The first Naval Reserve presence in Peoria was the 8th Naval Militia Division, formed in 1912. It was started with veterans of the Spanish-American War consisting of 3 officers and 50 enlisted who drilled out of the local YMCA until 1917, when the entire unit was mobilized in direct support of WWI in Europe. Shortly after the end of WWI, the Naval Reserve 30th Division, Peoria was formed. The 30t
h Division was mobilized just prior to WWII on November 4th, 1940 and served in a consistent manner throughout the war in support of USS Fox Eliott and sub-chaser USS-64. As with many units post WWII, the unit was disbanded in 1945. In 1946, a small group of officers formed the new Peoria Naval Reserve and, on February 3, 1950, a new training center was commisioned at the foot of the Franklin Street Bridge in East Peoria. By this time, the command had grown to two surface divisions, one Construction Battalion, and a Marine Corps Unit totalling over 400 officers and men. It also had a training ship, LSI-596 (Landing Ship Infantry), which was a familiar site on the Illinois River and eventually decommissioned and "moth-balled" in Charlestown, SC.. A majority of the Reserve Sailors and Marines were mobilized to serve in the short-lived Korean War between August 1950 and May 1951. On New Year's Day 1957, the Reserve Center sustained major fire damage. However, it was restored to "better than ever" condition and housed the Peoria Naval and Marine Reserves until August 1977, when the command was relocated to its current location on West Plank Rd. NRC Peoria Sailors and Marines have participated in every major conflict since WWI and continue to augment the Active Duty forces in direct support of ongoing Antiterrorism operations across the globe.
