Guard and Reserve deserve special recognition

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Michael Carney
  • 55th Operations Support Squadron
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFPN) --  We've been blessed to see comrades, family members and friends return safe and sound from their duties overseas after helping to free the Iraqi people as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In our joy to see these folks come home, let's take a moment to remember those who are not home and may not be for quite some time. I'd like to salute a particular group of heroes: the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve and their employers.

Since the vicious attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, tens of thousands of men and women in the Guard and Reserve have been called to active duty for extended periods of time. These individuals are serving all over the world, often working side by side with active-duty military forces and providing one-of-a-kind specialties and capabilities.

What is particularly special about these heroes is the challenges they and their families face. Those of us in the active force are accustomed to a robust base and unit structure and are familiar with never-ending deployment cycles. We have activities and programs in place to take care of the families of deployed members, and our pay and benefits are well understood and constant.

When Reserve or Guard members are activated, they must step away from their civilian jobs with their pay and benefits to step into the military pay and benefits system. Many Reserve and Guard members do not have a unit or base that is there to support their families. Many times, their families must rely on friends and family for help. The unaccustomed separation of a spouse and parent can create even more stress than the financial hardships deployments cause. Most Guard and Reserve members live in communities where neighbors may not be familiar with the challenges of extended military deployments.

Employers should also be commended during these hard times. They allow Guard and Reserve members to leave their jobs at a moment's notice. Then these employers must be ready to immediately reinstate them when they are released from active duty weeks, months, even years later.

Imagine if you were a business owner and some of your best workers suddenly had to leave and you could only hire temporary replacements. Imagine the incredible drain on the mental equity in your business.

Some very special employers go well beyond the requirements of the law. Some companies actually make up the difference between employees' military pay and what they earned in their civilian jobs, or make special efforts to take care of the families of the deployed Guard and Reserve personnel.

We in the military community are familiar with the ebb and flow of deployments. We all know people who are deployed and their families --this is our life. My brother, Kevin, is in the Coast Guard Reserve. He is only one of thousands across the nation who are answering our nation's call to protect our way of life and defeat the forces that wish to do us harm.

You see some of these heroes every day as you drive through the base gates. Join me in thanking our Guard and Reserve members for stepping out of their world and into ours during this difficult time. (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service)