Reserves Prepare to Fill in on the Home Front

When the Navy called 26-year-old reservist Jennifer Pruitt early Saturday morning to tell her she was being summoned to active duty, her first concern was her 3-year-old daughter.

A single mother, mental health worker and petty officer in the Navy reserves, Pruitt was one of about 300 reservists who reported to the San Diego Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Miramar Saturday after receiving late-night and early-morning phone calls informing them of their activation.

Pruitt said she and other members of her unit were relieved when they received their orders at the center Saturday and found out they were going to be assigned to the Navy hospital in San Diego, and not the Persian Gulf.

“Our unit is pretty lucky,” she said. “I won’t have to worry about what to do with (my daughter).”

Pruitt said she expects to be assigned to the hospital’s mother/infant ward.

“We’re sort of settled down now that we know where we’re going, what day and how long,” she added. “I don’t think it will be that disruptive.”

Most of the San Diego Navy reservists called up this weekend were medical personnel who will be assigned to five West Coast naval hospitals, including San Diego and Camp Pendleton. Other hospitals include Lemoore, Oakland, Long Beach and Bremerton.

The San Diego Navy reservists are scheduled to report to their duty stations Wednesday and will fill vacancies left by active duty hospital personnel who were reassigned to the Middle East last week.

“All of our units are staying in the United States,” said Lt. Cmdr. Bill Gay, a spokesmen at the reserve center.

However, one San Diego Army Reserve unit with skills that are essential in the Mideast was put on alert Friday, although it has not been called to active duty. The 316th Quartermaster Company has about 100 reservists who are trained in storing and distributing enough water to supply up to 10,000 soldiers, said spokeswoman Spec. Victoria Clayton.

Navy Petty Officer Richard Brennen, 29, who finished law school four weeks ago, said he was glad for the opportunity presented by the call-up.

“I was waiting to take the bar, so this is great,” he said. “Now I have something to do until February.”

But Brennen admitted that he was a little nervous about the possibility of being assigned to a duty station closer to the Persian Gulf. “I’m also a field medical technician . . . so that was a possibility,” he said.

Instead, Brennan will work in the San Diego Navy Hospital and continue to live with his family in La Jolla.

However, some of those activated Saturday found out they might not be as lucky.

“We had thought that he was going to be able to perform his function at Balboa, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be able to,” said one physician’s wife as she awaited word on whether her husband would be sent to another city or state. She asked not to be identified, for fear of affecting the final decision in his case.

“I’m happy to see him help the country, but it’s a tremendous hardship on the family,” she said. “So you have this feeling that you want to help, but at the same time you’ve got your own family and financial considerations.”

Lt. Cmdr Gary Gear, the Navy reserve center’s executive officer, said the activation was proceeding smoothly.

“We practice this twice a year, so the actual procedures are pretty clear cut,” he said.

Gear said the fact that all of those called up were from medical units helped simplify matters.

“With this particular recall, we should be done by tomorrow,” Gear said. “(But) there is always the possibility that we could have additional recalls.”

One of the physicians who hasn’t yet been called up, Kaiser emergency physician Dr. David Nelson, admits to being anxious about what is in store for him and surprised by the turn in world events.

“If you think about it, two months ago we were all happy--the Cold War was over, it was nothing but milk and honey,” Nelson said. “Just over three weeks ago I was riding my mountain bike in the Rockies on vacation, now I’m getting ready to go to war.”