How can I get a release from the Army NG after serving almost 18 years, but am currently in the middle of an active enlistment?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 18:32:02 -0400

Request for release from the GA Army National Guard

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 22 at 2022 8:36 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 20:36:27 -0400

It starts with having a reason good enough to convince the Commander and CSM who see someone with 18 years invested in a retirement and will otherwise come up with any way at all to have you meet the minimum requirements (50 pts) with minimum inconvenience to you for your last two years.
They may be motivated by altruistic Soldier care, or they may just not want to be on the wrong side of the "Soldier was this close to retirement and the Army just cut them loose" story.
Either way, what they are pushing is just 35 drill points wherever you can make it to, and 15 free membership points per year for the next two years.

Response by SPC James Neidig made Jun 23 at 2022 1:28 AM

SPC James Neidig — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 01:28:17 -0400

Why Would You Throw Away The Past 18 Years Of Good Service With Only 2 Left For Retirement
If It is For Personal Reason’s You Should Try and Work It Out, If It’s For A Civilian Job Talk To Your Employer, They Are Required By Fed Law To Give You Time Off For Guard Duties, If It’s For Health Reasons Talk To Your COC and See What They Can Work Out Before You Make That Big Jump And Lose Out On The Retirement Money And Benefits You Earned

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Jun 23 at 2022 7:53 AM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 07:53:37 -0400

Why would you come out with 18 years TIS? My advice is to suck it up for two years, get that 20 year letter and then request transfer to the Retired Reserve. It may not seem like it's worth it, but especially in the current economy, it will make a big difference at age 60.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Jun 23 at 2022 9:36 AM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 09:36:01 -0400

I’m with the others in this string that are telling you to serve the 2 years to retirement The long term benefits of military retirement are well worth the effort. Look at it this way you have about 22 more drills plus 30 days of temporary active duty to do in return for a lifetime of retirement pay (after age 60) plus great medical insurance after age 65. If you don’t need this because you’re already a multimillionaire, then go ahead and resign. Otherwise it’s worth it to stay in.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 23 at 2022 10:54 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 10:54:41 -0400

There is a lot of context that is missing here. I left the NG and went back to the regular Army. First, if you can get a release, you will reset all of your time. I had about 10 years worth of service in the NG. Most of it was active. It was condensed to 5 years due to the points I had for service. Your 18 years in the Guard could be less then 10 years in the Regular Army. You may still have 10 years to serve. That is if the regular will take you. A conditional release is only that. It will only release you if the regular Army takes you. If the regular Army didn't need your MOS then your conditional release will be for nothing.

To get a conditional release you will need to get with your commander and he should be able to talk to you about it. It may take months to get one.