Posted on Jul 29, 2020
SPC Chaplain Assistant
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For all reservists, what is your unit doing for AT this year? Mine is planning to have AT on the first and still doesn't have a location approved. They plan on having us fill out DTS and reserving rooms. This communication is sup bar as expected but I feel like 2days before without approval is an issue.

I definitely don't have the money to reserve a room and then pay the cancellation fee....
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MSG Intermediate Care Technician
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My unit is doing a HSAT (Home Station AT). Mainly because our CTE was cancelled like everyone else's CTE. The issue.....which REALLY REALLY SUCKS....is the COVID. This thing is causing mass panic and confusion within the ranks of leadership at almost every level.

With units needing ETPs to travel....and if that ETP template keeps getting changed every few days (Yes, I'm looking at you 807th), it makes things harder because it's pushing things back further and further.

The communication piece of this....trust me when I say that your leadership is probably more frustrated than you know. What information you were given probably took your leadership weeks...if not months...to finally get. My BN still has unanswered RFIs that were sent to my BDE.

Sadly, your answer options are the all of the options all of us Reservists...to include unit leadership...has to do. I, as the Detachment Sergeant (Senior Enlisted Adviser to the Detachment Commander)...I have to suck it up...I have to do what I'm told...and I have to hurry up and wait.
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MSG Intermediate Care Technician
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SFC Thomas Foreman - And the higher you go....the more difficult it is.
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SFC Steven Borders
SFC Steven Borders
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I second the 807th statement MSG (Join to see). They do love to change their minds on all sorts of things. The CSH here will be doing segmented HSAT. Our Schools NCO is going crazy with the amount of Orders he as had to put in.
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1px xxx
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MSG (Join to see) I never aspired to be where I am *eyeroll*
MSG Intermediate Care Technician
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SFC Steven Borders - I think it was the week before last where they were changing the template format every 2-3 days
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From the perspective of someone on full time staff trying to plan a home station AT: we’re very much in reaction mode. We have spent this entire training year planning to be the main effort in a DoD-sponsored all services joint exercise. Scrapped, 45 days prior to execution. So now we’re at home station. We are a brigade HQ and we’re not doing AT at the same time as any of our subordinate units. The joes will get some good training on basic soldier/10 level stuff. The staff...ah who cares. But trust me, we’re frustrated and stressed as hell about this. I owe my soldiers a productive AT and I have almost no time or resources to execute that mission so we’re going back to basics.
LTC Hardware Test Engineer
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CSM Eric Biggs - Our DIV CO authorized a very liberal AT declination policy. Anyone with enough points for a good year can opt out of attending our goat rope of a virtual AT. Unless, of course, you are an LTC who got tagged to conduct Mission Command training over MS Teams and Zoom. lol
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SPC Chaplain Assistant
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LTC (Join to see) - I can't help but feel you seem salty about being voluntold sir.
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LTC Hardware Test Engineer
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SPC (Join to see) - I retire in just under 2 years, after 36 years of service. I feel like I've done more than my fair share and was hoping I could just coast until retirement. LOL
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CSM Eric Biggs
CSM Eric Biggs
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LTC (Join to see), oh the benefits of being E-9 or O-5 and above. Even when we become the “Shit” umbrella to protect our Soldiers, or higher actually makes sense and takes care of Soldiers, we still get screwed. Don’t you love command!
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1SG Vet Technician
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I'm doing CTC rotation in nice cool Fort Irwin. I can't wait.
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For all reservists, what is your unit doing for AT this year?
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1px xxx
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Ummm. OPSEC much.

Just kidding. That sounds stressful.
CSM Eric Biggs
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SPC (Join to see), while I agree with your statement about it being an issue 2 days out without approval, you not being the Commander, simply must do what you’re told, until you are told to do something else. Paying for a room and cancellation fee should not be a problem since your are in the military and should have a Government travel card, and the Government will pay the bill.
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LTC Hardware Test Engineer
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SPC (Join to see) - When I was a 2LT, I got a call from my BN XO on a Thursday afternoon at 1530 telling me I had to be at FLW by 0800 Saturday morning for a 10 week MP conversion school and that following that we were mobilizing to Ft Benning for 18 months. So I had to walk into my boss's office at 1600 on a Thursday and tell him that I was leaving and wouldn't be back for nearly 2 years. We got extended twice and I was gone for 27 months.
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1px xxx
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MSG (Join to see) CSM you are correct, all GTC’s are turned on all the time now but with program managers being human there will be mistakes. And I have heard some...scuttlebutt...about units not passing that info to soldiers because they’d rather keep joe in the dark than bother to take time to explain where they can and can’t use it.
CSM Eric Biggs
CSM Eric Biggs
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MSG (Join to see) you could be right about that.
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CSM Eric Biggs
CSM Eric Biggs
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SPC (Join to see), I’m sorry your entire experience has been enamored with lack of communication and any actual leadership. Forums like this and your first line leader are where you should vent. You should look for a different unit to transfer to. Hopefully you can find some real leadership where communication is actually a thing and information is shared freely.
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SSG 12 B Instructor
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We are still going out to the field. We will be in one man Lifefigther tents outside the entire time and practice social distancing as much as we can. Unfortunately we still need to train and we still need to be proficient in our jobs regardless the enemy, even if it is a virus. We will still be running and completing ranges, rucks, demo, battle drills and missions... just with extra caution. Should be interesting
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SPC Chaplain Assistant
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I say this with hope and respect but that's definitely gonna crash and burn a bit in the beginning.
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SSG 12 B Instructor
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SPC (Join to see) - It will surely be a challenge, but that is how we find out how good we are. I am in a line unit and we need to be able to adjust fire, adapt and overcome... so I guess we will put that to the test! I do expect it will be full of 100% suck the first coupe of days!
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SFC Michael Hasbun
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Wanna know what's worse? Being on the AC full time staff trying to make all these AT's happen in the face of travel restrictions, SVBA's, constant FRAGo's, base HPCON's, ETP's and mission cancellations.

You just have to show up. Before that, someone has to make all of it happen.
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SFC Michael Hasbun
SFC Michael Hasbun
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SPC (Join to see) - Well now I feel bad... I was advocating for the whole community, not myself, but thank you.
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MSG Intermediate Care Technician
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If I get one more damn FRAGO.....I'm gonna scream. Especially a FRAGO that is meaningless and shows not one single change.
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1px xxx
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MSG (Join to see) Fragord 39 to Opord 2. Summary of Change: it will be partly sunny instead of partly cloudy
MSG Intermediate Care Technician
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SFC Thomas Foreman - I guess I asked for that one.
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CPT Staff Officer
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We were given the choice between a virtual AT from home via Microsoft Teams and conference calls
OR we could go to the exercise in Korea that required 14 days quarantine upon ENTRY into Korea, 19 days of the exercise and then 14 days once again in quarantine upon entry into the USA.

So folks that needed the money were making BANK because they got BAH as well. Plus, every one of them will get the Korea Defense Medal because 14+19 (the second 14 is in the USA) is greater than 30 consecutive days.

This probably only remotely worked because I imagine the USAR is sitting on a tone of money that isn’t getting spent.
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SPC Chaplain Assistant
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Wow that's pretty lucky at least guys can get some benefits now sense you were over 30 days on active duty.
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1px xxx
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I'm surprised that they weren't on 3 different sets of orders to avoid paying BAH.
1SG Vet Technician
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CW3 Matt Tait I was just thing to say that. For my upcoming NTC rotation, I have separate orders using up AT funds before ADT
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CPT Staff Officer
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Well, we have an influential chain of command and they are under ADOS. Plus, technically the regs can protect an astute soldier and get BAH for separate orders that are 30+ days for the same duty, or face the IG or congressional hammer. Going on ADOS orders for AT and then attending AT would fall into that protection. I'm not saying it isn't abused. I was on three months worth of orders before I deployed, but they always ended on the weekend and a new week was cut the following Monday.
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SSG Team Chief
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Hybrid style AT based on whether you would have to quarantine upon arrival to site or at home after AT is done.
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LTC Hardware Test Engineer
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we're doing a "home station" virtual AT. Basically anyone who lives within 50 miles of the reserve center is going there and the rest of us will be sitting at an armory or reserve center that's within 50 miles of HOR. Everything will be done via MS Teams. Big freaking waste of time IMHO
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MAJ Military Personnel And Administrative Specialist
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COVID has messed up planning but units are working to come up with a work-around. We had one unit sleep in individual tents last week while doing field exercises. Some units are approving individual AT at home station = alone in an office. A few units did a small unit AT with as much social distancing as possible.
If your unit doesn't have a location, how are you scheduling hotel rooms? They probably have a plan but haven't passed the info down to you. It is not unusual to have DTS approved at the last minute. I've gone to the airport and had to call hours before my flight. Do what you are told and hope for the best.
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MSG Intermediate Care Technician
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LTC (Join to see) - My unit submitted a request for the virtual. We were not approved. I have one local Soldier, and two that have to travel in from out of state (myself and my Commander). We have to travel to MN for our HSAT.
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SPC Chaplain Assistant
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MAJ (Join to see) - Hotels will either be at the base requested or at home station. That way we can all follow state and federal social distancing mandates.
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