How do you view the National Guard?

2016-05-06T22:08:24-04:00

The Sullivan Cup just ended at Fort Benning. The Sullivan Cup is a competition to find the best tank crew on the military. There were teams from the Regular Army, National Guard, Marines, and the Canadian Army. This year the North Carolina National Guard walked away with the Cup. So the Best Rangers and the Best Tankers are in the National Guard. How does this affect how you see the National Guard? This only lends to its credibility. I know it's common to dismiss the Guard as second rate force but you can't deny the quality of soldiers serving in the National Guard.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made May 6 at 2016 10:13 PM

2016-05-06T22:13:50-04:00

I would love to say that they are viewed as equals to their regular Army counterparts by everyone, but sadly I have seen the opposite. I have seen NG Soldiers treated as "just not that good" by RA Soldiers. But has your example demonstrated that is not the case. I do think the image of the NG has improved over the past 15 years as they been asked to fill critical holes in missions plans that they historically have not had to fill. Personally I do not care if you are RA, Reserves, NG, Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy or Coast Guard; we are all brothers and sisters-in-arms, highly trained and dedicated to our missions.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2016 10:45 PM

2016-05-06T22:45:48-04:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member I view the National Guard as playing a vital role in defense of our country. I worked with a couple of National Guardsman, and they were both top notch.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2016 10:57 PM

2016-05-06T22:57:19-04:00

We have plenty of skill and talent in the Guard. Unfortunately we have units and troops that don't hold the standard. They're the guys that the rest of us get judged by.

Response by PO1 Brian Austin made May 6 at 2016 11:05 PM

2016-05-06T23:05:40-04:00

As a contractor in Iraq i worked with quite a few Guard MP units. Nothing but good things to say about them.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2016 12:05 AM

2016-05-07T00:05:26-04:00

I've started in the RA and retired out of the ARNG. Bottom line is both have their share of studs/studettes and duds/dudettes. There is of course the strength the RA has of working their MOS 24/7. The Guard and USAR (but more the Guard) has the strength of a more committed team as personnel could literally come in as an PV1 and retire as the Company 1SG with many of his/her friends going up the ranks alongside. Some move onto higher HQs and others to be the Top of sister units.

Most Guard personnel lack the discipline of the RA and therefore eschews strict adherence to the regs ... sometimes it's a liability ... sometimes it's a strength. Whereas an RA Soldier might look at a situation and do his/her best to work through it IAW this FM and that ADRP ... The Guard infantry unit could have in it's ranks full time tradesmen, administrative workers, etc with a wide background and can come up with some out of the box solutions that the NCOES does not teach.

The Guard is a great example of my favorite quote about US Forces "It is impossible to plan against the Americans because they don't feel compelled to follow their own doctrine." Or something to that effect.

(NOTE: I edited my original post as I realized I had posted an unfinished thought. However, my granddaughter visiting me trumps any need or desire complete a post.)

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2016 3:15 AM

2016-05-07T03:15:45-04:00

Former National Guardsman here, so I might have a biased perspective:

Just being in the National Guard still requires a great bit of sacrifice. On top of the fact that the National Guard deploys pretty regularly, that one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer can cause a great deal of headache when it comes to getting time off with a civilian employer. Being in a unit that doesn't have a standard drill schedule (multiple ATs a year, several 4 day drills, etc.) makes this even worse.

Employers are less likely to hire National Guardsmen/Reservist candidates because they fear that the commitments those soldiers have might cause major interruptions at work. I've known many soldiers in the Guard who couldn't get promoted because companies didn't want to appoint someone to a position who might not be there at all times to handle problems as they come.

The way I see it, a Guardsman or Reservist soldier still raises their hand voluntarily to serve when their nation needs them and that's a lot more than one can say for most of the entitled citizens of this country.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2016 10:51 AM

2016-05-07T10:51:40-04:00

I was Air National Guard. With very few exceptions, every one of my ANG teammates were top-flight, committed to the mission and the team. I would put my guys up against any active duty Security Forces squadron.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2016 4:38 PM

2016-05-08T16:38:15-04:00

The Army and Air National Guards have held their own with regular components and shown their esprit de corps through many deployments and augmentations. Without our Guard and Reserve Units our military would not be what it is today, the best in the world.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2016 5:02 PM

2016-05-08T17:02:05-04:00

My opinion who cares? You can argue they are better, but are only two small teams of a huge organization. But it can also be seen as great representation that it doesn't matter which component you are in you can achieve greatness. I am in the mindset that we are all in the Army put differences aside and let's go do our missions.

Response by 1SG John Millan made Jan 24 at 2024 12:42 AM

2024-01-24T00:42:36-05:00

The troops tend yo be excellent. Older, college educated, many prior Army and other services. I was prior service USMC and it was a shock! Still, I retired a 1SG with 26 years for service, 24 for points. I was activated 3x: Gulf War, Bosnia Support Mission in Germany and Iraq. The problem with the guard: there are 54 Army Guards and 54 Air Guards (all 50 states, DC, Guam, VI and PR). In peacetime, all 108 are under Title 32, state military service. vs. federal Title 10 service, they are state agencies and each run by state politics. It is a good ol' boy club, with criminal officers and Sr. NCO's getting away with massive felonies. They all claim to adhere to Army snd AF regs but it is selective. They are not subject to the UCMJ in peacetime, unless on federal orders or overseas. Some states have a state UCMJ under state statues, but this option , if available, only has special court martial, misdemeanor jurisdiction. Felonies must be prosecuted by state or maybe federal prosecutors. State laws have no equivalent charges for military specific crimes like AWOL , desertion, disrespect, disobedience, etc. General officers and senior NCO's promotions are influenced by governors and state politics. Until congress requires each state to have a general court martial jurisdiction state UCMJ, with investigators brought in from other states for serious crimes, with punitive action vs. administrative action taken, it will never change. Federal funds should be contingent on adherence to Army and AF regs. It is a cesspool culture of corruption, cronyism and dirty politics.