The branches of the United States Armed Forces all have storied histories full of important deeds and occasions worth commemorating. And none of them celebrate any days of the year so heartily as the anniversaries of their respective creations. From the founding of the Continental Army on June 14th, 1775, to the dawn of the Space Force on December 20th, 2019, the six branches of America’s military all hold their birthdays in high regard. But while the big branch b-days garner the lion’s share of attention and parties, there are plenty of other yearly celebrations worth acknowledging.

Among them are the anniversaries of the founding of each branch’s reserve component, the establishment of the units of part- (and sometimes full)-time Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, Airmen, and Guardians who sign up to put their lives on the line alongside their active brethren. With today being the US Coast Guard Reserve's birthday (February 19th), let’s look back at the creation of each contingent of our nation’s military reserves.

Birth of the US Army Reserve

Depending on how you interpret the idea of a reserve military force, the US Army Reserve could technically be considered older than the Army itself. America maintained various units of part-time militias since it was a group of colonies under the rule of the British Crown.

The first such organized units date back to the French and Indian War (1756-1763) when colonial troops of that sort served in combat alongside British Soldiers. Part-time state militias and Army units played important roles in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, many of which now serve as the bases for National Guard units across the country.

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However, the formal history of the US Army Reserve dates back to April 23rd, 1908 when Congress established its first federally organized predecessor, the Medical Reserve Corps. In June, the Army commissioned its very first reservists, 160 doctors and medical professionals. Building upon that idea, the Army established a full reserve force in 1912. By the time the men (as only men could join in those days) of the Army Reserve were called up to serve for the very first time during America’s conflict with the forces of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa in 1916, they numbered roughly 3,000.

As the 20th and 21st centuries rolled, the Army Reserves continued to grow (not to mention absorb the Medical Reserve Corps) and deploy Soldiers to the front lines of every war America’s fought in from the First World War to the conflicts of today.

Birth of the US Navy Reserve

On October 13th, 1775, the Continental Congress signed a resolution calling for a pair of seagoing vessels armed and crewed as warships. While it did not do so as such, this act of legislation is considered the birth of the Continental Navy and, by extension, the United States Navy.

But our nation’s second-oldest military branch would not have a reserve component for another 140 years. Founded on March 3rd, 1915, the United States Naval Reserve (now designated the United States Navy Reserve) was created in anticipation of America’s potential entry into WWI.

At first, only US Navy Veterans could join, but in August 1916, they began allowing civilians to sign on as reservists. Since then, Sailors of the USNR have fought, sailed, and served in all of America’s wars.

Birth of the US Marine Corps Reserve

As this writer’s fellow Devil Dogs know, the United States Marine Corps was founded on November 10th, 1775, when the Continental Congress “Resolved that two Battalions of Marines be raised.” In response, two Philadelphia bar owners (Samuel Nicolas and Robert Mullen) had the brilliant idea to answer the lawmakers’ call by recruiting a bunch of fishermen out of Tun Tavern, dressing them in heavy wool uniforms, and sailing south to attack a British fortress in the Bahamas.

And so begins the history of the United States Marine Corps, though its reserve component did not form until the early 20th century. On August 29th of 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Naval Appropriations Act, which (in addition to the abovementioned extension of Navy Reserve service to non-veterans) created the Marine Corps Reserve.

Now called the Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES), the approximately 100,000 men and women of this command are vital members of the Corps.

Birth of the US Coast Guard Reserve

The United States Coast Guard is unique among America’s armed forces for a number of reasons. Its primary missions have little to nothing to do with warfare and include national defense as only one of many priorities. It falls under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security, not the Department of War. And while it traces its roots to agencies nearly as old as America itself, it did not exist as a distinct entity until the 20th century.

Created by the merging of the United States Revenue Cutter Service of the Treasury Department (founded August 4th, 1790) and the US Life-Saving Service on January 28th, 1915, the USCG was America’s first military branch founded since 1775. And on February 19th, 1941, the branch expanded to include its own reserve component with the passage of the Coast Guard Reserve and Auxiliary Act.

Birth of the US Air Force Reserve

On September 18th of 1947, the National Security Act created a new branch of the US military dedicated entirely to maintaining American dominance in the sky: the United States Air Force.

The offspring of the US Army Air Forces, the USAF included its own reserve force less than a year after its founding. President Harry Truman established the Air Force Reserve on April 14th, 1948.

Since then, the men and women of the USAF Reserve Command have served on the ground and in the skies on behalf of America's many military aviation operations.

Birth of the US Space Force Reserve

Founded in the final days of 2019, the United States Space Force is not only America’s newest military branch, but it’s also the only one that has yet to establish a reserve component. It may someday, but for now, only active-duty personnel fill its ranks.

Reservists play vital roles in supporting and supplementing America’s active-duty military forces both in wartime and peacetime. That’s why the birthdays of the part-time components of each branch of our Armed Forces deserve recognition and celebration.

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