As members of the Selected Reserve, IMAs are subject to the presidential 200,000 call-up authority. Assignment orders to IMA positions include mobilization instructions. IMAs are mobilized when contacted by their agency or unit, or notified through the national news media. Retirees Active Guard Reserve soldiers who retired after 20 years of active duty are subject to recall during a mobilization by direction of the Secretary of the Army. As the possibility for mobilization grows closer to reality for thousands of Army Reserve soldiers, now is the time to plan and prepare for separation from family by getting personal, financial and legal affairs in order.
Emotions connected with separations are many and vary from family to family.
Most family members suffer from some sense of anger or loss at separation. The best way to deal with these feelings is to get them out in the open and discuss them. Make sure your family, especially the children, understands why you are going and how long you will be gone. Assure your children that you are going because of your special job, and let them know how to contact you in case of emergency. If the entire family understands the Army Reserve's purpose and shares your commitment to that purpose, separations will be more bearable.