Question about Army reserves, please help?

What the Army Recruiter said sounds correct. You would attend weekend drills once a month and get paid for it. You can go to military.com and use the drill calculator to try to figure out what your pay might be. Most likely you would start as an E-1, possibly and E-2 and factor in your years of service. Drills are in either 4 drill periods or 5 drill periods for a drill weekend. In the reserves you are required to attend monthly drills for one weekend a month and and annual training that can be anywhere from 12-21 days depending on what it is and where its at. You can attend schools which are longer while in the reserves. Your recruiter was making a good point about getting some rank before you go active duty and your time in the reserves will count when it comes time to factor in your retirement benefits.