Does being a 91b in the national guard instead of the active army mean you will not get to do as much as regular army when deployed?

2018-05-10T19:15:32-04:00

I heard that mostly active army gets the main jobs and national guard is kind of in the background when deployed. Is this true or does the army national guard do just as much or the same job as active when deployed? Netherwards if I'm in the national guard and get deployed will they let active do more of the outside the wire or more of the main jobs and just have me in the background or will I get to the same jobs as active. If deployed I really want to be making a difference and going on convoys or fixing trucks or whatever. I really don't want to be in the background.

Response by SSG Robert Perrotto made May 10 at 2018 7:41 PM

2018-05-10T19:41:13-04:00

when you deploy - your status is "Active" - you will be an asset that will be utilized to your capabilities. whether its inside the wire or outside. you will be tasked to go on recovery missions, along with doing you primary MOS. Don't fret it troop.

Response by SGT Eric Davis made May 10 at 2018 8:00 PM

2018-05-10T20:00:08-04:00

Let me see when you are on active duty you on active duty so what ever your job is then you do. When you go overseas that are going to care if you are reserve AD or Guard.

The only difference in AD VS the reserve component is they wear the uniform everyday and do their job everyday

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made May 10 at 2018 8:25 PM

2018-05-10T20:25:09-04:00

My experience with Reserve and National Guard units outside of Combat Arms is that many run circles around their active component counterparts. To use my old Engineer unit as an example, my maintenance people, drivers and equipment operators generally did the same thing in the civilian world and had four or five time the experience of some E4 out of AIT for a year. The Combat Arms guys just don't get the trigger time of most of their active brothers, which especially shows at levels above the Company, but generally have recently been integrated into Operations quite effectively.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made May 10 at 2018 10:04 PM

2018-05-10T22:04:35-04:00

I think it also depends if you go to a large base, FOB, or COB.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 10 at 2018 10:29 PM

2018-05-10T22:29:35-04:00

Short answer is that there’s no way to know until the mission comes down. I was part of a forward support company in a BSB when I deployed with the National Guard in 2010/2011. The unit had a distro section, mostly 88Ms and 92Fs. We also had a maintenance platoon and an HQ platoon, with supply and cooks, etc. we attached to a Guard Armor (scout) battalion and we were tasked with convoy escort. The gun truck crews on the escort teams were mostly the distro guys, but we had some mechanics and others to fill spots. Most of the maintenance platoon were assigned to battalion maintenance, making us mostly self-sufficient. I’ve been called up twice and never done my MOS, 13B or 92F. I don’t know if this is a Guard trait for deployments, but you’ll be utilized as needed. If your deployment involves the use of vehicles, you’re likely to actually do your job, as mechanics are in high demand overseas, but my experience is only one example. But to address your main concern, Guard units are not background players on deployment. Over there, we all wear green, just different patches. Some troops have jobs inside the wire and some don’t.

Response by SGT Jake Miller made May 10 at 2018 11:38 PM

2018-05-10T23:38:32-04:00

All depends on your mission. Most of,the time you don't really work with other units, unless you need parts

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2018 8:17 AM

2018-05-11T08:17:01-04:00

I've deployed with both. NG units are slotted to fill rotations in the same manner as AD ones. You may be thinking of the reserves which are usually used to augment other deploying units or deployed in support roles.
While the AD is all around fitter and more lethal, the majority of a combat rotation has nothing to do with combat. The day to day skills and years of experience the older NG members bring to an environment with multiple variables makes them very effective in combat zones. For instance, in my NG platoon we had two brothers who ran and installed power to our building because that was there normal job. Some built impressive beds and shelves because they worked construction.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2018 9:56 AM

2018-05-11T09:56:21-04:00

In my experience, National Guard units do just as much, if not more. We have a unit out of our state that's about to come back from Kuwait. They're a theater sustainment command so they supply the theater of operations.

When I was in Iraq in 09 there was a national guard division that was a regional command, meaning they were responsible for all operations being conducted in a particular region of Iraq.

The National Guard carries A LOT of weight these days and in most cases they do it better than the guys that "do it for a living". I'd take a National Guard aviation unit over an AD one any day.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made May 11 at 2018 11:25 AM

2018-05-11T11:25:12-04:00

Good Grief PVT! That was true before GF1- today 75% of the Army's logistics are in the NG/Reserve. There is a NG BN's rotating with AD BN's for MFO duty in the Sinai and the Balkans. NG and USAR troops are constantly being deployed around the world in small group up to BN's.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2018 4:05 PM

2018-05-11T16:05:55-04:00

I just returned home from Kuwait. I am in the national guard as a 91B. We maintained our equipment just like the active duty units that were stationed in Kuwait with us. As far as outside the wire missions we didn’t have any come up as it wasn’t a combat deployment, but from what my NCOs said when they were in Iraq they went outside the wire on missions all the time. Hope this helps

Response by SGT Roberto Mendoza-Diaz made May 11 at 2018 5:53 PM

2018-05-11T17:53:02-04:00

I have vague but true answer: Needs of the Army.
My own experience downrange:
Active Duty/91B/about 5 months being a mechanic and about 6 months being a driver in convoy missions.
Needs of the Army is the common reason for job assignments and PCS.

Response by SPC Anthony Fortier made May 15 at 2018 5:06 PM

2018-05-15T17:06:58-04:00

I was in the ng and when we deployed we had the 10th mountain with us and we had to show them how to do maintenance and shut on all of the vehicles. We also did a lot of outside the wire stuff too.

Response by SGT Stanley ( Grumpy ) Gilmore made May 26 at 2018 11:05 PM

2018-05-26T23:05:36-04:00

I did 5 deployments with the MSARNG . ODS 1990-1991 OEF 2002- 2003 , 2006- 2007 OIF 2004 - 2005 , 2007- 2008 .

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2021 7:31 PM

2021-02-23T19:31:13-05:00

This is based on what support in the mission is needed. If you deploy with a Brigade or Battalion sustainment element such as BSB, ASB, FSC, your mechanics will be busy fixing trucks. Your mission will also have lots to do with how busy you are as well. I have fought right along side of the Active Duty, they do not work any harder or get more or less missions they the Guard does. This is why we now have a Chair position 4 star at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Guard is no longer considered less of anything now, but retention levels are low, but missions keep coming anyway.