What are some reasons Reservist and Guard Soldiers have decided to leave the military? Are you staying involved with the military?

2015-12-29T11:31:24-05:00

What are your reasons for getting out of the NG/Reserves? I know currently I have a large number of Soldiers ETSing this year. The primary reason seems to be they want to advance their civilian careers (move/promote) and education (grad school , PA school, etc)

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Dec 29 at 2015 12:15 PM

2015-12-29T12:15:42-05:00

Many people and many reasons!
1. To start, reserve duty becomes an anchor to some service members that want to take their careers further.
2. 14 years of conflict has given a sour flavor to employers when it comes to their employees who are reservist. Yes, there are laws that protect them but we all know when a business needs to cut folks the Citizen Soldier becomes a prime target.
3. Many reservist do not find what they were expecting when they first joined, meaning training opportunities.
4. Promotions. Reservist are subject to MOTE/TDA availability within their units or otherwise relocate; if an available position is open. This is many times not an option.

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Dec 29 at 2015 12:16 PM

2015-12-29T12:16:08-05:00

1) Too much disruption with their civilian career or schooling
2) Having to spend too much (perhaps the majority of their time) on admin requirements not core to their MOS or mission
3) Don't want to be held accountable; I've seen Soldiers in the NG who treated it like a weekend gun club, and when standards were enforced, they decided it was no longer for them.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 12:17 PM

2015-12-29T12:17:42-05:00

For some (possibly many), besides the opportunity to advance in civilian employment and/or schooling, there are feelings that the USAR is not what they imagined it would be. What I mean by this is that (just like some on AD as well) there are those that come into the USAR with a particular mindset on what the USAR is and what it has to offer. They go through Basic and AIT and love every minute of military life............then they get to their Reserve units. Some units rarely get to practice their skill sets, instead focus on all the taskers that are sent down the pike that must be completed before the end of BTA. Which, we all know, can be very time consuming....and that's even if we are able to take care of some of that stuff outside of BTA. And Heaven help those TPU's that do not have a full time staff, since that just creates even more admin paperwork that must be completed that takes away from MOS training. You have: Cyclic Inventory; You have Sensitive Item Inventory; PMCS; Counseling sessions; APFT; Supply; LIK; Mandatory briefings; Mandatory training; UPL; and what ever else the BN and higher throws your way. My TPU unit has 13 Soldiers and not a single FTS support. All of these extra taskers are very time consuming and takes away from MOS training. We do the best we can, but sadly, there are things that fall to the side because many things sent our way are sent as highly critical and need completion asap. Because of this, I have Soldiers within my unit that have no intention of re-enlisting. And I find this very sad because these Soldiers are very good at what they do when given the chance to perform their MOS. As the Detachment Sergeant, I do what I can every week outside of and during BTA to keep them engaged, try to keep their Team Leaders engaged, try to keep the Team Leaders to keep their Soldiers engaged, try to keep them motivated....but, again, there are those that lose that spirit of why they came in in the first place.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 12:30 PM

2015-12-29T12:30:17-05:00

Well, that depends entirely on when they left. I left the SELRES because there were no billets for my rank/designator at my NOSC, and no accessions back into AD. I had to choose between being a half-arse sailor, or a half-arse civilian, and decided the latter offered longer legs with the full effort.

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Dec 29 at 2015 12:43 PM

2015-12-29T12:43:04-05:00

At the time that I decided not to stay in the reserves I left because it was almost impossible to get a decent job if you were in the reserves or the NG. During interviews the question about summer camp always came up and as soon as you said yes the interview was pretty much over. In general the military was not very highly thought of in the seventies and veterans and reservists were not welcome many places.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Dec 29 at 2015 12:54 PM

2015-12-29T12:54:06-05:00

Surprised there wasn't a mention of the spouse beating up on the SM to get out. Interesting enough, when the reservist gets out, that wasn't the real reason for the subsequent divorce anyways. Heard that tune time and time again.

Response by Capt Mark Strobl made Dec 29 at 2015 1:00 PM

2015-12-29T13:00:39-05:00

When I initially separated, I checked out three of the local reserve units. Coming directly from the FMF, my expectations of military bearing and professional etiquette were chasms away from one unit, in particular. As for the other two, they were extremely "top heavy." Three LtCol's, eight Majors, and a platoon of Captains --all were primarily concerned with their progress toward retirement. Bottom Line: It was time for me to hang up the proverbial cleats. So, I became a Navy spouse --which, at the time, offered its own dynamic challenges.

Response by LTC John Shaw made Dec 29 at 2015 2:25 PM

2015-12-29T14:25:10-05:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member I LOVE being a citizen soldier, but the civilian career and the family pain is difficult to manage/live through. The best spouse and families with kids are challenged. The best employers strain to support the planning for multiple deployments. My wife and four kids are on their fifth time for mobilization, third 12 month deployment. Verizon is a great employer, but each deployment requires me to give up a team of people to a new manager and hurts my ability to build consistency and trust in the Director/VP level when I return, just to do it again in a couple of years.
For me it is still worth it, but I understand how many don't.

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Dec 29 at 2015 4:14 PM

2015-12-29T16:14:29-05:00

The biggest reason is a too much of a negative impact on their civilian career. Some employers make it difficult to meet your military commitments, especially anyone who normally works weekends. When an employee asks for one weekend out of each month off, it makes it difficult for the employer. With all the deployments in the last 10+ years, some employers look at employees who are NG/Reservists as a hindrance. My first Commander in the ANG gave me great advice when I joined the unit. He said, "Never forget where your bread and butter come from." Meaning my civilian job comes first because it pays the bills. The balance between ones civilian job and the military can be very trying.

The benefits are not what they used to be. Medical benefits used to be free, now you have to pay a monthly amount to maintain Tri-Care.

Poor unit management or crappy leaders also make participation less than exciting and is an incentive to leave the Reserves or Guard.

The best Reserve program out there is the IMA program. Like everything else, it has been cut drastically over the years. The IMA program is very flexible and allows for the Reservist to best manage the balance between the civilian career and military career.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 4:54 PM

2015-12-29T16:54:06-05:00

Service is voluntary and we lose great people every year. Many struggle with work-life-military balance while others are just best suited in another career. In my 38 year career, I quit twice. Both times was because of poor/toxic leaders. Both meant a transfer to the IRR, where I spent time pursuing my civilian career, education and family. But, I chose to return to a TPU assignment because I enjoyed the people and the mission. I chose to stay because I got something more out of serving than a paycheck, which often didn't cover the travel and lodging costs required to serve.
So, my point is that people quit but sometimes, they still feel a need to serve. For the soldiers you have ETSing, ask them to consider remaining in touch. Maybe, some will return in another capacity. Or, they may see the threatening skies on our horizon and shift to an 'Operational Reserves' as a bridge too far, choosing to remain a civilian from this point forward.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 6:26 PM

2015-12-29T18:26:15-05:00

The majority of benefits granted by service in the Guard can be used and depleted during your first enlistment term. After that, soldiers begin to ask themselves if there are still benefits to justify losing 25% of their weekends off for drill, 1/6th of their summers for AT, and possibly a year or more of their lives for a deployment. The Army as a whole doesn't do a great job of incentivizing continuing service past the first enlistment. A 10k bonus for 6 years? Most would probably make more than that at their civilian jobs if they weren't constantly being ordered away. Those like me that stuck around because there was the possibility of going on another deployment or at least getting to attend another training course are starting to realize the current climate in which we find ourselves. There are very few slots for deployment and even less money for resident courses outside of NCOES. Perhaps the better question to ask is, "Why do soldiers re-enlist after their first term?"

But who am I kidding, the Army will eventually have to boot me out from old age.

Response by CW3 Kevin Storm made Dec 29 at 2015 6:35 PM

2015-12-29T18:35:34-05:00

I hope to retire in the upcoming year. Why? When A four star starts saying he wants the guard to be used more often, drill longer train more. I start to think I need my full time job a whole lot more than I need a part time one, and I think some people in Washington need to wake up to that reality. 2. Gross mismanagement of schools and promotions primarily. 3. The MEB/PEB process, how you can pass a PEB then go straight back on Medhold with MEB for the same thing you were PEB'd for is beyond my comprehension. 4. Discrimination of Soldiers for promotion who are on MEDHOLD with no recourse to correct the system.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 6:54 PM

2015-12-29T18:54:12-05:00

MAJ Yinon Weiss hit two of my biggest ones:

1. I worked hard and went to school to become a pilot, knowing the risks and dangers that followed with that. I left a Federal Civil Service job and became a pilot in the corporate world in a very volatile and fluctuating industry. There are times where my drills have interfered with me making money, and it boils down to dollars and cents.

2. I joined the Army to become an aircraft mechanic. That means turn wrenches and fix helicopters, with the occassional WTT and shooting and field exercises. Never once did I ever intend to join in order to take "mandatory" classes on stuff that is basic common sense. Dont drive like an asshole, buckle your seatbelt, treat everyone with respect, dont drink and assault men or women, that kind of thing. Never did I ever think I d become a professional class taker. Its driving me nuts.

3. The way this Army is heading, and the military as a whole, does not bode well for my future career prospects. The only way that I could become anything else in the Army would be to become a pilot. Well, the chances of me getting fixed wing slot right from the get go are NILL. I d have to leave my civilian job, go to WOCS, BOLC, SERE, IERW, and then AQC. That s a potential 2 years that I d be away from fixed wing. Sure the AD pay would be great, but what about when I come back? It just does not compute for me.

So that being said, its time to pick up stakes and move to another place in my life and career. Never once will I ever badmouth my time in the service: the only reason I did so well on the civilian side is the knowledge skills and abilities the Army has taught me. The friendships, brotherhood, good times and bad, were all part of me that I will never forget.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 8:09 PM

2015-12-29T20:09:11-05:00

I think most reservists get out because they don't do anything on drill weekends. I have been in a few differant units and it is always the same thing sit around doing nothing. I currently drive over 200 miles to drill every month and if I didn't have to be in to keep my civilian job I probably would have got out 2 years ago.

Response by SGT Jeremy Reese made Dec 29 at 2015 8:17 PM

2015-12-29T20:17:49-05:00

A lot of soldiers have recently left our unit due to no positions for advancement. We have no E6 slots so it really bottlenecks advancement, and restricts our soldiers to E4 and E5. Most transferred out of the state to find slots. We also have no way to organically grow our senior enlisted ranks, with two E7's preparing to retire it leaves us reliant on transfers to fill the positions.

We often have a high tempo of stateside operations, with the JISST program and communication support missions. We often run two full 2 week AT's, actually I can't remember a year we didn't. I could definitely see disruption to civilian careers, especially while on a 3 month JISST rotation. So far we haven't had anyone ETS voluntarily out of the guard.

Unemployment also remains an issue within the guard. Quite often we do our best to have them employed on temporary orders, though funds for orders are limited. However I could see their obligations to the guard being an issue with potential employers and with relocation.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 8:37 PM

2015-12-29T20:37:10-05:00

I wouldn't have it any other way. I serve my country and community! Retirement will pay for it the most. Health care and a pension from 2 places. Can't wait!!

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 9:01 PM

2015-12-29T21:01:17-05:00

I retired from the Reserves when my civilian company moved me. We worked out a deal that would allow me to stay and would have benefited me and the Reserves. After the second month (of 4) I got a call that I would have to drill at my previous site. It seems a certain LT was not included in the deal.

I drove 2.5 hours to drill. Went to the file cabinet and filled out my retirement papers. The BN Commander called me into his office. He said I thought we had a deal worked out where you would stay. What happened? I told him to ask the LT. He said no I am asking you Sgt.

After our discussion he approved my retirement and told me to go on home. But, sent the LT up on you way out.

I suspect the Lt did not have a good time that weekend.

Response by MSgt Keith Hebert made Dec 29 at 2015 11:45 PM

2015-12-29T23:45:43-05:00

LTC Yinon Weiss said it perfect. I was lucky and stuck it out for retirement but it was rough
Some of the problems I saw was;
1 FTS was given priority over the m-day soilders/airman die schools promotions ect
2. Hard on family and job especially during hurricane season
3. Never enough time and SNCO had to work at home because of Mandatory training

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 11:51 PM

2015-12-29T23:51:03-05:00

We cannot forget that the system is not designed for everybody to make a 20+ years career in the military. Also; the NG/Reserves of today is not the same of 10 years ago. Today is basically impossible to meet all the requirements as a Soldier in just one weekend a month. This days Soldiers are required to employ an decent amount of their time outside BA's doing on-line training, appointments, ect. And even they can get paid for that; the lack of commitment plays a huge factor.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2015 12:12 AM

2015-12-30T00:12:57-05:00

A lot are getting out because they see no future in their military career. Due to bottle neck promotions and the other is they either want to deploy or are tired of deploying so much. Feel that their luck might be running out. Also, thanks to budget cut backs. No combat or hazardous duty pay. Which is a huge chuck of change.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2015 12:28 AM

2015-12-30T00:28:39-05:00

I'm still in the ARNG, just started my 6 year reenlistment. However, I'm beginning to regret it.
BCT and AIT, although difficult, looking back, I enjoyed it. I arrive at my unit of assignment, parade rest, yes SGT, no SGT and am immediately told to relax. No military bearing required, apparently. I start attending my monthly drills and absolutely hated it. No MOS related training, mostly death by power point, hip pocket training, and twiddling our thumbs.

I extended for our deployment... 18 months and I swore that I would be done afterward. While on deployment, I found again, the Army that I had loved, a purpose, a mission and decided to reenlist.

Back to drill and it's the same stuff. No structure, no organization, no MOS related duties.

Trying to find a decent job after deployment (just finished my BAS months prior to MOB) has not been an easy task. Employers may state that they want Vets, I don't believe that's entirely true. I often feel like a burden to the Civilian side of the career spectrum. At my last job interview, I felt interrogated and left feeling worthless. Employers do not want to deal with drill weekends and required training. What if they can't find a replacement? It almost like it's too much of a burden to the Civilian world to hire a SM, especially one coming home from a combat zone.

Another thing that makes me wish that I would have just ETSed is that in my MOS, it's difficult to move up in rank. We are over slotted as it is and when you get back from a deployment, the whole MTOE changes... I get slotted as an E5 for deployment, go above and beyond mission requirements, and people who didn't deploy, found every reason not to are E5s months after I return home...

Response by MSgt Michelle Mondia made Dec 30 at 2015 1:26 AM

2015-12-30T01:26:40-05:00

I don't think people can deal with the politics anymore. They are trying way to hard to be like active duty and it puts a great deal of expectation on individuals...there's no work life balance, the stress of just getting your training accomplished in one weekend is enough to send members racing to their ETS after 4-6 years. Sad.

Response by MSG Rick Emmertson made Dec 30 at 2015 10:40 AM

2015-12-30T10:40:46-05:00

The National Guard and Reserve has been good to me. I ended up with 28 good years for retirement. If I had not taken a 13 year break in service to raise my family, I never would have stayed 20. My advice is don't burn any bridges. Pursue your career, stay in shape, and if the stars align, re-enlist.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2015 11:41 AM

2015-12-30T11:41:26-05:00

First term Soldiers are tired of having their lives disrupted. College careers taking six years instead of four, delaying starting a family - particularly acute for female members - it gets old.
Mid-career guys have never known constrained resources and deployments getting scarce. It is a culture shock.
For long-timers, many of us have just about had it with all of the distractions and miscellany that has become "priority" the past few years. Some of it is just... well, I'm still in, so hooah Army policies.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2015 2:01 PM

2015-12-30T14:01:13-05:00

Toxic leadership

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Dec 30 at 2015 3:53 PM

2015-12-30T15:53:07-05:00

I plan on riding out my contract until it ends in the spring of 2017. No doubt I'll have mixed emotions about leaving this unique experience called The Military (both Active & Reserve). Still, for me, I know it will be time to hang up my dog tags.

One of the biggest motivating factors for me is commitment to my civilian career-or lack thereof. My career trajectory may have leveled out recently, but that leveling came after a severe drop that began before my time in the Army. As many before me have found out the hard way, being middle-aged makes getting back on the career track or even starting over at Square 1 career-wise a real challenge for anyone, much less someone with a military commitment to Uncle Sam. My service is not wholly responsible for these issues of course, but my military commitment has affected employment and continuing education decisions I've made. I’m also mindful that potential employers may/do view my Reserve commitment askance; always with an eye on how it will negatively affect them.

On top of this, other demands on my time weigh on me. These are my reasons. Sometimes you got to know when to say when.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2015 6:04 AM

2015-12-31T06:04:42-05:00

I'm a TPU Reservist. As of 1 January 2016, I'm in the IRR. I'll tell you why: I was active duty for twelve and a half years. I'm 48. I'm a grown adult, and I act like the officer and adult that I am. I have extensive experience and education in my field.

I still get treated like a child, or like some bumpkin who just walked in off the street. I won't get listened to, when I'm trying to make things better. I'll get told to my face that I'm not a real officer because I'm a Chief.

In my soon-to-be-ex detachment, the commander got all the Warrant Officers together to tell us we're not leaders, and if we saw something wrong, to get an NCO to fix it. He's had me stuck on a mission better suited for a clerk than a Signal Chief with a Master's in Software Engineering. They're playing games with the rating scheme, violating AR 623-3, and shut me down when I raised an objection. The commander bullied me into accepting a second Annual Training, saying it was needed to catch me up with the mission, then stuck me on the busywork mission better suited for a clerk.

I just got selected for promotion, and there are no open slots I can find anywhere closer to my home. I drive an hour to get treated like a child once a month, and get harassed over email between battle assemblies because of a complete lack of planning. I was the Master Resilience Trainer for my detachment, and officially requested time on the training schedule...and got ignored.

The senior warrant in the detachment has drank the O-grade kool-aid and lost what it means to be a warrant officer. Instead of doing what's right, she'll help push what's expedient. They're doing pooling in the rating scheme, which is against the regs, and they're even doing it wrong as it won't accomplish what they said was the intention. The only real objective here is to reduce the number of evals on which the det commander is the senior rater. O-grades not wanting to do their jobs.

I'm just physically and psychologically tired. I want to contribute, but this detachment doesn't want what I have to offer, even though there are real missions that need it.

I'm just very lucky I work for Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the most military friendly employers around. Otherwise, I'd be screwed in my civilian job.

Plus, a unit can require what it wants out of you, but when they don't have funds to keep you on orders, you being unemployed won't matter to them. I don't believe you should have to accept being unemployed, underemployed, or homeless to be in the Army Reserve, and anyone who does is a fool.

Response by CMSgt James Nolan made Dec 31 at 2015 11:03 AM

2015-12-31T11:03:57-05:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member Anyone who has been in, and has a responsible career on the outside knows that their civilian career will sadly suffer. Employers truly do support the Guard/Reserve, but....they have businesses/offices/police and fire departments etc to run and we are a PAIN. Plus, you are truly working 2 careers, and it is just plain hard to do.

Add to that, the further you advance your military career, the greater the personal demand becomes (as it should), and that causes additional stress at the homefront.

Gone are the days of 1 weekend a month, and 2 weeks in the summer. I have not seen that since 2001, and do not expect to ever see that again.

Grab ahold of the troops that have promise. Train them, show them they have value. Make their time worthwhile. Be open in communication with them-I can put up with a lot of BS, when I understand why I am putting up with it. Troops that are shown even a modicum of appreciation will return that with hard work and sacrifice.

My commander has a philosophy that I embraced a long time ago. Some troops will want to go to other units/MOS's or AFSC's or even services. Allow them to go where they think they will be happy-as they will continue to serve, and we (military) benefit from a good productive war fighter staying and doing a job where they are happy or challenged, than if we stop that move, and the troop gets out.

Staying in is tough, staying in and being unhappy, unchallenged, or abused will cause cancer to spread.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2015 2:46 PM

2015-12-31T14:46:45-05:00

I will say this I have been in the NG for almost 5 years. Out of those 5 years I have done maybe and I mean maybe a years worth of training in my MOS.

It's always mandorty classes SHARP or some other class that have taken a hundred other times. How can a person stay motivated when they are unable to do what they signed up for.

Speaking for myself as a lower enlisted about a year and half ago I was done. I wanted no part of the guard. I just showed did what I was told and went home. Then my units leadership changed and it all changed. We actually train for our jobs the best we can in 2 days around all the BS classes. Not to mention our new leadership actually cares more about his Joe's then himself.

Response by SFC William Adamek made Dec 31 at 2015 5:29 PM

2015-12-31T17:29:38-05:00

One additional thing I didn't see mentioned was the increase in prior military getting disabilities and the inability to get both disability pay and drill pay.

Response by MSgt Eric Weeber made Dec 31 at 2015 6:34 PM

2015-12-31T18:34:02-05:00

I can see how some would blame the PT test as a reason for getting out. Personally, I agree with those who are saying it is a conflict with civilian careers. I myself have jumped back and forth between shifts because I was deployed alot during my time in the Guard, making it hard to keep 1rst shift and maintain a decent life for my kids and my wife. The PT aspect was never an issue because I ran and worked out daily to begin with. I actually think the PT was something of a joke. I managed to stay in 25 years and only made it to MSGT despite having the required PME to advance at least one more grade. I was promised it and went before a board several times to get it and always had my career and uniform as well as knowledge issues down pat, I think leadership suffers among Guard and Reserve units and as a result something of a good ole boy club exists as well, allowing those who are in favor more opportunities to advance than those who actually know their jobs.

Look out for any good ole boy club mentality, I have personally seen way to many qualified and gifted workers in their respective career fields get passed over for promotion. This is one aspect of the Guard that always bothered me.

Response by SPC James Martin made Dec 31 at 2015 7:35 PM

2015-12-31T19:35:51-05:00

I got out due to the hindrance on my civilian career and poor leadership. We were stood up for deployment then stood down 4 different times. Then there was the fact that my unit had not a single piece of equipment for my mos, so I was constantly asked to do other jobs that I wasn't trained or qualified to do. In the end, I just wanted out.

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made Jan 1 at 2016 10:42 AM

2016-01-01T10:42:08-05:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member - ma'am, based on my past experience as a retention nco in the arng, what departing soldiers WON'T tell you is they're leaving because (1) ARNG is home to and protects the old-boy network, thereby limiting their career progression (2) local commanders have let standards erode so badly that being in the unit is nothing like what they trained for and (3) they're tired of a dysfunctional chain of command / nco support channel

Response by SPC Mark Burle made Jan 1 at 2016 1:30 PM

2016-01-01T13:30:27-05:00

-Time away (I went on 4 SEDs and two deployments in a 4 year period)
-Poor leaders (NCOs and officers) some not all.
-Some serviceman can't pass height and weight or PT test
-Promotions(in the guard there was very few E-5 and up slots for medic. So depending on your MOS and not how good of a soldier you are is how you get promoted.
-Civilian job- unless your ems, police, fire, or gov't job. Employers don't care, they just want their business to do well as they should. So you being gone doesn't benefit their business.
-family life- you want to spend more time with family
- School- you can't afford to miss class or spend more time away.
-Some do not like the military life

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 1 at 2016 4:17 PM

2016-01-01T16:17:43-05:00

I have seen a lot of very good people get out in the last couple of years. the most common things that I hear as an AGR Training NCO when I ask my guys that are ETS'ing are (in reverse order)

3. Interference with Job, school, life in general

2. Soldiers feeling like they are wasting time by performing irrelevant, check the block training or being in duty positions that are ignored and underutilized (Particularly among low density MOS junior enlisted when I was in an HHC)

1. A general feeling of hopelessness with the state of leaders at all levels. particularly among mid career NCO's. Many feel that their hands are tied by taskers, additional requirements/training, and an unwillingness of some leaders to push back against unreasonable demands or go to bat for them. The mid career guys that are getting out have told me almost unanimously that they feel like no matter how much effort they put in they see diminishing results and that whatever strides they make are quickly undone by seemingly snap decisions coming from above.

The last couple of years have been disheartening. However I will also say that just in the last couple of years I have seen a real uptick in the quality of junior officers which I believe will have a positive effect as they move up in experience and rank.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Jan 15 at 2016 9:11 AM

2016-01-15T09:11:08-05:00

I was active when I served but I will take a crack at it because we did have Reservist and National Guard deploy with us on several occasions, so I will say their civilian lifestyles are altered to often therefore causing problems for their civilian careers.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 15 at 2016 8:16 PM

2016-01-15T20:16:13-05:00

The biggest reason I usually see comes down to it taking up too much of their time.

Their personal time,
Family time,
Time at their full-time career,
Study/schooling time
Missed opportunities because they have drill.
Deployments obviously.

Other times it's because they don't like it, they don't want to meet the standard, it isn't enjoyable anymore. A lot of Soldiers come into their enlistment a little jaded about what they are actually going to do. Good leadership and meaningful training can limit your losses from attrition, but not everyone is cut out for it. The newest round of changes to the promotion system does not help.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2016 11:06 AM

2016-01-27T11:06:03-05:00

As far as I'm concerned the Reserves is SO easy. It's extra money and some retirement if you stick it out. I get why some people leave, more power to them. I'm staying in till I'm physically unable. It's too easy.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 3 at 2016 9:59 AM

2016-07-03T09:59:11-04:00

I have 10 years in already. 8 years of that is Active Federal Service. I would not get out unless something drastic happens. They are losing many benefits that they may not be able to get back. Even if they do get back in they may also be subject to the new BRS. Some of them might stay in if a new unit in their new location is found.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 22 at 2018 11:43 PM

2018-04-22T23:43:57-04:00

1) Distance between home and the armory. I personally drive around 110 miles to Drill. I know there are some who drive much farther distances. That is not well explained by Recruiters when you join up. Or when you join up you join to a specific Armory and then get transferred.

2) Interference with Civilian work. We can shout USERRA until our lungs bleed but some Soldiers and Airmen deal with pressures from work. I know I did, my response was the Guard was more important so I quit and got another job rather than deal with their drama. I was told I could have stayed and had USERRA deal with it, but why have management resent me for my choice to serve in the Guard?

3) Loss of pay at the lower ranks, missing work for Drill sometimes means you lose money flat out, add that in with distance and it doesn't seem to great.

4) Not knowing about opportunities within in the Reserve Component, I recently became aware of Technician positions within the Guard and took advantage of it. I am essentially working full time in uniform now. I met quite a few Soldiers who didn't know it was an option. I was only made aware because my Sergeant told me.

5) Failure to be able to commit mentally once being back in Civilian life. You can get used to Active Duty and it's far easier compared to the Guard/Reserves because you can't leave and don't have Civilian influences, I missed it after a week of sitting on the couch at home waiting for Drill and work to start up again.

6) Then when deployments come up there are those who don't want to re-enlist because they might deploy. Or sadly the ones that go AWOL.

7) Not doing your MOS. Some people sign up for something they want to learn and do and when they go to drill they set up tents and sit around bored out of their skull.

8) Standards, it's easy to do PT as a Platoon when you're forced to get up at 0500. When you're essentially Civilian 28 days out of the month, who's forcing you to get up but you? Especially when you worked 60 hours that week and most of it was overnights, or when you have family obligations to take care, or when you're balancing education into it.

Simply put, the live of National Guard and Reserve Soldiers is harder because no one is making you do what you have to do outside of 2 days a month and 2 weeks a year at the minimum.

Response by SSG Thomas Trutt made Mar 6 at 2019 2:31 PM

2019-03-06T14:31:07-05:00

This is a pretty close to home subject for me. After getting off of active duty I joined the reserves with the intention of staying in and finishing my 20. However, recently I have noticed that every unit is doing a one year mobilization every five years or less. Combined with the two weeks of AT, occasional three-four day drills and schools I was looking at missing a lot of work.

For many Soldiers, this isn't a huge deal breaker as companies can have someone cover and when they come back they can pick up where they left off, or Soldiers will use part of their mobilized time to find a new opportunity. This is not the case for all. My job involves relationship building with clients, taking a year off completely destroys that reputation. Being completely unreachable during a 2 week field training exercise makes them doubt my reliability. In addition, there are certain skill sets that deteriorate when not used for a year that need to be re-learned.

This was a very tough decision, not only do I love the Army - still - even after leaving, but I had to walk away from the pension and benefits. I just didn't see anyway that I could continue to balance the two career paths. Worse, having done 10 years of active duty, I felt I was already 10 years behind my peers who had been climbing the corporate ladder. Not being able to do certain projects, not being able to take certain trips, and having to take a year off every few years wasn't going to help me catch up.