By Lt. Col. Jefferson Wolfe
7th Mission Support Command Public Affairs Officer
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - The AAFES food court on Ramstein Air Base filled up with Army Reserve Soldiers who brought robots, a CPR mannequin and, of course, a birthday cake.
The 7th Mission Support Command celebrated the Army Reserve's 109th birthday Friday afternoon in the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center. The four-hour event highlighted many of the 7th MSC's capabilities and down-trace units.
America's Army Reserve celebrates 109 years in service to the Army and the Nation April 23, evolving from a tiny corps of medical professionals to a globally positioned and engaged operational reserve force.
The 773rd Civil Support Team brought a display of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear protective equipment, along with two survey robots that entertained adults and children for the afternoon.
The Medical Support Unit - Europe set up a display that included the CPR mannequin and several medical professionals to talk about first aid and other health-related topics.
Staff sections from the 7th MSC also provided displays, including Family Programs, SHARP, the command chaplain and the Equal Opportunity Office.
Local Army Reserve recruiters and retention staff attended as well, talking to potential new Soldiers about what the Army Reserve has to offer, both in Europe and the continental United States.
The event was broadcast live on the radio by American Forces Network - Kaiserslautern. The radio hosts conducted interviewers with the commanding general, Brig. Gen. Steven Ainsworth, and the senior enlisted leader, Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond Brown along with members of the down-trace units.
Organized in 1908 as the Medical Reserve Corps, the Army Reserve evolved then into the Organized Reserve, a strategic reserve under federal control, to what is today a global operational reserve force.
Manned, trained and equipped to enable combat formations, the Army Reserve provides quick access to trained and ready forces and the critical capabilities the Army needs to initiate, sustain and prevail in major operations.
Through two World Wars, the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, the Global War on Terror and countless crises, operations and contingencies, the Army Reserve has never failed to answer the Nation's call.
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