Hello, Men, and Women.

[G.Coffman]

For the last 3 or 4 days I have been doing a lot of research on possibly joining the National Guard. I am 37 years old, no kids, no wife or g/f, and no I'm not g a y, it's just easier being single.

I have always thought about joining a branch of the service, but at my age it's kinda limited, yet the National Guard would still be my first choice. I read a link someone posted that was a journal from a guy who was also 37 when he joined, and I found it very informative.

I learned what MOS means, and that basic will kick your butt. That's about all. My father (An Army Vietnam Vetern) and my Uncle, a former Marine who was also in Vietnam both are kinda trying to steer me away from this. Especially my Uncle. He wanted me to join the Air force instead, but I'm too old anyway. He says the food is much better in the Air Force.

A little about me.
I have 3 years law enforcement experiance, management experiance, and other things I have been a part of in my life. I am currently in a job I am not happy in, I am in financial ruins.. well almost. I will probably lose my home within months, and have to file bankruptcy. The economy is poor, and I feel with everything that has happend, and the threat that could be imposed on our country, there is a definate need for men and women to become a part of the greatest fighting force in the world. I feel it is finally my time. Some of you may think that I am wanting to join because of everything I have mentioned, that is not the case. How I see it is.. everything happens for a reason, so I feel this is my window of opprotunity to be a part of something I have thought about doing.. a lot.

Physically I'm fine, which was what the recruiter first asked me. (Height weight, any plates or screws in me etc) I have spoken with a few friends who are either still in the Guard, or just recently got out. It has been unaninmous.. they loved it. I go in on Monday at 5pm to actually see the recruiter, my dad wants to come along to make sure they don't blow smoke up my rear.. as he says. My Uncle and Dad both keep telling me that they (The Guard) will promise me the world, I will get assigned an MOS, then when I am out of basic training, I'll be sent over seas to fight someone else's war on the front lines. It's strange.. they are both proud former military, Vietnam vets, yet they are against me even thinking about doing this. My dad was in communications while in Vietnam, and I guess communications, back then, meant going out on patrols and watching your best friends die with little support from your own Government. It still bothers him to this day.

The reason for the long post is this. At 37 years old, I want to make sure this is going to be the right decision for me, and that I can put my trust in the Guard to not bend me over, like the police dept. did. (Politics)

I assume most of you might say "Only you will know if it will be a good fit for you". That maybe correct, yet I guess I'm looking for more than that. With my age, and my background.. would you, knowing what you know now, join?

I guess I feel that if some punk kid in an oversized Tu Pac t-shirt with no real discipline can do it, there is absolutely no reason I can't do it either.

Thank you for any responses in advance.

[chd]

There are a few 35+ guys roaming around here that I'm sure will be able to give you some solid advice. These forums are a great resource - between them, your recruiter and Google, you'll always have someone to answer your questions and make the right decision for you. Good luck.

[G.Coffman]

There are a few 35+ guys roaming around here that I'm sure will be able to give you some solid advice. These forums are a great resource - between them, your recruiter and Google, you'll always have someone to answer your questions and make the right decision for you. Good luck.


I have been doing a LOT of searching on this forum, and Google.

This forum is where I found this link.http://www.carlburgess.com/cb.nsf/armybasic It appears he was 36 years old, instead of 37.

One of my friends in the Guard is an E7 and is my sponsor, and the recruiter is one of his soldiers when she is not recruiting. I guess I shouldn't worry too much about being promised the world.

[Dedicated]

I'm 35, married with 5 kids, have a good career. Joined the Guard last Friday. I ship out for basic and AIT in less than two months. Talk to your recruiter, and cross check everything he tells you however you can, including here on this forum. Do your homework. Start running, doing push ups and sit ups, and generally working your body. Work your way through the process while you are doing this. Get your asvab test out of the way, then your physical, and anything else that presents itself as a hurdle. The whole time ask every question you can think of, and check the answers by doing your own research. Get yourself into a position where the only thing left to do is decide, with all the hurdles behind you. Hopefully by then you will have as many answers as you need, and your body will be telling you how it feels about the pressure you've been putting on it, and you can make a good decision for yourself.

[Leo925]

Age is nothing but a number. At RSP last weekend, we had a 31 year old score a 324 on his APFT squashing all the 17-18 year olds. I'm 23 years old in decent shape and he made me look bad. Haha! I don't have a lot of support when I joined either. My Wife doesn't even want me to be a part of the military period, but it's something i've always wanted to do. Just don't join because of the financial situation and the economy. Join because you want to be a warrior and a member of a team, serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.

[chd]

Join because you want to be a warrior and a member of a team, serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.

I joined to always place the mission first, never accept defeat, never quit and never leave a fallen comrade. To each his own, though.

[SteveLord]

The guard welcomes all ages, professions and backgrounds. This is what makes the Guard so special.

[matthew.ritchie]

Our relatives from the Vietnam era have a very different set of experiences that shaped their perceptions. You're not joining the Army of 1971, you're joining in 2009, and things have changed in 35 years. Your father and uncle aren't bad people, but their experiences may not be relevant in your situation. Perhaps the biggest indicator of the differences between then and now is that even the most rabid, irrational leftists take great pains to indicate that they disagree with the policy and conduct of the Iraq war as promulgated by the president and Congress, but respect the troops who fight it. Jane Fonda and crowd made no such distinctions. Your father got spit on in airports, whereas now a Soldier in uniform can sometimes have a hard time paying for his own lunch in an airport. Big difference, and much of that difference was hard earned by the suffering and sacrifice of our Vietnam veterans. Even if you disagree with your father and uncle, it's obvious from your message that you respect and honor them.

With longer life expectancy and better health care, older people are joining the Guard and making a positive impact. Here at Camp Phoenix, Kabul, I ran into a Soldier who enlisted at 38; and another who got out for ten years, and re-enlisted for the expressed purpose of deploying here at age 46. Read this forum, and you'll find a number of people in your age bracket enlisting for the first time.

As a former recruiter, I know for a fact that individual recruiters have been known to lie. More commonly, however, applicants either don't fulfill their end of the bargain, or get confused and can't keep the truth straight.

My recommendation is that you determine what you want to do, get some guidance on this forum, and then visit your recruiter with a realistic plan already formulated. Some applicants are all over the map -- they want to enlist as a Kazakh linguist, and attend ROTC, and fly helicopters, and apply for Special Forces, etc. Determine your priorities, get some focus, and achieve your goals. Email me directly if you want additional personal guidance.

[notyetdead]

I have 3 years law enforcement experiance, management experiance, and other things I have been a part of in my life. I am currently in a job I am not happy in, I am in financial ruins.. well almost. I will probably lose my home within months, and have to file bankruptcy.
Have you made some financial considerations for after you join the Guard? I don't know too many folks who do it for money, and you'll need to find yourself a sympathetic employer unless you want another malignant workplace.

At 37 years old, I want to make sure this is going to be the right decision for me, and that I can put my trust in the Guard to not bend me over, like the police dept. did. (Politics)
I don't think it's wise to join any government employer as big as the military and assume that you won't face politics. Make sure you're okay with a dose of that. Just hopefully nothing like your last government job.

And you can also thank your Dad and Uncle for their advice, but at the end of the day, Lord, you're a grown man. Hear the recruiter out and weighs the pros and cons. Come to sites like this to hear what people have to say. Speak to your relatives and get their input. But it's your call. I think it's a great opportunity, but hey, I don't know you.

[RBailey]

I am 37 swearing in for Regular Army on Tuesday for Combat Medic. There were about half a dozen guys there all 37+ yrs old. Of course most were prior service. If you are physically and mentally strong enough to do it then go for it. Good luck.

[G.Coffman]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I go talk to the recruiter tomorrow at 5pm.