Question for the oldies

shutterbugC

5-Year Member
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Apr 27, 2010
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I was just speaking with my nephew who is retired Navy. He told me that if your child goes into the service, he/she serves for 6 years, not the 5 years we were told. Also, if your are in the Marines or Army reserves after you graduate, that both of these could and would be called up. I know the Army would do it, didn't know the Marines would.
Does anyone have any clarification to these comments?
Just wondering.:confused:
 
I was just speaking with my nephew who is retired Navy. He told me that if your child goes into the service, he/she serves for 6 years, not the 5 years we were told. Also, if your are in the Marines or Army reserves after you graduate, that both of these could and would be called up. I know the Army would do it, didn't know the Marines would.
Does anyone have any clarification to these comments?
Just wondering.:confused:

Every obligation in the military is 8 years. PERIOD. For a regular enlistment it's 4 or 6 years active depending on the contract and 2 or 4 years on the inactive reserve list. That's how individuals are extended incountry. For the service academys and ROTC it's 3 or 5 years depending on the program plus 5 or 3 years on the inactive reserve list, again depending on the contract.

Bottom line, it's an 8 year obligation. If you count the years at the service academy it's a 12 year program. I bet no one has looked at the program in that light.

YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE CONTRACT YOU SIGN.

Sorta like that Cuba Gooding Jr. movie....
 
Thanks, he was just saying that everything was in even numbers and he couldn't serve in the military with odd years. I tried to correct him but quit. I guess being enlisted is different from the academy and I will just leave it at that. haha.
 
Okay, here's the deal with the USMMA service obligation (I will only discuss the military obligation, not the maritime): it is unique amongst all service academies.

The default requirement after graduation from USMMA is 8 years in the U.S. Navy Reserve/Merchant Marine Reserve program. The first 5 years are in a category called Individual Ready Reserve. This means you simply do the two weeks a year. There is no "weekend a month" requirement. The final 3 years are in a status known as "Inactive Reserve."

Now, you can choose to go into any of the other services and you can even choose to go into the Reserves of different services; however, each has their own commitments. If you so desire to go Army or Marine Reserve at this time in the country's history I would plan on being activated for a deployment.

If you stick with the default you can count on likely never seeing an involuntary recall to active duty.

Be very cautious of what you hear from anybody outside of those who understand USMMA very well when it comes to anything to do with service obligations. Very rarely is there a person outside that group that even has a clue. They just tell you what they know as the "norm" which is what your nephew told you.
 
Thanks, that is why I quit trying to correct him. LOL. There were other things I told him that he was trying to correct and some of it I was able to show him from the forum, others I couldn't so I just let him have his way. Made him feel better. One reason I came here to make sure I understood what I was told.
Thanks again, Flight Surgeon
 
Every obligation in the military is 8 years. PERIOD. For a regular enlistment it's 4 or 6 years active depending on the contract and 2 or 4 years on the inactive reserve list. That's how individuals are extended incountry. For the service academys and ROTC it's 3 or 5 years depending on the program plus 5 or 3 years on the inactive reserve list, again depending on the contract.

Bottom line, it's an 8 year obligation. If you count the years at the service academy it's a 12 year program. I bet no one has looked at the program in that light.

YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE CONTRACT YOU SIGN.

Sorta like that Cuba Gooding Jr. movie....

8 years of two weeks per year reserve duty, or three years active duty.
 
8 years of two weeks per year reserve duty, or three years active duty.

the two weeks of reserve duty is only for the first 5 years, after that you end up in the inactive reserve and don't have any ADT obligation.

If I'm wrong here, please correct me b/c I went active before I hit the 5 year mark.
 
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