Posted on Jul 30, 2017
Does anyone know if it was easy to transfer from the Naval Reserve to the Minnesota National Guard back in 1950?
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My belated Father, Corporal Stephen J. Conway MNARNG, went to St. Thomas Military Academy High School in Minneapolis St Paul Minnesota. He graduated in 1948 and his High School counted as basic training and PLDC/BLC so he was enlisted in the MNARNG as a Corporal in 1950-51. His NG Division was mobilized for Korea in 1950 and trained into 1951. Though the Division never deployed, many units and/or individuals went as fillers and my Dad's yearbook has lots of crosses of his High School buddies that died in Korea. One company even went to Nellis to witness and suffer the after-effects of a Nuclear Bomb blast.
He also served in the Naval Reserve for a brief time, probably in 1949, and went on a ship to Bermuda and back. He was medically discgarged due to severe asthma in 1951. Some CRBN training he took after going to Cavalry Scout School started giving him asthma that hospitalized him and this led to his honorable medical discharged in 1951. He was once rated 100% then down to 10% until about 1999 when his efforts to forward documentation and decades of asthma proved to the VA it was service-connected and he then started getting 100% disability. He was diagnosed lung cancer in early 2002 and by July, 2002 it had metastazed to the brain.
He never smoked or worked around hazardous materials after the Army and its possible all the steroids and inhalers he took to breathe caused the cancer to form at age 72.
He also served in the Naval Reserve for a brief time, probably in 1949, and went on a ship to Bermuda and back. He was medically discgarged due to severe asthma in 1951. Some CRBN training he took after going to Cavalry Scout School started giving him asthma that hospitalized him and this led to his honorable medical discharged in 1951. He was once rated 100% then down to 10% until about 1999 when his efforts to forward documentation and decades of asthma proved to the VA it was service-connected and he then started getting 100% disability. He was diagnosed lung cancer in early 2002 and by July, 2002 it had metastazed to the brain.
He never smoked or worked around hazardous materials after the Army and its possible all the steroids and inhalers he took to breathe caused the cancer to form at age 72.
Navy Reserve
Korean War
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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That's a good question LTC (Join to see) - way before my time, but I would imagine going from one of the reserve services to another could have happened like it does today, just not sure how complicated it was. Why do you ask such a question?
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Capt (Join to see)
I think that if any here are old enough to have first hand knowledge they would be reluctant to admit it. At 74 I was only 7 in 1950
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CSM Charles Hayden
LTC (Join to see) Boys wee readily accepted in the Guard in the late 1940s, I have met many who were sent home for being underage when California's 40th ID was activated for Korea in 1951.
In small town Ohio, it was generally known that you could join the Guard in Ada, OH at 15. Several boys did from my school in McGuffey. I never had any association with the USN.
In small town Ohio, it was generally known that you could join the Guard in Ada, OH at 15. Several boys did from my school in McGuffey. I never had any association with the USN.
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SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth
COL Mikel J. Burroughs - Had a guy in the unit go the other way, ARNG to NR. But that was in the early 2000's. It is highly possible that it was easier then.
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LTC (Join to see) I expect underservice transfers within the Reserve components were not unusual. There was a shortage of combat personnel in the Army in 1950. I expect any able bodied reserve component personnel who wanted to transfer to combat formations would have less problems than today since the nation needed soldiers and marines in Korea.
Background: in the immediate aftermath of WWII the Army and Navy which includes the Marines went through the biggest reduction of force this nation has ever seen.
When the UN called for action in Korea the US military had to scramble to meet the force requirements - No more task Force Smiths became a rallying cry.
1. The National Guard as you well know has both state responsibilities and federal [USC 10 and 32].
2. The Reserve is a Federal force.
3. Both the National Guard and Reserve are part of the Reserve Components.
4. The vast majority of the combat divisions in WWII were National Guard Divisions with Reserve Divisions just behind. [it wasn't until after Vietnam, that the Reserve component of USAR especially shifted to combat support and combat service support.]
5. The USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947.
6. I found no specific reference to the transfers process so I am using my knowledge of the times as the basis for my answer.
Thanks COL Mikel J. Burroughs for tagging me.
Background: in the immediate aftermath of WWII the Army and Navy which includes the Marines went through the biggest reduction of force this nation has ever seen.
When the UN called for action in Korea the US military had to scramble to meet the force requirements - No more task Force Smiths became a rallying cry.
1. The National Guard as you well know has both state responsibilities and federal [USC 10 and 32].
2. The Reserve is a Federal force.
3. Both the National Guard and Reserve are part of the Reserve Components.
4. The vast majority of the combat divisions in WWII were National Guard Divisions with Reserve Divisions just behind. [it wasn't until after Vietnam, that the Reserve component of USAR especially shifted to combat support and combat service support.]
5. The USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947.
6. I found no specific reference to the transfers process so I am using my knowledge of the times as the basis for my answer.
Thanks COL Mikel J. Burroughs for tagging me.
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LTC (Join to see)
Thank you LTC Stephen F. it was just a technical question since you can see on my dad's Navy picture it looks like some kind of serial number.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC (Join to see) - I did a search of US navy serial number 994-05-17 and it seems to be your dad's Navy seral number. The link I posted is focused on U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949.
I am not a member so I couldn't' log in.
https://www.fold3.com/document/307057504/
I am not a member so I couldn't' log in.
https://www.fold3.com/document/307057504/
Fold3 - U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949, Publication Title: U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949, Publication Number: N/A, Content . View pictures of this historical document and explore other historical document pictures.
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LTC (Join to see)
Thank you I'll follow up right now I'm just going to go on an errand and maybe go see a movie tonight so for sure during the week I'll check it out. Thank you very much I never thought about cross-referencing like that. Thank you!
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I think there was quite a bit of transferring during that era Sir. Take Audie Murphy, he was in the Texas Army National Guard, Army Reserves, and Active Army throughout his career.
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