I'm currently in the Army Reserves. Next month it'll time for me to either re-up or finish my enlistment. Can I go active then?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 10:36:33 -0500

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2016 10:40 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 10:40:05 -0500

Could've attempted going active at any time. DD 368 Conditional Release Form from an Active recruiter. I transferred from NG to active using a 368, best decision I've ever made.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2016 10:51 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 10:51:05 -0500

They told my class that if you don't get active prior to shipping out, you must do 6 months at your duty station before being eligible for release. Didn't test it out myself but that's what the NGL told us.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2016 10:53 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 10:53:31 -0500

My advice would be to ask your career counselor, since he/she would be the one handling this. If you let them know that you want to go active then they will point you in the right direction. However if you want to stay in the reserves then they would be the ones to help with that. Either way ask them.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2016 10:54 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 10:54:49 -0500

I see your comments about a bonus.
Bonuses are tied to MOS (usually), component (sometimes - usually in the Guard), or unit (more rarely in the USAR). The bonus addendum will state what your obligations are. If you were to leave the USAR to go AC, you'd likely have to pay a portion back. But you may also get a bonus for signing up for Active Duty.

As for your current situation, the smoothest path and my advice would be to reenlist in the USAR and pursue a DA 368 to go directly from the USAR to AC. This avoids the possibility of a break in service, which complicates things. It also makes it more likely to retain your current rank.

Response by SFC Kenneth Hunnell made Jan 20 at 2016 11:22 AM

SFC Kenneth Hunnell — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 11:22:36 -0500

Why not

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2016 12:18 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 12:18:00 -0500

There's certain criteria that active duty is looking for. It's all based on MOS, rank, ASI's.....etc.

Response by SFC Justin Rooks made Jan 20 at 2016 12:51 PM

SFC Justin Rooks — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 12:51:42 -0500

You can attempt to transition to active duty now. You need to see a recruiter to get a DD Form 368 and get that signed by your Chain of Command. Once that happens, them you can go back to the recruiter, who will take you to the MEPS to process for Active Duty, if they are taking service at that time. The recruiter will be able to answer all your questions pertaining to going on Active Duty. Best of luck.

Response by SPC Dennis Collins made Jan 20 at 2016 11:18 PM

SPC Dennis Collins — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 23:18:12 -0500

i was reserves and went regular army after only 1.5 years, they just took my bonus, and army would not give me one. but went strait to 101st 4 years and desert storm. best thing i ever did.

Response by LCpl Domingo Ariza made Jan 21 at 2016 4:00 AM

LCpl Domingo Ariza — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 04:00:19 -0500

I'm thinking you are asking if you can go active duty? In which case you would fall under the prior service title, now in my case the Army had their quota full for prior service. However the Marines did not so I ended up joining the Marines. I think you would be better served asking a recruiter(local) I know I was not required to finish my enlistment in the Army reserves when I joined the active Marines. I hope that helped you

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Jan 21 at 2016 9:13 AM

MAJ Javier Rivera — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 09:13:51 -0500

Talk to a Recruiter, the earlier the better! Each situation is unique and will be dealt accordingly. Know if you have a bonus you might have to pay back a portion of it. As a prior service you fall under a different category and the Recruiter will follow the “almost quarterly” Business Rules. The aforementioned rules are published by the Human Recourses Command to the Recruiters indicating under what conditions the Army accepts prior service (i.e. MOS Reclass, accession rank, etc.…). Best of Lucks!

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2016 5:08 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 17:08:06 -0500

If you ETS from the reserves you will have to do a Prior Service Reenlistment. If thats what you want, i recommend signing the contract now and having your AD contract begin the day following your ETS. Otherwise you get into "breaks in service" and that affects bonuses etc. If you stay TPU you will need to get a Conditional Release from your Command

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2016 10:01 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 22:01:00 -0500

I'm USNR, but as far as I know you can 'go active' any time you want as long as there exists an opening on active duty or you have don't have anything in your contract preventing you. If you had an enlistment bonus, they'll take back a prorated amount based on how much time you had left in reserve. I don't know how things work in the Army but over here in the Navy, if you're looking for to cross over in either way and your rate is full for your zone they might administratively bust you down just to fit you in. I remember reading something a couple years ago about some Chief who went from active to reserve and back to active before retiring as a reservist (or something similar) who had to go through his Chief's induction like 3 times because he would always get administratively reduced whenever he crossed from one side to the other.
Regardless of what you decide to do, make sure you have your ducks all in a row for either before you make a decision, and keep your chain informed.

Response by SPC Wade Griffiths made Feb 24 at 2016 6:30 AM

SPC Wade Griffiths — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 06:30:21 -0500

Get with an active duty recruiter to find out.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 2 at 2016 1:17 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 13:17:15 -0400

Speak to your career counselor and your local recruiter. Your career counselor should be able to tell you how it will affect your current contract and the local recruiter can tell you the business rules that allow Prior Service Soldiers to join the Active Duty. You should also talk to you HR/S1 to see how feasible getting a Conditional Release from your command is. These are all things you need to consider in your situation.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2016 12:16 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 00:16:19 -0400

Don't do it