Thinking of going from active to reserves, career jammer not much help.

[Cpl Duff]

Im coming up on my EAS here soon. At this moment I am making the decission to get out and go to college. I was very seriously looking at going into the active reserves. When I brought this up to my current career planer gave me a "deer in the headlights" look and told me that I have to EAS first, then go to my nearest reserve station and sign up to be active reserve instead of inactive. Does anyone out here have any better advice or can verify that what he said is true? I really dont want to lose any TIG/TIS due to bad word. I appreciate any help on this. ....Also I have my reason's for wanting to get out and I didn't bash the Corps in this, so please don't start BS if you dont like my decision.

[thediesel713]

I'm pretty sure you have to go through a PSR and or the jammer. I only know about getting reservists on AR orders however. Be prepared to be a cpl for a loooooooooong time.

[TunTvrnWarrior]

I did the same thing you are thinking of doing. If you are going to college in your hometown, get with the prior service recruiter there, or one close to the college you are going to go to. Call him up, give him a heads up on what your plans are and ask him what available MOS's there are and what units are available.

By the way, my Career Jammer had the same look in his eyes too and gave me the same advice. This was before the internet. Go ahead and look up the PSR in the area you are looking at and call him.

[Muztang11]

AR isn't as easy to get into as everyone thinks....There are only so many billets available and each Reserve center is different.Once you EAS all bets are off,You have to apply for AR and may or may not be accepted.Going regular SMCR shouldn't be a problem as long as your MOS is at your Reserve Station.

[Blutic]

The link below will give you some info on active reserve. AR Marines get promoted much slower from what I've seen.


https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/portal/page/portal/M_RA_HOME/RA/RAM/RA_RAM_RAM2_ENLISTED_ASSIGNMENTS/Enlisted_Assignments/FAQ

[SSgtRSD]

What base are you stationed at now? When I separated off active duty in '08 there was a PSR assigned to Camp Pendleton. Do yourself a favor and make contact with a PSR before you hit your EAS, that way you have all the information in front of you to make an informed decision.

In my humble opinion: the grass is not greener....

SSgt D

[Silentwarrior17]

The good SSgt is correct, the grass is not greener. I signed up for the reserves but ended up doing 5 years active out of my 6. With deployments and IMA billets it worked out for me. Active duty is way better than reserve bullsh*t. I am currently back in the reserves after a year of sep and am prob stuck here. Due to my wife having a really great job I can deal with it, but thank god I will be deploying soon. If you can stay active, do it. If you go AR you will not pick up, flat out. Reserves itself isn't all bad, and there are a lot of options for schools, IMA Billets, and augments for deployments. Just my opinion from having gone through it all. Never had a problem with the Marines themselves, just the life style.

[cucinae5]

I'm pretty sure you have to go through a PSR and or the jammer. I only know about getting reservists on AR orders however. Be prepared to be a cpl for a loooooooooong time.



What can you tell me about going from reserves to AR? I am prior service waiting on approval from HQMC to take a PWST billet. I am thinking of trying to go AR after I get my foot back in the door.

[InsideInfo]

Call MCRC Prior Service Recruiting at (703) 784-9426. MCRC has a list of Active Reserve (AR) billets that it recruits Marines to fill.


Im coming up on my EAS here soon. At this moment I am making the decission to get out and go to college. I was very seriously looking at going into the active reserves. When I brought this up to my current career planer gave me a "deer in the headlights" look and told me that I have to EAS first, then go to my nearest reserve station and sign up to be active reserve instead of inactive. Does anyone out here have any better advice or can verify that what he said is true? I really dont want to lose any TIG/TIS due to bad word. I appreciate any help on this. ....Also I have my reason's for wanting to get out and I didn't bash the Corps in this, so please don't start BS if you dont like my decision.

[InsideInfo]

Regarding promotions, sometimes yes sometimes no. I am surrounded by some pretty young AR MSgts and MGySgts and some older ones too. It depends a lot on your MOS.


The link below will give you some info on active reserve. AR Marines get promoted much slower from what I've seen.


https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/portal/page/portal/M_RA_HOME/RA/RAM/RA_RAM_RAM2_ENLISTED_ASSIGNMENTS/Enlisted_Assignments/FAQ

[thediesel713]

What can you tell me about going from reserves to AR? I am prior service waiting on approval from HQMC to take a PWST billet. I am thinking of trying to go AR after I get my foot back in the door.

Get in contact with a PSR to start your package. Not sure of all the exact forms you will be needing/routing but if the PSR doesn't help you, I can definitely find out for you. It will have to go through MARFORRES and your COC. You also list your top 3 mos's, so theres no guarantee you will keep your mos. And basically you can be assigned to any reserve unit that rates an AR of your mos. Also, promotions are slow since AR Marines are considered less competitive than active duty. Hit me up if you have any more questions.

S/F

[InsideInfo]

Marines,

Requests to join AR do NOT have to go through MARFORRES. They simply need to be endorsed by your local CO. Also, the statement about AR promotions have little or nothing to do with the active component promotions. There are limited retraining opportunities left for FY11 so those who are MOS matches to what the AR program needs will get priority. Right now, They compete on separate promotion boards. So this statement is wrong:

Also, promotions are slow since AR Marines are considered less competitive than active duty. Once upon a time the AR program was considered a dumping ground for mediocre active component Marines. For the most part, I'm happy to report that has changed quite a bit. So I understand how some of these misconceptions are still out there.

Contact Marine Corps Recruiting Command (Prior Service Recruiting) at (703) 784-9426 if you have more questions. [/font]

[thediesel713]

Also, promotions are slow since AR Marines are considered less competitive than active duty. Once upon a time the AR program was considered a dumping ground for mediocre active component Marines. For the most part, I'm happy to report that has changed quite a bit. So I understand how some of these misconceptions are still out there.

Contact Marine Corps Recruiting Command (Prior Service Recruiting) at (703) 784-9426 if you have more questions. [/font][/QUOTE]

I was not implying AR compete against active Marines. Just that they ARE less competitive than active. Both will work an active "schedule," but cannot be stationed in the same place and will not deploy at the same tempo. For example if you are a 6174 AR there is only 1 unit broken into 3 Dets that you can be stationed at. Whereas you have 8 active units. I understand it is separate cutting scores and SNCO boards. If I was unclear, it was not my intent.

S/F

[InsideInfo]

If you were not implying that, then why would you use the word competitive? Competitive against who? I think you were trying to say AR Marines are not as good as active component Marines. I don't know how you'd draw that conclusion or what information you have to base that on. Like I wrote before, the AR program was once considered a dumping ground for mediocre Marines. Thankfully, that has changed quite a bit in the last 5 years. So, I would be interested in any type of evidence you have that says AR Marines "ARE less competitive than active". I'm really not sure what you mean by that.

[thediesel713]

I am not saying they are not as good as active at all. You are reading into what I am saying. All I was doing was letting that Marine know that he will probably be a Sgt for a long time in the AR program, and explaining why. My AR SSgt was in the exact same class as my active MSgt, and I know 2 AR Sgts in my unit that have been in longer than my gunny. None have negative paperwork, all are in good shape and have mos related quals. I'm sure you have personal experience that contradicts that since you've been in since 98. Just like I'm sure you are a gunny or top, even though you are listed as an E1. But that Marine will have to find out for himself. In 4 yrs when he's still a Sgt, he'll see what I meant.

S/F

[Cpl Duff]

Thanks for all the good information that you have all posted. I will definatly be getting in touch with a PSR at my first possible chance. Im currently out in afghanistan so when that may be is still unknown..... As far as picking up rank.... Like anyone else I look forward and strive for that next rank, but where I am right now, a senior Cpl in my mos picking up Sgt here in the next few months, im not to worried about it. As far as the grass being greener... Im looking at the reserves as a way to keep my options open for the future. I was one of those motovatied kids who joined and shipped a month after I got out of high school. I know without a doubt that if I were to make this my carrer option I would make it to at least SSgt, Gunny, or probably higher. But I firmly believe that I can find a job that will allow me to persue personal intrest, have more time to put toward a family, and also meet my own financial goals. Ive been in five years and have never had a chance to relax because my op tempo is always high. Im burned out. I almost yelled at a Major today because a new Lt that has nothing to do with my current job made a bad judgement call and made it seem that it was my junior marines fault. Now im going off on random tangents, apologies.......Going AR will allow me to keep TIG/TIS while still letting me get out and be my own person.