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Hey guys, I am thinking about joining the Army National Guard. I seem to recall one of the members here being a recruiter for the Guard, If someone could point be in the right direction I would appreciate it. Also, any general info or advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
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i think its this guy ChuckBooty
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Cool, thank you goathead.Comment
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What job do you have in mind? Normally I would say go for it and it's an awesome route. But considering the current state of California, I'd say look at the Reserves or another state or another service (i.e. ANG, Naval Reserve, etc.)... IMO, CAARNG is 8-up at the moment...Comment
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I've been in the CAARNG for 5 years now, first in the REMF unit where I got to see/hear a lot of what was going on at Div/HQ and now I'm deployed with a combat arms unit (81st BCT actually
) where I saw how the Guard operates and takes care of soldiers for mobilization and deployment. The big picture is that California is broke (who knew?) which means little money for training, equipment, facilities, etc. Not to mention the fact that military isn't the highest priority of California politicians.
With that said, keep in mind this is only my experience and what I've seen. There are still some great opportunities in the CA Guard (Aviation for one, seems to always be well funded) which is why I asked what you want to do in the Guard. If you're still set on joining the ARNG, I'll still help you out despite my warnings
.
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185th or 184thI've been in the CAARNG for 5 years now, first in the REMF unit where I got to see/hear a lot of what was going on at Div/HQ and now I'm deployed with a combat arms unit (81st BCT actually) where I see how the Guard operates and takes care of soldiers for mobilization and deployment. The big picture is that California is broke (who know?) which means little money for training, equipment, facilities, etc. Not to mention the fact that military isn't the highest priority of California politicians.
With that said, keep in mind this is only my experience and what I've seen. There are still some great opportunities in the CA Guard (Aviation for one, seems to always be well funded) which is why I asked what you want to do in the Guard. If you're still set on joining the ARNG, I'll still help you out despite my warnings.
i use to be in 185th Ar
and 160th in
now in the 40th IDLast edited by goathead; 07-14-2009, 1:25 PM.Comment
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185. 184 is organically part of 40th IBCT (or 70th or 73rd or whatever they renamed themselves to...).Comment
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That's right, thanks for the correction. Similarly, it took me a while to comprehend how the 185 was under both the 81st and 224th.
I remember once about two years ago I had to call HQ to figure out what happened to my paperwork. Their exact words were "We only have one person here handling the entire state so it might take a while". So yeah... once again, funding is always lacking in CA.Comment
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Go active instead--BrandoComment
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Guard
oldschool88,
Don't listen to these knuckleheads
and join what your heart tells you, after tons of unbiased research of course. However, the truth up front is that you should expect to deploy at least once, probably to Afghanistan.
As a CAARNG member for 7 years, it is for the most part a great organization to be in--largely due to the great people you'll befriend, trust to fight wars with, and lean on for support or give support. It is perhaps one of the biggest reasons most veterans choose to stay in, even when the bureaucracy of the guard and inefficiencies seem overwhelming. Every organization has its share of idiots and *******s, and the guard simply has more employees thus some may think it is full of them; it is not. Just beware of the "15 year Specialists" that may think they know it all but complains about every single minuscule thing.
The guard provides you with a sense of semi-stability, without the 2 year moves of going active, yet gives you the opportunity to assist your beloved
state with various local missions: Putting out forest fires, quelling riots, humanitarian aid after a disaster, etc.
Depending on your MOS, there are many short 1-2 week or 1-2 month missions you can take overseas, and depending on your unit's training/readiness sergeant, various training opportunities exist.Comment
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The guard isn't too bad here in California, but it does vary from unit to unit. My advice (I tell my troops the same thing) is you have to be active in managing your own career, i.e., you cannot count on your chain of command to do it for you. This means rather than sitting at home and wondering when they are going to call you about your latest school, promotion, etc... You should make some calls yourself (follow the chain though). All of unit AGR's I've run across have an amazing ability to forget about something you've discussed at drill. Nature of the beast I suppose.
I joined the Cal Guard after 9-11. I guess I felt motivated and angry enough to join. I'm still in and my current ETS is Dec 2013. So I'm not going anywhere.
I joined the 579th EN BN as a 12B. We deployed to Iraq with the 81st BCT back in 04-05. I'm now a 21-E (had to convert to stay at my local unit) and it's been ok. It's a nightmare logistically to get any type of stick time during a MUTA 4. I did get on the fires last year, aka Team Dozer, but all I did was drive up and down the state for a few weeks. In the end we cut something like 3 miles of road in the Santa Barbara area. Great pay and a good time. Never saw fire.
People who complain about the guard typically haven't put much into it. If you apply yourself it can get a lot out of it.Comment
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