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When I first joined the Army National Guard, I was shocked to see that many of the military courtesies were completely ignored. At my first weekend Drill, I'm approached by a Captain and immediately I snap to attention and render a salute; but to my surprise, I'm told not to salute while at Drill Training. And to make things really awkward for me was to see Privates walk up to NCO's or Officers and just start talking without standing at attention first and then waiting to be recognized. When you are on any Military Base and in uniform, you are required to show the proper courtesy toward your superiors. I think soldiers at National Guard Units should render military courtesies at all times.
Saluting
Respect
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 10
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I think it's time to leave the National Guard alone. I've been in the National Guard for 6 years now, AFTER serving on AD as a Cav Scout. I'll admit that at first it was a bit of a culture shock. I'll tell you what though. Once I eased into the culture and saw how everything worked, I realized that it wasn't so bad. The National Guard has been fighting battles since before AD even existed on this continent. The National Guard has fought in every armed conflict that this country has been involved in with the exceptions of Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, and Somalia.
For almost 400 years the National Guard has been kicking ass and taking names. In a lot of cases they've been doing it BETTER than their active duty counterparts. Are there exceptions? Yes. There are some units that live up to and even feed the stereotype.
Out of the soldiers that I've deployed with, I'd take the part timers over damn near ANY full timers ANY day. We're from the same towns, go to the same schools, hang out at the same places, and even work for the same employers. We're all from the same place so we already know how the other guy thinks. You want to talk about camaraderie? It doesn't get any deeper than it does in a solid Guard unit. Any solid Guard unit can also flip a switch and play the game, courtesies rendered at all times and everything.
For almost 400 years the National Guard has been kicking ass and taking names. In a lot of cases they've been doing it BETTER than their active duty counterparts. Are there exceptions? Yes. There are some units that live up to and even feed the stereotype.
Out of the soldiers that I've deployed with, I'd take the part timers over damn near ANY full timers ANY day. We're from the same towns, go to the same schools, hang out at the same places, and even work for the same employers. We're all from the same place so we already know how the other guy thinks. You want to talk about camaraderie? It doesn't get any deeper than it does in a solid Guard unit. Any solid Guard unit can also flip a switch and play the game, courtesies rendered at all times and everything.
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Cpl Glynis Sakowicz
Just have to jump into this... The President somewhat sneered at the Syrian rebel army, and said, "I mean, these are lawyers, and doctors and teachers... you can't train them to fight..." and all I was thinking of, was "Well, we already do... its called the National Guard and the Reserves..." I was quite surprised to find out that no one else thought to hold him to account for that statement he made many times.
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SSgt (Join to see)
SSG (Join to see) Hey I respect all men and women in the service and I remember one day we had a PhD in Chemistry working at the base weather station in Little Rock Air Force Base and he said, aside from me that Guard Observers were better than AD ones. I disagree and noticed that his observer (guard) had the Altimeter at 29.92 in (1013.2mb) and it should have read 29.42 and we have BKN-OVC skies and light rain. IFR all the way! He said "oh Crap" but more colorfully. hahaha... bad deal with flying, right 1LT Sandy Annala ?
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MAJ Ronnie Reams
Army National Guard units mobilized to Vietnam included Kentucky's 2nd Battalion, 138th Artillery; Indiana's Company D (Ranger), 151st Infantry, which brought home 510 medals for valor and service; Hawaii's 29th Infantry Brigade; Kansas' 69th Infantry Brigade, with one infantry battalion from the Iowa Guard; California's 1st Squadron, 18th Armored Cavalry; New Hampshire's 3rd Battalion, 197th Artillery; and numerous engineer, postal, medical and support units.
The Air National Guard, flying F-100C Super Sabre fighter-bombers, dispatched four squadrons to Vietnam, with the first F-100s roaring into Phan Rang Air Base in late April 1968. Air Guard units included the 120th Colorado, 174th Iowa, 136th New York and the 188th New Mexico. These outstanding Air Guard units flew 24,124 combat sorties and accumulated 38,614 combat flying hours.
The Air National Guard, flying F-100C Super Sabre fighter-bombers, dispatched four squadrons to Vietnam, with the first F-100s roaring into Phan Rang Air Base in late April 1968. Air Guard units included the 120th Colorado, 174th Iowa, 136th New York and the 188th New Mexico. These outstanding Air Guard units flew 24,124 combat sorties and accumulated 38,614 combat flying hours.
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SPC Darin Taylor, I can tell you from my experience, that what you described is the exception, not the rule. Overwhelmingly the majority of reserve component soldiers I've been around are professional soldiers who adhere to the courtesies of the service.
I will grant that I don't see many privates being statues until they are acknowledged when around RC soldiers, but then again, I really don't see it on the active duty side either (outside of TRADOC institutions that is).
I will grant that I don't see many privates being statues until they are acknowledged when around RC soldiers, but then again, I really don't see it on the active duty side either (outside of TRADOC institutions that is).
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SSgt (Join to see)
COL Randall C. I never seen as many Observers of weather that had advanced college degrees, both active, guard and reserve. I would never assume that someone is inferior because of being in the Guard or Reserve....
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COL Randall C.
LTC Yinon Weiss - you don't agree? Do you have a different view on the professionalism of reserve component soldiers? Very interested in your take on why they aren't (when compared to their active component counterparts).
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LTC Yinon Weiss
COL Randall C. Great question. I've had the benefit of serving in two different active duty branches plus the National Guard. I would say there is a definite cultural difference in all three... just like one may find a different culture in different parts of the US. The Marines have a different culture from the Army, and the Army National Guard has a more nuanced but still different culture than the active duty Army. It doesn't mean the individual members themselves are any better or worse, but we should acknowledge the cultural differences.
While there are some universal baselines, being professional is always relative to the environment one is in. I therefore think it's possible to be professional as an organization, but when somebody makes a switch from a different organization, interpret behavior differently.
While there are some universal baselines, being professional is always relative to the environment one is in. I therefore think it's possible to be professional as an organization, but when somebody makes a switch from a different organization, interpret behavior differently.
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COL Randall C.
LTC Yinon Weiss, absolutely agree on the cultural difference. As you know, careers the reserve component (especially in the National Guard) are geographically based. The nature of that beast is you will have increasingly more familiarity with other unit personnel as you spend more time in that component.
I agree with your statement that being professional is relative to the environment one is in, but I see that personnel in all components would adhere to the standards of professionalism that are expected of members of the Service (the universal baselines you mentioned), regardless of component.
I know there are less than professional Soldiers in the reserve component, but in my experience, they've overall tracked with Soldiers in the same situation (MOS, type of unit, type of commander, etc) on the active component.
I agree with your statement that being professional is relative to the environment one is in, but I see that personnel in all components would adhere to the standards of professionalism that are expected of members of the Service (the universal baselines you mentioned), regardless of component.
I know there are less than professional Soldiers in the reserve component, but in my experience, they've overall tracked with Soldiers in the same situation (MOS, type of unit, type of commander, etc) on the active component.
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I had the same question when i transitioned from Active to Guard. But i soon learned that, unlike Active, the Guard train and fight with the same guys (and gals) year after year. Theirfor they know each other with great intimacy. Not saying Active Soliders arent good at their jobs, but the Guardsmen have a better knowledge of how their peers act and move making for more percise drills. Active units train 365 days a year, but every 2-3 years have to adjust to working with new Soliders.
So to sum up, the Guard may seem lax in rendering salutes, but make up for it in job performance.
So to sum up, the Guard may seem lax in rendering salutes, but make up for it in job performance.
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GySgt William Hardy
I have tried to explain that concept to active duty personnel before. Just because a Guardsman drills 2 days a month and 2 weeks a year at AT does not mean they are less trained. I spent a lot of time drilling at Ft. Campbell using their computer center in mock battles. It is not like I show up at the drill hall and just BS all day with the guys. After several years with the same team, we get to know what everyone else is going to do and we do our thing and in the end we get the job done quick and professionally. I cannot tell you how many times I have spent weeks with active duty forces in training. Every time I did, they were amazed and upset that we performed well and usually out did out counter parts. I tried to tell them that we had teamwork based on a decade of working with each other. Active units change personnel all the time. During my 11 years of active service, there was never a time when I spent an entire year without someone going and coming into the team. We not only trained ourselves, we had to catch the new guys up. In the Guard and Reserves we tend to have the same people and turn over does not happen often. In my first 11 years in the Guard, approximately 60 percent of the people I started with was still there. When I left the Guard the first time, I had spent at least 4 years with the newest guy. I agree with what you said SPC Patton...btw...I was in the TN ANG in Jackson, TN.
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SPC James Patton
I was in the Maryville, Tn unit. It would also help if the Active componet would realize that over half of America's Special Forces are composed of Guard and Reserve Units. With that said i would go back Active in a heart beat. If I could fix my back. When your Active you fight side by side with a guy from Tn, Tx, and Ny. When your Guard you fight side by side withe guy's from Madisonville, Tn, and Vonore Tn, and maybe Knoxville, Tn. I actualy had a buddy who had to report to his Uncle. I reported directly to my CO., and 1SGT. Was instructed to call the by name when in privite. I will never forget my then 3yr old threatened them both if they took her daddy away. If i were Active my Co would never had known my Daughter.
So Active = a few great men, Guard = a few great families.
So Active = a few great men, Guard = a few great families.
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GySgt William Hardy
SPC Patton - Funny you mentioned relationships. It is much different in the Guard and Reserves. When I deployed to Iraq in 2006, the TN Guard put together a unit for gun truck security made up of people from all parts of Tennessee. When we finally got together in Smyrna, two of the guy from other units were my former 7th grade students. One was in his mid-thirties and the other was a college student. We had been in different units but we all volunteered for this deployment. Channel 2 in Nashville interviewed the three of us just before we left for Camp Shelby.
I might add that when my unit arrived at Camp Taji, Iraq, we replaced a unit of the 101st Airborne out of Ft. Campbell. There is an old saying that in battle we do not fight for our country. We fight for the guy next to us and he for me. We have each other's back. When the guy next to you is your neighbor, co-worker, student, or friend, it puts a new twist to why we fight.
I might add that when my unit arrived at Camp Taji, Iraq, we replaced a unit of the 101st Airborne out of Ft. Campbell. There is an old saying that in battle we do not fight for our country. We fight for the guy next to us and he for me. We have each other's back. When the guy next to you is your neighbor, co-worker, student, or friend, it puts a new twist to why we fight.
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