hey fellas

[HuskerPower52]

I am highly concidering joining the national guard. Aside from the physical and mental and nutrition what can you chaps tell me. Have any of you done it. Is it a mistake? TELL ME!!. Anyway

 

[oaknightshockey1]

i've considered doing it as well. i feel like everyone should do some time in the service. i haven't pulled the trigger on that yet though so i don't have much advice.

 

[HuskerPower52]

Its good structure that I feel I need in my life. I haven't told my girl about it yet. Today is day one of conditioning. I am 6'2 230. I am giving myself 10 weeks to get down to 185. Should be fun. Bye bye ps3

 

[Brasky]

Don't do it brah. Once they get ya it's over. You're property of the U.S Military.

 

[Brasky]

That is a 20-30+ year commitment you are making.

Spend at least 10 minutes weighing the pros and cons.

 

[Driaz]

That is a 20-30+ year commitment you are making.

Spend at least 10 minutes weighing the pros and cons.

LOL.....it's not a 20-30+ year commitment and you should spend definitely more than 10 minutes to make a life changing decision.....

I didn't spend any time in the active reserves, so my experience was 6 years active duty Navy.

I would suggest you really try and talk to some folks that have been in the Guard to get the best information. I don't think anyone from the SportsHoopla Husker board has been in the Guard though....

I typically encourage anyone interested in military service that they go into it with a skill they want to learn and make sure your enlistment contract is guaranteeing you the school you're interested in. People that have that decided and a guaranteed skill they will be trained for have much better experience in the military than the undesignated folks that recruiters convince to just join up and then you can pick what you want to do later.

One other thing for someone looking at the reserves, I know they tell you that you can be sent overseas to a war, but for some reason some people join the reserves and think they'll never be called to active duty. The reserves used to be extremely rare to be called to active duty, but the active forces have been cut so thin (my opinion) that it means the reserve forces are seeing much more active time in the past decade than they used to. So consider that also and make sure you're willing to make a deployment (anywhere from 6 months to a year) if you were to be called to active duty.

Hopefully someone that has actual Guard service will give you some more information.....

 

[HawkeyeHater]

T

Don't do it brah. Once they get ya it's over. You're property of the U.S Military.

^^^^ wothless waste of human flesh

 

[Exorbitant]

Its good structure that I feel I need in my life. I haven't told my girl about it yet. Today is day one of conditioning. I am 6'2 230. I am giving myself 10 weeks to get down to 185. Should be fun. Bye bye ps3

Don't lose that much weight. My suggestion is that you don't go below 200 or 210 lbs.

 

[Red_Alert]

Full-time Guard or Part-time Guard?
Do you have any college?
Do you already have a chosen profession that you already do in the civilian world, or are you looking to the Guard to teach you one?

I was active duty AF for 8 years (two hitches). I am somewhat familiar with National Guard as I had friends that transfered from active duty to either full or part time guard. I also taught radar electronics (classroom) to guard and reserve students for 3 years, so I gained some familiarity with their experiences. Keep in mind that was 20 years ago so I'm sure things have changed a bit.

I don't know your situation, but I enlisted after being out of high school for a year and no college. I was seeking structure, an education, and basically 3 hots and a cot because the economy was tough (similar to now) back then.
I never saw it as a career choice. I just wanted to learn something I could use to provide a living once my enlistment was up and I returned to civilian status.

You'll have to take a test to determine the professions you qualify for and you'll get to choose which one you want.
If you'll be enlisted (full or part-time), you'll have to go to Basic Military Training just like any active duty person would. Where you will go to Basic Training will depend which branch of service you join. From there you'll go to a tech school to learn the job you'll be doing in the Guard. The tech schools vary in length depending on the difficulty of the job. Some could be a matter of 6-8 weeks and others could be 8 months.

 

[HuskerInSecLand]

+1 hat Driaz said. Your commitment will initially be 6 years as an enlisted. I went active duty and had a 3 year active 3 year inactive commitment.

I drank too much and got into too much trouble to make it in the new army but I think a lot of times about the 20 year retirement. I know a lot of people who did 20 years retired and then started another career while drawing their retirement pay and often doing the same thing or working as a manufacturer's rep for equipment they used in their military job.

And do make sure you get everything you want before signing. Once you sign it's a done deal. And they are sneaky in their job descriptions. Make sure what you are getting into is what you think it is.

 

[Exorbitant]

I've got a 17 year old nephew who wants to join the marines. I've been trying to talk him out of joining. The way things are going these days, chances are the next war will be for corporate interests again. I just can't see a young person coming home with less limbs or in a body bag because of what some selfish corporate cocksucker wants.

Now the National Guard may be a better and a safer solution if that type of life appeals to you.

 

[Red_Alert]

+1 hat Driaz said. Your commitment will initially be 6 years as an enlisted. I went active duty and had a 3 year active 3 year inactive commitment.

I drank too much and got into too much trouble to make it in the new army but I think a lot of times about the 20 year retirement. I know a lot of people who did 20 years retired and then started another career while drawing their retirement pay and often doing the same thing or working as a manufacturer's rep for equipment they used in their military job.

And do make sure you get everything you want before signing. Once you sign it's a done deal. And they are sneaky in their job descriptions. Make sure what you are getting into is what you think it is.

Yeah, my "active duty" commitment was initially 4 yrs active and 2 years inactive reserve. ie.. I could be called back to active in those 2 years if necessary. I ended up re-enlisting (for 4 more years) after the 1st 4 year stint (to finish college) so it nullified the 2 years inactive reserve.

Never cared about military retirement.

 

[huskers1217]

Don't lose that much weight. My suggestion is that you don't go below 200 or 210 lbs.

^^..this. work on conditioning and some muscle. You will lose the weight at basic. Make sure you can run or jog 2 miles.

Basic is fun if you make it. Take the training seriously, but have fun with it

 

[Red_Alert]

Yep. Do what you're told to do and give it 100%.

Tech school is an extension of Basic but more lax in liberty as you won't be confined to base.

I look back and laugh at how skurred I was for those 7 weeks of Basic for no real reason. Basic is just a means of weeding out the weak minded and those who can't conform to military standards.

 

[huskers1217]

I was on the bus to ft Jackson and a guy turned around and looked at me with the whitest face and said..Oh, this is real now..no turning back?

Dude was gone in 3 days

 

[Red_Alert]

Yeah, we lost two the first night. I guess they didn't know what they'd signed up for.

We lost 2 more after a couple weeks because they had bad attitudes, were constantly bitching, and just being a general disruption to the unit.

 

[HuskerInSecLand]

Yeah, my "active duty" commitment was initially 4 yrs active and 2 years inactive reserve. ie.. I could be called back to active in those 2 years if necessary. I ended up re-enlisting (for 4 more years) after the 1st 4 year stint (to finish college) so it nullified the 2 years inactive reserve.

Never cared about military retirement.

Yeah I reenlisted for 3 so my inactive was a mot point too. I didn't think about retiring until I was 38. I joined at 18 and could retired at 38 and I thought a lot of times when I got to that age what it would be like receiving that check every month.

But then I wouldn't of met Isis either so it's all good.

^^..this. work on conditioning and some muscle. You will lose the weight at basic. Make sure you can run or jog 2 miles.

Basic is fun if you make it. Take the training seriously, but have fun with it

I was 6'0" tall and just under 185 when I joined. I wasn't a weakling or anything but I was skinny as a rail. I was just under 200 lbs at the end of basic and went from a 30 waist to 32. Most guys were losing weight and I was gaining it.

Only time I was in better shape was when I worked at Campbells (Swanson) after I got out of the army. I made the dessert sauce for the tv dinners and dumped 100 pound bags of sugar all day.

 

[Red_Alert]

I always viewed it as it's really not retirement after 20 years. You can't live on 50% of your base pay and that's all you get. You lose any housing and food allowance (BAS & BAQ), so essentially you're starting over in the job market.

If you did a job in the military that translates into the civilian world with good pay you're ok because employers like someone they don't have to spend a bunch of time and money training. Also vets have a bit of preference because employers appreciate your service and feel that if you can conform to military standards you'll conform to theirs.
I chose a job in the military that directly translated to the civilian world so I would be desireable to employers in the field.

 

[Red_Alert]

I went in on Delayed Enlistment Program so I had to wait 6 months before I could leave for Basic. That was the only way to guarantee the field I wanted to be in. They have to have slots available in certain fields so you have to wait for them to open. Supply and Demand.

 

[Brasky]

LOL.....it's not a 20-30+ year commitment and you should spend definitely more than 10 minutes to make a life changing decision.....

you thought I was serious.