1. A system that is set up without regard to the problems of reservists serving on active duty for extended periods. For instance, our leave accrued was not tracked on our LES's for 8 months after we were activated. We are told that that issue is "being tracked" by our battalion, but it would be nice to see those numbers on paper.
2. The feeling that we have been jerked around by being told one thing and then seeing another thing happen. When we were activated our orders said that we would be on active duty for "not more than 365 days." But, after we had been in theater for several months a new policy that said we would now be in theater for not more than 365 days was put into effect (and new orders were cut). I, personally, don't mind staying longer, but many people made long term plans based on the one year activation orders we were originally placed under.
3. The general concensus that regulars treat us like second class soldiers. In many cases (in the medical field for instance) reservists may have better skills than their active duty counterparts (reserve doctors may see seriously ill or injured people every day, while an active duty doc, will perhaps see a healthier segment of the population). But we are still looked down on by many regulars. And then,
4. We are being asked to preform the same duties as active duty soldiers without getting the same benefits. If a reservist is activated and sent to a stateside post for duty he can't PCS and bring his family. He can't enroll his kids in a DODDS school and he can't take advantage of other benefits, because he "isn't really active duty".
Now, you may say that that reservist may have known all that when he signed up and that may or may not be so. but he knows it now, and it seems to him like a raw deal, so he is getting out. Call it whining if you like, but to some reservists it seems like: fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
God bless you and yours. Your service is greatly appreciated!
" In many cases (in the medical field for instance) reservists may have better skills than their active duty counterparts (reserve doctors may see seriously ill or injured people every day, while an active duty doc, will perhaps see a healthier segment of the population). "
My experience in the Medical Corps was the opposite. The Army provides complete medical care for its gazillions of personnel (it's the largest medical services operation in the USA). The civilian medicial community spends 75% of its efforts on geriatric events. Yes, soldiers are young and healthy, that's why a much higher percentage of the care in the Medical Corps has to do with injury and trauma, rather than Alzheimers and cancer.