You don't sign up unless you are willing to deploy. That being said deployment doesn't necessarily mean you are going to be kicking in doors either.

I'm not an expert on the Guard but I thought the Post 9/11 GI Bill required 90 days of ACTIVE duty for Reserve and Guard members to be eligible. Otherwise education was limited to something like $4500 per calendar year or something which is no small amount of money but as a college student you could easily make that or more doing some manual labor or odd jobs in your spare time. If the only goal here is to pay for college and the sum needed is that low (Less than $10k per year)... I'd say No on this deal you are risking getting your leg blown off by some dude 1/2 way around the world living in a hut and chitting in a box. You can deliver pizza instead.

I don't know your son, but I an assure you one thing all the branches of the Armed Forces are professionals at turning boys into men. If your son wants to serve and pay for college or go to a better college like AL/Auburn, etc. then he should just enlist period. There is no comparison in my mind between some stupid kid who's goal is to go to college and get drunk and the service men and women who are sitting in the same classroom. No comparison in terms of attitude and why they are there. And that in my opinion translates directly into their success both in school and in the workforce when they graduate.

When I see a resume and there is military service included that resume goes directly into the interview pile every time without question. There are dumbasses in the military too but for a kid in their 20's looking for that first job... a good job. I know there are certain things that I am more likely to get out of them. They are usually much more focused, follow directions, have work ethic, show up on time, etc. I could go on and on.

If the situation dictates an even better education than you can provide your son and he is interested in serving I would encourage him to talk to the recruiter and consider joining. There is no negative.

I nearly signed up 25 years ago but a guy I worked with talked me out of it. He had been in for a little over 20 years. He said it had changed drastically from when he first signed up and wouldn't recommend it at that time. The only reason he was still in was because he had so much time in already. He never elaborated and I never asked. At times, I wished I had of signed up anyway but I guess life is full of "what if's".

Not at all. There are requests for personnel all the time: "we need 15 personnel to support a collective training exercise from xx June to xx June." If your son isn't in school during those dates, he could go make some extra money.

Here's what I think he should do: go talk to the university's ROTC program and find out about a ROTC scholarship. He won't have to go to basic training, he'll have a scholarship for 4 years, he'll receive a stipend every month that he's in school in, he'll be non-deployable during his college years, and he'll have the option of becoming a reserve officer or active duty officer when he graduates.

Reserve officer: typically graduates, goes to their Officer Basic course, comes back home and has a regular civilian job with required drill dates and summer camp dates. I think it's an 8 year commitment

Active duty: graduates, goes on active duty, goes through their Officer Basic course, serves 3-4 years on active duty and then they can get out if they want to or can extend their military career if they love it.

ROTC scholarship sounds like what your son needs to explore...

This isn't about paying for school. He has a full ride to FSU, UF, USF, or UCF. Full ride = paid cost of attendance (plus, other scholarships that he will acquire along the way).

6.5GPA, AA Degree, Nat Merit Scholar, 1540/1600 SAT, 34 ACT (took them both once), etc.

It seemed like NG may be something that he would be interested in doing, but he hasn't thought about. He is pretty adventurous, and would actually enjoy being deployed. I was wondering if it would be worth mentioning to him.

If he's that smart, I think he'd be better served going to college on a full ride and trying to get some really amazing internships. He'd learn more and there's more opportunity for advancement on the civilian side if you know what you're doing in most cases. If he wants to do the Army thing though, the best time would be when he's young, single, and no kids

I would say he is a little over qualified. I couldn't advise somebody that intelligent to join any branch of the military. And smart people some times may have an issue following orders that could get you killed. The whole self preservation thing!

Deploying multiple times like 9 or 10 times is not uncommon. The last time I was at Walter Reed. I saw the youngest first sergeant ever 26 years old with 8 deployments

Beer Belly, forgive me but this will be a long post:

First, I have been in the Alabama National Guard for 15 years this May. I have not enjoyed every minute of it but it is by far the best decision I ever made. I use the word decision lightly.

My dad told me from day one he was not paying for college. He said my grades weren't good enough for a scholarship and my football skills were marginal at best. So, when I turned 17 he took me to a recruiter and I joined the Guard at 17 with my parents signatures because I was a minor. I went to basic training my junior summer and then my AIT (advanced individual training or job training) my senior summer before college. The time in between I went to drills one weekend a month and got paid as a high school kid. I went on to receive my commission as an officer, had plenty of training to complete so I had a job right out of college and then deployed to Iraq for about 15 months in 2010-2011. Since then, I took a job in NY and while I lived there I flew back to Alabama once a month and drove down for my 2 weeks each of the 4 years I lived there. I just recently moved to Kentucky and only have a 8.5 hour drive to drill each month compared to my flights and rental cars before. The decision to join was not necessarily mine but the decision to stay has been mine.

I say all that to say this, the Guard paid for my undergraduate and graduate degree, gave me a great job right out of college and the experience that was mandatory to receive the job I hold now. The guard truly set me and my family up for success and I do not know where I would be without it. In addition to all of that I am a better patriot than I ever would have been without it having experienced the things I have. I hope my son chooses to carry on the tradition but he will not be forced to do so. As of right now he has an "Army bedroom" and was a Soldier for Halloween, I couldn't be more humbled or proud.

These are my experiences and I am sure everyone has differing views but that's why we share them.

To answer your specific questions (to the best of my knowledge):

Training- He will go to a basic training that will last between 10-12 weeks. He will then go to his MOS or AIT school which will last anywhere from 4 weeks (admin) to 1 year (EOD School my MOS). Then will have shorter schools as he progresses in rank he will be required to attend.

Required "work days"- He will be required to show up to drill one weekend a month (generally the first weekend from each month except when conflicting with holidays) and 2 weeks for annual training at different locations depending on the training to be completed.

Deployments- He will be deployed if his unit is called up to serve and he is not in a non-deployable capacity. An example of this would be if he went to college and joined the ROTC program and signed a contract with them. This would make him non-deployable while finishing his degree but he would owe the Guard 4 years upon completion of his degree and the ROTC program. For those 4 years he would be deployable. IF HE IS NOT WILLING TO DEPLOY DO NOT JOIN. During his ROTC time he would receive a stipend during his 4 years of ROTC and his drill check to help with living expenses while in school.

Retirement- There is a new "blended" retirement system the Alabama Guard is starting this year I believe and basically sets up a retirement where you get your deposits matched and if you do a certain amount of time you can keep that retirement fund even if you get out before your 20. I had too much time in to join this plan so I did not research it. Bottom line he could be looking at some retirement money even if he only did 8 years.

Future jobs- Government jobs like the one I got only hired veterans and is a very sought after job for a lot of smart kids that are not eligible because they did not serve. Other jobs will want a resume and having the National Guard on there is a great selling point. The experience earned transitions excellently to the civilian workforce.

Networking- The Guard is an excellent networking source for employment, highly desired schools, physicians, lawyers and the list goes on. Knowing these people will greatly help your chances of receiving resources that would otherwise not be available to you. This point alone heavily influenced my decision to remain with the Alabama Guard even while living in other states.

This is a big commitment and a lot is at stake. If you or your son have any questions I did not answer feel free to message me and we can talk by phone. Best of luck.

Jarod

I know this will offend many, and I truly don't mean fornit too. But, if he's that smart, it just seems he could do so much more focusing on school and such.

I was in the Army Reserves during college and a short while afterwards. It worked out great for me and I really enjoyed it. That said, I didn't have to go anywhere for very long other than training.
I had no qualms then or now going somewhere to defend this Nation and die if necessary, BUT sending your son to war is a totally different experience. I was not prepared for the emotions I felt when I had to do it.

To be honest, I would recommend that you look into the Air Force Reserve.
http://m.afreserve.com/

The AF has shorter deployments, better living conditions (worldwide) and they provide better training for real world jobs. Plus he's far less likely to see combat.

Thx, I haven't said anything to my son. My buddy's son in Minnesota joined yesterday and I was wondering what he was really getting into. I at least know enough not to believe the recruiters.

It is really too bad that there isn't a branch of the service that targets kids like mine. Set up a program that works around their school schedules, and is tailored for smarter kids. Even problem solving, because kids like him just have different ways to look at problems that military folks may not see. This would also provides a way to serve the country.

There is. That's why I suggested the Air Force.
They have more technical programs and more opportunities for tech savvy young men.

I think someone suggested ROTC... this could be a good path for your son. With ROTC, he will be sent off in the summers for some fun/challenging training. After graduating, he will need to serve between 4 and 7 years depending on which field he enters (some fields require years of additional training and require a longer obligated service commitment). Also, if he does not like ROTC you can quit while in college with no obligation (there is a deadline that you need to verify). Your son can serve four years active, and if he so desires, can join the reserves and go be a civilian Chem E. I did 11 years enlisted, got sent to Auburn, and 11 more years... I owe the service a lot. BTW, my youngest is a junior Chem E at UF... very challenging curriculum. Good luck to your son.

I joined the NG at 17, turned 18 in basic and 19 in Saudi Arabia.
It wasn't for me. Lots of sitting around on drill days which drives me crazy.
I would almost rather have been regular Army.

There is a chance he would not get deployed, but if his name comes up then he would have to go. That is why Uncle Sam so going to give him $$$$$$ for college. You can't get join for all of the goodies and not expect to have to pay for it.

He would still have to deploy when his unit is in the bucket if his name comes up. That is why they give you all that school $$$$.

I'm not pointing fingers, but there are a few posts on here that would lead one to believe that guys and gals in the military are of inferior intelligence; from my experience this is 100% false. Some of the smartest people I have ever had the privilege and joy of working with are military.

There would be very few 'general officer' grade folks who are NOT of superior intelligence compared to the general populace.

What I am trying to say is don't be confused into discounting the military because of academic achievement. It sounds like your son has performed admirably academically and there would most certainly be a spot for him to shine in the military, he would just have to discover where that spot is.

Don't take this the wrong way but take it from someone that has been in the Military 4 years of active duty 13 years drill status guard and 15 years full time guard. You son does not need to join the military. He needs no money for school, doesn't need a job part time or full time probably doesn't need the medical insurance, really doesn't need anything they can offer. If he wants to join the military guard or active he could do it after he gets us degree as an officer.