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So I'm curious to hear what other service branches do on their drill weekends. So far I've heard everything from literally sitting around doing nothing to some pretty highspeed stuff. So lets hear it, what's your average drill look like? What would you like to see instead? Does your time feel well spent and your contributions meaningful?
Keep OPSEC in mind when replying please.
Keep OPSEC in mind when replying please.
Posted in these groups: 
Navy Reserve
Army Reserve
Air Force Reserve
Coast Guard Reserve
Marine Corps Reserve
Navy Reserve Army Reserve Air Force Reserve Coast Guard Reserve Marine Corps Reserve
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 50
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Classes. More classes. Even more classes. Oh, and if there's time left over...classes.
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MSG Lance Kelly
Too much of a "check the block" type weekend. I've been in those types of units where you spend the whole weekend listening to someone preach to you with little to no interaction from the audience. It's all about getting your name on the sign in roster to get credit but you don't really learn much.
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SGT Dave Tracy
True. Granted I was somewhat exaggerating with my original response, but I have spent an awful lot of time doing more classes than training.
Here is what concerns me: We are a transportation company, and while we do try to get at least one mission per weekend per month--if possible--just so that we can get on the road, if we have too many classes and administrative crap to deal with, we can't GET on the road. We are (predominantly) bulk fuel haulers. Being in the Reserves, means that the MAJORITY of us are NOT experienced, fulltime truck drivers, and yet we are tasked to drive our Freightliners (915s), occasionally hauling fuel, out on the roads.
With that in mind, isn't it better or I should say safer, to give us as much training on our JOBS as is reasonably possible? It's important for everyone to train for their jobs, but if a cook spends more time on classes than cooking, people may get hungry, but no one's put at risk. (Sorry cooks, didn't mean to throw you under the buss.)
Here is what concerns me: We are a transportation company, and while we do try to get at least one mission per weekend per month--if possible--just so that we can get on the road, if we have too many classes and administrative crap to deal with, we can't GET on the road. We are (predominantly) bulk fuel haulers. Being in the Reserves, means that the MAJORITY of us are NOT experienced, fulltime truck drivers, and yet we are tasked to drive our Freightliners (915s), occasionally hauling fuel, out on the roads.
With that in mind, isn't it better or I should say safer, to give us as much training on our JOBS as is reasonably possible? It's important for everyone to train for their jobs, but if a cook spends more time on classes than cooking, people may get hungry, but no one's put at risk. (Sorry cooks, didn't mean to throw you under the buss.)
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Average drill weekend: show up 30 min prior to muster to get my own platoon accountability, then assign tasks put forth by my direct superiors, then I submit the numbers, and learn that word has changed. So I adjust accordingly; active duty usually shows up 2-3 hours later and informs us that the changes word is wrong and we need to do something else that wasn't part of the plan- and we can't counteract it because they represent battalion.
After a high speed, low drag morning, chow starts, and abruptly ends- no PX runs, you have a choice of an MRE or a UGR (field rations) and you have about 15-20 min to eat and get back to work... Of course the active duty Marines get 2 hours for chow and usually change into civilian attire so they can eat off base...
After chow the Company Gunny usually stops by and asks why the f&@k my Marines didn't attend the Company training that morning, so I have to bring all work to a halt and send the platoon to do some BS training I didn't even know about because motor t is out of the main building in the island of misfit children. After that I attend a staff meeting where 90% of the information I receive doesn't really apply to motor t, and then I pass along the new plan.
After the awards ceremony, the LT expresses his wishes to learn close order drill and I have to show him how to do it properly. Then I fill out counseling statements on the box next to the trash can in the shop, because even though I'm a platoon sergeant I don't rate a desk (but all the active duty Marines have desks) and then the whole shop waits for about an hour to be released.
In case it isn't pretty obvious what my issues with the reserves are, I'm sick of the double standards between the active and reserve component. Either all or nothing; treat us like damn Marines or get them out of our way. I would also like to see some slow down in ops tempo so counselings can actually be meaningful.
After a high speed, low drag morning, chow starts, and abruptly ends- no PX runs, you have a choice of an MRE or a UGR (field rations) and you have about 15-20 min to eat and get back to work... Of course the active duty Marines get 2 hours for chow and usually change into civilian attire so they can eat off base...
After chow the Company Gunny usually stops by and asks why the f&@k my Marines didn't attend the Company training that morning, so I have to bring all work to a halt and send the platoon to do some BS training I didn't even know about because motor t is out of the main building in the island of misfit children. After that I attend a staff meeting where 90% of the information I receive doesn't really apply to motor t, and then I pass along the new plan.
After the awards ceremony, the LT expresses his wishes to learn close order drill and I have to show him how to do it properly. Then I fill out counseling statements on the box next to the trash can in the shop, because even though I'm a platoon sergeant I don't rate a desk (but all the active duty Marines have desks) and then the whole shop waits for about an hour to be released.
In case it isn't pretty obvious what my issues with the reserves are, I'm sick of the double standards between the active and reserve component. Either all or nothing; treat us like damn Marines or get them out of our way. I would also like to see some slow down in ops tempo so counselings can actually be meaningful.
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LCDR (Join to see)
This post actually represents my reserve time pretty well. Most importantly is captures my same feelings. I started on active duty and respect the work but most AD have not served in the reserves and have no idea the work we put in (paid and unpaid) as well as the tremendous experience and outside connections we bring to the table. I am never facilitated by AD, only blocked from action and team accomplishments. Both AD and civilians have no understanding of what it's like to put in 12 work days in a row every month at a minimum throughout a career (not counting deployments or ADTs).
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Cpl Gregory Hajder
Back when I was in, we had the same problems. Whenever the guys complained it was "you guys are only reservists, you don't rate" but then when a shitty detail cam up it was always "we are all Marines".
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