Posted on Apr 24, 2018
The Army Reserve Simply Doesn’t Have Enough People Willing to Fill Command Slots
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The Army Reserve Simply Doesn’t Have Enough People Willing to Fill Command Slots
Posted from taskandpurpose.com
Officers
Senior Leaders
NCOs
Company Commander
Reserves
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 7
7
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Willing or Capable Sir, from experience many should never be given a command as they are like throwing sand into and motor and hoping for the best. Toxic and incompetent leadership can have a worse effect than being short commanders. That applies on the NCO side as well.
On a side note the use of Reserves troops as office Temps by the Active duty and never ending back to back deployments took its toll on the Officer and NCO Corp over the last 17 years. Its hard to support a family and pay your bills with your main employment being a civilian job when you are absent on deployments so much, regardless of USERRA employers find a way to do away with employees that spend most of their time in the sand box. An many own their own businesses and go under due to deployments.
On a side note the use of Reserves troops as office Temps by the Active duty and never ending back to back deployments took its toll on the Officer and NCO Corp over the last 17 years. Its hard to support a family and pay your bills with your main employment being a civilian job when you are absent on deployments so much, regardless of USERRA employers find a way to do away with employees that spend most of their time in the sand box. An many own their own businesses and go under due to deployments.
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1SG Dennis Hicks
Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth - Sir, I have heard of that happening but I saw more folks lose their own business when deployed back to back, one MAJ just said screw it and volunteered for multiple deployments, he was a good officer yet in the end when the train ride was over he was scrambling to find employment to pay his bills and support his family.
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LTC John Griscom
Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth - The law says the job must be at least equivalent in pay to what existed before. If the employer does the right thing, the individual filling the vacancy should be told that the position is temporary until the servicemember returns.
There have been cases where, because of restructuring, the job no longer exists.
Servicemembers can contact the ESGR when issues come up.
ESGR informs and educates Service members and their civilian employers regarding their rights and responsibilities governed by the Uniformed Services Employment Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). ESGR does not enforce USERRA, but serves as a free resource for employers and Service members.
Questions
ESGR's Customer Service Center is available to answer USERRA questions or to refer cases to a trained Ombudsman. Contact the Customer Service Center Monday through Friday (except Federal Holidays) toll-free at [login to see] , Option 1, between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM (ET); e-mail us at [login to see] ; or complete an online form.
There have been cases where, because of restructuring, the job no longer exists.
Servicemembers can contact the ESGR when issues come up.
ESGR informs and educates Service members and their civilian employers regarding their rights and responsibilities governed by the Uniformed Services Employment Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). ESGR does not enforce USERRA, but serves as a free resource for employers and Service members.
Questions
ESGR's Customer Service Center is available to answer USERRA questions or to refer cases to a trained Ombudsman. Contact the Customer Service Center Monday through Friday (except Federal Holidays) toll-free at [login to see] , Option 1, between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM (ET); e-mail us at [login to see] ; or complete an online form.
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CPT (Join to see)
I agree Top,
you can't serve two masters,
only one of them pays the bills (doesn't help that everything is getting more and more expensive)
the other has degraded into a crazy ex girlfriend stalker that keeps calling for all of your attention, time, and money
you can't serve two masters,
only one of them pays the bills (doesn't help that everything is getting more and more expensive)
the other has degraded into a crazy ex girlfriend stalker that keeps calling for all of your attention, time, and money
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WOW...command and leading troops is a privilege very few get to hold. I would think people would be jumping at the chance to effectively lead. Surprising and a little bit disturbing at the same time that we are putting people in command that shouldn't be commanders because that is all we have to choose from. It takes a special leader to be an effective commander...IMHO.
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LTC (Join to see)
SSG(P) Duke Allen - I've been getting emails stating that unless I "opt-out" I will be considered for BN command.
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The problem is distances for command.
I am actually willing to do the jump to command. But most of the opportunities are in the wrong coast. And if funds go down IDT goes with it. So now you are stuck paying airline tickets to move around and so on. Now I am not saying this is a deal breaker for me in a overall sense. But it does play a havok with work and schedules as you now have to plan travel dates.
The other thing and being transparent , from going from a section leader to a full commander is a big jump , I would like to get some time and experience before I do it. The other is limitations ( IE they want a captain to fill the slot , etc)
Those are a few examples.
I am actually willing to do the jump to command. But most of the opportunities are in the wrong coast. And if funds go down IDT goes with it. So now you are stuck paying airline tickets to move around and so on. Now I am not saying this is a deal breaker for me in a overall sense. But it does play a havok with work and schedules as you now have to plan travel dates.
The other thing and being transparent , from going from a section leader to a full commander is a big jump , I would like to get some time and experience before I do it. The other is limitations ( IE they want a captain to fill the slot , etc)
Those are a few examples.
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LTC (Join to see)
I turned down a command because the unit was 600 miles away. I'm not moving and I'm not spending 1/2 my drill pay on airfare to take a command. I can retire in just under 3 years so I don't need that feather of battalion command in my cap because I'm not looking to make O6
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