Which is the best branch for reserve/guard duty?

I would suggest the Air Guard

Gunny, I've had the pleasure of Active and Reserve time in the Marine Corp as well as Army National Guard. For a 37 year old man, it is going to come to what he wants to get out of the experience and what level of dedication he holds. He will have to attend Boot Camp reguardless, and both the Army and Marine Corp are difficult however attending USMC Boot Camp at 37 is harsh! In my opinion Army or Air Guard is the way to go for your friend. Good Luck!

At his age I would recommend the Navy or Airforce. For one it had less of the tedious politics of the direct combat branches and they are more inviting for special skill sets.

It all depends on what he is looking for. The Guard can be a very good option but if the state has budgetary....concerns...that often causes issues. If he wants options, he better get moving because MEPS isn't knd to the elderly and once he turns 39, his only option will be the Army (they take up to 42-however the ANG does sometimes play by Army rules which is how they managed to send the oldest person to attend AF Basic in history-a 42 YO woman-but I wouldn't count one that).

That depends on the person and his or her background I did 26 years in the Marine Reserves and am currently In the AF reserves huge differences some good and some not.

I chose the ARNG because you can literally make your own decisions and catch orders to where YOU want to go and not where THEY want you to go.

Marine Reserve for sure GySgt. Semper Fi

It depends on a lot of factors. Where he lives, what he wants to do, etc. I know that in WA state, we gave our strikers to our Army Guard unit, so they deploy any time we need strikers somewhere. For me, I joined the Army because it offered a bigger signing bonus than the others. There are also considerations as far as MOS, etc

The biggest difference between Reserve and National Guard is that the Reserve is Federal and the NG is state. It is easier for a reservist to transfer to a unit in another state if the civilian job moves them. But with the NG, it is much more difficult if not impossible because the contract is with the state.

Left out a good option: Coast Guard Reserves. Has been an outstanding career for me with 21 years of service and counting.