Tension between National Guard and Active Duty Army?

I spent 29 years on active duty, and I think that we often had unrealistic expectations of National Guard Soldiers. National Guard soldiers are often 10 to 15 years older then their active duty counter parts, and often not in as good a physical condition. Their physical condition was a function of age, and physical training - which isn't part of most civilian occupations. But the aspect that was often over looked, is that when you had a National Guard unit deploying with you, there were always a bonus effect. You had professional electricians, plumbers, carpenters, mechanics, lawyers, doctors, nurses... all of those National Guardsmen had years of experience from their civilian jobs - and that always was a wonderful bonus... and helped us solve real world problems. The National Guardsmen that I worked with were good men, dedicated and brave soldiers - but they were different from active duty soldiers, and in some ways better.

I believe that there is a time and a place for some good natured ribbing and joking between branches, services and components.  With that being said, I have served with members of the National Guard in both Afghanistan and in Iraq and to me and my Soldiers, the only difference was the patch on the shoulder.  It's a non-issue in my book.

Like many of my counterparts here in this thread, I have served in the AD and am now a reservist.  There is some good old fashioned ribing, but there are those out there who think of the Reserve and National Guard as substandard.  What COL Roach says in this speaks volumes, but another aspect is this,  We "part time" Soldiers are able to complete missions in combat with training only 2 days a month and 2 weeks in a year and are able to keep up and sometimes out perform our AC counterparts.  There are thos out there that see this, however I do not believe we will ver totally get out of the "Nasty Guard or Reserve" mentality.  Only those that served side by side with them will have a new respect for us.  I amproud to be a reservist.  We are able to juggle the Military, our civilian job, family school etc.  AC is able to concentrate on thier full time Military occupation.  Be proud of who you are, AC, Reservist or National Guardsman because in the end we all are on the same team fighting the same fight!

<P>The important thing to remember is there is only one standard and we all must meet it.&nbsp; I make no excuses for my fellow RC Soldiers that haven't kept up on their professioal education, APFT, etc.&nbsp; The greatest compliment that I received on both of my deployments was the AC officers assuming I was AC also since I could walk the walk and talk the talk just like them.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Being RC is harder than being AC, but we all volunteered to be Guard or Reserve so let's meet the standards that we signed up for.&nbsp; Good leaders will ensure that happens.</P>

What some people fail to realize is the Military is what you make of it. It you put forth hard work and devotion it will pay off in time; however, if you dont give it everything you got and put your heart into what you are doing then the end result will be minimal. Unfortunately the ones that usually complain are either A) the ones that dont put forth the effort so they dont get much of a retun, or B) they are not in a unit that fits them. Some units work out better for some than others and if the soldier is unhappy with his unit then maybe it is time for a PCS. I had a soldier that was extremely unhappy with his old unit and after he transfered to my unit he loved it and became one of the best soldiers I had.&nbsp;As long as Joe has food, water, and plenty of things to keep him occupied, Joe is pretty content with life.

I did 5 years in the Guard and have done 13 active. My guard unit is one of the better units Ive been in.

When people see a poor unit they say "they must be guard" When they see a good unit they don't even think about it.

I had over 11 years of active duty under my belt when I joint the National Guard (1967 to 1978). I had my reservations about joining, but I wanted to get enough reserve time so I could get some benefits for the years I put in on active duty. It didn't take me long to discover that the men and women I worked with were professional soldiers even though we only had 2 days of active duty a month and only spent 2 weeks training in the summer. I spent many weekends not at the NG Armory, but at an active duty post practicing my trade on their combat simulator. Through the years, I had the good fortune to be sent to Fort Bragg and Fort Campbell for my summer training several times. Twice I was able to participate in Reforger in Germany. When I joined the NG I had no idea that I would be spending so much time with the active component. After a while, I discovered that some of the active duty units were upset that my unit out performed them in many areas. As was previously mentioned, we were older, but also better educated. We all went to the same schools as our active duty counterparts, but within my S2 shop, we had 2 people with a high school education, 4 with a BS degree, and 1 with a masters, and that was the enlisted men. We were also prideful and worked extra hard to measure up to the active duty side. In 2006 I was activated and sent to Iraq where replaced an element of the 101st. I am proud to say that we did an excellent job and suffered only two WIA in the 12 months we ran gun truck security. In the end, now that I am retired, I saw little difference between the active component and the NG when they were side by side as in Reforger and in Iraq. I am proud to have served on both sides of the fence.

I have spent time in both the Active Army and the Army National Guard...in both there are good leaders and bad leaders...good units and bad units...the ribbing between the branches is just like the ribbing between siblings. &nbsp;<div><br></div><div>The bottom line is when the rubber meets the road we(all the different branches) work together well. so keep up the sibling rivalry going, and to work well together when the rubber meets the road!!</div><p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<br><o:p></o:p></p>

Up here in the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts, home of the oldest units in the United States military, the first Chief of Transportation (I'd like to cite Wikipedia there: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_Corps), and the first and oldest of a whole slew of other thi ngs, we don't have many active duty folks. We just think we're the best because we're Massachusetts.

On a more serious note, we do gripe about active duty a lot and I have no idea why. Possibly because our AD are all coasties.

I think a lot of the tension and "weekend warrior" stigma can be traced back to the Viet Nam War. I don't think anyone can argue against the accomplishments of the National Guard in the early to mid 20th century. 40% of the American Expeditionary Force in WWI was National Guard troops. The National Guard's 30th Division earned the most Medals of Honor of any unit in the war. During WWII, the 133rd "Ironman" Infantry Regiment set the record for the most continuous days in combat, one that stands to this day. Once more, half of Maj. Darby's revered Rangers of World War II came from the National Guard's 34th Infantry Division. Even during the Korean War over 139,000 National Guardsmen fought.

When the Viet Nam war began, however, President Johnson decided to not mobilize the National Guard. It became a haven for those too proud to run but not proud enough to go fight. I've met many Viet Nam Veterans who have extremely negative opinions of the National Guard. I don't think as an institution we've really moved past that. With the expectation of never going to war, it doesn't surprise me that the guardsmen of the 70's and 80's were lax and undisciplined. I've heard plenty of stories from members of the "old" National Guard about booze and barbecues instead of training on the weekends.

When I was at MCCC this topic was brought up. I was one of 3 National Guardsmen in the course. Some of my active duty peers had positive opinions, others did not. Some of their criticisms were valid. Every guard unit I've been in has had issues with PT. I've personally encountered and worked to eliminate the infamous "good ole boy" system as well. My argument is simple, there are good and bad National Guard units. Our best line units are not going to match the 101st or 75th, but we still bring plenty to the fight. When I deployed the worst units I worked with were Active Duty. That doesn't justify me having a negative opinion of the entire force. Instead of writing the guard off wholesale, I suggest they evaluate it at an individual unit level. With the shrinking defense budgets chances are the next time we go to war we'll work together again. The sooner we can come to a mutual understanding the better off we'll be.