The Reserve and National Guard are part-time parts of the armed forces made up of people who train regularly and can be called to active duty. Reserve units serve the federal military. National Guard units answer to their state governors unless the president calls them into federal service. Members usually hold civilian jobs alongside their service.
People usually ask how activation works, who can call up the Guard and Reserve, what a drill weekend involves, what job protections apply to members with civilian careers, and how duty status affects pay and benefits.
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Every Guard and Reserve member faces the same fundamental question: How do I serve my country without destroying my civilian career? The answer lies in a…
A man was walking toward the veterans' campus in West Los Angeles on June 13, 2025, when he crossed a line of tape outside the Wilshire…
When National Guard and Reserve members get called to duty, two worlds collide: their civilian careers and military obligations. The Employer Support of the Guard and…
Every month, many Americans walk a tightrope between two demanding worlds. They're teachers who become tank commanders on weekends, nurses who deploy overseas for months at…
The familiar recruiting pitch of "one weekend a month, two weeks a year" has been the face of National Guard and Reserve service for…
America's weekend warriors—the 760,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve—live dual lives. They're engineers, teachers, and firefighters Monday through Friday. But when their…
Every month, thousands of Americans get a phone call that changes their lives. Maybe it's a high school teacher in Ohio, a nurse in…
The United States military isn't just the full-time soldiers you see on TV. A huge chunk of America's defense comes from people who live…
On a Friday night, she's a high school teacher grading papers. On Sunday morning, she's in military fatigues training with an M4 rifle. Meet…
