DEVENS, Mass. – Personnel Accountability Muster events are a type of in-person screening that Army Reserve career counselors assist Army Human Resources Command with on a regular basis. The primary goal of the events is to update contact information and ensure personal information is accurate in case the Soldier is activated from Individual Ready Reserve status for mobilization.
These events also provide an opportunity for career counselors to have in-person interaction with Soldiers in IRR status, providing the opportunity to educate them about Army Reserve benefits.
Career counselors in 1st Battalion, United States Army Reserve Careers Group, have conducted approximately 20 muster events in fiscal year 2024, said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Portillo, 1st Battalion IRR to reserve and muster NCOIC. Each of these events have provided valuable information to Soldiers in the IRR, and many of them have led to Soldiers signing a contract to go into the active reserve component.
The career counselors assigned to 1st Battalion ARCG are responsible for providing guidance and career counseling to Soldiers in the Army Reserve in New York, New England, and Europe. This includes Soldiers in the IRR and the active reserve component.
For a muster event a Soldier is notified by mail or e-mail to come to a reserve center and update their personal information and ensure contact information is accurate. It also provides the opportunity to speak to a career counselor about opportunities in the Army Reserve. They are paid a stipend for completing the in-person muster.
“The main benefit of a Muster Event is to bring Soldiers in and allow career counselors to start talking to the Soldier in-person about their options in the Army Reserve.” said Portillo. “The one-on-one conversations that happen due to a muster event significantly increase the chances of getting a Soldier from the IRR to the active reserve component.”
Some Soldiers that come to muster events are not aware of the education benefits and incentives in the Army Reserve, said Sgt. 1st Class Jonathon Edwards, an Army Reserve career counselor assigned to 1st Battalion, ARCG.
“I worked with a Soldier at a muster event that was going to college and not getting any of his tuition paid for at the time, I was able to work with him and help him use both GI Bill benefits and tuition assistance after signing an active reserve contract,” Edwards said.
Edwards said he worked with another Soldier at a muster event who did not get a chance to deploy on his first enlistment and wanted to deploy. Edwards saw another unit deploying soon, so he matched that Soldier’s interest with assigning personnel to a unit in need, creating a win-win situation for the Soldier and the Army Reserve. That Soldier then deployed.
Muster events allow career counselors to clarify the process of going from IRR to active reserve component and the options available.
“We come across Soldiers at muster events that are under the impression that to change their job or come into the reserve component they need to go back to the Military Entrance Processing Station and a potential long duration Advanced Individual Training,” said Portillo. “But in the Army Reserve the reclassification for a new job is a shorter and more condensed school that allows the Soldier to avoid spending a large amount of time away from their civilian employer.”
Muster events also provide a chance for career counselors to clarify the amount of time required to obtain Veterans Affairs Home Loan benefits and transfer education benefits to family, said Portillo.
“After Soldiers find out how much time is required for certain benefits some of them are willing to do additional time in the Army Reserve,” Portillo said.
The most successful muster events require some preparation work ahead of time, said Master Sgt. Anthony Roman, Army Reserve career counselor and Area 2 leader for 1st Battalion, ARCG.
“It is important to do research on Soldiers before they arrive for muster events to be able to present opportunities and benefits for the individual that can help them advance in both their civilian career and the Army Reserve,” Roman said.
