[SunStar]

Well, maybe they shouldn't have joined the reserves... Sheesh. I think protecting the USA is better than a checkout job at Kroger...

[lelio]

I think protecting the USA is better than a checkout job at Kroger...

You're always free to send a check to his wife and kids to support them in the meantime.

What employer in their right mind would hire a reservist now, knowing that instead of weekend trips and maybe a couple of months away, reservists are told to go away for 6 months of training and then a year in Iraq? What small business can keep a job around for 1.5 years?

[sharktrager]

Just curious...did you actually click the link and read the article?

[aragorn]

Perhaps you should reconsider your position.

In case you did not realize it, many of our Reserve and National Guard service members are professionals in the civilian world, and hold jobs that pay far in excess of a "checkout job at Kroger". These service members bring valuable skills to the table apart from just what military training and experience they have, and, much of this civilian experience can be very valuable in completing the multi-faceted missions that our reserve forces are being tasked with these days.

Not all missions into a combat zone are strictly combat - many involve nation-building or -rebuilding, and sometimes the civilian experience that a reservist brings along can make the difference between mission success and failure.

In my case, my employer was extremely generous, so my deployment to Afghanistan was not a financial hardship (and there was a large RIF while I was gone, and another one not long after I returned - both of which I managed to survive). However, not all reservists are so fortunate.

Why do you look down your nose at those men and women who are willing to volunteer to leave their homes and families and full-time jobs, for many months at a time, only to find out that (in some case) the promises that were made them before they left were not kept? Are these people unworthy of your support and respect for some reason? If so, why?

These service members dropped everything to answer the call - do their job - when the nation called. Clearly, they DO and DID believe that "protecting the USA" IS important. But, when their tour is over, they no longer have an active duty military job, and if the civilian job they left is not there (as is supposed to be guaranteed by law), then is that not a heavy price to pay for the privilege of doing their part to serve their country, and the citizens thereof (of which you, my friend, are a seemingly uncaring member)?

Geez, what is it with all the Reserve and National Guard bashing these days? These nation needs these troops more than every before - you'd think we could act like it, and treat them with the respect they deserve...

sigh.

[momincombatboots]

Sheesh. I think protecting the USA is better than a checkout job at Kroger...
Clearly speaking out of an ignorance as to the personnel in the US Reserves. That's OK, ignorance is forgivable. Educational news flash: Many reservists hold one or more degrees and have high paying jobs, own their own business, etc.. For example, Civil Affairs organizations are comprised of highly skilled soldiers. I know, I was one. And believe me, I have NEVER checked groceries at Kroger. When you are getting paid more privately, then realize you are gonna be shipped out for a few months, its something to adjust to. When its more along the lines of a year or two, then it's a financial hardship on anybody. Imagine that effect on a family who is learning to cope with a missing piece of their family puzzle.
To ease your comprehension of the situation, subtract 10 or 15 THOUSAND dollars a year from your pay. Pick whichever charity you desire, I would recommend the Special Operations Fund.
Reserves are not full time soldiers, currently they are being used as such. Thanks to the Clinton administration, which reduced active duty components much too aggressively... (Might I rant for a moment) Knowing that our country was being targeted by terrorist groups. Our reservists are paying for the liberal administrations irresponsibility.
Assuming our reservists are grocer checkouts to justify employees situations... Sounds like a liberal to me.