Posted on Sep 7, 2020
Reserve and Guard members: What would you like Active Component members to know about working with you?
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Posted in these groups: 
Navy Reserve
Marine Corps Reserve
Air Force Reserve
Army Reserve Elements
NGB
Navy Reserve Marine Corps Reserve Air Force Reserve Army Reserve Elements NGB
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 8
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If you ever deploy with reservists, find out what they do when they are not in the military.
Example. There was a base wide electrical problem while deployed. It turns out that at least 6 reservists on station were electricians in the civilian world. Those 6 members did an assessment, asked for supplies, and then promptly solved the problem. A reserve unit is usually crammed with policemen, firemen, tradesmen, craftsmen, and businessman. You have a whole cornucopia of skills at your disposal if you just know to ask...
Example. There was a base wide electrical problem while deployed. It turns out that at least 6 reservists on station were electricians in the civilian world. Those 6 members did an assessment, asked for supplies, and then promptly solved the problem. A reserve unit is usually crammed with policemen, firemen, tradesmen, craftsmen, and businessman. You have a whole cornucopia of skills at your disposal if you just know to ask...
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CAPT (Join to see)
Agree. More often than not this question is not asked. In my enlisted Seabee days we cut the time for construction of a base family services building when we put an E-5 in effective charge of the job because he was a general contractor with experience running his own large construction company.
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CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw
Reservists and Guard Members come from all walks of Life! Yes, I retired with 33 years in Navy Medicine (17 years in the Field with the Marines) and was a LPN for 30 years and 20 years as a EMT but when I retired, I worked as a Maintenance Electrician at BF Goodrich Tire Company for 18 years because of the pay difference. In any Service, it’s very important to know more than one skill. It makes you a better TEAM Member!!!
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SPC Greg Burnett
In my 12 years in the Guard, the platoons I was in had... students, electricians, farmers, auto and diesel mechanics, heavy equipment operators, nurses, police officers, paramedics, a grocery store owner, carpenters, IT people, welders, plumbers, a helicopter pilot, gardeners, machinists, bankers, social workers, a vet tech, a (color blind) video gamer repair technician, retail people, elementary through high school teachers, and a bunch of others. Honestly, there probably wasn't much in the way of a problem we couldn't have figured out and handles.
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Give us a chance, most of us are smart, handy, and educated. Most AD have a mentality that Guard and Reserve units are incompetent and/or useless. There are cases where that applies but same can be said about some AD units. Get to know your Guard/Reserve counterparts most of them are good dudes who know what they're doing. Remember we have to live and balance 2 lives which isn't the easiest thing in the world.
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CAPT (Join to see) Great question Sir. So, I was active for 7 years before going reserves. And it was a culture shock rally. They try to cram everything into one BA weekend mainly S1 stuff because BN and BDE have to have their metrics straight. Drives me nuts! It's that stigma of the weekend warrior I guess that hits the most for me. I can tell you right now, it's not just a weekend thing. Being a squad leader I am pinged a lot when working at my civilian job (DOD) so I feel at times I have never left Active. I get so many text's between the Commander, DET NCOIC, S1, and my troops. Always asking for this and that it's crazy. Not sure how others feel. But really when it all comes down to it, we all put on the same uniform. It doesn't say US Army Reserve or US Navy Reserve it says US Army and US Navy.
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The enlisted person working that aircraft might be a civilian aircraft mechanic, design engineer etc in their regular life. Don’t want into the room as an officer thinking you are the only one with an education. That paralegal might be a lawyer in the civilian world. Many of us joined for the education when we were younger but stayed until retirement because we enjoyed serving.
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That the reserve is no longer a strategic force. It was realigned about 10 years ago as an Operational force that trains to deploy and support AC forces. A lot of our battle assembly /drills are devoted to maintaining a level of readiness required to provide this support, plus there are many members who bring civilian blue collar skills to the fight.
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CPT (Join to see)
Spot on, but we are contractors in uniform, and at every opportunity the DOD tires to utilize that work force without financial compensation if possible. What is advertised as 1 weekend a month 2 weeks a year is NOT even close to reality.
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When I deployed, the NATO (US and ally SM) medics found out two of the NCOs with my unit were paramedics and more trained in a few things than other medics on base so they assisted during base drills and such.
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there is military sense, and common sense, just because its the way its always done on the post/base your from doesn't mean it cant work a different way ... sometimes the TM is just dead wrong... and just because the 20 something SSG is in charge doesn't mean that 30+ SPC (with 15+year experience) doesn't know what he's talking about ... also when you work with us .. find out who the AGR and Guard Technicians are ... we just like to play dumb to let the M-day soldiers get there due
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