Reserve quitting insight

[Ceng]

So I am in an awkward situation and some help or insight would be nice. 

I did 4 years in the reg force and got out due to end of terms of service.  I had a CT in from Reg to reserves so after I finished I showed up to my first reserves parade night.  Now...  that was quite the shock coming from reg force.  I went to another night and I can tell you I'm not going to do that again.  Just too... different. 

How can I go about quitting something I'm not even sure I'm a part of.  The unit doesn't even know I'm there so when I call then they don't know what to do.  When I ask them about releasing they just tell me they'll call me back.  Am I even on file? How can I go about finding out if I am a registered reservist or not. 

 

[brihard]

Just go in to your unit's BOR, and ask one of the clerks to confirm your present status. Right at the top of your MPRR it'll show 'COMP: ResF' if your component is the Primary Reserve. That means you're officially a toon. If it shows something else, they'll help figure it out.

Simply put, if you're a reservist you'll be requesting release just as you did from the regs.

The reserves are definitely a different world... We try to remain an effective force off three hours a week and a weekend a month. IT's challenging. The epxerience that RegF members bring is incredibly valued, and you may find that reserve units can have a pretty good social/family feel. Simply put, we won't be as good at the job as a reg force rifle company that gets to do it full time. On the flip side there are a whole bunch of people with a lot of personal and professional experiences who come together once a week to do what soldiering they can. The netowrking opportunities that the reserves offer in civilian life shoudn't be underestimate.

Obviously I encourage you to maybe give it a bit more time, see if you can maybe find yourself offering your experiences and knowledge to help out. But if you can't bring yourself to do it, that's completely understandable and alright oo you've paid your dues and then some. IF you want out, it's a straightforward and simple release.

 

[Ceng]

Thanks for the great reply.  I'll be going to check on that MPRR.  I think I need to spend some time getting my life together as a civvy first and then return.  Then I probably could find my place there.  THanks again. 

 

[Lumber]

I did 4 years in the reg force and got out due to end of terms of service.  I had a CT in from Reg to reserves so after I finished I showed up to my first reserves parade night. 

We need more details. You don't simply sign your release docs (releasing yourself from the Reg F and selectiong "release to the Primary Reserve") and show up at the closest reserve unit of your choosing. You have to contact the reserve unit you wish to join and have them initiate the process of transferring you to their unit.

The process is very similar to the recruiting process. I'm not sure how it works in the Army, but in the Naval Reserve, once we've completed all the steps in recruiting (interviews, CFAT, FORCE test, medical, etc), we send your particulars to our HQ in Quebec City so that they can say review it and say "yes, enroll this member as part of your unit". With a component transfer from the Reg F to the Reserve, the process would be very similar. The difference is that, coming from the Reg Force, you already should have a Medical, FORCE test, trade qual, etc., but we'd still have to send your particulars to our HQ and request permission to enroll you at our unit.

When you are releasing from the Reg Force to join the reserves, YOU (or... maybe one of your supervisors will...) have to contact the reserve unit that you are looking to join. The orderly room doesn't do that; they just process your release.

The point I'm trying to make is, there should be no ambiguity as to whether or not you are considered a part of your reserve unit. If you never talked to the reserve unit before releasing from the Reg Force, and simply showed up one day, than I can almost guarantee you that you are not a member of their unit, and that they have ZERO paperwork on you.

 

[George Wallace]

........I showed up to my first reserves parade night.  Now...  that was quite the shock coming from reg force.  I went to another night and I can tell you I'm not going to do that again.  Just too... different. 

I am not sure how much you can actually judge a Reserve unit in just two nights.  Perhaps a little bit longer a period to accurately get a feel of the unit would be in order and get known by its members.