Lifers vs. Five and Dive

Pet Peeve Alert!!!

IRR is actually part of the Active Reserve. The I stands for "Individual" not "Inactive"

Most people in the Inactive Reserve probably don't even know they are in anything at all There is no requirement to do anything.
 
sprog said:
As described by other posters, IRR means you fill out a form once a year and let the service department know where you are.
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Is this true for inactive reserve? I haven't talked to or heard from the Coast Guard in an official capacity in two years.
 
I can't remember back hundreds of years, but I'm pretty sure that when I first came in, I had an initial 8 year commitment. Active duty, and the rest inactive. HOWEVER: If I PASSED the 8 year mark on Active Duty; e.g. I went 21 years and then retired; I didn't have an inactive reserve commitment. Then again; maybe I did. But I remember something about only an initial 8 year commitment.
 
LineInTheSand said:
Scout once said the only requirement is "to be alive."
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That's debatable.

The Inactive Reserve is where they stash everyone who "retires" at 20 yrs. You go in the IR until you hit 30yrs and that's when they put you on the retired list.
 
KPEngineer said:
Pet Peeve Alert!!!

IRR is actually part of the Active Reserve. The I stands for "Individual" not "Inactive"

Most people in the Inactive Reserve probably don't even know they are in anything at all There is no requirement to do anything.
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Right.

The IRR is part of the Ready Reserve, but you still don't drill or do anything. You can theoretically get called up, and you are supposed to maintain your uniforms.

I know this is Wikipedia, but it has links to better sources, and it explains it fairly well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual_Ready_Reserve
 
KPEngineer said:
Nothing theoretical about it. I know several who were mobilized out of the IRR over the last several years.
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In the Air Force, it is more theoretical than the other branches. I'm not sure they have had a mobilization in many years.

Doesn't mean it couldn't happen, of course.
 
KPEngineer said:
Nothing theoretical about it. I know several who were mobilized out of the IRR over the last several years.
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Right, well people aren't getting "called up" out of inactive reserves.

I believe I did have a physics II professor that was called up out of IRR.
 
LineInTheSand said:
Right, well people aren't getting "called up" out of inactive reserves.

I believe I did have a physics II professor that was called up out of IRR.
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My memory may be a little fuzzy but I believe a declaration of war is required to mobilize the inactive reserve.

I saw a big chart several years ago that showed all the different levels of reserve status and the legal basis for mobilizing them. National Emergency, Declaration of War, etc.
 
Christcorp said:
If I join the American Militia, does that count??? :eek:
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You may already be. Its actually in the US Code that all able bodied males of draft age are in the militia.

10 USC § 311
(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.
(b) The classes of the militia are—
(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and
(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.
 
Christcorp said:
I think if a person is deciding their military career, and deciding whether to continue surving or leaving; based on what your next PCS/Assignment is........ Then I'd say that an individual really needs to reaccess why they are in the military in the first place. Not saying everyone should be a lifer. Simply saying that you should EXPECT to love everything about the military, and every place you PCS to; and if the assignment doesn't appeal to you, you'll get out.......... Is a pretty sad way to decide.
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What if I told you that I don't like to brag and that my screenname doesn't reflect the year I want to graduate?
Because of the valuable time that helpful people take out of their day to help some one out like me, need to come clean and maybe put a stop on senseless comments that have taken this thread off tangent.
The reason why I'm visiting all these SAs is because I have BFEs from all SAs except one, and also ROTC full ride to several universities.
I am at the fork of the road but it's muti-pronged. I have until the end of the month to make my decision. May 1st looms.
If any young man/woman ever reads this thread and take something from it, let it be that the choice of where you go beyond HS or college may be one of the major life choice you make. Do your best to research and make sure that the choice you make is the perfect fit for yourself. Do not let anyone discourage or talk you down. There are no stupid questions! the source of the response may be. Don't fall for the shiny brochure,school rank, prestige or tradition. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to visit almost all of the top choices that I have been accepted to. It's much more difficult to choose when they're all excellent options. Once again, thank you for the valuable information that so many have willingly provided.
 
So u want to make your decision on the bases you might wind up going to? Whatever.
 
Christcorp said:
So u want to make your decision on the bases you might wind up going to?
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No sir-but it was one of the factors cited by a respondent on what can be the reason to stay for the long haul or opt out early
I have made a list of the pros and cons and am doing my due diligence to find out what I'm getting myself into. To commission, become an officer and to serve is the goal.
 
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usna1985 said:
Probably the single most important factor is family. If the military member is married, is the spouse supportive of a military career (the moves, the deployments, etc.)? If the spouse works outside the home, the couple will need to consider whether the spouse can continue his/her career. If the spouse is also in the military, they need to consider whether they can be stationed together and, if not, whether they can deal with that.

Other reasons are as cited above: desire to do something different than the military, desire not to deploy (whether single or married), desire to make more money, desire to get an advanced degree that is impossible or difficult while in the military, wanting to homestead (stay in one place) . . . and on and on.

BTW, do NOT assume that those who leave the military after 5, 10, etc. years are any less "loyal" to the service in which they served. Many former military types stay active in the Reserves and/or are active in veterans' activities, USNA alumni activities, philanthropy etc. They simply decided to take a different fork in the road.

In the end, everyone gets out. Some simply do it sooner than others.:smile:
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:thumb:Thank you for your valuable insight.
 
bruno said:
So true.
The number of guys who I knew who were "lifers" in their first year and then left as fast their commitment would let them is countless. Similarly- lots of guys I knew started off with the "I'm out of here two minutes after my commitment ends" philosophy and 25 years later were still wearing green. It's like anythng else- job satisfaction or lack thereof, family situation, a sense of doing something worthwhile or a sense of wasting time, the opportunities awaiting one on the outside or the lack of employment opportunities, promotion opportunities, multiple deployments, etc... all weigh into the decision. Most guys I knew- myself included, vaciliated between love and hate for the Army. What you decide depends on all of the above factors as well as your own specific wants and needs. The one thing I can tell you is that you can't accurately predict what you will do on comissioning day and as I have never yet met anyone with a Crystal Ball between their shoulder blades, I would suggest that you don't waste your time trying to predict that far into the future. Take each year as it goes- that's about all you can really influence anyway.
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:thumb:I appreciate your input. Thank you.
 
LineInTheSand said:
Scout once said the only requirement is "to be alive."
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Fact. You're supposedly required to go to a muster once a year and fill out paperwork and get your shots updated. But, since they lose track of people and their administrative skills are spotty, most people never even get notified of the time/place for the update. And if you miss it....nothing happens.

So yeah...stay alive and you've fulfilled 99% of what the IRR needs out of you.
 
iceman2018 said:
No sir-but it was one of the factors cited by a respondent on what can be the reason to stay for the long haul or opt out early
I have made a list of the pros and cons and am doing my due diligence to find out what I'm getting myself into. To commission, become an officer and to serve is the goal.
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Well. as you can tell by the majority of responses:
1. The number of reasons why an individual stays beyond 5 years, is as numerous as the individuals being asked. In other words, it's a totally personal decision.

2. As an appointee/cadet, you can NOT try and decide your next 25 years. Not yet. As has been pointed out, there are plenty of people who say they've "Wanted the academy their whole life". Yet, they quit in the first semester or two. Seems like 90% going into the air force academy say they want to fly. Yet, when they realize the 10 year commitment and having been at the academy already for 3 years, about half of the cadets actually apply to be a pilot. FWIW: the air force almost always has more pilot slots each year than they fill. Point is; there is no way at this point in your life, that you can even think about doing a career of 20+ years, or doing 5 and dive. You'll have one opinion now. Another opinion once you're at the academy. Another one after you've graduated and began working at your assigned job and base.

So while a person may believe they have a legitimate question concerning those who make a 20+ career out of the military and those who leave after 4-5 years, the question has NO RIGHT ANSWER. The reason YOU STAY OR LEAVE will be totally your reason.. "Hmmm, I WAS going to get out after 5, but I just got married and my wife is pregnant, and I really need the stable job and benefits........ Maybe I'll say for a couple more years". This is just as COMMON a reason for some people to stay, as are the "HooRah" "I like being part of something bigger than myself, and SERVING my country". Is either reason more valid? Nope. No more than staying because you like to travel and see all the different places.

Is it ok to think about the type of jobs each branch of the military has, when choosing which branch to go to? Sure. Is it ok to think about the TYPE of assignments each offers? Yes. But the key word is TYPE. I grew up on the ocean. Believe it or not, I ALWAYS GET SEA SICK. Even though I owned a boat. There was NO WAY that I was going to join the navy. But I didn't narrow it down to actual army posts, naval or air force bases, etc... I simply went with the TYPE. But there's every possible reason in the world to stay 20+ or leave after 5. Chances are, you won't be able to make that decision until about your 3rd year of commitment. Then, you'll probably know if you want to stay or leave.
 
Thanks. Very helpful info.
Just got home and sooo tired.
But learned a lot from being a bean sprout to just talking to all the wonderful people we've met in our travels from MD,NY and CT.
 
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