Army Reserves or Army National Guard which take care of the Soldier better and why?

CPT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 01:27:02 -0400

All branches of the military have their ups and downs. Why would you pick the Reserves over the National Guard or vic versa and why? Especially when it comes to the career progression and care for the individual Soldier.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2013 7:36 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 07:36:24 -0500

This is all a matter of funding and geography. If you live in a state that does budget a lot for the military you will miss out on many training opportunities. Also it depends on your MOS and facilities when I was in the MA guard they had no secure facilities available for me to train at. When i switched to the reserves my unit was in NY and our battalion HQ was in TX we are always going to TX to train in a proper facility. One huge advantage the NG has over the AR is most states give you free tuition to state colleges and universities, the downside is you may get state mobilized for state emergencies and they don't pay well for these days. I don't know about NE but I know some states such as TX, UT, and MA give their guard units a lot of money to use for training.

Response by SSG Steven Borders made Dec 14 at 2013 8:01 AM

SSG Steven Borders — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 08:01:47 -0500

I am seriously contemplating the National Guard after my 4 years here at WHCA. I have looked at going back to Washington State after I am done. How are the promotion point for NG? I have been on the promotion list for quite a while now. They are making it harder us to get promoted. My unit still doesn't have the funds to send me to WLC. Thanks for some of those great points SPC Yelle.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 13 at 2014 1:08 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 13 Apr 2014 01:08:08 -0400

I personally would chose the Guard, Even though I have not served with the Reserves. I only now what I have heard from my Battles, and most of them have said they get very little training compared to what the Guard units get.

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made May 13 at 2014 6:54 PM

COL Vincent Stoneking — Tue, 13 May 2014 18:54:04 -0400

It really depends on who you are and what you want.

Speaking as an AR officer, the Reserve has a decided deficit of Abrams MBTs..... Seriously, the USAR has (almost) no combat arms. For some that is a bane, for others a blessing. It definitely has an impact on the overall organizational culture. I would tend to say that it is easier to get burned out in the NG.

In my experience, the USAR is a better place for promotions for the non-combat arms and for senior-level promotions in general. With an important caveat. In the state guard, you need to be in a position at the next higher rank to get promoted. As you move up the ladder, there are fewer and fewer of those positions - and somebody is camped in them! NG stops at the state border. The exact same thing is true in the USAR - except that you can look at positions throughout all of CONUS, assuming you are willing to travel. A lot of people are NOT willing to travel, which is a bonus for those of us that are.

Response by SFC Stephen P. made May 13 at 2014 7:10 PM

SFC Stephen P. — Tue, 13 May 2014 19:10:05 -0400

If your life takes you from state to state, I would recommend the USAR over the Guard. You would have a more consistent experience, and from what I understand, the transfer authority is more easily obtained.

I would have no trouble referring a soldier to the MO NG. I can't say the same for KS, IL, and AZ.

Guard facilities tend to be more dispersed. If you live in a rural area, you are more likely to find a local position with them than the USAR.

USAR vacancies seem to be easier to come by. I've dealt with numerous officers who left the Guard for USAR since it was their best chance for promotion (my command doesn't process enlisted NG to USAR transfers).

My major dislike of the Guard is philosophical. I don't like how they are employed to circumvent posse comitatus.

Response by BG Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2014 1:35 PM

BG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 14 May 2014 13:35:14 -0400

For any of you frustrated by promotion in the NG (and I have heard a lot of grief in this area) we will gladly accept you in the Civil Affairs community. CA only exists in USAR and limited AC. You will have no problem getting promoted as long as you take care of your education, APFT, etc. Plenty of CPT/ MAJ and SSG/ SFC slots available in all units. People avoided us during the war due to very high OPTEMPO, but now you will find we are one of the sexiest units in the USAR. Fee free to contact me and I can steer you to a unit near you.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2014 1:49 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 14 May 2014 13:49:04 -0400

1LT: Great question and the I think it depends your which state & MOS?. Larger states have more units resulting in additional slots for promotion, especially if you are in a specialized MOS and the Army Reserve allows you to cross state lines to find available promotion opportunities. If you are in the combat arms, typically these MOS-Slots are located in the National Guard.

Response by MSG Wade Huffman made May 14 at 2014 2:08 PM

MSG Wade Huffman — Wed, 14 May 2014 14:08:30 -0400

Really impossible to answer considering there is one Army Reserve whereas each State and Territory has a separate Army National Guard that falls under the Governor of that State or Territory (unless called to Federal service).
As a rule, the Guard is primarily comprised of Combat Arms with a smaller number of service and service support. The Army Reserve is the opposite structure so assignments may be more prevalent in one over the other based on your MOS.

Response by LTC Martin Metz made May 17 at 2014 3:36 PM

LTC Martin Metz — Sat, 17 May 2014 15:36:21 -0400

Both normally take care of their soldiers. There are some skill sets that one may have versus the other such as combat arms in the Guard or CA in the Reserves. I have found that when there is somewhat of an openness soldiers can switch back and forth between the Reserve and Guard. This allows for more options in skills and slots. Usually this opportunity diminishes with rank on both the NCO and officer side. Exceptions are there for the talented and politically astute however. Here in Washington State there was one BG in the Army Reserve that switch over to a slot in the Guard. Of course, he was an aviator and well placed in the FAA (civilian job) in a special situation taking command of an aviation unit.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 14 at 2014 5:27 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 05:27:55 -0400

It all depends on how you want to progress in your career. Im in the NG and my state has an entire IBCT which is fortunate for me being I chose 11B for my MOS and live about a mile or two from a unit and my unit is about 16 miles from my house in the next town. Once I am promotable to SSG i have the option to choose state wide for possible promotion. Even though i most likely with try for my own unit I am to fond of being heavy weapons to switch to a light unit.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 20 at 2015 1:44 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 May 2015 13:44:33 -0400

>>Reserves<<

BLUF - The USAR provides the mid to high speed Citizen Soldier more options and personal control.

In the last year I've been asked this A LOT by my former ARNG family. They know I left a great ARNG career in 2013 to join the USAR. I miss the people, but don't miss the imposed limitations of ARNG force structure and strength management.

First, I'm a prior-enlisted Officer with ALL ARNG & USAR time. Seventeen years total service (11 ARNG - 6+ USAR). I commissioned in ARNG and made MAJ (on time) so I'm not a cry baby about my time there. In fact I still pay NGAUS dues because I love what that organization does for veterans! Now read on...

Back in 2006 COL (Ret) Hunt (former ARNG LTC) warned me, "an AGR glass ceiling was coming" to the ARNG. He saw it in UT and now my state when he moved here. He joined USAR for more career potential. BUT as a 1LT/CPT I was committed to the NG BCT I just deployed with and ignored him.

Fast forward 6 years and he was proven right. I left NGB because of these statistics:
1. >80% of the KD jobs were held for AGRs or MilTechs ('08-'12)
2. >85% Field Grade Assignments from '08-'12 were all Full-timer moves/promos
3. 100% BN XOs - 90% BN CMDR - 100% Bde Cmdr in this state were full-timers ('09-'13)
4. 100% ILE and 95% ILE-AOC classmates were AGR or Techs
5. AGR/Techs = 12% of total man power in my state and they were one of the top 5 states!
---->Do the math....

Honestly I LOVE my NGB friends and mentors, but USAR offered me HUNDREDS more options, roles and capabilities. There are ALSO as many GREAT leaders here (O, WO and NCO) as in ARNG.

Most (not all) of the stronger leaders I'm bumping into in USAR are also former ARNG leaders who crossed over.

BLUF - USAR provides mid-to-high speed Citizen Soldier more options and personal control of their career.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 6 at 2015 10:55 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 10:55:08 -0400

Does civil affairs need Public Health Nurses? I'm a public health nurse (not just in title from a short Army course) but with a Masters in public health nursing and board certified Advanced Public Health Nurse. I love my unit but would be interested in using more of the public health skills beyond the unit level..

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Dec 17 at 2015 7:46 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 19:46:03 -0500

I worked with the Guard and witnessed the flexibility senior leaders had in helping folks in need.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 8 at 2016 12:20 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 00:20:26 -0500

I have only been in the Guard. I really can't say much for the Reserve. I have been in RA and NG for a while now. As an infantry officer the Guard has been good me. I got another deployment and Ranger school out of it. I work now at the Ranger Training and Assessment Course at Fort Benning now. I have been on the Active side of he Guard for a good while. But these assignments are hard to come by. I only got it due to my experience and being Ranger Qualed. I am already looking for what my next step is going to be. Being combat arms the Guard is really where you have to go if you want to be in a BCT and get some time. I know that RA has some cool jobs like CA but it all depends what you want. I was asked to visit a CA unit when I got back from Jordan last year but I got picked up by NGB. So I am still interested in it but it will have to be down the road.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 12 at 2017 11:24 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 11:24:04 -0500

I’m a recruiter for the Guard. My buddy was working on a guy who ended up joining the reserves. Got a call the other night from a USAR soldiers mother saying he needed a ride to drill. Sorry can’t help ya! Residence was 640 miles from his unit. That is not soldier care

Response by CW3 Kevin Storm made Nov 12 at 2017 3:23 PM

CW3 Kevin Storm — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 15:23:25 -0500

Neither has an edge, it is the command that makes the difference.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2018 7:57 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 10 Mar 2018 19:57:14 -0500

Having done both my opinion is National Guard . They had way way better soldier care, I felt like they were my family! Everything got taken care of in a timely manner it was more organized. You knew times and dates for EVERYTHING. When I came off IRR I went to a reserve unit thank god I did not add additional time to my contract. This has by far been the worst nightmare ever. Things get passed down at last min I literally got my report time the night before drill this last time and I had to buy the shit out of someone to get it. Nobody "knows" anything.... It's ridiculous. Also the education benefits are WAY better with the Guard. Bc u can apply for both state and federal aid. This based on my personal experience though....it may vary from person to person and unit. This reserve unit im in right now is so bad turned down a 20 grand re enlistment bonus.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 18 at 2018 4:47 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 16:47:49 -0400

You are stirring the pot. Sir. HAHA. I have to say that from a soldier who has served in both, I enjoyed my time and was taken much better care of in the NG. Could be that we were all from the same area, or it could be that we mobilized together and we ended up just getting to know each other better by bonding. Either way, my time in the Guard was great.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made May 7 at 2019 5:40 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Tue, 07 May 2019 05:40:22 -0400

From what I saw during the 24 years I was in, it was about even on the care of the soldiers.

Response by Austin Christenson made Dec 15 at 2019 5:24 PM

Austin Christenson — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 17:24:16 -0500

Good evening ma'am/sir, I have looked into the reserves as well as active duty and national guard. I have spoken to recruiters from the Army and Marines, but can't seem to be able to get to the point of doing the ASVAB test. I also have OCD(obsessive compulsive disorder), ADHD, and anxiety. I understand that I cannot enlist without an ASVAB score, but would my ADHD, OCD and anxiety automatically disqualify me from the service?

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 21 at 2020 3:30 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 03:30:37 -0500

CPT(P) Sean Polson...first thing first Sir, congratuations on your soon to be MAJ!! Well, I didn't have a good experience with the NG. This was way back in the early 90s. I just came off of active duty at the time and coming from the military intelligence field (98K) back then now its 35 series, but decided to go into the NG as a field medic! However, they never sent me to school to reclass and the only thing I did was hung out with the other medics in the field during drills. I was bored stiff!! I asked the training sergeant, "what was the delay in sending me to school?" I was told, "They did not have any money to send me to school." Besides that, a lot of the Soldiers in that particular NG unit lacked military bearing and were out of regs...I mean a lot of Soldiers were wearing beards (can't tell me everyone had a shaving profile) and even the 1SG was overweight and wearing his PC to the side. It felt like I was in a Junior ROTC or something. I wasn't used to that coming off of active duty as a Specialist at the time. Needless to say, I went to the Commander and requested to go back to active duty. And that is exactly what I did. After completing my active duty obligation I went into the Reserves. I have to say the Reserves been good to me. I went to school finally and picked up 71L now 42A as a secondary MOS and still remained in military intelligence field as my primary. I climbed up the ladder to where I am now as a MSG. I'm now waiting to see if I made the SGM list for a board that just concluded, and I am currently deployed on a CENTCOM mission as a Reservist. So, the Reserves has a lot to offer. On the otherhand, everybody circumstances are different; whether you decide to choose the National Guard or Reserves they both can be good, but they are only as good as the unit. You have some good units and you have some bad ones! If you don't like one, you can always transfer to the other like I did.