Is the National Guard really as great as everyone makes it seem?
477264
The National Guard serves a need in our country for a reserve that is available to call up in times of conflict or times of need such as a disaster or riot.
1026501
My experience is that they are considered the best quality of life and most technical, the fact that the majority (60%) of enlistees do not choose their job. They enlist open contract under the Guaranteed Aptitude Area Program (you are guaranteed to be placed in a job you qualify for-whether you like it or not is not their concern).\n\nAlso, the Air Force has the Communtiy College of the Air Force. It is a quick 2 year degree program, but you must get a degree in the field you work in.\n\nSo, if you want to become an engineer, and don't care about being a hotel desk clerk for four years, and getting a hotel and restaurant management degree, the Air Force is for you.\n\nAlso, they are the slowest promoting. I enjoy having the job I chose in the Army and making about $800-$1000 more  amonth than a person with the same time in the Air Force. That means the four years I had a fabric desk chair in my barracks, instead fo an Air Force leather chair, has paid off where I can drive a Jaguar to work everyday. Now where is the quality of life.\n\nOh, and the Air Force has begun an Army style, combat oriented Basic Training because they are deploying, and losing a large percent of their forces, in Iraq. They are providing their own convoy escort and airfield security now, and getting attacked, too.
841139
Whatever your recruiter promised, make sure it's in your contract. Some of them will say anything to get you signed up.  I'm not in the National Guard but my husband is.  He got his bonus and the medical coverage.  Tricare is great as long as you're on active duty when you use it.  Also, dont be fooled by the name "National Guard".  As my husband says now, they are technically the "International Guard".  He served fifteen months in Iraq.  Hopefully you wont have to.
122197
national guard is under the command of their state's governor and government until called up to federal duty. NG get more humanitarian missions after natural disasters.
236703
COLORGUARD IS THE BEST!!!!!!  I spent 2 years in high school on colorguard and it is the best.  For those of you who don't know what colroguard is, they are the flag people in a marching band, but they even have winter sports where they perform/compete without a band.  I think it IS a sport.  When you think about it, a sport is a physical activity that competes in some form of competition.  Colorguard competes, as well as dance and cheerleading just like any other sport.  They compete against other groups using skill and precision just liek any other "sport".  COLORGUARD IS THE BEST!!!!!
133942
I am going to leave this question open ended.  I was going to say that what makes this country so great is that it enables us the ability to speak up and tell our elected officials what is wrong and that something needs to be fixed.  However I can see a minor encroachment on our civil liberties when it comes to our National Security.  I do not believe that any of our rights should be take away, but I believe that we live in different times now.  It is sort of an unfortunate thing.
1002579
yes. the people in it are close-knit and won't let you down. if one soldier is hurt, the others will stay by his side until he is back on US soil, dead or alive. the military is actually a great thing, despite what some liberal media networks want you to think.
1140148
There is no "best" branch.  They all serve a purpose and we need all of them to serve those purposes.  To say that the Marine Corp. is "better" than the Coast Guard is like saying penicillin is better than amoxicillin.  Both are immensely needed and useful depending on the situation.  People just like the idea of saying one thing is better than another because humans need to feel superior over someone or group.  It's sad really.  \nI consider none of them to be the "best".  If we could all just live in peace and stop needing to feel we MUST be 'better' than someone or group we wouldn't need to even have branches of military to keep each other at bay.
981622
Honestly?\n\nAt this point, there's not much of a difference. NG's are mobilized for 18-24 months at a time, AD go for a year at a time...... \n\nActive, you have the continuity of benefits, and pay, while Nat'l Guard, you have the intermittent pay and benefits only while he's active.... \n\nIt all depends on what he (and you) are lookign for. Security, and stability is Active. Nat'l Guard is uncertain...... you never know when he'd be activated or for how long.\n\n\nADDED: Warrior Training is crash course basic, for those that don't need the whole thing agan. Like a Refresher course. He can see if there are any "STAR" MOSs available for him that he'd qualify for. Those are high demand jobs, that are currently seriously understrength.
849379
something to be aware of:\n\n the Coast Guard is NOT currently accepting any Prior service personnel, unless they have a critical skill.
53568
It is given more than I've taken.  You couldn't believe the sense of pride, accomplishment and experience you get in the military.  Use the opportuninty to do what you think you need to do and don't look back.  ANY contribution is serving this country well. God Bless America!
789026
Don't join.  Every job from office clerk to mechanic can be sent to where the combat is.  Just because you aren't in an infantry unit doesn't mean the terrorists won't be trying to kill you.  Wearing the uniform isn't about looking good; it's about defending a way of life.  Don't feel bad if this is not for you.  There are other ways to be patriotic without fighting.  Just being a good citizen and not breaking the law shows that you want something better for your country.
570024
No, it's not true.\nVoluntary signups for the armed services are way down.  Some officials have even been discussing reinstating the draft.  If there were plenty of recruits for the armed forces, there wouldn't be so many National Guard folks over in Iraq -- their job is supposed to be domestic defense, not war abroad.
696932
One of our local National Guard units is getting ready for their third deployment to Iraq.  This unit has not volunteered for redeployment...they have been ordered.  I think if you do some research, you will find that Guard and Reserve units are being ordered back to the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan more than once, and they aren't raising their hands saying, "Send me, send me".  These are men with jobs and families, and they didn't sign up to be permanent active duty.
129031
Well, your question was probably not answered because it was very vague.  Asking about a specific " US-Navy security a guy," is a little crazy.  I mean, there are a lot of Navy guys.\nMaybe ask it again with a little more information, although I doubt it will be able to be answered here anyway.
1130321
Well, don't let 'em fool ya.  They have almost all the same rights as a regular citizen.  Pretty much the same privelages, except they have the privelage of serving their country.  And the obligation depends on the contract signed.  Yes, I said contract.  We have a 100% all volunteer military.  I know that will come as a shock to some liberals out there, but everyone in todays military is there because they CHOSE to be there.  They have an obligation to themselves to finish what they volunteered to do.
698098
Yes, if not more so.  \n\nAnd before I go any further, I am not British.  I am a Canadian soldier.  And I think that the ratio is pretty much the same for us.\n\nFor one thing, while US soldiers do qualify as professionals, they are overspecialized, too rigidly trained and too constrained by the trappings of rank and far too reliant on their technology to get the job done.\n\nCanadians and Brits, on the other hand, are versatile, highly trained, multi-tasking, cross-trained and polyvalent entities, trained to think by themselves and to improvise if things don't go quite according to plan.  And without all of the advanced toys and support that the US forces enjoy, we rely more on our heads and our training than on some uptown gadgetry.  This is where instinct, experience and just simply good heads on our shoulders come into play.\n\nAlso, we do not have a "reach this rank by this time or you're gone" sort of system.  It's not rare to see E4/E5 equivalent soldiers with over 15 years in.  This does not denote stupidity, just that this particular soldier might not be suited for leadership roles but is very skilled in his little slice of the military, let it be infantry, technical work, anything really.  Also, US rank progression is too fast, and it takes a lot of people with next to no command abilities in positions of authority and they can't even run their own section efficiently.