Hi there, I know there are quite a number of people with a military background on this board, so I'm asking my question here. Lately, I've been considering joining the US Army Reserve - part-time because I have a job and other commitments. There are some really interesting jobs out there (I'm especially interested in 35P) that, according to the website, can be done part-time. Now, my question is how this is supposed to work if I only serve part-time. I know that there is a 9-week initial training and some more specialized training, but mostly it seems like weekend soldiering. Do people manage to learn something useful in such little time? Do AR soldiers get deployed? Do employees honor field time and (potentially) deployment? Many questions...I would appreciate any comments that may help me with them. One very specialized question: I'm not a citizen (German permanent resident). If anyone else is an non-citizen AR, how did they treat you? Differently from the rest of the bunch? http://www.goarmy.com/JobDetail.do?mos=35P
I joined active duty as a permanent resident. Most people will never know unless you tell them. I obtained US citizenship after leaving active duty and joining the NG. After initial training (basic, advanced) which can take 2-9 months depending on your speciality one typically serves one weekend a month plus a 2 week summer camp. HOWEVER, (notice the big letters) the US is involved in major conflicts around the world so you can expect to be deployed for up to a year. This will probably only happen every 3-5 years, but if you have a needed speciality you can be called more.
While my experience is some what dated ( I retired from the Army Reserve several years ago), I will agree with perrymk. Your initial time (whihc can be several months after you actually join) is spent like any other recruit at basic training and then advance individual training. This can take up to a year of full time, in uniform, away from home, time. To achieve a military occupational speciality such as 35P Cryptologic Linguist in Military Intelligence, you would need more training on top of the 35F Intelligence Analyst start point. This could be gained many ways, including external (e.g. college) training, often at your own expense. This extra training is usually above the 2 days a month and 2 weeks a year. Also having a highly sought after specility does make you in demand by the military. Whihc means be called to active duty at their convienence, often at short down time intervals. Several years ago a friend was working on his PhD and got called up two times in three years for 6 months at a time, and sent to Bosnia and then Iraq.
The reserves worked well for me. I went to a great school (was 35G but now 91A I think). I was almost activated four times: Bosnia, Somolia, and Iraq twice. If you join, pick an MOS that will give you the most for your time.
