What are peoples thoughts on reservists?

SFC Michael Lydon — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 20:56:14 -0500

I am a reservist with time on active duty. I feel we always get bashed on but I wanted to get a feel for how people feel..

Response by CSM Michael Poll made Feb 25 at 2014 9:00 PM

CSM Michael Poll — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 21:00:39 -0500

While I was in the AC I used to bash the Reserves, until I joined them.  I am proud to be a reservist.  Remember, we are expected to do our mission and have proven we can do what the AC does with 1/8 of the training time.  One weekend a month and two weeks a year is gone, Many Reservists and NG have more combat time than the AC counterparts.  Be proud that you can juggle your military mission, your civilian job, maybe college and raising your family.  It takes an extrordinary person to be able to do this!

Response by SSG Robert Blum made Feb 26 at 2014 2:53 AM

SSG Robert Blum — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 02:53:49 -0500

I have no Ill feelings towards the Reserve Forces. I have worked with reservist on deployments, and in Garrison. In Many ways they are just like Active units, in others they are not. I think some of it is Ignorance, and some of it is envy. Active Component Soldiers who have never deployed don't realize that reservist do exactly the same thing we do while deployed, and that many of them have already served 10, 15, or even 20 years of Active service. There is also the enforcement of customs and courtesies. In a reserve unit the 1SG might be Employed by one of the SSGs in the Civilian Sector, or there are the units who have entire families in the same company, and there is a lot of 1st name basis relationships with seniors and subordinates. The lower enlisted Active guys tend to see that and secretly wish that they could call their 1SG by his first name and not get destroyed by every NCO in the company. For me My calling remains with the active Army, until they are done with me.

Response by SSG Gerhard S. made Feb 26 at 2014 8:52 AM

SSG Gerhard S. — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 08:52:56 -0500

I served on both Active Duty and in the Army National Guard. Clearly, Active duty personnel do attach a stigma to Reserve/National Guard units. During my tour in Iraq, as a Long Range Surveillance Team leader I was tasked to many different units. Most commanders were genuinely surprised that we were a National Guard Unit because of our professionalism.

Let our professional actions be our brand, and the stigmas will fade.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2014 8:58 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 08:58:50 -0500

I've had bad experiences with them, but I don't judge them as a group.

Response by SN Ryan Bertalotto made Mar 4 at 2014 1:32 PM

SN Ryan Bertalotto — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 13:32:11 -0500

When I served as Active Navy we did make fun of the reservists just a little, but once I became a reservist in the Army then my thought process changed. We are all veterans and military personnel in my eyes.

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 4 at 2014 5:15 PM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 17:15:44 -0500

BLUF: In my opinion they were, and may still be, under trained for actual combat operations and some of the more dangerous combat service support areas such as logistics convoys. They seem to be able to function well in other service and administration roles in combat zones, and their rank and structure provide a necessary availability for emergency response in the states.

My experience with reservists and national guard members is fairly limited, but it was enough for me to never want to go that route after my time on active duty. During early '06 in Iraq we had a NG unit casevac a "casualty" to our role I aid station. After further investigation the following facts were found, the actual casualty was casevac'd by air 30 minutes after having his leg amputated in an EFP attack, I pulled his leg out from their vehicle later, with zero first aid treatments done prior to putting him on the bird (report from the casevac'ing unit was he was dead when they got him) and a simple tourniquet may have saved his life if applied early after the incident. The Casualty they brought us had 1st degree burns to less than 1% of his body surface area, but no one had taken the time to evaluate him. The kicker being they past 2 role II MTFs, and a role III MTF trying to get to us. My other experiences with NG in combat operations have not been quite as dubious but have related the same lack of proper response to combat situations.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 4 at 2014 5:31 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 17:31:21 -0500

They are part of the Army so they should be held to the same standards as active duty soldiers. All to often you hear things said when it comes to a reservist being overweight, or not wearing the uniform properly, an active duty soldier and normal civilian population says, well they are reservist. That's a load of crap in my opinion. If an active duty soldier is flagged for being overweight then a reservist should be as well. As long as they have the U.S. Army name tape on the left side of their chest then it shouldn't matter if you are active or reserve, same standards must apply.

Response by Lt Col Luis A. Rojas made Mar 6 at 2014 5:46 PM

Lt Col Luis A. Rojas — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 17:46:03 -0500

I had the pleasure of having several Air Force Reservist work for me a couple of assignments ago. I have no complaints, they were a great addition to the staff.

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 6 at 2014 6:06 PM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 18:06:12 -0500

It would depend on who you work with honesty to how their feelings are about a Reservist. Personally as a member of the guard I respect all sides of it for different reasons. The bashing usually stops after you have exceeded their expectations of what a Reservist can do. Remember one bad penny can taint the varnish of many regardless of the status they fill, it is just the nature of the beast. Not everyone has had a good experience with the Guard, Reserve or even some members of the Active component. Treat each individual with an objective outlook and they may surprise you along the way regardless of their component.

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 23 at 2014 3:20 AM

GySgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 May 2014 03:20:24 -0400

From bootcamp and and through the 9 years of active duty service, I was told that the reserves were nasty and I believed it and said the same thing. NOW I AM A RESERVIST! I will say being a reservist is more challenging than being on active duty and I find the same quality men in the reserves and I did on active duty.

Response by MSgt David Mata made May 23 at 2014 11:24 AM

MSgt David Mata — Fri, 23 May 2014 11:24:11 -0400

An Active Duty tour would not hurt. The lower Enlisted are still very malleable. Sending them home too soon might not be in the best interest of the Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine.

Response by TSgt Mike Bouchard made May 23 at 2014 11:33 AM

TSgt Mike Bouchard — Fri, 23 May 2014 11:33:55 -0400

I know the feeling. But sometimes the reservist had the upper hand and actually knew more than the active duty people.

Response by CPT Jacob Swartout made May 24 at 2014 8:23 AM

CPT Jacob Swartout — Sat, 24 May 2014 08:23:47 -0400

The Reserves and the National Guard seemed to be a more cohesive group. I spoke to a 1SG from the NG on deployment and he had Soldiers that had been in his unit for 16+ yrs. They did their jobs great; if not better than most units I have seen. Regardless of component, we are all Soldiers and train to fight in battles together.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 27 at 2014 8:54 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 May 2014 20:54:14 -0400

I have no issue with any Soldier Member regardless of Active, Reservist, or National Guard status; As long as they Soldier stays within the Army Standards and Regulations and continues to bring pride the uniform.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 2:38 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 14:38:38 -0400

I have time on both sides. As a current reservist I like to make light of the jokes against reservists. This is to show that it is not a valid joke. Although you may see overweight, lazy or poor soldiers in the reserves it does not mean all reservists are like this. In the active component you do see young, immature soldiers that do not respect leaders, but not all active duty soldiers are like this. You should not judge individuals to begin with, and certainly do not judge a group based on an individuals actions. The part about the reserves I enjoy the most is how diverse everyone is and they bring a tremendous ammount of experience with them in many areas.