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Reserve Centennial Headlines April Soldiers Magazine

By C. Todd Lopez

WASHINGTON (March 21, 2008) -- The April edition of Soldiers Magazine, on the presses now, recognizes a century of service by the U.S. Army Reserve.

Retired Col. Randy Pullen presents the history of the Army Reserve, from its humble beginnings in 1908 with only 160 medical officers, to its current state of almost 200,000 Soldiers.

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"Over its 100-year history the Army Reserve has evolved from a much smaller version of the active Army to a force that compliments the total force with combat support, combat service support and training capabilities," writes Pullen.

Maj. John Nolan highlights the major deployments of modern Reserve Soldiers beginning with mobilization immediately following Sept. 11, 2001.

Reservists are now serving in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kenya, Bosnia and Ethiopia, Nolan writes. And while there, Soldiers perform an array of missions including aviation, engineering, maintenance, logistics, medical and intelligence support.

Gary Sheftick writes about the path ahead for the Army Reserve and some cutting-edge initiatives. His interview with Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz covers the Army Reserve's budding partnership with industry and some proposals that may affect its Force Generation model.

"Transforming the Army Reserve into an 'operational force' includes forging a partnership with American businesses to share not only talent, but eventually health care, retirement plans and training as well," he discloses.

TRADOC's John Harlow discusses the recent release of the Army's new field manual for operations, FM 3-0. The manual represents the first major update of Army capstone doctrine since Sept. 11, 2001, he writes.

"FM 3-0 institutionalizes simultaneous offensive, defensive, and stability or civil-support operations as the core of the Army's doctrine," writes Harlow. "The concept of full spectrum operations, first introduced in the 2001 manual, still represents a major shift in Army doctrine -- forces must be able to address the civil situation at all times."

Also in the April edition of Soldiers, a glimpse at the life of an Army mechanic; efforts by Soldiers in Korea to clean up an oil spill; wildlife relocation efforts at Fort Lewis, Wash.; wildlife management at Fort Benning, Ga.; and a 2008 Earth Day poster.

Read it all in the latest edition of Soldiers Magazine, available the first week of April.

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