National Moving Month on May, 2024: National Guard Vs Air National Guard and a couple other questions?

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Hello Damian,

Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

When you join the Air National Guard or the Air Force Reserves you are going on active duty to Air Force basic training for 9 1/2 weeks. Then, you will go directly to one of the AF technical school bases for 1 month to 12 months to learn your AF job.

You can't be in college at the same time. It won't work.

You are going to have to put off college until the Fall of 2012 if you are serious about joining the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserves.

One doesn't just sign on to the Guard/Reserves and think that nothing is going to happen while you are in college.

If you want to go to AF ROTC you have to take 4 years of AF ROTC at a college or university in Minnesota that offers it. You can't just do 2 years. There are "NO" living conditions for AF ROTC. You are a regular college student and you live where you live. AF ROTC has nothing to do with where you live.

IF you do AF ROTC and get commissioned as a Second Lieutenant you ARE going on Active Duty for 4 years as an AF Officer. You would go to officer orientation at Maxwell AFB, Alabama for 12 weeks. THEN, you move to an officer technical school for a number of months to learn your officer field's job.

Then, you report to an AF base to begin work in your Officer Field. Married or not, we don't care. You will be living in the officer dorms with the others and your wife will wait until you are graduated.

What you hear about "deployments" have no merit - never believe "what you hear."

The President and Department of Defense will deploy those units that they need to assist the active duty forces in combat roles around the world. The AF Reserves and the Air National Guard are two "feet" of a "3" foot TRIAD of our full national defense posture.

With Iraq and Afghanistan winding down there will be less need to deploy Reserve and Guard forces. However, you must watch the World's war posture. Our next engagement will most likely be: Iran and North Korea. These two countries do not seem to want to live in peace with the rest of the world. And, sooner or later, they will make a stupid mistake and attack somebody.

The US has military treaties with most of the free world's countries. Attacking any one of them brings the US military forces into play - no matter how unlikely one might think or "even" think about some country.

That is what "Reserve" forces are for. To augment the active duty forces with the needed skills.

You can count on being "active" for about 2 years or more when your Reserve/Guard units get activated.

You can NOT make deals with the US Air Force. You can not "figure" you will do this or do that for your own "convenience." It is a falsehood to think that "a little service will give me a little boost." We don't care about that. You are either IN or OUT of the service. "Boost" or no boost.

You can not "just serve while you are in school." If you enter the military services you are going to be available for world-wide duty for at least 4 years. And, if you are in college "after you return from active duty for basic training/technical school" and your unit gets activated you are going to LEAVE college and go on active duty.

You can return to college when your unit is release in 18 - 24 months.

So, your BEST bet is this:

Make up your mind and either go to college now - and do AF ROTC for 4 years.

OR:

Enlist now and put off college until you finish basic and technical school.

But, remember this: Once you sign on for 4 years - you BELONG to the Air Force.

The NEEDS of the Air Force come before the WANTS of the Individual.

If you can not live with that: then, forget about any kind of military service.

Best wishes,

Larry Smith

Senior Master Sergeant, USAF (Ret.)

First Sergeant

should i join the national guard, or army?

National Guard is a branch of the Army.

NG all you do is two weeks a year and a weekend a month.

RA you work all year round and you travel.

I am switching from MIARNG to Active Duty.

P.S.

I am a 68E dental tech, and I have NOT ONCE done my MOS at my unit. My unit is a Medical Unit (1171st ASMC) and all we ever do on the weekends is move boxes in supply. Or we teach dumb classes that all the medics (68W) already know about. Yeah, it's nice to do refreshers, but it's better to do your MOS or something rather than moving boxes back and forth every month.

moved to usa 6 months ago 14 yearold daughter wants to move back to uk as she hates it here what do i do ?

What makes an older child or teen happy? Being with friends and being part of activities they enjoy. Although you have ENCOURAGED her to do otherwise, you have allowed her to not try to make friends or develop interests in this country. How could she or her sister possibly grow to love their life here?

What you and your husband need to do is make a deal with both these girls: They follow all your suggestions for making friends and trying out activities* until August of 2012. If, at the end of that time, they still want to move back to the UK, you make it happen - either as a whole family or send them to live with friends or relatives. (They are people, too, and it wouldn't be fair not to consider their feelings.)

You should also make an effort to engage them in positive things that are uniquely American (or unique to your town where you now live): Take part in festivities such as Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Thanksgiving Day parades and festivals. Find local festivals and activities your town may offer, such as Strawberry Harvest festival, Founder's Day festival, a family dance or activity at the local firehouse or community center or Y. Visit wonderful places in the U.S., such as its national parks and theme parks. (Even some museums/planetariums may impress them.) Find places near you that they may grow to love, such as a particular scenic walking path, an ice cream place, a cheerful park, a swimming pool or bowling alley or fishing creek or anything else that appeals to them once they give it a try.

* Here are suggestions for making friends and trying out activities:

- regularly approaching people in school, in the neighborhood, and at activities and being friendly and conversational.

- inviting one new potential friend home once per week.

- they must be in one or two hobby groups or organized activities all the time, and must give each a fair try. Examples would be a school sports team or academic club or a community or YMCA sports league or interest club. Specific examples might include: volleyball team, soccer (English football) team, art club, 4-H club (a club based on one or more agricultural interests such as specific animals or growing things or crafting things), being in a school play or on the debate team or school band or chorus, gymnastics or skating or dance lessons, volunteering. Being involved in a group activity gives them a chance to make friends and to develop a passion. (They shouldn't have to stick with any activity more than two months or so, so can shop around until they find the one or two they really want to stick with.) And you should do the same!

As time goes on, former friends and places should seem less important to your daughters. But they MUST cooperate fully in order for the deal to be complete. If they refuse to try activities or to be friendly or invite people over or go on family outings, the deal is off. I would put the deal in writing and have all members of the family sign it. If the girls complain that August is too long to wait, point out it's a lot better than forever, that that's about how much time it would take to TRY to establish roots here, and that the waiting period would have been almost over now if they had started trying six months ago when you first moved here. Impress on them that the famiy's ultimate goal is to make everyone as happy as possible. Remind them of why you moved here and why it is important to give this a fair shot (Dad's new job? Whatever the reason you decided to move.) Also remind them of how much you and their father love them and want them to be happy, and how you're willing to sacrifice your dream (living here perhaps?) for their happiness if indeed their happiness can only be achieved by moving back to the UK. They can "sacrifice" the eight months to August. And if they try to be happy, the sacrifice will be much less. Right now they're TRYING to be sad, concentrating on their misery. They need to TRY to be happy and to concentrate on ways to be happy. You know that...now insist on it.

Moving long distance is almost always hard on people. What they (and you) are going through is to be expected. But without opening up to possibilities, life in the new place stays hard. I hope for all your sakes that you all find happiness either where you are now or in a joint decision to move back.