Existing comment:
The "New" Naval Reserve and the Cold War
1946-1949
When World War II ended, nearly four million Sailors were on active duty; within a year, three million had been released. The mission of the Naval Reserve in the immediate post-war years was to provide crews and personnel for hundreds of ships and squadrons that had been placed in reserve for future use in case of war. By 1948, over one million Sailors were enrolled in the US Naval Reserve -- most of them World War II veterans. A massive construction project began in 1948 to build over 300 modern Naval Reserve Training Centers (NRTC) and to improve existing Naval Air Reserve facilities. |