Reserve attendance

[Meridian]

Hi there... My apologies if a similar topic has been asked/answered, however in my review of topics I have yet to find something that really answers my questions:

In a general, non-political or white-washed sense, how many people actually show up day-in and day out for reserve training.

By this I mean...

Reg training nights.. do you usually have a 50% turnout? 80%? On ex‘s... is it still what friends told me, a mere 20-30%?


I know what the *policies* say on when you have to show, and leave and all that, and I also know what *should* happen. But Im asking realisitcally here, what are the numbers, on average, in the unit you know about?

An ex-colleague-in-arms of mine mentioned his old reserve regiment (a combat engineer unit here in ottawa) would see maybe 20 or so members on field ex‘s out of 100.

 

[chrisf]

Usually about 90% in my unit, not unheard of to have night when everyone shows up... even around exams time, we still get 60% or so of the unit show up. Attendence is usually an issue morale and leadership... of which, we have plenty of both.

 

[Meridian]

and fielx exs?

 

[chrisf]

Probably 80% of the unit for most exs, somtimes more, somtimes less.

 

[Superman]

same...

 

[PTE Gruending]

Here in 38 Brigade, they have just passed down some new mandates on minimum expectations for attendance. You have to show up and sign in at *least* once a month on parade nights, or the computer will flag you NES (not effective strength) and some administrative reprecussions will come down. Also, you need to show up for 60% of exercises as well. Of course their is leeway on this rule depending on what is happening in your life. If something happens and you cannot attend for a while, and it is a good reason, the people upstairs will grant you a little time off.

In my unit, attendance is pretty rough, especially on exercise.

 

[mattoigta]

You mean you guys never had NES policies? Is that possible?

 

[PTE Gruending]

Well, there has been something on the books, but some new SOP‘s have came down from Brigade, and I am not certain entirely what has changed other than the disciplinary process. In the past, it has been fairly relaxed as far as attendance, but now it is becoming more strict.

 

[chrisf]

I don‘t remember if it‘s a unit or a group policy, but for our unit, 3 consecutive training days missed unexcused and they‘ll NES you.

 

[quebecrunner]

that is the most frustrating point of the Pres. I remember in a winter exercise at my old unit (4R22R), there were only 40% of attendance. 2 week after, in a exercise with US Army Chinook, 98% of the unit show up because it was cool.

In that time (6 year ago) it was not strict. But i hope that they find out that it was the biggest problem and challenge of the Pres... I will know for sure next fall when i will return to my new unit after summer basic training...

 

[Da_man]

double post

 

[Da_man]

I showed up 100% of the time for my part... so thats 1 time

 

[Danjanou]

Originally posted by Just a Sig Op:
[qb]...3 consecutive training days missed unexcused and they‘ll NES you.... [/qb]

Ok run this by the old fart here. Are you saying that guys who miss Parade Nights and Weekends, don‘t call in and/or get prior approval not to attend?

Please tell me that‘s not the case these days.

I made it a policy in my coy (waay back in the dark ages) that there was zero tolerance for not reporting in. It was presumed that you showed for parade Night.If you couldn‘t make it due to illness, work, school whatever, then you called in. Ther Army, ven the Mo has this quaint little term for it AWOA.

Every soldier, and yeah I checked, had the phone numbers of their section 2ic, section comd, Pl WO, Pl Comd, and so on so that they could work their way up the chain of command to say they couldn‘t make it. Everyone even had my business card with work and home numbers on it in case they couldn‘t reach anyone else. I‘d rather they called me if they tried and couldn‘t reach Cpl so and so rather than not know where my troops were. As a last resort there was also the BOR.

By 2000 if not sooner when I was doing my Parade State, I bloody well knew where everybody was, and if they weren‘t in the Armoury then they had a reason for not being there. Any NCO who didn‘t know where his men were, well maybe I started questioning why he/she was in that command role.

I know it‘s P/T. I know that "real" work, school and usually family take priority, but how hard is it to enforce the same employment standards of the fast food industry.

 

[chrisf]

Originally posted by Danjanou:
[qb]

Originally posted by Just a Sig Op:
[qb]...3 consecutive training days missed unexcused and they‘ll NES you.... [/qb]

Ok run this by the old fart here. Are you saying that guys who miss Parade Nights and Weekends, don‘t call in and/or get prior approval not to attend?

Please tell me that‘s not the case these days.
[/qb]

I‘d be glad to tell you that.

As I said, if you miss 3 consecutive days of training without being *excused*, meaning having handed a memo explaining why it is they can‘t attend that evening, you‘re NES, or out on your rear, depending on how you want to phrase it.

They‘re also quite watchful of people who stay just inside the rules... they‘ll NES you for that too. It‘s just not quite as instantaneous...

Miss an occasional day of training without being excused, then if nothing else, you‘ll be on mop and broom patrol.

 

[portcullisguy]

I‘ve had to miss several consecutive training nights, and have always kept my sect comd informed, and have had no problems whatsoever.

I originally thought this would be a problem, but I think people recognize that I want to be there, and make the effort to be there when it does not conflict with work.

I advise my sect comd of my schedule, which is given to me 14 days before it begins, and sets out my shifts for the following 8 weeks. He has no problems at all, and knows when I am not able to train.

I haven‘t missed a training day due to illness, and only once was I late, on course. It was the day after St. Patty‘s. And I was still able to call and advise my instructor that I would be 15 mins late. Had no problems from that either.

I find it hard to sympathize with anyone who doesn‘t show up and fails to let anyone know about it. That just seems like a lack of motivation. There are lots of excuses, but few good reasons.

 

[1feral1]

First off, rememebr the words ‘commitment‘and ‘being responsible‘.

Secondly if your Militia unit is aware that you have a legitiment reason for not attending, and are advised well in advance by you in writing, they‘ll be fine with it.

Missing consecutive parades in some cases cant be avoided, but your past attendance, maturity, attitude, moral, and what your superiors think of you in general, also play a great deal in regards the the entire matter.

If they know youre just wanking them, theyll be on to ya in a heartbeat.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[Pte.Nomercy]

I find that when units have problems with attendance levels it‘s a issue of the troops not wanting to come because there is nothing interesting or beneficial for them to do or there is nothing stimulating that would want them to come in for parade night.

Often, troops are told "Oh yeah this and that is happening next week it‘ll be amazing!" Then what happens is that troops come and the "amazing" promises turn out to be "Okay, tonight we‘re helping the QM stack IMP boxes!"

Honestly, if units expect people to come in, they should be aware that screwing around troops is a big turn off for attendance. Like in the early days of CADPAT..."Next week...we‘re giving out CADPAT! You better be here if you want it!"

Sureeeeeeeeeee! I‘ll be there Mcpl!

 

[48Highlander]

You‘re blaming the wrong people for that. When your section commander calls you to tell you what‘s going on, he‘s telling you exactly what he knows. It usualy ends up being changed by someone much higher in the chain of command. All of the section commanders were also quite frustrated with the CADPAT issue problems, but we had nothing to do with the constant cancelations. You can thank ASU for that one.

 

[Pte.Nomercy]

I‘m well aware of all that, I agree with you 100%. There were instances in different units, in the examples I gave, in which people were called up by their section commanders, or told before dismissal, that they were told all these great things.

I know that when your section commander calls you he tells you what he knows etc. However, in these cases, someone must have down the line, made things sound a little sweeter, you have to admit that these things do happen, and when they do they become painfully clear.

Early in my career there were many promises given to me that I can tell you were blatant false incentives to show up on parade night to do GD‘s instead of training or the infamous issue of CADPAT or Gortex.

I‘m not blaming or pointing at anyone, we all know how things work out, or how things get changed in a "broken telephone" situation.

I can say though with a shadow of a doubt that sometimes things are said with the hidden agenda of getting a good turn out, and that most people can relate to what I‘m saying.

 

[Pte.Nomercy]

Just to add to my post above... - sorry-

If the officers and higher ups see that there is a problem with attendance, the last thing they should do is to annoy the troops by announcing these amazing things that never happen and cause guys to get turned off even more from coming in.