The Salts on the patio were in an uproar, and you can imagine why. Word had floated out from the big five-sided Building on this side of the lazy brown river that the smaller alabaster building on the east side of the same Potomac might need our services again. We are aware of some of the complexities encumbering our previous government service. The one we were most alert about was the stipulation in our retirement paperwork that we could be “re-called” for a period of ten years from the effective date stamped on our retirement paperwork.

That moment in 2013 was noted when it passed without communication from the Defense Finance Office. Our obligation to the United States- the formal one, anyway- was complete. At least we thought so. The Article 88 decree from one of our former employers had been disquieting when we saw it last year. It was a warning and we noticed.

It contained the admonition that disparaging remarks about currently serving officials might be punished under that specific provision of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It effectively meant the DoD reserved the right to punish the use of Free Speech by retirees. There was laughter about it at the time, since that had been one of those things we swore to protect and defend. So, we started to watch with more interest since 2013 had passed without mention of additional requirements.

There is change in the air. Rocket mentioned seeing some odd ads on the flat-screen more than a week ago. They featured some vigorous-appearing older citizens with the admonition that “seniors could still serve!” That was a bit startling, since signing up after the age of “25” was one of those upper limit restrictions on who could don the uniform.

The Services are apparently having a hard time making enlistment goals. Signing up veterans, regardless of current age, could relieve some of the stress on administrative and support positions across the force by using those already proficient in those roles.

The last time something like this occurred was 2009, the year we bought Refuge Farm. Our legal obligation then did not expire for another four years, so being subject to recall, we noticed with more than vague interest. But the notice we saw yesterday was startling, since it came from the Commander-In-Chief as Executive Order #13912 and looked official as all heck.

The subject line alone from the media was an attention-getter: “President Activates 3000 Reservists to Send Them to Europe, To Buttress His War in Ukraine.”

We had to read it twice to calm down a little. There was no stipulation announcing a general recall of retired DoD personnel. All those potentially affected by the announcement appeared to be subject to physical readiness standards for active front-line service.

Splash grunted from his folding chair by the shrubs closest to the parking lot. “Didn’t we send 20,000 troops to NATO to enable our allies to better support the Ukrainians a while ago? If you add this new three thousand, it takes the number of US forces in Europe back up to around 100,000, which is about what it was back in the Cold War days.”

There was some general unease until we were fairly confident official letters from the Pentagon were not already inbound to our mailbox in the Big Pink Lobby. What “noticing” did was convey the general idea that our former employer might decide we old-timers were actually potential fodder for a new conflict overseas.

There are other things to notice. The NATO Summit in Lithuania expanded the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s interests west all the way to the South China Sea. There were reports of increased activity by the PRC in the Taiwan Strait with jet aircraft and military vessels. There could be imminent mischief in the region with real consequences for an American military that does not appear ready for a two-front global war.

We are supposed to notice stuff like that. Our questions were about the purpose of the Executive Order and whether we should expect mail. It is billed as “augmentation” for ongoing operations. The Attorney the Chairman assigned to monitor the Writer’s Section keep us out of trouble advised us to put the required company footnote here: “We support all currently serving officials and their authorized chain of command.”

So let there be no misunderstanding on that aspect of noticing things and appreciating a “while of government” approach to problem-solving. In that regard, DoD is joined under the order by DHS, since it is currently responsible for the Coast Guard when it is not recalled for worldwide maritime missions with the Navy. The other affected people include members of active-duty units and individual members assigned to the Selected Reserve or any member of the Individual Ready Reserve.

The purpose of the deployment is billed as being augmentation for the troops already deployed in support of Operation ATLANTIC RESOLVE. The number of activations are not to exceed more than 3,000 total members at one time, of whom not more 450 can be components of the IRR.

We naturally consider ourselves individuals and strive for the readiness we deem sufficient for life in Arlington. We are not “Reserve” unless you take away the capital letter and the little parentheses marks fore and aft. Our support is unreserved, of course. And we have noticed that some large institutions seem to be making preparations for some other Executive Orders to come.

We are underpaid to notice all sorts of things, but as you can see, there is a personal aspect to all this. We are in fact noticing some of them with interest.

Copyright 2023 Vic Socotra
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