[cherry]

"The reason why active duty personnel look down on Reservists and Guardsmen is due to the difference levels in their training. Things that active duty personnel do as a matter of routine from daily practice have to be learned by Reservists and Guardsmen."

THAT is mostly BS.....my husband's outfit competed against the actice duty guys and won everytime......

maybe you would like a forced draft, and then we can quit relying on the sacricfices of the reserves and guard.....no retirement for them after doing a 20 yr stint, to begin with.....

or perhaps we can just leave the Guard and Reserves home here, and extend the mission of the active duty guys in Iraq, say , to the end of the war.......heck, I guess they don't need any stinking time off.....

[Poodlebrain]

I realize that there are Reserve and National Guard units that are made up almost exclusively of prior active duty personnel that have unparalleled skills and experience. However, such units are the exception rather than the rule. And even in those cases the Reserve and/or Guard units are often only superior at specific tasks which they focus on during their limited training. I seriously doubt your husband's unit was superior to active duty units in common soldier tasks such as convoy movements, setting up field locations, performing perimeter security, practicing field sanitation, etc.

Never did I question the patriotism or commitment of the Reserve or Guard personnel, or the value of their service. I'm well aware of the sacrifices that Reservists and Guardsmen are making. However, as a former active duty officer and Reservist, I'm also aware that everyone is a volunteer.

With respect to your last paragraph, why would we pay for part-timers if they were never to be used because we could fill the ranks with draftees? Your husband would not have to worry about being sent to combat, and he wouldn't have to go to monthly drills or annual training, but he would have to forget about the extra income and limited benefits.