Posted: 2/26/2008 12:16:48 PM EDT
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As a National Guardsman one would expect to serve approximately one weekend per month and 2 weeks of annual training for a total of 38 days. This fiscal year I will do at least 113 days of scheduled training without being mobilized, and it will probably be more. These days are because of numerous NET, 8 MUTA 7s, 3 week AT, SRP/SRC and one 12 day UMO school. Any other M-day reservists not on Title 10, 32 or ADSW orders hitting those kind of numbers? |
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31B20 here. Here is what I racked up in 2007: 14 days in ANCOC. 22 days AT in Egypt. 2 days stuck in Rhoda, Spain. 26 days of drill. 21 days of MOB training prepping another MP unit in our BN. 2 days of physician's visits. 2 days of G-RAP seminar. 2 day of transporting soldiers from the airport in my POV. 3 days of additional required NCOER prepping for a late 2008 MOB. That's 94 days without being on a Title 10 orders. Needless to say, my employer does not care too much for the Guard. Your 113 days is probably alot more than the AGR guys do... |
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In 2007 I did a three-week AT, a three-week Bradley NET ,and the usual assortment of 55UTAs, mainly MUTA 5. Somewhere around 70 days. I'm not counting the ten-day wildfires mobilisation, or the 20 or so funeral details which technically are a day's pay, though usually they fit in during my lunch break or in the evening. I'm currently half-way to Ft Knox, will be there 'till August for the Captain's Course. NTM |
yup, i just spent last year at bragg on adsw, adt, and at all without a mob, gettting paid was a bitch! and now i gotta do 21 days at, another 14 days pre mob and we got like 6 3day drills, plus 2 1day orders for a health assesments and a dental checkup. and dont forget dealing with your soldiers issues during the month. no such thing as part time
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Damn skippy. I remember back when I first joined in 1987 until 2001 when drill was a party. All we did was drink beer, watch movies, and talk smack. We came in at 0900hrs and left at 1400hrs. There were hardly any schools, AT was 10 days of hungover bliss, and all our PT tests were pencil whipped. After OEF kicked off, everything did a 180. I must say that I am glad. Being an NCO means something again... MOB training is a big example that alot of people don't understand. Many civies think that we jump on a plane and go to Iraq for a year. They don't know that we go through mission-specific (which is not really mission specific) MOB training for 2-8 months before going over. Last time I MOBed, I was gone a total of 17 months. Hell, even outside the Box, we do between 3-4 months of training/schools/missions - which is a far cry from the way it used to be. Weekend warriors are dead. Now we are all soldiers. I doubt if the old days will ever return... |
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Odingaard, Before I joined the Navy in 1981 I grew up around my uncle (36 years active and Guard) and I remember as a kid going to the Armory to play basketball and pool while the guy hung out at the bar in the corner of the gym area...They had those bar signs (neon) & lights up... My uncle was supply and my aunt was a seamstress as a kid I was the only kid that when we played army had completely proper fitting uniforms... But as you have said I am glad things have changed...I prefer it the way it is (at least at my unit) 
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We're getting deployed this year, but the schedule we have so far this FY (starting October 07) is a lot of days. We already got called up for a week to help out security down in San Diego during the wild fires, already did a 17 day AT in November, and we've got a MUTA9 coming up in March, followed by MUTA7's until July when we go on a 45 day AT. Once we're done with the 45 day AT we get 10 days then we get put on Title 10 and get to play at Camp Shelby for 3 months. ...Not that I mind at all though, at the moment I've got a shitty civilian job and I love the chance to get away from it and fuck off with my boys shooting the hell out of shit and screaming and yelling and kicking in doors. 
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That's how I view it, I have been at the same Company for 10 Years but it gets old... |
Sounds like you're getting ready to mob again? M-day NG in a similar situation here, 21A in a combat engineer company. Looking at 2x3wk AT, 1x10 day ADT, multiple MUTA 6-8s, SRP, and hopefully I can get the 11 weeks of mission specific schooling I'm requesting. All this is by the end of October. I hope I don't get fired from my civilian job. Taking care of soldiers, training meetings, and other associated leadership tasks during the month also require time, but it's a job I couldn't be happier with. Although, getting transferred to a unit 10 hours away adds a bit of hassle. |
I get out in Sept, does that help?  We're slated for 5-6 MUTA6's this spring/summer/fall because we're transitioning to a CAB so we have to be "trained" on our Bradleys all over again. You know, the ones the state of KS paid $40million for us to have and then 3rd ID takes them away on a whim and we're leftover with shitty ass fucking CAV A2 regular model pieces of shit where 1 of 13 is NOT deadlined. Those Bradleys. They're expecting us to do Gunnery by the time AT rolls around in June. And we havent even fired up a Bradley as part of training yet. It took us 6 months of MUTA6's and a 3wk AT in 2004 just to be able to pass Gunnery and now we're starting in March and a 2wk AT in June. 
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Am at my WOAC in APG right now, and an informal poll confirms the similar experiences indicated here. Most RC are spending more than twice the 48 UTA's & 15 days AT ( not counting title 10 deployment time) just keeping current on their mos / lessons learned class time. Ed |
| I just joined the Guard in April of 07, did basic and AIT that summer and now I am on ADOS orders so I don't know about doing more then the one weekend and two weeks but the way I look at it is that was a minimum that I would do and didn't know what else to expect but figured that more would come and if it did well I signed up to serve and if it ment more time then so be it, if a person is not willing or wanting to do more then expected then you should have kept you union job, this is the milatary and we join to serve and that means doing more then is expected and if you do it right and the people haveing you do it are doing thier part it should be good for your career. I don't know about others states but in Iowa it is illegal for you civilan employer to fire you or get rid of your job for 5 yrs, if they do they will hear from JAG, we can be away from our job for 5yrs on MOB,AGR,ADOS or whatever the orders and they can't legally do anything about it without very strong punishments. If so you need to contact the ESGR office for you state. Bottom line in my opinion is, if you signed up to serve quite your whining and if you signed up just to get college paid for the tuff shit, I signed up to serve and for the benifits to my family now and in the future, but maybe being 39 at the time makes a difference. |
I hope you are just making a general statement and you are not saying anyone here is "whining". I am guessing the intent of this thread is to show the irony of the tagline "one weekend a month and two weeks a year" and maybe get a feel of how much time people are putting in. Nothing more...nothing less. |
| no not everyone is whining here but sounds like some are, those who got in wanting to take advantage of the benifits and thats all. Those who got in to serve or make a career of it more then likely are not going to complain about the time because it is part of the commitment. I hope not to offend anyone with that but that is my 2 cents and more then willing to clarifey anytime. |
I didn't detect any whining, just a lot of optempo. It's been over six years since 9-11, and anyone who wanted out is already out. Notice that these haven't been any 'I won't go' stories in the media latley? Anyone enlisting in the last six years knows EXACTLY whay they are getting into.
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I didn't see a single person whining about serving, just commenting on the amount of time they are serving ABOVE AND BEYOND the required 48 MUTAs and 2 week AT. But if they did decide to complain, I wouldn't blame them. When you join the reserves, you and the government make an agreement for 12 weekends and 2 weeks. Anything more than that exceeds the conditions of the agreement. Mobilization and deployment are one thing, but increasing the M-day OPTEMPO stateside is going to kill recruiting and retention. When 38 days regularly becomes 76 days or 114 days (2 or 3 times the contracted duty) it is going too far. I have been doing this job for almost 20 years, active and reserve. I have given and continue to give because I love what I do and what it means. But what is going on now is out of line and needs to change. Either make it clear up front that being a reservist is a 76 day a year commitment or return to the previous agreement. I work for the DOD as a civilian and even my bosses are losing their patience with my reserve commitment. Since 9-11 I have spent more time in uniform than out. I will be retiring once I get back from my next combat tour. You are fresh in the service and are duly motivated. Wait until you have a few years serving under your belt before you judge or tell other what they should be doing. Most of the people on this board have more time in the air jumping out of the back of a 5-ton than you do in service. |
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I served with a medic in your unit. I was under the impression that you guys drilled so much because of becoming PA's first stryker Brigade and reorganizing. Sorry to hear your still being put through the wringer. I got out after 12 years because I had a child and I did'nt want to to deal with 3 week AT's and the ever increasing MUTA 5-7's. I did'nt want to go to Iraq again either. I have been out for 1.5 years. I thought you guys would have been Q'd, deployed and home by now. What is the reason you have been hearing? BTW PAARNG budget keeps getting bigger and bigger. Politicians don't like to see money sitting around. You can bet if they have money, they'll keep you working. 
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| We have been on this schedule since I got back in Nov 2005. We will be mobilizing again soon. Nothing has been delayed or deferred, DOD has us on their schedule. I personally don't mind because it gives me a break from my civilian job, but understand the resistance from employers and Soldiers. |