
communications training. While Sgt. 1st Class Hugo Argumosa trained
ISC Medical section and firefighter personnel in MEDEVAC procedures
and as the Security section practiced loading and unloading the
standard security weapons.
.
While the sections engaged in continued training, 1st Lt. Heather
Hagan led ISC’s special training component of Red Cross
CPR and First Aid instructors in preparing for conducting more
training in certifying both soldiers and civilians. In the mid-summer,
the SECFOR security unit had its hands full distinguishing themselves
by providing and coordinating a portion of the security operations
for the annual 4th of July extravaganza at JFTB Los Alamitos.
As nearly 30,000 people came to the base to enjoyed food, games,
live music, and fireworks, secure in knowing that their security
was not only provided for by local law enforcement and units
of the National Guard, yet also the ISC’s security force,
medics, and firefighters—all of them ready to be of service
at a moments notice.
Led by Sgt. Lapoyan, ISC’s soldiers got a lesson in interacting
with news media. Such training is critical not only for ensuring
a positive reputation for the SMR, but also for protecting
operational security, the safety of the SMR’s soldiers,
and the SMR’s ability to perform its mission outside the
gates of the JFT Base at Los Alamitos.
The last quarter of 2011 focused on physical and mental fitness,
part of “always ready, always there” means being always
fit and able to perform military duty. At this time ISC soldiers
shine as they volunteer time and energy to offer National Guard
families both in family support and the annual toy drive, Project
Holiday Smiles, and food drive for needy families of service-members.
For the year-end ISC drill meeting included soldiers being inspected
in the dress Class A uniforms, some in their greens and others
in the new blue service uniform, by Sgt. 1st Class Weston V.
Sanchez Sr. And after inspection all jumped back into their ACU
and attended the annual section training review for the year.
This was followed by the good cheer that spread throughout ISC
headquarters as the unit began a holiday pot luck, hosted by
the HQ Commandant Cpt. Heather Hagan, was launched. ISC commander,
Col. Peter Seitz, warmly delivered a holiday message of congratulations,
pointing out the year’s accomplishments and hope, for the
great potential of what can yet be achieved. He granted an early
dismissal so all the soldiers could get ready for that evening’s
annual combined unit’s CSMR banquet held at the Phoenix
Club in Anaheim.
With our completion of 2012, a year of hard work and plenty of
it, we recognize the achievements of our soldiers and units.
We appreciate our recruiters, enlistees, NCOs, and Officers as
our statewide troop strength soared over 1040. As we entered
2013 we are prepared for whatever will come – we resolve
to continue to be adaptable and flexible. We will always put
our mission first and never quit. There is no defeat in our vocabulary.
And our fallen comrades are always with us!
Some of the on-going support projects and duties provided by
the Installation Support Command over the past years include:
Base Security - As requested providing
Gate Security (Los Alamitos JFTB).
July 4th Festival - at Los Alamitos JFTB
providing security and logistics.
Color Guard Missions - as requested for
public functions and funerals
Wings, Wheels, and Rotary - event involvement,
including providing security,
Holiday Toy Drive - collecting toys for
those in need and the families of those deployed overseas.
Over the course of California's history the names carried by
the California State Defense Forces have changed many times.
Yet those that have carried their standard did so proudly, just
as they carried out their missions each and every time. Today,
we stand tall in calling ourselves the CALIFORNIA STATE MILITARY
RESERVE. It bears repeating that the lone red star on our flag
was first raised over California in 1836 calling for freedom
and new hope for its people, and that the grizzly added in 1846
bespeaks the fierce nature of our people. The words CALIFORNIA
REPUBLIC serve to always keep us mindful of our commitment to
the ideals and practice of being a Democratic Republic. Together
let us each keep our former names and our present one close to
our hearts:
California Militia
California State Defense Guard
California Home Guard
California Military Reserve
California State Guard
California State Militia
California Defense and Security Corps
California National Guard Reserve
California State Military Reserve
WE ARE MUCH MORE THAN THE TOTAL SUM
OF OUR PARTS
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