Posted on Dec 5, 2018
Matthew Ferrara
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Or is it reserved for already enlisted/seniority?

I’m in contact with a recruiter from back in 2015 who out of the blue emailed me yesterday and repeaked my interest in the Guard.

Here’s part of a reply he sent me to that question...

“...11B is easy to enlist into. Airborne school is very rare for an Enlistment contract, but I’ll look into it. Those slots are very competitive and usually awarded to those who’ve already enlisted.

You’d have to be in peak physical condition to be considered for Airborne school. For your height I believe the weight limit is 189 lbs (or <24% body fat). Also, do you know the Army Physical Fitness Test standards and would you pass if given the test today?

Yes, 11B is the pathway to Airborne school, Air Assault, Ranger, and Special Forces among others. My office parter is infantry and my boss is a former Ranger. Both love it...”

Should I just keep in contact with him and see what comes out of it? Anyone out there in the Guard 11B went Airborne? I want to achieve Airborne to push myself and also have the doors open to greater and very much more demanding positions, i.e; Ranger school.

Thanks for reading and reaching out.
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LTC Jason Mackay
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Matthew Ferrara you usually get to Airborne in the reserve components by going to an Airborne unit (one on jump status) with paid parachute positions (PPP) on the Modified Table of Organization and Equipment (MTOE). Unless you are going to an Airborne unit, it is unclear if they can rustle up a slot as an incentive type slot. AD side this happens as a retention incentive or under the condition that soldier becomes available for reassignment to an Airborne unit to fill a PPP. Those that enlist with it in their contract on AD, are going to an Airborne assignment.

Air Assault may be easier to get to. It's two weeks (so you could do it for AT). Light infantry really needs air assault qualified personnel or Sling Load Certification (SLRT far more in depth school for sling loading and includes low cost, low altitude LCLA parachute ops, no badge) trained personnel especially if they are going to JRTC or Afghanistan. It's how you move people and stuff and stay supplied. The OK ARNG used to run an Air Assault school at Camp Grueber OK. It appears the only permanent Air Assault School is the Sabulski AAS (TAAS) at CampbellOccasionally there are mobile teams that go out to different Army units to conduct TAAS curriculum and qualify personnel. Once upon a time there were many 10th MTN, Ft Rucker, Chejudo in South Korea, 25th ID in HI, Italy with the 173d and even 11th ACR even had one in Germany.
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SFC Retention Operations Nco
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They actually stopped giving incentive slots for Airborne school a few years ago. If you aren't in an Airborne unit or going to one, Airborne school will deny your slot. They don't even accept walk ons anymore.
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SPC Erich Guenther
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Your Recruiter is correct very rare for NG enlisted contracts but there is one caveat to what he says about it being rare. If you enlist in a National Guard Unit that is on jump status it is highly likely you will get Airborne in your contract or after being with the unit for a while. I know the Texas National Guard has both a Special Forces National Guard Unit as well as a regular Infantry unit on Jump Status. Texas has the budget to afford that though and not many other states do. So if your not in a large state with a lot of population. Texas, California, Florida, New York, Illinois...........your not likely to have the higher speed NG units available to you. Though I have to confess I have no clue where all the NG Airborne units are. All I know is there is one in Texas for Infantry and one for Special Forces, there used to be a third for Public Affairs but I think their jump status was revoked. One in Atlanta for USAR but it is a parachute rigger unit in Atlanta. At most in the United States probably only a handful or so of Airborne NG units. They are expensive because every so often they have to jump from a plane and paying for that cost $$$ so your not going to find them in the less densely populated states. From what I remember both Illinois (Elgin?) and California have Air Assault NG units.
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CPT Brad Wilson
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If the unit you join has Airborne slots then yes. It all depends on the type of Infantry unit you are in. A Guard Mech Infantry unit will not have any Airborne slots because you can’t parachute a Bradley out of the back of a C17. Here in the Utah Guard we have the 19 SF Group and they do have Airborne slots since it’s a key part of their mission. When my Artillery Bn was towed we had 4 Air Assault slots every year because that is a mission or towed Field Artillery. We lost those slots when we converted to Paladins because you can’t sling load a Paladin under a Chinook helicopter
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SGT Armand Boucher
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Tell the recruiter what you want and have it written very clearly in your contract. Most of the time they'll lie and try to get you to agree to a verbal contract. Airborne school can be added to your enlistment contract so you'll go directly there after AIT. PS join air force
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SFC Thomas Howes
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I only know of to Airborne units in the NG both are in Texas 19th SF and the 36 INF has a airborne unit
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SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
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The easiest way to do that is to get an 18X contract. If you just want Airborne and not SF, drop SF *after* you graduate Airborne School.
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SSgt Security Forces
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Edited >1 y ago
Depends what state you'd enlist in. Some state and some units within those states get alot of funding and schools than other guard units. If you want a hard school, do air assault. Way better. Much more physically and mentally challenging and much more likely you'll get it in the guard. Airborne is jumping out of a plane 5 times and you'll never do it again.
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MSG Frank Kapaun
MSG Frank Kapaun
>1 y
Spoken like a true “leg.”
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SSgt Security Forces
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airborne just isn't useful like it was. The last 'true' jump was in Panama? The ones in the war on terror were staged and the DZs were secured before the jump. just saying
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SPC Bradly Martin
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Get 70+ in each of your pt events and stay squared away, you’ll get schools in the guard.
Only school that’s given out like candy for active is air assault or crossing over to 18 series. Shouldn’t be an issue getting airborne.
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Matthew Ferrara
Matthew Ferrara
>1 y
Time to up the cardio. Thank you for the response.
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SPC Bradly Martin
SPC Bradly Martin
>1 y
If you can do at least 45 pushups and 45 setups straight in 2 minutes the only thing you need to focus on is mile time. Shoot for about 14min. During basic those numbers will all go up for you.
Good luck!
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