There are many opportunities in the Army that are branch immaterial and are very much like civilian day jobs. She gave some good advice, but the size of state doesn’t always correlate to the size of the Army National Guard. There are many factors, but a larger state even if they have a larger manpower size then per capita the slots for promotion will be the same as a smaller state. This also depends a lot on the MTOE and task org of the state. Every state and or region is focused on specific unit types.

As a minor counterbalance to the message of this channel which is 100% legitimate because everyone has their own truth and actual experience with dealing with the beast. My experience is that I am older and yet on the grand scale am still less than old. I have been retired from the Army for coming up on 20 years. I only even think about my Army self after seeing a fellow vet or see a video like this. That being said, the Army thus far on retirement alone has paid me just over $1,000,000 thus far not counting disability payments from the VA due to various combat injuries. The majority of that retirement pay has not been spent until recently when I started spending more than saving. Food for thought. My only disclaimer is that 17 years on I have no idea what it is like to be in the Army today. Good luck. Make the best decision for you with the information you have.

@freereinveterans

3 ай бұрын

Glad to hear things have worked out well for you. Times have definitely changed, like you alluded to, and one size doesn’t fit all. But like you said, we just have to make the best decision with the information we have. Some of what we’re hoping to do is share information and resources for people figuring out how to navigate these waters. Best wishes to you and thanks for sharing your thoughts!

@johnhansen8272

3 ай бұрын

@@freereinveterans I am sorry to hear how bad things have gotten. In an organization like the Army if enough bad actors take over it can and will go bad quickly. In my career I had bad leadership but only twice in 20-25 different assignments/ jobs. My reliable mantra was they will be leaving soon or I will be leaving soon. I cannot imagine a situation where things go from bad to bad or worse repeatedly and given your time in you gave it enough opportunity to change. I’m sorry you didn’t get the experience I did. I could not have mentally transitioned from bad to bad to bad. Thanks for the explanation and clarification and I’m sorry that you had this leadership void in your career. Thank you for your service and thanks for enlightening me

@freereinveterans

2 ай бұрын

@@johnhansen8272 I’ll say for me, it definitely wasn’t a terrible experience although there were terrible times, just like anyone else, I’m sure. It was a slow burn for me, and an accumulation of disappointment after disappointment. But all in all, still a lot of gratitude because I felt I got to contribute the best I could, make lifelong friendships, and learned a lot from the bad and good. And obviously not even getting into all of the great benefits the military can offer, like some of the flexibility I tried to cover in this vid. Anyway-you get the idea! But, the more I see how the military is changing just within the last couple of years and the challenges people are now dealing with, I’m sure as hell glad I’m gone haha. Thanks again for sharing your experience!

Thank you for sharing this information. Good stuff.

@freereinveterans

Жыл бұрын

Appreciate the support and thanks for watching 🙏🏽

Well said! Former 11B NCO and the deprogramming is such a real thing. I was a totally different person when I was active duty. Thank you for the video, currently enlisting in the army reserve.

@freereinveterans

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Good luck with your army reserve experience!

I have very rarely heard such honest analysis. I really think there is a untapped holistic advisory position for the military in what you are doing right now. I hope in the future they listen to people like you I'm very glad that you're making this content.

@freereinveterans

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much! 🙏🏽 Definitely putting in work to try to produce quality stuff...Thank you for the feedback!!

Appreciate you taking the time to go over these items. I’m a former active duty enlist Marine transitioning into the Army Reserve as a commissioned officer. I’ve been out of the game for some time and all of this will be quite foreign. Love the idea of IMA and controlling your own destiny. Best of both worlds if you can hold your own.

@freereinveterans

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome! Glad to hear this is some good info for someone who has a different background! Totally hear you on the best of both worlds...

@Mav0585

Жыл бұрын

IMA is pretty cool but it’s also NOT easy to get into

Thanks for sharing Kayla. I look forward to seeing what you roll out next. I stumbled upon your b(log) last week and have already relayed your socials to many peers who are at or near the 10-year mark. Almost all of us go through this decision point and the more educated we are the better decisions we'll make.

@freereinveterans

3 жыл бұрын

Hey Aaron, thanks for commenting and sharing! Totally hear you... I think the 10 year mark is probably the most difficult... Easy for people to get sucked in and potentially get tunnel vision when there are really so many different paths. So happy to hear you’re finding it somewhat useful! 🙏🏽

@robertisham5279

Жыл бұрын

@@freereinveterans Why did you go to West point in the first place?

@freereinveterans

Жыл бұрын

@@robertisham5279 Learned about West Point in 8th grade. Wanted to go in the Army since I was a kid. Thought that I’d do 20 years and was pretty motivated and committed to this idea. West Point seemed to be a good route, although I also applied to ROTC programs as well and enlisted in the National Guard. I was ALL IN lol. Sometimes, things are just different than they appear and you won’t realize that until you actually experience it… So, ideas shift plans change and here I am.

Getting out in a year and this is super helpful.

@freereinveterans

Жыл бұрын

Hey I’m glad to hear that! Thanks for watching and commenting and good luck on your final year and your exit strategy! 🤪

currently I'm in the Army Reserves, I'm still pretty new, but since I completed basic and AIT I wish I did active. Mainly because in the reserves I'm not really doing anything, but thank you for giving me all these different options, I'm more hopeful now

@freereinveterans

2 жыл бұрын

Lots of options out there! If you’re wanting to do active, an ADOS tour might be something to look into… Good luck to you and thanks for watching!

@johnhansen8272

3 ай бұрын

You can change your situation whenever you want. DA 4187 is your friend.

I will tell you from experience! Going from active duty to reserves is a culture shock. Prepare yourself to the different mindset and overall operational management.

Great video! WWIII isn't the only thing that can activate one off of IRR. In 2008 after being out for less than one year as a CPT, I was activated off the IRR for a 400 day mobilization to Afghanistan. I jokingly say that the Army felt a civilian (me) was the best choice to go to Afghanistan to mentor the Afghan Army on old Soviet howitzers (Field Artillery). I luckily had Romanian Artillery Captains on my team so they helped me learn and then teach the Soviet way to do things to the Afghans. The bottom line is that IRR recalls do happen although mine was during the Iraq surge and right before the Afghan surge. Side note, but I did get paid for an IRR muster that was for a few hours. I watched a video in a recruiter's office and he sighed a form and that was it. I loved that time in Afghanistan so much that I went back on active duty through the CAD (Call to Active Duty) program in 2010. Unrelated to the above, but I am now out of the Army again seeking those opportunities you mention in this video. However, as you mentioned trying to get back in while not in the IRR is a MUCH bigger deal than I anticipated. Lessons learned for all. Best of luck on your adventure.

@freereinveterans

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the story and sharing your experience! That’s pretty interesting and good information for people 🙏🏽 Glad it worked out for you!

@kayp4601

2 жыл бұрын

When I deployed to Iraq in 2008 with the guard, our unit was supplemented by 10 guys from the IRR. They were all 11bravos. So yes, I witnessed IRR soldiers being called up.

I think you are talking about something that I never thought possible in that many of those in the military, especially leaders, that it's about numbers and not Soldiers. Numbers matter. You need a volume of troops to storm a beach, you need to have X number of Soldiers in the unit to deploy, you need a percentage of NCOERs/OERs current, you need everyone EO/SHARP/Suicide Prevention trained quarterly or annually. The actual quality of the Soldier and the training almost doesn't matter. If the Commander said do it, do it, regardless of how well it's accomplished. I don't post my experience or status on social media but, I do know what you're talking about. I appreciate you taking the time to provide this information. This is so much more effective and efficient than some of these other KZreadrs making videos for views instead of quality information. Your education and training shows in what you're saying and how well you're delivering the information. The only time I know of IRR being called to active duty or active Reserve is in 2003 before we went into Iraq. I worked with doctors at Madigan that were pulled from the IRR to backfill doctors deployed and reassigned. If you decided to become a Reserve TPU, you would pull your hair out at the inefficiency in the Reserve component, lack of real training, and the amount of time it takes outside of weekend drills to complete tasks on your own time, especially if you're a leader. You cannot go wrong with Tricare Reserve Select. Work for a corporation or company and pay hundreds of dollars per month but TRS is less than $50 for an individual. It's easy to transfer between units but usually you need to do the work, find a new unit, hope you can find a POC, and get your unit and chain of commander to process the paperwork. I know many Reserve Soldiers that just go from mobilization and deployment to another one The Army Reserve needs officers like you. Commanders and XOs are under trained and over tasked all because of readiness and a lack of critical thinking on behalf of leaders. Didn't realize I wrote so much but was typing as I was listening. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

@freereinveterans

3 жыл бұрын

Appreciate the comment and you sharing your thoughts... And I’m sure I’d pull my hair out with the compounded inefficiencies in the reserve component, like you said! I’m going to avoid it for now but maybe I’ll look into it in the future. Anyway, thanks again. Genuinely working hard to create content that’s useful for my friends and people I know that are trying to navigate the same landscape and make some tough decisions!

I actually resigned out completely and had to go through the reappointment process to get my Captain bars back. If anyone was interested, for all intents and purposes it is like going for a direct commission. You put together a packet made up of your old OERs, military resume, ORB, letter to the board on why you want back in, and several signed forms. The packet then goes through a reappointment board which only meets once per fiscal year. If you get picked up to get your commission back you then have to get a full commissioning physical, and if your security clearance lapsed you have to go through the investigation again. Once complete you take the oath and then your orders are cut for the unit you are going to and you start in processing.

@freereinveterans

2 жыл бұрын

That’s very interesting-thanks for sharing. Sounds like a pain in the ass 🤣. Hope it all worked out for you!

@epurvee

2 жыл бұрын

@@freereinveterans if it wasn't for my unit wanting me in very badly and them having a lot of contacts at HRC it might have been impossible to get the info on how to put the packet together to be honest. The process itself wasn't that painful, but getting the information was. I don't know how someone could have done it without support directly from HRC.

@freereinveterans

2 жыл бұрын

@@epurvee Well thanks for sharing. Not surprised to hear that, and it helps to hear it from someone who’s actually done it. Seems like a lot of processes tend to be like this in the RC. Nothing is too straightforward and it’s a matter of getting the information.

@qualnicbarksdale7016

Жыл бұрын

I’m waiting to resign could you give me advice or help me with the process please !?

@epurvee

Жыл бұрын

@@qualnicbarksdale7016 Now I was resigning out of the Georgia Guard and the Reserve of the Army back in 2013. If you are just a reservist it is more simple. Are you wanting to totally separate or just moving to IRR? You'll probably want to talk to your S1 for the exact format, but basically you submit a letter of resignation through your command. There might be one other form your S1 could tell you about, but primarily it's just the letter of resignation.

I should have gotten out when you did. What a mistake staying in for many more years, it’s been a total waste of my time.

@freereinveterans

Жыл бұрын

Been there and felt that exact same feeling. I hope that once you’re on the other side and you have some time and space separating you from this chapter of life, you’re able to extract something positive from all of this. Even just for your own sanity. For me personally, it helped to focus on a personal level and those directly around me. Friends and colleagues. Patience, kindness, justice, accountability, and doing right by people is all you can hope for, I think. I don’t know about you, but I had idealistic (and incredibly ignorant and ultimately self-aggrandizing) views going in, thinking I was going to have such a positive impact and blah blah, do all these good things, go to war and help protect innocent people from bad guys, and be a public servant doing meaningful work. 32 QTBs, 96 USRs, and innumerable pointless inventories later, I realized that this simply wasn’t the case, and life is a lot more nuanced and complicated. And, sometimes, life really sucks. From my personal experience, lots of indoctrination from West Point, pumping of officer egos, and societal military hero worship all caused me to be a lot more confused as to why I was sitting at my desk at 9pm on a Friday night working on PowerPoint slides where I was told to lie about our company’s training status to my brigade commander so he “doesn’t ask questions.” Welp, it’s the same reason literally no one stopped all of the inflated reporting on how well (awful) Afghanistan was going for us until the entire thing imploded and everyone acts surprised. Does that mean everything any of us ever did was a complete waste of time? Maybe. If you attach your idea of “wasted time” to massive failures like Afghanistan, then maybe the answer is yes. But I do think that it’s more accurate and definitely healthier to focus on the impact/value for both yourself and others around you that you can extract out of this time and look back on it thinking you’re glad you did it but you sure as hell wouldn’t do it again. I’m sure if you’re in a demanding position right now you’re probably doing much extra-curricular reading, I know I didn’t. But a really great book to add to your list is Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It’s about a Jewish psychologist and his documented experience in a Nazi concentration camp. It ain’t too long, and it definitely gave me some food for thought and it’s one of my favorites to go back and read.

For education benefits the guard is usually better than reserves. NG gets all the same educational benefits as reserves. However, in the NG you also get state benefits.

@freereinveterans

Жыл бұрын

Good info-thanks for sharing!

West Point MALO would be a weird position to hold if you have a negative perception of active duty and your time on active duty. Selling a career to a potential officer that one didn't like themselves, or like enough to make it long term would be hard. Luckily other roles in the reserve.

@freereinveterans

10 ай бұрын

Sure, there plenty of people who are a better fit though and would be good MALOs. Like you said, a lot of other different reserve positions that could be better fitting for different people.

Army Reserves does offer a lot. I was active duty for 10yrs and decided to leave due to being completely miserable with my work/ life balance. I decided to reenlist for 3 yrs in the IRR before I left. I enlisted right out of H.S. in to a combat arms MOS. I had no direction when I left, I just knew I wasn’t happy. I joined the reserves a few months later to get into a field that I was interested in (medical). It got me into the hospital setting without being completely lost. I’m now AGR (Active,Guard,Reserve) or the active component of the Reserves as a Career Counselor. Finding a unit to transfer to isn’t hard, there is a Career Counselor assigned to every unit in the reserves. Just reach out to them and they can find you a unit. Keep in mind though both the losing unit and the gaining unit has to accept the transfer. IMA is a great opportunity but it is limited to E5 and up. There also has to be a position for you to fill though. Career Counselors also can find those positions for you. As far as the one weekend a month, two weeks of AT. The Reserves is flexible, there’s mandatory weekends but some aren’t. So you can request to reschedule your training for a later time. You get your weekend and AT schedule for the year at the start of every year so you can plan ahead. Most units have multiple ATs a year as well so you can pick one that best suits your civilian life. Reserves is federal and NG is state funded. So typically reserves doesn’t get activated as often as NG. Depending on your state of course. Over here in CA the NG was activated for both the wildfires and the inauguration/riots. This was a longer post but if it helps some people out it’s worth it. I saw one of the LTs I knew in Hawaii share your video, Howard Zhou. I’m glad he did lol

@freereinveterans

2 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks for sharing that info! Appreciate the insights from someone who’s done it. Thanks for listening and tell Howard hi! 🤪

@kayp4601

Жыл бұрын

The National Guard is federally funded not state. That is a myth that Reserve career counselors and recruiters say to discourage membership in NG. National Guard has a dual mission with both the federal government and state. However, the funding for the NG is federal.

@Mav0585

Жыл бұрын

The gaining unit no longer has to “accept” the transfer, but only if there’s an open slot

Your backyard is so pretty looks like a great spot to trail run where do you live? Texas?

@freereinveterans

3 жыл бұрын

It’s not my back yard actually-it’s a friend’s in California! I’m traveling right now and live in my van.

Great video! If you need any other information give me a ping again. Having been in all the Army's components over the past 24+ years (AC, NG, Reserve(TPU and IMA), always willing to pass along assistance!

@freereinveterans

3 жыл бұрын

Awesome, appreciate that. And good to know! That’s a lot of experience and a lot of good information you probably have 🤠 Thank you 🙏🏽

I'm about to start the journey with the army.

@freereinveterans

2 жыл бұрын

Well good luck to you! So many options. Work hard and make friends and learn some new things!

@elindigeno1215

2 жыл бұрын

@@freereinveterans I don't like people. Friends is not an option. Learning new things. I'm open

@freereinveterans

2 жыл бұрын

@@elindigeno1215 I hear you. Maybe you’re tired of people or have been disappointed by people or you’re an introvert or seriously just hate everyone. One thing I’d encourage you to do is to let that feeling kind of run its course through you, and as you start this new chapter, try to have an open heart and mind. Of course people will always disappoint you. And you’ll disappoint others and you’ll disappoint yourself. But I’d just offer if you completely close yourself off from everyone, you may miss out on what I found to be one of the most treasured and valuable things I have because of the Army: Relationships. Friends often become family, especially when you work really long hours together, go through shitty times together, and depend on one another. You’re very rarely operating as an individual and you’ll at least have a “battle buddy” or be a member of a small team in whatever task you’re performing. So at the end of the day, things end up being cooperative in many ways and having friends to crack jokes with is one of the best ways to get through some stupid stuff. It’s a brotherhood and a circus all at the same time. But the people on your team could eventually deploy together and have to have each other’s trust. So it’s not like you have to go in treating it like the *reason* you’re there is to make friends. It wasn’t for me and it sounds like it’s not for you. But looking back, it’s one of the things I deeply appreciate and am grateful for and I know most people feel the same. Just something to think about!

@elindigeno1215

2 жыл бұрын

@@freereinveterans Thank you! For this. I'm not going in there to make friends. I'm an introvert, and many situations have led to mankind disappointing me. I will go in there and most definitely use the "buddy system" I learned that while in Bootcamp I must take this "buddy" everywhere I go. Let's see how it goes. Hope to find this message later once I graduate from Bootcamp and school.

@freereinveterans

2 жыл бұрын

@@elindigeno1215 You’re welcome and good luck!! 🙏🏽

Hi, do you recommend doing reserve O side plus GS? Compared to Active O side, which one gets better pension if you retire as GS-13 step 10?

@freereinveterans

2 жыл бұрын

That’s a great question. I’d honestly have to do some research. What I will say is I think that sounds like a plan worth looking into. Active duty rag on the reserves because they always look so happy and say they love the Army and act like civilians…. I think active duty people are just jealous that reservists are often happy, love the Army, and are also civilians 😂. I’d do some digging on the pay scale websites and do some math. But I really do think that sounds like a great option.

@siuuuuuu7048

2 жыл бұрын

@@freereinveterans I'm looking into several options now: Try to stay as long as possible in Active Duty side and hopefully pass O-4 and O-5 boards and at least 20 years to collect 50% pension; Or, Saving all those headaches by get out after 1st contract and become a OPM-1811 (Can start as high as GL-9 with almost GS-10 pay), with 1811 GL, they have special FERS that allows 20 years retirement with base pay plus LEAP and Locality bonus, very similar to Army BAH, the good thing about this is quick promotion and higher work salary with less liabilities, no need to deal with 17/18 years old soldiers and their mistakes, no need to play politics, just do your own job and receive 6 figures most of the time of your career, even 1811 jobs force you to retire at 57, you can still transfer to other Federal Dep with a GS-13 rank , other GS jobs doesn't have 1811 mandatory retirement age; the problem is regardless it is under Federal LE pension 6c coverage, it is still trival compared to O pension who has 50% at 20 years mark, and most 1811 jobs are not on DoD side which means you need a polygraph plus psych eval which are hard to pass... But by paring a reserve O pension, the gap between the AD O pension is not that much, and 1811 jobs are very fun sometimes! The 3rd choice is get out of the army with clearance and join a contractor, they might start you as low 6 figures and no need PT or rush and wait, but the problem is they don't have pension but 401k that can lose value and you can be fired anytime! So all have good and bad, but for the pension, AD O side is definitely the best if you can retire at least O-5, any ranks higher will knock you into a luxury retirement life, plus VA loan and GI bill; for jobs transfer and negotiation power, GL is the best with 20 years pension and lateral transfer possibility to other GS-13 and higher jobs later; or if you like regular 9-5 office style coffee pot life, contractors with clearance is the best because some cleared IT jobs can start as high as 250k! There is a very profound calculations behind the AD O pension and GL-1811 6c plus reserve O, which will tell you before certain years which sides are more lucrative, I'm not a math nerd and I don't know too much people who are GL now, the GS FERS calculator on most Google website told me sub $2,000 monthly pension which I don't think it is correct. So if you love to discuss about this issue, feel free to do so, my honour.

@siuuuuuu7048

2 жыл бұрын

@@freereinveterans Also, not only 1811 is under 6c, but also some 1801, 1895, 1896 and 0083 jobs are under the 6c as well, I'm not sure. Some positions don't perform 1811 functions but also under 1811 OPM categories like CIA or State cops, don't quote me on that, lol.

Same thing civil service.

I know this is an old video but I’m separating from active duty in a few months and would like to do IRR. How do you apply? I’m an officer and will have 12 years time in service when I separate.

@freereinveterans

Жыл бұрын

All I had to do on my REFRAD packet was specify I wanted to be enrolled in the IRR. In the packet of required documents, there’s a specific doc that asks you to indicate your desire to serve in the reserve component. Usually people put guard or reserves. I put IRR and figured I’d see what happens. I didn’t know if it was going to work because I had already exceeded the 8yr MSO, but it did! If you want to see a template for the doc I’m referring to, I’ve got it uploaded to my website here: acaptainslog.com/refrad-application-example/ If you hit a dead end or can’t find it, hit me up 🙏🏽.

@VerSpnc

Жыл бұрын

@@freereinveterans Thanks for your reply! I’m Air Force so the separation paperwork is a little different. Did you have to reach out to someone for the muster information or were you automatically contacted? Sorry for all the questions but there is literally no guidance for this stuff.

@freereinveterans

Жыл бұрын

@@VerSpnc No worries at all! I was contacted automatically via mail with muster info. Ok gotcha, didn’t know you were Air Force, so like you said, I’m sure the paperwork is different. Just make sure somewhere in your resignation docs, wherever you’re supposed to fill out reserve info, that you explicitly mention the IRR. Did you see the other vid I have about the IRR ID card? I would assume the Air Force has something similar but it’s another perk.

IMA sounds sick as hell haha.

@freereinveterans

3 жыл бұрын

I know, doesn’t it? 😂

what was ur mos?

@freereinveterans

2 жыл бұрын

I was an MP.

Is there any way you could give me advice/help me get out the army?

My granddaughter likes a military career,please,how can you help her

@freereinveterans

3 жыл бұрын

She can contact her local recruiter 🤪. But seriously, she should start researching now if she’s interested and hold off on the recruiter and try to find some people who have worked in the military to seek advice from.

Too much NEPOTISM sun the Reserve and Nat’l Guard.

@freereinveterans

3 жыл бұрын

Don’t doubt it! But maybe for some it’s a better alternative to active duty.

I’m currently active Navy. And ima just say, I’m 100% done. I came to use this as a stepping stone. The system, Leadership, Organization and Environment is trash. I found Computers and Technology as an interest on my time. I’m glad you found your healing and Peace. 🩵

@freereinveterans

Жыл бұрын

Appreciate that very much, thank you. I’m sorry your experience hasn’t been what you expected and I hope you’re able to make a plan to maybe explore something in tech in the future!