Posted on Dec 20, 2017
What advice would you have for a prior service Marine wanting to join the Army National Guard?
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MarinesSouth Dakota ARNG
MarinesSouth Dakota ARNG
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Responses: 12
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Get ready for the culture shock. However, you will find a lot of Marines are serving in the guard. Do what's best for you and your career.
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1LT (Join to see)
I was in 2nd Bn 14th Marines. The culture shock is just the Corps and the Army think differently and mostly speak a different language. There are some good people in the guard just like there are in the Corps. The difference is you'll see a lot of fat bodies and pft failure rates that are the climate of some guard units.
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LTC (Join to see)
Fat bodies and PT failures can't go to schools, get promoted or even go on missions they want to go on. They're on their way out if they don't improve.
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1LT (Join to see)
Well said sir. I was just preparing him for the cultural difference. Those two shortfalls I was referring to are not common on the Marine side. However, as you stated they are on their way out as they should be.
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LTC (Join to see)
Though it isn't perfect, I saw an overweight operation sergeant major from the Idaho National Guard that went to Iraq with me in 2004 with a ventilator because of severe sleep apnea. I didn't know people like that could deploy.
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Well I've met a few Marines that went Guard. There doesn't seem to be an issue acclimating to Army culture, in fact Marines seem to be the last ones to relax kind of like guys fresh out of training regardless of their rank. My only active reference is training but it feels as though the Guard is more relaxed.
An issue for many is balancing Civilian life with Guard life. It interrupts your work week, if you get orders outside of the 2 days a month it annoys your Civilian employer, and sometimes messes with your pay if your Civilian job pays you more, so you need to plan around that. In addition your Unit may not be in your City, and may be 100+ Miles from your place of residence, so lodgings need to be planned, make back up plans because someone somewhere is going to fuck it up for you at least twice.
My recommendation is to research the Units in your State and find out which MOS' are likely going to be readily available and what options are available to you. If you're going Guard, then pick a job you want to do or that might assist your education or job prospects.
An issue for many is balancing Civilian life with Guard life. It interrupts your work week, if you get orders outside of the 2 days a month it annoys your Civilian employer, and sometimes messes with your pay if your Civilian job pays you more, so you need to plan around that. In addition your Unit may not be in your City, and may be 100+ Miles from your place of residence, so lodgings need to be planned, make back up plans because someone somewhere is going to fuck it up for you at least twice.
My recommendation is to research the Units in your State and find out which MOS' are likely going to be readily available and what options are available to you. If you're going Guard, then pick a job you want to do or that might assist your education or job prospects.
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I would recommend being patient and seizing opportunities to show your military bearing and leadership potential SSG Jason Berghammer Good luck on your transition.
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A1C Ian Williams
An aviation enthusiast, I see. What was your ASVAB score? Message me in Private SSG Jason Berghammer
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SSG Jason Berghammer
Dad worked for GE, know a little about planes for a FMF Marine. Haven't retaken the ASVAB yet. Can't remember what is was last time(1999). It was good enough to do every job, picked combat arms, Because Marine Corps.
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A1C Ian Williams
SSG Jason Berghammer - I prefer to say Combat Arms and the Skills to Get Your Unit Home. If you come from a technical background and are interested in air frames, why not explore working with them? Use that as your starting point and see what jobs cascade from there.
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