I do volunteer work with high school academic counselors and junior college career advisors in educating students about U.S. Military and Coast Guard service options. My intent is to assist them in deciding if military service is right for them, and if so, which branch best fits their goals & demeanor. Military recruiters serve a necessary purpose in filling-up their ranks in support of our country’s national security. The biggest problem, however, is potential enlistees are ill prepared in working with a recruiter who has recruiting quotas. It’s somewhat akin to a person’s first visit to a car dealership. I developed an orientation process for candidates that helps debunk hearsay and other misinformation. My process walks a candidate through the various enlistment decisions, and it is not biased toward channeling a recruit into any particular service branch. By answering a series of unambiguous questions, the candidate can come to a logical, objective decision on his/her branch choice and occupation.
Once a young man receives his induction notice, or voluntarily enlists, he reports to the closest military induction station for processing. If all of the recruit’s evaluations are acceptable, he becomes “fit-for-duty.” The reason why a young man is not classified any further than available-for-service at time of registration is two-fold: 1.) It increases the operating cost of the SSS, and; 2.) A disqualifying event might occur between registration and induction, making a draftee previously classified fit-for-duty, no longer able to do so. It is cheaper and easier to determine fitness-for-duty at the time of induction. The fit-for-duty label continues with you throughout your enlistment. When your first active-duty enlistment contract expires (typically, two years for a draftee, three or four years for most military occupations, or six years for certain jobs [like, a Nuclear Reactor Technician]), and you decide not to reenlist, any remaining amount of time up to six years is still part of your statutory service obligation. Unless you are transferring to the National Guard or Active Reserve (i.e.; become a “weekend warrior”), which requires you to remain fit-for-duty, you will enter the Inactive Reserve to complete the six years. An Inactive Reservist is a civilian with no duty obligations, unless you are reactivated in a national emergency. Inactive Reservists are listed as available-for-service, and fitness-for-duty is reevaluated if/when you are reactivated.
The REPORT on NATIONAL SECURITY KINETICS™ 