Weekend Warriors Worry Army Income Will Be Lost : Military: More than 3,000 reservists and National Guard soldiers, most of them based in Los Alamitos, face budget cuts.

Despite the business-as-usual appearance at the Armed Forces Reserve Center on Saturday, Sgt. Ted Bartimus said the specter of personnel cuts in the military looms large in the minds of many weekend soldiers.

The proposed reductions in the nation’s military reserve and National Guard forces announced last month by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney have not gone over well among the troops here at the headquarters for the 63rd U.S. Army Reserve Command.

“I don’t like it at all,” said Sgt. Maj. Don McKinney, a noncommissioned officer in the 312th Personnel Services Company, which has been targeted for cuts under Cheney’s proposal.

“I’ve got lots of time (invested in the Army). I can retire anytime I want, but my concern is for these soldiers,” he said, pointing toward a group reservists.

“If (Cheney) was to cut this unit down and these soldiers can’t find slots (in military), they’re in trouble. With the way the economy is right now, there’s no jobs,” he said.

McKinney’s sentiments were echoed by several in the command who could lose income and military benefits under the plan.

“There certainly is a lot of concern,” said Bartimus, who is the base public affairs coordinator.

Overall, more than 3,000 county-based military reservists and National Guard soldiers, most of them based in Los Alamitos, face losing their positions because of the cuts. Among these at Los Alamitos are about 200 reservists, including dentists and other part-time professionals.

On Saturday, many members of the 312th were busy drilling and learning the duties of their command, which is to support other units in matters of personnel services, from payroll plans to record-keeping.

Spec. Michael Salazar said he relies upon money from reserve duty to help pay for his college education. The 19-year-old Orange Coast College student said he receives about $470 a month from the Army Reserve and the GI Bill.

“That’s a lot of money to me,” he said. “It would hurt if I didn’t get it.”

Sgt. Lisa Page said the extra money she earns in the reserves helps buy groceries. Another fringe benefit is getting to shop at the commissary and post exchange, where prices are generally less than at civilian stores.

“I would definitely feel it,” said Page, 25, of Riverside. “I would like to stay.”

Spec. Fred Keeney said he too likes the shopping benefits and income. But if he were forced out of the Army, he would miss the work. “I look forward to coming here on the weekend,” said Keeney, 25. “I like the camaraderie.”

Staff Sgt. Kenneth D. McCloud agreed. “I love the military, I just love it. . . . We’ll fight to stay in.”

Under Cheney’s proposal, five reserve units at Los Alamitos are targeted for cuts. They are the 312th, the 49th Medical Battalion and the 324th, 195th and 111th Medical Detachments, Bartimus said.

Even though the outlook appears grim for many reservists, Bartimus said, “It doesn’t affect the way we perform our job.”

He added that there was some relief in that knowledge that the cuts are “only proposed” and “won’t happen overnight.”