Posted on Jul 14, 2023
How the Army Reserve Allowed Me to Continue to Support My Family After a Job Loss
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Army Reserve Career Counselor Master Sgt. Jason Key, Soldier Story
Master Sgt. Jason Key shares his personal story of his experience in the United States Army Reserve and how his service changed his life during a difficult t...
https://youtu.be/1IEIlKGID9w
At one point, I was on top of the world in sales. No one could stop me. Until I stopped myself. Some poor decisions combined with a declining market left me jobless.
As a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, I enjoyed the additional pay from Battle Assembly weekends as well as the low-cost Tricare insurance for me and my family. The USAR had led me to a career as a 19D Cavalry Scout, Drill Sergeant, and later as an Army Reserve Career Counselor (79V). I was steadily rising through the ranks, and I had my sights set on many more goals. When my civilian career suddenly came to a screeching halt, I needed the USAR more than ever.
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It was Good Friday, April 14, 2014. My boss called me into his office for what I thought was a meeting about my projections and status. Little did I know this would be my last meeting as a salesperson. As I started laying out my charts and notes from the last two weeks’ work, he stopped me and said,
“Jason, the company is eliminating your sales position. There are no other opportunities for you. I’m sorry, but this is the end of the road for you”.
I was stunned. How could the company I work for do this to me? A hard lesson was learned that day—companies or the world owe you nothing! You must take advantage of the opportunities before you and never fail to take them for granted. This is where I failed.
I sat, stunned in silence, in the passenger seat of the family van on the way home. Once home, I retreated to the back patio and tried to listen to the wind whistle through the trees. Springtime in Tennessee. But I couldn’t enjoy it.
My first step for help was to call my Army Reserve leadership.
Once I explained what happened I asked my Sgt. Maj.,
“Can you do anything for me? I can’t afford to go without a job for too long”.
The Sgt. Maj. immediately put me on orders working for the Battalion and as a result our family never missed a paycheck. This continued through the summer when finally, an opportunity to submit an Active Guard and Reserve packet revealed itself. I was selected and thus started a glorious AGR run as an Army Reserve Career Counselor (ARCC) that continues to this day.
It’s been said everyone experiences a ‘life-altering’ event on average about every 6 months. When mine happened, the Army Reserve was there. The opportunity to serve full time in the Army Reserve would not be available had it not been for my leadership. They took immediate action to rescue me and my family and prove that there is always a way to recover.
While I don’t care for the circumstances, the lessons learned from losing my civilian job and the trust I had to place in my leadership in the Army Reserve proved one of the most valuable lessons in my entire life. I will be forever grateful to the United States Army Reserve. I am a better man, Soldier, and human as a result.
If you would like to talk to an Army Reserve Career Counselor, go to https://rly.pt/arcc
If you have general questions about joining the Army Reserve, click https://rly.pt/ArmyReserveCareers
At one point, I was on top of the world in sales. No one could stop me. Until I stopped myself. Some poor decisions combined with a declining market left me jobless.
As a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, I enjoyed the additional pay from Battle Assembly weekends as well as the low-cost Tricare insurance for me and my family. The USAR had led me to a career as a 19D Cavalry Scout, Drill Sergeant, and later as an Army Reserve Career Counselor (79V). I was steadily rising through the ranks, and I had my sights set on many more goals. When my civilian career suddenly came to a screeching halt, I needed the USAR more than ever.
---------------------------------
It was Good Friday, April 14, 2014. My boss called me into his office for what I thought was a meeting about my projections and status. Little did I know this would be my last meeting as a salesperson. As I started laying out my charts and notes from the last two weeks’ work, he stopped me and said,
“Jason, the company is eliminating your sales position. There are no other opportunities for you. I’m sorry, but this is the end of the road for you”.
I was stunned. How could the company I work for do this to me? A hard lesson was learned that day—companies or the world owe you nothing! You must take advantage of the opportunities before you and never fail to take them for granted. This is where I failed.
I sat, stunned in silence, in the passenger seat of the family van on the way home. Once home, I retreated to the back patio and tried to listen to the wind whistle through the trees. Springtime in Tennessee. But I couldn’t enjoy it.
My first step for help was to call my Army Reserve leadership.
Once I explained what happened I asked my Sgt. Maj.,
“Can you do anything for me? I can’t afford to go without a job for too long”.
The Sgt. Maj. immediately put me on orders working for the Battalion and as a result our family never missed a paycheck. This continued through the summer when finally, an opportunity to submit an Active Guard and Reserve packet revealed itself. I was selected and thus started a glorious AGR run as an Army Reserve Career Counselor (ARCC) that continues to this day.
It’s been said everyone experiences a ‘life-altering’ event on average about every 6 months. When mine happened, the Army Reserve was there. The opportunity to serve full time in the Army Reserve would not be available had it not been for my leadership. They took immediate action to rescue me and my family and prove that there is always a way to recover.
While I don’t care for the circumstances, the lessons learned from losing my civilian job and the trust I had to place in my leadership in the Army Reserve proved one of the most valuable lessons in my entire life. I will be forever grateful to the United States Army Reserve. I am a better man, Soldier, and human as a result.
If you would like to talk to an Army Reserve Career Counselor, go to https://rly.pt/arcc
If you have general questions about joining the Army Reserve, click https://rly.pt/ArmyReserveCareers
Posted in these groups: 
ARCC (Army Reserve Career Counselor)
Army Reserve Careers Group
Civilian Career
Career Advice
ARCC (Army Reserve Career Counselor) Army Reserve Careers Group Civilian Career Career Advice
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
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Civilian employers show no loyalty benefit anymore. They focus on the bottom $ line.
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Different than this story, I live in Denmark, self employed as a farrier. It took about three years to really get my business started and going good enough to support my house hold. The Army Reserve pay was a great help helping during this time. I deployed three times, each time it took about a year to get my business back in order. Again, the money I saved from deployment, plus the monthly pay kept me going.
I retired after 22yrs , now the military pension I received has enabled me to live the way I want, helping pay the costs. I knew when I started I wanted a military pension to support my Social Security. Planning ahead this way has helped maintain the quality of life I wanted now I am retired.
I retired after 22yrs , now the military pension I received has enabled me to live the way I want, helping pay the costs. I knew when I started I wanted a military pension to support my Social Security. Planning ahead this way has helped maintain the quality of life I wanted now I am retired.
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Thanks for sharing! Not enough people know how valuable Reserve duty can be for career fulfillment and overall success in life. I joined the Army Reserve after I left active duty and it served me well. I hope lots of people see your post!
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CPT (Join to see)
Not everyone gets "served well." Many just get 'served." "An Era of Dishonor: the true story of Fort Benning Officer Candidate School class 01-06 Alpha Company."
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