Military Calling Out-Of-Uniform Troops
By REBECCA SANTANA (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
August 19, 2006 2:52 PM EDT

CAMP ANACONDA, Iraq - Spc. Chris Carlson had been out of the U.S. Army for two years and was working at Costco in California when he received notice that he was being called back into service.

The 24-year-old is one of thousands of soldiers and Marines who have been deployed to Iraq under a policy that allows military leaders to recall troops who have left the service but still have time left on their contract.

"I thought it was crazy," said Carlson, who has found himself protecting convoys on Iraq's dangerous roads as part of a New Jersey National Guard unit. "Never in a million years did I think they would call me back."

Although troops are allowed to leave active duty after a few years of service, they generally still have time left on their contract with the military that is known as "inactive ready reserve" status, or IRR. During that time, they have to let their service know their current address, but they don't train, draw a paycheck or associate in any other way with the military.

But with active duty units already completing multiple tours in Iraq, the Pentagon has employed the rarely used tactic of calling people back from IRR status, a policy sometimes referred to as a "backdoor draft."

According to the U.S. Army Reserve, approximately 14,000 soldiers on IRR status have been called to active duty since March 2003 and about 7,300 have been deployed to Iraq. The Marine Corps has mobilized 4,717 Marines who were classified as inactive ready reserve since Sept. 11, and 1,094 have been deployed to Iraq, according to the Marine Forces Reserve.

The 1st Squadron of the 167th Cavalry RSTA, which is based in Lincoln, Neb. and oversees the New Jersey guard unit here in Iraq, has about 40 IRR soldiers within its ranks of roughly 1,000 soldiers, and officers in the squadron say the troops have merged into the unit without any problems.

Jason Mulligan, 28, of Ridgefield, Conn., left the army back in 2002 after two years in the infantry. He was working as a painting contractor while studying wildlife conservation when he received his letter last fall alerting him that he'd been mobilized.

The letter was followed up by another warning to Mulligan that if he didn't comply, the government would prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.

"My family and my fiancee were telling me 'Don't' report. Don't show up,' said Mulligan, who also serves with a New Jersey National Guard unit as a gunner on a Humvee helping patrol the territory around Camp Anaconda, a base about 50 miles north of Baghdad. "And I thought, 'Well I got that nasty letter saying they were going to put me in jail if I don't show up.'"

Anthony Breaux, 24, from La Place, La., said he had a feeling that eventually he would be recalled to service after hearing of so many other soldiers who were pulled from IRR status. Breaux, who left active duty in September 2002, said he knew it was part of the bargain when he joined the army.

"Well, I signed up. I signed the papers. So you know what? I got to do what I got to do," Breaux said, before getting ready for a reconnaissance patrol around Camp Anaconda.

Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Arlington, Va.-based Lexington Institute, said part of the reason that the military has called up so many people who were on reserve status is that certain skill sets such as military police or civil affairs were concentrated in the reserves after the Cold War ended.

But he said the sheer numbers of IRR soldiers being mobilized also are a sign that the military doesn't have enough people to fight this war, now in its fourth year.

"It seems clear in retrospect that the active-duty force wasn't big enough to sustain a 'long war' against global terrorism, and also lacked the proper mix of skills to wage that war with maximum effectiveness," Thompson said.

That thought is echoed by many of the IRR soldiers. Mulligan said the military's reliance on IRR soldiers shows how "desperate" the services are for troops.

"Maybe it says something for maybe the way the military is treating the people that are over here, because they're just not wanting to stay on," said Mulligan.

Some of the IRR soldiers, such as Carlson, still will have time on their military contracts when they return from this deployment, meaning they could possibly be called back another time. But others will end their IRR status around the same time their deployment in Iraq ends next spring or will have so little time left that they would not be deployed again.

Spc. Mark Wiles, 27, of Phoenix, said his 6 1/2 years of active duty and the time he'll have served on this deployment mean that his reserve status will be over when the unit gets home. The only way that the military could keep him is if they extended the unit's stay in Iraq.

"Those of us who are IRR are seriously hoping they don't do that," Wiles said.

how long does the IRR eligibility period generally last?

Quoted: how long does the IRR eligibility period generally last?

When I got out it was 2yr's with 4 active. (1976)

When my Dad retired with 26yr's he was called back in less than a year later and did 2 more yr's. (1966-USAF)

Quoted: how long does the IRR eligibility period generally last?

Your first contract with uncle sam is for 8 yrs.If you do 2 yrs active,you are on 6 yrs IRR.

One of the reasons I joined the Guard was so that this wouldn't happen to me. At least now if I deploy, it will be with guys I know.

Wow, sounds like Jason Mulligan's family are a bunch of retards. Don't report.......yeah.............smart.

Quoted: Quoted: how long does the IRR eligibility period generally last? Your first contract with uncle sam is for 8 yrs.If you do 2 yrs active,you are on 6 yrs IRR.

Yup
IIR = 8 years - active time

how does it work for those who joined the guard?

Quoted: how does it work for those who joined the guard?

I joined the Guard for the remainder of the IRR time I had left with the USMC (3yrs)

Just for the record...officers serve at the pleasure of the president, for life and are subject to recall at any time...for any reason.  Even though I'm NPQ for combat duty, theoretically, I and my other retired old farts could be recalled to serve in a REMF billet, say in the Pentagon while our younger more physically able dudes and dudettes deployed overseas.

In truth, I wish to HELL I was young and fit again.  I would go in a fucking second.  

Are there seriously people who don't comprehend the meaning of Inactive Ready Reserve when they sign on the dotted line?




Are we really supposed to be believe that the guy mentioned in the article never imagined that he might be called up again - after only serving 2 years active duty on a 7 or 8-year contract, and with his country at war?  

The Army has upped its max enlistment age to 41.   I could enlist!  (I'm 41.)  

The Air Force will take you up to 35 now.  Last I heard, it was 27.

I'm wondering if they might not get to the point where they'll start recalling people who
are BEYOND their IRR commitment and normally would be 100 percent civilians again.

I might as well get back into the AF via the reserves before they DRAFT me.  Learn to be
a jet engine mechanic.   Seems like a decent job, and fairly safe as long as you don't get
sucked in.

CJ

I hate it when these guys bitch, they signed the same contract we all did. You rolled the dive and hoped that you would just sit at home during your IRR period, but stuff got ugly and you have to deal with it.  Its a good lesson, don't sign the paper unless your happy with ALL TERMS.
 Grant SGT USA type
 

Quoted: Just for the record...officers serve at the pleasure of the president, for life and are subject to recall at any time...for any reason.

Same in the Danish army.  As an officer, I can be recalled at their whim until I am 60, even though I have been in the reserves (and totally inactive) for many years.

Quoted: I'm wondering if they might not get to the point where they'll start recalling people who are BEYOND their IRR commitment

you really think so?  the publicity from that would be tremendously bad.  i'd hope that they'd increase enlistment bonuses or pay much more before they did that.  i think the military would have no problem attracting recruits if they paid privates 30 grand a year.

Quoted: Quoted: how long does the IRR eligibility period generally last? Your first contract with uncle sam is for 8 yrs.If you do 2 yrs active,you are on 6 yrs IRR.

+1

8 years.

Quoted: Quoted: I'm wondering if they might not get to the point where they'll start recalling people who are BEYOND their IRR commitment you really think so?  the publicity from that would be tremendously bad.  i'd hope that they'd increase enlistment bonuses or pay much more before they did that.  i think the military would have no problem attracting recruits if they paid privates 30 grand a year.

Dont know how they could without a draft.

Officers have to resign their commission in order to leave the service.  Officers who leave active duty are placed in the IRR until they resign.

Entry level officers have an IRR commitment like enlistees, the length is determined by commissioning source.

Quoted: Are there seriously people who don't comprehend the meaning of Inactive Ready Reserve when they sign on the dotted line? Are we really supposed to be believe that the guy mentioned in the article never imagined that he might be called up again - after only serving 2 years active duty on a 7 or 8-year contract, and with his country at war?

You'd be amazed.

Some people just don't "Seem" to look past anything other than the bonus they're getting and what MOS and duty station they're headed for after basic and AIT when they're signing all those forms

I only reached the high rank of spec4,dont know about officers

Quoted: Quoted: I'm wondering if they might not get to the point where they'll start recalling people who are BEYOND their IRR commitment you really think so?  the publicity from that would be tremendously bad.  i'd hope that they'd increase enlistment bonuses or pay much more before they did that.  i think the military would have no problem attracting recruits if they paid privates 30 grand a year.

They cant recall me, for example. My full contract date was up 20 years ago. At that time it was 6 yrs total. 8 yrs is a long ass contract.

All they have to do to get more people, is exactly what LWilde referred to with officers. Make us old enlisted vets REMF's and send the kids over. I dont understand why they bit the age increase apple and only went to 42, hell 49  opens a lot more candidates. (Think $49.95)



Question: Can they stop loss end of contract?

Ex: Signed contract 2/16/1999, contract set to end 2/15/2007. Can they say, EXTENDED INDEF??

This is nothing new, it was done during Desert Shield/Storm also.

Crybabies whined then also.

I was out having a few beers at the club one night, and four guys that worked for me in Germany walked in the door.

They had all been called back in after ETS.

One of them had really put some weight on.  Thinking back on some of the meals his wife prepared though I could see why.  Dang she could cook.

I think they SHOULD set up an incentive program to entice prior service personnel, no longer in IRR status, into rejoining their service.   A lump sum re-enlistment bonus,  priority on choice of assignment over new recruits, things like that.


CJ

Quoted: . . In truth, I wish to HELL I was young and fit again.  I would go in a fucking second.

A few years, I was vacationing at Crater Lake OR, I met a woman in her 30s, she had just adopted child from China, she was caucasian, she said she would go back in a heart beat if the govt called her back.  She held the rank of Lt, and was a nurse in the Army.

Quoted: I think they SHOULD set up an incentive program to entice prior service personnel, no longer in IRR status, into rejoining their service.   A lump sum re-enlistment bonus,  priority on choice of assignment over new recruits, things like that. CJ

They did.  Right now prior service guys can come back and score a $15,000 lump sum bonus in certain MOS' and even more in others.

Of the three guys I've signed-up for the G-RAP program one of them it almost entirely for the bonus and HE was a former Marine who's already done two tours in Iraq.

I wonder what they would say over at DU about this? probably rant something about chimpy McBush-hitler, Haliburton, modern slavery, no blood for oil, the usual noise.

Quoted: I wonder what they would say over at DU about this? probably rant something about chimpy McBush-hitler, Haliburton, modern slavery, no blood for oil, the usual noise.

You dont have to go that far to read that kommie dribble.

A good way to get people to come back willingly would be increased retirement benefits.  Since you have to do 20 for a retirement package, they should institute a retirement plan similar to other .gov employees for those that serve a shorter time.  You would accrue benefits like a 401K.  

Semper Fi

Quoted: I think they SHOULD set up an incentive program to entice prior service personnel, no longer in IRR status, into rejoining their service.   A lump sum re-enlistment bonus,  priority on choice of assignment over new recruits, things like that. CJ

Bahhhh, the whiners!

I am a few years beyond my IRR commitment, and I can still max the APFT. But I have a nasty surgery scar on my spine that I can't hide, so MEPS would boot me most ricky-tic. Well, just after my 8 years were up I did consult the recruiter. He told me to save the effort because I could not hide the scar maxing APFT still or not. That is a shame.

I have not checked too see if an exception could/would be made now, with the easing of reup restrictions, so who knows. Anybody? And what about rank etc.. I am a perfectly willing former 11BXX, still in shape, and just going to waste. I have been off a little over three years too, not eons, and they have to drag some back kicking and screaming. That is enough to piss you off.

Quoted: The Army has upped its max enlistment age to 41.   I could enlist!  (I'm 41.)   The Air Force will take you up to 35 now.  Last I heard, it was 27. I'm wondering if they might not get to the point where they'll start recalling people who are BEYOND their IRR commitment and normally would be 100 percent civilians again. I might as well get back into the AF via the reserves before they DRAFT me.  Learn to be a jet engine mechanic.   Seems like a decent job, and fairly safe as long as you don't get sucked in. CJ

Wasn't there a Air Force Sargent in Oregon? that had 18 years active service in  and they tried to recall him? Last I heard he was fighting it in Federal court. Don't know the outcome???Anyone??

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I'm wondering if they might not get to the point where they'll start recalling people who are BEYOND their IRR commitment you really think so?  the publicity from that would be tremendously bad.  i'd hope that they'd increase enlistment bonuses or pay much more before they did that.  i think the military would have no problem attracting recruits if they paid privates 30 grand a year. Dont know how they could without a draft.

There are provisions in the law for that to happen.  It needs to be a total mobilization, almost all your various prior service types that are on "RETAINER" pay (for those that HAVEN'T read ALL the small print) which is what is commonly referred to as "Retired" pay before the age of 60(maybe 65) or "retired" reserve and a draft is supposed to be implemented.

As noted all us old firehorses could easily do a lot of behind the scenes stuff while the young studs are up on the lines.  Hell with the exception of the PFT, there isn't whole lot that I did on active duty, both my initial tour and then the 11 months recalled for GW1, that I couldn't do now, with a little up date training.  Ship driving is ship driving.

But recalling the IRR is old news.

this is another excellent reason as to why actually reading the contract is a good idea. i have a six year contract in the reserves (about a year and a half down), and apparently two years of IRR are tacked onto that as well. so that's eight years worth of being able to be deployed. good thing I don't actually mind that too much, because that's a long, long time. i can see why some of those guys would be absolutely pissed.

but still have time left on their contract.

that's the part the libs always fail to mention

Quoted: Are there seriously people who don't comprehend the meaning of Inactive Ready Reserve when they sign on the dotted line? Are we really supposed to be believe that the guy mentioned in the article never imagined that he might be called up again - after only serving 2 years active duty on a 7 or 8-year contract, and with his country at war?

You have to wonder...


When I got out all you got was your 214. You didn't get your diploma till the reserve period was up.

Quoted: Just for the record...officers serve at the pleasure of the president, for life and are subject to recall at any time...for any reason.  Even though I'm NPQ for combat duty, theoretically, I and my other retired old farts could be recalled to serve in a REMF billet, say in the Pentagon while our younger more physically able dudes and dudettes deployed overseas.

Not entirely true.  Retired officers, yes.   But once an officer resigns, he is out.  So those guys who resigned and were approved after their IRR commitment ended are pure 100% civilians.

Why is this surprising?  If you did not complete the 8 yrs, then it means you are not completely out.  Has always been this way.

Whats the big deal?  I just had my mobilization extended and I am hapy with that.  When this one is over, I'll have been on active duty for 2 1/2 years of the last three.


Everyone knows the "what if's" when you swear in.

When I retired at 20 yrs, I had an additional 10 yrs inactive reserve (30 yrs total obligation). This was standard. Been retired 11 yrs now so have gone beyond that.

Now I consider myself regular militia.

I think that giving out a reasonable incentive to bring back prior service people would be a good idea.  The services would get back some experienced people who will be ready to start doing their jobs right away.   Less training commitment,  faster entrance to the field,  less stress on recruiting new people....it'd work out.

CJ

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: how long does the IRR eligibility period generally last? Your first contract with uncle sam is for 8 yrs.If you do 2 yrs active,you are on 6 yrs IRR. +1 8 years.

Wow, it used to be only 6 years total contract, and everyone was told about the IRR and how you could be called back in during a time of war.

Quoted: Quoted: how long does the IRR eligibility period generally last? Your first contract with uncle sam is for 8 yrs.If you do 2 yrs active,you are on 6 yrs IRR.

+1

Quoted: Officers have to resign their commission in order to leave the service.  Officers who leave active duty are placed in the IRR until they resign. Entry level officers have an IRR commitment like enlistees, the length is determined by commissioning source.

Can you expand on that a little?

Quoted: Are there seriously people who don't comprehend the meaning of Inactive Ready Reserve when they sign on the dotted line? Are we really supposed to be believe that the guy mentioned in the article never imagined that he might be called up again - after only serving 2 years active duty on a 7 or 8-year contract, and with his country at war?

You would be surprised.

Though I think its beyond BS that we will having to be dealing with Iraq forever. Just bomb it flat or we WILL be fighting them again, and again, and again and again....

If I were eligible, I would have repacked my seabag on 9/11/01. I am not physically able to serve anymore.

Officers receive a Commission on Comissioning.  (Yep,  no shit.)  That Commission is for life,  unless;

1.   It is taken away by the President (or Service Secretary, and that's normally for Court Martial convictions or similar bad conduct.  (BTW, that might be why we never saw Kerry's original documents, if he was actually dealing with the North Vietnamese, his Commission may have been pulled., and then was covered by Carter's amnesty.  Just a wild guess).

2.  The officer formally resigns his Commission, and that resignation is accepted by the Service.

If it is a "Regular" Commission, the "normal" Active Duty commitment is 4 years, with a 2 year "Reserve" commitment after that.  (may be 8 now).  Depending on what's happening in the world, that Reserve commitment may be a fade into the background IRR and you may or may not even have to report to a Reserve Center.  Just a few mail contacts with the Reserve Personnel Center, keeping them apprised of your current address.

Variations are (for the Navy example) the 4 years doesn't start until completion or otherwise leaving Flight School.  Total time counting toward the initial 6 (or 8).  Nuke power school used to be that way also.

Regular Commissions - Most commissions rom the Academies are Regular commissions, IIRC for a brief period in the early 80's it was possible to get a Reserve commission or a no active duty period commission from some of the Academies (Primarily the USAF Academy, way too many JOs for the needs at the time)

ROTC Scholarship Students used to normally get a Regular commission.  Non-Scholarship students a Reserve commission, and that Reserve Commission may or may not have an active duty commitment.

OCS, PLC, BOOST, or other internal commissioning routes may or may not get Regular Commissions and may or may not have sctive duty commitments.  Depends on the program, needs of the service, etc

Until an officer is actually placed formally on the Retired list (usually at age 65), he is subject to involuntary recall.  Before that time he may or may not be receiving "retainer" pay (the evolved "half" pay that officers not on active service used to receive).  after that time, he may be voluntarily recalled.

This covers the basics, there are interesting other possibilities, especially when you get into lineal numbers.  Lineal numbers are your rank within your pay grade.  Used to be you couldn't be ordered to serve under a "junior" officer, hence half pay rather than revoke a commission put on half pay in oerder to bring back under a senior officer, and to allow a hardcharging officer to move up.  In older times, promotions were based strictly on lineal numbers aafter you reached  a certain rank. And then unless you died you would get promoted.

Quoted: A good way to get people to come back willingly would be increased retirement benefits.  Since you have to do 20 for a retirement package, they should institute a retirement plan similar to other .gov employees for those that serve a shorter time.  You would accrue benefits like a 401K.   Semper Fi

I wish they would dump the 20 year retirement and go to a 401K style plan in addition to giving us the option of the TSP.

How is our government going to afford to keep paying out this benefit?

As for the back door draft...BULLSHIT!

It is CLEARLY WRITTEN ON THE ENLISTMENT CONTRACT that you have a minimum eight year commitment. After that..you are free and clear.

I wonder what would happen if a guy joined the Army for two got out...became a 300 lb fat slob and was recalled five years later? What would they do with the guy? Kick him out because he does not meet standards?

Quoted: Are there seriously people who don't comprehend the meaning of Inactive Ready Reserve when they sign on the dotted line? Are we really supposed to be believe that the guy mentioned in the article never imagined that he might be called up again - after only serving 2 years active duty on a 7 or 8-year contract, and with his country at war?

Yes, absolutely. Everyday. People with near perfect asvab scorest too.

I got out of the Army in 97, after 10 yrs + service.  In early 2001, I got a call from the Naval Reserves, asking if I wanted to join the Naval Reserves.  I said "Nope, had enough, did my time, glad to be out".  Then I asked the guy on the phone why they had called since I had already been out for almost 4 years.  The guy didn't know for sure why my name popped up on the "Call list", so he asked the OIC if he could explain to me why my name was on the "Call list".  So the OIC gets on the horn and tells me that I have a certain code assigned to my file that has me on the "Call list" indefinitely.  I tell him thanks for the info, but still not interested in joining back up.  

I had almost forgot about the first phone call, then last year I get the same type of call.  

This time it is the Reg Army calling asking if I want to come back in, again I say no thanks, not interested.  The guy on the other end said he was an Master Sgt working at DA, so I asked him why after all these years I am getting a call again.  He tells me the same thing that the Navy guy did, that this code in my file keeps me on the "Call list".

So I ask this Master Sgt what the code is(13F or something like this), and what it stands for(Indefinite Call Up).  He tells me that certain people that had certain MOS's get assigned a code for indefinite call up.  He also told me that if the Gov deemed it absolutely neccessary, they could make me go back in at any time.  I told him thanks for the info, but I was still not interested in going back in.

Not sure if I believe all this stuff about the code being what I was told it is, but I do find it very interesting that I gets 2 phone calls, almost 4 years apart, and get told basically the same thing by 2 different people working for 2 different branches of the mililtary.

Could certain MOS's be deemed critical enough for this to be true?  It is not like I was a secret killer ninja or anything, just a Commo guy(31P) that knew how to shoot cannons(13B).

Anyone ever heard of anything like this before?  Anyone got contacts in DA that can check this out and get the truth about this special code?  

My brother was in Air Force for 4.5 years they kept him in after 9/11 for an extra .5 year. My parents had a national guard guy show up at their door saying that he had asked for info on the guard, but after calling him he said he did not ask for info and he past his IRR date so no more call up for him! The .gov seems to be looking for a few good men again is seems.

Do ya think that they'd waiver my 30-40% hearing loss in my left ear?