Guard/Reserve info request
02-03-2009, 02:08 PM
#41
granted it's only one weekend a month.There is a few Guard officers here in IN that are well liked by the people under them... if there is not a whole lot going on and the weather is bad there is a good chance they will call and say "don't worry about coming in if you don't want to" for the guys that live rather far away.
You can also call off for a drill and make it up another weekend or during the week, just don't make a habbit of it.
Getting promotions after E-6,7 does suck but I don't know anyone who regrets joining the Guard/Reserve.
If you are religous a lot of commanders will let you cut out to go to church if there is nothing going on also.
Full time Guard is nice from what I hear but you have to leave near the base or the gas money will eat you alive.
One last thing, at least in the Guard sometimes you can do some extra training or jobs and they will count that for your 2 week deployment.
Lots of little perks that sometimes add up.
Talk to the recruiter or whoever and have them take you to the unit you are looking at and hang out for a day (week day for full time and weekend day for GUARD/Reserve) and that will give you a great idea on how that unit runs and how layed back they are.
When one of the units here still had their airplanes the Crew Chiefs and the pilots say each other as equals, there is no standing against the wall at attention when an officer walks by or anything like that, you still salute and say your sir's and ma'am's but besides that is pretty laid back (I am speaking for IN though). Now the Reserve tanker unit here in IN.... its run like an active base hahahaha.
02-06-2009, 09:31 AM
#42
I've been in the guard and have transfered twice,about to do it agian. Couldn't be easier.
1. You call the unit you want to move to and see if they have a slot.
2. You tell your old unit that your leaving.
3. out process and in process
4. done
Also i've been a fulltimer the whole time.
02-06-2009, 10:30 AM
#43
Questions;
1. Do you want to stay in the air force reserve or air guard or are you willing to join another branch of guard or reserve.
2. What's your afsc
3. Are you considering leaving active early for a fulltime/40 hr week in the guard/reserve?
Comments;
1. Dont' pay any attention to the people that start any sentence with "i think" or "i heard". This will make you way more confused than you need to be.
2. I left active for the air guard and asked a lot of questions then, only to get a lot of "answers" from people that didn't know what they were talkling about. This is your career so keep that in mind.
Here's a little about me, i might be able to give some clearer answers if you pm me.
Four yr active duty enlistment as a C130 crew chief at pope afb. Palace chased (left early) at 3 yr point, 2003. I had to pay back 25% of my enlistment bonus since i only completed 75% of my enlistment. Started a 4 yr AGR*** tour with the NY ANG in Scotia under the same AFSC, same airframe. No enlistment bonus for full timers. After serving 3 yrs of that 4 yr contract i voluntarily transfered to the TN ANG in Memphis. Once in memphis i finished that 4 yr contract/enlistment, but as a Technican*** (full timer) with the same AFSC but a different airframe, C5's.
Rank in the ANG is pretty much a gimme until your ready to put on Tech Sgt. Then its wait until a Tech Sgt moves/retires/get promoted/dies vacating a slot. It takes a while in most cases to get your rank once you become an NCO.
***AGR- Active Guard Reserve- Don't let the word Reserve confuse you, it's still the guard. AGR tours mean you work 40 hrs +/- a week and are considered Full time. You still get Base pay, BAH, BAS, still accrue leave the same, still have Tricare, and are still payed IAW your rank. You also are under UCMJ 24/7.
If you work 1 hr or 16 hrs that day, pay stays the same just like AD. Your retirement is also the same as AD. 20 years total (includes your AD years) and you can retire and draw your check. You are still military in every sense. But you are considered Title 32 instead of Title 10. Don't worry about that part though.
***Technician or MILTECH or TECH or also called ART for some reason...- For the record ART stands for Air Reserve Technican and doesn't apply to the air guard but people that don't know what their talking about will use that term.
Technicians are full timers that are considered civilians. We still perform the same jobs as AD and AGR's but our pay and benefits are completely different. We are federal employees like a mailman. We get paid by the hour, we have unions, we don't go by the rank on our sleeves (more to come on that) we earn leave by the 2 week pay period, no UCMJ, and were compensated for overtime. When we go TDY OCONUS you can double dip. For example; i fly out to Germany for a week, i will earn my $30hr for 40 hrs, base pay for one week, BAS for one week, BAH type II for one week, and per diem. Double pay = "double dip."
Retirement is a lot different also, we can retire (stop working for the guard) after 20 yrs of service but you won't draw a check until you reach federal retirement age. I can't remember that age right now, i wanna say 62 for us but don't hold me to that one. If you stay on as a technician until you reach that age, you will recieve 2 retirement checks, your AD and your federal retirement.
Most units have thier Techs wear military uniforms because our union contract states that our employer must provide us with work clothes. And since we're attached to the military, we get BDU's. There are some ANG units that allow thier Techs to wear civies though.
***Drill weekend aka UTA- one weekend a month, 2 weeks a year we abide by AD regs and go by our rank and pay. No more calling your base commander by his first name on those 2 days. It's offically used for keeping our training up to date (damn CBT's) and training the Traditional guardsmen (think part time, they only work for the guard on drills and only get paid for those 2 days) and Commanders call. But it's mostly a social gathering...I like messing with the AGR's with this one, the TECHs get thier lunch for free but the AGR's have to pay. Sorry had to lighten the mood a little!
I'm pretty sure i've been in every program the Air Guard has to offer (Traditional Guardsman, AGR, USAP AGR, and Technician) so i could probably help you out if thats the direction you want to go.
I couldn't be happier.
1. Do you want to stay in the air force reserve or air guard or are you willing to join another branch of guard or reserve.
2. What's your afsc
3. Are you considering leaving active early for a fulltime/40 hr week in the guard/reserve?
Comments;
1. Dont' pay any attention to the people that start any sentence with "i think" or "i heard". This will make you way more confused than you need to be.
2. I left active for the air guard and asked a lot of questions then, only to get a lot of "answers" from people that didn't know what they were talkling about. This is your career so keep that in mind.
Here's a little about me, i might be able to give some clearer answers if you pm me.
Four yr active duty enlistment as a C130 crew chief at pope afb. Palace chased (left early) at 3 yr point, 2003. I had to pay back 25% of my enlistment bonus since i only completed 75% of my enlistment. Started a 4 yr AGR*** tour with the NY ANG in Scotia under the same AFSC, same airframe. No enlistment bonus for full timers. After serving 3 yrs of that 4 yr contract i voluntarily transfered to the TN ANG in Memphis. Once in memphis i finished that 4 yr contract/enlistment, but as a Technican*** (full timer) with the same AFSC but a different airframe, C5's.
Rank in the ANG is pretty much a gimme until your ready to put on Tech Sgt. Then its wait until a Tech Sgt moves/retires/get promoted/dies vacating a slot. It takes a while in most cases to get your rank once you become an NCO.
***AGR- Active Guard Reserve- Don't let the word Reserve confuse you, it's still the guard. AGR tours mean you work 40 hrs +/- a week and are considered Full time. You still get Base pay, BAH, BAS, still accrue leave the same, still have Tricare, and are still payed IAW your rank. You also are under UCMJ 24/7.
If you work 1 hr or 16 hrs that day, pay stays the same just like AD. Your retirement is also the same as AD. 20 years total (includes your AD years) and you can retire and draw your check. You are still military in every sense. But you are considered Title 32 instead of Title 10. Don't worry about that part though.
***Technician or MILTECH or TECH or also called ART for some reason...- For the record ART stands for Air Reserve Technican and doesn't apply to the air guard but people that don't know what their talking about will use that term.
Technicians are full timers that are considered civilians. We still perform the same jobs as AD and AGR's but our pay and benefits are completely different. We are federal employees like a mailman. We get paid by the hour, we have unions, we don't go by the rank on our sleeves (more to come on that) we earn leave by the 2 week pay period, no UCMJ, and were compensated for overtime. When we go TDY OCONUS you can double dip. For example; i fly out to Germany for a week, i will earn my $30hr for 40 hrs, base pay for one week, BAS for one week, BAH type II for one week, and per diem. Double pay = "double dip."
Retirement is a lot different also, we can retire (stop working for the guard) after 20 yrs of service but you won't draw a check until you reach federal retirement age. I can't remember that age right now, i wanna say 62 for us but don't hold me to that one. If you stay on as a technician until you reach that age, you will recieve 2 retirement checks, your AD and your federal retirement.
Most units have thier Techs wear military uniforms because our union contract states that our employer must provide us with work clothes. And since we're attached to the military, we get BDU's. There are some ANG units that allow thier Techs to wear civies though.
***Drill weekend aka UTA- one weekend a month, 2 weeks a year we abide by AD regs and go by our rank and pay. No more calling your base commander by his first name on those 2 days. It's offically used for keeping our training up to date (damn CBT's) and training the Traditional guardsmen (think part time, they only work for the guard on drills and only get paid for those 2 days) and Commanders call. But it's mostly a social gathering...I like messing with the AGR's with this one, the TECHs get thier lunch for free but the AGR's have to pay. Sorry had to lighten the mood a little!
I'm pretty sure i've been in every program the Air Guard has to offer (Traditional Guardsman, AGR, USAP AGR, and Technician) so i could probably help you out if thats the direction you want to go.
I couldn't be happier.
Last edited by sneaky7980; 02-06-2009 at 10:41 AM.
02-06-2009, 11:58 AM
#44
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I've been in the guard and have transfered twice,about to do it agian. Couldn't be easier.
1. You call the unit you want to move to and see if they have a slot.
2. You tell your old unit that your leaving.
3. out process and in process
4. done
Also i've been a fulltimer the whole time.
1. You call the unit you want to move to and see if they have a slot.
2. You tell your old unit that your leaving.
3. out process and in process
4. done
Also i've been a fulltimer the whole time.
Guard/reserve transfers are just that easy, that is unless you have mob orders then you arent going anywhere without a load of paperwork/approvals. Ive done 3 transfers, all easy.
02-08-2009, 08:40 AM
#45
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Join Date: Jan 2009
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Good post, Sneaky, and good advice for the OP.
Talking to the section chief in conjunction with the recruiter will get you the best answers to your questions. Like active duty recruiters, they come from other backgrounds and can't possibly know everything about every job. They are mainly concerned with filling the unit vacancies with qualified applicants, where the section chief can advise the recruiter that he/she wants you to fill a specific position. You're basically burning the candle at both ends.
The tecnician jobs are a pretty good deal, worth the wait. But it does take time to adjust to the different pay opportunities. Many Guard/Reservist Technicians pride themselves on their ability to double dip.
And yes, technicians also get the pleasure of working 12 days straight when drill weekends come around. In my case, I had to work last weekend as well, so by next Friday I will be a vegetable after working 19 days without a day off. However, on top of my civilian paycheck, I also earned 8 days of military pay. Most months are not like this fortunately.
One last thing: should you earn a commission and be a civil service technician, the UCMJ applies at all times. Also, only enlisted members have union representation (as long as they are under GS and not the new NSPS pay system).
For me: active 5.5yrs, reservist 11 yrs, enlisted / officer, part time & civil service
Talking to the section chief in conjunction with the recruiter will get you the best answers to your questions. Like active duty recruiters, they come from other backgrounds and can't possibly know everything about every job. They are mainly concerned with filling the unit vacancies with qualified applicants, where the section chief can advise the recruiter that he/she wants you to fill a specific position. You're basically burning the candle at both ends.
The tecnician jobs are a pretty good deal, worth the wait. But it does take time to adjust to the different pay opportunities. Many Guard/Reservist Technicians pride themselves on their ability to double dip.
And yes, technicians also get the pleasure of working 12 days straight when drill weekends come around. In my case, I had to work last weekend as well, so by next Friday I will be a vegetable after working 19 days without a day off. However, on top of my civilian paycheck, I also earned 8 days of military pay. Most months are not like this fortunately. One last thing: should you earn a commission and be a civil service technician, the UCMJ applies at all times. Also, only enlisted members have union representation (as long as they are under GS and not the new NSPS pay system).
For me: active 5.5yrs, reservist 11 yrs, enlisted / officer, part time & civil service
