You guys need to band together, learn the rules, and start sticking up for yourselves. I have always taken the day off before and after drill at the four airlines I've worked for.

Unless both airline base and drill site are a short drive from your house, it's almost criminal not to. I have asked airlines to allow half days of leave but nobody seems to want to go there.

I'd seriously get together and find some old O6 who knows the rules inside and out to advise you. For starters, you get time on both ends to travel AND rest before returning to work. The rest has generally been eight hours, but with 117 it pretty clearly needs to be ten hours for airline pilots. In fact if YOU report with much less than 117 rest and something happens they might well assume fatigue.

Also you DO NOT have to, and SHOULD NEVER, provide copies of orders, training schedule, etc for any duty less then 30 days. Just tell them which days you'll be gone, and that's it. You DO NOT have explain/justify days off for travel/rest. That is part of the mil leave to which you are entitled (obviously don't abuse if, or it won't stand up if you need to get ESGR involved).

DO NOT give them the tools to second guess you, their ONLY recourse if they don't like it is to call your CO. Might want to explain your circumstances to the CO in advance, so he's prepared to back you up if called. If you have one of the rare COs who's more employer friendly than military friendly, get a new unit.

See if the union will help, but they typically won't at a regional, too many bitter resentful civilians.