Active duty guys, rather be deployed with reservists or guardsmen?

Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 18:20:54 -0400

Here's one just for fun. Active duty guys, would you rather be deployed alongside reservists or national guardsmen? Are there any good reasons that set one apart from the other? Or are they both equally as good (or bad)?

Response by CW5 Jack Cardwell made Jul 16 at 2019 6:27 PM

CW5 Jack Cardwell — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 18:27:57 -0400

I have been active and I have been Guard. The thing the Guard brings to the game is skill sets beyond MOS which come in handy while deployed. Carpenters, electrians, plumbers, master welders, mechanics, law enforcement officers, and many others.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 16 at 2019 6:46 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 18:46:05 -0400

I've been on both fences of this yard. I've been Active. I've been Reserves. I've worked with all three components in all types of situations/missions/theaters. Each one brings to the table some very important skill sets. And each one brings to the table some not so desirable traits. I personally don't care what component they are....as long as they get the job done right.

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 16 at 2019 6:55 PM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 18:55:45 -0400

Lots of varabiliy in that question. Some National Guard or Reserve units are terrible. Likewise there are plenty of terrible active duty units. The Army Reserve has an amazing percentage of technical capacity specialties such as engineering. Many of these soldiers work in equivalent fields on the civilian side were they are exposed to market forces, the infusion the latest research/ideas, and where organizations that fail to innovate go bankrupt. Compare this to active duty units that are not engaged or preparing for war... Without the right leadership, not a lot of a learning occurs, so organizational capacity stagnates at the level of the last conflict they were engaged with. Then take into account organizational churn - the individuals with the deep knowledge leaving the military.
There are definitely situations overseas where active duty is way over their head, but they play political games with resources and opportunities just because they don't want to be out shown by the part-timers.

Response by PV2 Duane Schlender made Jul 16 at 2019 7:24 PM

PV2 Duane Schlender — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 19:24:14 -0400

When I was active duty, I would not have cared WHO I deployed with. Because in the end, we are all on the same side, fighting the same cause/thing/etc., and rely on eachother to stay alive and accomplish the mission.
As long as the other person is properly trained, and has a proper head on their shoulders, and takes the mission seriously, I don't care who is next to me in the fox hole.

Response by SFC Jim Mergott made Jul 16 at 2019 7:40 PM

SFC Jim Mergott — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 19:40:32 -0400

Having been active and guard I feel National Guard troops in general have more job skillets and are more “street smart” about life. This gives them the ability to think out of the box.This is their advantage. However they are not nearly as disciplined and most likely their general fighting skillsets will not be as sharp as an active duty unit. Having said this I would want to deploy with Guard troops over reservists because the guard is more combat oriented than Reserves.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 16 at 2019 8:05 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 20:05:43 -0400

When I was active- My unit was replaced by NG. They were more lax then I think they realized and it led to some “self-correcting” problems. But they were a team who trained together and deployed together.

As a current reservist on AD, I’d say my time in the reserves has showed me that reserves are much more compartmentalized and individually focused. Not saying there isn’t a team... it’s just different.

I was in a unit of about 30-40 soldiers. 90% of them were E4 or below and held one of two jobs. When deployments came around, it was only a couple to a handful who deployed. They weren’t necessarily in the same team or small unit. From what I hear, it’s like that. With the reserves being the support-focused component, it’s really all mission dependent. Do I need a coach’s assistant, water boy, equipment guy... or do I need other players who may not be as experienced (for lack of a better term) to relieve my every down players?

It’s all mission dependent. Regardless of component, active included, there are less than stellar soldiers who suit up and boot up.

Like MSG Private RallyPoint Member said, I could careless your component. Are you here to put in work and improve the organization while working to accomplish the mission?

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Jul 16 at 2019 9:35 PM

SFC Casey O'Mally — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 21:35:59 -0400

Whoever gets the job done.

I have seen good and bad in all three segments. I always attribute it to the indivodual or the unit (as appropriate) and not to the component. If the one AD gal is super squared away, it isn't because she is AD. If that reservist over there can't read a map, it isn't because he is in the reserve, it is because he (and his NCOs) suck at life. If the NG unit conducts the best battle update brief ever, it isn't because theu are NG, it is because they have taken the time and focus to get it right.

Response by SSG Ralph Watkins made Jul 17 at 2019 1:35 PM

SSG Ralph Watkins — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 13:35:29 -0400

I did 26 years total. Half active & half Guard. The active duty is great as being well trained, disciplined, & structured. The Guard can seem like a bunch of old fools at first. But that 40 year old E-5 has been doing his MOS duties for a very long time. Many times without the manual, proper structured training & not the right equipment yet they get the job done. My Guard unit did a JSOC mission in Iraq & I asked the one day who's idiot idea it was to have Guard doing such a mission. I was told that the Guard is like a blank slate. Much more easily trained on the fly. We have people who learned civilian jobs & went to college or trade schools. We don't care about regs, TM's, FMs, or any of the other non-sense. We are focused on mission. It is not a career for us where we are trying to get promotions by trying to be heroes. We do listen to orders & are used to dealing with civilians, others militaries, & whoever, just to get the job done. The active duty is too hard-wired & overly structured. Somebody will always foolishly screw things up trying to enhance their career which can hurt the mission. Also, the Guard is willing to put the right people in charge without concern on who is the highest ranking. If an E-5 is better for a mission than the E-7, the E-5 gets put in charge. The E-5 & E-7 are still friends at the end of the mission. We are more like military employees, not soldiers in some way.

Response by CPT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 17 at 2019 1:52 PM

CPT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 13:52:49 -0400

The Guard is over age, over weight, and over educated compaired to Active. Yes you'll see a cubby 30 year old E5, but that Soldier may have his MBA, have worked a trade for 10 years, or runs there own business.

Response by CPT Brad Wilson made Jul 17 at 2019 2:28 PM

CPT Brad Wilson — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 14:28:21 -0400

When my Guard unit went to Iraq we did detainee operations. A third or more were law enforcement officers and many of them were corrections officers they already knew the job. Our battalion headquarters was sent to Baghdad to oversee the construction of 2 more detention facilities and run a school for juvenile detainees. Our Bn XO and Assistant S3 were both teachers and our S3 was a civil engineer and partner in a construction company so again we had people with expertise in those areas that allowed us to be successful in that mission. An active duty unit would only have people skilled in their MOS’s but would have no knowledge at all in education and construction project management

Response by SFC Quinn Chastant made Jul 17 at 2019 4:13 PM

SFC Quinn Chastant — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 16:13:17 -0400

You may of opened a bigger can of worms than you expected.

I'm a Retired Reservist who also served Active Duty Time before going Reserves, and have more than a couple of deployments and training exercises under my belt.

In the 1990's as a Reservist, on deployments and training exercises the biggest thing we've found was a vastly different set of attitudes from Units we were attached to.

1) While in support of a Refugee/Migrant Operation. A few of us from the Reserves had volunteered to go, a few were selected otherwise. However we did try to perform that mission to the best of our ability. One Company of AD Soldiers we were supporting were not given any choice and their Company Commander & First Sergeant made painfully obvious that they felt we had no business or place working with them. That made for a difficult assignment, and an adversarial relationship in some aspects. Additionally the CO and 1SG felt that their company could perform the mission my Reserve Unit was tasked with and saw no damn good reason we should be there. At the end of the 6 month deployment period my Reserve Unit was happy to depart, The AD company how ever had come under an investigation concerning potential abuse of position.

2) 5 man Team deployed to Germany for a training exercise. While in route from the USA the exercise was cancelled. NATO had begun to spin up for Kosovo. When we arrived we were informed of the change and asked if we could change mode and begin supporting planning. That was an easy task change and could be done under the authorizations and orders we had. Set into preparing the Soldier's handbook for Kosovo using the resources and materials available to the 21st TAACOM. Our Team was also asked if we could aid in doing a Route Recon from Thessaloniki Greece to the Macedonia and Kosovo Border. We were willing but that also required a significant change of orders as well. Requests were submitted through appropriate chains of command, and denied. Another team was stood up from USACAPOC for the route recon mission. However the 21st TAACOM was very supportive of our efforts to support their mission.

However after 2001, when I retired from the Reserves, though still working as a DA Civilian; the Active, Reserve, and National Guard Components have had to work more closely than ever before. Each component have learned more of the capabilities each brings to the tasks assigned. Similarly many NG and Reserve units bring a broader background to bear when they deploy. My civilian background and training as a Firefighter/EMT supplements an organic Medical Corpsman's abilities and duties. Different skill sets, but not mutually exclusive. Additionally my experience as a Commercial Driver, I still hold a CDL, but will be retiring it this year, aided in route planning for heavy equipment. A Dragon Wagon hauling a M1 can not go the same places a LMTV can.

So ultimately when you get Guardsmen and Reservists, you can be receiving a wealth of skills and experiences not organic to a line company on active duty. So every good experience can also have a negative based on preconceived expectations. more depends on time weighted experiences than just brief interactions.

Best to you with this Just for fun exercise.

Response by Sgt Able Snider made Jul 17 at 2019 7:29 PM

Sgt Able Snider — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 19:29:51 -0400

Guardsman.

Response by SGT Christopher Hayden made Jul 17 at 2019 7:49 PM

SGT Christopher Hayden — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 19:49:19 -0400

I still have nightmares of 'right seat rides' with poor clueless, ACU-wearing Georgia National Guard NCOs who had no clue how to do even some of the most basic Infantry skills in country.

Response by SSG John Jensen made Jul 18 at 2019 12:46 AM

SSG John Jensen — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 00:46:41 -0400

I came into this life as an airborne medic - I didn't deploy until I was a 43 yo guardsmen - HET driver is the perfect job for a 43 yo soldier, somewhere back in the guard retirement stuff I rounded a single number, and everything became simple and during the deployment my fellow guardsmen sent all of the active duty to me to explain the simple system that the organization made complicated

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 18 at 2019 6:20 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 06:20:48 -0400

I've been on both sides, active and Reserve and have seen good and bad from Reserve and Guard both. From my experience I'd rather work with Reserve over Guard because I've seen more good from that side of the house but that's based on my own experience and is only my opinion. If you are looking at which branch to join don't base it off opinions of active duty folks, there's more to consider.

Both Guard and Reserve bring outside skills to the table and both are Reserve components. Where they differ is state vs federal. Do research on your state because the Guard will be different from state to state and think about your end goals. If your end goal is eventually going active the best way to do that is go active. However, if you absolutely want part time service do you want the ability to go active later? Does your state release people to go active. I know two states who absolutely will not and one that will recoup bonuses and state tuition money used on the rare occasion they release. Don't just take a Guard recruiters word for it, ask recruiters from other branches how often they get someone released from Guard units vs Reserve in your area and compare answers. Branch shop, talk to every branch as they all have Reserve components and they all can offer about the same thing benefits wise but jobs and incentives may be different in your area. Do your homework before you enlist.