My XO recently mentioned that when I was selected to O-4 it meant I was guaranteed to get my 20 in. Anybody ever heard of that? He sd it was "legislatively guaranteed".

He is correct, for instance if you don't make O-4 by I think 12 years you will be put out, and if you make O-4 you will be put out at 20, so you can retire, O-5 gives you more years you can stay in. Now this is only for officers who come in as officers, someone may have done 10 years on the enlisted side and then go O and only do 10 more to retire and could as a O-3.

It depends on what you mean by guaranteed 20 years.

20 COMMISSIONED YEARS are guaranteed for an 0-4.

20 QUALIFYING YEARS (and a pension at 60 years of age) are not.

Title 10 of the U. S. Code states that once you make 0-4 the Navy cannot force you out until the first day after the month you hit your 20th COMMISSIONED year.

If you already have more the 20 Commissioned years, the Navy cannot force you out until the first day after the seventh month after the O-5 Selection Board results are made official (this would be the O-5 Board where you failed a second time make O-5).

However, for a Reservist, 20 COMMISSIONED YEARS is not the same as 20 QUALIFYING YEARS (where you earned at least the minimum 35 retirement + 15 membership/gratuitous points).

For example, if you have 20 Commissioned Years but only 14 Qualifying Years you will be forced out and you will not get a pension at 60.

This is important to realize since we all know of many Reservists who are short several Qualifying Years because they failed to earn enough points to earn them during their Anniversary Years.

The only guarantee that I can think of is if you are an 0-4 and have 18-19 Qualifying Years at your 20th Commissioned Year. You are then given 3 more years (if you have 18 Qualifying Years) or 2 more years (if you have 19 Qualyfing Years) to try to earn the required points.

In both cases, however, once you get your 20th Qualifying Year you will be retired (but still be able to collect a pension at 60).

But even this depends on the you earning the points required to get 20 Qualyfing Years. If you don't earn them during those 2-3 Years you will be retired and NOT get your pension at 60.

So in recap:

An O-4, having failed to make O-5 twice, with 20 Commissioned Years, but with 17 or less Qualifying Years will most likely not get a pension at 60.

An O-4, having failed to make O-5 twice, with 20 Commissioned Years, but with 18 Qualifying Years will be given 3 more years to earn 20 Qualifying Years.

An O-4, having failed to make O-5 twice, with 20 Commissioned Years, but with 19 Qualifying Years will be given 2 more years to earn 20 Qualifying Years.

It all comes down to you putting in the the time and energy to earn your Qualifying Years.

As always, the unofficial Golden Rule for Reservists is at work:

THE ONLY PERSON WHO WILL LOOK OUT FOR YOUR CAREER IS . . . . YOU!