Mobilizations, when did you tell your employer?

[Mos]

Actually, if you have a back-of-napkin calculator in google sheets or MS excel, I’d love to see it. I have tried to build one for myself but kind of tough to gauge the variables and I don’t want my math to be off.

Try the attached; fill out any white fields and the gray fields will calculate the rest. The first ASOSH row is an active component row. If you want to add additional rows (because you just can't get enough of reserve life, or something), just fill down from the last one.

 

[Hair Warrior]

¡Gracias!

 

[nodropinufaka]

Also for those curious. I am in a weird situation as I did 8 years in the Reserves and a mobilization to Iraq as enlisted. Then I went to OCS and was active duty. Then after 3 commands (1 sea duty, 2 staff jobs) I dropped my papers from active duty and reaffiliated with the reserves.

But when you leave active duty you really need to file with the VA otherwise the longer you wait the harder it is to file because they are no longer sure if it is service connected. So I filed when I left active duty. And that is how I ended up with a high rating in the reserves.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

Yeah, I had plenty of SELRES try and recruit me and all that seemed like a lot of extra work on top of real work. Of course I was going into the reserves as an O4 so I would've had to jump right into a real job and not a fun one and the opportunities for O4s where less and less good. I was also coming off of 8yrs of long hard tours and a 2xFOS so my personal tolerance and goodwill for more of USN's "promises" and shennagins was nil.

I can attest from the two reserve squadrons I’ve been in there are definitely opportunities for O4’s (and O5’s) other than “real jobs”. A DIFOP billet may be the key there. Schedule me drills for next week. If I’m on the schedule, I’ll fly. If not, I’ll check my email and go to the gym.

 

[nodropinufaka]

My first unit in the reserves was terrible.

Had this DCO Intel captain has my CO. Told me all about how he was a computer programmer and essentially how to game the system for promotions.

I.e- Take these jobs even though they have nothing to do with intelligence work and it’s guarantee promotion.

Then made us do Dress white inspection on DWE for his upcoming chain of command.

Final straw was since I was IAP and found the command I wanted to be in and was leaving this command. I wrote up my NOB Fitrep since I was only there for 88 days and the CO said he was gonna give me a ranked 1 of 1 and give me a low average (1 full point below) so he can lower his RSCA.

I actually told him via the XO if he does that I will file a formal complaint. XO handed me the signed NOB and the CO never spoke a word to me again.

Left a real bad taste in my mouth starting the reserves.

 

[taxi1]

The reserves back in 1992 when I jumped in was truly reserves. In the non-hardware units you showed up for the drill weekend, did your two days with a big social night with the drinking buddies, and then brain dumped all of it driving out the gate until the next weekend.

The internet screwed it all up. Cellphones too.

 

[Hair Warrior]

Final straw was since I was IAP and found the command I wanted to be in and was leaving this command. I wrote up my NOB Fitrep since I was only there for 88 days and the CO said he was gonna give me a ranked 1 of 1 and give me a low average (1 full point below) so he can lower his RSCA.

NOB for < 90 days makes sense. NOB for IAP nonqual’d JO makes sense.

Was he trying to give you straight 3’s or straight 2’s?

 

[nodropinufaka]

The reserves back in 1992 when I jumped in was truly reserves. In the non-hardware units you showed up for the drill weekend, did your two days with a big social night with the drinking buddies, and then brain dumped all of it driving out the gate until the next weekend.

The internet screwed it all up. Cellphones too.

This how it was in my first enlisted unit. All of us were getting cycled through mobs to Iraq or getting sent to a training for AT to prepare for the mobilizations.

So we’d show up. Hang out. Enjoy each other’s company. Make sure we weren’t on any hit lists. Then never do anything til the next month.

I didn’t even have computer access at the reserve drilling site

 

[nodropinufaka]

NOB for < 90 days makes sense. NOB for IAP nonqual’d JO makes sense.

Was he trying to give you straight 3’s or straight 2’s?

3s.

I wasn’t a non qual. I had already came off 3 commands on active duty and this was my first command in the reserves.

Was already approaching my look for LCDR and had all the quals and everything.

 

[Hair Warrior]

3s.

I wasn’t a non qual. I had already came off 3 commands on active duty and this was my first command in the reserves.

Was already approaching my look for LCDR and had all the quals and everything.

Yeah, that wouldn’t do you any favors.

The RSCA is not my favorite tool but I guess I will learn to stop worrying and love it Kubrik style.

 

[nittany03]

“Adjusting RSCA” on someone who’s not either separating or guilty of substantiated misconduct is CO’s malpractice and arguably IG/Congressional bait. Or a cowardly lie, which is not much better.

 

[Pags]

I can attest from the two reserve squadrons I’ve been in there are definitely opportunities for O4’s (and O5’s) other than “real jobs”. A DIFOP billet may be the key there. Schedule me drills for next week. If I’m on the schedule, I’ll fly. If not, I’ll check my email and go to the gym.

Yeah, hardware units seem to be an exception and i got lots of calls, letters, and personal requests to come fly with CNAFR. I did a 4wk GS course with one CO who was also a GS and he asked several times as he was short of pilots and he and I got along in class. But I didn't really want to do the VR deployment and qualification game while trying to start my other career and make up time on the family front. A bud of mine left the ship the same time as me and he asked a VR in the town where he wanted to live if he could SELTAR with them and they said sure. Last I talked with him he was PXO of that unit (maybe yours?). I could've made a go of being a VR guy it just would have been a lot on top of a full time 9-5.

Edit: when I got out the VRs also weren't taking straight Helo guys so my option would have been to drive down to NOB to fly with HSC-84 or go to the 53 RAG and fly with the HMs. But I had also had some HSC buds go HM for various reasons and they weren't welcomed by the HM community. And 84 was doing real stuff so I would have had to train a lot to be a useful asset. So a lot of nonstarters. VR didn't become an option until a few years later and by then I had a budding career and had been out of the flying game for several years.

 

[nodropinufaka]

“Adjusting RSCA” on someone who’s not either separating or guilty of substantiated misconduct is CO’s malpractice and arguably IG/Congressional bait. Or a cowardly lie, which is not much better.

which is exactly why I was so mad about it.

worst he told me through the XO and then refused to take my calls when I told him I wanted an explanation.

 

[nittany03]

Hardware units are a different game. Everyone and their brother wants a flying gig, so those folks have the pick of the litter. They generally also are self-contained, so they don't have to deal with the same NOSC games the rest of us do. As we submit identical paperwork for the third time after it got lost, and try to route orders through government civilians who fill in what they don't know about the regs with crap they just made up in their heads.

I'm seriously considering writing a point paper or Proceedings article about how the Navy needs to take "distributed mobilization" another level down, divest itself of NOSCs, disperse the FTS population amongst the gaining commands, and force responsibility for reserve readiness on AC COs. They're the ultimate customers anyway, so they arguably shouldn't have an admin layer allowing them to be reserve-illiterate.

There are also (as it looks from my end anyway) a shit-ton more flying 1315 jobs than 1325 ones, so choose your rate, choose your fate.

 

[Hair Warrior]

@nodropinufaka Yikes. I assume he is long retired by now?