Posted: 1/26/2010 1:33:59 PM EDT
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Particularly those who came from active duty...
I am currently in the IRR, was active duty for just under six years and got out as an E6. I'm considering going into the Reserves for about a year. I have three questions: 1. If I would join, and shortly afterward my circumstances would change and it would be no longer be practical for me to be in the Reserves, how easy is it to transfer back to the IRR? 2. The local career counselor makes it sound like it's incredibly lax compared to what I'm used to. What was it like transitioning from active duty to the Reserves? 3. The local unit with an open slot is some sort of garrison support unit. Anyone have any idea what a day in the life of a drill weekend at this type of unit would be like? |
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Quoted:
Particularly those who came from active duty... I am currently in the IRR, was active duty for just under six years and got out as an E6. I'm considering going into the Reserves for about a year. I have three questions: 1. If I would join, and shortly afterward my circumstances would change and it would be no longer be practical for me to be in the Reserves, how easy is it to transfer back to the IRR? 2. The local career counselor makes it sound like it's incredibly lax compared to what I'm used to. What was it like transitioning from active duty to the Reserves? 3. The local unit with an open slot is some sort of garrison support unit. Anyone have any idea what a day in the life of a drill weekend at this type of unit would be like? Yeah, I did 2 years as a Reserve 88M in Tucson AZ. I have just transitioned to Active as of December. To answer the questions I can. 1) You can drill for points, not under contract, for a few months, to see if it jives for you. I think once you contract reserve though, other things come into play. Try to talk to a retention NCO AT the reserve unit, they can usually help you more than a recruiter at the local office. 2) It is insanely lax. You can't "smoke" people. You'll get pulled aside as an E-6 if you overly correct, or are confrontational with E-1's - E-4's. I've seen at my unit, FIGHTS between an E-5 and an E-2. E-5 was given a Council statement, even though the E-2 was clearly at fault for failing to obey / respect the rank. The E-5 "Should have known better". The best way I can define it, is truly weekend warriors. The unit I experienced, would openly tell you that this was a once a month thing, and not to take it so seriously. I watched a lot of active duty (Line Unit) IRR guys come in to try it out for 2 months, and not come back. 3) Weekend drills can vary. If you're in a medical unit, or a high speed civilian type occupation, you may end up training in your job position. Our medical unit would routinely drill at the VA hospital performing their basic job functions for 2 days. My Transportation unit spent the entire weekend doing pretty much nothing. Classes, more classes, and lots of little details. Every few months we'd go on a mission for training, but we were so out of practice that we'd usually mess it up and the commander would decline the next request. Citing our previous little screw up. I'm biased, I transitioned back into the real Army because I couldn't stay away. So obviously the reserves were not for me. But now you have one more opinion. |
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1. If I would join, and shortly afterward my circumstances would change and it would be no longer be practical for me to be in the Reserves, how easy is it to transfer back to the IRR?
It's my understanding that if you want less than a one full year 'trial period' you need to get it in writing... 2. The local career counselor makes it sound like it's incredibly lax compared to what I'm used to. What was it like transitioning from active duty to the Reserves?
He's probably right, assuming you come from a unit with any standards at all. I guess it depends on what MOS you have though. 3. The local unit with an open slot is some sort of garrison support unit. Anyone have any idea what a day in the life of a drill weekend at this type of unit would be like?
Can't help you there, went from Armor to MP 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Particularly those who came from active duty... I am currently in the IRR, was active duty for just under six years and got out as an E6. I'm considering going into the Reserves for about a year. I have three questions: 1. If I would join, and shortly afterward my circumstances would change and it would be no longer be practical for me to be in the Reserves, how easy is it to transfer back to the IRR? 2. The local career counselor makes it sound like it's incredibly lax compared to what I'm used to. What was it like transitioning from active duty to the Reserves? 3. The local unit with an open slot is some sort of garrison support unit. Anyone have any idea what a day in the life of a drill weekend at this type of unit would be like? Yeah, I did 2 years as a Reserve 88M in Tucson AZ. I have just transitioned to Active as of December. To answer the questions I can. 1) You can drill for points, not under contract, for a few months, to see if it jives for you. I think once you contract reserve though, other things come into play. Try to talk to a retention NCO AT the reserve unit, they can usually help you more than a recruiter at the local office. 2) It is insanely lax. You can't "smoke" people. You'll get pulled aside as an E-6 if you overly correct, or are confrontational with E-1's - E-4's. I've seen at my unit, FIGHTS between an E-5 and an E-2. E-5 was given a Council statement, even though the E-2 was clearly at fault for failing to obey / respect the rank. The E-5 "Should have known better". The best way I can define it, is truly weekend warriors. The unit I experienced, would openly tell you that this was a once a month thing, and not to take it so seriously. I watched a lot of active duty (Line Unit) IRR guys come in to try it out for 2 months, and not come back. 3) Weekend drills can vary. If you're in a medical unit, or a high speed civilian type occupation, you may end up training in your job position. Our medical unit would routinely drill at the VA hospital performing their basic job functions for 2 days. My Transportation unit spent the entire weekend doing pretty much nothing. Classes, more classes, and lots of little details. Every few months we'd go on a mission for training, but we were so out of practice that we'd usually mess it up and the commander would decline the next request. Citing our previous little screw up. I'm biased, I transitioned back into the real Army because I couldn't stay away. So obviously the reserves were not for me. But now you have one more opinion. Thanks for the reply and info, I appreciate it. You said you saw guys come in from IRR and leave after two months. Did they just stop showing up? Or did they put in paperwork to transfer back to the IRR? The local career counselor is saying to get me into the Reserves just takes a 4187. He said if I would come back to him and say I can no longer do it, he said he'll just walk across the hall and put in the "paper" (4187 again I guess) to put me back in the IRR. Does that sound legit? |
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Quoted:
1. If I would join, and shortly afterward my circumstances would change and it would be no longer be practical for me to be in the Reserves, how easy is it to transfer back to the IRR?
It's my understanding that if you want less than a one full year 'trial period' you need to get it in writing... 2. The local career counselor makes it sound like it's incredibly lax compared to what I'm used to. What was it like transitioning from active duty to the Reserves?
He's probably right, assuming you come from a unit with any standards at all. I guess it depends on what MOS you have though. 3. The local unit with an open slot is some sort of garrison support unit. Anyone have any idea what a day in the life of a drill weekend at this type of unit would be like?
Can't help you there, went from Armor to MP Thanks for the reply. This career counselor hasn't said anything about "trial periods". I'll look into that. He basically said he can get me transferred in with a 4187 and if the time comes when I say it's not for me or I can't do it anymore, he just talks to someone and they put me back in IRR. |
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Ask if you can drill for points. Basically receive promotion points for your attendance, but don't get paid. You won't technically be transferring to the unit, just attending in an observers fashion.
We offered that to a few different guys who were interested but on the fence. |
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Another question, though I'm pretty sure this is already confirmed.
I'm told that transitioning from the IRR (or active) to the Reserves, I get a 24 month mobilization stability (can't be deployed for 2 years unless I volunteer). Anyone hear of that? I'd been asking the local CC for that policy in writing for many months, I think maybe since July. I asked him for it on a regular basis and finally around November he sent me a policy letter....that didn't apply to me. So I told him what he sent me didn't apply to my situation. He basically said he knew, and he'd try to find the right now. To this day I can't figure out WTH he would knowingly send me a policy letter that didn't apply to me. Being I had been asking for it repeatedly for months, did he really think I wouldn't read it? He finally did send me one that seems to say I couldn't be deployed for 24 months, and does apply to me. |
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The 2 month sabilization policy is real, I have several of my Soldiers under the program now.
As for units, they can vary a great deal. There are 7 units in my building, and the standards and leadership between them all vary a good deal. Medical units are the worst for being lax, a GSU would be hit or miss, but I would tend to shy away, because some of the GSU's are know as places where deployment dodgers run to if the units wartime mission is running stateside garrisons- but this has changed and many are being tasked with running FOB's now, but I still have not been impressed with the ones I have worked with. I tend to find the best units in the USAR are MP and Engineer, but I am a tad biased. Do not take a slot without visiting the unit. As an IRR soldier you can drill for points with a unit while you check them out. If the leadership is unwilling to let you drill for points and check them out, take that as a clue. Don't let them BS you about being MOSQ for the slot, a unit can accept you non MOSQ and send you to school, the school will be a reserve version that is one or two 2 week segements and maybe some distance learning instead of an active AIT. Be willing to drive to a unit farther away to open up the available slots. I have some of my Soldiers who drive 200+ miles for drill, because they don't like the closer unit. You can transition back to the IRR fairly easily unless the chain of command are total dicks about it. |
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I agree with what Garand Shooter says, I hadn't thought about drilling for points only. I'm not positive, but if you want the stabilization program, you have to ask in advance and get it in writing, correct?
That said, if you were looking to get paid also, that 'All you need is a 4187' is misleading...the Reserves are notorious for paperwork taking, literally, years, to get approved/signed by HRC sometimes. The retention people at my center seem to be pretty honest and on the ball, but we've had people transfer in that take 6-12 months to get 'off the books' of their old unit, which means that if their old unit got deployed, they would have been sucked along, and of course they have pay issues. |
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It actually doesn't matter to me if it takes a while to get transferred back to the IRR, so long as they don't expect me to show for drills in the interim. Basically this is my situation:
I'm working a temporary job at a furniture repair shop right now, and have been applying for jobs in the defense industry for some time now, since August I guess. I get hot and cold periods, sometimes I get some that seem very interested, but in the end, nothing has come through. So I have the temporary job now so I don't blow through my savings in the mean time. If nothing comes through by summer, I'm going to go back to school full time, because I don't have my four year degree yet. I want to be in the Reserves for health benefits, tuition assistance, little bit of extra pay, and there are some other perks for me as well. So I figure I can go to the Reserves right now. The CC also claims he can try to get me on orders to work at the unit full time for short periods of time. Two weeks working at that unit would equate to about a month's pay at my current job. But the work wouldn't be steady, I don't know if that's a good idea or not. But anyway, say another one of the jobs I've been waiting on actually comes through in the mean time, I want the ability to leave at the drop of a hat to go to the new job, without having to worry about obligations with the Reserves. The CC insists that is not a problem, but it just seems hard to believe that it wouldn't be. |
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One of the few good things about the guard/reserves at least in my unit if you come to some hard times and lose your job they will let you come work full time (temporarily), usually helping out the supply sergeant, under the gs pay scale (gs-5). I could actually use that. Only the CC here said I would be on full time orders, so I would be getting E6 pay. That would pay me almost twice what I'm making at my current job, and my current job is temporary anyway. |
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One of the few good things about the guard/reserves at least in my unit if you come to some hard times and lose your job they will let you come work full time (temporarily), usually helping out the supply sergeant, under the gs pay scale (gs-5). I could actually use that. Only the CC here said I would be on full time orders, so I would be getting E6 pay. That would pay me almost twice what I'm making at my current job, and my current job is temporary anyway. That would be a question I would ask the unit you will be working at, your circumstance may be different then someone already under a contract with the reserves but everyone I've known to use this always get paid with the gs system, seems to be gs-5 regardless of rank. I would save the bulk of your questions for one of the higher ups in the unit (retention NCO or someone) as your councilor can only speculate what will happen in reality. |
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Can anyone answer this, how is transitioning from IRR different from signing a contract? Am I not still signing a contract? When in the IRR you are still part of the USAR, your status is just different. For example all first time USAR enlistments are 6 years +2 years IRR, but if the Soldier wants to do the last two drilling it does not require a new contract. |
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Can anyone answer this, how is transitioning from IRR different from signing a contract? Am I not still signing a contract? When in the IRR you are still part of the USAR, your status is just different. For example all first time USAR enlistments are 6 years +2 years IRR, but if the Soldier wants to do the last two drilling it does not require a new contract. Got it, thanks, that helps. So in that case, it kind of makes sense that I could easily just opt out of the Reserves and go back to the IRR if I want. |