I am a National Guard Chaplain, and the State I am moving to does not have any slots. How can I transfer to the Reserves?

2016-06-01T15:14:43-04:00

I have been getting the run around from the recruiters I have talked to already. One recruiter told me officers can't transfer, I should resign my commission and re-board in the reserves.

Response by SFC J Fullerton made Jun 1 at 2016 3:30 PM

2016-06-01T15:30:29-04:00

Chaplain, have you talked to actual Chaplain Recruiters at HQ USAREC? Most field recruiters at the local strip mall will not know the process for chaplains, as that is a special mission category with its own recruiting team for both Active and Reserve. I am not sure if a conditional release (DD368) would apply to officers transferring from the NG, as it would enlisted. I suggest you contact HQ USAREC Chaplain Recruiting Team for information. Should be a link for a POC here:
http://www.goarmy.com/chaplain/corps-career-jobs.html

Corps Careers & Jobs

Learn more about the various ways you can serve in the Army Chaplain Corps.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2016 9:55 PM

2016-06-01T21:55:36-04:00

CH (MAJ) Private RallyPoint Member send me a PM with where you are going. I can assist you in finding you a Career Counselor that can assist you with this process. Is actually an easy process it's a 4651 transfer from the Guard to a Reserve position.

Response by LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2016 12:31 PM

2016-06-02T12:31:50-04:00

It's not a "transfer" per se. As SFC mentioned, you will need to get a conditional release from the Guard. Then when you finish up the paperwork and swear in as a USAR Chaplain, the recruiter will finish off the paperwork making the conditional release permanent. I went through a similar process moving from USAR to Active Navy Chaplaincy. But regular recruiters know nothing about the Chaplain Corps. You need to speak to an Army Chaplain Recruiter.

Response by CH (MAJ) Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 4 at 2016 11:26 AM

2016-06-04T11:26:19-04:00

I recommend you contact the Chief of Chaplains Office for guidance.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2016 12:57 PM

2016-06-06T12:57:52-04:00

Just FYI..I've just transferred from the ARNG to USAR. NGB cut orders withdrawing my Fed Rec orders for MAJ, therefor USAR is showing me as a CPT. No one seems to know how to fix it.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2016 1:30 PM

2016-06-06T13:30:48-04:00

I would not resign my commission without a thorough of what is involved in gaining it back.

Response by CH (MAJ) Scott Fluegel made Jun 28 at 2016 5:46 AM

2016-06-28T05:46:05-04:00

You need to talk directly to the senior Chaplain in that State or Reserve Command.

Response by CH (MAJ) Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 3 at 2017 3:26 PM

2017-01-03T15:26:16-05:00

So far this has been a mess. The correct answer to my question would have been to find out the Reserve Support Command I wanted to be in (63rd) and Contact their Deputy Command Chaplain ((CH (LTC) Steen)). At least I know now and should have this resolved this week.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2017 5:21 PM

2017-03-02T17:21:07-05:00

Team,

It's not a difficult process, but each state will have a checklist for completing the transition. Your S1 can contact higher for the most up to date checklist as more than likely it has changed. The first step is to contact the Army Reserve Careers Division at the link below. They will assign you an Army Reserve Career Counselor for where you live and want to transfer to. It’s an easier process if you are enlisted, but my response if for officers. You can either transfer to the IRR for the reserves to pick you up, or you can transfer straight into the reserves. If you are using Tricare, then the only option to not lose your coverage is to transfer directly into the reserves. If the guard screws up your paperwork like mine, you can contact the NG liaison at HRC (Career Manager [login to see] ) and they can turn it around in 48 hours and backdate all of your orders. Then you’ll have to contact Tricare to make sure everything updated correctly. The Career Counselor will fill out the majority of the information for you once you provide what they need, but below is a list of documents that will be submitted for the process.
DD368 – Request for Conditional Release
Memo to BN Commander
DA71 – Oath of Office
DA 4651 - Request for Reserve Component Assignment or Attachment
A document stating that you have read AR600-20, Chp 4, para 4-23 (Federal Recognition Board: Statement of Compliance)
Once everything is completed you will have a completed DD 368 with signatures, NGB 0123E, Separation Orders and NGB 22. If you are transferring straight into the Reserves, then make sure that they put your gaining unit in block 9 instead of the control group. The control group is the IRR.
If you are in North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, or South Carolina you can contact SFC Katrina McNeil directly. She was tremendous help.
SFC Katrina H. McNeil
4th BN, Army Reserve Careers Division
500 Wilshire Ave SW
Concord, NC 28025
Office: [login to see]
Mobile: [login to see]
Fax: [login to see]
Email: [login to see]

http://www.usar.army.mil/Commands/US-Army-Reserve/ARCD/ARCD-Resources/

Army Reserve Careers Division Resources

Official site of the U.S. Army Reserve, the federal military reserve forces of the United States.