How the Army Reserve Allowed Me to Continue to Support My Family After a Job Loss

2023-07-14T15:28:52-04:00

https://youtu.be/1IEIlKGID9w

At one point, I was on top of the world in sales. No one could stop me. Until I stopped myself. Some poor decisions combined with a declining market left me jobless.

As a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, I enjoyed the additional pay from Battle Assembly weekends as well as the low-cost Tricare insurance for me and my family. The USAR had led me to a career as a 19D Cavalry Scout, Drill Sergeant, and later as an Army Reserve Career Counselor (79V). I was steadily rising through the ranks, and I had my sights set on many more goals. When my civilian career suddenly came to a screeching halt, I needed the USAR more than ever.

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It was Good Friday, April 14, 2014. My boss called me into his office for what I thought was a meeting about my projections and status. Little did I know this would be my last meeting as a salesperson. As I started laying out my charts and notes from the last two weeks’ work, he stopped me and said,

“Jason, the company is eliminating your sales position. There are no other opportunities for you. I’m sorry, but this is the end of the road for you”.

I was stunned. How could the company I work for do this to me? A hard lesson was learned that day—companies or the world owe you nothing! You must take advantage of the opportunities before you and never fail to take them for granted. This is where I failed.

I sat, stunned in silence, in the passenger seat of the family van on the way home. Once home, I retreated to the back patio and tried to listen to the wind whistle through the trees. Springtime in Tennessee. But I couldn’t enjoy it.

My first step for help was to call my Army Reserve leadership.

Once I explained what happened I asked my Sgt. Maj.,

“Can you do anything for me? I can’t afford to go without a job for too long”.

The Sgt. Maj. immediately put me on orders working for the Battalion and as a result our family never missed a paycheck. This continued through the summer when finally, an opportunity to submit an Active Guard and Reserve packet revealed itself. I was selected and thus started a glorious AGR run as an Army Reserve Career Counselor (ARCC) that continues to this day.

It’s been said everyone experiences a ‘life-altering’ event on average about every 6 months. When mine happened, the Army Reserve was there. The opportunity to serve full time in the Army Reserve would not be available had it not been for my leadership. They took immediate action to rescue me and my family and prove that there is always a way to recover.

While I don’t care for the circumstances, the lessons learned from losing my civilian job and the trust I had to place in my leadership in the Army Reserve proved one of the most valuable lessons in my entire life. I will be forever grateful to the United States Army Reserve. I am a better man, Soldier, and human as a result.

If you would like to talk to an Army Reserve Career Counselor, go to https://rly.pt/arcc

If you have general questions about joining the Army Reserve, click https://rly.pt/ArmyReserveCareers

Army Reserve Career Counselor Master Sgt. Jason Key, Soldier Story

Master Sgt. Jason Key shares his personal story of his experience in the United States Army Reserve and how his service changed his life during a difficult t...

Response by Maj Kim Patterson made Jul 14 at 2023 3:33 PM

2023-07-14T15:33:30-04:00

Civilian employers show no loyalty benefit anymore. They focus on the bottom $ line.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Jul 14 at 2023 11:12 PM

2023-07-14T23:12:05-04:00

Different than this story, I live in Denmark, self employed as a farrier. It took about three years to really get my business started and going good enough to support my house hold. The Army Reserve pay was a great help helping during this time. I deployed three times, each time it took about a year to get my business back in order. Again, the money I saved from deployment, plus the monthly pay kept me going.
I retired after 22yrs , now the military pension I received has enabled me to live the way I want, helping pay the costs. I knew when I started I wanted a military pension to support my Social Security. Planning ahead this way has helped maintain the quality of life I wanted now I am retired.

Response by SGT Ruben Lozada made Jul 17 at 2023 2:25 PM

2023-07-17T14:25:51-04:00

Good afternoon. Excellent post. Thank You for sharing this.

Response by CPT David Gowel made Jul 19 at 2023 6:30 AM

2023-07-19T06:30:19-04:00

Thanks for sharing! Not enough people know how valuable Reserve duty can be for career fulfillment and overall success in life. I joined the Army Reserve after I left active duty and it served me well. I hope lots of people see your post!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 9 at 2023 12:41 AM

2023-08-09T00:41:37-04:00

Try the reverse. Young 2nd Lt. Gets thrown out of his career because he and another peer in the same company were given no contact orders due to a friendly Halloween card one gave to the other. They were supposed to stay away from èach other "both on and off duty." The peer approaches him and admits it in a signed statement on sworn paperwork. The other gets handsigned statements from 3 others riding in the same car. They say she approached him. He gets booted and she becomes "one of our finest." USAR sure did not "lead him to a career." They made him fend for himself. Board denies, lies to Congress. Puts his family in the poor house. "An Era of Dishonor: the true story of Fort Benning Officer Candidate School class 01-06 Alpha Company." He is not stopping until he gets fair and equitable treatment.