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Blondzilla5150 wrote:

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Yeah but once you enlist, isn't it forever or for a certain amount of time.. You are 'on call' even after coming back.. Unless like you get hurt or something? I know Justin Walker didn't get out of it that easy and he was just a nurse.

Alright, I get a lot of questions from people regarding my status in the military. I'm currently in what's called the I.R.R. which stands for Inactive Ready Reserve. Basically, I am just like normal civilian and I have no connection with the military at all.

When you join the military, it's always an eight-year contract. You then pick how many of those years you want to serve on active duty. I ended up spending three-and-a-half years on active duty as an infantryman in the 101st Airborne Division. I was honorably discharged in November 2006 and I immediately enrolled into college. I do not train anymore with anybody. I did not join the National Guard or Army Reserve like some people I know did in order to prevent being in the I.R.R. The I.R.R. is not bad, just people are afraid that they could be called back up to active duty. Since the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of people throughout the country have been called back to active duty, regardless of what they were doing with their personal lives. It's kinda like a backdoor draft. If units deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan and they don't have enough soldiers in their unit; they can, at their discretion, call people back who already have the training and experience and force them to fight another year. No matter how long they have been separated from the military- as long as it is still part of their first initial eight-year contract. I see it as a horrible policy because it takes people out of school, work, and family. People who have already served time in a combat zone. It is cheaper for the military and call-ups don't receive a bonus. Several others and myself decided that our time playing Army was done so we returned to living as civilians, returning to work and school.

Always in the back of my mind I fear that I could be called back up to Active Duty from now until 2010, but the chance of that happening is very slim. Only a small percentage of people are involuntarily called back and there is no way to avoid it. I really love being a civilian and I am concentrating on making a career and living my life. I pray that the wars cease soon so people do not have to go and those who have gone do not get yanked out of their personal lives to wear the uniform again.

There's always a chance it could happen, but life is full of chances and I hope I'm one of the lucky few that never get called back. I'm too busy doing other things. My fingers are crossed with Obama in the house.