Posted on May 28, 2015
What does the National Guard offer that the Reserves doesn't and Vice-Versa?
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If you were a recruiter, what would your angle be?
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 42
Don't forget about the Competitive Events Program. I have been shooting competitively for the Guard for more than 10 years now on the Marksmanship Team. We travel and attend many matches each year. There is also a Biathlon Team, a Marathon team and the Golden Knights (parachute team).
I'm pretty sure that the Reserves don't offer all of that...
I'm pretty sure that the Reserves don't offer all of that...
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I know in Colorado that there are good college tuition incentives and kickers. There is a Special Forces Battalion HQ and a TSOC Intel unit in-state, good for prospective highly motivated troops. But I was in the USAR and retired from an IMA-JRU.
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Outside of being deployed to a foreign Country. The National Guard allows you to serve your State. It allows you to be with people from your general community, you may have gone to high school with some of the people you would be serving with. Unless you had prior active service or have been deployed. Your Veteran status is limited. Ex. No Active service other than Basic and AIT, which does not count. Your Opportunities are limited by what your state allocates to the Guard, after all the National Guard is controlled by the Governor of the given State until Activated into the Regular Army for a specific period of time.
The Army Reserve is controlled by the Federal Government, your MOS opportunities are limited by how far you are willing to travel to get the MOS you want, the veteran status is same as for the National Guard.
If the Question really wants to know which offers the best benefits, they are pretty much the same, unless you are from a State that offers free higher level education. If your goal is free education at a university or college then "Go Guard". Not all States offer this benefit. Not everyone could go to college even if they wanted to. It could be Financial or a particular circumstance that one may find themselves in that precludes them from taking advantage of the Benefit.
The National Guard and Army Reserve has two things in common, both have "U.S. Army on their shirt or ACU Coat and have a desire to serve and learn from others.
I for one have served in the Regular Army, National Guard and the Army Reserve, at no time have I ever looked at what the service could do for me, I looked at what I could do for my country
The Army Reserve is controlled by the Federal Government, your MOS opportunities are limited by how far you are willing to travel to get the MOS you want, the veteran status is same as for the National Guard.
If the Question really wants to know which offers the best benefits, they are pretty much the same, unless you are from a State that offers free higher level education. If your goal is free education at a university or college then "Go Guard". Not all States offer this benefit. Not everyone could go to college even if they wanted to. It could be Financial or a particular circumstance that one may find themselves in that precludes them from taking advantage of the Benefit.
The National Guard and Army Reserve has two things in common, both have "U.S. Army on their shirt or ACU Coat and have a desire to serve and learn from others.
I for one have served in the Regular Army, National Guard and the Army Reserve, at no time have I ever looked at what the service could do for me, I looked at what I could do for my country
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It's a state dependant subject. Ohio for example pays up to 4 years of undergrad college tuition.
Speak to a recruiter and see what opportunities your home state offers if any.
Speak to a recruiter and see what opportunities your home state offers if any.
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NCOES is frozen in my state for the foreseeable future and the reserves get paid for SSD. Is Combat Arms and State (title 32) missions all that the NG can provide that the Reserves can't?
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National Guard has state money and combat arms. Reserves does not have state missions and you can get promoted.
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Combat Arms vs Support - NG you more or less work for the state. This means slots are per state and it may require a interstate transfer to get promoted Also re-class could be difficult in NG.
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MSG Morgan Fiszel, CPCM, CFCM
Re-class is definitely not hard in the guard. I have 31B, 11B, 92A and 51C. If you are motivated, engaged and inquisitive there will be many opportunities for you. You can go in any direction you want. The combat arms versus support comment is also less than valid. My state is comprised mostly of infantry, military police and combat engineers.
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SPC David S.
Yes my experience may be a bit dated. It was that way in the late 80's early 90's. It was my understanding that the reorganization of the Army Reserve in 1993 eliminated almost all combat arms units from the USAR and converted those units to combat support and combat service support units. I was in an artillery unit in the reserves and that unit was being terminated thus reclassed and I moved to NG. This change caused a lot of moving around and reclassing was not that easy. You have USAR infanty units in your state? I thought the 100th Infantry Battalion was the only combat arms unit in the United States Army Reserve. Due to them being the most decorated unit they got to stay.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100th_Infantry_Battalion_%28United_States%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100th_Infantry_Battalion_%28United_States%29
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It's a state force, not federal. NG has combat arms. NG has a mission while stateside, so you actually may get to help people. NG partners with foreign countries so there are chances to go to other countries to train or train foreign soldiers here. For recruiting though...don't be pushy. They want to tell you why they want to join...let 'em talk and highlight opportunities within the organization that have a possibility to help them along their path.
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