How are “big fat 55 year olds” getting called up? If they’re out for 16 years, I would think there is no way in hell they’re still in the IRR.
Exactly what I thought. There story was that when Clinton downsized the military in 1993, they had a choice: Get out with a lump sum of $20,000 or so (the numbers are approximate and from memory), or stay in the IRR for $7000 a year. I believe they had to stay in the IRR for twice as long as they were active. There was an old Staff Sergeant who was active for 12 years who had to stay in the IRR for 24 years.
The IRR is a legitimate reserve branch that just happens to do no training or drills. You can get promoted in the IRR, re-enlist in the IRR, and retire in the IRR. It’s just that most people get out after their 8 year mandatory term, because there are really no benefits to being IRR, unless you’ve been getting paid $7000 a year for over a decade.
Oh, and I realized my “War with the Eskimos” link made no sense out of the allusion. In the story, one of the characters talks about how in the next war, the war with the Eskimos, instead of sending young able-bodied guys, they’re going to send the old guys, sick guys, etc… I thought it was an apt and humorous comparison.
Also, the Air Force no longer has MOS’s, we now have AFSC (Air Force Specialty Codes). As far as I can tell… they do pretty much the same thing as they did when they were MOS’s, the Air Force just hates to use the same name as the Army for the same thing. (Which is why we have Military Training Instructors instead of Drill Sergeants, for example)
For the record, the army doesn’t have a rank in their MOS either, just a skillset. Mine’s 35F10, 10 being basic skills (e1-e4), 20 being E5/E6, 30 being E7/E8. That’s not a rank though, it’s just a correlation.
I didn’t say special, I said specific. As you know there is always a big demand for combat support and combat service support in wartime. During Desert Storm my unit did not go, we were in the half that stayed in Germany. But they took most of our mechanics and fuelers. And this conflict needs a lot more MPs than they ever thought they would need. Troops like infantry and cav scouts are needed in much fewer numbers.
My last deployment was noncombat. The only IRR guy I dealt with on a daily basis was a major who wasn’t too happy about being called up but he said he couldn’t complain because he had been taking the money for years. He knew it was a gamble and he rolled craps.
Knew that, forgot it - thanks for pointing it out.
It’s Catch 22.
No it is not. Ever read the book?
While the specific comment is not correct, the situation quoted not having the required circular logic, I think the book is relevant to the current situation in our country. It’s been years since I’ve read the book, so I hopped over to the Wiki article. The theme of the corruption of those in power is a little chilling.
(Sorry. That should be in Café Society or Great Debates.)