After I leave active duty in a month, should I get out or serve in the Reserve or Guard?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 01:18:49 -0400

Im leaving active duty in a month and heading back to Boston. I was wondering if its worth at least staying in the reserves or the guard. If I was to reclass from an 11C to lets say a 42A for instance, would I have to go to AIT or do part time units retrain at the unit you live near? Just dont know much about how they do things. Thanks all.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 9 at 2019 1:25 AM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 01:25:08 -0400

They would send you to reclass school. 42A reclass is at Ft. Knox and is 4 weeks total. I'm not sure if they have 11C in reserves so reclass is an option. If you go guard, it's very hard to get promoted due to having to be slotted at every rank. Ultimately, it's you're call. You can work a civilian job and still be military and retire in 20 years still, but just can't have pension until you're 60.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 9 at 2019 3:06 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 03:06:34 -0400

Reserves don’t have combat arms. The National Guard does. There are two Infantry BNs in MA and also engineers, MPs, Aviation, FA, MI, transportation, etc. Theres also an element from 20th SFG.

Between the states of New England I think most branches of the Army are covered.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Oct 9 at 2019 6:03 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 06:03:38 -0400

Join the Guard, they can use your years of training and experience.

Response by 1SG Dennis Hicks made Oct 9 at 2019 7:38 AM

1SG Dennis Hicks — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 07:38:57 -0400

While Reserves do not have units that allow you to ply your trade as an 11B/C many of us from CA still existed in the Reserves and re-classed to an MOS that is supported by the Reserves. I retired as an 11Z from the Reserves. I can't really speak to the National Guard but from what I saw and heard promotions are fairly slow due to folks staying in until they reach retirement in units made up of local troops. Whatever you decide continue your service, keep good records so when retirement comes you are not searching for points.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 9 at 2019 9:23 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 09:23:01 -0400

If you get out in a month, and you still haven't talked to your Reserve Component Career Counselor, you are late for that required appointment to clear. If you have, go back again. He/she can tell you all the opportunities in the Guard and Reserves within 100 miles of Boston. If you are interested in an MOS change, that needs to be in the contract, as the contract will pinpoint you to a specific MOS/para/line in a unit. most reclass schools in the Guard and Reserves are 4 weeks long and can be straight through or broken up over two annual trainings over two years.
There is no such thing as retraining on a new MOS at a unit.
You will have access to Tricare Reserve Select, the cheapest health plan option anywhere, tuition assistance and student loan repayment. If any of that sounds good to you, then it is worth it.

Response by SGT Javier Silva made Oct 9 at 2019 10:31 AM

SGT Javier Silva — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 10:31:06 -0400

The Guard and the Reserve are two completely different animals, and culturally different than Active Duty. Each one affords different opportunities and operates under a different set of rules. The NG has two heads of state - the state governor and the president. The president can call the guard to action for humanitarian purposes if the state governor agrees. During war times, or to support combat operations, the president may call the guard to serve without the governor's approval. The reserves only has the president as the head of state.

Both the Guard and the Reserves promotions work differently than active duty. While earning and using points for promotion is the same, the way you get promoted is different. Each one requires that there be an opening available in your unit to be promoted to the next rank. With the Guard moving to another unit within the state may help getting promoted; however, with the Reserves, it may require that you drill in another state if you want the promotion. There is no physical promotion board. You build a packet and it is submitted for review. If approved, you are added to the PPRL.

Unlike AD, members of the Guard and the Reserve know each other outside of the unit. Some of them work together in the same civilian workplace. You will notice that they sometimes fail to separate the civilian and military worlds. So you'll see a lot of favoritism in either one. Levels of discipline are different as well.

Response by CPT Andrew Wright made Oct 9 at 2019 9:02 PM

CPT Andrew Wright — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 21:02:10 -0400

I am sure you will find a National Guard Infantry unit that can use your Active Duty 11C training and experience. USAR might send you to an active duty AIT or a local Regional Training Center for another MOS. Your best chance for leadership schools and promotion would be the Guard. Best of Luck!

Response by 1stSgt John Raschilla made Oct 9 at 2019 11:58 PM

1stSgt John Raschilla — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 23:58:09 -0400

Join the Guard if you don’t re-enlist

Response by SPC David Dupey made Oct 10 at 2019 8:07 AM

SPC David Dupey — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 08:07:23 -0400

They will send you to a reclass school closes to your unit

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Oct 10 at 2019 10:21 AM

SGT Dave Tracy — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 10:21:34 -0400

SPC Private RallyPoint Member it seems as though you are looking for someone to provide direction to you. I won't do that. You will need to look inward, take a swim in Lake You, and decide if its a direction you want to go regardless of what anyone here says.

I will say I did 5 years in the Reserves after my AD time, and I liked it, but I found it came with certain, oh what is the right word..."interferences", with civilian life.

On active duty, your life is fully integrated into the military structure that surrounds you. Every day is contingent on the needs of the military, up to and including if/when you have free time; the civilian world has no real equivalent. Active Duty IS the definition of a holistic "lifestyle". That's not the Guard and Reserve...unless activated and sent off. There's lots of sacrifice in the Guard and Reserve that neither the civilian world nor even the Active Duty military world understand or appreciates. Those of us who had experience as a civilian, Active Duty AND Guard/Reserve understand this.

PT is on your own. Some admin responsibilities have to be done on your own time; this is especially true once you are in a leadership position. Your civilian life--your civilian employment especially--sometimes has to be interrupted and put on hold to fulfil your military duties. And many civilians simply cannot understand and some are not particularly tolerant of this.

Oh, and BTW, from my experience the whole "one weekend a month, two weeks a year" thing is a bit optimistic. I had drill weekends 11 out of 12 months, and yet when factoring in a few 3 day drill weekends throughout the year, it comes out to more than "1 weekend a month"; and I never had an Annual Training that wasn't at least 20 days long. 3+ weeks were the norm. Your mileage may vary of course, but don't be too surprised if it doesn't.

So that's The Bad...er, or better yet, let's call it The Negative.

Sometimes its hard to quantify the positives of staying in uniform, and much of it involves things like pride, a sense of value and accomplishment, which isn't too easy to put into neat and easy-to-understand boxes, but they are real considerations. On the plus side, you get to continue your service, and do so closer to home. You get to draw a paycheck along with medical, educational and other military benefits (in most cases). If you choose to go Reserve, you'll have to reclass, but that won't hurt as you work towards achieving rank down the line. As a soldier who was not only Active Duty, but combat arms, your experience will be called upon and valued (I said "valued", not "worshiped", so just don't go nuts!).

Speaking of reclass, I know some who, for their MOS had to jump into an AIT, but were generally treated better than an initial entry solider. Heck, I even saw it at my OSUT, and those guys were treated much better than us...and they were just E4s reclassing! In my case, after my AD time I reported to my Reserve unit and, eventually, attended a dedicated reclass for my new MOS (88M) at Ft. Knox, that was comprised exclusively of experienced soldiers from AD, Guard and Reserves; SPC to a 1SG. We hard private rooms, free time and no F___ - F___ Games. It was kind of nice actually! Don't be too surprise if you want to pick up a new MOS and have to reclass and end up doing it in a similar way, but I can't guarantee it. As far as reclassing via on-the-job training to become MOS qualified, if it occurs, I never heard of anyone who did it, so maybe its possible, but its probably a rare bird indeed.

The Guard and Reserves LOVE the diversity of experiences and professional backgrounds in their soldiers; a diversity you don't really find on Active Duty, because you will have plumbers, cops, truck drivers, accountants, mechanics, EMTs etc. all in the same unit, and all able to provide their expertise to the unit regardless of their commonly held MOS. Its also a good diverse network to draw upon for you to have as well.

Lastly--and think of this as my personal testimony--when my contract was up in 2017, a part of me felt it was time to go, but that may have been because I wanted to dedicate my time to finishing grad school. Since then, despite some of the difficulties that are inherent in being a Reservist (and a Reservist NCO), I find myself thinking about returning, and have even gone so far as to inquire if I may still be eligible to reenlist. It's a trigger I haven't yet pulled, and in the end, I probably won't, but it speaks to the fact that I do miss what it is to be a soldier and to be a part of something inherently good and valuable and bigger than myself. Even if it is only part-time! LOL!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 10 at 2019 5:07 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 17:07:59 -0400

Most of my off active duty like how the guard gives them some structure and benefits and familiarity. I saw why not try it out for a year. From my experience there isnt too many Charlie's in the guard either.
This wouldn't be connor from charlie 1/19 February 2016 would it?

Response by SP5 Joseph Ascanio made Oct 11 at 2019 6:24 AM

SP5 Joseph Ascanio — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 06:24:50 -0400

How much time did you do, let me tell you if you have more the 10 years or more ld go Guard.

Response by SP5 Joseph Ascanio made Oct 11 at 2019 11:59 PM

SP5 Joseph Ascanio — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 23:59:58 -0400

No you don't have to do AIT again, the question is if you have less then 10 years you could get out if you have more then 10 years join the guard or reserves to complete you time to receive a retirement. You'll get free medical for life for you and your wife and kids under 18, which is what you are looking for. I did 41 years.

Response by SPC Jim Anderson made Mar 24 at 2020 11:43 AM

SPC Jim Anderson — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 11:43:12 -0400

Stay connected, one way or the other, you’re a Patriot, stay that way, never vote for any Democrat and give your life to Christ, and do all you can in the civilian world to become a better son, brother, husband and Father!