Is it possible, if you are in the reserve, to serve more then 2 days a month and 2 weeks a year?

Yes, if you are motivated, there are several ways to do more than the minimum.

let me suggest adding a little to your post..

.....and are there ways to do that with and without direct compensation.

Mighty,
How about a few active duty folks work for free? Unpaid drills are fine, but isn't it a shame that a motivated person has to work for free to gain and keep the certifications that person needs to have?

AT:
In no way did I suggest that anyone should be required to do so. I was suggesting to the poster that he should examine the question from all sides.

I would suggest that you also consider that drills that only earn you points, earn you a higher retirement.

I would also suggest that you remember that one drill (a min of 4 hours) is paid at the same rate an AD person gets for 24 hours.

I would also suggest that you think about how many hours you put in back on the Mellon, Unimac and Spencer. I'll bet you busted your arse for a lot more than a 40 hour work week.

Now, as for having to work for free to GET certifications, I would suggest reading up on ADT-OTD.

As for keeping Certifications, now that takes good leadership, especially on the AD side. It is a concern enough that I took the time to write a huge section in my last force notes.

Phil

I agree that ADT-OTD is a good resource to get extra training time for certifications. However, the funds are limited and (in my experience) getting a request for orders approved can be a challenge.

My servicing FOT also keeps a round turn on RMPs and for the past couple of years has only been authorizing their use for medical, dental and RSWE participation.

Read your latest force notes, outstanding opening subject and well written. I wish that other RFMs would do the same.

Thanks Jim, I tried. Yeah RMPs can be kind of limited. As for ADT-ODT, I would suggest that commands use them as they are intended. Ask for the money and document the denials. When the denials start impacting the readiness of the reserve force, then TELL SOMEONE. ISCs have bosses too! Make sure you can stand by it for sure. That is not hard though. Every time someone new reports aboard or someone is advanced to a point that would normally require a new cert, put in the request. Make it clear that the request is to obtain a NEW certification that is now required. Require the denial be in writing and from a person who has authority to do so.

You can always do more depending on your command. Last year I did my two weeks, an extra two weeks of ADSW, and was out of drills (60) by June so I drilled for points the rest of the year.

It's all about getting qualified and maintaining it so if you get mobilized you are useful. I've seen too may guys never get qualified and were useless when the call came. Plus, by just sitting around makes all the stereo types about reservists true.

quote:

Originally posted by Mightyz90_93:
AT:

I would also suggest that you remember that one drill (a min of 4 hours) is paid at the same rate an AD person gets for 24 hours.

Phil

I'd like to elaborate on that point a bit. While technically true, it's misleading. A single 4-hour drill is equal to one day of base pay but that does not mean that a reservist's pay for a day of work is twice that of an active duty member. The reason is that most active duty members' full compensation includes BAH, BAS, etc, all of which are tax free. Additionally, active duty members are paid more depending on their local cost of living (BAH), receive free health care and enjoy a substantially earlier retirement age. I think all of this adds up to demonstrate that reservists do not earn twice as much per day as active duty members and, if all the other perks are considered, likely are compensated much less for their time...

quote:

Originally posted by gregreilly:
Additionally, active duty members are paid more depending on their local cost of living (BAH), receive free health care and enjoy a substantially earlier retirement age.

And they don't have to drive 3 1/2 hrs one-way to get to work.

Duck;
Nobody HAS to drive that far. AD and CGR may DECIDE to do that, but are not required.

Mr Reilly;
While on duty, reserves are entitled to those things, either "in-kind" or in cash, until they become a 'civilian'. If they are just required to do an 8-hr workday, then they would not get housing 'in-kind.' But, I have provided housing 'in-kind' many, many times for drilling reserves. As you alluded to, the AD side do not always get those things in cash, but sometimes they get them 'in kind.' And just to enter the arguement in the correct way, 4 goes in to 24 6 times, not twice.

I think you may be missing the only point I was making.

Reservists, when drilling, get paid more per workday but only if you discount all the other entitlements that members on active duty receive. If you tally up the entire compensation package that active duty members receive, they are compensated more for their workday, regardless of how many hours you use to define a workday.

I'm also not implying that either side deserves more. I've spent time underway and can vouch for the long hours. I've also spent time doing boat drills at midnight on a drill weekend with the PSU and can vouch for the fact that I was paid for two 4-hour drills but pulled closer to a 16-hour workday. No complaint about it and nothing to brag about, it's just the job. Sometimes the hours are long and sometimes they're not.

The housing in kind argument is also off point. Sure, I got a hotel room for my drill weekend and I got a tent when I was mobilized but I didn't get to move my family into them nor did a free room for the night help me pay my mortgage. The reason reservists get paid more than a single day's base pay is because of this fact: there is more to an active member's compensation package than just base pay.

The point here is that implying that reservists get more for their work than active duty members is misleading and only serves to foster resentment. It's just not as simple as saying that a reservist is paid the same for 4 hours as an active member is paid for 8, 12 and certainly not 24 hours...

LT;
Seems like we are trying to get to the same point then, which is understanding the compensation given. Such as several places above where people mention a '4 hour drill.' There is no such thing. There is a MINIMUM 4 hour drill and a MINIMUM 8 hour drill, neither to include meal breaks. You never did two four hour drills, you did ONE minimum 8 hour period of multiple drills.

It is far from misleading and is 100% factual to say that a reserves base pay for a single drill is equal to 1/30 of the going AD base pay. I will give you that further conversation about other compensation is also relevant. For instance, you slip and fall and break your butt bone while walking to your car en route your drill. Who takes care of the medical? Who takes care of feeding you during your drills?

Historically, the change that made a standard 'days' base pay for a reservist equal to 'two days' base pay of an AD was incentive to keep people in the Guard/Reserve when they were having retention issues many years ago. It had nothing to do other pay or allowances AD people recieved.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mightyz90_93,

quote:

Originally posted by Mightyz90_93:
Duck;
Nobody HAS to drive that far. AD and CGR may DECIDE to do that, but are not required.

Thanks, MC. I understand that. My comment was toung-in-cheek. I don't know what the emoticon is for that.

Got it shipmate!

quote:

And they don't have to drive 3 1/2 hrs one-way to get to work.

I want to know why you didn't drive the 3 1/2 hours to have coffee a couple of months ago with me. CPO Kalbach

FOT is really limiting RMPs this year and what they can be used for

Actually, HQ set the policy that limited the use of RMPs to Dental, Medical, and Servicewide Exams only. Your servicing ISC should have a small number of "other" RMPs available if you ask. See ALCOAST 015/08 for more information.

quote:

Originally posted by PO1Kalbach:

quote:

And they don't have to drive 3 1/2 hrs one-way to get to work.

I want to know why you didn't drive the 3 1/2 hours to have coffee a couple of months ago with me. CPO Kalbach

It's all in the timing, and I was out of time. You never know when I might show up.

quote:

It's all in the timing, and I was out of time. You never know when I might show up.

Hopefully I'll be there, I just picked up Iowa so I'm going to be on the road more. CPO Kalbach