After graduation from the ROTC program I will have a choice to either stay in the National Gaurd or Go Active. What are some reasons to stay?

PFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 17:50:55 -0400

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2016 6:09 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 18:09:16 -0400

If you put in that you are competing for active duty, you and your class will know somewhere 5-7 months before you commission.
If you know / want to go guard/reserves you will have to find a unit where you want to serve.

Response by CPT Dion Francis made Sep 15 at 2016 6:19 PM

CPT Dion Francis — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 18:19:02 -0400

For me there was no question. I always wanted to be an active duty Army officer. Having known some that only spent their careers in the National Guard and had no active duty time other than training, and did not receive veterans status upon ETS, there is still no question in my mind. You can pretty much go to the guard from active duty, but not the other way around as easily. And I did both. Not to diminish either. There are good people in both. Experience wise and career wise -- active duty was more fulfilling for me.

Response by SGT David T. made Sep 16 at 2016 7:52 AM

SGT David T. — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 07:52:33 -0400

It all depends on what you are looking for from the service. If you want a civilian career and to serve then stick with the guard. If you just want to a Soldier, then go active. Really you are the only one who can answer this.

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 16 at 2016 10:43 AM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 10:43:59 -0400

working around the ROTC program at Fort Knox the past couple of summers i believe only about 5-10% of the graduating class will get active duty and it is very competitive. I would suggest you do Active duty first if you can get it. After your time you can switch to NG or Reserve but get the Active Duty under your belt.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Sep 16 at 2016 11:13 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 11:13:25 -0400

If you take a look at the economy and the likely small pace it will pick up, an active career with all the extras and long term benefits is worth a hard look. If you enjoy the path more than the BS that comes with it, great. If you hit the point where you don't like it as much or they don't promote, you can shift to reserves at that time, continue to build the retirement for that, and do something in CivWorld. You always have options. Going direct to Guard pretty much pigeonholes you. It's much harder to come back into the fold.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 20 at 2016 8:09 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 08:09:04 -0400

It depends upon your civilian career. If you have a better chance for advancement both career wise and economically, then stay in the guard. Sure, in the private sector you could be laid off, but at the same time a 20-30 year military career is no longer a sure thing. I left after 10 years, went to law school and do not regret my decision. I would never be able to afford private school for my kids and a 1.2 mil home. Loved the Army, but I have more flexibility in my civilian life. Best of luck.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 20 at 2016 8:20 AM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 08:20:03 -0400

It seems to be easier to switch back to the Guard down the road, then to switch to the active military. I started in the Guard, I did ROTC as a SMP cadet, and I went Active Duty. It has worked well for me. It really depends on your career goals and what you envision for your family life. It would be pretty easy to go active and switch back Guard after your required service. A tour on Active Duty could positively effect your VA benefits and your Guard retirement later in life.

Response by CH (COL) Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 20 at 2016 8:51 AM

CH (COL) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 08:51:40 -0400

You are going to be active often enough to destroy any civilian career unless you work for the government. Just go active.

Response by MAJ Mark N. made Sep 20 at 2016 10:01 AM

MAJ Mark N. — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 10:01:25 -0400

Don't automatically think you will be given the "choice" of going Active Duty. Getting an AD slot after graduation has become extremely competitive. If you are at the top of your class and get such an exclusive offer, I suggest you take it.

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Sep 20 at 2016 10:18 AM

Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 10:18:28 -0400

Unless your civilian career is extremely rewarding & productive, go with the active duty option. From reading some of the comments, I gather that AD isn't a guarantee when coming out of ROTC anyhow but why close out your options. As others have said, it's not hard to go back to the Guard from AD but it will be hard to get AD from the Guard if your civilian career goes bust or experiences layoffs, etc. Eons ago when I came out of ROTC you were commissioned a Reserve Officer, went on active duty, and had to be selected for a regular commission after several years. That was a great introductory period to decide whether or not AD was for you, and if your answer was no you could request the Guard or Reserves. I think you should give yourself the same option.

Response by COL Tom Wilkinson made Sep 20 at 2016 10:38 AM

COL Tom Wilkinson — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 10:38:55 -0400

It really depends on if you have a job lined up and want to stay in your unit / community. While you will have an officer slot in your Guard unit, it will NOT be a full-time job. Going active duty will make you more rounded, give you a better perspective of Active versus Reserve Component and will definitely build character and experience. My advice would be go active, you can always come back to the Guard when you are ready to come home again.

Response by COL John Power made Sep 20 at 2016 12:02 PM

COL John Power — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 12:02:47 -0400

Some really good answers here; the best is that one can move from the active force to the reserves but not vice versa. Unless you have some fabulous career prospects in civilian life, I'd opt for active duty if I could get it. Personally that is what I did without ever expecting it to be my career. Thirty years later ......... Almost every officer I spoke with who left active service regrets it. Just sayin'.

Response by MAJ Seth Goldstein made Sep 20 at 2016 12:26 PM

MAJ Seth Goldstein — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 12:26:15 -0400

There are a lot of people who spent the last 10-15 years doing deployments who are now being pushed out. I spent my entire career in the Reserves other than deployments to Iraq. Great civilian career with even better benefits. Never regretted that decision.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Sep 20 at 2016 12:35 PM

SGM Mikel Dawson — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 12:35:26 -0400

Dig deep down in yourself and ask - WHAT DO I REALLY WANT? Everyone here will give you reasons to go active or Reserve. Follow your heart, search yourself. After saying that, you can always do an active tour, if it's not for you, then go Reserve, but what ever you do, don't waste your time.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 20 at 2016 7:53 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 19:53:24 -0400

What do you want to do? Do you already have a civilian career field you're pursuing? Do you see yourself as a full time Soldier or a weekend warrior? The National Guard has limitations where you have more options if you become an Active Duty Soldier. With the National Guard, you're limited to the branches that your state has, you're limited with state funding, there are all sorts of different pay types depending on the type of duty you're on. You will be working with Technician's who wear the uniform during the week and are Soldier status during drills, there's also a limit on available resources as well as being able to use certain facilities that Active Duty Soldiers use. Don't get me wrong, the Guard has a lot of great people and is like a family in many cases. Each state operates differently as well. Some states are great to work in and have a good system in place while other states tend to have a "Good Ole Boy" system it seems like. You get to stay in the same state but you may have to drive from one end of the state to the other depending on what's required. Might be limited on upward mobility because there are only so many Officer slots in the state in your branch so with that, you may have to look at holding onto a lower rank for awhile or changing states as your peers will be eyeing promotions as well. Your military benefits such as the 9-11 GI Bill, etc... may require a certain amount of Active Duty time for you to receive the full benefits vs. partial benefits. I was in the Guard for years but was on Title 32 time which is an Active Duty status for Guardsman working for the state. Active Duty Soldiers are on Title 10 status. While we have the same job and same responsibilities we differ when it comes to certain benefits. Had I known then what I know now, I would have chosen to go Active Duty first. Not to mention that if you choose to be a full time Guardsman your orders are limited for the allotted funding they have for you unless you are in a Technician status so be prepared to look for more orders if that is what you seek. As I see with many of the responses your civilian career might be tough to hold onto should you deploy, although there are certain jobs that work well with the Guard. Fire Fighters, Police Officers tend to work well in getting time for drill. Schools - What military schools do you want to go to? There are State run schools and there are Active Duty schools. Those are just a few of the differences with the Guard vs. Active Duty. Now the Reserves are very similar but the Reserves belong to the Federal Government so with that being the case there might be bigger budgets available being a Reservist. Weigh in the benefits of each path and make a decision. There isn't anything lost by going Active Duty because you can always go into the Guard or the Reserves later whether you choose to stay in for a long time or get out of Active Duty early. If you enjoy being a Soldier, then do it! Hope that helps and I'm sure there are other's who will add to what I have to say.

Response by 1LT Rich Voss made Sep 21 at 2016 1:15 AM

1LT Rich Voss — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 01:15:42 -0400

I'd say go active IF you can. Highly competitive as others have said. West Pointers have first choice, hope you have a "saleable/usable" degree. Like Law or Medicine. I got drafted before the "lottery", that's how old I am. Was fortunate to apply, qualify, AND graduate OCS after being in one year. Best choice (ok, one of the best choices) I ever made in my entire life. We had to stay active for at least 2 years after graduation (it was during Viet Nam and Cold War). I left active duty after those 2 years and went to the active reserves directly afterwards. Sadly, some personal things in life, as it happens, prevented me from staying and building up retirement points. Made it 9 1/2, though. Helped me get promoted to management in business as I knew how to work with all kinds of people and get things done. My MOS did not, I'm a "tanker" !

Response by SPC Douglas Bolton made Sep 23 at 2016 12:37 PM

SPC Douglas Bolton — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 12:37:15 -0400

I would have to believe that chances for promotion in rank would be faster in active duty, because your are seen everyday by those who can recommend you for promotion.

Response by SSG Keith Cashion made Sep 23 at 2016 1:34 PM

SSG Keith Cashion — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 13:34:56 -0400

Do this...take a moment and sit back and look at in a 360/3D perspective. No matter what, you will owe Uncle Sammy some time. Look at what you want to do, what you want to accomplish in your life, and if there are other extensions of your life ie. significant other or dependents, pull them in this conversation as it will affect them as well. Why do I say 360/3D? You have to look at everything all the way around you and completely through it. I always told my Soldiers that when we went on all the fun vacations and stuff.

Remember, today's conflicts are not the conflicts of the past. Don't get me wrong, the Veterans we have from those conflicts paved the way for how we fight now. But I am getting at, is that today's conflicts are missing something the others had, A Front Line. Our enemies in the current conflicts are all around, so you have to look at it in 360 and 3D to see where it is coming from.

This is what is going to help you decide what you want to do. Lot's of great advice and history here, but it is you that takes that step. The world changes, the minute you take that oath and render that first official salute.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2016 6:05 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 18:05:35 -0400

Go active you have more opportunities in active than in the Guard. If you go guard you will have to wait on school seats which is largely based on state funding and most of the time you don't get the seat and the Guard is pretty much a career ender.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2016 6:26 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 18:26:28 -0400

I stayed in the ARNG for a woman. She's not the one I'm married to either. I would definitely go active if you assess well enough. It's relatively to transition to the Reserve Component from Active Duty. For me to go active duty would require a reduction to E4 and an 18X contract, even with 3 years of active time and combat experience.

Response by SMSgt Roy Dowdy made Sep 27 at 2016 7:28 PM

SMSgt Roy Dowdy — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 19:28:18 -0400

Guard provides a better chance of full term career as opposed to RIGs suffered by active duty....if course YMMV!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 1 at 2016 10:06 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 10:06:29 -0400

Depends on what you wanna do. If you want to go to college full-time with no way to pay for it, go Guard or Reserves. If you're trying to get out of your town, make some money, and work, go Active. In either case, do not hesitate to go to school. Take advantage of all the opportunities you get. Then when you leave after 20 years or 8 years, at least you have something to show for it

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 6 at 2016 3:14 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 15:14:14 -0400

As an officer, you should try to go active duty for at least five years. You will develop professionally much faster and have a better understanding of how the military as a whole operates. When I left the RA and went into the reserves, I'm sorry but the quality was not the same. Now, that may have just been my unit, but I found few officers who had spent their entire careers as a reservist competent enough that I wanted to be around them in combat. So much so that I wrote a death letter to my father asking that if something should happen to me that my death be investigated. For example, senior field grade officers pulling out flash cameras at night in open desert to have a photo session confirmed my suspicions I was with a bunch of amateurs. The best reserve officers, IMO had had at least 5 years active duty experience.

Response by CW3 Kevin Storm made Nov 17 at 2017 1:16 PM

CW3 Kevin Storm — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 13:16:34 -0500

What did you go to College for? To make a military career, or was the military a means of paying for it. If it was a means of paying for it, you may wish to stay Guard. If it was because you wanted to be an Officer, and lead from the front then go Active.

Response by MAJ Seth Goldstein made Jun 10 at 2019 11:14 AM

MAJ Seth Goldstein — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 11:14:11 -0400

You will have far more control over your career. However, I recommend you switch to the Reserves after graduation.