thedrifter
03-27-07, 01:22 PM
Editorial: Make re-up bonuses fair
Posted : April 02, 2007
Almost every Marine who wants to re-enlist these days can — and get paid a pile of money to do it, too.
But 2,250 members of the Active Reserve — the Marines who train and manage the Reserve force — have been locked out of the party. And that’s not fair.
The amount of cash flying around these days is staggering. Every active-duty Marine who re-enlists before Sept. 30 will get $10,000 richer. In fact, even those who re-enlisted as far back as last Oct. 1 qualify for the $10,000, retroactively, and well after they made their commitment to stay. And if they qualify for a Selective Re-enlistement Bonus, they can get up to $60,000 more.
Drilling reservists rate the cash, too — $7,500 to re-enlist. In fact, even Marines who quit the Corps as long as four years ago can get some dough for returning to active duty.
But not the Active Reserve.
This oversight defies logic. These Marines are full-time leathernecks. They work like everyone else. They deploy like everyone else. So they ought to get paid like everyone else, too.
Some might argue the bonus is unnecessary because there is no retention problem to fix in the Active Reserve. But considering the retroactive $10,000 checks going to active-duty Marines months after they re-enlisted, that’s not much of an argument. Those retroactive bonuses didn’t have any impact on retention, either.
In essence, the Corps is saying thanks to one group and not another.
Active Reserve Marines “think that it would be nice to get that thank you as well,” said a career retention specialist who asked not to be named.
Marine leaders like to say you can’t tell the active duty from the reservists any more, such is the experience and quality of today’s Reserve force. They have the Active Reserve to thank for that. And nothing says thank you like cash.
Posted : April 02, 2007
Almost every Marine who wants to re-enlist these days can — and get paid a pile of money to do it, too.
But 2,250 members of the Active Reserve — the Marines who train and manage the Reserve force — have been locked out of the party. And that’s not fair.
The amount of cash flying around these days is staggering. Every active-duty Marine who re-enlists before Sept. 30 will get $10,000 richer. In fact, even those who re-enlisted as far back as last Oct. 1 qualify for the $10,000, retroactively, and well after they made their commitment to stay. And if they qualify for a Selective Re-enlistement Bonus, they can get up to $60,000 more.
Drilling reservists rate the cash, too — $7,500 to re-enlist. In fact, even Marines who quit the Corps as long as four years ago can get some dough for returning to active duty.
But not the Active Reserve.
This oversight defies logic. These Marines are full-time leathernecks. They work like everyone else. They deploy like everyone else. So they ought to get paid like everyone else, too.
Some might argue the bonus is unnecessary because there is no retention problem to fix in the Active Reserve. But considering the retroactive $10,000 checks going to active-duty Marines months after they re-enlisted, that’s not much of an argument. Those retroactive bonuses didn’t have any impact on retention, either.
In essence, the Corps is saying thanks to one group and not another.
Active Reserve Marines “think that it would be nice to get that thank you as well,” said a career retention specialist who asked not to be named.
Marine leaders like to say you can’t tell the active duty from the reservists any more, such is the experience and quality of today’s Reserve force. They have the Active Reserve to thank for that. And nothing says thank you like cash.