Marines explore Reserve options during road show

Photo By Gunnery Sgt. J. R. Heins | Major Andrew Dausman speaks to Marines at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., about opportunities in the Marine Corps Reserves during the career transition road show April 15, 2014. Dausman serves as the active to Reserve transitions officer-in-charge at Headquarters Marine Corps.  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, UNITED STATES

04.15.2014

Story by Lance Cpl. J. R. Heins 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Marines from across Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point attended the career transition road show at Miller’s Landing April 15, 2014.

The road show is designed to help inform first and second term enlisted Marines who will be leaving active duty.

“We are here to encourage and inform Marines on the possible Reserve opportunities they have if they plan to leave active duty,” said Maj. Andrew Dausman, the active to Reserve transitions officer-in-charge at Headquarters Marine Corps.

Throughout the seminar, Dausman explained the different roads a Marine can take when approaching the possibility of a Reserve career.

“There are a variety of different programs that you can use,” said Dausman. “There is the Selective Marine Corps Reserves, the Individual Mobilization Augmentee Reserves, Active Reserves and the Individual Ready Reserves.”

With a shrinking active duty force, the Marine Corps offers increasingly limited retention opportunities for first and second term Marines. With retention standards rising and available boat spaces shrinking, many Marines consider the Reserves as a viable option, according to Sgt. Gustavo Mejia, a flight equipment technician with Marine Attack Squadron 542.

“I came to this (seminar) just to learn a little bit more about the Reserves and other possible paths I could take with the end of my active duty time approaching,” said Mejia.

Many active duty Marines know little about their Reserve counterparts or the benefits of the Marine Corps Reserves, according to Mejia. The information presented during the road show helped Marines understand and better plan for life after their end of active service.

“The road show provided me with a lot of information,” said Mejia. “All I really knew about the Reserves before the show was the paycheck.”

While remaining in uniform, at least part time, is an advantage of joining the Reserves, most Marines need a stable environment to begin life after active duty. If they plan to begin college or join the workforce, the Reserves might offer Marines a softer landing, according to Staff Sgt. Cecilia Gonzalez, a career planner with Deployment Processing Command-East at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

“My job is to help Marines,” said Gonzalez. “If there is a chance of helping Marines stay in, especially with the draw-down (of the active duty force), I will provide them any information I have about their Reserve opportunities.”

For more information about Reserve opportunities, contact Staff Sgt. Gonzalez via e-mail at [e-mail] or call the Reserve Affairs Career Management Team at [phone].

• Date Taken: 04.15.2014
• Date Posted: 04.24.2014 11:36
• Story ID: 127396
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NC, US