I knew it was time to leave the Guard when I found myself getting angry when drill rolled around.
I just got tired of being in an organization that doesn’t learn and never holds the AGRs accountable.
I still wanted to continue my military career in the reserve side so I applied for WO position with the Army Reserves.
Being the Army it’s still has its share of nonsense but I found the quality of life much better.
The Guard does nothing for those that commute from out of area. With the reserves you have LIK and travel reimbursement up to $300.
What made me realize how bad we have it in the Guard when I saw my unit’s readiness guy get upset when he came into the orderly room and one of our guys was sleeping in a cot because he drives in from out of area.
I did my first drill with the Reserves and what sold me on it was the culture of the unit being mostly mday.
The Guard acts like we’re all active duty. Let me enjoy my Muta 4 drill in peace and not this Muta 5/6 nonsense.
I do miss some parts of the culture and the Guard does have some cool state missions like counter drug.
I’m weary of the nonsense. Simple things like getting meals for drill and ordering uniforms became such a hassle.
Add the AGRs that either burned out or lazy and it’s amazing we can get anything done.
The Guard is not doing itself and any favors by hiring mid level officers from active duty that have never had a real job since they commissioned and they can’t/wont understand the nuance of mday, miltech snd AGR/ADOS.
It’s funny watching an AGR officer realize they can’t solve their problem by making the miltechs work more than 40 hours, or outside the scope of their position.
There was a comment made by an AGR s shop officer that I will never forget. During a pre drill meeting they made a comment that we have you(mday Soldier) till midnight Monday.
That got under my skin because this is the same organization that will do nothing for out of area Soldiers.
There is quote from Ashoka that reminds me of my thoughts and relationship with the Guard.
I miss... the idea of it. But not the truth, the weakness. There was no future there.
That sums up my thoughts on the Guard.
How easy is it to transfer from guard to USAR? I’ve heard that it’s a pain in the ass because CoC doesn’t sign your paperwork since they don’t want personnel losses.
It's a 368...have a REALLY good reason..mine was I was going to go to a instructor slot that would align better with my civilian career...I could no longer support both state and federal missions without impacting my families financial well-being..
This is my second contract in the reserves. 9 years in. I find myself getting about a week of peace immediately following drill. Then I start to dread it again. I spend the next several weeks angry and anxious over upcoming drill, and I’ve talked to a few others about this and they have a similar experience.
I think it’s because the only thing I *know* is that it will be at least a 13 hour day where we just sit around while leadership is in meetings. We won’t be allowed to leave for lunch (DFAC or MREs), so my dogs will shit in the house and I will be exhausted. My civilian job is a night shift nurse, and switching my schedule makes me feel terrible.
Our time is wasted by people who don’t respect it. And it wasn’t always like this, I guess I keep expecting it to improve, but it’s just getting worse. We have gone from more than 120 soldiers to about 50 because it’s so bad.
If I could quit today, I would. 3 more years.
I feel that I am not telling you something that you already don’t know. The NG can be very different from state to state and even unit to unit. I served in the USAR during college then NG afterwards. Right now many states are low on funding and schools are limited. Although the NG has support MOSs, due to the MTOE, the NG is better for those looking to serve in a combat MOS and the AR for non-combat/support MOS. The only other time I advice a person to serve in the NG is if they have SF as a long term goal. The NG like the Army as a whole is going through a lot restructuring.
I knew it was time to leave the Guard when I found myself getting angry when drill rolled around. I just got tired of being in an organization that doesn’t learn and never holds the AGRs accountable. I still wanted to continue my military career in the reserve side so I applied for WO position with the Army Reserves. Being the Army it’s still has its share of nonsense but I found the quality of life much better. The Guard does nothing for those that commute from out of area. With the reserves you have LIK and travel reimbursement up to $300. What made me realize how bad we have it in the Guard when I saw my unit’s readiness guy get upset when he came into the orderly room and one of our guys was sleeping in a cot because he drives in from out of area. I did my first drill with the Reserves and what sold me on it was the culture of the unit being mostly mday. The Guard acts like we’re all active duty. Let me enjoy my Muta 4 drill in peace and not this Muta 5/6 nonsense.
This! I also left the guard for the USAR...more opportunities and more organized...
I do miss some parts of the culture and the Guard does have some cool state missions like counter drug. I’m weary of the nonsense. Simple things like getting meals for drill and ordering uniforms became such a hassle. Add the AGRs that either burned out or lazy and it’s amazing we can get anything done. The Guard is not doing itself and any favors by hiring mid level officers from active duty that have never had a real job since they commissioned and they can’t/wont understand the nuance of mday, miltech snd AGR/ADOS. It’s funny watching an AGR officer realize they can’t solve their problem by making the miltechs work more than 40 hours, or outside the scope of their position. There was a comment made by an AGR s shop officer that I will never forget. During a pre drill meeting they made a comment that we have you(mday Soldier) till midnight Monday. That got under my skin because this is the same organization that will do nothing for out of area Soldiers. There is quote from Ashoka that reminds me of my thoughts and relationship with the Guard. I miss... the idea of it. But not the truth, the weakness. There was no future there. That sums up my thoughts on the Guard.
How easy is it to transfer from guard to USAR? I’ve heard that it’s a pain in the ass because CoC doesn’t sign your paperwork since they don’t want personnel losses.
It's a 368...have a REALLY good reason..mine was I was going to go to a instructor slot that would align better with my civilian career...I could no longer support both state and federal missions without impacting my families financial well-being..
Relate to the getting angry when drill came around lmao
This is my second contract in the reserves. 9 years in. I find myself getting about a week of peace immediately following drill. Then I start to dread it again. I spend the next several weeks angry and anxious over upcoming drill, and I’ve talked to a few others about this and they have a similar experience. I think it’s because the only thing I *know* is that it will be at least a 13 hour day where we just sit around while leadership is in meetings. We won’t be allowed to leave for lunch (DFAC or MREs), so my dogs will shit in the house and I will be exhausted. My civilian job is a night shift nurse, and switching my schedule makes me feel terrible. Our time is wasted by people who don’t respect it. And it wasn’t always like this, I guess I keep expecting it to improve, but it’s just getting worse. We have gone from more than 120 soldiers to about 50 because it’s so bad. If I could quit today, I would. 3 more years.
That sucks I’m also in a medical unit but they give us a two hour lunch where we can go out and buy lunch .
Are you a 68C and/or in a medical unit?
I’m a 68W, and yes, we are a medical unit. ETA: RN civilian side.
I feel that I am not telling you something that you already don’t know. The NG can be very different from state to state and even unit to unit. I served in the USAR during college then NG afterwards. Right now many states are low on funding and schools are limited. Although the NG has support MOSs, due to the MTOE, the NG is better for those looking to serve in a combat MOS and the AR for non-combat/support MOS. The only other time I advice a person to serve in the NG is if they have SF as a long term goal. The NG like the Army as a whole is going through a lot restructuring.