i'm trying to find out how other OS reservists are going about their drills.

i got out of OS "A" School a year ago and have been doing my monthly drills at my Sector, i've been doing the two 12 hour day watches saturday and sunday. now i talked to a fellow reservist from another sector who informed me that they only complete two 8 hour watches or 12 and a 4 hour watch, because we are only paid for 16 hours total monthly.

also spoke with an officer who supervises all the reservists and he was surprised to learn that i did two 12 hour watches.

so basically my ?tion to any of you is how do you intergrate your OS reservists into the montly rotation? what kind of watch are they standing? i am still not qualified but almost there and i really want to be as helpful as possible to my active duty counter parts!! thank you in advance!!

You're probably standing 2 12 hour watches because you aren't qualified yet. Just be sure to log the hours you work somewhere so you can add them up later. I wouldn't make too many waves though, at least until you get qualified.

Good Luck!

thanks for the reply sjayski! the watch standers at my sector stand 3 12 hour watches currently (we're down a couple of people, it used to be two 12 hour watches). at first i was the only OS reservist they had at sector. now we have another who only completes his 16 hours per weekend, so that got me wondering how most sectors work with reservists? again thank you for your reply!

You may want to do your homework...In Seattle OS reservists are standing two twelve hour watches per month. The wording in the reserve manual is sort of scketchy a multiple drill day is defined as "at least" 8 hours. Therefore, they can in essence keep you for twelve and pay you for eight.
I'm of the opinion that this needs to be re-examined. Reservists prime reponsibility during there drill days should be to train. This is so that in the probable event that you are activated you can ease yourself right into an active duty billet with out much difficulty. We seem to be using reservists to augment a watch, in my opinion, is not what a reservist was intended for.

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We seem to be using reservists to augment a watch, in my opinion, is not what a reservist was intended for.

In the end, it's all about doing your drill time. Whether or not you are augmenting a watch is really just a formality. As an unqualified watchstander, the extra 4 hours watch benefit noone else but you.

Like I said before, I wouldn't even address the issue until you are holding your signed qual letter. After that, talk to your Chief and your leading reservists to work out pay vs. schedule thing. Hope this helps!

OS1 Ski

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Originally posted by bornrd:
Reservists prime reponsibility during there drill days should be to train. This is so that in the probable event that you are activated you can ease yourself right into an active duty billet with out much difficulty. We seem to be using reservists to augment a watch, in my opinion, is not what a reservist was intended for.

Augmenting the watch means the person is actively standing the watch; maintaining proficency, so if they are called up they can slide right in.

We are OS's, we stand watch, if an OS reservist is not qualified and standing a watch position on the weekends, what is it that you think they should be doing?

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Originally posted by UnderwayMakingWay:

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Originally posted by bornrd:
Reservists prime reponsibility during there drill days should be to train. This is so that in the probable event that you are activated you can ease yourself right into an active duty billet with out much difficulty. We seem to be using reservists to augment a watch, in my opinion, is not what a reservist was intended for.

Augmenting the watch means the person is actively standing the watch; maintaining proficency, so if they are called up they can slide right in.

We are OS's, we stand watch, if an OS reservist is not qualified and standing a watch position on the weekends, what is it that you think they should be doing?

Simple answer, training. Standing just two watches per month does not maintain a person's proficiency enough to maintain a qual. Standing two watchess per month, you may go six or seven months without responding to a call for help, destroying a code, or performing any other part of a qualified watchstanders position.Is it fair then to hold a reservist accountable when he/she freezes on the radio when a Mayday comes in or when they don't destroy codes?

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Originally posted by bornrd:

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Originally posted by UnderwayMakingWay:

Augmenting the watch means the person is actively standing the watch; maintaining proficency, so if they are called up they can slide right in.

We are OS's, we stand watch, if an OS reservist is not qualified and standing a watch position on the weekends, what is it that you think they should be doing?

Is it fair then to hold a reservist accountable when he/she freezes on the radio when a Mayday comes in or when they don't destroy codes?

The answer to bornrd's question is, Yes. As a QM Reserve in the Cleveland area, I stood radio watch at Station Cleveland Harbor, I was a qualified boat crewman and was training as OOD.
Unfortunatly, I let my enlistment expire for personal reasons. On one July 4th we got underway at 1000 and finished for the day at 0200 on the 5th. Our boat crew was ALL Reserve. We didn't cry about being out for over eight hours. We were serving the public which was OUR JOB. We did have to change the coxs'n at 2330 and the BMC took over. He thanked us for augmenting the station. The next drill, we were given Attaboy letters from the Chief. That meant more to me than anything. Reserves get a bad rap from many active duty types. I know, I was one of those active duty types in the '70's.

Now I don't know how much things have changed since the mid 1980s. For every eight hour drill, we were paid the equivalent two days pay. Don't complain about putting in a twelve hour day. Learn your job...do it well...the job satisfaction will be your reward.

UnderWayMakingWay, as you can see I agree with you. Your screen name reminded me of a saying when I was on a 'Big White One.' Underway's The Only Way.

I addressed this FULLY two Force Notes ago. Anyone who believes the reservists are paid for 16 hours a month is full of crap. As mentioned above, a multiple drill is defined as a Minimum of 8 hours, not including any meal breaks.

I also clearly discussed the purpose of the reserve program and how it relates to our Rating. A reserves two watches a month equates to their recurences standards for the watch. As was mentioned above, the purpose of a reserve program is to keep the reservist ready for activation in a contingency. For our rating, the activation would be to stand a watch. The reserve should be standing the exact same watch and schedule as the AD person of the same paygrade would and should be held to the same standards. If anyone, AD or USCGR has an issue with this, or is having problems getting this done, feel free to call me. It will take a VERY short time for me to resolve any pushback you may be getting from anywhere.

Oh - by the way, if you want the real scoop, a reserve who does 4 drills in a month gets 96 hours of base pay. One drill pay is equal to 1/30 of a months base pay. So, unless your 4 drills end up longer than 96 hours, just smile to yourself.

At Sector Hampton Roads I have 5 Reservists that do their drills in the commcen. I finally got 3 of them qualified to stand the watch.

One of them complained about the same issue of only getting paid for 8 hours but standing the watch for 12. When qualified, we need them for 12 hours as thats how long the watch is if you want them to augment the watch.

Actually, a couple of these reservists have more watches (drills) scheduled in a month than my active duty guys have (by their choice).

There's also possibly funding at your local ISC (FOT) for reservists to be placed on AD orders for a month to qualify. We had a reserve OS1 who didn't want to spend the rest of his life doing 2 drills a month qualifying at the SU watch so we got him on AD orders for a month, he dayworked monday-friday for 2 weeks, then did 2 weeks of mids, then took a qual board for Sit Unit and passed it.

Im doing the same thing with one of my comms reservists this September.

Okay, we've got two qualified reservists in the CU posit and had two qualified SU reservists. I guess I'm adressing the wrong topic. TWO TWELVE HOUR WATCHES PER MONTH ARE NOT ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN A QUAL when the other 28 daysof the month you spend as a school teacher or what ever it is you do, at least not at a junior OS level. I clearly understand what the CC manual and SAR AD state is required to maintain a qual but I don't think it is enough. Both of the junior reservists here were already given neg 3307's for failure to do something on their watch. One of them hadn't performed this action since she was breaking in, almost 6 months prior, and the general opinion was "well your qualified it's your bad". I call BS. I suppose that comes back to my other complaint that I',m not gonna get into **** poor leadership.

0002: Kind of like I mentioned in those force notes, eh?



Born - you are right, it is difficult to keep competent in only two watches. I would wonder what it was that wasn't done that wasn't caught in the other 12 or so watches....

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I would wonder what it was that wasn't done that wasn't caught in the other 12 or so watches....

MC,
Good catch, sounds like you already know what got missed and it did take out two other AD members as well. No, not me, I've had my fair share of trouble. I now have the privilege of working as an OU for a civilian (who by the way is awesome)and whenever ever I need Chiefly guidance I have to go next door to the VTS to see one the best Chief's I've ever worked for. Interesting.....

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I now have the privilege of working as an OU for a civilian

Interesting. I am not aware of any civilian position other than watchstanders........

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Originally posted by Mightyz90_93:

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I now have the privilege of working as an OU for a civilian

Interesting. I am not aware of any civilian position other than watchstanders........

MC,
Long story, goes back a few years. We can talk about it offline sometime.

Sorry, bornrd, it sounds like you had some bad experiences with a couple reservists. I listed the positions I was qualified for and I had no problem maintaining those qualifications. I guess it boils down to 'self-motivation.'

Thanks, Mightyz, it's still the same as when I was in the Reserves.

coastie0002, I wish I'd have known about going on AD to qualify back in 1977. (If it was available.) The 9th District Reserve office and my unit, Cleveland M&R (Maintainance and Repair) didn't know what to do with a QM. They shuttled me off the RCC. They just sat me in a corner and gave me manuals to read. RCC wasn't interested in trying to 'check-out' a Reservist.

Back in the '70s, most Reservists, it seemed, were only trying to avoid the draft and Vietnam. The ones we had at Group Hampton Roads were only interested in where they were going for lunch. Unfortunatly, they give the whole organization a bad name. I had to fight that attitude at Station Marblehead where I was part of Operation Summerstock. I stood OOD watches there and updated all of their SAR manuals and paperwork off watch. Also at Station Cleveland Harbor and I stated my quals there.

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Originally posted by Mightyz90_93:
0002: Kind of like I mentioned in those force notes, eh?

Exactly MC, and yes, I read those force notes and passed them to all of the Reservists drilling in the SCC.

When I got back in the commcen as the watch supervisor, not a single reservist in the past 2 years since the Sector had stood up had qualified. They were still sitting around "breaking-in" every drill day and as the day went on, I got tired of it. I set deadlines for them to meet and they met them.
It is pertinent that we assist these reserve personnel in obtaining watch qualifications.

You can have them schedule RMP (readiness) drills in Direct Access as well, which these specific drills have to be at least 3 hours in length if I recall correctly, to complete GMT training, medical, dental, etc. as well that most people don't know about....and again I believe those were in the force notes.

Isn't it amazing how when you actually set expectations, people tend to meet them? Well done Aaron!

thanks for all the replies everyone, some good info in here.

i didn't start the thread to complain about doing two 12 hour drills in a weekend, i have no problems with that. i wasn't really sure how other sectors worked with their reservists, and i am/was my sectors only reservist in a long time in the comcen, apparently there was one other who was activated with a psu and they never saw him again, i think he moved afterwards (and he was never qualified), i have almost all my sign off's done and will take my board soon.

if anyone else has any information for OS reservists, please post it up!! it's a tough rate to be in as a reservist (although i'm positive they all are!) thanks again for all the great replies, and keep them coming!

Geoff;
I would strongly encourage you to read the Force Notes from Feb of this year. I would also suggest you hook up with SCPO Fleming, he can give you some excellent mentoring.