How is the transition from Active Duty to the National Guard? What are the big changes to expect aside from it being part time obviously?

2019-03-08T02:59:52-05:00

I signed a Try 1 contract with the Texas NG and switched jobs from 12b to 92y. I did 3 and a half years Active Duty at Ft Hood and I felt I was ready to get out but I still wanted to keep some benefits so why not try it out for a year and see how it goes?

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2019 3:18 AM

2019-03-08T03:18:40-05:00

It was a good idea for you to do the try 1 contract. I've only been NG but when we get people that are coming from AD they seem to be surprised by the difference. And not in a good way. It's hard to say what to expect because every company is different but I'd say overall just be prepared to get the "part time" experience. Expect for whatever is planned to not go as planned and you'll do just fine.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2019 10:00 AM

2019-03-08T10:00:09-05:00

Expect not to go to school for your new MOS immediately. You're already MOS qualified so there's no rush for your unit. In fact, you might not go during your first year at all.

Response by SGT Aaron Rippee made Mar 8 at 2019 11:25 AM

2019-03-08T11:25:26-05:00

The main thing you will notice is the relaxed atmosphere. No longer active, so while there is the respect of rank, you are still all civilians when you go home after a weekend drill. You will be in for a shock, some like it, others not so much... depends on the unit and ppl also... just don't have hopes set too high for the NG

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2019 11:27 AM

2019-03-08T11:27:07-05:00

I’ve been in an infantry battalion for my whole career. Here are some notes:

-Quite a few drills are spent in the field. I’d say maybe 8 out of 12 months maybe.
-One drill a year is for rifle qual.
-One drill a year for medical.
-December is a holiday/mandatory fun drill.
-Not every drill will be solely on Saturday and Sunday. They can be 3-4 day drills.
-All of annual training will be in the field.

This has been my experience and yours may be completely different. Since you’re only on a 1 year contract you may never even get gear, and like we said on the other comments you probably won’t get a seat for your 92y MOSQ.

The NG also has opportunities for Federal Technician jobs as well as AGR so if you decide to stay in those are good routes to consider.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Response by CSM Danny S. made Mar 13 at 2019 9:32 AM

2019-03-13T09:32:07-04:00

I made this transition 15 years ago and I will say you will notice the difference in atmosphere. It is quiet a bit different now from when I transition. So what it will boils down to is can you adjust to the change. You will see soldiers that are considerably older than what you see in the active Army but most of the time they are very good at their MOS because they have been doing it for over 20 years. You will also find the guys that seem to show up just to drink with their buddies. So I hope you get a good unit and make a difference. Good luck.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 19 at 2019 3:20 PM

2019-03-19T15:20:27-04:00

Dude go USAR not ARNG.