Why do national guard soldiers quit going to drill before deployments? Why do the units now make deployments seem optional?

@GySgt Gunnar Ulfsax, why are you flipping your lid? Additional pay is a great benefit of deployment. I've buried too many friends but I still appreciated the extra pay.

GySgt Gunnar Ulfsax - it takes support to keep our fighters going, most soldiers go where asigned. ease up on the FOBBITS

SSG and 1stSgt Piet- When these clowns want to do a pump just so they can "make the bank", and tell their buddies back on the block they are a "combat vet", then it's time to send them to a Outpost where they can really earn it. Anyone that has loaded bodies, or visited with parents/ spouses of KIA will tell you- "They can keep their f'ing combat pay"! Glad you enjoyed your FOB's.

@GySgt Gunnar Ulfsax, there are two options; deploy with standard pay or deploy and receive additional pay and tax shelter. It's your choice, but I'll happily thank you for your additional pay if you'd like to give it away.

Yes, tough guy, I've spent my fair share of time on COPs, have no idea how many patrols I've even conducted and have lost friends in combat. Would I exchange all my pay to get their lives back? Without a second's hesitation. Will that actually bring them back? Obviously not, but it's pretty ignorant to give people shit about taking advantage of their benefits. Should we give up our housing and food allowances downrange because we're being provided both already? Should we not take advantage of the GI Bill when we get out because we lost our friends? You're also forgetting that there are plenty of people in the military who deploy to relatively secure locations so they can give us -- I'm assuming you're infantry or another combat arms branch -- support. Are we better served by having Apache and Warthog pilots out at COPs with their shitty M9s or with their aircraft on the flightline of a huge FOB? I suppose we could pull all the Air Force personnel out of Rammstein and Ali al Salaam and toss them on the front, too but then we'll stop getting our logistical supplies from the US.

SSG Laurie Mullen - I can't for the life of Me understand how anyone could think that was funny. It sounds like He belonged in the stockade. He sure doesn't sound like any that could be depended on and I won't even refer to Him as a soldier.

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter - I failed him at my station just because I didn't like his attitude about being called to active duty, I was in the Reserves prior to going active. He tried to plead his case to two other Soldiers who were working with me. One was a SFC and the other a Drill Sergeant, both backed me up. It wasn't much, but it felt right at the time.

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter - When I first joined the NG, some of the soldiers told me how the 1SG would put them on "AWOL" duty. That is going to the home of a soldier that didn't show up for drill and bring him/her in. I never did it and what I was told, happened before I joined the unit. I guess by the time I got there, the head shed figured out that training those that showed was more important than going after those that didn't. And I definitely agree with you. Why enlist in the first place if you're not going to fulfill the requirements.

SSG Laurie Mullen - I was active duty at Fort Dix, NJ when DS/DS began. There were NG units going through mobilization training on base. We were strictly a law and order MP unit. Our war-time mission was to stay at Ft Dix and continue serving the base command. At that time of my assignment, I was working in our company's orderly room. (Not authorized on our TDA, but the Base Support BN didn't mind because it made their S-1 shop's job easier) We received notification that the company had 20 privates due in straight from from AIT/Ft McClellan. The Ft Dix MP Company never got MPs directly from AIT. Shortly after that we were tasked to supply 20 soldiers to be distributed to the two NG MP units that were MOBing. It so happened that there were 20 of their soldiers that were medically unfit for deployment. The commander asked for volunteers from the company. Ten MPs volunteered. The CDR picked the other ten from the newly arrived privates. All but were assigned. The units kicked back two, because they were NCOs! They wanted to promote their soldiers into those slots and not let the two that volunteered take the NCO slots. So 18 regular Army MPs were now assigned to and deploying with two NG units. Very different. The NG units did not treat the Regular Army MP evenly. They made sure all their soldiers were promoted in a timely manner, while the brand new privates weren't event getting promoted to PV2 at six months TIS!

The non-deployable soldiers were then assigned to our MP Co to going through medical processing and get discharged. I can remember one guy had had a chimney fall on him. His skull was dented. They let him drill, but he wasn't fit to deploy. Not sure what happened to him after he was discharged.

That pregnancy thing was annoying. I remember deploying as an E-4 leaving behind a knocked up PFC behind. When we got off the bus we had to stand at parade rest in front of her because she stayed home on line completing online classes and the unit hooked her up with a job at the armory, ironically in an armorer slot full time, chick still didn't know how to clear an M-9. Hooah SGT Openlegs. Go Guard.

SPC Craig Miller - I always thought pregnant soldiers should be admin discharged. They become non deployable and depending on the number and the slots they hold they can render a unit, not combat ready. I personally never deployed to combat but that was due to time I was in ( 1975 -1995) and the units I was asigned to. I was available.

It's not even a pregnancy thing, I know guys that win every field event on mandatory fun day, but somehow manage to become damn near wheel chair bound during SRP every time there is a deployment. Hey, you can't pick and choose when you serve if there is combat or not, but when the bell rings, you gotta be ready to dance.

I didn't intend for this thread to become a rant against females. I just mentioned one instance I saw. Guys can come down with "back pain" pretty easily too.