thedrifter
10-18-05, 03:18 PM
Reservists get more time to augment
By John Hoellwarth
Marine Corps Times staff writer
A new Marine Corps policy makes it easier for activated Reserve sergeants and below to join the Corps' regular component without losing rank.
The new policy extends the window for augmenting to active duty from 30 to 90 days before demobilization and helps with moving expenses, according to a Sept. 22 Corpswide message.
Although the process has always been in place, there hasn't been a significant reason to re-evaluate the augmentation process until the war on terrorism spurred the widespread activation of reservists, said Maj. Trevor Hall, a Reserve affairs officer with Manpower and Reserve Affairs at Quantico, Va.
Soon after the Corps began looking into the process, it concluded that the 30-day window for applying to active duty before an activated Marine demobilized wasn't long enough, he said.
If a Marine missed this window, he would have to wait until he was mobilized again to attempt a seamless transfer into the regular component.
Joining the active-duty forces in the interim would be possible, but the Marine may be subject to a loss of rank administratively, which Hall said is handled on a case-by-case basis.
Money has also been an issue. In the past, Hall said, activated reservists who augmented simply never went home, meaning they were left to cover the cost of moving their family to join them at a new duty station out of pocket.
Now, Marines will be sent back to where they began their mobilization, where they'll receive their permanent change-of-station orders to their new base, which pays for their relocation.
"The overall intent is for the Reserve Marine to go back to his or her point of origin and completely demobilize from the Marine Corps Reserve, handle all their personal affairs - employment, education, leave - and then go straight into active duty seamlessly," Hall said.
Activated reservists who want to augment should route their request through the unit's career retention specialist and submit a Defense Department Form 368, a request for conditional release from the Marine Corps Reserve.
Hall said the Corps will try to augment Marines into their primary military occupational specialty, but applicants will be asked to make three alternate job choices because their augmentation will be based on "the needs of the Marine Corps."
Although the new policy does not apply to staff noncommissioned officers, augmentation is still available to them through a "staff NCO accession board" that Hall described as not unlike those that approve the augmentation of officers approaching their four-year mark.
For more information, see MarAdmin message 433/ 05.
By John Hoellwarth
Marine Corps Times staff writer
A new Marine Corps policy makes it easier for activated Reserve sergeants and below to join the Corps' regular component without losing rank.
The new policy extends the window for augmenting to active duty from 30 to 90 days before demobilization and helps with moving expenses, according to a Sept. 22 Corpswide message.
Although the process has always been in place, there hasn't been a significant reason to re-evaluate the augmentation process until the war on terrorism spurred the widespread activation of reservists, said Maj. Trevor Hall, a Reserve affairs officer with Manpower and Reserve Affairs at Quantico, Va.
Soon after the Corps began looking into the process, it concluded that the 30-day window for applying to active duty before an activated Marine demobilized wasn't long enough, he said.
If a Marine missed this window, he would have to wait until he was mobilized again to attempt a seamless transfer into the regular component.
Joining the active-duty forces in the interim would be possible, but the Marine may be subject to a loss of rank administratively, which Hall said is handled on a case-by-case basis.
Money has also been an issue. In the past, Hall said, activated reservists who augmented simply never went home, meaning they were left to cover the cost of moving their family to join them at a new duty station out of pocket.
Now, Marines will be sent back to where they began their mobilization, where they'll receive their permanent change-of-station orders to their new base, which pays for their relocation.
"The overall intent is for the Reserve Marine to go back to his or her point of origin and completely demobilize from the Marine Corps Reserve, handle all their personal affairs - employment, education, leave - and then go straight into active duty seamlessly," Hall said.
Activated reservists who want to augment should route their request through the unit's career retention specialist and submit a Defense Department Form 368, a request for conditional release from the Marine Corps Reserve.
Hall said the Corps will try to augment Marines into their primary military occupational specialty, but applicants will be asked to make three alternate job choices because their augmentation will be based on "the needs of the Marine Corps."
Although the new policy does not apply to staff noncommissioned officers, augmentation is still available to them through a "staff NCO accession board" that Hall described as not unlike those that approve the augmentation of officers approaching their four-year mark.
For more information, see MarAdmin message 433/ 05.