National Guard or Active Duty Army?

Question

Im a single 23 year old single mother. I want to join the military, but can't decide whats best. Should I go Active duty to recieve more money and benefits or should I just do National Guard?

Answer 1

Life as a single parent will be tough either way.

Both involve some initial entry training that will probably last several months. The active soldier and the Guard soldier both go through the same basic training and initial skills training (AIT).

Both will require you to have a family care plan. That means that someone other than the Army will agree to care for your child when you are away on duty.

Both carry a good chance of being deployed overseas into a war zone. Of course the active soldier has much more or a chance of that happening but the Guard soldier shouldn't enlist without recognizing the possibility of a deployment. The Guard does have the additional possibilty of having to respond to state emergencies so if you are in a hurricane state then that is another consideration (and other states too but maybe not so much as ones that have to deal with hurricanes)

The active army will offer a wider range of career options then what may be available at your local Guard unit. Unless you are willing to drive long distances you may not be able to find a slot fo the military skill you want to pursue. The active Army can send you anywhere so that removes that constraint.

What are your goals? If you want to go to college or some technical civilian training then it might makes sense for you to join the Guard. Many states add to the tuition assistance that is available through the GI Bill. If you aren't interested in that it might make sense to do an active duty tour

I've seen several people join the Guard and then go active duty and that may be a best of both worlds. I'll have to caveat that by saying that some commands are more friendly then others when it comes to letting a troop leave the Guard.

I note that someone posted that the National Guard is the worst "branch" to join. Having served in all three components fo the Army and having done a trip in the sandbox I can say that is not true. There are good and bad units in all components. I've seen National Guard units run rings around an active duty counterpart. I've seen active units that were great and active units I'd want no part of, same with the Guard and the USAR. Also, to say that National Guard are deployed more is a generalization that doesn't hold up. Some units, like Military Police, are deployed more, others aren't, and some hardly at all. That all depends on what the mission requires. Some units are getting a second turn in Iraq but some active units are already seeing a third turn. Same holds true for the Army Reserve. One advantage of the Guard is that people are usually in the same unit longer and develop more of a family connection. In my experience that means people are more apt to watch your back, but again that varies from unit to unit.

Answer 2

Should you go active duty military you will have to have a long-term childcare plan in place because the question is not *if* you go overseas but rather *when*.

You must also accept the fact that there is no standard quitting time in the military; some days or weeks you work from can-see to can't-see. You will need to consider the effect this will have on your children.

And remember, the military does not pay for child care.

If you enlist in the Guard you will nominally only have drill weekends and your 2 wks AD every year to worry about; however, you'll still need a plan for your children in case you are called up.

Answer 3

As it has been said by others, ALL contracts (active, reserve, national guard) are for a total of 8 years; one piece of advice - negotiate hard with the recruiter. To start the conditional release process, you must see an active duty recruiter. The Recruiter is the only person who can request a conditional release. He/she does this by submitting a DD Form 368, Request for Conditional Release. This form must be signed by the member and the active duty recruiter. If you've not yet been through basic training, and you get a conditional release approved, normally you are enlisted active duty as a non-prior service candidate (which offers more enlistment options). - see website below for info. My advice - even though you signed a contract, you are not powerless. Hell, you could just not show up to ship out - what are they going to do? I have seen it done before.

Answer 4

Active duty. I personally think the National Guard is the worst (from the perspective of the enlistee) branch to join. If you get sent to Iraq, you want to be a PROFESSIONAL. The National Guard gets deployed more often than the other branches, which can really throw a wrench in your plans.

Answer 5

you may have a tough time with active duty being a single parent. I'm not sure if they would take you if you have full custody, because you will be getting deployed and where would the kids stay? Personally I say active duty though.

Answer 6

if you go guard you still need a second job and if you go active you lose a lot of freedom. i am active and ive been to iraq and i dont regret it.