National Guard attending Active Duty School?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 11:05:58 -0500

Recently I was denied the opportunity to attend an Active Component school for because I'm a National Guard Soldier. My meeting all and exceeding most of their requirements to attend made no difference. I'd like to hear others thoughts on this?

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 6 at 2015 11:09 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 11:09:20 -0500

When I went to INIWIC (non lethal weapons instructor) there were several NG Soldiers and I was a Marine Reservist. What school was it?

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Mar 6 at 2015 12:00 PM

COL Jean (John) F. B. — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 12:00:18 -0500

I want to preface my comments with the fact that I am a HUGE supporter of the Reserve Components (Guard and Reserve). I have been a very active member of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) for several years and have received every award they give, both individually and corporately. I have great admiration and respect for the citizen soldiers in the Reserve Components. That was not always the case, as I have described in an earlier RallyPoint post. However, over my almost 30 years of active duty, my opinion has drastically changed, primarily due to having several National Guard units assigned to my active duty battalion during Operation Desert Storm.

Having said that, my personal belief is that there is nothing wrong with the idea that certain things (benefits, etc.) be limited to active duty personnel only. Although I know that the Reserve Components have deployed as much as, and in some cases, more than their active duty counterparts, the fact remains that they are still not full-time active duty. If they want to have all the benefits that active duty soldiers/sailors/airmen/marines have, they have the option to be active, not reserve components.

Training, however, is one area that should not be limited, to the extent possible by budgets and availability of training slots. If we truly expect our RC units and individuals to maintain the proficiency required to be totally effective, we need to afford them the opportunity for training and schools.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Feb 27 at 2019 1:26 AM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 01:26:29 -0500

That is interesting, certainly, I'd seen one other here ask which program it was, that'd he useful to know, certainly, if you might care to relate it, obviously, that'd he something only you can decide, certainly, I can emtirely fathom if you'd prefer to not go into that specific aspect, of course...that being said, purely as a thought, I tend to wonder whether attending such a school, provided space might be available, could possibly be allowed for Guard and/or Reserve as a permissive TDY thing, to minimize govt cost, yet let Guard and Reserve take advantage of such programs...that'd mean out of pocket cost to get there, maybe it could be done for points only, please understand, hose are just thoughts on my part, not that such things would ever necessarily happen...once when I'd been in, I'd asked to be allowed to go permissive TDY to a conference, and was allowed, I was able to GOP flights there and back, though I had to take care of one short commercial flight and a car rental myself...I just think use of permissive TDY in such instances, assuming a course might have room, or overages under such circumstances could be allowed, could add a good deal of flexibility for Guard and Reserve training...I'd also wondered whether attending such a course could be allowed for AGR, Guard Tech, and/or Reserve Tech, at all, being as they're full time, even if state or Federal civil servants in uniform during a work week, just another observation...another aspect that occurs to me is that, if a given program has a nonresident version, in addition to going in residence, one might logically think that doing the nonresident version first might be a reasonably justifiable requirement, e.g., for USAF, Squadron Ofcrs Schl (SOS) or any other comparable PME program, that has nonresident, as well as in residence...when I was in, getting to go to SOS at Maxwell was a pretty huge deal for LTS and Capts I never got to, I just thought to explain that, the same was amd I'm assuming still is true likewise for any of the command and staff or war college programs, or any other mil course where nonresident, online, etc., might be available first, before a svc might commit to letting a Guard or Reserve mbr go...as I said, those are all just thoughts, of course...hat was a quite interesting circumstance, most definitely., I'd be most eager for any thoughts whenever convenient, no rush, of course....

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Feb 27 at 2019 1:30 AM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 01:30:40 -0500

And believe me, I'd also asked even as active duty to go to an Army program I'd found for training on a mainframe of been expected to use for work...I was told I'd have to learn OJT, from other active duty as well as civil svc staff, which, most definitely, being denied, in retrospect, slowed me down in adjusting...I hadn't known of permissive TDY at that point, as I was a newbie then, and had never heard about it till later on, had I known about it, of have asked to go that way, most definitely, as an incentive to get reasonably qualified cheaper, saving USAF money in the process, I just didn't know about such a possibility at that point, as I'd said, unfortunately....

Response by 1SG John Millan made Jan 24 at 2024 1:13 AM

1SG John Millan — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 01:13:51 -0500

It's based on needs of the service. If slots are open, you can attend if you meet standards. But mission requirements come 1st.