What's it like being a 11B in the Army National Guard?

I spent almost three years in the National Guard as an infantry NCO. Coming from active duty there were some surprises (I thought the Guard was much less disciplined and professional) but I will be objective on my assessment.
My largest frustration was keeping my soldiers well trained. The infantry involves a lot of perishable skills-if they are not constantly refreshed they will be lost. This is especially true for newer soldiers with little experience. I would teach something at one drill and have to continue teaching it for many months after to gain proficiency. However, we did get to do a lot of cool training. I did multiple air assault missions, live fire ranges, shoot houses, demolitions training, and tons of missions running around the woods shooting blanks.
A typical drill involves one training event. One month we may have zero and qual with our weapons. Next drill we will have a shoot house. Another drill will be a team live fire exercise. The next drill will be medical training and convoy ops. It does depend on how well funded the unit it. I was lucky and we had enough cash to do some cool stuff, but you should get a good amount of training, at least on the weekend you are at drill. Plus you get opportunities for schools like Air Assault, Mountain Warfare School, Pathfinder, etc.

I was an 11B for about 10 years in both the regular Army and the National Guard. It is one of the most difficult things you will ever do. You better learn how to "Embrace the Suck" because you will find lows that you thought were unattainable. But you will find no greater high than this. You will have brothers that will fight and die for you. Sometimes they will unfortunately but we are still grateful for such great men. Your country will expect the most out of you. You will be the one that is in the first wave into a fight. You are your country's strength in war and her deterrent in peace. We were the start of the Army and will will always be the strength of the Army.

If you are not sure it is for you than you shouldn't do it. It takes more than you will realize at times. But also when you watch a movie about war or hear a war story you will find it is about the infantry, from Saving Private Ryan to We Were Soldiers to Blackhawk Down.

But you want a full dose of it then you know where to find it. Whatever you do just own up to it. There is nothing wrong being a 42A. Sure they don't make movies about that but then someone has to do it. Just don't think you are going to be a killer as a 42A.

11B is good in Guard/Reserve AND Active duty, bro. It's a great life/job no matter how ya slice it....but that's just my opinion. I think being a young Guard soldier is a bit more of a challenge since you only see your NCOs a couple times a month. That said, find a battle buddy in your same town and get a ruck march and 3-5 runs in each week, stay on top of your MOS stuff, get your EIB and take advantage of all education opportunities. Volunteer for Air Assault and Airborne as soon as you can. Guard had a great pre-Ranger program a few years back, so look into that as well. Thank you for your service. Blessings to you and your family.

Drill weekend we train in patrolling,land navigation, firearms training. The list is a long one. Some drills "fun" you don't stop moving and some drills time lags on. The best thing for you to do is find a infantry unit, talk to them and see if you can train with them for a weekend to see if you like it

There is reason why they say there is "the Infantry and then there is Everyone-Else."

It's AWESOME! BUT...
Do you like rucking? Can you stay 280+ on the APFT? Are you good with weapons and tactical skills? Is sleep deprived your preferred state at Drill? If you answered no to any of these questions, skip it.

I was with 2-162 INF when I went to ROTC at U of O (Eugene, OR). Every drill was a MUTA 5. We rarely slept, unless it was on the bus on the way to Camp Rilea for MOUT training. We earned our pay. Lots of the members we tight and during the off times during the rest of the month, we'd meet up somewhere at hit the ranges. I kidnapped the ROTC seniors when possible and brought them along for extra training. Talk about an eye opener. I believe this should be mandatory before we cut the soon-to-be LT's loose to Fort Benning. Humping M-60's through 50* rain all night through the woods and starving is truly spending quality time with the enlisted. Lot's of extra time of the radios, map reading, ambushes, booby traps, casevac, and then vile admin paperwork at the end of drill.

Infantry is where a lot of the fun is. I have my bachelors in nursing and am currently working on my MSN, but I still stay enlisted 11B because that's where I, personally, get the most enjoyment. If you want to go to all the "cool" schools, my advice to you is the find a unit that is well funded and that has slots that are coded for those schools. LRS would be at the top of the list, as would an HHC scout/recon platoon. Stryker units also tend to have a lot of excess cash from what I've heard. You will almost always be sleeping out in the field, whether it is in the heat of a mosquito-infested August or in the frigid Illinois winter in January. Units that plan and organize well typically have decent drills with a lot of quality, exciting training. Promotion potential is very dependent on the state you are in. Currently, the Illinois NG has a surplus of E-6+ so you must have a very competitive packet to get promoted. Though this probably won't have any effect on you for a couple of years at least, it is worth thinking about if you are considering infantry for the long term. Best of luck, whatever you decide. Hit me up if you have any specific questions.

Whether you are Regular Army or National Guard, go 11B and never look back. You won't regret it. In my opinion, it is what being in the Army is all about. Infantryman since 1993 and I love it.

It really just depends on how squared away the training NCO is with the training schedule. I would recommend googling the Ranger Handbook and familiarize yourself with the terms/tactics if you want to be 11b.