Hi,
And how long are the deployments usually? Won't most people's civilian careers be adversely affected?
Thanks.
A deployment is usually around a year (sometimes a bit longer).
There is a federal law called the UNIFORMED SERVICES EMPLOYMENT AND REEMPLOYMENT RIGHTS ACT OF 1994.
In a nutshell, it says that when an employee is mobilized as part of guard or reserve duty, when they return, they MUST have their job back, and it must be as if they've "never left". If they would ordinarily have gotten a promotion, raise, etc., in the meantime, they're still entitled to it. If it appears an employer has violated this act, there are severe penalties. If there was a danger of losing one's job anytime there was a mobilization, fewer people would ever join the guard or reserve.
Now, in a practical sense, and depending on the job, some peoples' employment might still be impacted...after all, you've been gone a year, and who can say what might or might not have happen that could have benefitted you in the meantime? Only you will be able to determine whether your employer is going to be friendly to your decision...some larger employers have official policies and statements which clearly state that they support employees in the guard and reserve; others may privately resent it.
There is a web site that has all the information you need to know:
http://www.esgr.org/