National Guard

Originally posted by Sforscott

Originally posted by itsawild1

big mistake-go read your bible and find out about real life-or if you just want to be a good human being, go find a honerable job that you can be really proud of later in life-
A war dog for the nwo-hero worshipping crowd will bring you what it has brought for most vets---guilt to a point of killing yourselves, depression, many serious health problems from -immunization shots-chemicals-being around depleated unurainum war heads-[plan on kids who dont have extra-or not enough body parts]-not to mention being shot for being in a country you have no right to be in---GO AHEAD AND BE A KILLER-but you will get yours as everybody will

I'm looking for more constructive criticism rather than an anti NWO rant.

You may believe the poster is just engaging in a NWO rant but you should check the facts. The "government" has an occasional habit of experimenting on the troops ('___', other drugs, nerve agents, agent orange, "vaccines", DU, etc). They have also been known to discard their "cannon fodder" once they have taken a hit. Google "Gulf War Syndrome" and "burning semen syndrome" for an eye opening read.

The positives of "service" are job training, job experience, maybe travel, maybe some excitement. You may have the opportunity to build your mind and your body. Just remember that civilian opportunities may extremely limited in some job (MOS/AFSC) specialties.

The negatives of service are many. You may go missing or end up with missing parts. You may end up missing parts of your mind. You might come home in a box ... maybe in pieces. Do you currently believe you are a moral person? That may change. War porn on Youtube and Liveleak can be very revealing.

No matter what you decide, try to understand what this is all about before the event. Talk to people with a variety of opinions. Eyes open. Good luck.

reply to post by tyson


Yeah, but what is this thread about?

Your hatred for the military and everything "NWO" or a kid looking for constructive advice on a decision he's already made?

Originally posted by projectvxn
reply to post by Sforscott

 

Remember one thing:

If it's not in your enlistment contract it WON'T HAPPEN.

If you wanna make it to Ranger school just go active. Make sure airborne school is in your contract and make sure ranger selection is in your contract.

Other than that. If you smoke, quit now. If you do any drugs, stop now.. If you don't exercise, you'd better start NOW.

Yeah i want to go to ranger school. But the Nevada national guard has no infantry units. So i think i'm stuck waiting until i'm 18, (6 months lol)

Originally posted by projectvxn
reply to post by tyson

 

Yeah, but what is this thread about?

Your hatred for the military and everything "NWO" or a kid looking for constructive advice on a decision he's already made?

^^ Thanks.

Go or dont go. Do yourself a favor and go real. That retirement at 20 years is golden.

But if your a mama's boy stay close to that teat. Momma will.....oh never mind.

Originally posted by HomerinNC
reply to post by Sforscott

 

You'll see alot of that here...ALL of it from people who dont have the stones to enlist, and thank god they dont, they'd question orders and get people killed
You made a great choice...sign on bonuses, loan repayment, free job training, and the best thing over asll of them
You get to serve the greatest nation on earth
The drawback is you serve to defend the people who are naysayers
Ignore em

Im sorry, but this is a cop out and is total BS. Enlisting or not enlisting has nothing to do with 'stones'. Hell, I could make the argument that enlisting shows a lack of 'stones', as you prefer to submit to the orders of others than living your own life.

But thats not true, and neither is your statement.

Many people benefit from enlisting. Many regret it for the rest of their lives. To each his own. But to think you are somehow superior because you chose to sign up is, well, rather idiotic.

reply to post by Sforscott


Well perhaps a man named Smedley Butler could offer a word or three. From his book "War is a racket"

"I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers.

Now dont get me wrong, I am in no way trying to discourage you, nor belittle your choice. I do however, want you to try and understand just what it is you are getting in to. As one of my supervisors once told me: "I dont imagine there is one of us here who had a plethora of other options."

Over the last twelve years I have spent over seven of those active duty. My first enlistment was airborne infantry, so trust me when I say that if you dont go in for the macho, locker room strutting-and-posturing crowd; then you may have a bit of difficulty fitting in with that job for a bit. Now, I have a wife and child so staying infantry was a no-go when I came back in. Conversely, as projectvxn said, infantry and/or airborne in your contract is the surest way to ensure a shot at ranger school.

As a side note, when you go to the MEPS station to pick a job do not *I say again* DO NOT believe the poker face of the guy/girl behind the desk....If you waltz in there and tell them you want infantry with airborne in your contract; son you just made their day.

OK back on topic. Personally I am biased, leaning toward active duty. As someone else said national guard generally gets table scraps, though it all depends on your state. NG is state funded, as opposed to active which is federally funded. If you go active and infantry and airborne, with hopes for ranger school, you will learn over the first year skills that will help you survive practically anything. More importantly, you will learn what your true physical and mental limits are. Having that knowledge, in my opinion, is the very best survival skill there is.

reply to post by Sforscott


I'm off to BCT soon myself.

I have a bit more paperwork and other things I have to do first though as I'm not a US citizen. I've been in this process for a while and am in the delayed enlistment program. I too live in NV and looked into the guard but decided that the training and options are better in the active Army. I have a brother who's been in four years already.

My enlistment contract has Airborne school in it..I haven't decided if I ever want to be a Ranger as it is NOT a walk in the park.

Just make sure that what you want is listed. Study for the ASVAB and STUDY HARD and you'll do fine.

Originally posted by projectvxn
reply to post by Sforscott

 

I'm off to BCT soon myself.

I have a bit more paperwork and other things I have to do first though as I'm not a US citizen. I've been in this process for a while and am in the delayed enlistment program. I too live in NV and looked into the guard but decided that the training and options are better in the active Army. I have a brother who's bee in a four years already.

My enlistment contract has Airborne school in it..I haven't decided if I ever want to be a Ranger as it is NOT a walk in the park.

Just make sure that what you want is listed. Study for the ASVAB and STUDY HARD and you'll do fine.

yeah that's one thing i'm going to do. If it's not what i want in contract, i'm not going to mess around. i'll walk out and come back until it gets right.

reply to post by Sforscott


Please don't take this wrong:

At your age it is natural to be a little gung ho to say the least.

There are many MOS options out there and many of them are FAR better than being a paratrooper or ranger or SF. These guys get the training and the money, but they catch the bullets too.

Some of us are natural born warriors. Think very clearly about what it is you feel you were meant to do. Me? I'm a warrior. Have been all my life and have no reservations about taking the fight to the enemy. I've seen things in my civilian life that are simply horrifying. Not everyone has had my experiences and dealt with it the same way.

It's a life changing event to see someone get shot to death, or be beaten to death, or holding someone while they die on you. Human cruelty knows no bounds, and you have to be ready for that if you are going to go down this road. You have to be aware that some of that cruelty will be caused by YOU.

Combat arms is NOT a joke. It isn't a game, and it is NOT gallant. It is horrible, hard, and disheartening to many. That's why many come home F'd up. Many kids your age who thought they could handle it.

I'm doing it because it is who I am. My experiences and my abilities are crafted very specifically for combat. The Army will help me focus and hone those skills. As I said, I am a warrior and I know it. If you're going to do this, you'd better know it too.

I've wanted to be a ranger since i was in the first grade. It's not like i played call of duty and decided that i wanted that as my life style.

reply to post by Sforscott


That's not what I'm saying at all.

Just take what I said into consideration. I'm not trying to dissuade you from doing this. I'm all for it. I just want you to prepare yourself mentally because the training isn't the hard part.

Yeah i will, people talk about the downside of it all. but my dream of being a ranger has pulled me out of some dark places in my life.

I'll still think about it. Thanks for posting, it has helped me

Originally posted by Sforscott
Do you think joining the National Guard will give me some survival skills?
I know it's not active duty, but i'm only 17. After i finish high school, i plan to enlist in the army, and preferably go to ranger school.

I am going to join the National Guard regardless. But another thing is, Will i get issued gear? I just want to know before i begin building and buying stuff for a BOB.

Ok, I am a retired Special Forces Officer of 24 years and I even did a short stint as a Recruiting Battalion XO when I was recovering from wounds - perhaps I can help you out here.

I assume since you are 17 you are at the end of your junior year.

Two things:

1.You are eligible for the split option training program in either the NG or the Army Reserve.

2. However, understand that there are no combat arms (or very few) units in the reserves while the NG has a good many infantry and tank units around to chose from.

Keep in mind that you are limited to what type units are available within 50 miles of your address. There is a waiver for this you can get from the Battalion Commander in the unit you want to serve if it's further away but for safety sake no O5 is going to waive a Late Friday night drive for a 17 year old kid to get 2-3 hours for a drill weekend. Just keep that in mind.

Honestly, it sounds like you simply want to jump in there with both feet as early as possible. Commendable, IMO considering the attitude of most youth. If that is the case you are looking at doing basic training this summer (don't delay the contracting process too long or you could lose the ability to get a slot; Summer is peak time.) You have to have 2 weeks before school starts after you finish training (give or take the regulations are long and my memory is short).

Understand that you will likely never have to actually ship for the MOS training for the national guard or reserves if you chose to enlist for regular army in the spring of your senior year. That means you can choose almost any unit; choose something close with people you know over the TYPE of UNIT or MOS training if that is the case. You will have more fun. You are not going to lean anything sexy on your weekend drills that will make it worth the drama – just get used to the discipline and routines.

Then when spring rolls around in your senior year go to the regular army recruiter and tell them you want OPTION 40 or (The Ranger Option). This guarantees that after AIT you will be given a chance to go to RIP and if you pass serve in a Ranger Battalion. It does not guarantee Ranger School - that will happen latter (say E4) after you earn it though the order of merit list.

To answer your original questions - when you come back from BCT you will likely no little more than before you left about survival - but you sure will know more about yourself and that counts. As for gear; while in the NG you may have some issued battle rattle but some units let you keep it at the house some don’t. Depends on what they have and how much loss they have suffered in the past. Commanders locally decide.

Also, the key thing to keep in mind if family is important to you - being in the NG you will be activated and taken elsewhere during disasters and emergencies and not likely to be able to help your loved ones directly. Same with being Active - spend a lot of time abroad and if the SHTF while you are in Iraq; guess what...Sally and the kids are on their own.

That was one reason I chose to retire rather than take a promotion to LTC. Things are on the horizon and I want to be home not in Africa sitting on a staff or some such.

Free to U2U if you have questions or the NG recruiter seems an idiot – I’ll even call him officially on your behalf if you want and give me the contact information to make sure there is no lying.

I haven't gone to see him yet but i am going to go this week. In the end i know i want to end up in the ranger program. I know i sound like a typical teenager, being all gun ho for shooting things.

But i've read that it's hard to transfer from the NG to active duty. I'm curious as to the truth behind that.

Originally posted by HomerinNC
reply to post by Sforscott

 

You'll see alot of that here...ALL of it from people who dont have the stones to enlist, ..............................
The drawback is you serve to defend the people who are naysayers
Ignore em

What utter and complete nonsense ! I'm a Vet ( Combat ) so cut the crap !
" you serve to defend the people who are naysayers "

OP I hate to pee in your soup kid but your apparent motivation for going in seems pretty lame. Why do you REALLY want or need to join ?

biased opinion(AFMsgt, ret) here:

Go active Air Force! Want to learn "real survival skills? go guaranteed job: "aircrew survival instructor" want to be a "specops"operator" "?: AIR FORCE PARARESCUE (PJ): (SEARCH AND RESCUE; HEAVY DOSE OF MEDICAL SKILLS SOME ground Combat as much or more ball "busting physical training than any other spec ops" troopers. Rescue downed pilots behind the lines; take the gunner position on the jolly green giant hh-53 .
or be a gunner( empty case shoveler) on a "spooky" ac130 gunship(also an enlisted flight crew position)...

Practical benefits include:the ability to cross train to other fields once you've proven yourself intelligent.
slightly stiffer entry tests: most af enlistees are bound to be "technicians" of one type or another.and tend to score higher on the tests.
Full retirement benes at 20years service.
Air force facilities are newer and"nicer" the af puts two guys to a room the army would not think twice about stuffing with 6. itsan All volunteer force.... your choice completely.

No one is guaranteed any special duty positions in the military:
i."rangers" 'seals" pararescue". First you get to prove you can be a worthy responsible above average airman; sailor or soldier than you can apply to compete for training to special duty assignments. Forexample: AF OSI only accepts applicantions from commissioned officers; (enlisted)staff sergeants or higher not fresh out of basic airmen...

Depends on your priorities. As far as "gear" it probably depends on your state & the funding. If you are a "team" guy, the Guard's deployments are generally unit based. You deploy with the guys that are in your unit. You also have the opportunity to serve your state and community in the cases of floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. In my opinion, the National Guard, which is the lineal descendant of the state militias, is the epitome of the Citizen Soldier. You are directly connected to the community. Yes, you have a federal mission involved over seas, but the state and local duties are just as important. You will have good training, as required by the NGB. No beef with regular army or other services. It's just a different animal. The thing I like about the Guard is the local connection.

Just remember reservists get deployed just like active duty. Might as well go Active Duty and get the full benefits.

when I joined the Air Force, I joined as NG member, then went active. I was in Security Forces, went to pre Ranger school, and RAVEN school. If you go, go in big, and soak everything your brain can learn up like a sponge, it will come in handy later, I joined when I was 18, and now I'm 33, and a civilian (kinda ) hard to call yourself that when you have been in for so long. but believe me, skills like those, don't go away if practiced on your own time. I feel that without that training, and education, I would not feel as confident as I do now to survive TSHTF so to speak. It's a tough decision to make, and even a tougher one to commit to, but every second is worth it for what you will do, and take with you. Keep a cool head, and you'll go far.

reply to post by g146541


If you do go in you might spend more time thinking about surviving the training than a national or
international emergency. Getting up at O Dark Thirty to do PT exercises was part of my training.
You might learn how to take apart, clean and reassemble their weapons instead of your own "gun" or
whatever...at least for the time being..that is if you join the regular Army or another branch. This ol gal
almost did not make it. If you speak up at first and they deem you unfit sure you can go home. That may
or may not be accurate. It's been ages since I was in the Army.
It is a very serious decision..like getting married and in a sense that is what you are doing. You, in a
sense, become governement property as well. Things might go nice and smooth as silk. Back in my day,
many went in for the educational benefits. The way things are today I don't think I'd go in if I were young.
I'm not trying to be cutsie about this..you can pray for guidance. Things might be getting a lot more
complicated and a lot more interesting if you enlist. If you can make a good living and get insurance the
way things are for you now..well at least you know that is not one of the reasons you are joining. In other
words you don't have to join in order to literally survive and meet society's demands. You need to be smart
about this not naive and "innocent" and "green". Do some research.