What is a typical drill like for a Infantry Unit in the Guard?

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 06:27:20 -0500

How long (hours) does a drill day usually go on for?

Response by SFC Harry H. made Mar 2 at 2019 7:56 AM

SFC Harry H. — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 07:56:42 -0500

All dependent upon then unit. Generally if it’s a home station drill, about 10 to 12 hrs on Saturday and 8 to 10 hours on Sunday.

If it’s away, obviously it’s over night and again 8 to 10 hours on Sunday. Then there is the possibility of a Muta 5 and 6. Which means you basically show up Friday after work or Friday all day.

A UTA stands for Unit Training Assembly. It is a four-hour period of drill. A typical drill weekend, a MUTA-4 (Multiple Unit Training Assembly) consists of four, four-hour periods or two days. If you drill for 3 days straight; this would be a MUTA-6 - consists of six 4 hour periods. So, for every 4 hour period drilled, add them up and that would determine the MUTA-#. For more information go to the link attached and check out NGR (AR) 350-1. Hope that helps.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2019 8:47 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 08:47:11 -0500

It all depends on the task. If you are homestation expect a 7am-5pm work day doing AWTs, briefs, or Paperwork. If in the field expect anything from continuous ops to just shooting at the range.
Regardless, show up with PTs, OCPs, the ability to sustain yourself through final formation for the weekend, and ensure you've talked previously with your first line leader with the key tasks for the weekend.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2019 9:09 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 09:09:07 -0500

Typically, there is a lot of waiting at every drill.
Whether you are at a home station drill or at an installation for weapons qual or other training, you may find yourself in line for hours waiting for limited computers to complete a 15 minute online class or fill out an online form (similar to if you did SSD1 online at RSP drills).
Do yourself a favor to save yourself hours every drill: buy yourself a $10 CAC reader on Amazon. Check out militarycac.com to set it up on your laptop. Find out what online classes or forms are required for drill, do them at home prior to drill or bring your laptop and CAC reader to drill.
Being proactive for about 15 minutes a month prior to drill will save you hours at every drill.
Do this very simple thing, and you may find that on Sundays, when everyone is lined up to use a couple of computers to sign their OCIE hand receipts on AKO or complete an online class, you have already emailed the completed pdf to your squad leader, platoon sergeant and AGR, your platoon sergeant might just say, "you're done, you can go home at 1630," while those that refuse to buy a CAC reader or do anything on their own laptop at home before drill, or on their own laptop at drill, will be stuck in line until 2100 and getting home at midnight.
You'll run into MDAYs who say "f*** that, I'm not buying anything, or doing Guard work on my own time not getting paid." To me, $10 and 15-30 minutes of my own time once a month between drills is definitely worth saving 2-4 hours of sitting around waiting at every drill.

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2019 7:48 PM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 19:48:21 -0500

It also depends on if your in one of the infantry units that want to be high speed. They will do a 4-5 day drill

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2019 8:13 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 20:13:56 -0500

Those senior non-coms hit the center of the black with their answers. Welcome to the Guard, kid.

Response by CSM John Ryan made Mar 3 at 2019 9:16 AM

CSM John Ryan — Sun, 03 Mar 2019 09:16:36 -0500

Depends on commander. Muta is a 4-8 hour block. Muta 4 is a two day muta means active duty day pay. So you get paid for four active days for two days of duty. So when I had a stay they were long weekends.

Response by 2LT Earl Dean made Mar 4 at 2019 8:32 AM

2LT Earl Dean — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 08:32:25 -0500

Depends on the unit and what they have to do. Most stay at home drills there is a ton of cleaning and some classes. Break every two hours. Drills can be long very long depending on subjects matter. Away drills I always found better because you were out moving and doing something. But if at home count on ten or twelve hours. Away at least 24 hours

Response by SPC Zach Lockhart made Mar 8 at 2019 6:31 PM

SPC Zach Lockhart — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 18:31:03 -0500

My unit only did Muta 6’s. Normally 0700 Friday through 1700 Sunday. Some drills were long and boring. Others were very fast paced. It wasn’t unusual to not sleep and/or eat very little that weekend so bring snacks. It was probably 50/50 split between getting barracks and sleeping outside. Some units get little tents -ours didn’t. Bivy cover and wet-weather bag will be your best friends. Most importantly, try to have fun because it’s easy to hate your life during drill weekend.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 21 at 2019 1:43 PM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 13:43:58 -0400

Depends on your training cycle and unit. Last year, my unit had 4 day drills of long days and nights out in the field and on ranges, and a 14 day drill at Ft Drum more of the same in prep for NTC. next year, we have all home station drills minus 2 which will likely be 9-5 saturday and sunday doing a whole lot of Hip-pocket training.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 30 at 2019 7:23 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 30 Mar 2019 19:23:28 -0400

As far as hours, like a lot of guys are saying, home station drills, generally Friday and Saturday both units I've been in (one a light/leg unit, one heavy weapon truck unit) are usually like 0600-1700 give or take, usually with an hour break for lunch whether it's catered, MREs, go-and-get, whatever. Field drills we'd usually have first formation anywhere from 0300-0500 on the reporting day and be "doing stuff" till at least 1700. Usually there's some type of night ops involved that starts once it's gotten however dark it's gonna get and chow is done. Field wake up is usually 0600 or so. At my leg unit we usually got dismissed a little later than we do at my current unit. That's just gonna vary from unit to unit. Sometimes leadership takes longer to get their stuff done, sometimes lower enlisted takes longer to get their stuff done but you're not leaving Sunday until everyone is done with everything so word of advice, if you're done with whatever you personally needed to get done on Sunday, go ahead and start getting the armory, vehicles, battle buddies squared away. You'll find that hurry up and wait is actually not always a bad thing. No matter what you've got going on that weekend, do everything you can do to help get everyone's job done. The sooner all required training and maintenance is done, the sooner leadership can have their senior leader meeting and you can leave. What kind of unit are you going to?

Response by SGT James Murphy made Jul 15 at 2019 10:08 AM

SGT James Murphy — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 10:08:59 -0400

Open Bar????