Veterans struggling to keep a job

REGARDING "COMING home to another battle": Thanks to Phil Aliff for bringing this up. I was in the National Guard and deployed, and one of my non-commissioned officers warned me about trying to find a job while being in. I didn't believe him. He was right.

Well, I got back to the U.S. and was lucky enough to find a decent job with a great employer. But sure enough, 14 months after getting home from the first deployment, the National Guard wanted to send me off again.

I fought for months because I was told I have two years of non-deployable status. But guess what? The National Guard doesn't honor that--only active Army (or so my unit says). Now they are trying to kick me out because I refused to go on pre-deployment training that would have made me take 30 days away from my job.

Of course, this 30 days was after we already did a week of training. How the hell am I, as an employee, supposed to be able to do my job when the National Guard wants me to leave for a week here, a month there, and then a year?

It's impossible, and my employer, who could have employed anyone, chose me, and he feels the brunt of the loss as he is without an essential employee for five weeks. He can't just take on another paid employee because I'm in the Guard. That's not fair.

But units don't give a damn--or mine didn't. So now I'm facing the charges of being "less than honorable," when, on my first deployment, I received an Army Achievement medal and a Good Conduct medal after only two years of service. I have definitely been honorable. Unfortunately, I bought a home and got married, and I have to worry about paying the mortgage and providing for my family long after the deployment is done.

I love what the Guard and Army has done for me, it has truly made me a man. But this shit is unfair, and I'm glad someone has brought it up.
Anonymous, from the Internet