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Our Military Reserve: More Than A Fighting Force
By Thomas D. Segel
July 11, 2002

When thinking about service or volunteerism, we seldom look closely at the military community. It is there where we show our lack of understanding about how much these units do in addition to defending the nation. We never pause and think about the income military units bring into our communities. We also fail to reflect on the many services they perform, because our minds are always on the war fighter aspect of the organizations. In reality, they are so much more.

Using just one small reserve unit as an example may provide a picture of how valuable every one of these military organizations are to their communities. Such an organization is Company C, lst Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment. Two platoons of this unit make their home at the Harlingen, Texas reserve training center, while the remainder of the company is headquartered 160 miles away in Corpus Christi.

Combined, this unit is affectionately known as Carlos Company. That name was derived from the fact almost 95% of the reservists are Hispanic. Patriotic spirit is very evident in these young men, for every one of them is a volunteer in the service of his country. This is nothing unusual for the Hispanic community. Their young men and women have always enlisted in the Armed forces in numbers, which far exceed their percentage of the total population.

It should also be noted there have been 39 Hispanic recipients of the Medal of Honor. This is more than any other ethnicity.

Each member of Carlos Company, from the Inspector - Instructor Captain Brett Clark and his active duty training staff, to the newest recruit, considers himself an active member of a team. I&I staff members also serve as strong individual examples, by their involvement in everything done by the company. Just as they volunteered to become Marines, they also volunteer in many other ways. At the top of their list is providing service to the community they call home. This is very important to them, because the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is one of the poorest economic regions in the nation.

These Marines are regular participants in just about every community program where their aid is requested. They are very aware it is a place where many residents need individual help and assistance.

A top priority for the Marines is the Harlingen reading program, which provides volunteer mentors to public schools. Each is a member of HOSTS (Help One Student to Succeed) and regularly visits his assigned student at school. It is the task of this Marine mentor to help the young reader though his or her struggle to master the complexities of reading. Because most of the mentors have a bilingual capability, their skills are very important to the school district. They can easily answer the questions of those students who are primarily Spanish speaking and learning to read English as a second language.

Carlos Company is also very active in the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. This annual event is a major effort for everyone. Because they reside in this area and understand the problems faced by a large segment of the population, these men know toys obtained in this holiday drive may be the only gifts many children will receive.

From October of each year until just a few days before Christmas there is a continuing round of personal visits, radio spots, and television announcements, contacts at schools, visits to business supporters and collections from everywhere. During the holiday season of 2000, the company collected and distributed 41,062 toys to needy children. They sadly report a decline in area participation following the events of September 11th. Still, Carlos Company managed to collect an impressive 35,238 new and like-new toys for their special children.

Personalized community service comes in the form of an educational project, created by the company. The Marines sponsor their own annual book drive. With books donated by bookstores and publishers to the Toys for Tots Foundation, the Marines seek out schools in low-income areas and give them books for children attending Kindergarten through the Fifth Grade. All books are distributed to schools and children throughout a four county area. Some of the selections go into school libraries, but many of them are presented to disadvantaged students. Often these are the first books the children have ever owned. The volume of contributions is a true measure of the program's success. Last year Marines from Carlos Company gave away 64,000 books.

The company is also involved in all of those community projects normally associated with reserve organizations. Members and staff make themselves available for casualty calls, color guards, parades, ceremonies and military funerals.

Carlos Company and members of similar reserve units from every branch of the Armed Forces across the United States have already shown their great patriotism by the uniforms they wear. Their service to the communities where they work and live should also be widely recognized.