Reservists - What was your longest routine commute to drill?

COL Vincent Stoneking — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 18:55:39 -0400

When I started in the NG, I commuted anywhere from 60 to 160 miles one way to drill. Over the last several years in the Reserves, I have been spoiled, with duty at JBLM, about 10 miles from my house.

I have identified & accepted a new position starting in June that will be a 754 mile one way trip. I'm not complaining - I sought out & lobbied for this job & am excited to be getting it. Gotta go where the opportunities are!

Just curious how it compares to other Reservist's experiences.

I am also looking for my NEXT assignment, with either the east coast or Hawaii as very realistic options. Who knows, my drill check might even cover the travel for that....

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 28 at 2014 8:02 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 08:02:54 -0400

I flew from Northern Virginia to Orlando, Florida for drill because of this was the unit I had cross-leveled to for Iraq and I enjoyed the duty and liked the people. Later, I flew from Oregon to Northern Virginia for drill because I was in a position to get a unit vacancy promotion and didn't want to squander it. It didn't hurt that the non-reimbursed costs were deductible on my tax return.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 28 at 2014 8:17 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 08:17:54 -0400

I thought I had it bad sir, only driving about 4 hours one way to drill, but I guess you can always fly which wouldn't be so bad.

I'm curious as to see how a Hawaii option would work for you, how you deal with that. Obviously its something that I'm sure most have considered.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 28 at 2014 12:01 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 12:01:55 -0400

I drove about 300 miles when attending OCS.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 29 at 2014 1:46 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 01:46:07 -0400

Flew from Nashville to Miami while in Company Command for 17 months...thank God for Southwest!

Response by SFC Aaron Calmes made Mar 29 at 2014 2:01 AM

SFC Aaron Calmes — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 02:01:05 -0400

Sir, I have soldiers from Northern California traveling to southern California and soldiers coming from Arizona and Texas to our unit. One thing that does help us is the fairly new program (IDT I believe it is called but don't quote me) that allows critical MOSs and officers/NCOs in key leader positions to be reimbursed for part of their travel. That along with LIK helps us to fill key leader positions .

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 29 at 2014 12:48 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 12:48:44 -0400

My longest commute to date was when I was assigned to USCENTCOM as a PSYOP Plans Officer from 2005 to 2008. I traveled from Minneapolis to Tampa. 2nd longest commute was when I was BN CDR. I traveled from Minneapolis to DC every month. Had units in New York. NEW Jersey and Virginia. Now I am traveling from Minneapolis to CA...but might be Houston defending on a new assignment.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 29 at 2014 12:59 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 12:59:38 -0400

I fly from Delaware to Texas every month on my own dime. I'm not doing it for a specific position. It is the unit I joined when I left active duty.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 29 at 2014 3:48 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 15:48:33 -0400

For 4 years, I used to drive 2.5 hours from Wilmington, DE to Tonyhanna Army Depot. I know someone that traveled from Maryland to New Hampshire for the Guard.

Response by SPC Christopher Seitler made Mar 29 at 2014 4:01 PM

SPC Christopher Seitler — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 16:01:46 -0400

Wow, I had no idea people were traveling such long distances to get to drills!

My longest, when I was a reservist, was from Tucson to Mesa, Arizona. That was a two hour drive (117 miles), highway the entire time. I will never bitch about that drive again, knowing that some people are literally travel cross-country just to get to drill.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 29 at 2014 4:56 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 16:56:47 -0400

At one time, my unit had one guy that flew from Orlando and one that flew from Raleigh to Louisville for drill in Frankfort. I have been driving 300 miles round trip for almost 18 years and have no plans of leaving my unit until I'm too old or too fat.

Response by CMSgt Robert Richard made Mar 29 at 2014 8:31 PM

CMSgt Robert Richard — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 20:31:44 -0400

I live near JBLM and travel to Nellis AFB, NV for UTA.

Response by CMC Robert Young made Mar 29 at 2014 8:42 PM

CMC Robert Young — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 20:42:03 -0400

Sir, currently it's a little over 100 miles which is an improvement over the 150 from my last unit. However, it may be short lived. I anticipate competing for the next higher level of command senior enlisted leader's position this fall, and have been told if selected that some projected assignments may be as far away as the opposite coast; a monthly journey of about 3300 miles on my dime.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 30 at 2014 6:09 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 06:09:06 -0400

When I enlisted in the Army Reserve, I traveled over 600 miles one-way in the summer but it was only 80 miles while at college. After I was commissioned, the longest commute was in George, where I drove 3 hours one-way even for the monthly training meeting (unpaid). Now my commute is only 20 minutes but my husband is stationed in DC and I am in Kansas.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 30 at 2014 11:32 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 11:32:46 -0400

I spent 3 years driving from Las Vegas (home at the time) to LA and back for drill. A bit over 250 miles each way. And at the time I was a full-time student and had other part-time employment, so I was stuck driving out on Friday night and back on Sunday night. As a Jr. Officer, I also had lots of extra duties, so on average I was driving out a bit more than twice a month.

On the other hand, I met my wife in the Army, in that very LA unit (well, a different company that drilled alongside us), so no complaints...

Response by LTC Hillary Luton made Aug 30 at 2014 3:21 PM

LTC Hillary Luton — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 15:21:03 -0400

Personally, I drove 120 miles one way as a private and 300 miles one way as a commander. But I worked for a commander who used to fly from Texas to Washington state and currently have a friend who flies from NC to Texas for drill.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 30 at 2014 10:30 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 22:30:56 -0400

260 miles, from Sherman, Texas to Austin. Also applies to the longest hitchhike when my car broke down during drill.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 31 at 2014 3:17 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 15:17:26 -0400

Seven hours from Pittsburgh to NYC for two years for battalion command. Lodging, tolls, mileage and meals all out of pocket (wrote off more than $10K on my taxes). No LIK for LTCs. However, I loved every minute of it and would never change a thing. I'm in a similar assignment now, 5 hours away and all expenses are out of pocket.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2014 5:10 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 17:10:44 -0400

Hour to Morgantown,WV for pre deployment Battle Assemblies in 2003.
All others(4) have been 35 min or less.

Response by MSG Brian Breaker made Sep 1 at 2014 9:45 PM

MSG Brian Breaker — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 21:45:29 -0400

I drove about 100 miles to my first reserve unit. The only good thing is we had barracks. When I was in Korea we had Soldiers that came from Hawaii and the Philippines. Most of the time they did NOT pay for flight, but that's another story.

I do know that just last year they implemented a program to help off set the cost of Reserve Soldiers attending IDT weekends.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 7 at 2014 5:01 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 17:01:31 -0400

I drove about 120 miles one way as a junior enlisted Soldier and cadet. Now I drive 300 miles one way, and have done so since commissioning. I used to think it was bad, but reading some of these responses make me thankful for such a "short" drive! I had a brigade commander who flew from Louisville, KY to Columbia, SC for battle assembly. That was the furthest I knew of personally.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 13 at 2014 8:10 AM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 08:10:58 -0400

Spent 4 1/2 years 2003-2007 as an E5-E6 travelling from Upstate NY to Washington DC for Drill, 565 miles one way.

Now doing it again for a year now, travelling from the Adirondacks to the Navy Yard, 450 miles one way.

Both times it is what was best for me and best for the Navy.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 13 at 2014 12:45 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:45:35 -0400

So does the Army not provide berthing (billeting/lodging)? In the Navy if you are greater than 50 miles you go into the contract hotel. They do not pay for your travel unless you are on orders.

Response by SSG Matt Murphy made Oct 14 at 2014 4:38 PM

SSG Matt Murphy — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 16:38:16 -0400

Roanoke VA to Richmond VA - 11th SF - 2 h 52 min
189 miles (secondary reason to leave SF and join USMCR in Roanoke - primary was lonely wife).

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 14 at 2014 11:51 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 23:51:32 -0400

My current commute is 362 miles round-trip. That's not accounting for the other 25-50 miles commuting around town while I'm down there.

Response by BG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 15 at 2014 1:25 PM

BG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 13:25:17 -0400

I think that I have the all-time record. Traveling hundreds of miles to drill was common for me, but I lived seven years in Alaska and commuted 2045 miles to drill each month in Mountainview, CA. You would think that would be the record, right? Then when I was living in Hawaii, I was selected for brigade command...in Maryland! 4187 miles to drill! I finally had my civilian employer find me a job in D.C. so only had to do that for a year.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 15 at 2014 3:16 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 15:16:48 -0400

I had a one-way commute of just a shade over 1000 miles each month for 2 1/2 yrs. My drill pay covered travel & lodging and I took almost every Friday as a leave day. I would do it again. It was a great assignment!

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 15 at 2014 4:23 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 16:23:27 -0400

As a CPT I commuted from Louisville for 5 years to Tampa to command at JCSE, then to a staff role at SOCOM, a 900 mile commute (and back then there was no IDT travel or LIK). After a short tenure at Knox where I pinned O-4, I assumed command of a space control unit in Colorado Springs, CO, 1,100 miles away. It made the commute to FL pale in comparison. I now command a training battalion in Abingdon, VA, a mere 6 hour drive away (325 miles). I will change out in Nov and have accepted the position of the Deputy G6 of the 86th TD at Fort McCoy, WI, starting in Dec (550 miles).

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 17 at 2014 12:42 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 12:42:58 -0400

My longest commute was from Rochester NY to Ft Dix, as a Civil Affairs Instructor. Not by choice; it was for career progression.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2015 11:50 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 11:50:32 -0500

888 miles from central Wyoming to Ft. Leavenworth. Did that for about half a year from the time I moved to WY until I managed to convince my Leavenworth unit to let me SUTA with the WY unit to which I was transferring.

Covered my own travel and lodging (the unit in question did not provide lodging for officers over 50 miles, only enlisted). Lost money every drill, but I was too close to my 20 years to let anything interrupt my progress.

I used to think that was a long commute, until I saw some of the other examples on this thread!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2015 12:05 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 12:05:50 -0500

after reading some of your distances.......I will never complain again.....mine was 1.5 hrs for 2 years, 3 hrs for 4 years and new unit that I promoted into will be 20 minutes.

Response by CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 5 at 2015 12:19 PM

CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 12:19:39 -0500

Just throwing this out there, if there is an AF Reservist/IMA that doesn't know already, you get up to $300 reimbursed for UTA/IDT travel provided that you are on the Critical AFSC List. Please message me if you would like more info.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. :)

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 5 at 2015 9:36 PM

SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 21:36:45 -0500

I travel about 200 miles one way to drill each month

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 2 at 2015 6:30 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 18:30:20 -0400

Sir, it's a little apples to oranges because of the nature of the Reserves. The Reserve BN my Florida National Guard unit deployed with was headquartered in Michigan...it's key leaders were from HI, OR, VA and everywhere in between. It's all about the slot in the Reserves.

In the National Guard you're typically not going beyond your state or the adjoining one. My current commute is almost 300 miles one way for Drill.

God bless all of you Reservists!

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 17 at 2016 3:02 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 May 2016 15:02:38 -0400

When I first got off active duty and into the USAFR, for a period of 7-8 months I commuted from Sacramento to Riverside for drill. 437 miles, 6.5 hours for E5 drill pay.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 18 at 2016 12:09 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 May 2016 00:09:54 -0400

I have been assigned to JBLM, WA since 2008 and have been commuting there from Southern Illinois for 3 years, Newport, RI for a year, and now from DC for over a year. Mostly on my own dime ( A few of the years my AFSC was critically manned so I got a whopping $300 worth of reimbursement). People ask me why I do it...I joined the Reserves after a 15 year hiatus and love to serve!