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History of the SGT James T. Witkowski Armed Forces Reserve Center: Moffett Field, CA

  • colinmarcum
  • May 1
  • 4 min read

Before the United States Army Reserves’ 63rd Readiness Division became the readiness division we know today, it served as the 63rd Regional Support Command (RSC) and the 63rd Regional Readiness Command (RRC) before that. The previous RRCs were aligned with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regional boundaries, but were reorganized in 2008 into the RSCs. This gave them additional responsibilities from other Army Reserve Functional Commands being shut down during the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) efforts. From the 63rd RRC’s coverage of 14,000 Army Reservists and the three states of California, Nevada, and Arizona, their coverage increased to supervise 40,000 Army Reservists and four more states of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas as the 90th RRC merged with the 63rd RRC to become the 63rd RSC. The shift to the RSC in 2008 in its size and scope has been retained to this day in the 63rd Readiness Division (Stevens 2023).


While this reduced costs for the Army, as units were merged and installations shuttered, further savings were made by sharing facilities between Army Reserve and National Guard units. Within the 2005 Commission per BRAC guidance, it was determined that many Reserve and National Guard units within California would be consolidated within two soon-to-be-constructed Armed Forces Reserve Centers (AFRCs) at Bell and Moffett Field, California. Based on a report provided to Congress in March 2006 entitled Department Of The Army DoD Base Realignment and Closure 2005 Commission - Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Budget Estimates, they provided various closure packages that consolidated numerous units and established RSCs. In that report, regarding Moffett Field, they stated:


Close the United States Army Reserve Center, Moffett Field, CA, the George Richey United States Army Reserve Center, San Jose, CA, and the Jones Hall United States Army Reserve Center, Mountain View, CA, and relocate units to a new armed Forces Reserve Center with an Organizational Maintenance Shop on existing Army Reserve property on Moffett Field, CA. The new AFRC shall have the capability to accommodate California National Guard Units from the following California ARNG Readiness Centers: Sunnyvale, San Lorenzo, Redwood City, and the Organizational Maintenance Shop, San Jose, if the state decides to relocate those National Guard units (Department of the Army 2006, 289). 


As they completed its construction, a new facility is often accompanied by a memorialization in order to dedicate the building in the name of a fallen servicemember. The Moffett Field AFRC’s new building, which would be the new Headquarters building for the 63rd RSC, the division had such a man in mind. On the 9th of April, 2006, the division previously held a ceremony for the family, friends, and comrades of fallen Soldier SGT James T. Witkowski. As reported by Private First Class Jennifer L. Sierra in an article titled “63d Regional Readiness Command Soldier receives posthumous Silver Star” in the division’s very own magazine, The Blade from Spring 2006, she describes the events that occurred during the ceremony, which retold the actions of Witkowski on the fateful day:


SGT Witkowski, was 32, when he was killed in action October 26, 2005, during a combat logistics patrol near Ashraf, Iraq. Witkowski's unit, the 729th Transportation Company, an Army Reserve unit of the 63rd RRC, came under vicious attack while conducting a 23-vehicle convoy to deliver building materials to another unit… Entering a kill zone of approximately one mile, the convoy started to receive small arms fire. As IEDs were beginning to explode on both sides of the highway, insurgents began rushing the convoy shooting RPGs and lobbing hand-grenades. Meanwhile, Witkowski, manning the turret of the 50-caliber weapon atop his gun-truck, held insurgents down with suppressive fire. One grenade landed in his turret. Rather than ducking back inside to avoid the grenade's direct blast, Witkowski continued to engage the enemy amidst the incoming fire. Doing so, he absorbed the full brunt of the explosion saving the lives of three other Soldiers in the vehicle (Sierra 2006, 16)




On February 17, 2011, during the grand opening ceremony for this new AFRC in Moffett Field, it simultaneously donned the name of SGT Witkowski. The 63rd RSC conducted the ceremonies with many important unit members, the local community, 63rd Division Veterans, and, of course, the mother and father of SGT Witkowski. 


The family of Sgt. Witkowski was at the ribbon cutting and memorialization ceremony. "It would have shocked me had he not done what he did. That wouldn't have been my son," said his mother, Barbara Witkowski. In regards to the naming of the building, she said, "Wow. It hit me like a ton of bricks. This is our building. This is a Witkowski building. This is our son's building." (ABC7 2011)




In an effort to reduce costs and improve efficiency, our facility was constructed. In an effort to save the lives of his fellow Soldiers, SGT Witkowski sacrificed his life while engaged in combat with the enemy. To honor his memory and the legacy of our division, these two efforts culminated in the memorialization of our new technologically advanced facility. The SGT James T. Witkowski AFRC continues to serve as a critical hub for reserve component operations, providing administrative, training, and logistical support for units assigned to the 63rd Readiness Division in the seven states of the American Southwest. It houses office space, classrooms, and equipment storage areas that enable Army Reserve and California Army National Guard Soldiers the ability to maintain their proficiency and prepare for mobilization. The center also plays a vital role in fostering unit cohesion and ensuring that the reserve components remain integrated with broader Army missions.


Flag and static displays infront of the SGT James T. Witkowski Armed Forces Reserve Center in Moffett Field, CA.
Flag and static displays infront of the SGT James T. Witkowski Armed Forces Reserve Center in Moffett Field, CA.


References:



  • Department of the Army. Department Of The Army DoD Base Realignment and Closure 2005 Commission Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Budget Estimates Volume 1 of 2.  March 2006


  • Sierra, Jennifer L. “63d Regional Readiness Command Soldier receives posthumous Silver Star,” The Blade. Volume 40, No. 1. Spring 2006.


 
 
 

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