Active service question

[irishrgr]

lads,

bear with me on this one.......what is "Active Service" in the DF? I come accross it in various publications but I'm not clear on it's meaning.

Does it refer to a member of the DF who is on active duty or does it mean a memebr who is deployed overseas or on a named mission?

Can one be on "active service" in Ireland?

Can it be used to refer to a member of the RDF who is at a summer camp for example?

In the US, you are on active duty or not. Active duty refers to the active Army (or other branches) and the Reserves are considered "IDT" (inactive Duty for Training) when drilling on weekends etc. Called up or at a school longer than 30 days is simly "active duty".

Thanks,

A

[irishrgr]

Thanks kermit, so now I have to ask the question: What does Active Service mean for the member?

Do they get extra pay/allowances or is it simply a means to denote they are in a different status?

Does Active Service come with any other benefits?

So if a member is not on Active Service, say on day to day duties in the barracks or on a training exercise, what is he/she called then? At work? On duty?

Thanks,

A

[apod]

If you are serving ovesrseas you get Peace support allowance.If you are armed you get armed peace support allowance(some observer missions are unarmed).
At home if on a normal day you are considered to be at work. If on Barrack guard for instance you are classed as being on regimental duty.If on Cash escort(CIT) you are also classed as being on duty but this time it is what we refer to as ATCP(aid to the civil power)IE backing up the Gardai.
Hope that helps.
Why do you want to know??

[hedgehog]

Maybe if you ask the question thats on your mind

we could answer it without playing the virgins dance

go ahead we dont bite

[irishrgr]

Thanks lads, no particular question on my mind. I've read and/or heard about active service but never really understood what it meant. Just wanted to clarify in my own mind what exactly it meant.

Here we're either on active duty or not. If you are deployed to a combat theater you get the extra Imminent Danger pay ($225/month) and your pay is tax free, but your status doesn't change. If you are in Korea for example, that's just overseas service but no allowances apply.

Same in the barracks, you could be guarding nukes or simply working a base gate, no extra allowances.

As always, the info and support is appreciated.

Does anyone know is Ireland sending a team to Leapfest, the military parachute contest held in Rhode Island in August? Sees like I had heard they sent a team in years past.

A

[hedgehog]

tell me about these nukes you guard



I havent a clue about Leap Fest but I know theres is a team in for the Beer Fest


is it true all one has to do is be in a imment danger zone on the last day of a month and the following first day to get he dosh and the tax free status

[Truck Driver]

...If you are deployed to a combat theater you get the extra Imminent Danger pay ($225/month)....

Doesn't sound like much for being deployed in a combat area !!!

[irishrgr]

Yes, you are correct, one only has to be in the combat zone for one day of a given month to quailfy for the combat pay (oficially called Imminent Danger Pay) and the tax free (Combat Zone Tax Exemption) allowance. As deployments end, lads will make all sorts of efforts to hang on for another few days to get to the end of the month for the money.

Another one the commanders stopped was "fact finding missions" or visits by random generals or others that always seemd to happen around the end of a month and would convieniently spill over to the next month before they went back home to the safety of the Pentagon. It got some bad press and now must have theater commander approval and start early enough in a month and not drag on to get the extra loot.

Air Force has it best. A lot of the big transport (think C-5 & C-17) crews are based at their home base in the US. They fly a mission via Germany/Turkey/UK (usually a crew rest stop for 8-24 hours), over to Iraq/Afghanistan. Drop off troops/cargo, spend the night (or a day or so depending on flow/weather, etc). Then repeat the same trip backwards. Those wankers get the same tax & combat pays as an Infantry Soldier who spends 10 monts there doing patrols and getting mortared. Hardly fair, eh?

And yes, $225/month is not really worth the dangers, but there is no movement to change it in Congress, but it's better than nothing.

Also, one only has to spend a day in theater to be authorized to wear your combat unit flash on the right sleeve as well. Handy that it you are just "popping in" for tea and biccies.

A

[ARNGScout]

There was a book a few years back called "Somalia on $5 a day" written by an XO from the 10th Mountain and it referred to the imminent danger pay and how it broke down per day.

Leapfest is a military parachuting competition held yearly in Rhode Island - usually several international teams take part.

[DeV]

DF "active service" is in case of war / overseas service

[strummer]

d

Also, one only has to spend a day in theater to be authorized to wear your combat unit flash on the right sleeve as well. Handy that it you are just "popping in" for tea and biccies.

A

I thought it was 30 days to be "awarded" your combat patch. Not that it matters...I think some US Army types are way too "patch obsessed" anyway, a bit like some of the FCA types and their frickin' Jump Wings. I wear the required insignia, nothing more, nothing less. But then again, I'm a cranky bastidge...!!!