Serving in the United States Armed Forces in the Reserves is a job specialty that many people participate in with pride. Since the draft was eliminated in 1972, we have proudly had a voluntary military service. More and more of the needs of our nations military has been filled by the US Reserves and National Guard, and they complete the military serving in active duty mobilization billets around the world, and they have been vital in pursuing the War on Terror in both Afghanistan, Iraq, and other locations around the globe.
A person can serve in the military on active duty for a 2, 4, or a 6-year commitment, or they can choose to serve an enlistment in the Reserve branch of one of the five military services. The benefits that protect the Reserve Servicemember who is called to active duty are actually codified into law. The Uniformed Services Employment and Re Employment Act was first enacted in 1940 to protect the soldiers that were serving on active duty, to give them job protection for when they returned home. As a reservist, while we are actively pursuing the conflicts in both Iraq and Afghanistan, it is important that the jobs that reservists that are mobilized leave behind are protected, so that the civilian careers of the brave reservists are protected and waiting when they leave their mobilization to return to civilian life. As a result, slowly more and more of our wartime needs have been shifted to the Reserves, and active duty slots are often now filled with mobilized reserve units serving the United States proudly during both peacetime and wartime. It does not matter if the reservist is serving on an extended duty mobilization, or merely on two weeks active TDY training that every reserve unit does annually. A person who is called to active duty that is serving in the reserves can rest assured knowing that their job is protected, and will be waiting for them when they leave active duty service.
It was further made the law of the land in 1994, 1996, and again in 1998. In each case the United States Congress added provisions to the law to further protect Reservists and others that are called into active duty service. The USERRA protects any Reserve personnel who are called to active duty service, but there are some provisions that apply.