Here's the situation... Active duty married to Reservist.... Does it work?

Quinn May — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 18:24:36 -0400

I am a spouse to a active duty flight warrant. He is in flight school now while I'm finishing up my degree. I want to go Army officer reserve but I have no idea what to expect. I'm worried that about constantly PCSing with my active duty husband while I'm reserve will be troublesome. If anyone here is I'm a similar situation and has made it work, I would love some insight.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Oct 17 at 2022 6:56 PM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 18:56:10 -0400

There is a difference between possible and easy. Sure it is possible but it won't always be convenient or easy depending on any given situation. It also depends on factors like MOS in comparison to where you live. You might have to travel to a reserve unit that is in proximity to where you live that has your mos there.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 17 at 2022 7:15 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 19:15:06 -0400

Many folks do this. I assume someone in this situation will reply. The good thing about the Reserve is many troops already travel to their drill locations. Best of luck.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Oct 17 at 2022 7:56 PM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 19:56:46 -0400

My daughter joined the AK guard. Within a year she married an active duty E3. About a year later he ETS’d. They moved to his hometown in MS. She worked a deal to transfer to the MS ANG. She kept her rank and time in service. She did a total of 10 years in the ANG and then resigned when she completed her BSN.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 17 at 2022 8:48 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 20:48:17 -0400

Does it work? Sure, it works.....if you two can work at making it work. The issue that you'd run into is that where ever your spouse gets assigned, you will either find a Reserve unit within or near that area that has an open slot for your job skill and rank or not find one. If there is not one available, then you'd have to travel back and forth every month. Depending on the distance you travel, you could receive Lodging in Kind for a specific number of days and you'd get reimbursed up to $500 for travel expenses. If your spouse gets assigned overseas....that's where the real pain is.

Response by CH (CPT) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 17 at 2022 11:42 PM

CH (CPT) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 23:42:09 -0400

If you are committed to it working then yes it will work.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Oct 18 at 2022 12:08 AM

SGM Mikel Dawson — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 00:08:06 -0400

I was with the 7th ARCOM in Germany. There were lots of drilling Reservists who's spouse was active duty. Works out just fine. Just got to make sure you have a good Family Care plan filed if you got kids. Other than that, I saw enlisted Reservists married to AD officers, the other way around, all seemed to work out just fine.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 18 at 2022 10:41 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 10:41:44 -0400

It's sure a lot easier than two active trying to make it work.

In FACT!!!!!!!!!!!! Depending where you land in the USAR it can become kind of HARD to get out of your current chain of command. More and more hurdles are getting put in place in commands with retention problems making it hard to transfer.

An ACTIVE DUTY spouse PCS'n is an ACE UP YOUR SLEEVE in terms of justification to transfer.

Then............ when you realize that some units are WORTH paying out of pocket travel expenses you can just about be assigned anywhere in the world in the USAR contingent on your willingness to pay out of pocket travel.

Then.......... there is also something called the IMA in the USAR where you basically don't drill once a month, and just knock out all your annual training obligations in a single stoke a month straight (few positions, and usually Sr. positions and usually very specific, but they do exist).

*******
Finally........ there are MOS's with more geographical opportunities than others. Logistics for one.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 18 at 2022 12:53 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 12:53:24 -0400

Do you plan to start a family? Are you ready to be on call and work outside of your battle assembly (drill) days? Being a leader whether enlisted or officer will require a lot from you beyond just the confines of the weekend. Especially once you become a company commander. Also what's going to happen to you if both you and your husband have separate deployments? Things to think about.

Moreover, you can move around from unit to unit but you have to be careful about which branch you choose. Otherwise, you may have difficulty finding a slot to fill. I suggest you opt for a basic branch, primarily in the logistics realm because it's big and there's always a need for a log officer across the spectrum of the Reserve.

Since your spouse is an active duty officer, I personally wouldn't enlist or commission if I were in your shoes. You do you!

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 18 at 2022 1:59 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 13:59:50 -0400

I did it for over 10 years. Reserve married active duty and then commisioned. Yes it is doable, even with kids (had 1 prior to marriage and a second 5 years in). There are considerations and decisions that you have to make that most parents do not. Family Care Plan is a must with children, and difficult to find someone when you are new to an area.
There are reserve units accross the US, in Japan, and Europe. You may have to travel further to your assigned unit, which is more time away from home, but doable. It is relatively easy to transfer between reserve units - it's just a matter of finding an open position for your rank and MOS/AOC (it is retention's job to assit you with this).
PCS is usually every 4 years, but aviation is a smaller field so you may not move as often. When either of you are gone for long periods, you would need to figure out the upkeep on bills, house, pets, etc.
If it is something you want to do, talk to your spouse and figure out a way to suppot each other.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Oct 19 at 2022 11:47 AM

SGM Bill Frazer — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 11:47:23 -0400

Look USAR normally does not PCS, but depending on the MOS and Unit, they can be called up for deployments more the AD components. When AD PCS's it will be up to you to find a new USAR unit with your MOS, for drill/training.. Or you do what the Regular force does and either move or be geographically separated.