Anyone here currently in the Army National Guard or served in the past? I have really been considering joining for several years. I graduate in 1 more semester so I would like to go to OCS and become an officer. I'm interested in any MOS in the combat arms i.e. infantry, artillery or combat engineer. I like the idea of being able to continue my civilian career, but still have the chance to serve our country. I also really like the fact that I may be called to help with problems in our country and state such as hurricanes, the oil spill etc. etc. I guess the only thing I'm worried about are the stories you here of ARNG getting shitty equipment, getting shitty missions when deployed, incompetent CO's etc. Does anyone have some personal experience they could share?

6/27/2010 7:29:46 PM

I'm AD. Don't join the infantry.

6/27/2010 9:12:38 PM

Could you explain a little more. I have several friends who were AD Infantry an my cousin currently is. While parts of it suck, they all had an overall good experience. I feel that if I'm going to make a commitment during war time than I want to be part of it. I would like to be on the ground making a difference and not in an office or garage somewhere (no offense to those guys). A buddy of mine is in Psy Ops which sounds pretty cool and he enjoys. Several states have National Guard units called ADT, Agribusiness Development Teams, in which they work with Afghan farmers and teach them how to grow cash crops other than poppies. I would love to do this, but unfortunately, NC does not offer it. Does anyone else have some personal suggestions on MOS's? Are then any that are just specific to the guard? Thanks

6/27/2010 9:58:14 PM

AD 67J here, dont do infantry. I saw the light and decided flying was better than walking, go aviation. Or better yet, shop around and try to pick a unit you would enjoy going to that has what you want. Yea you may have to leave NC but its a good trade off to lock in a job you want.

6/27/2010 11:20:25 PM

I've thought about looking outside the state, but don't know much about it. Tennessee has an ADT which I referred to in my earlier post that would be awesome to join. Is it east to join the national guard of a state you are not a resident of?

6/27/2010 11:25:17 PM

I'm an active-duty USMC aviator (i.e., neither Guard nor infantry), but if you want to do infantry or whatever else, do it.

6/28/2010 1:14:05 AM

I was a 13B artillery cannoneer in the Guard. The good part was that the training was short. The bad is that it's very physically intensive. If you go for any advanced specialty in combat engineering, your basic and AIT could last 8-9 months or so, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri sucks. Intel stuff is pretty long too (at Fort Huachuca, AZ by the Mexico border). I know a couple people who joined the Guard, went to some really long training (and two Iraq tours) and couldn't finish school. They have an intel Army Reserve unit in Charlotte, but its Airborne, so you have to go to jump school.

[Edited on June 28, 2010 at 1:40 AM. Reason : ,]

6/28/2010 1:38:21 AM

What is AD?

I, too, am trying to get a military related job, but I am trying to go the civilian route to work with military tech companies.

6/28/2010 2:54:12 AM

Active Duty.

6/28/2010 3:47:51 AM

Consider air cavalry--it's the only way to fly.

6/28/2010 5:40:28 AM

^^d'oh

You may be able to go and talk with a recruiter at an office and get much better and direct information. There is also the Army Corps of Engineers, which goes around building shit. Its mostly Civil and Mechanical work from what I read and when I talked to them at the Career Fair.

What exactly are you trying to do? You can "serve your country" in a lot of ways within the whole

Quote :

" I would like to be on the ground making a difference "

spectrum. You trying to get a gun and go door to door as a grunt? Stay behind in the camp and work with computers and surveilance? What is your background? A college graduate hopefully, what is your degree? Engineering? Communications? Want to be a field medic and save lives, but then have your friend die under your care and keep the blood stained jacket in your closet?

I myself saw how the military can be from my dad (USMC 29 years) and decided to help from the outside, where I can use my scientific knowledge to make advancements in military tech to help a greater number of soldiers than I could if I was an officer somewhere. Plus you get the added bonus of helping to save lives...or end them.

It seems pretty universal that National Guard is horribly trained and horribly commanded for combat.

6/28/2010 7:20:12 AM

Quote :

"It seems pretty universal that National Guard is horribly trained and horribly commanded for combat"

From what I've seen, it really depends on the unit commander. I've seen some National Guard Infantry companies that are on par with their Active Duty counterparts, and others that are just a gathering of retards.

Tarpon, if you're going to OCS, then you'll be a leader within the unit, so its up to you on whether or not your platoon will suck ass or not.

6/28/2010 8:29:51 AM

^Maybe the LRS companies, or a few of the mech units.

What it boils down to is just like that scene in 300 when Leonidas asks the other Greeks what their jobs are. The NG infantry is never going to spend as much time as the AD does on their tasks.

one weekend a month, and to properly do the deed you need to practice battle drills, maintain weapons quals, patrolling, fieldcraft, basic trauma medicine, commo, and for your specialized squads machine gun theory and mortar emplacement.

I just thinking joining the NG to be infantry is a bad move. You can join to be SF however.

6/28/2010 8:35:19 AM

Thanks for your opinions guys. There are so many variables in this decision it's hard to wrap my head around it. I'm just trying to get as much knowledge as I can before going to talk with a recruiter. I've also considered Air National Guard which seems to have some pretty cool jobs as well. TACP really has me interested! It's really hard finding info on the web about military jobs and careers. Everything is so freakin' vague! FWIW I have a major in fisheries and wildlife biology and a minor in agriculture business so they don't relate to the military very well.

6/28/2010 11:49:15 AM

get as much as you can if you're going to do it. get that bonus, get that student loan repayment program.

and at least half of what that recruiter is going to say will more than likely be full of shit. Research it.

6/28/2010 12:51:51 PM

^^^ Whaaat? You can be a Green Beret Guardsman?

6/28/2010 2:38:28 PM

19th Special Forces Group and 20th Special Forces Group are part of the National Guard. They gotta go thru the same active duty training though, and typically deploy more.

6/28/2010 2:44:03 PM

Yeah I'm at SWC with a bunch of NGSF guys, they go on AD for the Q (and get paid a fuckload more than we do...) Then they go back home and be part-time team guys. Pretty cake. They also have better prep for selection than most anybody except for the 18x cats.

6/28/2010 5:27:54 PM

Anybody know anything about Air Force TACP guys? They are airmen but are imbedded into army, marine and SF units. They are responsible for calling in airstrikes intel etc. They're like special forces of the air force and go through ranger, scuba diving, air assault and airborne school. They get to chill w/ ground forces, but don't have to deal with all their ranking and missions. Sounds like a sick job and the ANG unit is based out of Charlotte or nearby.

6/28/2010 8:16:51 PM

i'm going to go ahead and warn you that TACPs and JTACs generally work with the big brigades. If you want to work in SOCOM and JSOC then CCT is the way to go. The CCT training facility on Pope is stupid nice.

TACPs will have a chance to work in JSOC but that will not be as an entry-level airman, only after time in the community.

[Edited on June 28, 2010 at 8:49 PM. Reason : Edit]

6/28/2010 8:46:18 PM

Some of the info you have about TACP is a little off. They are not embedded with the Marines (they have there own CAS assets). They are not like special forces for the AF, nor do they all fall under SOCOM. They do have members that are with the Army's Special Operations but the majority are with the "normal" army. They also have some that are part of the Air Forces STS (Special Tactic Squadron) but again this isn't the norm. Those that find themselves working under SOCOM are the best in the career field. At one time you weren't eligible to tryout for SOF until E4 (Rangers) and E5 (SF) although that info might be a bit dated.

The Air Force SOC includes PJs, CCT, and Combat Weather. If you are interested in going to some of the schools you listed look into those careers. Many are part of the initial training pipeline. TACP does not attend any of the schools listed as part of their initial training. Of course if you find yourself with the 173rd Airborne you'll likely attend airborne, ditto for 101st and air assault, and MFF with some of the SF Groups.

Hope this helps!

6/28/2010 8:54:41 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_Robin_Sage

just do it. 20th Group

6/29/2010 7:25:08 AM

I was active duty in an Infantry unit (i was the medic) and then went national guard

the biggest difference between the two is that on active duty you do your job every day so you learn the ins and outs much faster and dont forget as much

National guard the guys only do their job for a couple of hours a month, so they are not as technically proficient as active duty guys. this might seem like a no brainer, but active duty guys are usually much better at their jobs

as far as equipment, dont worry about it, if you ever deploy (when you will really need your gear) you are retrofitted with the newest and functioning equipment

as far as infantry vs something POG you gotta remember, infantry does some of the cooler stuff, but not much is practical to a job in the real world (any combat MOS for that matter), but they usually get the short end of the stick on creature comforts...will say this about combat MOS's though, you dont have to work with women, which is a huge plus

6/29/2010 6:40:49 PM

Don't waste your life in the military.

6/29/2010 6:42:18 PM

Quote :

"shop around and try to pick a unit you would enjoy going to that has what you want"

agreed

Quote :

"It seems pretty universal that National Guard is horribly trained and horribly commanded for combat"

+1 on what raiden said. Guard units don't have the natural turnover that an AD unit has. You can get some extremely tight, extremely proficient units and you can get some that are not so much. Do not confuse military discipline with military proficiency though. These two don't necessarily go hand in hand in the guard.

Quote :

"9th Special Forces Group and 20th Special Forces Group are part of the National Guard."

Got a buddy that is an 18A in the Guard and he stays pretty proficient. Part of that is the maturity and relatively small size of the unit though. A lot easier to put 12 guys together for a MUTA 8 and spend your time training instead of knob-dicking around.

Quote :

"i'm going to go ahead and warn you that TACPs and JTACs generally work with the big brigades."

The last time I worked with a TACP he was poking his head out of the back of the Stryker I was in trying to help an F-18 driver find his wingman. Fucking pilots.


A few things about the Guard from a guy who came from the Active Army over to the Nasty Girls:

First, the Guard generally does not get the credit it deserves. While deploying is a bitch on AD, at least there is continuity of housing, pay, employment etc. This is not the case with the Guard and returning to a world which knows nothing about where you went can be more disorienting than hanging out at Secrets in Fayetteville the night you get back. Hell, Guardsmen on jump status get their jump pay pro-rated to the amount days they work each month. Never mind that a LRS team member could jump every drill weekend and an officer on division staff with the 82d might jump only enough to stay current, that little 11B gets 1/15th of the $150.

Second, do not underestimate the time you will have to devote to the Guard, especially if you wind up in a leadership position. As an aviator I have to maintain the same minimums as an AD FAC1 pilot and the only weekend I haven't spent at my unit in the last 2 months has been Memorial Day weekend and that is only because the facility wasn't open. Granted, I only had to come in on Saturday most weekends, but that sucks if you want a social life.

Third, I have found that Guard units whose mission closely aligns with a civilian job tend to be outstanding while deployed. The Engineer, QM and Trans battalions I worked with from the Colorado, Puerto Rican and North Carolina Guard were stellar, far better than AD units I worked with of the same qualifications. For what it is worth, it is generally recognized that Guard Civil Affairs teams are FAR superior to their Active Duty teams because half of them are composed of mayors, city managers and other civil employees who understand how local politics works (even in a different language)

You always have the option of doing Active First which is a Guard program where you align with a unit, complete basic and spend 3 years on active duty before returning to the Guard.


FWIW.

6/29/2010 6:55:05 PM

Quote :

"Don't waste your life in the military."

Don't waste your life as an asshole.

6/29/2010 7:04:06 PM

I'm the only one in the this thread that's not biased. You're welcome.

It's also worth noting that you'll never actually "guard" any part of the nation, unless you count our colonies.

6/29/2010 7:07:53 PM

How is calling military life a waste not a bias?

6/29/2010 9:05:09 PM

I'm the only one is this thread NOT getting paid by the government. One could even argue that I'm the only one in this thread that is actually a productive citizen, but I won't go that far.

We can agree on one thing...your recruiter is a lying sack of shit.

6/29/2010 9:09:12 PM

A self-proclaimed non-biased troll is making a pronouncement. Everyone stop and pay attention.

6/29/2010 9:17:50 PM

Don't waste your life in the military trolling on a college message board.

6/29/2010 9:37:58 PM

You boys aren't addressing the topic of this thread: "Should he join the National Guard?"

What do you think Optimum? Is running around in the desert the best use of a college educated individual while our country desperately needs educated workers(not to mention stable parents) stateside?

[Edited on June 29, 2010 at 9:44 PM. Reason : Is playing army really the responsible thing to do? Is it?]

6/29/2010 9:43:58 PM

i was hoping that dejaviews.org would have taken off a little better

also, i wish the picture of the 4-H rally in front of Watauga Hall weren't just like "BAM! I'm black and white" in front of the modern-day color picture. maybe you could have blended in the colors or softened the edges or something.

6/29/2010 9:46:56 PM

^^Gee golly, seems to me like we should just leave the warfighting to the poor and uneducated, that will definitely work out well.

6/29/2010 9:50:02 PM

That's the usual plan in all of recorded history. It works better though when you give the grunts simple tasks that are actually attainable.

6/29/2010 9:54:10 PM

i kinda wish this cat posted in ST once in a while. we need a breath of fresh air during the slow sports season.

and minorities always seem to spice things up over there

6/29/2010 10:04:09 PM

Quote :

"What do you think Optimum? Is running around in the desert the best use of a college educated individual while our country desperately needs educated workers(not to mention stable parents) stateside?"

I think the person thinking about joining the military is in a better position than you or I to decide if it's a good use of his or her time and energy. And frankly you're a gigantic asshole for presuming that you know better than they do. Don't assume you have enough facts about their individual lives to critique their choices.

6/29/2010 10:10:01 PM

Quote :

" Don't waste your life in the military"

- I happen to think that joining any part of the military is one of the best ways to benefit our country. That's why I'm interested in doing it. It's not really a career choice for me. I just want to do my part while I'm young and capable of serving and still have an entire civilian career ahead of me.

6/29/2010 10:16:38 PM

Excellent! The commercials worked. I hate to see taxpayer money wasted on ineffective advertising.

6/29/2010 10:18:29 PM

I know your just trolling, but anti-military people like you really piss me off. What is so wrong with going to the military, directly serving your country, receiving professional leadership training in Officer Candidate School and returning to the civilian world to successfully operate a business? All in the same time protecting ass holes like you so you can sit behind a keyboard and run your mouth off. To me, it sounds like a pretty good life plan, but I guess it's not for everyone.

6/29/2010 10:40:44 PM

I say send them a resume and ask for McChrystal's old job and just see what they say.

6/29/2010 10:48:07 PM

^^ He thinks his tax dollars shouldn't be used for your benefit, or something. But that fact aside, he's been trolling in multiple forums all night, so this thread isn't getting unique treatment.

6/29/2010 10:54:48 PM

If you want to protect me, you probably shouldn't leave the country. Or divert money that could be used domestically to "protect" me. These little decade-long excursions abroad are exclusively for the benefit of non-citizens and those that gobble at the military trough, I want no part in them. Worse yet, the guard is being deployed abroad when its purpose is to remain stateside as a first line of defense.

Also, the military is a terrible place to learn business skills. There is no bottom line. Money just "disappears". You can spend whatever you want. Don't worry, there's always more coming.

You can always be a cop when you get out. You already have that "it's us against the civilians" attitude down pat.

6/29/2010 11:06:01 PM

^ na, I hate cops

6/29/2010 11:45:32 PM

could a mod get rid of the smc troll please? This isn't chit-chat and the OP asked a serious question.

6/30/2010 7:41:37 AM

You call it trolling, I say it's an unpopular truth. We should all be so lucky to have someone that really cares about our well-being step in and say, "What are you doing? This shit is stupid and wasteful, you'll get yourself killed for nothing."

He asked if he should join the army. In a sea of benefit packages and bullshit jargon designed to make it seem honorable I'm the only one with the courage to speak against it. If you don't have the courage to counter my arguments, I'm sure you can just eliminate me.

If you want to serve your country, join americorps. If you want to kill muslims, join the army.

6/30/2010 8:28:30 AM

I'm waiting on my commission as a 2nd Lt. in the USMC. I went the aviation route. All in all, I would have to say that joining is one of the most rewarding opportunities that I have pursued thus far. I believe that you will learn a lot about yourself when you join. I plan on trying to go the test pilot route after a while and then ultimately applying to Astronaut Candidate School.

[Edited on June 30, 2010 at 8:36 AM. Reason : ^ So I don't really see why trolls like him are such nay-sayers.]

6/30/2010 8:36:03 AM

^^You're probably not gonna change the OPs' mind. Best thing for you to do is just chalk it up to a loss and ride off on your high horse, warmed by your smug feeling of being mentally and emotionally superior to us troglodytes.

[Edited on June 30, 2010 at 8:37 AM. Reason : ^^]

6/30/2010 8:36:30 AM

Quote :

"I plan on trying to go the test pilot route after a while and then ultimately applying to Astronaut Candidate School."

Hey I know it's a long shot but maybe I'll see you in the Astronaut Corps! I just met my final eligibility requirement, so once they announce a new astronaut class I'll be submitting my application as soon as I can.

6/30/2010 9:43:07 AM

Yeah, They just selected a new crop of astronauts in 2009. So, assuming they keep to their new-class-every-two-years policy, I should be able to start applying next year.

6/30/2010 10:06:51 AM