As mentioned above, you need to earn 50 Points per year in order to have a “Good Year” that counts toward retirement. This is fairly easy to do as a Drilling member of a National Guard or Reserve Unit.
A: Reservists are required to complete 90% of scheduled drills, which is normally 48 drills in a fiscal year.
In order to qualify for a military retirement, a Soldier must serve 20 qualifying years. A year qualifies as a good year with at least 50 points and the Soldier served the entire Anniversary Year Ending date range.
However, Reservists who go AWOL during IADT are processed the same as active duty members. Reservists who have nine or more unexcused absences from a weekend drill in a one year period, or who fail or refuse to complete the two-week annual training are considered "unsatisfactory participants."
Each drill period is four hours; a drill weekend is four drill periods. There are two drill periods each day. National Guard and reserve service members must perform a minimum of one-weekend drill per month and two weeks of active duty training each year. Find the current 2023 military pay rates here.
To introduce Robert, we'll start with a fun fact, “the average drill gets used for 13 minutes in its lifetime”.
In order to become a drill sergeant, gain at least four years of continuous military service. Having experience in the Army is important because it helps you earn the knowledge you need to guide recruits as a future drill sergeant.
The rules for guard members missing drill and what can be done about it vary from state to state. In practice, punishments for missing a part or all of a weekend drill range from nothing, to not being paid, to having to make up the drill, and in some rare instances arrest and punishment.
Cell phone use depends on the drill sergeants. Some drill sergeants allow them, others do not. If Soldiers are allowed to use them they will not have them at all times. The phones will be locked up with the Soldier's other personal belongings and distributed when phone privileges are earned.
An army drill sergeant's normal tour of duty (called being "on the trail") is two years with a possible one-year extension. Drill sergeants may be assigned to units that conduct Basic Combat Training (BCT), reception, or One-Station Unit Training (OSUT).
It is reasonable to assume that the average enlisted member will be able to retire at 20 years having achieved the rank of E-7, and the average officer should be able to retire at 20 years at the rank of O-5.
Members who accumulate 20 or more years of active service are eligible for retirement.
You receive 15 points annually just for being a part of the Air National Guard, every drill weekend you complete you receive 4 points, and every AT/AD training day you complete you get 1 point! Where can I check how many points I have?
If you are an E5 Sailor approaching your HYT threshold of 16 years, this pilot not only allows you to continue your naval career and potentially advance to the next rank, it provides a path for you to become eligible for retirement.
The maximum age to join the Army as an enlisted Soldier is 35, while Officers must accept their commission before age 31. However, the Army can lift some restrictions based on the need for certain roles to be filled. It's possible to receive an age waiver if you retire with 20 years of military service by age 55.
We are committed to “at minimum” have each and every Reservist deploy once per year. Some may deploy more than once and the duration of all deployments will be based on the workload requirement of our disaster response and recovery efforts.
Drill sergeants still shout to enforce discipline, and they may force young soldiers to do push-ups—but they're not supposed to hurl personal insults. (They'd never call them “pukes,” for example.)
A single drill is 1/30th the amount of the monthly base pay. A standard drill weekend includes four drill periods. You can see the active-duty 2023 military pay charts here.
Instead of the standard eight-year contract that you used to have to fulfill with the Air Force, you can now enlist for a period of four years for Active Duty and 2 years for the Guard and Reserves, which is the shortest, standard contract that the Air Force offers to all potential recruits.
In the United States military, discharge by purchase was introduced in 1890 for the Army, 1902 for the Marine Corps, and 1906 for the Navy. This practice was abolished in 1953.
One drill weekend is comprised of four 4-hour UTAs. If one drill weekend is missed, four UTAs have been missed. Missing eight UTAs within one year is considered sufficient indication of intentional misconduct and meets justification for reduction in rank or discharge.
Guard and reserve components have the flexibility to tailor their own programs, but defense officials mandate some basic requirements. Reintegration programs must be held about 30, 60 and 90 days after return from deployments.
How hard is the work? Working on a drill rig, especially as a drillers offsider can be physically demanding work as you will need to lift drill rods that can weigh up to 40kgs. Work will also involve a lot of maintenance and servicing of equipment used on the rig.
Drilling is a challenging career, and even entry level roles like that of a driller assistant involve hard work and dedication. However, it's also a path that provides great pay, stability and a sense of personal and professional fulfillment.