I am re-enlisting in the National Guard after 10 years out. Should I stay in my previous MOS (11B) or reclassify?

2019-10-19T16:10:24-04:00

I wouldn't mind staying infantry because I loved it then but I've heard horror stories about doing absolutely nothing on drill as 11B and I really want my training and National Guard experience to count for something in the civilian side of things. Any advice on this topic in specifics or any advice in general about going from active to national guard would be appreciated.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 19 at 2019 4:53 PM

2019-10-19T16:53:40-04:00

If you want your National Guard training and experience to count for something on the civilian side, then you should definitely NOT stay 11B. There really aren't too many civilian jobs for which infantry experience is applicable. The National Guard has many, many jobs that directly correlate to a civilian counterpart; basically, infantry is the only one that doesn't (unless you want to be a security contractor).

Response by LTC Charles T Dalbec made Oct 19 at 2019 5:12 PM

2019-10-19T17:12:45-04:00

You will make rank and better opportunities in the Army Reserve. Why stay in 11B MOS? What are promotion opportunities????

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Oct 19 at 2019 7:36 PM

2019-10-19T19:36:54-04:00

I'd never gone Guard or Reserve, as I'm total perm disabled, I merely thought, in reading what you'd asked that knowing more specifics might help all of us try to at least just suggest stuff, honest...assocs, bach, masters or other grad level, majors, grades, GPAs, hobbies, reading tastes, other interests, volunteering stuff, sports esp any martial arts, honest any outside work done, as to at least general type and/or level, whether supervisory at all if any civilian work at all...not specifics on all of that, just sufficiently specific generalities to give all here an idea of your turn of mind...any flight interests, whether you'd want senior enlisted, warrant, commissioned, going back to school, if so what level and for what possible range of majors, any teaching inclinations, interests in law enforcement, possibly having looked at AGR, Guard Tech, Reserve Tech, possibly going intersvc to one of their Reserves, just some thoughts of course...I have an interest in such career/educ threads, those are the kinds of soecifics, even if kept only general, I typically suggest on seeing such questions as what you'd asked, honest, if you'd ever care to chat, is be most interested in hearing more, I've been able to suggest a good many things others in here often haven't considered, when changing in that fashion, I and the others here might well be able to do as much for you, we're we to know more, at least of the type of stuff I'd listed, so far as you might care to describe and/or.elaborate, honest, no rush, if course, whenever you'd want, OK?

Response by CPL Gary Pifer made Oct 19 at 2019 7:46 PM

2019-10-19T19:46:28-04:00

I've never heard of a dream sheet for prior service. Normally you pick out your unit locally and go visit ..maybe do a guest BA and try out MOS' that are open. Talk with everybody and see for yourself. Many in the NG are law enforcement. Don't forget to bring doughnuts.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Oct 19 at 2019 7:55 PM

2019-10-19T19:55:25-04:00

https://www.bing.com/search?pc=SUWI&form=temp02&q=national+guard+technician

Here's more on Guard Tech....

national guard technician - Bing

What is a National Guard dual-status technician? National Guard dual-status technicians are a unique type of federal employee. They are civilians who work for the National Guard. Their jobs range from helicopter, airplane, and tank mechanics to clerical and support workers. Unlike other federal employees, National Guard dual-status technicians are required to maintain military status as a …

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Oct 19 at 2019 7:57 PM

2019-10-19T19:57:59-04:00

https://www.bing.com/search?pc=SUWI&form=temp02&q=individual+mobilization+augmentee

I'd very nearly done USAFR IMA a long while back, I frequently kick myself I didnt, I'm total perm disabled, I just couldn't for myriad reasons, though IMA might be another thing to consider, certainly...whether Army or other svc, of course...other svcs besides USAFR, I don't know as much about, is assume they must exist, at the very least, ya know?

individual mobilization augmentee - Bing

The Selective Service System is an independent agency of the United States government that maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription. All male U.S. citizens and male immigrant non-citizens, who are between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered wit…

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Oct 19 at 2019 8:01 PM

2019-10-19T20:01:22-04:00

Those sites I'd sent are the immediately obv ones that occur to me for now...certainly, knowing more of your specific inclinations, I might be able to suggest more, of course, as well,.obv, as I'd said, certainly....

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Oct 19 at 2019 8:12 PM

2019-10-19T20:12:13-04:00

Guard MP companies have many members that are civilian Police Officers. Great place for networking!!

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Oct 19 at 2019 8:18 PM

2019-10-19T20:18:36-04:00

http://www.usphs.gov

If you'd want clinical and to go commissioned, look at USPHS seriously, I'd wanted it really badly, they'd had a Reserve allowed by Congress, then canceled, look at their Jr and Sr COSTEP, their analogues to ROTCs, which like ROTCs, can also be used for grad school as well, I'm fairly sure....

www.usphs.gov

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Oct 19 at 2019 8:21 PM

2019-10-19T20:21:06-04:00

https://www.bing.com/search?pc=SUWI&form=temp02&q=usphs+costep

Here are the USPHS COSTEP sites, they have a toll free, Call them, it's active though, not Reserve, I'd chatted with a physician who'd been dual USPHS Inactive Reserve, as well as NY state defense forces (SDF), the NY Guard (NYG), he'd been most unusual, I'd never known how he'd done that, though I'd known for sure he did....

usphs costep - Bing

The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps offers two excellent opportunities for students to serve their country while completing or continuing their education. If you are interested in a public health career, we encourage you to learn more about each of these opportunities:

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Oct 19 at 2019 8:22 PM

2019-10-19T20:22:22-04:00

https://usphs.gov/aboutus/dod-hhs/job-opportunities.aspx

If you'd want psych clinical.at all, you can go USPHS then do 3 yr tours with Army, Navy, and/or USAF, as well, look at this also, OK?

DoD-HHS Job Opportunities (3 YEAR OBLIGATION)

Current Army Job Opportunities

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Oct 19 at 2019 8:23 PM

2019-10-19T20:23:39-04:00

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/united-states-marine-corps-platoon-leaders-course-3332801

you likely don't want this, however, USMC PLC is lesser known than ROTCs, I just didn't know if you'd known about it at all....

US Marine Corps Platoon Leader Course: What You Need to Know

The Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Course (PLC) is an alternative for NROTC or OCS for college students who wish to become commissioned officers.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Oct 19 at 2019 8:25 PM

2019-10-19T20:25:42-04:00

https://www.bing.com/search?pc=SUWI&form=temp02&q=military+intelligence+associates+or+bachelors+or+masters+or+doctorate

You might find these of interest....

military intelligence associates or bachelors or masters or doctorate - Bing

Military Intelligence Colleges and Programs College Degree Finder Select a Degree Level Diploma Certificate Associate's Bachelor's Continuing Education Graduate Certificate Master's Doctoral Post-doctoral Certificate

Response by SPC Jonah Edwards made Oct 19 at 2019 8:32 PM

2019-10-19T20:32:07-04:00

I did 6 years in the guard and had a great experience with my infantry units. My best training came from being in the Scout/Sniper section where we did alot of rucking, land nav, trained on recon missions, and CQB so i would recommend to try out for your battalion scout/sniper section.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Oct 19 at 2019 9:46 PM

2019-10-19T21:46:59-04:00

How busy you are depends on the operational tempo of the unit you are joining. A lot of the new Brigade Combat Teams are pretty active and they seem to train pretty hard. They also Deploy a lot more than they used to do. Don't let people scare you about promotions. 1st Sgt. jobs get pretty competitive, but they don't give them to everyone on active duty. Get the schools, get good evals, and a good APFT, I didn't see anyone that did that have problems making it to E7.
But I would advise talking to the recruiter about the units and the numbers, I would even visit one of the units, preferably the one you want to join. I live in Kentucky and it has a single Battalion. Across the river in Illinois, they have a Brigade. More slots, more chances to get promoted into one.
Just as a heads up, being out ten years may require you to do OSUT again.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2019 12:30 AM

2019-10-20T00:30:45-04:00

If you want to do fun stuff and get civilian education out of it 68W is a good one. You can try to get a line unit and you get you NREMT certification if that interests you. Here in NC we have a flight crew in our aviation brigade that has 68W flight medics and the army sends them for their NR Paramedic

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2019 6:01 AM

2019-10-20T06:01:32-04:00

do you have any other interests? age is also a factor, in that at 18 everything is possible. While as age advances we tend to realize our body will not be as capable to train as hard as we once did, also our bodies do not recover from injuries as quickly. I was 38 when I joined the National Guard. I knew then I was really to old for it, I'm now 54 and broken, knowing I really need to stop before I do something that I'll regret later. I believe that the National Guard is a great way to finish a career in the military if you are smart about it! Good luck

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Oct 20 at 2019 3:02 PM

2019-10-20T15:02:45-04:00

Yes, well let me tell you as a former 11 Series, a lot of people slam 11 Series saying it does not provide skills for the civilian world, your better off getting training in the Army for a usable skill, etc, etc. First, most Army training sucks and lags the civilian workplace so you need supplimental training after you leave the Army. Second Infantry, trains you in leadership and taking initiative like no other MOS in the Army MOS catalog. So it does train you for the civilian side but in intangible skills that are not easily measured or written on a resume. Up to you what you want to do or choose. If you like 11 Series then stick with it. You can obtain training on the civilian side for any job you want and really for most civilian employers that is the only training they look at. As for Infantry units having downtime with nothing to do. Absoultely correct for both NG and Regular Army, so that part is not a rumor. It is unfortunate that the units run into those dry spells of training but Infantry training is fairly monotonous and stays the same, it's more about learning repetitively then having a new subject each Guard Drill. Overall though for a given year both NG and Regular Army do a really good job of keep the troops busy and trained. The short dry spells do not last forever. I was first a NG Infantryman for 2 years then RA for three. Long time ago.

My first job after 3 years Active Duty Infantryman and after my Army College Fund was supporting the top Executives of General Motors with their IT systems as a developer for decision support applications. Went from the Foxhole to the Executive Floor of GM World HQ Building in Detroit. Wasn't hard to do, got a college education and some experience programming on the side and was hired. Its up to you, in our country you can do whatever you want after Infantry. Many people choose not to and blame the MOS but really it is not the MOS that should be blamed.

Response by SGT David Petree made Oct 20 at 2019 7:42 PM

2019-10-20T19:42:37-04:00

look & see what units are near where you live . you really don't want to have to travel 100 mil. one way just to go to drill . it my work out better to change moss's with trade school from a community collage . I did that. I had 9 y 11mo. active, singed up for a year to see how I liked it . extended serval times until I had 25 years , & retired with a cheek.

Response by SSG Mark Franzen made Oct 20 at 2019 9:41 PM

2019-10-20T21:41:13-04:00

If was still in I would have been 38 years old and been retired but I was shorted by 3.5 years but on the other my son my retired from the reserves but he won't be able to get his retirement until he is 66 years old so he has still work because he doesn't have any other income so if I were I would say on active duty. SSG Mark Franzen
USA Cold War veteran

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2019 9:52 PM

2019-10-20T21:52:19-04:00

11 Bravo did me good when becoming a police officer, SWAT worked well being former 11B.
CQB fit right in, as well as knowledge with a full auto weapon, and making instance decisions under stress, round placement was always used, physical training was simple, being the Sniper on the SWAT team worked well too.

How about MP in the National Guard?

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2019 4:11 AM

2019-10-21T04:11:31-04:00

Reclassify to AFRES.
I enlisted in the ANG Mech Inf after a 16 year break. My MOSs active duty were 11H and 11F40. 11F had been eliminated and I came in as 11H40. The 106RR and 90MM were now in museums and I knew nothing about a tow missile.
Then surprise surprise I was required to go to 11B school Ft ORD. Strange wearing a CIB when training for an 11B MOS. Long story short I quickly realized in combat I would be a liability and was ready to give-up getting my 20 for retirement goal when an AFRES recruiter recruited me.
Having been a rough neck for 15 years I did good in operating equipment on the ASVAP and selected AFC 605. Retired with 24 years service at the same time I found employment in Oman as IT supervisor then Afghanistan a regular ramp tramp in CATO.

Response by PFC Ray Aquila made Oct 21 at 2019 4:20 AM

2019-10-21T04:20:17-04:00

10 years is a long time. You have had to learned quite a bit in this tine. If you feel you have more experiences in other fields rather than your old MOS. You might weigh your options.

Response by SGT George Stephens made Oct 22 at 2019 1:00 PM

2019-10-22T13:00:10-04:00

Totally your call brother. 10 years is a long time and if you're 30 or above, infantry will beat you down but then again this is from a 30 year old grunt haha. Blue cord life.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2019 10:00 PM

2019-10-24T22:00:47-04:00

I was a Regular Army 11B and when ETS time came I joined the Army Guard via one of the Career Counselors during out-process. I in-processed right after I got home and during that walk around/meet and greet it became pretty clear and I decided (for a number of reasons) “Nope, this is not going to work.” I still wanted to serve but needed to find something else. Soon after that I found an Air National Guard Recruiter and haven’t looked back. Or needed to. In my opinion life as an Air Force/Guard NCO is better than it would be Commissioned on the Army side. Drill is better. Annual Training is better. Deployment is better. I spent several years flying on KC-135s as a crew chief, traveling everywhere. I eventually got my civilian job as an air traffic controller because of my Air Guard training.

A really good friend of mine enlisted and then ETSd at about the same time. He left the Ranger Regiment and stuck out an enlistment as a National Guard 11B. He absolutely hated it got out for good. I’m now eligible to retire but have no interest in it. Air Force chow halls are a thing and I like my hotel rooms now, thanks. We’ve got former everybody in the Air Guard. We’ve got Marines, Coasties, all that. I’m the only Infantryman now that our paratrooper retired. In the end, it has to work for you. My advice is to find something you like, whatever it is, and run with it. If it stops working or you see something even better, make the change.

Response by SFC Luis (Coolwhip) Ochoa made Oct 25 at 2019 1:14 PM

2019-10-25T13:14:20-04:00

You’re a grown man, think about what you really want and go for it!!! I love the infantry but going EOD was the best move I made in my military career and loved the job!

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 1 at 2019 6:44 PM

2019-11-01T18:44:14-04:00

In terms of actually doing 11B at drill, we were in the field I’d say 8-10 drills. But In terms of it counting for something, it definitely won’t.

Response by SSG Leo Curtis made Nov 4 at 2019 1:01 PM

2019-11-04T13:01:08-05:00

It really depends on what units you have near you if the closet 11B unit is 100miles away are you willing to drive that ever drill.

Response by MSG Manuel Garcia made Jan 6 at 2020 12:22 PM

2020-01-06T12:22:50-05:00

I'm being biased here having spent over 30 years in Signal, but go Signal. 25U Signal Support Specialist, or 25B Information Technology Specialists. That is if you don't mind mental challenge. If this doesn't catch your eyes, go for any other TECHNICAL MOS that you can utilize once you go back to the civilian world. Good luck in your new quest.