Reservist = 2-way street; Civilian = out of traffic
So, a few days back, I posted about a Reservist that was being activated and how he was surprised and didn't want to report. You can check it out here - Being A Reservist Is A Two-Way Street.
Well, I found this while surfing around the net - Kaua'i man sues over recall to active duty. Another guy trying to get out of being activated to serve in the Army. But there's a big difference here. and I totally support this man in his effort to fight being activated. Why? Well, this guy is a civilian. And has been for a long time.
It breaks down like this. He enlisted in 1987. He got out in 1991. He chose not to serve in the Reserves or National Guard, so for all intents and purposes he was out. According to standard Army contracts, after he finished his active duty, he was required to serve the remainder of 8 years in the Inactive Ready Reserve. This basically meant that he had the chance of being activated until some time in 1995 (the article reports 96, so maybe he had some delayed entry time at the end of 87 and didn't start his contract until 88), but he had no real requirements other than keep his address updated so that if the Army wanted to recall him, they'd be able to contact him.
What that all means is he's been free and clear of the Army for nearly 8 years now. He's a civilian. And yet, he received notification of the Army's desire to activate him. He's filed a suit to stop this and the Army has delayed his report date while they review the case.
My guess is he'll be let go with no incident once the Army admits this is an error. I mean, he is not under any contract or obligation here. Hopefully, for his sake (and that of his family), this will be resolved quickly.