Is there anything similar in US for non-citizens? I am an immigrant (H1B) and would love to serve regardless of pay or other incentives.
That's pretty close to being a mercenary.
Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech
311–320 of 608 posts
Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech
#312Question for you all:
I'm coming into my forties, so if I want to volunteer for the reserve, I need to start now. Is it a ridiculous thought? If SHTF, I'd like to have some more useful life skills than typing at a computer. I do have responsibilities to my family, so it would not be an easy sell. That said, it does appeal to me.
Thoughts? Opinions?
Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech
#313Earlier quoted context omitted.
sure, and if you go back in time far enough, you can say that generals get killed in combat too how many logistics and support personnel casualties did the US have in any war during this century?
Not sure if this is sarcasm, but quite a few on here from 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' https://cms.qz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/oifnames-of-fa...
well alright, I stand corrected
still tho, senators' and millionaires' sons aren't the E-rank grunts driving the trucks
Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech
#314Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's rare that survivorship bias gets to be used quite so literally. Nearly 300,000 families also had their trajectories changed because their loved ones died. The military as a class on-ramp disproportionately harms the poor, and ethically that's wrong. It's almost literally a lottery where you're gambling your life in exchange for basic needs.
Is that wrong-ness the responsibility of the military, or that of our govt/"society" not bothering to offer anything else as capable?
It's the responsibility of the government and by extension, the military. I suppose you could blame society at-large because we elect our representatives, but the majority of Americans already support single-payer healthcare and free or reduced college tuition.
It's disturbing to me that it's normal to concentrate efforts on recruiting poor teenagers to fight wars. The focus on the poor also has the effect of disproportionately impacting minorities.
Even if you survive, over the past decade hundreds of thousands of veterans have ended up with PTSD and even then they're left to fight for proper treatment under the VA. The VA has been failing veterans for decades and in some cases causes additional harm, including using experimental and ineffective treatment for covid while under their care (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7276049/).
Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech
#315> we emphasise explaining the context two levels up. I may tell my soldiers to raid a compound, but I would also tell them that the reason for this is to create a distraction so that the Colonel can divert the enemy away from a bridge, and that the reason the Brigadier wants the Colonel to divert the enemy is so that the bridge is easier to cross. many organizations could benefit from more of that.
The term is communicating the "Commanders Intent". It's exactly I how work with my teams. Giving the people doing the work as much information as possible, lets them make better decisions as all the little decisions pop up. I wasn't in the military, and have always led this way because it seemed more effective and tbh, less work for me. Ideally I don't need to micro-manage anyone when they have all the same informati…
> The term is communicating the "Commanders Intent".
There is a classic presentation from Mary Poppendieck on this, highly recommend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypEMdjslEOI
Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech
#316Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think there is some incorrect information in this post. I know people who have completed their Bachelors and Masters completely funded by the GI Bill, including living expenses. In the experience of the people I know, the VA goes out of their way to give benefits as needed. One case, in particular, they were granted 100% disability for life with a packet submission and one phone call.
The details matter. A lot of people sign up for a two-year active duty contract (it's an eight-year contract in all though, you're in the reserves afterwards). That only gives 70-80% of the benefit (which only runs for a max of 36 months, not a full four years). You're also restricted to in-state public schools, no private (Ivy League etc.) or out-of-home-state schools. Most of the military people I talked to at my l…
As others have noted, a lot of what you wrote is wrong. The Post 9/11 GI Bill will cover any tuition up to the maximum in-state university. You also do not have to return your Home of Record and can declare citizenship in any state post service and receive in-state tuition (you will of course need to meet the states requirement for citizenship).
Also, many universities (private and public out-of-state) have the Yellow Ribbon program that will cover gaps between what the government provides and the university's costs.
Finally, the Post 9/11 GI Bill also provides BAH based on your universities location which can be quite substantial.
I used the Post 9/11 GI Bill to get my degrees in CS and ECE. If I was single, the money from the program would have more than covered me.
Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech
#317Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not meant literally. Even in Australia our armed forces are still "Royal" but this is just a vestige of the past. i.e our ships are designated Her Majesty's Australian Ship (HMAS). What is means in practice is they fight for their country and its allies, just like any other military. While technically the Queen's representative in Australia (the Governor-General) is the chief of Australias armed forces (as defin…
Then don't say it period. Also, isn't the british queen still the head of state of australia? Every time I bring this up, it's always australians, canadians, british, etc making excuses.
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Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech
#318Question for you all: I'm coming into my forties, so if I want to volunteer for the reserve, I need to start now. Is it a ridiculous thought? If SHTF, I'd like to have some more useful life skills than typing at a computer. I do have responsibilities to my family, so it would not be an easy sell. That said, it does appeal to me. Thoughts? Opinions?
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Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech
#319I spent five years in the Air Force. Posts like this are really helpful, a lot of Americans are disconnected from members of the military, especially in the upper classes where people do not need to serve, or in fields (like tech) where people can often find less intrusive ways to pay for college. My favorite part of the article is dispelling the myth that in the military senior people bark orders, and don't ask for…
One issue with reserves, especially army. Through the iraq/afghanistan deployments BOG time was way up (ie, your service commit is not just that weekend a month). BOG = Boots on ground time. In afghanistan Army deployments (both active and reserve) were far higher than other service branches. My quick understanding is that normally they would like to target 1/4 BOG/Dwell time. So if you are thinking of reserves, part…
Is there data on how much real service one might be doing? As in incoming mortars, bullets flying over your head, in a place with IEDs or mines etc.
I feel like if I wanted to be put in that specific situation, I'd want a whole lot more training than a reservist.
Re: Why I'm in the Army Reserve – an explainer for my friends in tech
#320These are all valid points everything you said resonates with me. I was in the US Navy myself and have been out for 11 years during which time I've finished a Bachelors (thanks GI Bill), will be finishing a Masters here shortly (also in CS), and have been in tech the entire time. While the pay is great and intellectually fulfilling, a part of me certainly misses having contact with a broader cross-section of society…
Join the Navy reserves like me and find a unit that supports Sixth Fleet (Europe)! No need to go green (national guard).
hah, tempting but if I went back to the Navy reserves I'd try to go to dive school, but I'm well past the age for the Navy. For the Army and Air Force their max age is 39 waiverable so I have some time there though I'm too old to go pilot :(