Army Reserves

[Momof3cuties]

Hello ladies.  I am new to the group & will admit, I feel slightly out of place since my son is not on active duty yet.  Are there any of you that have loved ones in the reserves?  My son is 19 & did his basic training in between his junior & senior year, graduated in May & went to AIT over the summer.  Right now, his until is scheduled for Fall 2011 deployment to Afghanistan.  I am really unfamiliar with the reserves, wondering what any you have to say or share about it. 

[CMcDougal]

My husband is Army Reserves, currently deployed. His unit is a tight-knit group, now more than ever. He's in a unit from the town he grew up in so he deployed with kids he grew up with and their parents and friends, etc. I think it's difficult as a spouse being so far away from anyone who understands what it's like being a SO of someone who is deployed. We keep semi-active with the family-readiness groups and the like, but it's hard because we're 200 miles away. In that respect, I would almost rather my husband be active duty. As far as advice goes, I'd tell you to get involved! I'm sure your son's unit has a family readiness group--make a call and see when they meet. Ours always meets on their one weekend a month : )

[fairymom2316]

Hi, welcome to the group!! I am sure there are a few members that have husbands, sons, fathers in Army Reserves. Here is a BUMP since my DH is active duty!

Also, make sure you never mention any dates since it violates OPSEC =)

You can say he's leaving in the summer, fall, etc.

Here are the rules if you haven't gotten the chance to look over them:

OPSEC Rules for (forum, blog, chatroom name):

1. Do not post exact deployment dates or redeployment dates
2. Do not reveal camp locations, including nearby cities. After the deployment is officially announced by Military officials, you may discuss locations that have been released, normally on the Country level.
3. Do not discuss convoy routes (“we travelled through Takrit on our way to X”)
4. Detailed information on the mission, capabilities or morale of a unit
5. Specific names or actual nicknames
6. Personnel transactions that occur in large numbers (Example: pay information, powers of attorney, wills, etc)
7. Details concerning security procedures, response times, tactics
8. Don’t discuss equipment or lack thereof, to include training equipment
9. Don’t speculate about future operations
10. If posting pictures, don’t post anything that could be misconstrued or used for propaganda purposes. A good rule of thumb is to look at your picture without your caption or explanation and consider if it could be re-captioned to reflect poorly on coalition forces. For example, your image might show your Soldier rescuing a child from a blast site, but could be re-captioned to insinuate that the child being captured or harmed. (it’s happened!)
11. Avoid the use of count-up or count-down tickers for the same reason as rule #1
12. be very careful if posting pictures of your loved one. Avoid images that show significant landmarks near their base of operations, and black out last names and unit affiliations
13. Do not, ever, post information about casualties (coalition or enemy) before the official release of the information.
14. Do not pass on rumors (“I heard they’re coming home early”, etc)

If you have any questions, contact your (or your sponsor’s) unit OPSEC manager.

These OPSEC rules aren’t meant to limit your free speech or restrict your liberties- that’s exactly what our Men and Women in uniform fight to protect. However, they are designed to help ensure the safety and security of the Service Members in your life.

Remember, no matter your affiliation, status, rank or age- you have a part in the security of your loved one!

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[Momof3cuties]

Thank you for the replies & advice!  I really appreciate it!