What is it like being a warrant officer in the national guard vs the reserves?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 15:55:34 -0400

Currently getting ready to ets from active duty and still want to service with a goal of becoming a warrant officer. I'm debating between the guard or the reserves...any info or opinions would be appreciated.

Response by SFC Melvin Brandenburg made Jul 10 at 2019 4:12 PM

SFC Melvin Brandenburg — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 16:12:24 -0400

I'm in the guard and love it.

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Jul 10 at 2019 4:53 PM

SMSgt Thor Merich — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 16:53:46 -0400

I have been in both the Guard and Reserve. While I don’t have experience with the Warrant Officer program, I can touch on the difference between the Guard and Reserve.

In the Army, the Reserves have no combat units, only support. Only the Guard has Combat unit’s. But if you keep your same MOS, it shouldn’t be an issue.

The Guard tends to be busier and gets activated more than the Reserves. That’s because they serve two masters. They can be activated under Title 32 by the governor to serve stateside missions, national disasters, riots, etc. However, they can also be activated under Title 10 to serve Federal missions (such as OEF/OIF). The Reserves can only be used for Title 10 missions (there are a few exceptions).

The Guard tends to have a more laid back mentality than the Reserves. While the Reserves is going to be more like active duty.

Promotions above E-5 in the Guard tend to be fewer because many folks sit the the same position for years.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Guard. I only left because of a promotion opportunity and I was tired of the constant deployments.

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 10 at 2019 7:14 PM

WO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 19:14:08 -0400

I made the switch to Reserves in October. I joined the Army to become an Aviator, but through deployment, duties and becoming an NCO, a lot of your focus is on your soldiers and it's easy to lose focus on yourself. It is a huge adjustment, but it allows you to prioritize what is important to you. Whether that be school, civilian employment, etc. I just received my orders to WOCS and I couldn't be happier. I know with the Reserves it will be easier to transfer states, should you want to move somewhere, but my advice is go talk to multiple recruiters as well, I went through four until I found the right fit. If you would like to connect, I'd be happy to keep you posted on my journey!!

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2019 8:18 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 08:18:00 -0400

warrant officers are like bigfoot. many people claim to have seen them, but there is no hard physical evidence that they actually exist. The occasional footprint or half empty cup of coffee is about all.

Response by MSG Frank Kapaun made Jul 11 at 2019 12:52 PM

MSG Frank Kapaun — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 12:52:46 -0400

One sells highpopaloram the other sells lowpopahighram.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 26 at 2019 11:17 AM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 26 Jul 2019 11:17:09 -0400

I believe the Warrant Officer Promotion Process is slightly different between the Guard and Reserves. I know in the Guard we don't compete for promotion, we do have a minimum time we have to wait before we can put in a packet. Putting in a Packet doesn't necessarily mean you will get promoted, but I haven't seen or heard of anyone getting denied. I believe Reserve Warrants will have to compete for promotion, just like Active Duty. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.