Patriot Drills....no.

[MasterBates]

Appreciate it. I have more time at the controls of a Blimp than a Helo in the last 6 years as well.

Came back quick, but hovering a JetRanger was sporty having not touched one since 2003.

 

[RobLyman]

It sounds a lot like the National Guard. It is hard to get things done on one weekend a month and two weeks a year. We get additional flight training periods (AFTPs) to cover the flying, but the other stuff happens on drill weekends or out of your free time. We probably fly during half of our drills. The rest are filled with suicide prevention, rifle/pistol range, pre/post deployment health assessments, gear inventories, OERs (FITREPS), etc...

As a full tme technician, I do a LOT of unit stuff during the work day, and a LOT of facility (technician) stuff on drill weekends. For instance, I should only be concerned with maintenance test flights for my platoon on weekends, but I still end up covering maintenance for the whole company and the other airframes on the weekends. During the week I am constantantly responding to requests from the battalion and company commander, even though my boss during the week is someone else.

 

[MasterBates]

Yeah, but if you have the same "big boss" (NG) it may be a bit more acceptable for your boss to see you working on stuff for the NG. I'm still trying to figure out the "Technician" thing, as the Navy doesn't seem to have an equivalent. One of my mechanics used to be a "Tech" for his day job.

A little different if I would get a call for some TRA reports for the HMFIC of the NOSC, and expects me to work half the day on it, and he needs it by 1800, and I'm at my civ job for (Medium Sized Oil Company), and I also have stuff they need done TODAY for a large client. (ExxonMobil)

Taking a phone call and ironing out travel arrangements or answering a "hey can you take a XC from Corpus to wherever this weekend, stud wants to go to Denver and the IP is med down" are one thing. Doing multiple hours of work during the work day is another.

For the SELRES guys that are just drilling in a Hardware Unit (VAW-77, HSL-60, HSC-84, SAUs, etc) what is your workload when you are not on the clock. I'm assuming FITREPs and such would be done on my time if I'm not at the drill site when there are due, and the usual phone call/email about "hey have you been to X training".

 

[MasterBates]

Just talked to a guy who was turned down by 84, the requirement is 100 days a year, and more if you can.

At what point do they just basically expect you to have no other job than the reseves? I know there are BURPs around, but not all of us have a sugar momma so we can pull that off.

 

[Gatordev]

Some hardware units can afford to make that demand because there's people banging on the door or their mission warrants that kind of committment. Other units may end up wanting a similar amount of time, but are more flexible. Keep in mind, 24 days plus ~14 days plus what you'll have to use for additionals (AFTPs) to get your mins is around 75 days already. Obviously drilling for a NOSC is much less demanding, drills-wise.

SAUs are kind of a different animal than dedicated hardware units. Most SELRES aren't going to have a whole lot of responsibility week to week unless they come on extended orders to fill a gapped billet. For other units, There will be expectations to help out on drill days or other days you're there. How much you actually help (or get away with not helping) will vary from squadron to squadron. My experience was there wasn't much help, but other units have different expectations.

 

[BACONATOR]

I don't know if this is a total misperception, but is 84 and 85 changing a lot? It seems like they went from a total reserve wet-dream for active guys to now an ever-increasing active command. Every selection-round, more and more of my friends are selecting 84 and 85, and I see a ton of old RAG IP types going FTS to 84/85 (including your OCS roommate, Master).

 

[Renegade One]

There's plenty of SELRES who work out of the country.

Uh, what's a "Patriot Drill"?

 

[KBayDog]

Uh, what's a "Patriot Drill"?

Exhibit A:

 

[Renegade One]

Exhibit A:

Okay...nice vid...solid fraking hit. No flag on the play...

That said, I was rather "reading the vibe" that, within the World of the Reserve, there might be/have been some sort of a "gut check" drill wherein one is expected to show up and do something...without pay. AKA...a "Patriot Drill". Sort of a form of institutionally condoned hazing...without possibility of prosecution. "Hey...s/he volunteered!".

Glad to see I was wrong.

 

[Gatordev]

I don't know if this is a total misperception, but is 84 and 85 changing a lot? It seems like they went from a total reserve wet-dream for active guys to now an ever-increasing active command. Every selection-round, more and more of my friends are selecting 84 and 85, and I see a ton of old RAG IP types going FTS to 84/85 (including your OCS roommate, Master).

-4, -5, -84, -60, -75, HC-85 and HSC-85 have always been FTS squadrons. FTS=Reserves. FTS does not mean REGNAV guys, who also go to -84 and -85. Historically, there were a handful of FTS at all the squadrons and the rest were SELRES. As the war started going full steam, the closed little world of -4 (and eventually -84) opened up because they realized they didn't want to spend a port/starboard duty cycle of 6 months on, 6 months off in country. They started to get augmented by some REGNAV (while still mobilized, mind you) and then started progressing towards a ~50% REGNAV make-up. As HSC-85 started coming online and the the Rock mission guys left to go to HSC-21, they began also growing to a large percentage of REGNAV. Now there's actually a REGNAV XO/CO billet in the mix.

FTS hardware is, IMO, going away. It will take a while, but they seem to want to push REGNAV into the Reserve squadrons while also making it so that a lot of SELRES may consider leaving so they don't get mobilized...while also having to do some sort of deployment or operational commitment every year. This completely defeats the point of having Reserve squadrons, as they're the way to have a lot of experience that doesn't transfer every 3 years or have to go somewhere non-squadron related and lose currency. Even now, there's some that think REGNAV can manage and administrate SELRES, and technically they could, but it's being pretty horribly mismanaged right now (again, IMO...and others) at some (very specific) places. I think you'll always want to have FTS to take care of the SELRES, but it's slowly looking like they won't necessarily fly the planes (or even work on them).

Uh, what's a "Patriot Drill"?

You are correct. SELRES do work and not be compensated for it. COs (or OICs) and Chiefs will still have to do that at times, and some SELRES think it's a completely okay thing to do routinely, but it's a slippery slope.

 

[bluto]

I cant believe the concept of "Patriot Drills" are being allowed to happen. What's next, "Patriot Dets?" Everyone tacitly understands that when you sign on to be CO (maybe even XO/OpsO/AMO) you are going to be doing a bit more from home, but forcing guys to come in to the site to work is unacceptable. What do you guys do at the NOSC to warrant all the pay periods anyway? In MARFORRES, we are scraping for any little bits of extra pay periods. We are barely making our mins for goddness sake.

 

[MasterBates]

I'm not sure what they are doing at the NOSC. The whole concept of "Patriot Drills" as a LT.. Is not happening.

VIVE LA JOPA!

(the rumors of my promotion were greatly exaggerated it seems)