Reservists Complain Of Double Standard ( Army of Two :)

[Florida_Geek]

http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGBBLL2DL2E.html

Dec 11, 2004
Reservists Complain Of Double Standard
By RICHARD LARDNER
[e-mail]


TAMPA - Sgt. Justin Myers was angry at first. Then he could only laugh as his unit, the 810th Military Police Company, escorted flatbed trucks loaded with new, up-armored Humvees from U.S. camps in Kuwait to Baghdad and other hostile areas in Iraq.

The 810th, an Army Reserve unit based in Tampa, badly needed improved vehicles to replace the older, less-capable fleet of Humvees it took to the Middle East in May 2003.

But the new models were intended for active-duty troops, a point driven home every time the 810th was assigned the escort mission.

``It got to the point where the audacity of it amused me,'' said Myers, 28. ``It essentially was a slap in the face. They're going to make us escort the top-of-the-line stuff in our broken-down vehicles.''
..cut...

avis said one soldier described the disparity between the active and reserve components by calling it ``An Army of Two,'' a play on the ground service's official slogan, ``An Army Of One.''

``There's two standards - one for active military and one for them at a time when they are being asked to do virtually the same thing, if not exactly the same thing,'' Davis said.

.. more at the Tamap Trib.

[central scrutinizer]

1. more like a triple standard

At the bottom are the reservists, then the active duty troops, but at the top are the mercenaries, who earn much more than either and have had armored Humvees from the beginning. That's the advantage of working for companies, that are cronies of Bushco, with no-bid, cost-plus contracts.

[HereSince1628]

2. As I remember it, back in 71 a pecking order also existed.

The "full time" army was composed of USARMY=Draftees and Regular Army=volunteers.

The "part time " army was Army Reserve and National Guard.

So it was something of an Army of Four, it seems although things change (it was an all volunteer Army up until Stop-Loss) things remain much the same.

[MADem]

5. It makes me sick, personally

When I think of all of the YEARS, the long days, the hours, the Congressional schmoozing, all of the EFFORT of good people who really put their hearts and minds into the Total Force concept. All of the concept types who bought the bullshit....and here we are all over again. Why can't we seem to learn from history? Even a dog knows not to repeat a real dumbass mistake...

[IndianaGreen]

6. This was still true during the Gulf War

One brigade of the 24th ID was composed of reservists. Although they trained with the rest of the division they were not deployed when the rest of the division went to Saudi for Desert Shield/Storm. This has been an ongoing problem that predates Bush.

[TahitiNut]

7. That's right. The 'philosophy' was that some folks were 'career soldiers'

... and they were the ones who got preference on promotions and awards. I was told this many times ... "when this war is over, these guys will still be in the Army while you guys will be in your cushy civilian jobs."

[Xipe Totec]

3. Reminds Me of Saddam's Republican Guard

The elite troops protected by hoards of ill trained, ill equipped cannon fodder.

[0007]

4. Not sure if the same thing existed in Korea during the early 50's

Does anyone know? I guess the National Guard units that were in Korea would know?

[TahitiNut]

9. I was told it existed in WW2, too.

My dad and uncles would talk about this occasionally. It wasn't just draftees that were dissed ... it was guys who enlisted after Pearl Harbor who were regarded as not 'career soldiers.' Preference was always given to 'career soldiers.'

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. If they keep this horseshit up they are going to have an Army of None. n/t