Has anyone on here been in the national guard? Im interested in joining and training to be a fire fighter.

 

I've got 2 good friends in it, one does it strictly for the money
one does it for the chance to go to war and blow his vinyl dolly up.
They've both got to Iraq (different units)
it's taken both A lot longer to finish college (one of them has been called up 5 times in the last 8 years for various things....)

 

I spent four years in the 182nd Infantry, Army National Guard as a Radio Teletype Operator (31C). I was in that unit from 1988 to 1992, almost getting called up for Op Desert Storm.

The NG certainly isn't what it used to be. Over the last 20 years it has gone from being a rag-tag operation to a very integral part of the military. The benefits are good, in some cases better than the benefits of the military reserve. Look into both and see what is available in your area. Ask lots of questions, get every promise in writing and don't settle for what the recruiter wants to give you - get what you want based on your ASVAB qualifications.

The Air Force has fire-fighter as a job so if you have an Air Force installation nearby, you may be able to get that.

Good luck.

 

I am currently in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.. 16 years of service last summer..

The above statements are true, since the late 90's the Guard has really been on the rise in quality of equipment, benefits, employer support, and such.. however, since 9/11 they have also been involved in more deployments and homeland defense. The guard is still a good side job for a full-time fire fighter since most of them work 7 days on and 7 days off (or some varient of that)

msgross@hotmail.com

send me an email if you have some specific questions, if you want to be a fire fighter I would look towards the Air National Guard and the nearest airfield fire fighting unit.

I'm actually Active Guard/Reserve which is the best of both worlds, full time pay and benefits (including retirement) with the ability to stay in my local area forever (basically)

 

I am going to farm with my dad after college. I wanted to become a volunteer fire fighter in the town ship I live near, my dad suggested I look into the national guard to get training and $$$ for college. Could you give me more info on the Active Guard Reserve?

 

Well AGR (Active Guard/Reserve) is a different animal. You have your tradiotnal guardsman/reservist that works one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer. AGR actually keep things running for the state 24/7/365. It's usually a skeleton crew and takes a few years to get hired. Supply sergeants, admin sergeants, recruiters are the most common. Most have 5-10+ years of experience.

I work at an aviation school house and we are all AGR since we teach courses. It's really the best of both worlds but my time on Active Duty after high school was great. I travelled the world, gained experience (and girlfriends) and Uncle Sam paid for my Bacehlors Degree when I got out. I then joined ROTC in college and the national guard (on jump status, woohoo) and became an officer 4 years later. Now they are paying for my Masters Degree and I make over $100K a year... I can retire at 42 and make $40K in retirement if I want...

Normal guard retirement (traditional guardsmen) is one of the only downfalls. You can join in high school and retire at 37 but not see any money until age 60. Even if you get a little Active Duty time and deploy... You can also join in high school and stay for 40 years though then get two or three retirements (guard, fire dept, factory etc..)

Once you join the guard you can join active duty in the future if you desire. Active duty will ask for 8 years (3-4 on active and the remaining in the Individual Ready Reserves, like standby before they draft people)

I wouldn't trade my Army career for any other, except maybe a lottery winner!

 

If you have a college degree then I would join for OCS (officer candidate school) with the guard. Pick a branch that you like and have a great time... Even go to flight school like me.

 

The Guard units and the reservists have really taken it on the chin over the last eight years. It would also appear that these extremely valuable volunteers are not as well comprensated as the regular active duty folks should wartime injury occur. Hopefully that's changed.

Please, do your research and ask a million questions before making a decision.

I salute all of you for your service to our great nation and those of you considering such.

Tim

 

That is hardly a downfall - that is the deal that we reservists agree to. Getting a $1500 or more a month pension at 60 is a pretty good deal for a very part time job. Deployments seriously add to your pension and benefits. I've accumulated several thousand retirement points over the last 25 or so years. My upcoming school will add a bunch more.

For the full experience, I highly recommend a few years of active duty before joining the reserve/national guard. It will help you for your entire career.

 

I call it a downfall specifically when someone (traditional guardsman) does their 20 years and is forced to wait another 20+ years for any pension. Yes it is nice to be compensated for your service but I feel that it should be sooner rather than later.

However, the reason for this thread was your question on the guard. Don't forget about college loan repayment, guard and active have different plans for that as well.

Good luck with your choice though..

 

Also don't forget that we get two days pay for each weekend drill day. I think the compensation, the bennies and everything else is pretty generous.

 

My daughter Heather is Army NG. She will be 21 in Oct and that will mark her 4 years in. She is getting ready to take it active duty.
Its okay but its best to think long and hard before doing anything that is life changing. Weigh your pros and cons. Pray about it and then make your decision.
Best of luck no matter what path you choose!

 

I agree that it is, I just hope that someday congress votes on a better retirement for our traditional guardsman, especially with the activity that you have seen since 9/11.

Thank your daughter for her service, and agree to think any life decision through. I applaud everyone out there that has served our country and those that support them for doing so. It's not an easy life but will be very rewarding on many levels.

 

I actually just signed on, i ship to basic on dec 28th. 195th special ops airborne is the unit i joined on with as a 94f. i will be gone about 9 months for basic-ait (fixing fancy electrical equipment)- and jump school.

my biggest reason was wanting to go back to school for mechanical engineering. the guard pays 100% of in state tuition and you get the gi bill and the guard kicker, which puts about 500 bucks a month into your pocket, add on your monthly drill pay and you have a decent chunk of change in your pocket. much better than how i did it the first time- school full time and a job full time to pay for it (and still managed a 3.4 gpa).

the other reason involved more testoterone.

i figure that after my time is up, if i enjoyed it i would stay in for the 20 years and get the retirement, if it wasn't that great i would do my time and have a college degree to show for it.

 

Congrats and thanks for your future service.

The WEBB GI bill is very comprehensive and a great deal for those who serve, period.

Tim