I am thinking about joining the NG and was wondering if there were many deployed overseas right now?

any thoughts or comments are appreciated

Our sons National Guard and in the sandbox right now. His unit got called up when he was finishing AIT. He was in the last couple of weeks when that happened,came home and shortly there after deployed.

Quoted: I am thinking about joining the NG and was wondering if there were many deployed overseas right now? any thoughts or comments are appreciated

You are kidding right?

Should be a given for any branch, that they will deploy. We made it clear to our son before he joined that it was not a matter IF, but When he would deploy.

Quoted: Should be a given for any branch, that they will deploy. We made it clear to our son before he joined that it was not a matter IF, but When he would deploy.

Exactly and with everything in the news I can't beleive anyone doesn't know about all the Guard deployments.

i would say wait until the troop draw downs. Being a member of the national gaurd, it sucks being deployed. You get treated like a 2nd rate soldier and are usualy given the shitty details. I am on Leave now but got back for about 5 more months in a week. Unless you NEED to do it, dont.

If you go Guard, go Infantry. We werent stuck on gate gaurd or shitty details(we'll Bco 161 was), we were conducting combat operations. Sometimes your MOS dictates what your gonna do.

I'm doing a final pack of my gear now.
I report tomorrow, a couple months trainup, then off to scenic A'stan for about a year.

So, uh, yeah. We do get deployed.

Don't join if the first thing on your mind are the benefits. Join if you want to serve.
There's a war on don't you know.

Midwinter

Quoted: I'm doing a final pack of my gear now. I report tomorrow, a couple months trainup, then off to scenic A'stan for about a year. So, uh, yeah. We do get deployed. Don't join if the first thing on your mind are the benefits. Join if you want to serve. There's a war on don't you know. Midwinter

Good luck - i was in the FA Bn of the 41st EIB at one time.  I worked for you Brigade CDR - good guy.  

Be safe.

Quoted: i would say wait until the troop draw downs. Being a member of the national gaurd, it sucks being deployed. You get treated like a 2nd rate soldier and are usualy given the shitty details. I am on Leave now but got back for about 5 more months in a week. Unless you NEED to do it, dont.

So you're saying to do it, but only when you won't have to actually do one of the main jobs you volunteered for?  You know the Guard is more than floods and forest fires right?  

Quoted: If you go Guard, go Infantry. We werent stuck on gate gaurd or shitty details(we'll Bco 161 was), we were conducting combat operations. Sometimes your MOS dictates what your gonna do.

No gate guard?  What about those guys as "yellowcake?"  Hell what about the then A and B Companies?  They got some of the shitty jobs from what some have told me.  You guys were in the shit the deepest and the most in the batallion.  Hell the brigade actually.  It would be easy for me to say that you guys were the one that were lucky and got the good missions, but that would be from somebody who really got the good, lucky mission.  I mean that because we didn't ever get shot at or actually face a real IED.  I got to search cars and TCN's all day, then go back to my 5 bedroom house with individual AC, watch sattelite TV, call home, and if I felt like it, cook dinner in my kitchen or go to one of the restaurants or even have Chinese delivered.  The most we ever had was hearing gunfire, feeling the concussion of a couple bomb blasts, a Major was ambushed just outside of post (luckily haji can't shoot - 90+ casings found, only 5 hit his truck), and one of the first guys to be beheaded left our base the day he was kidnapped.  I got like hostile fire pay for almost nothing.  

     Ive been in for five years now and im leaving in about a week to start my second overseas deployment for the NG. This time to Afganistan for a year. My mos is 11b and the 45th infantry division in Oklahoma has been getting deployed like crazy since 2002. I love it. Its like being active duty but getting to live at home. About 50% of the guys in my unit are former active duty from the 101st, 82nd, and other units. Sure its a little less disciplined at times, but when we go into deployment mode like we are right now its a whole different ballgame. I say go for it. If you dont like it and decide you want to go regular army its really easy to swith from NG to regular army.  While your in between deployments you can go to school for free.

NG in afghanistan right now. have about 4 months left on a year deployment.

If you want to join, it really depends on what you want out of it. If you're young, single, and don't mind deploying go ahead and join. Because you will deploy.  If your married, and not sure you want to go overseas then rethink the decision.

The college benefits are excellent, depending on what state you are in. I got all my college paid for, went to the Army PA school, and when I got mob'd the state paid for me to get my masters degree (which I have done online over the last year). I can't say enough good things about the educational benefits.

Aren't we all?

No matter what your unit is, you will deploy.  For example, out FA battalion got assigned to a couple INF battalions,

Yellowcake wasnt a gateguard mission. We had a PLT(C-1-161). stationed there, but they still went out of the wire and conducted combat ops into the AOR. Thats how Jeremiah was killed, attacking an insurgent mortar team 2ks from yellowcake. Evern A-1-161 conducted combat ops into Zafrania. B-1-161 did GreenZone security and conducted patrols into the RedZone around the GreenZOne. All in all 161 conducted alot of patrols, not sure what them people up at Balad(aka paradise) did,(other than steal our supplies and replacements). All I know that our Battalion took half of all the casualties in the Brigade, a 600man battalion, a 3500man Brigade. I pray that next time we go, 161 goes it alone with a AD unit.

Quoted: Yellowcake wasnt a gateguard mission. We had a PLT(C-1-161). stationed there, but they still went out of the wire and conducted combat ops into the AOR. Thats how Jeremiah was killed, attacking an insurgent mortar team 2ks from yellowcake. Evern A-1-161 conducted combat ops into Zafrania. B-1-161 did GreenZone security and conducted patrols into the RedZone around the GreenZOne. All in all 161 conducted alot of patrols, not sure what them people up at Balad(aka paradise) did,(other than steal our supplies and replacements). All I know that our Battalion took half of all the casualties in the Brigade, a 600man battalion, a 3500man Brigade. I pray that next time we go, 161 goes it alone with a AD unit.

From the little I heard about it, it seems a lot more of guarding, but Ty didn't get into it too much.  Mostly telling about the lack of ability that the ING's had.

I'm still tempted to just say the hell with it and see about volunteering with another unit.  The Batallion from the Oregon Guard that deployed separately from their brigade, and who we relieved is supposed to be going to Afganistan soon and I'm tempted to see if I can hook up with them.  I'd just rather go with the guys I'm training with, and know now.

Our son is already talking about a second tour also,once he gets back.

Unicorn
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Joined :: February 2002
Post Number :: 783

WA, USA

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Quoted:
Yellowcake wasnt a gateguard mission. We had a PLT(C-1-161). stationed there, but they still went out of the wire and conducted combat ops into the AOR. Thats how Jeremiah was killed, attacking an insurgent mortar team 2ks from yellowcake. Evern A-1-161 conducted combat ops into Zafrania. B-1-161 did GreenZone security and conducted patrols into the RedZone around the GreenZOne. All in all 161 conducted alot of patrols, not sure what them people up at Balad(aka paradise) did,(other than steal our supplies and replacements). All I know that our Battalion took half of all the casualties in the Brigade, a 600man battalion, a 3500man Brigade. I pray that next time we go, 161 goes it alone with a AD unit.
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From the little I heard about it, it seems a lot more of guarding, but Ty didn't get into it too much. Mostly telling about the lack of ability that the ING's had. Especially when he was telling me about SGT Ficek (RIP brother, I didn't know the man but like all, he's in my thoughts).

Yeah, we're Guard and are taking after the Air force and use first names a lot, but I also don't want to toss around peoples last names on the internet.

Depending on which rumor you guys are getting, I've heard that we'll have our own mission next year, or that the brigade will have one in '08. I'm still tempted to just say the hell with it and see about volunteering with another unit. The Batallion from the Oregon Guard that deployed separately from their brigade, and who we relieved is supposed to be going to Afganistan soon and I'm tempted to see if I can hook up with them. I'd just rather go with the guys I'm training with, and know now.




THere was guarding going on, but only one squad at a time the others where on a patrol schedule throughout the AOR. At a minium they had 2 patrols a day, plus we used YC as a base of operations when it was getting hot in JD which was often.

There is always the Air Guard..... We go for 4 months at a time and bitch about it.

The CB's out here do 6 month stints.

BTW, are all Air Force personnel slobs like 80% of the ones out here?  Absolutely disgusting, and unprofessional.

Quoted: The CB's out here do 6 month stints. BTW, are all Air Force personnel slobs like 80% of the ones out here?  Absolutely disgusting, and unprofessional.

I got to work pretty close with some Air Force K9 cops (active) that were pretty cool.  Also got to deal with their regular SF (Security Forces, their name for their police, unless it's changed yet again) and they were ok.

Quoted: The CB's out here do 6 month stints. BTW, are all Air Force personnel slobs like 80% of the ones out here?  Absolutely disgusting, and unprofessional.hr

The Air Force generally picks out those types and hides them down in Kuwait where they'll blend in with rest of you guyshough,
For SDgunner - Figure out why you want to join, what you want to do, and what you want out of your "military experience".  Then pick a job or career field and a branch of service.  Also remember that the military is definitely a Total Force today, meaning that you'll find members from the active duty, guard, and reserve working along side each other.  You'll also see that the the five branches  of service (yes, I counted the Coast Guard in there too) are working together more and more each year.  If you went back ten years ago, you'd see that the only Air Force guys working with the Army were combat weather or TACP.  Today you'll find EOD, Transportation guys, Security Forces, and others out there too.  We're also seeing Navy and Marines working more with the Army and Air Force.  So like I said, figure out what you want and what you expect before you make a decision.  Good Luck.

I'm deployed with the NC National Guard right now. So far this deployment has been a freaking joke. I'm an 11B but got deployed with an arty unit that was suppose to be a trans company, but somebody messed up the orders or something now we are doing some force protection. I'mformer Marine Corp, and I have never been on a deployment where we had to fight to get issued a basic combat load, now they have us running around wearing PT belts and carring wistles at night in case someone attacks us or some other crap like i said a joke. We have one mission that we get to go out side the wire and we have to fight to get things we need for that one as well, one of our teams got lit up the other day mortars and small arms, now we don't have to argue so much I guess they figured this really was not AT after all. Sorry just my little rant.

Just so you know, the people in the NG who love geting deployed are the ones who A dont get paid shit in their civy job, B. Have nothing beter to do and are bored at home, or C , just dont know any beter.

I'm deployed with the NC National Guard right now. So far this deployment has been a freaking

joke. I'm an 11B but got deployed with an arty unit that was suppose to be a trans company, but somebody messed up the orders or something now we are doing some force protection. I'mformer Marine Corp, and I have never been on a deployment where we had to fight to get issued a basic combat load, now they have us running around wearing PT belts and carring wistles at night in case someone attacks us or some other crap like i said a joke. We have one mission that we get to go out side the wire and we have to fight to get things we need for that one as well, one of our teams got lit up the other day mortars and small arms, now we don't have to argue so much I guess they figured this really was not AT after all. Sorry just my little rant.

This is an example of institutionalized thinking. The leaders have been training in a peacetime environment in the USA for so long, they can't grasp the realities of a combat zone in a foreign country. The leaders making it difficult to get required gear are probably FOBBITS that aren't ever exposed to the dangers outside the wire.

100% accountability of all soldiers after a mortar/rocket attack at night is a nightmare. It can take up to 2 hours to verify the location of every soldier.

Read the sig.

Yeah, we are deployed.  But it's not that bad.  There's more SGM's running around here than there are pebbles of sand.  Thats one thing that sucks.

i have about a month of training before we take the big flight, have been in mississipi for almost 5 months now

Quoted: If you go Guard, go Infantry. We werent stuck on gate gaurd or shitty details(we'll Bco 161 was), we were conducting combat operations. Sometimes your MOS dictates what your gonna do.

And sometimes it doesn't. I am a 13B (field artillery cannoneer) and we got shafted doing MP work.

NG WILL deploy.



+1 to what Venom11B had to say.

I'm NG in California and I'm deploying to Germany tomorrow for a few weeks to help the folks over there get the gear out to you guys going into the sandbox.

In my fourth month over here.

Quoted: Quoted: If you go Guard, go Infantry. We werent stuck on gate gaurd or shitty details(we'll Bco 161 was), we were conducting combat operations. Sometimes your MOS dictates what your gonna do. And sometimes it doesn't. I am a 13B (field artillery cannoneer) and we got shafted doing MP work. NG WILL deploy. +1 to what Venom11B had to say.

Yup son's unit is a Combat Engineer unit. They also got slated for MP duties.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: If you go Guard, go Infantry. We werent stuck on gate gaurd or shitty details(we'll Bco 161 was), we were conducting combat operations. Sometimes your MOS dictates what your gonna do. And sometimes it doesn't. I am a 13B (field artillery cannoneer) and we got shafted doing MP work. NG WILL deploy. +1 to what Venom11B had to say. Yup son's unit is a Combat Engineer unit. They also got slated for MP duties.

That's what happened to me.  I was a combat engineer, got royally screwed and attached to an artillery battery, and did nothing but force protection for a year.  A main reason I transferred to an infantry unit once we got back.  Would have even if I still lived 100 miles further north.

Quoted: did nothing but force protection for a year.  A main reason I transferred to an infantry unit once we got back.

 Infantry battalion; all 4 companies assigned to secfor at different camps.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: If you go Guard, go Infantry. We werent stuck on gate gaurd or shitty details(we'll Bco 161 was), we were conducting combat operations. Sometimes your MOS dictates what your gonna do. And sometimes it doesn't. I am a 13B (field artillery cannoneer) and we got shafted doing MP work. NG WILL deploy. +1 to what Venom11B had to say. Yup son's unit is a Combat Engineer unit. They also got slated for MP duties. That's what happened to me.  I was a combat engineer, got royally screwed and attached to an artillery battery, and did nothing but force protection for a year.  A main reason I transferred to an infantry unit once we got back.  Would have even if I still lived 100 miles further north.

Sons unit when they get back are decomissioning it, and turning it into a Stryker brigade. He's not happy. He's trying to see if he can transfer to another unit. Although he is also going to see if he can deploy again with his best friends unit, sometime in '07. They are like brothers.

Having been in the NG for 22 years, yes a lot has changed and it depends on WHY you elect to join.  For a lot of us it is for the comraberie of the friends me meet.  Yes there are some less then desireable assignments but there are some good assignments too.  We take the 'good' with the 'bad'.  I was deployed to OIF 2004-2005 and yes I missed my family but I also 'believed' in what I was doing.  There is a rumor that I may be deployed again in April for OEF.  Besides where else can we get to 'play' with all of the toys that we get to and still be able to be at home.  Just make sure of the reasons that you 'want' to join the NG.  During my time so far I have helped in natural disasters, helped train NG members from my Satate and other states, assisted the AC in there training and have done several community projects.
Would I join the NG in todays climate?  Yes, because that is who I am.