Originally Posted by
mpilot153
Now that this is turning into a hate on Military Reservist thread, I have a question for the haters.
If the benefits of the Military Reserve are so great, why didn’t you join? Seriously, if the ability of position yourself to Mil Drop a Christmas trip is so great, why didn’t you join?
Yes, I’ve met some people who tried to join, but had a medical issue that is within standards for a 1st Class, but not a military flight physical... Generally, those are the people that understand what it is about, and not the keyboard commandos saving screenshots of other peoples schedules.
For everyday of Mil Leave I’ve dropped, I have a corresponding LES to match it. The company does do random audits, and some not so random audits...and I have been audited...and I turned in the paperwork to pass the audit. Dropping Mil Leave & not performing Mil Leave sounds like a great way to get fired from both jobs.
In a couple years, once I retire, someone junior to me might have 1 month where he has what appears to be a better schedule than me because of MLLV. I won’t waste one brain cell on whether or not it is fair, because:
1. I’m no longer on the hook for a year long Mobilization to Djibuti for a deployed staff tour
2. I’m no longer Mil Dropping 60 days/year at a 50% paycut
3. I show up to an Air Conditioned jetway, in an an Air Conditioned plane, and have a contract that requires them to feed me a desert with the crew meal.
To your questions above... I have and I continue Serve and I while I have had the opportunity to “take advantage” of mil leave, I refuse to do for anything other than legitimate purposes (and yes it almost cost me a job once because I refused to show up to indoc and immediately drop mil leave KNOWING I had a 6 month deployment starting the Second week of indoc). You are certainly entitled to your opinions as I am entitled to my opinions (based on both conversations with and direct observations of other mil folks) and I have spent a **** ton of time In ****ty places to ensure that I am allowed to have those opinions.
Most reservists do the right thing but the simple fact remains that there are military reservists who abuse mil leave (Especially during first couple of years with an airline) and unfortunately it’s those individuals who make a bad name for all of US. So when you say “ worry about yourself and not so much about what others are doing,” when someone else’s actions reflect poorly on a group I am associated with, it is my business.