Tension between National Guard and Active Duty Army?

Guess what happened in 2005/2006 with a mobilized Pennsylvania Guard unit during Mod Training ??? Med Hold at Ft. Bliss, Tx...

I have served in the Active-Duty Air Force, the Army National Guard, The Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve. So, I think I might have a unique perspective to offer. My Aeromedical Evacuation unit from Norton AFB in San Bernardino, CA was in the process of activation for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. We were sent to March AFB (now March ARB) in Riverside CA for predeployment refresher training.
After arriving at the base hospital, the NCOIC of the session asked us how much we remembered about starting Ivs. I raised my hand and asked him which type of IV he was inquiring about to which he replied, "Now don't feel slighted, we are just trying to establish a baseline for your training". There was no effort made to learn what any of us did in the civilian world.
I informed him that I was an Emergency Room Trauma Nurse, the gentleman to my right was a Los Angeles County Fire Department Paramedic Trainer/Supervisor, and the lady to my left was an Intensive Care Unit nurse from a Level 1 Trauma Center. We were all NCOs; we still hadn't introduced the officers in our group all of which were working medical/nursing professionals at the same Trauma Center. I followed up with the question, "What can we do to assist you?" Many of us had close too or over 1,000 hours of AE flight experience (no, it wasn't all training flights). The NCOIC would have done himself a huge favor by simply inquiring about our civilian as well; as military experience. He just assumed we were just "Dumb ass reservists". Believe me, we are to help, not to hinder.

I was in a army reserve unit for 15 years an they were all to notch guys and woman. they spent a lot of time in Jims most of them worked construction or farms. so they stayed in shape I was very proub to be part of the 3rdof the 3rd light infatery

I was AD USAF for nearly 15 years. Early 90's my AFSC (MOS) was downgraded. All jobs were graded between 1 and 5. 1 was critical and 5 was unneeded; my MWR job. I left AF for the AF Reserves and reentered in the logistics field. Formerly, I was a C-130 Loadmaster, but damaged an eardrum, so I couldn't fly as a crewmember anymore. I volunteered for 11 deployments while in my 18 years as AFR working air cargo, freight, and passenger service (airports). Often, on deployments the AD thought that reservists didn't know anything and that somehow, we were just given our ranks and that these ranks weren't equal to AD ranks. Like the soldier's story above, there was difficulty. Most of the reservists were older and most were very experienced. And not just in our primary jobs, but many owned private businesses or had advanced degrees in another discipline. We had to assert our authority and show that we had the right stuff.

Well you could make money by being a week end warrior.

I've been Guard for almost 20 years. Active will always complain about Guard. And Guard will always complain about Active. Each have their purpose mission & capabilities. Each meet their mission in the timelines given. Guard has outside jobs, outside lives that they bring to the table. Most of which is real world application of their jobs. And use it to benefit their mission. Plus also in the guard we have to usually drive our vics to a post or base across the state for drill or annual training getting real world drivers training in vics among civilian population. Active can not. Active only can train & train on post. Never utilizing their skill set until deployed. In the Guard each year(in my state) for all hazards (hurricane season) we utilize our skills often.
Personally on each deployment, I've witnessed the incompetencey of active. 2nd tour, active cav didn't listen to us as we the point of them going out. Their sole purpose was to protect our assets. And we told them to keep us together cause of the type of vehicles & what we hauling. So that we could help each other. No, they seperated us b/t 50 other vehicles and when it came time that we needed each other's help. It took additional hours for each vehicles to passed an obstruction because they didn't listen. 3rd tour acite ID relieved us & we gave them a flawless playbook on what their mission was & how to complete it. Their 1st mission without us riding along, they broke 2 vehicles including a wrecker & almost a 3rd but a 1sg from SFG told them no they weren't running a vehicle that was carrying twice max load.
Now also I've seen Guard completely screw up themselves. A csm holding a mission for weeks just so he could go on it. A brigade command arguing with a battalion command on who belonged to whom & how they were gonna run missions. And so on.
Honestly both will rag on each other til the end of time. But 2 things are Tru, 1 Guard was here 1st. 13Dec1636. And 2 reserves are completely useless. They get our hand me downs. Lol.
As long as every keeps it's to friendly ragging on each other and respect each other's strengths & weeknesses. not making it serious then it's in all good fun & work together it's Kool.

If I were in a Leadership position, either in the NG or the AD, I would emphasize the "One Team, One Fight" concept. This applies to relations with the other services as well, and even to members of Allied Nations' armed forces.

If I were not in a Leadership position, I would ask whoever is in a Leadership position what their attitude towards "One Team, One Fight" would be. That, of course, has one (and only one) acceptable answer: "'One Team, One Fight' means exactly what it says, and anybody in this unit who does not believe in it can see me, and I will explain their error (it won't be a fun conversation)."

I can only say what I've witnessed from 28 years of Army active duty. The stigma of the NG is strong on Active duty Soldiers minds. We were leaving the box at NTC. Hot as balls in August. The unit coming in after us were the Tennessee National Guard. The whole state which hasn't happened since WWII. Seeing these men around, I thought was a joke. Especially of the numerous over weights in uniform. Before they left tent city there were something like 12 had heart attacks. First day in the box we heard there were around 5 had heart attacks and many others succumbing to heat exhaustion.

Years later, I was sent to Riley for the Combat Adviser Course as a Small Teams Instructor/Mentor after I came back from Afghanistan as a Combat Adviser with the Afghan Border Police along the Pak border. They, NG teams, were professional and listened to instructions being like sponges. The Air Force teams and Navy teams were the same. The pain in the arse ones were Active Duty Army teams. Even in Afghanistan, we were treated better by the NG, Reserve Soldiers than Active Army.

Now, my other thoughts came after I retired. I was hanging out with Active duty National Guard Soldiers. They were professional in and out of uniform. What I perceived as laughable is the fact that they acted like they were on the same level as active duty Soldiers. OK, they had a basic 9-5 job and went home to their families and areas they were raised. So they knew just about everyone. They still did their one weekend a month and two week training somewhere and even deployed. My twist was thinking No way in hell were they on par with active duty. We trained for weeks at a time each month in the field or going to NTC or JRTC for a month each year and sometimes twice a year. Being away from families more. So how can they be on par with active duty? A professional question open for discussion.

I was in the Guard for 6 years. I flew from California to Andrews one year. While boarding a MAC flight. A regular Army soldier asked me if I was Guard. I said yes and asked him why he asked. He pointed to my 2 rows of ribbons on my class A's. I was a Spec4. He said it must be easy to get awards in the Guard. I found it rather insulting. Considering all my awards I had come from my 2 years in the Active Army. In the 6 years in the Guard the only award I got from them was a good Conduct Medal. Most regular Army soldiers always looked down on me. Even when they came to my classes on ComSec that I taught for 3 years. Most of them could not even figure out how use a TA-1 Field Phone.

There’s been a huge change in the NG since 1990. Desert Shield /Storm exposed a lot of fraud and other things in the NG. It wasn’t a good look, careers ended, and things changed. I couldn’t say much good about the guard at that time. Fast forward to 9/11 and after. Wasn’t the same NG. Completely capable and professional. Served alongside some outstanding NG troops.