Benefit gap irks citizen soldiers

Orlando Sentinel ^ | August 29, 2002 | Wes Smith

[where's_the_Outrage?]

EGLIN AIR FORCE BAS -- After being called to duty at Duke Field last September, Special Operations pilot Lt. Col. David B. was deployed to the Middle East. He spent two months flying an MC-130E Combat Talon I on missions into Afghanistan, sometimes at speeds of 250 mph just 250 feet above hostile territory -- usually while wearing night vision goggles.

But because he has been serving his country in that demanding role, he is no longer qualified to deliver packages in a DC-10 for his civilian employer, FedEx Express.

"Now I am completely unqualified in my [FedEx Express] aircraft so when I get back I will have to retrain," he said Tuesday. "The longer I'm gone, the more difficulty I will have going back to my previous employment -- and it may not exist anymore."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/orl-asecreserves29082902aug29.story?coll=orl%2Dhome%2Dheadlines

[where's_the_Outrage?]

"I'm not complaining, because I know it is part of being in the reserves,"

Well maybe complaining a little, I did too. However, I received 20 years of reserve pay without being deployed. That's the risk reservist take.

That being said, I'd be glad to accept age 55 retirement, but I don't expect it as it wasn't part of the deal, the possibility of being deployed always was.

[LiteKeeper]

I thought the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act gauranteed a reservist his pre-deployment employment. I may have the wrong Act, but one of them says that, I thought.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

You're mostly correct. However, there's exceptions for everthing, for example, the company can go under, contracts can be lost, jobs can disappear, etc.

I'm not sure how the case of becoming decertified will be handled.

[SLB]

As a "grey area" retiree I understand the frustration. I was 44 when I retired from the national guard. Now, I am 52 and still have 8 more years to wait to be elgible for retired pay. If I would have stayed on active duty, I had 14 years in when I resigned, I would be getting my pay now. Am I totally frustrated? No, I knew when I got out that I could not be paid retirement until I was 60. Would I like to see the law changed? Stupid question.

One other issue is the low retention in the reserve components. I addressed this in an earlier post today. If a person enlists in the guard on graduation from high school at age 18 and stays for 20 years they still wait an additional 22 years before they are compensated for their service. If you join the active component at 18 and serve for 20 you get compensated immediately.

[Maximum Leader]

It does seem unfair that the cutbacks in the military over the last 10 years seem to be covered by just making reservists do long active tours. Correct me, but it seemed that even before 9/11, its become very common for guardsmen to be called up for 6 month deployments overseas.

During the Cold War, when the reserves were our truly our strategic reserve in case the Russians or the North Koreans started rolling across borders, didn't most reservists just do their monthly and annual training and that was it?

Also, I've thought about joining the reserves (basically it would involve "forgetting" to tell the induction physician about past medical problems)and I was curious about the retirement system.
If you have 20 years service in the reserves, At 60 do you draw the same pension as an active duty soldier with 20 years, or it a smaller pension because your annual pay for those 20 years was less (because you had fewer days on active duty)?

[krb]

He spent two months flying an MC-130E Combat Talon I on missions into Afghanistan, sometimes at speeds of 250 mph just 250 feet above hostile territory

But because he has been serving his country in that demanding role, he is no longer qualified to deliver packages in a DC-10 for his civilian employer, FedEx Express.

That's a crock, right there. Are they afraid he will try to barnstorm with the mail or something?

[where's_the_Outrage?]

At 60 do you draw the same pension as an active duty soldier with 20 years

not usually, with 20 years, getting 50 points a year, you're eligible to retire and receive a pension at age 60. However the amount depends on the amount of points you have with 7500 being roughly equivilant to 50% base pay.

[SLB]

I sent you some mail explaining the reserve retirement system. Please excuse th elengthy explainations, I thought they were necessary as there are so many little pieces of information.

[sneakypete]

It does seem unfair that the cutbacks in the military over the last 10 years seem to be covered by just making reservists do long active tours.

Unfair? Try "criminal"! The ballless politicials INCLUDING Bubba Bush are busy destroying our ready reserves through abusing them with callups,purely because they lack the balls to re-instate a draft, and without a draft,activating reserve units is the ONLY war they can obtain the active duty manning levels demanded by the burdens they place on the back of the military.

Correct me, but it seemed that even before 9/11, its become very common for guardsmen to be called up for 6 month deployments overseas.

You are 100% right,and Desert Storm/Desert Shield could never have been accomplished without activating the reserves. There have also been a LOT of reserve Army troops called up for 6 month deployments to Bosnia/Serbia. We have no business being there in the first place,yet here we are placing financial burdens on our reservists that are forcing some into bankruptcy and losing their homes,all to keep the myth going that the "all volunteer" military "works".

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Desert Storm/Desert Shield could never have been accomplished without activating the reserves

You might consider reading On Stategy, A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War by Harry Summers. In it he explains how after the war the Active and Reserve forces were changed such that operations could not be conducted by just active forces.

Therefore, the Army (and other services) have been designed such that they can't do the mission without the reserves, the draft wouldn't fix it.

[sneakypete]

Therefore, the Army (and other services) have been designed such that they can't do the mission without the reserves, the draft wouldn't fix it.

Of course it would. It would fix the manpower shortage part,anyhow. The equipment and transportation shortage are other problems that need fixing.

[Maximum Leader]

Thats a very good point. The army can't deploy without all the reserve combat support units and the air force seems to have farmed out practically everything not requiring residence in Turkey over to the Air Guard and reserve.

We're hearing about a sub rosa struggle between the hawkish civilians in the Pentagon fighting the cautious generals over Iraq policy. I wonder (and maybe Summers discusses this in his book, I don't know)if the decision to integrate reserves into any war plan was reached after congressional and executive branch policymaking. Or did the brass in the Pentagon come up with this policy on their own as a way to box in future civilian leaders?

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Or did the brass in the Pentagon come up with this policy on their own as a way to box in future civilian leaders?

The rationale that Abrams used (in the book) was the National Will was not energized for Vietnam, in large part because communities did not have Reserve or Guard units mobilized. Note the mobilization impacts during Desert Storm and Now, the national will is energized.

Therefore it was to box in the future civilian leaders. At least that was the thought. Unfortunately Kosovo got the country used to Reserve and NG call ups.

As far as the issue of manpower shortages, the services are capped on how large they can be. I may be mistaken, but I believe that are manned at or very near these caps.

[cynicom]

The military was greatly "contracted" during the clinton years. Bush has done nothing to "expand" the military and that is what we need. Bush has not the political will to do so.