Ohio Military Reserve

The Ohio Military Reserve (OHMR) is a military force which supports the State of Ohio along with the Ohio Army National Guard and Ohio Air National Guard in times of natural disaster and state and national emergencies.

Ohio Military Reserve
AbbreviationOHMR
TypeState defense force
HeadquartersHaubrich Armory Columbus, Ohio.
Region served
 Ohio
Commander
COL Charles Defer
Main organ
Adjutant General of The State of Ohio
Parent organization
Ohio National Guard
Volunteers
300+/- Reservists[1]
Websitehttp://www.ohiomilitaryreserve.com/

The Ohio Military Reserve serves under the Governor as Commander-in-Chief through the office of the Adjutant General of Ohio and is headquartered at the Haubrich Armory in Columbus, Ohio.

The OHMR has a "sister service", the Ohio Naval Militia which operates out of Camp Perry, located near Port Clinton, Ohio.[2]

History

20th century

During World War I, 120 companies of Home Guard were organized across the cities and towns of Ohio to replace the Ohio National Guard, which was sent overseas. Organized at a local level, members were classified as policemen or deputy sheriffs by local authorities. In 1918, the Governor of Ohio recognized the units officially, reclassifying them as the Ohio Home Guard under authority of the governor, so that they could receive rifles and other equipment from the federal government.[3]

The Ohio Home Guard was reactivated during World War II under the name "Ohio State Guard." The Ohio State Guard reached a strength of over 4,000 by June 1944. Among other responsibilities, the Ohio State Guard staffed a mobile gas warfare demonstration school which instructed more than 25,000 civil defense workers in addition to its own units.[3]

Ohio maintained its state defense through the Cold War as well. The Ohio Defense Corps was established in May 1949; a minimum cadre for five regiments was recruited within a month.[3]

Reorganization
Sgt. Terry Boyd, assigned to the Ohio Military Reserve’s Bravo Company 1st Battalion, packages meal boxes at the Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank.

In 2009, the OHMR underwent a reorganization which changed its mission to emergency management.[4] The OHMR began a transformation process that took it from its former mission as a cadre state defense force held in reserve to its current mission as an active force. The current mission focuses on FEMA Emergency Support Functions (ESF) 6 and 7. This includes aiding in operating mass care facilities (ESF 6) and warehouses, distribution centers, and support facilities (ESF 7).[5]

The transformation took part in three phases. The first phase was integration, which ended in September 2010. In the second phase, the OHMR became initially operational capable during the Fiscal Year 2011, and the third resulted in the OHMR becoming fully operational capable in Fiscal Year 2012.[6]

Modern era

On 25 October 2019, Governor Mike DeWine signed into law a bill which created a volunteer Ohio Cyber Reserve (OhCR) made up of trained civilians and organized as a part of the Ohio Military Reserve. The stated purpose of the unit is to be available for the governor to assist eligible municipalities with cybersecurity vulnerabilities and provide recommendations to reduce cyber threats. The first teams are expected to be created by the end of January 2020.[7]

Beginning in March 2020, members of the Ohio Military Reserve were activated as a part of Operation Steady Resolve, as part of Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial mission was to assist twelve food banks across Ohio with packaging, transporting and distributing food and other essential items to vulnerable populations across Ohio.[8] In Columbus, the National Guard and Military Reserve packed boxes and served meals to men staying at the Downtown YMCA, including those who have been relocated from homeless shelters.[9]

Personnel and training

Enlistment is voluntary, however all soldiers swear an oath of enlistment or appointment. Officers hold state, not federal, commissions. Units are co-located in state-owned readiness centers (armories) with National Guard units across the state. Most units drill one weekend a month and all troops must attend one week of training annually (annual training, or AT). In the past, troops trained with pistols and shotguns, however, the cost of maintenance and annual re-certification has caused this training to be dropped. Although they are covered by the State’s insurance and workers’ compensation program, soldiers are not paid for their training time or AT period. However, if mobilized, they would be compensated. §5903.02 of the Ohio Revised Code provides OHMR personnel protection under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act (USERRA) which addresses military leave from employment for both training and deployment.

In 2010, the as part of its shift to an emergency management mission, the OHMR sponsored training on National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliance and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) for all soldiers in the OHMR.[6]

The OHMR maintains a military training academy to conduct state versions of standard Army professional development courses such as Basic Entry Level Training (required for all non-prior service personnel), Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Non-commissioned Officer Course, and the Basic Officer Course.[6] In addition, the OHMR Academy offers a series of Army Institute for Professional Development (AIPD) correspondence courses.[10]

OHMR members can earn the Military Emergency Management Specialist Badge from the State Guard Association of the United States, The badge includes Basic, Senior and Master level qualifications.[10]

Uniform
State Defense Force Beret Flash

The current uniform of OHMR is the OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern) with tan name tags, the Ohio flag patch on the right arm and OHMR unit patch on the left arm.[11] The members of OHMR are authorized to wear the Army Service Uniform (ASU), with the exception of a red, rather than black, nameplate, OHMR or Ohio buttons, and SDF specific insignia. The OHMR wears the service cap (with modified insignia) with the ASU as well as the black beret with the red "State Defense Force" Beret Flash worn by some other states.[12]

Under Ohio law, members of the Ohio Military Reserve are guaranteed the same employment rights and protections as federal reservists enjoy under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Among other legal rights guaranteed under this provision, OHMR members are protected from discrimination based on their membership in the OHMR both during the hiring process and after becoming employed; they are also guaranteed a leave of absence from their places of employment whenever they are activated for training or to take part in an emergency, and their employers are required to reinstate these employees to their previous positions when they return from deployment.[13]

Members of the OHMR, being a part of the Ohio Organized Militia[14] are treated as law enforcement officers and are immune from arrest during state active duty deployment except in case of treason or felony[15] when aiding the civil authorities after being called upon by the Governor with executing the laws of the state, suppressing insurrection, repelling invasion, or promoting the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this state. Arrest powers are limited in scope in that the arrest must be made with the immediate intent to deliver the person in custody to civil authorities.[16]

Awards and decorations

The OHMR issues multiple awards and decorations to its members, and allows members to wear OHMR-approved ribbons from the State Guard Association of the United States. Members are also permitted to be awarded certain State of Ohio, Ohio National Guard awards when approved by the Adjutant General of the State of Ohio.[17][18]

  • OHMR Medal of Valor
  • OHMR Distinguished Service Medal
  • OHMR Medal of Merit
  • OHMR Purple Cross Medal
  • OHMR Lifesaving Medal
  • OHMR Commendation Award
  • OHMR Achievement Award
  • OHMR Search and Rescue Award
  • OHMR Community Service Award
  • OHMR Aid to Civil Authority Award
  • OHMR Good Conduct Award
  • OHMR Longevity Service Award
  • OHMR Soldier of the Year Award
  • OHMR Honor Graduate Award
  • OHMR Officer Training Graduate Award
  • OHMR NCO Training Graduate Award
  • OHMR Basic Entry Level Training Graduate Award
  • OHMR Physical Fitness Award
  • OHMR Federal Service School Award
  • OHMR Military Indoctrination Award
  • OHMR Emergency Service Training Award
  • OHMR Volunteer Service Award
  • OHMR Military Award Readiness
  • OHMR Recruiting Achievement Award
  • OHMR Military Proficiency Award
  • State Guard Association of the United States Membership Ribbon
  • State Guard Association of Ohio Member Ribbon
  • OHMR Outstanding Unit Citation Award
  • OHMR Commanding General's Meritorious Unit Service Award

See also

References
  1. Albrecht, Brian (11 August 2019). "Ohio Military Reserve augments National Guard". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  2. "Mission". Ohio Naval Militia. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  3. Tulenko, Thomas; Chase, Bradley; Dupuy, Trevor N.; Hayes, Grace P. (March 1981). "US Home Defense Force Study" (PDF). California Military Museums. Historical Evaluation and Research Organization. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  4. Kight, Fred (1 February 2017). "They want you! Ohio Military Reserve lacking Athens residents". Athens News. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  5. "The Ohio Adjutant General's Office 2009 Annual Report" (PDF). Ohio Adjutant General's Department. 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  6. "The Ohio Adjutant General's Office 2010 Annual Report" (PDF). Ohio Adjutant General's Department. 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  7. "Top achievements of 2019 for Ohio National Guard: Cybersecurity a major focus of efforts". Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  8. Hughes, Shane (25 March 2020). "Operation Steady Resolve: Joint Task Force 37 helping Ohioans during COVID-19 pandemic". Dvidshub. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  9. Zachariah, Holly (23 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Ohio National Guard and Military Reserve feed the needy in new mission". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  10. "How We Train". Ohio Military Reserve.
  11. "Ohio Military Reserve". ohiomilitaryreserve.com. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
  12. Wear and Appearance of Uniforms and Insignia, Ohio Military Reserve Regulation 670-1, Ohio Military Reserve, dated 1 May 2012, last accessed 1 May 2020
  13. "5903.02 Reinstatement and reemployment rights". Ohio General Assembly. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  14. ORC § 5923.01. (A)(3)
  15. ORC § 5923.27. (A)
  16. ORC § 5923.231.
  17. "Ohio Military Reserve Awards and Decorations" (PDF). Ohio Military Reserve Official Website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  18. "OHMR Ribbon Rack Builder". Ohio Knowledge Online. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
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