Citizen Soldier: An Overview of the Us Military Reserve Forces

By Blaine A. White

Serve your nation and challenge yourself by giving back to this wonderful nation which offers you and many others so many opportunities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781468545456

Blaine A. White

After initially pursuing a career as an enlisted in the US Army Reserves with intentions of only joining for the G.I Bill I never would have never dreamed of even being in the discussion of becoming an officer in the U.S. military. Growing up in rural Springhill, Louisiana as a recipient of welfare the majority of my childhood, to the mystery surrounding who my father was, to coping with the grips of being one of the few families in the Camelot projects of not having a car or house phone, to struggling with trying to identify what purpose I could serve in life, to on, and on, and on with disparaging obstacles. Looking back I think I was angry at the time why I did not have a father figure around or a male role model. After managing to make it out of high school with average grades I enlisted in the Army Reserves. A choice offering a glimmer of hope for me to attend college with the hope of achieving success and at the same time serving my country in the military and the chance get out of Springhill, Louisiana and see the world. Not graduating with honors or being on the Honor Society, or not graduating with a scholarship, being average height and average stature, coupled with being poor, and with no direction in search of adventure, I was ripe for a military recruiter. After graduating from college under the Montgomery G.I. Bill and landing a corporate job as a project manager with a reputable company while simultaneously continuing my career as now a commissioned officer in the reserves, I pondered and paused at my achievements starting with the decision to enlist in the reserves. Furthering my education by getting a graduate degree and then buying a house under the V.A. Home Loan, and deploying to the Middle East, to Egypt in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and then to Kuwait and finally to Afghanistan, nearing the end of my career of 20 years as a reservist I felt obligated to share my story about the reserves and how it has shaped my life with the hope of inspiring someone so they can become a citizen soldier. My goal is not to sell as many books and obtain riches, anyone that knows me know what I am about. I really want to reach that person who is struggling with a decision in joining the reserves, particularly the US Army Reserves or National Guard. If you are that person then you will find fulfillment out of this book. There is an old trite expression, there’s a book in all of us, this is my story as told by me providing information about the reserves, beginning with my decision in enlisting in the US Army reserves in the late 80’s over twenty years ago to nearing the end of what I think are remarkable achievements.

Book preview

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Conclusion

About the Author

Glossary

References

Dedication

I dedicate this book to the young American men and women in uniform who risk their lives for the defense of freedom.

Acknowledgments

God and my family who supported me with this book as well as throughout my career…

My fellow servicemen and servicewomen who helped shape me as a reservist…

Introduction

In our local communities and at airports throughout the United States, we see service members in their finest military uniforms, and most are instantly admired by the citizens they serve in this great nation. The uniform speaks of the sacrifices our men and women have gone through to protect our land. The looks of admiration come from all types of people. From the elderly veteran who has served at one time or another and addresses you by correctly stating your rank and last name—the same as was done throughout his service time in our World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan—to women who as daughters or granddaughters of veterans show their respect, to the little boy or girl who walks up to you and calls you GI Joe, all are displaying their gratitude to you as an individual for the sacrifices and commitment you have made to protect their freedom. I have encountered a countless number of these ordinary Americans who approach me and say, Thank you for your service.

Many of these American citizens see men and women in uniform without knowing the type of soldier, whether active or reserve, and it will take some teaching to explain the difference between an active duty and a reserve soldier. At times in my community, when I am in uniform, I am approached by these ordinary citizens who are curious about me and the military in general. Of these people, a few are interested in joining the military but are not sure which branch to join. There is a gym in my community I often attend when I am off work, and most of the time I go there in uniform. Recently, I was approached by a young man who had seen me there from time to time, and we struck up a conversation about the military after observing a group of reservists who were attending a recognition event of community organizers. He mentioned that he was very interested in joining the military but was unsure of which branch to join. I explained to him that I was an Army reservist, and the questions kept coming. This young man and I established a friendship, and now he is on course to serve his country as a reservist in the military.

This book was written for that young man and many others who are interested in joining our armed forces as reservists but are not sure what the military reserve entails. Another goal of this book is to reach out to ordinary American men and women who want to pursue a career in the military reserve forces and provide them with information to guide and assist them in their career decision. Some of these men and women want to give back to their country by enlisting in the reserves for an initial contract. Some may be young college students or new graduates who want to pursue a path to becoming a commissioned officer in the US military as a reservist. If you fall into any of these categories, this book is for you. If you have served at one time or another on active duty and wish to come back into the reserves, this book is for you as well.

Finally, this book is for those persons who are unsure about which branch of the military reserves to join. This book is for the high-school student, college student, soldier who is returning from active duty, and the person who later in life is considering a career in the reserve forces. This book is a guide and provides a wealth of information from each branch so you can make an informed decision as you embark on a journey in the military reserves.

It has been said that success can be measured in many ways. I am not a rich man, but I can say that I have become a better person and more responsible citizen, and I can attribute it to being a member of the Army Reserve.

Since I was a kid out of high school, I have been in the Army Reserve. I chose the reserve over active duty because I did not want to be in the Army full-time and defer going to college. I really didn’t have a choice of any branch other than the Army Reserve, because quite honestly I did not score high enough on the entrance test to choose any other branch, according to my recruiter.

Growing up in rural Springhill, Louisiana, from humble beginnings, I wanted to serve my country but only in a reserve capacity. I began my career as an enlisted soldier and then pursued a career as an officer. Although I enjoyed my time as an enlisted man, I felt I could make an impact and affect enlisted men and women in a positive way by switching over to officer. Since then, I have commanded troops and advanced in my civilian career as a project manager for a respectable telecommunications company. After deploying twice to the Middle East in 2005 and 2008, and nearing the end of a successful twenty-year career, I felt an obligation to share my wonderful experience in hopes of inspiring a few men and women to serve this wonderful nation as reserve soldiers and, at the same time, provide a broad overview of the military reserve forces in general.

The military reserve forces of the United States consist of the Army National Guard, Air Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Air Force Reserve, and Public Health Service Ready Reserve Corps (which is a uniformed service, not an armed service). All are pathways to serving in and belonging to our nation’s finest and most respected military forces.

Chapter 1

Reserve Component of the US Military

In order to be a reservist, you must know and understand the reserve component system. This chapter breaks down the reserves in general—including distinguishing the reserves from the civilian auxiliaries—as well as showing the different types of reserves in the military.

Purpose

The purpose of the reserves is to fill in the active-duty ranks, especially in times of need. Currently, we are fighting two wars in the Middle East; however, there remains a constant threat globally to the United States and its allies, which requires the reserve forces to remain at the ready at all times. The reserve component is also needed in times of domestic crisis.

As a reservist in the guard, there are times when you may experience a lull in training—but always remember, like a fireman who must be ready to put out a fire, when you are called to service you must be trained and equipped and ready. When called to duty under Title 10, you fall under the direction of the president of the United States. Title 10 is the appropriation by Congress that funds the US military. Most recently, this has been implemented for wars in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Title 32 is used to fund the Army and Air National Guard by a state governor in need of those services.

Title 10 and Title 32

In order to fully understand the reserve component, you need to understand Title 10 and Title 32 as enacted by the Congress of the United States. These titles provide the legal basis for the roles, missions, and organization of the military, including the Department of Defense.

• Title 10, Sub A: General military law, including the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)

• Title 10, Sub B: Army

• Title 10, Sub C: Navy and Marine Corps

• Title 10, Sub D: Air Force

• Title 10, Sub E: Reserve Component of the United States

• Title 32: Outlines the role of the National Guard

As you get started in your career, it is important to understand what title you fall under. You will notice one of these titles on all orders you receive—for example, your promotion order, mobilization order, or assignment order.

Reserve and the National Guard

Among the general public, there is some confusion over the term reserve as it applies to the military. You may run into someone who says, I am in the reserves. That may be true, but what it really means is they are performing one weekend a month, two weeks per year, which in its meaning is a reservist. But actually, a reserve is any service member who belongs to the seven components listed above, including the National Guard and the Public Health Service Ready Reserve Corps.

The Army National Guard, Air Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve all follow the traditional one weekend a month, two weeks per year. The difference is that the National Guard and the Air Guard both are commanded by the state governor and then the president of the United States, depending on the type of crisis. Recently, this has been witnessed in the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, in which we have seen troops called from the National Guard and Air Guard ranks. In these cases, they are controlled by the president. At the same time, we have seen the National Guard used by state governors for emergencies within state borders, such as civil disturbances, riots, floods, and fires. The Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and Air Force Reserve are always and exclusively under the control of the president. The Coast Guard is controlled by the US Department of Homeland Defense.

What Is the Reserve?

The reserve is a component of the US military that augments the active component of the active service. When assigned to a reserve unit, members are authorized for thirty-nine days of military duty per year. Traditionally, these thirty-nine days consist of one weekend per month, called drills, and two weeks or fifteen days in the summer, called annual training or AT. This is the source of the phrase one weekend a month, two weeks a year. Depending on which reserve component you join, you may be allowed to do the thirty-nine days in some way outside the norm; for example, some units in the Air Force Reserve do two weekends of military duty per month.

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Unit Training Assemblies (UTAs)

Reserve training is broken down into multiple unit training assemblies (MUTAs) during a weekend drill. For example, a typical reserve drill is eight hours on Saturday and eight hours on Sunday. Each day consist of two UTAs, for a total of four UTAs for that particular weekend. When assigned to your reserve unit, you may hear people say, We have a MUTA-4 this weekend. This typically means formation begins at 0800hrs (eight a.m.)