FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 12, 2008

CONTACT:

MP Gay For the U.S. Army Reserve Office: 202-585-2317 / Cell: 703-623-8409 E-mail: [email protected]

NEW YORK METS HONOR 77th REGIONAL READINESS COMMAND AND COMMEMORATE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. ARMY RESERVE

The 77th Regional Readiness Command,
 First Army Reserve Unit Mobilized on 9/11

NEW YORK, NY - The New York Mets have designated September 13, 2008 as Army Reserve Day at Shea Stadium to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. Army Reserve and to honor the Army Reserve Soldiers of the 77th Regional Readiness Command (RRC). 

The 77th RRC was one of the first units to respond to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and many of its Soldiers reported for duty in the days following the attack without having been called. In the subsequent months, the 77th RRC provided mortuary units, tents, construction equipment, medical services and trucks to aid in the 9/11 aftermath. Six Army Reserve Soldiers from the 77th RRC - five firemen and one lawyer - sacrificed their lives on September 11.

"As we commemorate the centennial of the Army Reserve this year, I am honored to serve alongside all the brave men and women who have shown their dedication to both the military force as well as the work force for the past 100 years," said General William Terpeluk. "We are so proud to have served our country, and the people of New York, in the wake of 9/11 and as part of the 77th RRC."

The New York Mets share a long history with the 77th RRC. During the 1960s, the Mets needed a local command where their Army Reserve team members could practice drilling. 77th RRC drill assemblies included at various times Tug McGraw, Nolan Ryan, Bud Harrelson, Wayne Garret, Ken Boswell and Danny Friscella.

Shortly after the U.S. Army Reserve was formed by Congress, the 77th Division, National Army, was organized at Camp Upton, Yaphank, NY on August 25, 1917. A unit of 23,000 men, it included Manhattan taxi drivers, Bronx tailors, Brooklyn factory hands, Wall Street executives and first generation immigrants, all wearing the Statue of Liberty shoulder patch. After serving their country for 91 years, the 77th RRC was officially deactivated on September 7, 2008, when a Casing of Colors ceremony was held at the former site of Camp Upton.

Since the U.S. Army Reserve's formation in 1908 as a small medical unit, the Army Reserve's role within the military has expanded greatly, and has played a vital role in every major conflict and humanitarian mission of the past century. For more information about the Army Reserve and its 100th Anniversary, please visit the Army Reserve 100th Anniversary Web site at ArmyReserve100th.com. Please also visit the Army Reserve Web site at www.ArmyReserve.Army.mil.

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