Navy Reserve Moms

maryjo - Thank you! I have been on this site now for about four years...helping on the PIR groups and so I am hesitant to voice some of this stuff. I just never have and I don't want to be a Negative Nancy. I don't want to bitter either or angry but rather constructive and goal/soul oriented.

I want to do it with integrity. I will TRY not to let my emotions get the better of me :-D If I do...anyone please feel free to let me know. I'm working on it. I know as I do more writing about our experiences on my own privately first the "feelings" part will come out and then I can make sense of it better.

Don't get me wrong I am so proud of our nation and it's military. I will speak up for it in a heart beat.

But over the last several years my heart has started bleeding for the troops and their families.

It's conflicting for me on a personal note because part of me wants to run screaming from the room never to be seen again :-D, but the part that feels the need to help in whatever way God wants to work this out is bigger. So, I know I am on a new journey with this...to get this to a balanced area and to give back in someway.

I know I'll mess up sometimes...but I'll try my best not to do it on a regular basis!

My son is leaving for bc on May 19. He is going to be a reservist. His goal is to go to the ROTC at Purdue. His recruiter told him that his chances would be better if he was already in the Navy so he chose the reserves. I hope it all comes together like he plans. I certainly hope he doesn't have any issues like what you are all talking about. 

There have been a lot if positives, the biggest being able to fulfill a dream of serving. You take the bad with the good. Everything thing in life affects us, has an impact on us and then impacts others. I hope to be able to use the good and the bad for good as best as I can.

Bottom line is...he would still serve. It's just in him to do so.

I'm not trying to turn anybody off from serving...just the opposite actually. 

What I want to convey is the need for support and for folks not to feel that they are all alone in this. 

I wish the best for your son and his dreams and goals!

FTLW- Thank you again. You have hit the nail on the head. I am glad we have someone who can point out the positives and the negatives so we can continue to encourage our sailors, active and reserve.

My son is presently at Boot camp. Graduates on Sept 4th 2015. Went in as a reservists. Would like to go active and is attempting to do this at present. Was told this would be difficult.  Can someone tell me if he will go directly to A school from Boot camp? His rate is MM and suppose to go to Great Lakes Illinois which is across the street from RTC. Will he do this or come home for a period of time?  Help no understanding.

His Rate is a MM. He says he will do his A school at Great Lakes. Does this qualify him for FTS in the reserve?? 

My daughter is also reserves.  She graduated boot camp on May 1 and flew to her A school the next day.  If he is staying in Great Lakes, he will probably move his stuff across the street right after graduation.  You will then should be able to spend the rest of the weekend with him (although he will have to be on base at a certain time each evening.) I do not think any of the ones who graduated with my daughter were allowed leave between boot camp and A school.  Hope this helps! 

Menzvibe, Gabby's take is spot on for your son's schedule after graduation. No coming home until after he's done with A school. While he's in school, he's considered active. He'll switch to reserve status and come home after he finishes his schooling at Grate Lakes.

My son is IT (graduated 6-month A school at Pensacola in March) and has not pursued FTS, since he's going back to college. So I'm not too familiar with that process. I think it has a lot to do with what rates they need to fill in as to which reservists have a better chance at FTS (if they want to do that.)

Hello, my bf/daughter's father is in basic right now. PIR date is 8/28 then he flies out to San Antonio for MA A school. Any advice on what I can expect as a reservists upon graduating from A school? Thanks in advance!

Elizabeth, My son's is at GL for A school right now. His recruiter told me that he will come home for 2-3 days. Then he will have to go check in at the Navy Reserve Center.

What does FTS stand for?  I'm assuming something about changing from reserve status to active duty?

My son graduates from FC A school next Friday so we will find out very quickly what will happen now in regards to what happens when he gets home.  He's planning on finishing college but  he too is considering trying to get in active duty once he finishes college. 

Great, Thank you Huggybear!

Elizabeth..My son graduated from A school in San Antonio a HM and then reported back home to NOSC. He has duty one weekend a month and will go for 2 weeks of training next summer. He has filled out the paperwork to get his CNA  and has a full time job in home health care. He is enrolled to take EMT classes our community college this fall.

Wow!! daycare217 that is so great to hear! Thank you!!

FTS - Full Time Support (formerly TAR = Training and Administration of the Reserve).
Here is a post I did on that once: Full-Time Support –These are designated Reservists who perform full-time Active Duty service that relates to the training and administration of the Navy Reserve program. They may be assigned to shore activities and commands or operational units. They typically are not reassigned to different locations as often as those on regular Active Duty. And they receive the same pay, allowances and benefits as Active Duty members.

Here is link to the about.com page about that and the ratings that are FTS:
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/guardandreserve/a/fts.htm

Also, this is from Wikipedia: FTS, previously known as TAR (Training and Administration of the Reserve) serve in uniform all year round and provide administrative support to SELRES and operational support for the Navy. They are full-time career active duty personnel, but reside in the Reserve Component (RC), and perform a role similar to Active Guard and Reserve (AGR), Air Reserve Technician (ART) and Army Reserve Technician in the AirForce Reserve Command, the Air National Guard, the U.S. Army Reserve and the Army National Guard.

Here is a link to the Official Navy Reserve site on the different kinds of reservists (SELRES, IRR and FTS. Also Retired Reserves):
http://www.navyreserve.com/about/structure.html

Here is a BUPERS doc.

MILPERSMAN 1306 - 1500

FULL TIME SUPPORT (FTS) PROGRAM

http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/milpersman/1000/130...

This doc is going to be the most thorough...listing the ratings that are available to FTS and how you enter into the program.

Hope that helps :-)

Reserves, Guard and Active Duty components are all different. 

Reservists and Active Duty are not the same entity. When you enlist you have filled an opening and have made a commitment to it. I wish all recruiters would make this very clear. (Ours did, but my hubby was a reservist so we were aware already)

You (for the most part-there are some very small exceptions) cannot just transfer from one to the other. If you are a reservist you have to be released from your Reserve commitment and get an approved discharge and then separately process for enlistment for active duty service.

Like was stated this is difficult, it is not simple. The conditions have to be right (really the only time I have read info about this being this "easy" was in times of high demand for Active duty personnel...namely, war.) you have to get all kinds of approval, paperwork has to cross desks and be approved.

Their is something called a "conditional release" but I am not even gong to go into that (you can do a search for it), it is a whole 'nother animal.

Basically, in a nutshell what I am reading is that it looks like you have been able to do the transfer and the new component would like to get you now and so you can put in to be released early from your old component...it doesn't have to be approved though.

Thanks FTLW!  That's a great explanation of the differences.  My sailor who is SELRES is/was having trouble with his employer about deployments (they can volunteer for short 4-6 week deployments in his rate)  He has to keep up his flying hours monthly also (not included on duty weekends)  I asked about him just switching to FTS or Active Duty.  He said there is no active duty complonent to switch to - it would mean a change in rate.  If he tried to go FTS, it would mean he would probably lose his base he's at and have to move to another.  So it's truly not an easy thing and is a huge decision either way.  He's content to stay SELRES and do what he needs to do.  He may even quit his current job and open up his schedule to take more deployments and flying time!  We will see what the future brings us!

flgirltwo - Thank you for sharing details about trying to switch from Reserve to Active. Great additions as far as " even if you could" would you want too? Some would, but they have to weigh the pros and cons even if it was an easy thing to do.

I know of a Coastie who just went from Reserve status to Active duty(It had to be available and approved) and he did lose his rating. Had to "start all over" as far as a new A school and then of course he will be Active Duty so I am guessing a new home base...or vessel :-) 

Sidebar - CG is different from the other branches in that during peacetime they are under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security rather than the DoD. They can be switched to the US Dept of Navy by the US President at any time and US Congress during war time.

My daughter just finished her schooling and has gone from active duty to reserve.  Her first weekend duty is coming up.  Can someone tell me if they get paid on the 1st or 15th for reserves?  Unfortunately, she was one of those that spent all her money while in A school!

Gabby - Reserve Pay is different from Active duty. 

Generally speaking the Reservist should receive their pay anywhere between 7-10 days after they drill. 7 would be the rarity. Two weeks is more the "norm" for my sons unit. It HAS taken longer a couple of times.

So I would say 10 -14 days after drill.

She can check myPay early though. Her LES might be up and it will have the date of deposit on it.

Thank you!

Good morning. My son is graduating from FMTB tomorrow, and supposed to report to his reserve unit Friday for indoctrination.  What should he expect? Any suggestions how to support him as he makes the transition back to civilian life?

carolannod, my son came home in December and had to report in on a Friday also. He did some paperwork and was given a schedule as to when he had to report in January for his first weekend. The first weekend was a lot of paperwork and indoc. so not much else happened. Since he was not entered into the system yet he ended up getting his own hotel room. When he went in February he was given a hotel room with a roommate. Some more paper work. He still isn't in the system so he has yet to get paid. While he was there if February they reassigned him and attached him to a Seabee unit at Camp Atterbury. He is a GM. The Chief from Camp Atterbury called him last weekend to make sure he knew that he had to report there. He will be doing his March duty this weekend. Other than that he has his job back where he worked before he left and is getting things in order and deciding when he want to go back to college. He has since changed his mind as to what he wants to study. Hope this helps. {NMH}

When a sailor in the reserves ranks up does his family get to attend the ceremony?

NovaMom - I attended my sons ranking up. He invited us too. Ask your Sailor to ask his command.

My sons command was very welcoming. They introduced themselves to us and we were invited to participate. I placed my sons new cover on his head and my hubby "tacked" on his new rank. :-)

Good Luck!

HEADS UP

“Deleting inactive members - The ad agency that handles N4M is in the process of updating the site.  If you have not been active since 12/1/15 you will be deleted to make room for new members.  You will be able to re-join.  If you don't want to be deleted you will need to post something to activate your account.  They have already started deleting members.”

Posting a comment for two reasons: I want to remain a member of the site .  . . and also to say thank you to FTLW and NovaMom for putting the idea in my head that I could actually attend my son's ranking up. I had not even thought about the possibility! 

Would just like to say that this site has been the best thing I could have found to help with all the questions and unknown.  Not being from a military background, it was a whole new world when my daughter decided to joint the Navy Reserves.  Through boot camp, A school and back home to Reserve life, this site has been invaluable.  God bless to all those who make this what it is!

I just got back yesterday from seeing my son and pinning him. Everything was good until last night. I found out that after my son dropped me off at the airport yesterday and he got home only to find out that one of his shipmates (a friend of his) they think committed suicide. Will now more after the investigation. It was another shipmate that found him. I feel at a loss for words to say to him. I just want to put my arms around him and shield him from the pain. He won't talk about it. A friend of his mom reached out to me to get his phone number so that her son could call him.They were stationed together in Japan. The squadron are all off work till Thursday so hopefully they can try to work thru it. And seek counseling if needed.

Hello, I'm new to the site.  My son is currently at GL, PIR set for Jan 6th.  A school across the way as a Quartermaster.

Hi All

My son just completed PIR in Great Lakes Ill. he is Navy Reserves and is in A school . 

Hoping to connect to other families who have also just completed PIR as well as meet existing members.

My son is about to do just that, Amanda. Accepted a 12-month deployment to Djibouti starting late Jan/early Feb of next year. (He's got some training to do starting right after Thanksgiving, so I guess that will start his active duty time.) When he's done and back home in early 2019, he will return to Reserve status.

My son did indeed volunteer for this one-year active deployment. He is IT – apparently that is a position they always have "spots" open for reservists to fill. He had been wanting to do this for about a year, had to put his name on a list (or whatever official Navy thing he had to do) and wait for his name to come to the top of the list for the next request for IT. He told me he was not required to accept the offer when his name finally came up, but if he refused then they would likely bury his name way down on the list and he might not get another offer.

Does that make sense? Help at all?

To become full time active duty he would have to reenlist but if he wants to take a open orders somewhere (aka a deployment) he can do that and it will put him on active duty status for the time he is gone. My husband has been a reservist for 5+ years and was deployed a couple of years ago and while he was deployed he was active duty. Another option he could look into is FTS (full time support). They are still a reservist but work full time for the reserve. Not all rates are available for FTS but it is something he could look into to see if he could do it or wants to do it. 

Thank you for all of the input! :) Any tips on how to stay in touch while they are active is greatly appreciated. He will be gone for 7 months, plus 3 months training. The training is state-side, so that should be easier to manage. The 7 months in middle east seems a bit trickier.:)

My son is set to graduate A school Nov 22 and says he is to fly out for home Nov 23rd. Do they usually fly people out on a holiday? Just wondering trying to get plans in place for the holiday. He did say that he won't know the exact time until the day before. ;(

Does anyone know of a group pertaining to (Mom's of) deployed reservists?  It will be our first and I need some advice and reassurance.

Good evening all--I have been absent from Navy4Moms since 2014.  My Sailor exited AD, used his GI Bill to complete a Master's degree, and conducted a long and frustrating job search.  Last summer he received a letter with the invitation to rejoin the fleet, which he did without hesitation.  He is now in the Navy Reserve, with his former rate, DC2.  I am so happy for him, and happy to b back here as well.

Hi Everyone --My husband is in Boot camp right now and will head to Pensacola for NACCS (Aircrew) Full Time Support. Would really appreciate if you can give insight to what to expect after A School (life, deployments, stations). I read that FTS usually get stationed at any Reserves or could be your hometown. 

Thank you so much!

QUESTION - My sailor is new reservist   It has been quite the process getting weekend drills scheduled etc    We are planning to leave the country for a family vacation during holidays   He says he needs to get permission to leave the country but doesn't know for sure who to contact about this   Does anyone here have any insight into this???

TIA