Air National Guard

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WeekendWarrior

Filing Flight Plan
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Feb 3, 2019
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FlyKC
All,
I'm at a weird juncture in life where I am content with where I am (job, housing, etc) and do not wish to change anything about it. I work a 9-5 desk job for a major aviation firm. I love it and would like to make a long career out of it.
But I feel like I can do more. I grew up in a military family and one of my big childhood goals was an appointment to follow my uncle to the Air Force Academy. For a number of reasons, that became unfeasible, but I've always had an interest in service greater than myself.

I found the Air National Guard as a possible solution. I can't commit to the full (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines) service, but I feel a strong calling to serve in some capacity. My state has a few ANG units. I'm wondering if anyone has tried to do what I do - maintain a full-time desk job while serving in the ANG. The commitment looks like a minimum of one weekend/month and two weeks a year, which is easily attainable for me (and my desk job offers military leave).

I don't have a degree but I am working on it - so that rules out trying to shoot for a UPT slot at the moment (unless something has changed). I'm not doing this eyeing a pilot slot or trying to find a way to build flight time, I'd just like to contribute in some way to a cause greater than my own. I want to make a difference, and uniformed service has always been a calling I've felt.

Any of you have experience or words of wisdom?
 
It’s do-able. Depending on career field, it’s can be much more than one weekend a month and two weeks a year.

Is your employer friendly to the guard? You’ll have to do basic and whatever career field training on top of the traditional drills and deployments, while winding down, are still a factor to consider.
 
My employer is generally very friendly to the Services. I know that a colleague in an adjacent department is an Army Reservist and he is given the time off that is required of him (his desk was empty for 2-3 months when I started, I later found out he had been deployed). What I don't know is whether he came to the company already with rank or joined after starting his desk job. That could be a piece of the puzzle I am unaware of.

Work aside, though, I have no issues with additional time commitments. I'm young and single and live alone. I saw a few career fields/MOS that piqued my interest on the KS ANG website, I might reach out to a recruiter in the coming weeks for a bit more information.
 
I vote YES, if the particulars line up. That is, your inclination, interests, type of unit, etc..

The Guard/Reserves is a great way to dip your toe in the military waters. I started at 17 in the Army National Guard, Mom signed for me.
 
I did 4 years regular Navy and 10 in the USNR. Work sort of forced me to leave the reserves. I was traveling a lot for work and it just became to much to travel back for the weekend duty. My work was 500+ miles from NAS were I drilled.

USNR, VP-90, P-3B NAS Glenview, IL
 
I will say do your due diligence. That one weekend a month, and two weeks a year could turn into a whole lot more, and COULD affect your civilian life. I would say seek out current members of the units you are looking at, and talk to them about upcoming "events".
 
I started down this path....flying C-130's for the WVANG....in MRB. It will take you 2-3 years to get all the training and become commissioned, rated and useful to a guard unit. There was a selection board and 10 people were selected for 3-4 slots. I had all my ratings with A&P....so the testing was not the issue...passsed all that. For me it was medical. I passed the initial screening but when my package got to the final medical review board.....they didn't like surgery I had on my ear as a child.

So....it is a big step....even for "part-time" work. It's still a few years commitment...and you possibly could be called up for full time work should the governor want you somewhere.
 
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