Army will order thousands in IRR to muster

[CommunityEditor]

For the first time since the Iraq war began, the Army is notifying thousands from a special category of reservists that they must report this summer for medical screening and other administrative tasks.

The decision to issue “muster” orders for 5,000 members of the Individual Ready Reserve, or IRR, is not a prelude to a new mobilization or deployment of reservists to Iraq, an Army spokesman said. Instead it is part of a new effort to fix an IRR call-up system that failed on multiple fronts early in the Iraq war.

One problem was that the Army simply could not contact many of its IRR members; it had allowed them to ignore the requirement that they notify the Army of a change in residence. Some turned out to be deceased; others were physically unfit for duty or faced personal problems that barred them from serving.

To correct that the Army is now requiring that they show up in person for what it calls a one-day “physical muster.” The idea is to ensure that when and if more IRR members are needed for Iraq or other active-duty deployments the Army will at least know which are fit for duty and where to find them.

Eventually all IRR members will get the order to report for screening; the first 5,000 are considered a test group.

IRR members are people who were honorably discharged after finishing their active-duty service but have not yet completed the eight-year commitment they made when they joined the Army. While in the IRR they are not required to train; they are not paid, and thus many believed they had no further active-duty obligation. Some are former officers who chose not to resign their commission and thus remained on the IRR rolls.

An Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, said the 5,000 who are receiving “muster” orders this month were picked at random, and they are not necessarily in line to get mobilized and sent to Iraq.

The first 5,000 will receive orders to report to one of four reserve centers — in Tacoma, Wash.; Fort Totten, N.Y.; Fort Meade, Md.; or Los Alamitos, Calif. — and will be paid a $176 stipend once they finish the one-day process, Gall said. All 5,000 live within a 50-mile radius of one of the reserve stations, he said.

The reporting is mandatory. It will begin in mid-July and run through August.

Prior to the Iraq war, IRR members were rarely called to active duty — and many believed they never would be called — but when the Army found itself stretched by unexpected combat demands in Iraq in the summer of 2004 it began issuing mobilization orders. Hundreds of surprised IRR members refused to report or simply ignored their mailed mobilization orders, and the Army realized it had lost control of the situation.



Full article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/0...usters_070612/


Do you think you're one of the IRR mentioned here? Should the Army have done this long ago? Should this have been done before extending tours to 15 months? Whatcha think?

[PRISELAC]

As a 22 year veteran of the Army Reserve, I have spent nearly 17 of those years in the Individual Ready Reserve. I've always gotten enough points to have "good" retirement years, and have never been passed over for promotion. I've also never had any problems getting to my required military schooling for promotions. The reason why the IRR does not have current information on soldiers who served and where discharged from active duty is because the active duty Army transition points never mention to departing soldiers that they might still have a service obligation. Just to be clear- regardless of your pay grade- every soldier of every rank initially signs an 8 year contract. Even if you serve more than 6 years on active duty, you still have 2 additional years in which you are assigned to the IRR and can still be recalled to active duty during any declared national emergency or war under a partial or total mobilization. Many active duty soldiers erroneously believe their service and honorable discharge from active duty puts them out of the service. WRONG! Just go back and look at your original enlistement date on your enlistment contract (yes, even new 2LTs have to sign these). Then proceed to the middle of about page 8 and you will find exactly what I'm talking about. Additionally, the contract also stipulates you must contact HRC-St Louis after you leave active duty, move, or otherwise have a change in your medical condition, in order to make sure your personal information is correct and up to date. It's a shame that so many soldiers have not lived up to their contractual obligations. It's more a shame that our Army leaders have not held more of these soldiers feet to the fire on this issue. And before anyone says I haven't done anything in the Reserves as an IRR member, I've been in TPUs, RTUs, and two IMA positions for which I was mobilized and spent nearly one and half years on active duty for GWOT. Additionally, I have over 2200 retirement points as well. The IRR can be a good place to be for many soldiers. However, it was never designed to be a "dumping ground" for discharged active duty soldiers to rot in. The IRR is our nations' last land component strategic reserve our ground forces have in the event of an all out war thanks to our Guard and Reserve transforming into an operational force. So, for you deadbeats out there that still have time left on your 8 years, GET SQUARED AWAY!

MAJ A.F. PRISELAC II, USAR (IRR)
CIVIL AFFAIRS

I just finished my 8 years and turned in my resignation. I continously updated my address as I moved only receive numerous requests for an updated address. This indicates to me that the Army Personnel Branch is seriously screwed up....no surprise there. It was screwed up when I was active duty. To me, this call-up is garbage. They are recalling people who are clearly unfit for duty. For example, I have read about one guy who was previously kicked out of the Army for a medical condition that was recalled. The Army doctors reassessed him to be fit for duty. What could have changed? What about people that do not meet height-weight standards? Are they allowed to go over to the battlefiled without ever passing an APFT? You bet...even though it is against Army regs. Another thing I have concerns about that the call-ups are being placed in positions outside fo their training. I was a logistician and would have likely been recalled to be a civil affairs person. What training could I possible have to occupy such a position? Knowing how to lead convoys? The last issue I have with this recall is that for an Army that is desperate for personnel to serve in the war, they sure do still have alot of people on their books that have NOT served in Iraq or Afghanistan. I cannot remember the numbers, but i believe it was well over 33%. Until the Army fixes itself and actually figures out what the heck is going on, I will continue to believe this callup is garbage. Last, if you are so adamant about the issue, you can always volunteer and head on over to the sandbox highspeed.

the call up is nothing more than a ploy to get people to sign up for the reserves. even if it has to do with updating records the army is going to waste a sizeable chunk of money to do this. even if 5000 people show up at 176.00 that is 880,000 dollars wasted. andthe doctors in this case will bypass any medical condition to pad the army's number. while i do not agree with the attitude of some, i have over 40% disability and they probably won't even consider it and as far as weight goes no one takes care of themselves when they get out. and also why would anyone waste there time going to this muster? the army need to realize that saying all are suppose to be there does not mean they will waste there time. then the army would waste more money trying to find and prosecute these people anyway. the whole situation is a waste. just watch what happens between july and august, two words.....no shows!

Wow...a Field Grade Private with no field time loud mouths about his (lack of) experience, and tells other people to get squared away. People like him are why people like me (good leaders with technical abilities) get the hell out of the Army.

I just got a call for this muster, and I have 6 months left in IRR time. I did 6x2 in the National guard, deployed overseas once, and served approximately 2 years worth of stateside duty. I'll go, i'm out of height/weight standards, and they'll tell me that.

What I will say about the IRR is that it's not a feasible way to get good soldiers back. I resent the Army, as they've come back to collect the money they paid for my college tuition. This month I finish paying them off..as I see it, the army needs me more than I will ever need them. If they were to call me up, I'd serve until the last day of my original 8 years contracted, and walk away, regardless of where I was.

They've burned so many people that it's impossible to believe that people are still enlisting.

As usual, the Army is giving out false information. I live 2528.32 miles from Tacoma, 410.97 miles from Ft Totten, 310.09 miles from Ft Meade, and 2412.57 miles from California. It's really not worth my time for $176, even if I did live closer. In all honesty, if hte Army wanted to reactivate soldiers they would just do it. Physical readiness has nothing to do with it- I've seen many reserve soldiesr that drill once a month that were so physically unfit or just plain unprepared for whatever they would be doing and they were activated regardless.

Wow... I am surprised by the venom in some ofl those previous posts. I am way out of my league, but feel the need to comment about some of the other posts. My son served 3 years active duty, in the 3rd Infantry Division, one of those years deployed to Iraq. When he signed up he completely understood that he was signing up for 8 years. He was only 18 at the time, but seem to be able to "wrap his brain" around his committment. He received an honorable discharge after three years, after repeated attempts to get him to reenlis, all of which he declined, he received an honorable discharge. He is now an IRR. He is curently a full time student in college using the $36,000 from his GI bill. He has a steady, physical job, but has been testing with local law enforcement agencies to become a police officer. He would be the first to tell you that he does not wish to be called up for active duty, but should that happen, he is physical fit to perform in the military. I believe that he would rather continue to complete his BA degree and continue with his goal into the law enforcement field, but would not ever complain about a call to active duty. He says he has no nightmares from serving in Iraq and while injured when deployed, says he is not disabled, and that he was honored to serve. So, not all men (boys) have to same attitude. I suppose the ones that complain in the IRR about an potential for call to active duty should have considered an alternative to their careers when they signed up. All you boys and girls have a brain and can read, I presume, and if you didn't want to make the committment, you should have planned and did something else. Why attack the military for attempting to recruit reserves, they like a private sector cooperation, have a right to recruit. I hope the IRR candidates that can't service don't. God bless our all our soilders.

That's great about your son, but I'm afraid you've missed the fine print yourself. He can go through all 8 years, be in IRR waiting out the last month before his ETS date, and get called back up under STOP-LOSS. Read the fine, fine print, it states that, in the case of war or conflict, stop-loss can take place (even after the 8 year obligation is coming to an end). The beauty of that part of the fine print is that the definition of "war" or "conflict" does not mean that it needs to be a situation where Congress has declared official war. So, as long as this ideological "War on Terror" is going to go on (and, last time I checked, we haven't won a war on an ideology yet - ex. - war on hunger, war on poverty, war on drugs, etc), this could apply to any soldier called to active duty. If stop-loss happens to your son, he can't get out 90 days before whatever unit he is attached to leaves and has to stay on at least 90 days after the unit is sent back (or after the war ends, which - let's face it - isn't happening anytime soon). So before you go off on people for being upset about the IRR call ups, think about that scenario. I already was called up to serve back in 2004 in Iraq, and I'm in that exact situation now. How can you respect a "contract" that is so flexible that one side can simply extend the obligation forever based on completely undefined terms?

I got an idea you join up and quit telling our youth to do the job you should have done. We wouldn't be here in thir situation tody if the previous generations had stepped up and done their duty and not been GREEDY! Corporate greeed! ERON! Comeon man Wake up!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Wow... I am surprised by the venom in some ofl those previous posts. . . Why attack the military for attempting to recruit reserves, they like a private sector cooperation, have a right to recruit. I hope the IRR candidates that can't service don't. God bless our all our soilders.

WOW, did you ever serve in the military? Did you ever serve 18 months in Iraq? Have your friends killed, maimed? I was once one of those guys who believed in his country and it's leadership. But I saw too many things while over there that didn't make sense.
Do you still use oil from overseas? Gas? Then you support terrorism and the men who created this war and enlisted our young men to fight their war as their "corporate security force". They made billions in profits last year and didn't have to pay anything for the "private american military/security" protecting their ass.
Have you ever been to Kuwait or Saudi Arabia and seen the gold palaces they live in? From our wealth. Their children will be living off our dollars for generations to come.
WAKE UP AMERICA! YOU GOT SOLD A BILL OF GOODS! We lost our jobs to Mexico and China. When was the last product you bought made by your neighbor, really made in the US? ALL YOUR CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS AND ADMINISTRATION ARE SELL OUTS!
I got a letter last week from the NC Commerce Dept saying they are having a furniture show in Shanghi, China. What the hell is going on?
I wouldn't have said this 5 years ago. But the truth when really looked at and accepted hurts. ANd this IS the reality, there's nothing we can do.
So I and trying to be the best husband and father I can be praying this war will be over and my friends can come home to their families alive and well.
And why are we losing this war, because POGUE officers like the one above who said their little statement. How about when Shinseki's of the Army who wanted more troops and Rumsfeld said no. Then they "got rid of him". have you noticed that there is a new general every 6 months now? because they can't fix it, then they get fired. So sad, so sad. When will we put Rumsfeld and others like him. . .their feet to the fire!

Dear Mr. Albert F. Priselac
albert.priselacii@us.army.mil

You and people like you are the reason I left the military. My enlistment was in 2001 (pre September 11) and this state of war we are currently in was years away. The plan was to get in, learn a trade, earn college money and get out. If I had the foresight to see we would be in this awful position today I would have never joined. I don’t believe in this GWOT one bit and I have lost family to terrorist acts. Protect the home land from terror… not the planet. We can’t live civilized in our own country (high murder rate, rapes, sexual predators etc…) and we are going to be the ambassadors of freedom and good will in other countries? I would honor my 8 year commitment if the cause was justified. I’m sure you would risk your life to help out a poor Iraqi child but what would you do for the American child who lives on the streets? We have far too many problems at home that need our attention, care and funds then helping nations with such extremist views.