2,000 in Army Guard Ordered Up With Prospect of Imminent Action

The prospect of war moved further from talk to action Tuesday for about 2,000 members of the California Army National Guard, who were ordered to armories throughout the state, preparing for what could be an imminent call to arms.

In a dress rehearsal for deployment, the troops came at dawn, with both feet in boots but heads still spinning with the mundane concerns of civilian life. Pulling up in pickup trucks, Trans Ams, souped-up Civics and SUVs with “Soccer Dad” stickers on the rear window, they hunted for parking spaces across from the Payless Shoe Source and formed impromptu squads for runs to McDonald’s.

They were ready for battle, they said, but worried about missing a car payment, a history exam or the World Series. And who will feed the fish?

The two battalions of guard troops who reported to their stations Tuesday are the latest group of standby soldiers to be pulled--at least temporarily--from civilian life.

If activated into full-time service, they would join roughly 700 California National Guard members dispatched to help secure various airports in the state this week, and more than 200 National Guard military police officers who have been activated and are being sent to Ft. Lewis in Washington.

Activation Called ‘Just a Matter of Time’

Unlike the airport security details and military police called to duty, those ordered to report Tuesday were to be allowed to return to their homes and jobs until further notice, National Guard officials said.

Two infantry battalions were ordered to armories Tuesday. They are the 3rd Battalion of the 160th Infantry, with companies in Inglewood, Glendale, San Pedro, Oxnard and Bakersfield, and the 1st Battalion of the 185th Infantry, with companies in Fresno, Reedley, Visalia, Tulare, Porterville and San Jose.

The troops--dressed in camouflage and carrying full packs--were called to the armories to check their readiness should they need to be activated. But Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Terry Knight said, “It’s just a matter of time” before the units are activated.

Guard officials said they did not know when or where the troops might be sent. The battalions, however, are now under the control of the federal government rather than the state, and could thus be sent elsewhere in the United States or overseas.

Members of the battalions knew only that their days as teachers, police officers, sales clerks or Little League coaches are likely to be interrupted soon. “They don’t know anything about what’s going on, but they know how it affects their lives,” said Lt. Col. Lisa Haskins, assistant deputy commander at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos.

There was no question about combat readiness, soldiers said, but plenty of concern over the loose ends that come with being called on a day’s notice.

At Oxnard’s Army National Guard Armory, David Haggerty, who works for Verizon Wireless in Simi Valley, said serving in the Persian Gulf has prepared him for military conflict. Haggerty instead frets over who will mail his bill payments and care for his pets if he is sent away. He has assigned a crew of roommates to the chores, but was sure to prepare a backup plan: His girlfriend will periodically check in to make sure the work is done.

For many, reassuring worried family members was a bigger concern than whatever anxiety they felt about possibly going to war. “I’m married, I have two kids and, I tell you, Mom is not happy I might be going,” said Lt. Dan Pollara, 30, a Beverly Hills policeman who belongs to the Alpha Company of the 3-160 Battalion in Glendale.

Private, 17, Disobeys His Mother’s Orders

When Pvt. Brian Sparks says his mom is not happy, he is not referring to his wife. He means his mom. Seventeen years old and five weeks out of basic training, Sparks had to miss a day of classes at La Canada High School, where he is a senior, to report for guard duty Tuesday.

Sparks, the youngest member of the Glendale company, said he had assured his terrified mother he would not volunteer for anything. He broke that promise as soon as he walked into the armory.

“I talked to my lieutenant about going on a mission, but he said because I’m still in high school I can’t go,” Sparks said.

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Times staff writers Matt Surman, Daren Briscoe and Christine Hanley contributed to this report.