WallyF4's has written a great piece. I lived through the NWA hiring disaster brought upon us there by a Phd. Private Pilot he spoke of. Part of the reason that the majors are reluctant to hire any reservist right now is the very fact that they may be deployed or on long term military leave. That has nothing to do with training issues and everything to do with avoiding the cost of training an employee who might be gone for months, or years on end.