A Voice for the Army Reserves!
You may have already seen the 31 January 2008 report from the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, "Transforming the National Guard and Reserves into a 21st Century Operational Force." Interestingly, they state that:
1) The Army Reserve and Guard have, by default, become an operational force in response to current and projected needs for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the associated force generation requirements.
Another interesting fact is that:
2) Reserve Component personnel use has increased from 12.7 million duty days in fiscal year 2001 to 61.3 million in fiscal year 2006.
3) And, Reservists have also been mobilized more than 597,000 times since September 11, 2001.
With the Army Reserve being continuously deployed from the very outset, we must ask ourselves, "Where is the Reserve of the Reserve?
Editors Note: We will have more on this topic in upcoming issues of this E-newsletter. Readers comments are welcomed.
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VA Studying Guard, Reserve Suicides.
February 12, 2008. WASHINGTON - National Guard and Reserve troops who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan make up more than half of veterans who committed suicide after returning home from those wars, according to new government data obtained by The Associated Press.
A Department of Veterans Affairs anlysis of ongoing research of deaths among veterans of both wars, obtained exclusively by The Associated Press, found that Guard or Reserve members were 53 percent of the veteran suicides from 2001, when the war in Afghanistan began, through the end of 2005.
The research, conducted by the agency's Office of Environmental Epidemiology, provides the first demogaphic look at suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who left the military - a situation that veterans and mental health advocates worry might worry might worsen as the wars drag on.
Military leaders have leaned heavily on Guard and Reserve troops in the wars. At certain times in 2005, members of the (National) Guard (NG), and Reserve (USAR), made up nearly half the troops fighting in Iraq.
Overall, they were nearly 28 percent of all U.S. military forces deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan or in support of the operations, according to data from the Defense Department through the end of 2007.
We found this full story at: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,161905,00html?ESRC=eb.nl
Editors note: When their webpage comes up, just type in Reserve Suicides in the search block and click go for this and other related stories, or go directly to this specific story at: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,161905,00.html?wh=news
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"To be sure, our Army is being stretched to meet the demands of the current conflict.... Our Reserve Components are performing an operational role for which they were neither originally designed nor resourced." Army Chief of Staff General George W. Casey Jr. - Jan 2008.
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While reservists serve, their jobs don't always wait!
By Jill Carroll | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
from the April 10, 2008 edition
This investigative report reveals that: "Between 2004 and 2006, returning volunteers filed 16,000 complaints against employers." And that: "The disputes are also more complex.... The law is a ticklish issue for companies, experts say. On one hand, they don't want to do anything that makes them look unpatriotic. On the other, the long and sometimes repeated deployments of key personnel can complicate staffing."
This report goes on to tell us: "Some 16,000 complaints filed (but) No one knows how big the problem is. Members of the reserve forces filed some 16,000 formal and informal complaints with the government from 2004 through 2006, says the Government Accountability Office (GAO), using the most recent data available. But that may underestimate the number who actually encounter rehiring problems, experts say.
"Some aggrieved workers sue their employers on their own. Most apparently take no action at all. A GAO analysis of Defense Department surveys in 2004 and 2006 showed that some 70 percent of reservists who said they had problems getting rehired or promotions or raises did not seek redress.
"One reason may be that the system is bureaucratic and can take months to decide a case.
"Four government agencies handle complaints. The Defense Department's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) offers informal mediation. The Labor Department tries to resolve formal complaints from service members without going to court. If they can't be resolved and are legitimate complaints, then the Justice Department or the Office of Special Counsel will take the case to court.
Read this full story at: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0410/p01s03-usmi.html
Editors note: If you are aware of a difficulty of this nature, send your comments to our ARA Field Support Services Director: CoLLind@armyreserve.org
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Non-commissioned Officers are the backbone of the United States Army, and its now 100 year strong United States Army Reserve's!
