army reserves, anyone ?

I'm in the Army National Guard, which is similar.

Your friend is right in that the commitment is usually 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer.

If you haven't previously served in the military, you'd also need to go to BASIC training for 9 weeks, plus Advanced Individual Training for your specific job (minimum of about 5 weeks, though a few jobs require a lot longer).

There is also the possibility of deployments. If you're signing up for a 6-year contract, it's quite likely that you would have 2 1-year deployments during that time period (each unit has a different deployment schedule, plus politics could change things).

Take-home pay is about what your friend said. You'd also be eligible for a signing bonus ($20,000?), possible forgiveness of outstanding college loans, and the Montgomery GI Bill (college tuition), as well as several other financial benefits.

You get to pick your unit in the Army Reserve, so you can drill close to home when not deployed overseas.

 

Let me put this as simply as possible. If you enlist, you will go to war. If you aren't willing to go to war, don't sign up.

 

I left active duty in 2002 and went into the Reserve (not the first time) May '02. Got mob'ed May '05 through Aug '06 (Iraq was 12 of those months). Was back on active duty for surgery in a WTU (Warrior Transition Unit, formerly known as "med hold") from May '07 through Dec '07. My company was mob'ed again this May '08 and is spending 12 months at FT Knox, Kentucky. Had I not been in the WTU I'd be in Kentucky right now.

As nothing said, if you enlist you will be going somewhere, more than likely Afghanistan.

Give 'em hell!



Oh, and BTW, any contract you sign will be 8 years long. You may spend 4 or 6 or 2 "active" but the total will be 8. When you're not "active" you're in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) and are subject to call up. So, "eight years, that's a LONG TIME".

And, (hahaha) why would the army sign someone up as "non-deployable"? Kinda defeats the purpose of a soldier...

 

You could also sign up for a 3-year Reserve contract, I believe. As Jeff82 pointed out, your initial contract is actually for 8 years, and whatever you don't spend in the Army Reserve will be in the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR). A sizeable minority of soldiers in the IRR get called up to go to war.

A college degree should get you Private First Class or even Specialist rank, which results in a small boost in pay. You could also join as an officer - officers don't have set-length contracts, though there is a minimum time of service of several years, and then you have to meet certain criteria for the army to accept your resignation.

Non-deployable positions are rare and probably not available to new recruits. If you don't want to go to war, then you shouldn't consider any component of the Army.

 

Here's my schedule (not including drill, annual training, and short army schools):

April 23, 2004 - enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard
May 17, 2004 - September 10, 2004 - Initial Training at Fort Knox

September 12, 2004 - official notification that we'd be going to Iraq
January 3, 2005 - May 17, 2005 - training at Fort Stewart and Fort Irwin
May 17, 2005 - May 16, 2006 - Deployed to Iraq

2007 - notification of upcoming deployment to Afghanistan

February 2009 - May 2009 - approximate dates for annual training at Fort Polk followed by predeployment training at Fort Riley
May 2009-March 2010 - approximate dates for deployment to Afghanistan

 

USAR authorizes 4 weeks per year Out of my 4 years in the USAR, I've had one year when I did only 2 weeks. Usually it's been 2 months, and this year it's down to 6 weeks. But I'm blessed, because 50% of my unit deployed and I'm still at my home station.

It's not if you will deploy during your Army career, it's when.

Having said all that, would I do it over again? Yes.

MJH, CPT, JA, USAR

 

Some can hang, some can't.

Here's an oldie but goodie that got me though high school (I was set on being a mercenary! Didn't quite work out, times changed, world events overtook):

 

When I was in the Army Reserve there wasn't a year where I just did two weeks. Most years there was AT, and then a school, exercise, etc. besides that. We had some extra drill weekends or 4-5 day drill weekends also. Most believed in the Army and felt like the unit was an extended family. Most who deployed reenlisted while deployed or when they came back.

 

As long as you dont deploy with them I got called up for QRf for some reserve components and to me it seemed they didnt know there ass from there elbow. Probably has something to do with the minimal training they get. Not saying there bad people they just have know way of gettin as much training as us RA types.

 

I don't know that you can go by that, especially these days. I've got 13+ years active and 10+ reserve and I've seen both types at each end of the spectrum and in between. From *****b@gs to STRAC soldiers/units, active and reserve.

 

The average reservist has more time-in-service than the average regular army soldier. Where do you think your experienced sergeants go when they leave active duty? Guard guys pass on their knowledge, and at NTC this summer, we had a higher proportion of combat patches than 1ID soldiers.

In the twelve months before deploying to Afghanistan, our unit is going to spend about 5 months of that in uniform (2 21-day annual trainings, 6x 2-day drills, 6x 4-day drills, 1x 7-day drill, 1x 60-day trainup). Most of us are also attending other army schools during that time also...

I've seen plenty of regular army soldiers that "didn't know there (sic) ass from their (sic) elbow." Hell, 1-502 of the 101st Airborne replaced us in Iraq! Egads, but that was a screwed-up unit, particularly Bravo company. There are great units in both regular army and the reserve components. And, there are awful units. Maybe you came across an awful Reserve unit - it happens. It's pretty damned ignorant to judge all reservists by a few bad apples though.

 

Don't do it. Deploying with a reserve unit is a death sentence during contact. NG is the same unless you're with one of the LRS elements who are usually squared away ex active dudes.

 

I'm not sure which reserve you're speaking of, but the vast majority of them that I've encountered have been a joke. Of course there are good guys who have gone reserve after active, but this is more the exception than the rule.

 

Usually more money in the Guard, more bonuses, and education kickers.