Looking to join National Guard?

Question

Can anyone tell me what exactly do they do?

17 now, looking to join as soon as i am 18, whats it like being a guard? What do they do etc?

thanks

Answer 1

Anna H is wrong in saying that the Guard is only deployed now because recruitment is low.

The Guard has been deployed in every major conflict and many smaller conflicts and peacekeeping missions since the US has existed.  This is because the Guard makes up a significant portion of the Army; roughly half of the combat and a third of the support capabilities of the entire Army.  

Due to this, the Guard is sent overseas frequently, so if you do not want to get deployed then do not join.

Berderderder has a pretty good summary on what the Guard is like.

Also keep in mind that there are many opportunities to do overseas training (2-4+weeks) in places like Japan and Germany.  There are also missions outside of Iraq/Afghanistan that the Guard gets deployed to (Kosovo and Egypt for example).

Join if you want to get quality job training that can help you later on (i.e. military intelligence) and other benefits (i.e. college money) while serving your country.  If you join just for college, you are better off just getting a student loan.  This is not something you can just brush off for college money as not only may your life be in danger one day, but also many people's lives may be relying on you to perform your duties.

If you are up for it, join and make the best of it.

Answer 2

As I am in the Guard I will answer your questions the best that I can.  The National Guard is unique that the State, which is called Title 10, can call us for assistance in natural disasters and we can also be called up by the Federal Government, Title 32.  Your contract can be based on 6 years active guard and 2 years inactive readiness reserve (IRR), basically you’ll be second string of sorts.  You will be on the records but you will not be going to drill.  However, there is catch, if a unit is deploying and if they need to fill a slot they can grab you, even if that unit is in Alaska.

The reason the Guard is deployed to Iraq is because we are fulfilling our duty of being called up by the federal government.  This has nothing to do with recruiting being down.  Soldiers are fulfilling the oath they took.  Being in the Guard or the Army Reserve you are required to attend one weekend a month of training and two weeks a year (15 days) of training as a unit or on some occasions on an individual basis.  This training can be done at your home unit or in the field; it’s really up to the unit on how they will perform this.  During this time you could be at the range, in the field or doing stuff based on your MOS (job).

Basic training I believe is either 6 or 8 weeks, it’s been awhile.  Your AIT varies based on your job.  It could be either 8 weeks or 12 weeks.  I will say this that if you join the Guard with visions of never being deployed you are wrong, it’s not a matter of “IF”, but “WHEN”.  There are a lot of benefits of joining the guard tuition assistance, student loan repayment plan, job training and serving your country, just to name a few.



Is it going to suck at times of course it will.  My day time job has moments that suck, but I’m not going to quit and never work again.  Will you have a lot of fond memories and great times, you bet.  I was on the verge of getting out and ended up re-enlisting because I missed it.

If you have any other questions please feel free to hit me up on e-mail and if you’re looking into joining let me know and I can get you information.

Bobby

Answer 3

The National Guard receives the same training as an active duty troop. The only difference is the terms of the contract. In the National Guard, the typical contract is for 6 years. You drill once each month and conduct annual training for typically 2 weeks out of the year. During your drill weekends, you will more than likely conduct training that pertains to your MOS or job skill. During some drills, you may have to conduct PT, have "open-houses" or other activities within the community. During your two week annual training, you will more than likely conduct exercises and perform tasks that relate to your MOS. In addition to that, each National Guard unit and Chain of Command is different and will require different things from other units.  

Answer 4

I'm 17 and i joined the guard but i kind of regret it now. i loved rotc but the guard just isn't for me. its not as easy as everyone says but it can be at times. my cousin is in iraq right now and he loves it. just think your decision through.

Answer 5

The National Guard is SUPPOSED to protect the nation.  For example, if Canada decided that they were going to invade us, the National Guard would be sent to protect the border.  When there isn't a battle on home soil (which there never has been in the history of our country) the National Guard is supposed to help with clean up of natural disasters and other disasters within the border.

However, since recruitment is WAY down in the Army/Navy/Air Force because of the war in the Middle East, National Guard soldiers are being deployed around the world about as frequently as soldiers in the US Army.

If you're joining to help you pay for college, this is how the contract usually works.  You sign on for 8 years.  2 of the 8 years is inactive duty, assuming you are in college and doing well.  During the two years of inactive duty, usually during the summer, you'll go to Basic Training (6 weeks I believe) and AIT (where you'll get trained in your specific job, another 6 weeks).  Also, during inactive duty, you have to go in for drill (essentially more training) one weekend a month during the school year and 2 weeks during summer.

If you join the ROTC program at your university, you  usually don't get deployed for the whole 4 years of college.  If you join ROTC at your college, I'm told, you'll leave college as an officer, officers are less likely to get deployed, but are still deployed quite often. If you don't join ROTC, you'll most likely get deployed soon after the end of your 2 year inactive duty.  If you don't do well in school, you'll void your contract (something called "Education First") and become active duty and could be deployed at any point during what should be your 2 years of inactive duty.

Of course, if the National Guard really wants to deploy you, they can do whatever they want because, honestly, how are you going to stop them?  I've actually know people whose contracts have been voided by the Guard for no reason and then got deployed

Basically, the people I've talked to who were once in your situation and decided to join the Guard are not very happy with their decision.  If you don't want to be deployed for the better part of 6 years, don't join the Guard.  The National Guard is supposed to be more safe than the Army, but anymore it's about the same job.    

Hope this helps.