Throughout the history of the United States, America's military forces have stood proudly defending its borders, territories and interests. From the beginning of the first English settlement in the seventeenth century, militias and citizen soldiers answered the call to arms. Today, the Reserve Component (RC) continues to be a vital part of America's military instrument of power participating in the nation's conflicts both domestically and abroad. Maintaining a viable reserve force does not come without costs to both its members and America's employers who support them.