200 Marine Reservists in Southland Called to Duty

More than 200 Southern California Marine Corps reservists were among the 824 called up nationwide Tuesday for duty in the Persian Gulf--the first combat reserve troops to be summoned since the Vietnam War.

From San Diego to Pasadena, 214 men from six front-line reserve units--tanks, reconnaissance and security, air defense, interrogation, translation and counterintelligence--are being notified of call-ups.

Soon they will be taken to Camp Pendleton to join the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and then to Saudi Arabia, where more than 34,000 noncombat reservists are on duty with Operation Desert Shield, which began after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in August.

“This is the first call-up of reserve combat units,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Chambers, commanding officer for three of the four activated San Diego County reserve units.

“Now you’re getting grunts and tankers and artillerymen. We’re front-line fighters. These are combat units, trigger-pullers, the guys who do the fighting,” he said.

The call-ups are for 90 days, with possible extensions of up to 360 days more.

None of his reservists were taken aback by the order, he declared. “Ever since the first Marines stepped ashore in Saudi Arabia, we’ve just been waiting for our turn,” said Chambers, a regular active-duty Marine.

Not all of the reservists in each unit are being summoned to active duty. For example, of the 300 men in Pasadena’s Battery A, 4th Low Altitude Anti-Air Defense Battalion, just 55 will be ordered to report to the Pasadena reserve center.

“I wish I was going, but I’m not,” sighed Lt. Colonel William R. Daniel, an Orange County deputy probation officer from Tustin who commands the Pasadena battalion.

One platoon of about 50 Marines from Daniel’s unit was called for their expertise at shoulder-fired anti-aircraft weapons. And it is still possible that some or all of the remaining platoons will be summoned as Operation Desert Shield continues in the Persian Gulf.

A Camp Pendleton-based platoon of about 35 light armored vehicle experts also was called to active duty Tuesday.

Times staff writers Tom Gorman and Kenneth Reich contributed to this report from Los Angeles and Kristina Lindgren from Orange County.