What is the guard REALLY like?

[Tas026]

I just graduated from high school last year. I've earned 29 college credits in nursing school, but I decided that wasn't for me. I'm taking the semester off, but I am signed up to go to a four year university next year, but I don't know what I really want to do. I've been seriously considering a technical school because I am just too hands-on to be sitting in a lecture hall listening to someone drone on and on for the next four years. I've also considered joining the National Guard. I was wondering what the Guard is really like from Guard members themselves? I want the experience, but I'm not really excited about the prospect of getting deployed. With the war ending, what is the chance that I would be deployed somewhere like Iraq? What are the steps in joining the Guard? I know after a while, you only have to attend once a month for a weekend, but what kind of training do you have to go through before that, where do you get trained and how long does it take? I just have so many questions!

[Chief Kemosabe]

Iraq is done. I am in Afghanistan now and that should be around for the next two years. If you like, go talk to a National Guard recruiter for answers to your questions. No obligation whatsoever.

[Solrider]

I think joining the military in any capacity means you need to be able to deal with the fact that you could get deployed, you could be in harms way, and you could get hurt or die. I'm certainly not trying to dissuade you from joining....I always wanted to join for as long as I could remember but it wasn't until recently that I decided I would be able and willing to make the sacrifices as necessary. Lucky for me its not too late.

There is a lot going on with the draw-down and reduction to the military, but thats not to say we wouldn't enter another war tomorrow, so if you aren't willing to make those kind of sacrifices maybe the military isn't for you...even the Guard. Its not always just one weekend a month.

My personal process to joining was over a year, but a lot of that was research, deep reflection, advice from family members and so on, and that was even before going to speak with a recruiter. I'd say my process from meeting with the recruiter, taking my ASVAB, going through MEPS and signing my contract was 2 months. It can be faster but I had a few communication issues with my recruiter and things were scheduled and re-scheduled for me. I'm still a newb in RSP, I'll be heading to BCT this fall, followed by 20 weeks in AIT. Your time in AIT depends on your job, or, MOS.

I highly recommend meeting with a recruiter, and doing lots and lots of research.

[iambrian90]

more than likely, you will get through basic/ait, and get to your unit and see guys that have been on 4 deployments and are highly decorated, and all they will talk about is stories from the deployments. This will make you want to be deployed, and then find just being at drill useless and you will want to get out and do something. Im not sure which area you are looking to go into, but in the Infantry, with a few exceptions from the permanent profile guys and the wonderful deployment dodgers, we live to deploy, and hate going to drill when there is nothing going on. My point in all this is, dont worry about getting deployed, if it happens, it happens, it will be good experience, and you can say you were on a combat tour on a resume. Being in will also probably make you want to get back into school and get college out of the way, especially with the military paying for it. Don't just look at the guard as a way to get some tech experience and a very less than adequate paycheck, look at it as an opportunity to gain more experience in life than your peers and have a leg up on them in college because you are more disciplined than they are.