No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Reserve & National Guard

Sailor sheds light on balancing act of reserve service

Jessica Manfre
by Jessica Manfre
July 8, 2020
| SPONSORED

There are over 800,000 reservists serving this country. Their role and responsibilities have shifted significantly over the last 20 years, but even more so as a result of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Navy Reserve Lt. Bryan Bergjans is experiencing it firsthand.

“You have a lot of different stressful situations with your sailors and soldiers in general. They are feeling it from about 45 different directions. It is an extremely challenging time to be a reservist,” he said.

Bergjans explained reservists have responsibilities that vary from active-duty counterparts because typically reservists work full-time civilian careers in addition to military service — a commitment far different from the one weekend a month stereotype.

“Since 9/11, people have developed a huge respect for the reserve force,” Bergjans said.

He added those in the reserves can be deployed at any time, having to leave their civilian careers behind at a moment’s notice, which includes his own experience of getting notified about a deployment to Afghanistan with the Navy.

Bergjans says the days of simply drilling one weekend a month are long gone.

“It’s not part time anymore. Depending on what unit you are in now, the demand is so high and so is the potential for deployment,” Bergjans explained.

Plus, with the recent pandemic, many reservists are being furloughed and even losing their full-time employment completely. Bergjans praised the reserves, saying that they stepped up and found ways to not only support military readiness, but continue to provide income to their reservists.

“They clearly recognized that a big chunk of their force was getting hampered on the civilian side from an income perspective. They were willing to go outside of the box in a telework environment so at least their folks were getting paid,” he said.

Relief organizations from every branch of service committed their support to service members and their families impacted financially due to the virus. Reservists and members of the National Guard were included in the expansion of financial support.

Although many would assume reservists often receive the same level of support, they would be wrong.

“We get stuff trickled down to us,” Bergjans said.

It is why he recommends reservists educate themselves on what is available to support them, including things like benefits, insurance, and financial management.

See: Navy reservist on a mission to welcome families home

Bergjans wasn’t even aware he could utilize the VA home loan benefit as a reservist when he and his wife purchased their home in the early 2000’s. His mortgage company was also uneducated about it, despite knowing he was in the military. This past home-buying experience led to his current-day commitment of ensuring service members have access to education on their earned benefits.

Despite having a successful career at Caliber Home Loans as their senior vice president of military lending, Bergjans plans to continue his Navy service as long as possible.

Visit https://www.caliberhomeloans.com to learn more about the company’s commitment to the military along with special assistance for those impacted by COVID-19.

 

 

 

Read comments
Tags: Bryan BergjansCaliber Home LoansCOVID-19Navy Reserve
Jessica Manfre

Jessica Manfre

Jessica Manfre, LMSW is an author and freelance writer for multiple publications. She is a licensed social worker, earning her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Central Florida in 2020. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Northwestern State University. Jessica is the co-founder and CFO of Inspire Up, a 501c3 nonprofit promoting global generosity and kindness through education, empowerment, and community building. She is the spouse of an active-duty Coast Guardsman and mother of two. When she isn’t working, you can find her reading a good book and drinking too much coffee.

Related Posts

Air Force lieutenant colonel leads next generation of cadets through ROTC

by Elena Ferrarin
2 weeks ago
0
Air Force

Air Force Lt. Col. Sheena Puleali’i says her ROTC at the University of Southern Mississippi is the highlight of her...

Read more

Military services will amend COVID vaccine-refuser records so they aren’t passed over for promotions

by Military.com
3 weeks ago
0
Vaccine

All military services are reworking their policies to adjust separation & promotion records for those who refused the COVID-19 vaccine.

Read more

Ukraine support: Meet the reservists who give the U.S. an ‘unmatched advantage’

by Kari Williams
4 weeks ago
0
Joint Transportation Reserve Unit

The Joint Transportation Reserve Unit of TRANSCOM gives the U.S. and 'unmatched advantage' in the United States' support of Ukraine.

Read more

OPINION: Individual Ready Reserve offers chance to ‘take a knee’

by Emily Solberg
2 months ago
0
Individual Ready Reserve

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a little-known option that could help with retention, according to one reservist and military...

Read more

New veterans head to Congress, including January 6-er

by Military.com
3 months ago
0
New veterans

New veterans will begin roaming the halls of Congress next week, contributing to one of the biggest classes of lawmakers...

Read more

Veteran’s dog-treat company honors fallen K-9s, supports canine causes

by Kari Williams
3 months ago
0
Canine

Jessica Harris began giving back to her canine companions through K9 Salute after she retired from the Washington National Guard.

Read more

Ads

Let's get social

The RNG Drill

News delivered directly to your inbox

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER

GET RESOURCES

  • VETERANS TOOLKIT

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • PITCH US
  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2021 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • YOUR CAREER
    • UNIT TRAINING
    • DEPLOYMENT
    • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • RECRUITING & RETENTION
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • TRANSITION
  • EDUCATION
  • MILITARY LIFE
    • MILITARY SPOUSES
    • MILITARY KIDS
    • PARENTING
  • OFF DUTY
    • ENTERTAINMENT
    • TRAVEL
  • HEALTH
    • FITNESS
    • MEDICINE
    • MENTAL HEALTH
  • SPORTS
  • OPINION
  • HISTORY
  • MONEY
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • BENEFITS
  • GET THE MAGAZINE
    • PRINT MAGAZINES
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINES
    • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • RESOURCES
    • VETERANS TOOLKIT
  • ABOUT US
    • MEET OUR TEAM
    • OUR AUTHORS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • SUBMIT YOUR STORY
    • PITCH US
    • CONTACT

© 2022 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW

Skip to toolbar
  • About WordPress
    • WordPress.org
    • Documentation
    • Support
    • Feedback
  • AMP
    • View AMP version