Posted on Jul 6, 2014
What unique advice would you give a new reserve component soldier?
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Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to a new reserve component soldier that is different from the advice you would give to an active duty soldier?
Posted in these groups: 
Reserves
Reserves
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 23
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Make sure if you want to lead that your realize it is way more like active component than reserves. It is not just one weekend a month and two weeks a year. Rather that is the time off you may have. Be willing to put in the extra effort to advance your career and make it meaningful. Otherwise just stick to being a member of a squad. Even then you need to do medical appointments and online training throughout the month. It is not your Cold War reserves, it is the new online is everything and you cannot show up unless you are medically ready with your GOVCC with zero balance.
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COL Randall C.
Yep - back when I was an M-day commander, I corrected people saying that the my military duty was my 'part time job'. I informed them that it was my OTHER job.
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SGT(P) (Join to see)
I have been AD, USAR and ARNG. In the Guard/Reserve component the emphasis on knowing the duties and responsibilities of not only your position but that of those above you and below you takes on new significance. In AD you can pretty well count on having the same team members for a definite length of time. Several times in the Guard/Reserves I have seen someone transfer between drills with little or no notice. This leaves a hole in the team that must be filled to complete the mission, and soldiers must be flexible and capable of picking up the slack. In my experience this is one of the most frustrating aspects of the Guard/Reserves. I do not mind the cross training or extra responsibility, but the impact on unit morale and cohesion can be a challenge. Be ready to address it.
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I would say that you have to realize that there is one standard across the Army. There isn't a standard for the Regular Army, Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard. I have seen this and it tears at the fabric of being a soldier. When you have different standards you are setting yourself up for failure. I know it is difficult to maintain your PT while drilling but it is what soldiers do. You will have to put in hours of work during the week and not get paid. When I hear a soldier in the Guard say I don't have time for that it shows you that they are lonely committed to one weekend a month. What is dangerous is when a soldier is only committed one weekend a month becomes a leader. That is not the type of leader you want.
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You only have a weekend a month where you are together as a unit so use that time wisely Dress sharply, act smartly and show personal initiative to cover for downtime. If you're in line for that next promotion make sure you are getting face time with your rater & senior rater if they are in the same location. If they only know you through reports and an APFT score then they don't know you.
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