California National Guard

[ptmn]

tomk556, you really need to talk to a retention NCO to find out. My old unit it was fine since we were a specialty MOS, but I'm not sure if that's the case with all MOS's.

[Snoopy47]

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

As far as I know they subtract your service time from your age at re-enlistment.

So you could join again at 50 with 16+ years of service.

If you are IRR you are still "in" and to get into a drilling unit would be nothing more than transferring out of the IRR like it was any other reserve unit.

[rero360]

As far as I know they subtract your service time from your age at re-enlistment.

So you could join again at 50 with 16+ years of service.

If you are IRR you are still "in" and to get into a drilling unit would be nothing more than transferring out of the IRR like it was any other reserve unit.

Also these rules seem to change all the time. Case in point, back in 2006 I was getting ready to deploy to Iraq and this old E5 shows up to the unit to deploy with us. We get talking and he rejoined because his son who was a CPT was deploying and he didn't want to sit at home while his son was in a combat zone. I asked him when he picked up E5 and he said it was 1967 in Vietnam as a Marine. So here you have a guy who's at least 57 years old and had been out of the military for almost 40 years but they let him back in. Granted this was just before the Surge and when the Military needed every body they could get their hands on.

[Levi123]

I had heard also that these rules change so often that as of now if you have even more than 24 hours of a break in service you have to go back to Basic. I'm assuming that means one day out of IRR, and not one day after ETS'ing. Cuz that seems excessive.

[riserdive]

Levi,
That is not the current policy for AC/RC/NG Army.

This is the policy: https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_p..._Web_Final.pdf

Army regulation defines a 'prior service' Soldier as someone who has had a break in service for more than 180 days (not a 1 day break..)

Prior service Soldiers who have not attended Army Basic Combat Training, USMC Basic Training, USAF Special Operations Forces training, USN Special Operations Forces training, or USAF Security Forces must attend Basic Combat Training/OSUT.

Prior service Soldiers who have attended one of those programs and have had less than a 5 year break in service are exempt from the requirement to attend Basic Combat Training/OSUT..

[riserdive]

There are a couple of other categories that involve exemptions or requirements to attend Basic:

- Prior service 18X and 37X candidates are required to attend the entire One Station Unit Training (BCT + AIT) program because it is part of that defined SOF accession 'pipeline'.

- While BCT is required for OCS folks, the limited few that are eligible for Direct Commission (Cyber, JAG, Medical, Chaplain) attend the DCC course, not BCT.

These are outliers, not normal enlistment/commission categories.

[AregularGuy]

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

Physical therapist and reservist here. Although I commissioned well after earning my degrees. You will not be able to function in PT school while in the reserves. Acceptance into PT school is very competitive. Expect to have a GPA of 3.5 or better (3.7-4.0 more likely) in pre-requisites/undergrad when applying. Once you start you program classes you will need to stay with your cohort. Class sizes are usually small, less than 30 students. Your absence will be noticed. They will ask you about your willingness and ability to attend and finish the program since if you are not there your classmates will suffer without the body to practice with.

Classes are offered in a structure fashion. It's not like undergrad classes where you decide to take chemistry at 1600 so you can work in the morning.. You will be on the program's schedule. You will not be able to miss labs and classes, let alone several weeks in a row for AT.

There are no bonuses or signing incentives for PT's. Although there is a school loan repayment. You could also apply to the Army Baylor program, go active duty, become a 2LT and get paid while in school. Get a top notch education then serve active for 8 years.

Military PT's are all required to be DPT's now, although most if not all entry level programs offer the DPT now. The board that reviews PT packets for direct commission meet once per year. Be sure to have all of your ducks in a row or you will wait on the sidelines if you miss a board.

Any questions about PT in general or reserve PT feel free to ask.

[Vinnie Boombatz]

Timely thread as I have been considering joining the Army or Naval Reserves (but think I'm too old for the Naval Reserves).

I'm 44 years old, Registered Nurse for 14 years with both adult and pediatric critical care experience and some CCT experience (rotor wing, fixed wing and ground). I make very good money as an RN in the Bay Area, but bored in my current job, feel like I'm spinning why wheels and not really challenged. Always regretted not enlisting in the military when I was younger. I have no debt currently aside from rent. Student laans are paid off, car is paid off, don't have any revolving debt.

After reading through this thread I'm not really sure if it's a good idea anymore. Definitely welcome any advice, pros/cons, or just flat out tell me I'm nuts to be considering this at my age.

[Snoopy47]

After reading through this thread I'm not really sure if it's a good idea anymore. Definitely welcome any advice, pros/cons, or just flat out tell me I'm nuts to be considering this at my age.

I think if anyone at your age has a chance it's down the path of Medical.

Don't get sucked into the BLING of the uniform, and the Patriotism of serving.

I literally spent half my day (today April-22) doing annual on-line training.
1) Cyber awareness
2) Insider threat awareness
3) personal emotional assessment
4) Equal Opportunity training
5) Anti Terrorism
etc.....

All this so I can go to my 2 week annual training which will probably be canceled anyway.

The first year or so you are going to be tied up going through all your training. Then if you find yourself in an RFX unit you might think it's great you are getting spun up to do something, but then again, you might not do anything, and you just spend a year or so being all spun up to go nowhere. All of which will impact your civilian life/career.

You can be in a world of hurt in the reserves if your civilian situation is not flexible for the reserves. It's exactly why it's not a good idea to be in school while in the reserves.

[Vinnie Boombatz]

I think if anyone at your age has a chance it's down the path of Medical.

Don't get sucked into the BLING of the uniform, and the Patriotism of serving.

I literally spent half my day (today April-22) doing annual on-line training.
1) Cyber awareness
2) Insider threat awareness
3) personal emotional assessment
4) Equal Opportunity training
5) Anti Terrorism
etc.....

All this so I can go to my 2 week annual training which will probably be canceled anyway.

The first year or so you are going to be tied up going through all your training. Then if you find yourself in an RFX unit you might think it's great you are getting spun up to do something, but then again, you might not do anything, and you just spend a year or so being all spun up to go nowhere. All of which will impact your civilian life/career.

You can be in a world of hurt in the reserves if your civilian situation is not flexible for the reserves. It's exactly why it's not a good idea to be in school while in the reserves.

My employer has not beed very flexible in the past when I have asked for leave to go on medical missions to Iraq and even recently asked if I could have a few weeks off to go work in New York. They wouldn't give me time off to go to NYC, but our census here is ridiculously low and I'm getting cancelled or having Horus cut a lot recently. It's all very frustrating and just feel like I could should be doing more and not really fulfilled career-wise.

[Snoopy47]

It's all very frustrating and just feel like I could should be doing more and not really fulfilled career-wise.

Well, when I made the jump I was 38. It was a new an exciting thing for that first year, and then I managed to get full time orders for a while, and then commissioned after my deployment.

I've been back in finance on and off but for the most part just put it all behind me now.

I think at the very least if you make the jump that will be the last you will have with your current employer. Getting through training and your MOS training is just going to burn up all your time for an entire year. At that time, other options will present themselves to you, and certainly the Army is going to want to put you to work as soon as you are ready.

But THEN, if you are a reservist anyway, there are limits the Army is willing to use you. They don't want to use you so much they have to pay you a housing allowance (basically what Active duty guys use), and then by god, they don't want to give you so many points a year you can make a modest pension out of it.

In fact, I forget the exact limit (I think it is 3 years) you can be on mobilization orders consecutively. Then they make you take a year off. So the system has BUILT IN lack of employment stability.

*********

What I'm saying is, in the beginning it's all new and exciting, and in a few years you'll find out the systematic BS every career in a large industry or employer has.

The only difference is you wear your resume on your chest, and you have to follow more rules.

Civilians thank us for our service out of their ignorance of our reality.

[Milsurp1]

If you want to join the military, go active duty as a nurse. If you want to talk to someone who is in the system PM me.

[AurorA56$$]

[Vinnie Boombatz]

Of course I'm the one who needs to decide for myself. But it doesn't hurt to ask for others' opinions based on their experience. And I'm sure a recruiter is going to tell me whatever I want to hear.

[AregularGuy]

As a nurse there are many opportunities and bonuses available depending on the type of nursing you are skilled at. Nurses tend to promote quickly. Many hospital slots are nurse-only. Some specialties have huge bonuses/year. There is also MOBCOP/ Tour of duty where you can look for deployment opportunities if you don't like sitting around with your unit. Nurses are in demand.