Posted on Sep 7, 2020
Reserve and Guard members: What would you like Active Component members to know about working with you?
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Posted in these groups: 
Navy Reserve
Marine Corps Reserve
Air Force Reserve
Army Reserve Elements
NGB
Navy Reserve Marine Corps Reserve Air Force Reserve Army Reserve Elements NGB
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 9
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If you ever deploy with reservists, find out what they do when they are not in the military.
Example. There was a base wide electrical problem while deployed. It turns out that at least 6 reservists on station were electricians in the civilian world. Those 6 members did an assessment, asked for supplies, and then promptly solved the problem. A reserve unit is usually crammed with policemen, firemen, tradesmen, craftsmen, and businessman. You have a whole cornucopia of skills at your disposal if you just know to ask...
Example. There was a base wide electrical problem while deployed. It turns out that at least 6 reservists on station were electricians in the civilian world. Those 6 members did an assessment, asked for supplies, and then promptly solved the problem. A reserve unit is usually crammed with policemen, firemen, tradesmen, craftsmen, and businessman. You have a whole cornucopia of skills at your disposal if you just know to ask...
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CAPT (Join to see)
Agree. More often than not this question is not asked. In my enlisted Seabee days we cut the time for construction of a base family services building when we put an E-5 in effective charge of the job because he was a general contractor with experience running his own large construction company.
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CMDCM John F. "Doc" Bradshaw
Reservists and Guard Members come from all walks of Life! Yes, I retired with 33 years in Navy Medicine (17 years in the Field with the Marines) and was a LPN for 30 years and 20 years as a EMT but when I retired, I worked as a Maintenance Electrician at BF Goodrich Tire Company for 18 years because of the pay difference. In any Service, it’s very important to know more than one skill. It makes you a better TEAM Member!!!
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SPC Greg Burnett
In my 12 years in the Guard, the platoons I was in had... students, electricians, farmers, auto and diesel mechanics, heavy equipment operators, nurses, police officers, paramedics, a grocery store owner, carpenters, IT people, welders, plumbers, a helicopter pilot, gardeners, machinists, bankers, social workers, a vet tech, a (color blind) video gamer repair technician, retail people, elementary through high school teachers, and a bunch of others. Honestly, there probably wasn't much in the way of a problem we couldn't have figured out and handles.
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Give us a chance, most of us are smart, handy, and educated. Most AD have a mentality that Guard and Reserve units are incompetent and/or useless. There are cases where that applies but same can be said about some AD units. Get to know your Guard/Reserve counterparts most of them are good dudes who know what they're doing. Remember we have to live and balance 2 lives which isn't the easiest thing in the world.
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CAPT (Join to see) Great question Sir. So, I was active for 7 years before going reserves. And it was a culture shock rally. They try to cram everything into one BA weekend mainly S1 stuff because BN and BDE have to have their metrics straight. Drives me nuts! It's that stigma of the weekend warrior I guess that hits the most for me. I can tell you right now, it's not just a weekend thing. Being a squad leader I am pinged a lot when working at my civilian job (DOD) so I feel at times I have never left Active. I get so many text's between the Commander, DET NCOIC, S1, and my troops. Always asking for this and that it's crazy. Not sure how others feel. But really when it all comes down to it, we all put on the same uniform. It doesn't say US Army Reserve or US Navy Reserve it says US Army and US Navy.
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