Feelings about National Guard

[Oregon]

Ive been in the Guard for 3 years now and know alot of active duty/prior service guys have alot of preconcived ideas about the guard. I just want to get you take after having been deployed my self.

[JerryM]

There is a bunch of crap going on between the guard/reserves vs. the active component.

In my specialty, the guard did a lot better because it is mainly manned by older people as opposed to young kids out of AIT.

The one thing I do hate is the feelings of inadequacy a lot of Guard senior leadership get when working with AD. "they're active, so they know what they are doing". That totally drove me nuts!!!

Most AD units realize in a month or three that we are competent and can think outside the box more often than not.

Rant over.

[deleted by PC police]

As a citizen I believe the guard is equally as awsome as full time military.

[socaldsal]

Many folks in the Guard were active duty but couldn't get it out of their system. With most folks having gone through combat over the last 8 years, there is not a HUGE (as it used to be) discrepancy in the thought process of leadership, professionalism, and tactics. The key is this: finding a good unit that expects you to maintain and uphold the standards.

There are shetbirds Army wide, active, guard, and reserve, so remember the 10% rule.

You've been deployed, if you performed your job to the standard you are just another one of us in green (or that gray green abortion color), whether you remain guard or go active.

[Oregon]

Thanks alot for your guys imput. I know it goes both ways and that there good and bads on each side. I have to say that alot of the prior service guys ive delt with have taught me alot.

[trautert]

Guard/Reserve are no longer the "weekend warriors" they were twenty years ago. How good any unit might be depends entirely on the command structure up the chain.
Tom

[dwa]

my experience with the ng aside from their mechanic were extremely negative, i also had a reserve mp unit attached my second tour and it was not a pleasant experience when i was active. im reserve now and will not comment on my current unit.

[Wango Tango]

I haven't had one good experience with reserve guys. We also had some attached to us on my second deployment.

[NorCalRifleman]

I deployed with a stand up group of AD guys led by a NG unit of all officers. It was hell. Didn't help that they were Army and we were Air Force.
That is my only negative experience with guard. The guys I work with now who are on active orders are some of the best men and women I've had the pleasure to serve with. Even other guard units I worked with in Iraq didn't seem to have the same attitude toward us as the one we were tied to. My experience with reservists has also been mostly positive, though very limited.

[Redfoot]

You can't pigeonhole the entire HG or Reserve due to the varied missions. There is a dustoff Sq near me in Sac that is full of great guys that work their asses off, and many guys I met through in NG aerovac were squared away.

Honestly...

I was an ADAF medic, and I rarely had a decent experience with the Guard. Tech school was an extended vacation for them, the discrepancy in pay and rank, etc. torqued the AD guys.

Frankly, I would not want a part time medic working on me, unless they do that job in the civilian sector.

And there is little to no guarantee that any other part time member worked in a career field even remotely related to what they do in the military. Of three consecutive guard units rotating through Colorado Springs for annual training, I found 4 people who actually worked in a nursing area/ambulance setting.

While deployed, it was easy to weed out the NG guys buy the haircuts, disheveled uniform, and waistlines. I know it was not this way everywhere, but at my base it was.

Funny thing though, on the rare times it happened I did like deploying with NG and Reserve nurse officers. They cared a lot more about patient care and were much more knowledgeable then there AD counterparts, because they actually had to do patient care and whatnot.

All of my buddies that went into part time status after spending time AD told me that there was a distinct culture shock.

All that I really care about is if everyone around me has a good work eithic, are squared away, and can get stuff done NG, Reserve, AD, or not. Holes in training while deployed can be filled. PT, stupidity and discipline are things that we should not have to address in the sand box.

My 0.02

-Redfoot

[Army GI]

There is a bunch of crap going on between the guard/reserves vs. the active component.

In my specialty, the guard did a lot better because it is mainly manned by older people as opposed to young kids out of AIT.

The one thing I do hate is the feelings of inadequacy a lot of Guard senior leadership get when working with AD. "they're active, so they know what they are doing". That totally drove me nuts!!!

Most AD units realize in a month or three that we are competent and can think outside the box more often than not.

Rant over.

Yeah, as if theres no bad AD units.

The whole Guard vs Regular Army thing is bull****. Our uniforms don't say Guard or Reserve, it says US Army! We all bleed the same ****ing blood for this country.

[Manic Moran]

We're currently attached to an Active Duty unit, and even their Bde Cdr acknowleges us as one of his better battalions. Granted, it helped that my squadron whipped another brigade of his division as OpFor a while ago (the current bde CSM was in the brigade on the receiving end at the time), so we had a positive preconception before we showed up, as opposed to the more common negative one of "Crap, it's a Guard unit" which most Guard units need to overcome.

Don't go to a Guard unit expecting it to be like an Active Duty one. It's not. That doesn't mean it's any worse, or any better though, it's just a little different. We've got squadron leadership, both officer and enlisted, that have worked together for over a decade, and know each other very well. Try to find that in an Active Duty unit.

NTM

[JerryM]

LOL

Yeah, as if theres no bad AD units.

The whole Guard vs Regular Army thing is bull****. Our uniforms don't say Guard or Reserve, it says US Army! We all bleed the same ****ing blood for this country.

LOL, of course there are plenty of bad AD units.

Do you remember the 5th ID in Louisiana? LOL, that unit was the epitome of pathetic.

But you know how all that jazz goes. When I was active, I used to laugh at the Guard units maneuvering at Ft. Drum. But that is Alpha Male BS that is practiced service wide:

U.S. Marines are better than anybody else, they are elite because they are such a small unit vs. they are just naval infantry and they know it.

SF vs. SeALs vs. PJ ad nauseaum.

Airforce has more remote controls than rifles

Army has more boats than the Navy

Blah blah blah...

People with small brains will always look at something outside their control for pride and glory

(^_^)

[willfenn]

I think the guard would be well served to increase the duration of drills to 4 days. This would allow for a day of admin (this is a weak area based on my experience) and 3 days of MOS specific training. Mandatory overnight drills would be an added plus. Soldiers would complain but it would only help IMO.

That being said, I think the Guard is a great vehicle to serve our country and to be in a position to help during local/not-so-local emergencies. Ultimately, it varies from unit to unit but there is one universal truth concerning the guard...you get out of it what you put into it...

The above assumes you are in MDAY status.

[Soldier415]

When the 101st was still over here, we worked with them clearing the routes for their OPs for 2 months before they found out we were a guard unit.

Their CSM said, "I take back everything I ever said aboutthe NG"