Reservists Backpedaling As War Looks More Likely

The Tampa Tribune | Feb 9. 2003 | Marilyn Rauber

[laredo44]

No, it's not deja vu all over again. It's lying media whores again.

This needs to repeated, often. These clymers in the press need to be held accountable for their unethical, agenda-based reporting.

say their calls have more than tripled in the past few months

Did she check the assertion? Probably not. Why? Cause she's got an agenda to push. And the whore, Marilyn Rauber, sure lets the begged question lie there. How many calls is that, Marilyn? How many before the past few months? And how many in the past few months? Did the same guy call back three different times? It is a cheap, childish, lazy trick to make this context free statement.

[pfflier]

You're right. This is a broken record. "Gosh Wally, I was only in it for the benefits. I didn't know we could go to war'"

[sneakypete]

Jay Farrar, a military analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that after Bush declared a long term war on terrorism 16 months ago, many of his reservist friends began resigning or retiring to avoid being called up again and again.

Yup,this crap is totally destroying the reserves as a ready reserve element. Once this stuff dies down to where the people in the reserves now are allowed out,the reserves will dissapear as a worthwhile asset.

Some of the services, including the Marine Corps, have frozen retirements and are keeping overseas units in place to ensure troops can't retire even if they want to.

Same thing in the army. I know of a retired WO with only one lung who is 50 years old,and they asked him to come back on active duty to train troops. This is a man retired and on 100% disability who was supposed to have died of cancer about 3 years ago. I also know others on AD who had planned on retiring,and are now frozen in place who are pretty upset about this,too. Once they have the chance to get out,it's going to be a flood of people leaving. A flood that can't be replaced without a draft.

[sneakypete]

2) Pay back every penny they have received in pay, benefits, comphensation and cost of training, then receive a Dishonorable Discharge.

TRIPLE damages for deceit!

[sneakypete]

Sanford may have joined the Reserves thinking it was a good political ploy in a military state like South Carolina. Now that he has to make good on the deal, it's not so hot, eh?

Well,not everybody is lucky enough to join a Air Guard unit that only flies obsolete planes that will never be deployed.

[Poohbah]

MEMORANDUM

To: Pantywaist Chickens**t Reservists Trying to Dodge Active Duty Callups

From: SECDEF Donald Rumsfeld

Subj: GET OFF YOUR DEAD A$$ES AND REPORT FOR DUTY

1. It has come to my attention that some of you folks were perfectly willing to cash those drill paychecks and gather the retirement fogies, but that you're not willing to go on active duty when called for whatever silly reasons you choose to devise.

2. Kindly read the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Article 85, Paragraph (3), and decide if you really want to be stuffed in front of a firing squad.

r/s,

Donald Rumsfeld

[ReaganCowboy]

The Air National Guard is pretty well integrated into the everyday operations of the active Air Force. They also supply 100% of the air soveriegnty mission capability for the United States. Not exactly obsolete aircraft... And most of their pilots have about triple the flight hours of their active counterparts.

[walden]

Yah, my sweetie is an old Marine, and some days he gets depressed that he can't go-- he's 56. ;)

[ReaganCowboy]

This story is bravo-sierra.

[Chuckster]

Heck, I'm 54 and already a disabled veteran with 15 years active service in the "Regular Army-O" including a year of combat. It would be foolish to say that I'd be willing to go fight again at my age, but I could certainly relieve some young drill sergeant of training duties. When I was in BCT we had several older reservists as trainers.

Summer soldiers and sunshine patriots, what did you think you signed up for? Oh yeah, the college and retirement bennies and the beer busts at the armory. None of 'em are fit to shine a real soldier's boots!

[Leisler]

I am pretty sympathetic to Guardsmen and Reserves. Let’s face it, we are using them because they are cheap, and no politician wants to fund a military the size that is needed to do the task now being placed upon it.

A lot of these guys are in limbo. The Generals don’t have the intelligence, planning or common curtsey to say, “Guys we need you for x amount of time, and you’ll be home, because we know this is a full time, long term war and we are ramping up the “Active Army, etc.” Nope. Not a peep. Must be all that hand to hand fighting all those Colonels and Generals, staff Majors, legions of paper pushing O-3s, hordes of butterbars, countless potbellied coffee fetching senior NCO’s are doing each and every night. Naturally the Bush White House, stuffed with incest bread Wasps is right on this, after golf of course.

[Chuckster]

Oh wait..they won't take him..he is too old at age 41.

Actually, I don't think he is. Although if he's a retiree, they can't join the reserves, at least not without giving up their retired pay. However they can be recalled to active duty. Since he probably hasn't been out more than years or so, that is a distinct possibility. They recalled a few retirees in critical skill areas during Gulf War I, IIRC.

My best recollection of the Army's policy at least, is that one must be able to complete 20 years of active service by age 55, so the oldest one can be for initial enlistment would be 35. To determine eligibility for re-enlistment, subtrqct total active federal service from age. If the result is 35 or under you're eligible, at least as far as age is concerned.

[sneakypete]

I was speaking of a certain ANG officer during the VN war who was careful to only be qualified to fly obsolete fighters that were restricted to US duty.

[donozark]

One of Steve McQueens better movies.

[James R. McClure Jr.]

Peace FloridaGeezer,

As a reservist, this sickens me. No one forces you to sign that contract. Everyone knows what they are getting into when they join up. As far as I'm concerned, any reservist who does not show when activated should be punished to the fullest extent of the UCMJ: missing a movement; failure to obey a direct order; AWOL; etc. For anyone who doesn't know, during wartime, the penalty for any of these can be death. Line a couple up against a wall and the rest will take notice.

James R. McClure Jr.
USNR

[Barnacle]

Bump.

Did they think the Reserves meant you only "play" soldier?

[drachenfels]

OK, been there, done that. My reserve unit has averaged sending a company size element every other year since 1994.. And I'm just back from the last one.

It was important doing what we do... but after getting NO help from some significant folks (TriCare is USELESS, they won't pay over 40% of the going rate.. and there are NO doctors in our area that take that, and will accept new patients), I've got to admit that my personal motivation level isn't the best it's ever been.

We've had damn few develop a case of chicken-sh*t when the call comes, but damn few. We provide something that the active guys don't have... that's lots of experience, and they've learned how important that is.

Lesson learned from all this... I'm not volunteering to do anything else, but if the call comes... let's go do the job right this time, finish it, and get on with things.

PS: If I had a nickle for every employer that's given our folks fits (you REALLY don't want to know), I could retire now.

[Thunder 6]

You are on target!

It would be nice to hear something about, oh, say the 28th Infantry Division (ARNG) unit here in PA, who have, since 11 Sep 01:

1. Posted Guards at the airports.

2. Posted Guards at the two Nuke plants in PA (and are still there).

3. Posted Guards (again, and for the forseeable future) at the Military Airfields in PA. This (supposedly) frees up AC soldiers/airmen to deploy.

4. Have a BDE sized TF returning from Germany/Italy where they have been Guarding AC facilites (again, supposedly to spell AC soldiers who were/are training for war)

5. Have a BDE sized TF running the Bosnia mission ("SFOR 12"...yes, there have been 12 SFOR rotations on top of the original IFOR gig) and, yes, this frees up AC soldiers to train for/fight the war.

6. Are fixing to send another BDE sized element to Kosovo to run the KFOR mission for up to a year or more....to free up...(you might detect a pattern here)

This is on top of all the regular training they have to do for their wartime mission. They have jobs and familes as well. This has involved thousands of PA National Guardsmen (and their familes/employers).

They are not unique...just an example of what we are asking the RC to do these days...and most folks haven't heard their story.

[GATOR NAVY]

However they can be recalled to active duty...

That's correct in the Navy-until you go over 30 years, it's not even called retirement pay, it's retainer pay and you can be recalled to active duty from the Fleet Reserve. You're considered retired only after 30 years. I don't know about the other services.