Reserves Unit Called Up; 2 More on Standby

An Army reserve unit of up to 75 soldiers was called into active duty Saturday and two other Southern California-based units were put on standby, military spokesmen said.

Ted Bartimus, spokesman for the 63rd Army Reserve Command headquartered in Los Alamitos, said the 1394th Deployment Control Unit based at Camp Pendleton was notified to report for active duty Monday.

The unit, which has 50 to 75 reservists, specializes in coordinating army shipments of equipment and troops, Bartimus said.

The 1394th will go to a mobilization site, which was not revealed, for “refresher training,” Bartimus said.

Lt. Col. Earl Gunnerson, public affairs officer for the Los Alamitos command, said the 114th Medical Detachment and the 137th Field Service Company were alerted of possible deployment.

The Los Angeles-based medical detachment is a 14-member orthopedic surgery unit trained to work at Army field hospitals. The El Monte-based Field Service Company has 110 members who provide mortuary, salvage, fabric repair, bakery, laundry and other services for troops.

Thousands of reservists have been called to active duty since President Bush drew his so-called line in the desert sand Aug. 2 and ordered American troops deployed to the Persian Gulf.