Any thoughts on joining the Air Guard

Well I am thinking about joining the air national guard. I was active army and then mountain infantry in the army guard until 2003. I am looking at the air guard because I was told their deployments are a lot shorter (90 days max). I have two kids and being away for only a couple three months sounds a lot better than a year or longer. Plus I know for a fact the air force lives a hell of a lot better than the army. I have to do eight or nine more years for retirement so I figure I should try to finish it off. Plus it will help pay for racing.

Anyone know if the air guard has any bonuses for prior service? I found one site that had 15,000 signing bonus but it look like it was for new enlisties.

On a side note anyone know the 2007 wera southeast schedule (I saw some where it doesn't get published until December). I want to see how many race dates might conflict with drill weekends.

 

I can't speak to the enlisted things you ask, but I am in the NJ Air National Guard and currently at pilot training. The ANG is a much better life. The deployments go on what they call and AEF cycle which is 20 months total, 3-4 months active in an AOR, then 14-15 months home training and getting ready for your next cycle. Of course not all jobs are like that, its needs of the DoD, but they try to make it that way and with the Guard Bureau in between you and the pentagon, well lets just say that helps.
The only gripe I have is sometimes getting paid is confusing. If you can figure that out, and having prior time definitly helps, then you are miles ahead of the game.
Another good thing about the ANG is that you can go talk to the guys who do your job and find out what life is realy like.
Sorry I cant help you out with the enlisted questions. Where are you thinking about going? I may know someone.
Good luck with everything

 

Friend of mine is in the ANG and he is deployed to Vegas for 6-12 months. I dunno if he volunteered for that or what but I know he's gone 6-12 months.

 

Go for it.

 

Does he drive UAVs? Man I would take deployments to Vegas over the Died anytime!!!

 

I've been in the TN Air Guard for 12 years...love it. I'm currently at Navigator training in San Antonio. I was a loadmaster before. The guard is a great way to wrap up your career (or stay in until your 60) and grab your retirement.

 

Talk to Rhiannon if you can. (Her email) She was with the 128th ANG refueling group for over 8 years. She's on a LOA right now for her racing. You can get a first hand perspective on what they'll be expecting.

 

Thanks for the input...very helpful! I just faxed in all my records to the unit to see what is available for jobs.

Boy a 6-12 month deployment to Vegas...like I said before the Air Force has all the perks!

 

I have attached a link to the Ohio Air National Guard - Public
Website.
http://www.oh.ang.af.mil/

All of the Air Guard Units in Ohio are listed, with contact information. I believe there are links to ANG "Headquarters" where other states are listed.

There many reasons some chose the Air Guard verses other Reserve Components.

Hope this helps.

 

From a good friend in the Ohio Air Guard...

"Well first things first... Whoever is telling this gentleman that ANG
deploys for 90 days max is not telling the whole story. Entire units
deploy for no more than 90 days, usually. A combat unit will deploy every
24 months for 90 days. TNANG has two C130 units, a tanker unit, a
Combat Comm unit, an EIS unit and a band unit.

An individual call up means he could be deployed for up to 179 days and if
all the appropriate actions are taken, it could be as much as 24 months.
Almost any career field that is offering an enlistment bonus is a career
field that is "stressed" by repeated deployments such as Security Forces,
Intel, Medical, Civil Engineering and Support Services. Enlisment bonuses
and policies regarding those bonuses vary from state to state. He would
have to talk to a recruiter at the unit he is interested in joining..

As a former infantryman, he will have to cross-train and attend a tech
school which could be several months depending on the specialty. At least
this would be a state-side TDY.

In general the AF does live better than the Army. Unless you're in a Red
Horse unit, Combat Air Traffic Control unit, or a Combat Communication
unit. Then you're right there with the Army in field conditions.

If he hasn't already found the TNANG website, here it is:

http://www.tnmilitary.org/tngweb/ang.htm
"

 

OK I was simply saying that is the typical and what the guard tries to do. Obviously its not always the case, its the military and you are obviously aware of that already. Guess I should have prefaced that at the begining, now that I read what I wrote over again. But that is what the Air Force and Air Guard are trying to accomplish so that we arnt the army and stuck in country for 18 months.

Silo Pete- which unit is your buddy with in OH?

 

God, I love all this military talk. Join up and live like the AF. Its the greatest, yo uget all teh movies and AF chick you can bone. Get real. Its the fucking military, bone up whatever you are dealt with and live however you need to live to kill the fucking terrorists. I had to shovel out 5 years worth of goat shit. My boys were wretching over and over just so they could have a solid roof over their head, God forbid they had solid walls to keep the northern Iraqi winter winds out while you complain about minimum deployment times!!!! Most of my guys preferred to sleep in thier trucks, let alone they were on a minimum of 30m recall.

You want to serve, be prepared. I don't give a shit about what MOS you are or hope to be, or what branch you are in. You serve b/c you want to give your all to this country (including your life) and what it stands for. In case you've forgotten, we're the land of the free, the home of the brave. Act like it!!! or else you're better off being my stockboy in the grocery.

 

"...........From a good friend in the Ohio Air Guard...

"Well first things first... Whoever is telling this gentleman that ANG
deploys for 90 days max is not telling the whole story. Entire units
deploy for no more than 90 days, usually. A combat unit will deploy every
24 months for 90 days. TNANG has two C130 units, a tanker unit, a
Combat Comm unit, an EIS unit and a band unit........."

That's incorrect. TN only has one C-130 unit...Nashville. Knoxville is a KC-135 unit. Memphis is a C-5 unit.

 

I asked a few people that help us put on the MSF classes on bases.

The 121st Air Refuel Wing (KC-135) based @ Rickenbaker in Columbus, and the last response was from the 179th Tactical Fighter Training Wing (F-16) @ Springfield.

 

I knew it!

 

I think with the BRAC TN will be getting OH's C-130 unit based in Mansfield. We lost the F-16 unit in Springfield with BRAC, but they are looking to pick-up F16 training to forgien units. Mansfield might be getting a Red Horse unit and the C-27J.

 

Yeah, the whole BRAC thing sucks. We're in the middle of it, too They were saying that half of our planes were going to Louisville and the other half were going to St. Joe. Now they're saying we may become a foreign training base for C-130 training. A lot of the BRAC talk seems to be political maneuvering.

 

The Air Gaurd isn't a bad deal when compared to USAF or other full-time positions. You get hired on at a particular Wing and stay there until you retire. If you're raising a family, it's nice not having to move every four to six years (though I hear that's changing in USAF).

You retain the same benefits you enjoyed with USA but your deployments these days are a little odd. Air Expeditionary Force (which is really 10 composite squadrons) cycles are supposed to be no more than 90 days away per annum. The reality is different depending on the type of equipment you operate and your sqaurdron operate. At the moment, 9 sqaudrons are on TDY and one is home.
eg. AMC has been averaging 150 days TDY since 11 September.

Bro's sqaudron isn't AMC and isn't all that busy at the moment. 90 days in Turkey, one year plus at home, 93 days in Iraq, a little over a year home and just got back from South Korea after 60 days of fun. They do expect to get back to the dust bowl in the next six months though. So yes, they've been lucky with the AEF's 10 sqaudron cycle jobby.

Dad retired an O-6 after 4 years in USAF & 29 years with MIANG and has said more than once he's glad he got on with the Gaurd.

 

Yeah like I said the AEF cycle is how its suppose to go, and in fact the C-17s are starting to slow down now that more squadrons are standing up they have been decreasing those deployments from the long ones.

Anyways - I think we all realize that there are chances for deployments and there is gonna be some shitty times, but I dont blame anyone who has the ablity to make life better for themselves. Just because someone isnt sleeping in the mud doesnt mean they are pussys or arnt supporting the cause. More than 90 percent of this countries armed forces dont do that. We are the land of the free, which means we are free to pick our jobs and service we serve in as well. I am sorry your guys had to sleep in the mud and dig through goat shit, but that doesnt mean that the rest of us that didn't yet arnt shit and should shut up. So you can flame on that I am a "cherry" and dont know sh!t, but the fact still remains we're all on the same team