Posted on Sep 11, 2016

Can you be ordered to buy a cellphone and keep it on and with you at all times?

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This is a several part question.

1. Can you be ordered to buy a cell phone? Had a shipmate who lived "off the grid" as much as possible. He was ordered to buy a cell phone for "recall" purposes. He fought it, but ultimately lost. He had to pay with his own funds. He purchased the most basic cell phone available.

2. Can you be ordered to keep your cellphone ON and with you "at all times". More specifically, can you expect service-members to sleep with their cellphone ON or not on silent/vibrate while they sleep (assuming they are not at a deployable command or in a foreign country).

Are either of these expectations acceptable?

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Orders

Cell Phones Recall

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Responses: 47

MSG (Join to see)

Posted >1 y ago

So the "balloon goes up", your unit is on alert and they need to call everyone in with all their gear ... Oh, that's a shame Snuffy couldn't be reached because he doesn't have a phone. Well, spin up the Article 15 machine for Missing Movement and I guess Snuff has to move in the barracks then.

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SSG Eric Eck

8 y

You were called up under extenuating circumstances, when I was in, units weren't called up unless they were already on a scheduled alert status. The attack in 9/11 is the only time we were ever called up when we weren't on RDF. And to be punished for missing movement when on approved leave would be piss poor leadership, if not given appropriate time to respond to an attack on U.S. interests. And don't forget, all flights were grounded that day, forcing more reaction time. Not to mention, if you heard about the attack and the first thing to pop into your head wasn't "wow, we are going to be alerted", well, you would not have the common sense of a door knob.

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SFC Joseph Weber

8 y

Landline,cell phone, two cans and a string. We always had to be contactable. If that's a word. Maybe the Guard is different since your are not on duty when it happens.

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MSG (Join to see)

8 y

SFC Joseph Weber Sep 11th was one thing but then with fires, civil disturbances, earthquakes, floods, the Cal Guard has been called up quite a bit because God likes to smack us around sometimes.

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Lt Col James (Jim) Jay, MMG, BSBA

8 y

The unit could provide a device instead. Or in the "old days", send someone to your house/location. SSG Eric Eck -

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CPO (Join to see)

Posted 8 y ago

On the First count as many others have stated, So long as you have A recall number that you can be reached at with in a 24 hour or by next duty day then no they can not force you to have a cell phone. How having a land line and not a cell phone is off the grid I have no idea. If he did not have a land line then yes the command can say get a phone (land or other) or move back on the Ship / Base.

To the Second question: If I am not on duty or in a recall status due to current mission, how I sleep is no ones business. If I had a CoC that wanted to call me randomly in the middle of the night for no good or drill reasons, they would learn what languages I speak and discover some new choice words / phrases.

All that aside I have yet to be in a command that would have / allow that level of tom foolery. Everywhere I have been they have respected peoples limited down time and only called them for express emergency's.

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ENS (Join to see)

8 y

If you are in a SME position, would that hold true?

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COL (Join to see)

8 y

The issue is not being able to contact someone but the abuse by leaders in using that contact information or perceiving that they could contact you 24/7 on anything.

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