Reservist travel costs

[DCM1982]

Hello, i am NCS and i will be getting off active duty in june 08.
My home of record is the Big Island of hawaii, but the reserve station is in Honolulu, would I have too pay my air fair every month?
Thanks

[Da-Chief]

Check with your unit, but I think so. Some have special airlifts when you in a area like that.

I know in the states when people came from OK, TX etc it was on their dime.

Call the Reserve Center.

V/R

HMC

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

My last unit in LA Co, CA had members from HI, AZ, WA, and more. Yes, many of the travel expenses will be yours but you need to check the details for yourself. Ask your NOSC FTS. Ask other commuting reservists. Ask your Chief. Locate and read all the reg's for yourself. Then start researching & negotiating deals with the airlines and other transportation providers in the area. You might also want to research the various travel clubs, credit card deals, and frequent flier programs.

The Navy pays travel for AT and certain other orders. You should be able to pay the discounted gov rates for whatever travel you do for monthly drills and if you make preliminary travel reservations for the year in Oct when the FY schedule is published then you should be able to obtain greatly reduced rates. Any frequent flier miles you earn are yours and the travel expenses should all be tax deductable. (confirm IRS record keeping requirements)

Do it right and the costs will be minimal; you might even come out ahead. Do it wrong and you will certainly screw yourself over big time.

Then again, since you probably still need to find a new home and job anyway, maybe after you do the math it will make more sense to live/work in a location more convient to your service obligations. You might also try to locate a unit that drills primarily on your island and seldom travels to Honolulu. Many units don't drill at their NOSC. Some units also provide for flex drills and telecommuting, but don't hold you breath. That would be a partial fix at best and it is nearly impossible for a HM to treat patients remotely from home.

[DCM1982]

Thank you, is there a directory for reserve drilling stations with contact info?

[HMC-FMF-PJ]

Yes, there are several official and unofficial directories available.

I suppose you could do an internet search (Yahoo, Google) for key terms like:
Navy Operational Support Center; NAVOPSPTCEN; NOSC; Pearl Harbor; Honolulu; HI

To narrow your search results to military websites you could put a search limiter on it like:
site:.mil -OR- site:.navy.mil

You might find a website like this:
http://navyreserve.navy.mil/Public/Staff/Centers/Forces+Command/Centers/REDCOM+Southwest/Centers/NOSC+Honolulu/WelcomeAboard/default.htm


Be sure to come back and let us know what they say.

[DCM1982]

I will try to call today and ask, thank you very much