 When President Kennedy ordered the activation of 150,00 reservists in 1961 in response to mounting tensions with the Soviet Union over Berlin, the 490th Civil Affairs Company, along with several other Army Reserve Civil Affairs units, was mobilized to Fort Gordon, Georgia to train for possible deployment.The activation of the 490th was the first call up of Reserve or Guard troops from Abilene since World War II.While the unit was not selected to deploy and was demobilized on August 11, 1962, soldiers of the 490th who were activated later received the National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) in 1967 for their active duty during this time period.