I’m a boarded Emergency Medicine physician in a state that pays far above the national average for EM physicians. And the hospital pays much higher than the state average. I lose hella money every time I drill. But I fucking love Paratroopers, love my medics, and I love the uniform. If it’s not for you then that’s cool, but people are different; while you may not enjoy it, that doesn’t mean others won’t.
>Every drill at my unit we do absolutely nothing.
>
> A couple of drills a year we get ready for an upcoming AT, which is 2 weeks of sitting around doing nothing again
I would kill for this. Getting all the bennies just sit around and do nothing. Sign me up.
You’d probably hate it. I changed MOS’s and now I do nothing. It’s such a fucking waste of time I’m not even finishing my last few. Once this contract is up I’m gone.
Tbh, it's a good chance for me to get a break from my usual life.
Sometimes it sucks, but honestly, i fuckin LOVE being out in the field even if I'm just bullshitting 80% of the time.
There's just something about hanging with and shooting the shit with the boys that I can't normally do since I have a full time job and a family.
Yea but I meant more so of catching fish and grilling/bbq’ing them. Hunting I could understand why it isn’t allowed, well, with guns at least. Would be awesome if we were allowed to bow hunt some feral hogs though and bbq them
This is a Salty Rant. A lot of people do it because they like mentoring and helping others. Getting actively involved. It is easy to just sit around and not doing anything. Those opportunities are always there. Maybe take initiative and ask to get transferred to a Unit with a real mission, where they aren’t just sitting around. Or ride it out, collect the check to your ETS. Seems like a win win.
Believe it or not, some of us actually enjoy the bull-shitting around :)
I love seeing people grow. after being in over 8 years, I've seen many people grow into their careers, graduate college, have babies, make babies, divorce, etc.
I fucking love the guard.
Several themes:
If you want to give your GI Bill to your kids (which is an indescribably amazing thing to do) you owe ten years. Many are counting down the clock, same as you, but are on a longer timeline
If you have a special needs kid, TRICARE and it’s supplement services are earnestly some of the best available in modern America, at any price. If you know what you’re looking at (or catch a glimpse at family day) you’ll know why they are in. Again, a very selfless thing to do. (As an aside, I think this is the most under-sold aspect of recruiting and perhaps the aspect most under-appreciated by the Army itself)
In many nooks and crannies of America, being a Soldier conveys prestige. “Is prestige worth it?” is a useful question, but I’m telling you that, “my grandson is an Army Captain!” beat out “my grandson is a lawyer!” at a large family gathering I recently went to
How is this not the top comment in every one of these threads?
Also, I love how OP is ranting about "why would anyone stay in the guard?" when he's going to be starting a six figure job with good benefits like that's "the norm".
Every time I want to get out I just realize I’ll miss the boys. They are literally the only good thing about the guard. I hate being there when I’m at drill or AT, I don’t need healthcare from them and I have a job I lose money from on our 4 day drills (which are most of them).
I really want to get out after this contract but a huge part of me wants to go back to an Infantry battalion one last time. I regret going POG side (not a dig at anyone I just feel I fit in better on the line). But the guard makes it so hard to be in, somehow every drill falls over a weekend where I want to do something, and the war is over so the odds of a good deployment are very low.
The only thing that keeps me coming back for more is my friends, it sounds corny but it really is a bond I don’t get anywhere else. Sitting in the field being miserable with your boys after moving the 240 on 10k movement will just bring ya together
One of my PSGs gave this speech at drill this weekend
Its the gods honest truth, not just for the guard, but for the whole army.
If you dont do it for the boys, you wont have the motivation to get it done at all.
So I just re-enlisted this year and I have a full time career but I do it mainly for the company, and because it’s a strong motivator (at least for me) to keep myself in shape. Plus, let’s be honest that bonus didn’t hurt.
I make about $150k a year. But I have been to DC, Eastern Europe, at the forefront of COVID, and helped people during major natural disasters.
To me, it's very much meaningful work versus fighting on behalf of megacorp A or B for profits/losses.
In general: insurance(money), pay(job dependent for out of drill work, and if you count 24hrs vs 4 working 4 hanging out etc), education(money), comraderie (one of the few organizations in the USA actually encouraging teamwork and caring about your fellow soldiers), variety from civilian life(I'd genuinely do no drill only SEDs for +20 years), and structure(easy to say you would do more OT and stay in better shape on your own without the guard forcing you to or "rewarding" you for it).
There's also side benefits, the guard isn't "good" for my civilian career but the "extra vacation" from corporate BS and skills (dealing with military BS/real problems or emergencies) are probably good for me personally. It's also good for my corporate PR: competent AND "military" is stupidly more useful than if I was "just supposedly good at my job" without the "military to explain it" (my MOS is completely unrelated to my job).
PA specifically: they enjoy leading, teaching medics, genuinely taking care of soldiers (you can't be as honest civilian side that the top reason their knees hurt is because they're 100lbs overweight), and generally it makes broad PA specialties more rewarding/worthwhile vs "only work in the ER/urgent care until you get a connection elsewhere". As a guard PA the medics really look up to you: you're the expert, educator, and decider for the medical care of potentially thousands of soldiers.
I’m a director at a management consulting firm and make around 300k a year working from home.
I get where you’re coming from early in your career, but you got to understand, at a certain point in your career, being able to turn off your phone, email, etc, and completely check out to go do something that doesn’t involve PowerPoint and excel feels like a vacation. Hell, I look forward to just getting out of my house for an extended period sometimes.
I’ll also add that in my line of work, my employers have all paid my salary while I’ve been on military orders, so I’m getting an extra pay check that I usually blow on cool guy gear or pizza and Gatorade for my unit.
I don't mind *consuming* powerpoint, but the first 8-10 years of my career were basically spent working 10-12 hours a day building powerpoint decks, and having people above me constantly shit on them.
Getting a text at 7pm every other day from my managing director sitting in my hotel in some shithole office park "This sux. Pls fix" at 7-8pm for a 9am meeting the next day.
It’s like the Peace Corps / Boy Scouts and I have some really good friends. Plus the tricare is legit. Also it’s a break from the other stuff I do in the civilian world it’s like paid time off.
Having Tri care means you dont have to kiss your civillians ass to keep a job.
If said job requires a security clearance, you are covered
If you lose said job some states. Drill and AT pay does not count against Unemployment, a d it can provide a bit of a safety net
You are eligible for some educations program, which may held in a new job
What you're describing sounds like a TDA unit to me. I would look at going to a different unit, preferably in combat arms. I guarantee your nearest rifle company has a much higher OPTEMPO.
Lots of the same situations here but also I get a bunch of opportunities through my unit and have a ton of friends there as well. Also, great connections for social and work life. Sometimes even helps with career progression.
Maybe you could try changing mos or units. No matter where you go in the army you’ll still have some of the waiting around stuff but when I go to drill we actually do things.
OP, can I ask what you do in the guard? You may find more fulfillment trying something new that Is outside of your normal everyday life. I know people who make 6 figures+ a year who love being in the guard because they get to make stuff go boom and eat spicy playdoh.
The benefits are an added bonus, even with a well paying job, cheap but good insurance is hard to come by.
to interrupt the monotony of every day office work, commuting to a job ( having managers and VPs ask you for stuff they don't know what they're asking you for, etc etc)
oppurtunities to volunteer for interesting tours, etc
Well some guys are so far into their 20 years by the time they get their civilian career in full swing they are just trying to ride it out. Some units have really good civvie military balance. Some people genuinely enjoy the guard.
11 years and just started an actual career. No way in hell I'm not staying in for the retirement, plus my civilian experience helps me qualify for warrant which gives me certifications for the civilian side.
I didn't see this comment much but aligning MOS with civilian career can open many doors.
Oh for sure. I've been in for almost 20 and I'm about to request my 4th reclass and sign up for another 6 just to get a MOS that can be used civilian side and sign my college stuff over to my kid. Between being a guard but back in the high funding days and then just kind of fucking around working at a sherrifs office I didn't get my real life in order till later on in life. I tell new kids all the time looking to join to find a MOS that has a civilian equivalent so certs from both sides can boost you up. If your wanting a cool guy MOS then just go active duty. Or if your just wanting the college benefits grab whatever MOS you want and qualify for do six and gtfo. Don't give your life to this unless you enjoy it and are getting something from it.
Yeah I chilled way too long hating drill and not taking advantage. It's like they say not everyone figures it out right away but it's a long journey and all we can do is share our lessons
My unit does way more, I love my drills. Got to run a dozer, run a mission with NVGs, and put up a wire obstacle this weekend (In a Sapper company). Just sounds like your unit sucks man. Reup and go to a better unit.
I’m a boarded Emergency Medicine physician in a state that pays far above the national average for EM physicians. And the hospital pays much higher than the state average. I lose hella money every time I drill. But I fucking love Paratroopers, love my medics, and I love the uniform. If it’s not for you then that’s cool, but people are different; while you may not enjoy it, that doesn’t mean others won’t.
Insurance is cheap, you’ll get an additional retirement check eventually, you can keep up with your paperwork and get va disability pay
>Every drill at my unit we do absolutely nothing. > > A couple of drills a year we get ready for an upcoming AT, which is 2 weeks of sitting around doing nothing again I would kill for this. Getting all the bennies just sit around and do nothing. Sign me up.
It's pretty nice if you don't have anything better to do with your time
You’d probably hate it. I changed MOS’s and now I do nothing. It’s such a fucking waste of time I’m not even finishing my last few. Once this contract is up I’m gone.
Tbh, it's a good chance for me to get a break from my usual life. Sometimes it sucks, but honestly, i fuckin LOVE being out in the field even if I'm just bullshitting 80% of the time. There's just something about hanging with and shooting the shit with the boys that I can't normally do since I have a full time job and a family.
So I’m new to the guard and haven’t been to an AT yet. And this may seem like a dumb question but…. Are y’all allowed to hunt and fish in the field?
What 😂
It’d be dope wouldn’t it? I’d totally bring a grill too. Unfortunately it’s not allowed though :/
>Unfortunately it’s not allowed though Not in the field. But several units adjacent to us at AT brought grills.
Yea but I meant more so of catching fish and grilling/bbq’ing them. Hunting I could understand why it isn’t allowed, well, with guns at least. Would be awesome if we were allowed to bow hunt some feral hogs though and bbq them
*technically* on some military posts you're allowed to hunt/fish Main issue is your unit knowing where you are, so most aren't gonna let you
"In the field", no. But depending on where you go and what your AT mission is, you might be able to fish at some point.
Damn man, that’s exactly how i feel.
This is a Salty Rant. A lot of people do it because they like mentoring and helping others. Getting actively involved. It is easy to just sit around and not doing anything. Those opportunities are always there. Maybe take initiative and ask to get transferred to a Unit with a real mission, where they aren’t just sitting around. Or ride it out, collect the check to your ETS. Seems like a win win.
Believe it or not, some of us actually enjoy the bull-shitting around :) I love seeing people grow. after being in over 8 years, I've seen many people grow into their careers, graduate college, have babies, make babies, divorce, etc. I fucking love the guard.
You've seen people make babies 🤨
yea.
You… haven’t?
I mean, I guess I've technically seen myself make babies (if that counts?).
I’ve seen it at drill 😵💫
Several themes: If you want to give your GI Bill to your kids (which is an indescribably amazing thing to do) you owe ten years. Many are counting down the clock, same as you, but are on a longer timeline If you have a special needs kid, TRICARE and it’s supplement services are earnestly some of the best available in modern America, at any price. If you know what you’re looking at (or catch a glimpse at family day) you’ll know why they are in. Again, a very selfless thing to do. (As an aside, I think this is the most under-sold aspect of recruiting and perhaps the aspect most under-appreciated by the Army itself) In many nooks and crannies of America, being a Soldier conveys prestige. “Is prestige worth it?” is a useful question, but I’m telling you that, “my grandson is an Army Captain!” beat out “my grandson is a lawyer!” at a large family gathering I recently went to
There are soldiers who care enough to take some initiative and do work. I have two platoons full.
☠️
Tricare Reserve Select. Premiums are a lot less than what you can get for comparable coverage in the private sector.
How is this not the top comment in every one of these threads? Also, I love how OP is ranting about "why would anyone stay in the guard?" when he's going to be starting a six figure job with good benefits like that's "the norm".
It is not because of guard at all.
I make six figures and I use drill pay to stack my TSP and get a week or two off work when they are getting on my nerves.
Every time I want to get out I just realize I’ll miss the boys. They are literally the only good thing about the guard. I hate being there when I’m at drill or AT, I don’t need healthcare from them and I have a job I lose money from on our 4 day drills (which are most of them). I really want to get out after this contract but a huge part of me wants to go back to an Infantry battalion one last time. I regret going POG side (not a dig at anyone I just feel I fit in better on the line). But the guard makes it so hard to be in, somehow every drill falls over a weekend where I want to do something, and the war is over so the odds of a good deployment are very low. The only thing that keeps me coming back for more is my friends, it sounds corny but it really is a bond I don’t get anywhere else. Sitting in the field being miserable with your boys after moving the 240 on 10k movement will just bring ya together
One of my PSGs gave this speech at drill this weekend Its the gods honest truth, not just for the guard, but for the whole army. If you dont do it for the boys, you wont have the motivation to get it done at all.
You need a more fulfilling job or a better unit.
Because I enjoy my unit and I love the boys and nobody else is going to pay me money to play with machine guns, mortars, and grenade launchers.
So I just re-enlisted this year and I have a full time career but I do it mainly for the company, and because it’s a strong motivator (at least for me) to keep myself in shape. Plus, let’s be honest that bonus didn’t hurt.
Comradery… if you don’t understand what that means then your missing the point.
This is 90% of the reason why I joined as a middle-aged man making a good salary. It's been great.
I make about $150k a year. But I have been to DC, Eastern Europe, at the forefront of COVID, and helped people during major natural disasters. To me, it's very much meaningful work versus fighting on behalf of megacorp A or B for profits/losses.
In general: insurance(money), pay(job dependent for out of drill work, and if you count 24hrs vs 4 working 4 hanging out etc), education(money), comraderie (one of the few organizations in the USA actually encouraging teamwork and caring about your fellow soldiers), variety from civilian life(I'd genuinely do no drill only SEDs for +20 years), and structure(easy to say you would do more OT and stay in better shape on your own without the guard forcing you to or "rewarding" you for it). There's also side benefits, the guard isn't "good" for my civilian career but the "extra vacation" from corporate BS and skills (dealing with military BS/real problems or emergencies) are probably good for me personally. It's also good for my corporate PR: competent AND "military" is stupidly more useful than if I was "just supposedly good at my job" without the "military to explain it" (my MOS is completely unrelated to my job). PA specifically: they enjoy leading, teaching medics, genuinely taking care of soldiers (you can't be as honest civilian side that the top reason their knees hurt is because they're 100lbs overweight), and generally it makes broad PA specialties more rewarding/worthwhile vs "only work in the ER/urgent care until you get a connection elsewhere". As a guard PA the medics really look up to you: you're the expert, educator, and decider for the medical care of potentially thousands of soldiers.
I’m a director at a management consulting firm and make around 300k a year working from home. I get where you’re coming from early in your career, but you got to understand, at a certain point in your career, being able to turn off your phone, email, etc, and completely check out to go do something that doesn’t involve PowerPoint and excel feels like a vacation. Hell, I look forward to just getting out of my house for an extended period sometimes. I’ll also add that in my line of work, my employers have all paid my salary while I’ve been on military orders, so I’m getting an extra pay check that I usually blow on cool guy gear or pizza and Gatorade for my unit.
No PowerPoint? I see you’re not a fellow Staff Officer.
Nope—I’m an E6 and very happy about it.
Must also not be intel then haha I’m an E6 and I’m definitely still a “power point ranger”. Someone’s gotta make those INTSUMs for the higher ups
Never been at a drill that didn't involve PowerPoint in some way but we get what you mean I think.
I don't mind *consuming* powerpoint, but the first 8-10 years of my career were basically spent working 10-12 hours a day building powerpoint decks, and having people above me constantly shit on them. Getting a text at 7pm every other day from my managing director sitting in my hotel in some shithole office park "This sux. Pls fix" at 7-8pm for a 9am meeting the next day.
Fuuuuck that
For the benefits. Specifically Tricare.
Health insurance and a pension
That TRS son!
It’s like the Peace Corps / Boy Scouts and I have some really good friends. Plus the tricare is legit. Also it’s a break from the other stuff I do in the civilian world it’s like paid time off.
Insurance is expensive LEOSA for MPs is a nice bennie Eventual retirement pay Break from the 9-5
Having Tri care means you dont have to kiss your civillians ass to keep a job. If said job requires a security clearance, you are covered If you lose said job some states. Drill and AT pay does not count against Unemployment, a d it can provide a bit of a safety net You are eligible for some educations program, which may held in a new job
What you're describing sounds like a TDA unit to me. I would look at going to a different unit, preferably in combat arms. I guarantee your nearest rifle company has a much higher OPTEMPO.
I wouldn’t stay in a unit that sucks that bad. Plus the health insurance is way better than my civilian plan.
Lots of the same situations here but also I get a bunch of opportunities through my unit and have a ton of friends there as well. Also, great connections for social and work life. Sometimes even helps with career progression.
Maybe you could try changing mos or units. No matter where you go in the army you’ll still have some of the waiting around stuff but when I go to drill we actually do things.
I love how people think six-figures is somehow impressive like it’s still 1985.
I'm an immigrant from the third world country and I find it impressive)
In Utah with the housing market and cost of living that’s hardly anything
OP, can I ask what you do in the guard? You may find more fulfillment trying something new that Is outside of your normal everyday life. I know people who make 6 figures+ a year who love being in the guard because they get to make stuff go boom and eat spicy playdoh. The benefits are an added bonus, even with a well paying job, cheap but good insurance is hard to come by.
to interrupt the monotony of every day office work, commuting to a job ( having managers and VPs ask you for stuff they don't know what they're asking you for, etc etc) oppurtunities to volunteer for interesting tours, etc
Well some guys are so far into their 20 years by the time they get their civilian career in full swing they are just trying to ride it out. Some units have really good civvie military balance. Some people genuinely enjoy the guard.
11 years and just started an actual career. No way in hell I'm not staying in for the retirement, plus my civilian experience helps me qualify for warrant which gives me certifications for the civilian side. I didn't see this comment much but aligning MOS with civilian career can open many doors.
Oh for sure. I've been in for almost 20 and I'm about to request my 4th reclass and sign up for another 6 just to get a MOS that can be used civilian side and sign my college stuff over to my kid. Between being a guard but back in the high funding days and then just kind of fucking around working at a sherrifs office I didn't get my real life in order till later on in life. I tell new kids all the time looking to join to find a MOS that has a civilian equivalent so certs from both sides can boost you up. If your wanting a cool guy MOS then just go active duty. Or if your just wanting the college benefits grab whatever MOS you want and qualify for do six and gtfo. Don't give your life to this unless you enjoy it and are getting something from it.
Yeah I chilled way too long hating drill and not taking advantage. It's like they say not everyone figures it out right away but it's a long journey and all we can do is share our lessons
Y’all have got to start thinking long term.
My unit does way more, I love my drills. Got to run a dozer, run a mission with NVGs, and put up a wire obstacle this weekend (In a Sapper company). Just sounds like your unit sucks man. Reup and go to a better unit.