California National Guard

[Mustard]

Thanks guys. Not sure i want/need another excuse to put together another upper, but i figure iron sights are iron sights. I have 16" free float uppers in 1:7 and 1:8, with various muzzle devices. I run magpul buis,i figure that should be good enough to practice with?

[riserdive]

Mustard,

You're probably overthinking it.. Most arms room M4s are ~3-3.5 minute guns, with ball ammo. Competent shooters can outperform their issued equipment. Realistically, anything you own is probably more accurate than an issued rifle.

If you spend more time practicing transitioning laterally between targets, unsupported, and at varied distances, you'll probably have more value in this training plan than practicing making very small groups.. As a force, we have more people shoot poorly during 'pop up' transition targets than we do during static distance (Like Alt-C). Now factor in crouching and kneeling.

As a force, even in combat arms, marksmanship is not something given a high amount of focus in the Army. There is not as much institutional knowledge as you might imagine (or expect). There are a massive amount of enduring myths and misinformed blocks of instruction.

You could strike 'marksmanship' and insert 'fitness' and the same concepts apply. "Warrior Athlete" is laughable, organizational fitness and nutrition are decades behind the curve [USASOC's Thor3 is pretty good though].

Success in DoD is directly tied to initiative and the amount of effort you put into something outside of the duty day.

[Snoopy47]

Success in DoD is directly tied to initiative and the amount of effort you put into something outside of the duty day.

Yea............ once you qual, that's it, get off the line. There will be a dozen others needing more chances to get a "GO".

The Army will take away the enjoyment of shooting for you. You're going to a three day range qualification battle assembly.

Over those three days,one day will be getting there and setting up the range for the next day. This will probably include you personally being tasked with filling sandbags because the ranges in CA don't have them there filled. Oh, range control will supply you sandbags (empty), but you better hope your 1SG thought ahead enough to remind everyone to bring trench shovels.

I can tell you, NCO's and preferred enlisted will have the better ammo details, and being First Aid details, or Range Control runners. So you personally are filling sandbags.

Then you get a day at the range, which is you personally getting 10 or so rounds to ZERO, then you qualify with 40. That's it. You'll spend an hour plus waiting your turn in the bleachers sh#t talking how awesome you're going to shoot, and then you'll get a 34 because it's hot, you waited two hours, and didn't drink enough. Oh, and those six you miss will be the 75 meters and 150s

Then the day is done, and you'll have to retrograde the range, and get it ready for Range Control to say you guys are OK to leave. Remember those sandbags you filled. Now you get to empty them. That is after you picked up all the brass.

You will have qualified, and no one will care. That SPC who is up for SGT will be on top of the world barely scraping by with a 26 because they can turn in a promotion packet with a passing score. Otherwise, no one really cares.

The following year, you'll hopefully get off the sandbag detail.

Then someone will think it's funny, and buy a pet turtle from a local pet store. Then they'll place it on the range, and call 1SG over and say they found a protected desert tortoise. Range Control will shut down all operations until wiled life services gets there.

[Milsurp1]

[Mustard]

Over thinking, probably. Learning from calguns and prior service members i meet, the standards for weapons proficiency is startlingly low. But personally, just because the bar for success is low, doesn't excuse me from doing my best (within reason).

And i can't say that i'd get bent out of shape over the "**** **** games". I'm too mature to get riled up on something that is so seemingly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. I'm here to serve my country, community, experience something new, have fun, and make money (roughly in that order). Assuming no one is seriously blowing their lid or dying (as opposed to blowing their lid as an intimidation tactic), NG is vacation for me

[riserdive]

What Snoopy described is reality in many organizations. ..but not all.

Don't be afraid to move around and find somewhere that is a better fit. The best advice I can offer when you're starting out is don't homestead. If you're spending more than 2-3 years in any single organization you're missing diverse experiences and opportunities. I know countless guys who did 4 years in 1 Company and got out because they were frustrated with how things were done as an organization, when really they were just symptoms of how one or two key leaders did things poorly. The reality is many organizations are not balanced - most tend to be split between being good in the woods OR good at meeting paper metrics and readiness requirements. You should experience both environments as you grow and develop.

I'm lucky that I have 2 President Hundred tabbed guys in my organization, and weapons qualifications run smoothly and efficiently. But our Airborne program is not sustaining itself; I'm one of less than 10 current/qualified jumpmasters in the organization, and I can't seem to grow the program or capability to save my life.. And with zero deployment opportunities for junior enlisted, morale suffers accordingly.

Every command has problems that are unique to it, and not always shared across the force.

[ptmn]

Homesteading isn't too bad if the unit suits you. I spent 26 years in the same unit (31 years total military service). Got to the point where all the overseas deployments, combat and parachuting injuries caught up with me, so I left.

[rero360]

Homesteading isn't too bad if the unit suits you. I spent 26 years in the same unit (31 years total military service). Got to the point where all the overseas deployments, combat and parachuting injuries caught up with me, so I left.

Yup, I did the first ten years in the same Armory, it was an Infantry HHC detachment and I was in the Scout platoon, no one wanted to leave so no one got promoted, everyone in the platoon was in the top slots every year for promotion but we kept turning down the promotions because it meant leaving the platoon. The PSG was former 10th Mountain LRRS and had been in Mogadishu, knew a ton of stuff. It was like that for the first 6 years then the state turned us into MPs and the unit grew in size, everyone got promoted pretty much instantly, and deployed right away. The unit turned toxic after or during the deployment and when the opprtunity came to move to CA I took it and re-classed to 13F, did 3 years with the 18th CAV, did the SFAAT deployment, came back to belonging to the 143 FA, did almost 5 years with them and now am at about a year and a half with the 160 IN.

[Levi123]

I'm ETS'ing next year and thinking of doing reserves as PSYOP or Civil affairs, I checked on ACT and they have an Airborne SQI unit in San Diego and Riverside. I want something that is deployable and holds my interest.

Judging by the posts here, I'm guessing the answer is no, but has anyone seen a Reserve Soldier in Grad School? Plan is to go for Physical Therapy

[riserdive]

Levi, I am very familiar with that organization in San Diego.. I was there for some years as a Detachment Sergeant and jumpmaster. Happy to answer any specific questions by PM.

Please understand that the RC PSYOP community (dudes assigned to USACAPOC) have not done any combat deployments since 2014. Period. Full stop. There are a very small amount of guys (1 Detachment annually) that go to Horn of Africa, and a couple of individual vacancies in support of SOCCENT (Bahrain and Qatar for O3+/E7+, with active TS/SCI). All of those missions will rotate to 2POG next year, and remain there for 4 years. Currently HOA mission is with 353rd POC (Vegas).

It is a fun MOS with lots of opportunities, but not remotely the same mission set that we have on the AC (SOF) side.

[Levi123]

Excellent I will PM you regarding this, thank you riserdive!

[Snoopy47]

..... I'm guessing the answer is no, but has anyone seen a Reserve Soldier in Grad School? Plan is to go for Physical Therapy.....

I had a Platoon Leader that was in grad school.

I basically was willing to fall on the sword, and gave him all the needed excused absences he needed from Battle Assembly. I did this for anyone essentially that was willing to work the system.

It got so bad with his absences he ended up coming up for NON PARTICIPANT. So we had to at least play games with the system and get him to at lease come in for half a day here and there so his pay roll clock would reset and prevent NON PARTICIPANT.

It all ended up working out for him, and nothing blew back in my face as company commander, and ironically he still managed to get a good year with 51 points.

The bottom line however, is you'll probably need a chain of command that puts graduate school as a priority and does their best to work the system and worst just writes you excused absences with your willingness to eat a bad year of less than 50 points.

[tomk556]

Honestly, do grad school first and have it done. Focus on that and get the most out of your program and the 9-11 benefits. Stay in shape and then go back in if you decide to. With a masters in physical therapy maybe that’s a direct commission in the medical corps? The guard at least is not very compatible with going to school, especially if you have a demanding program and need to do in-person labs. You might get your yearly training calendar and then find a way to tailor your school to it. And then it’ll change. And then it’ll change again. And another time. No joke, my unit is on its fourth major calendar change and that’s before all the cancellations for the rona’. The worst is that most of the time you’ll give up and put your unit ahead of school. And then you’ll be sitting somewhere doing nothing, when you dropped a class to be there. I did school before I went in. School is worth doing right and getting as much out of it as you can.

[Levi123]

When I ETS I will be 35, so if I don't go immediately into the reserves, will I be able to come back into reserves at 38? I will still be in IRR

[tomk556]

When I ETS I will be 35, so if I don't go immediately into the reserves, will I be able to come back into reserves at 38? I will still be in IRR