GUARD DRILLS

I have just completed another guard drill. I am in the Air National Guard and I am going on 8 years. As of right now I work in one of the back shops for the C-130s. Every month I have to do my drills, it is usually the first full weekend of every month. Of course I usually have things I want to do that weekend, but I have to go drill any way.

I originally enlisted straight out of high school. I had to have my parents sign a waiver allowing me to join. I spent a lot of time researching different branches of the military. I considered joining the Navy simply because my brother is an officer in the Navy. I then looked heavily at joining the Air Force and even Army. Ultimately it was my mom that suggested joining the guard. I needed a way to pay for college and joining the guard was going to be my best bet for being able to accomplish my goal of completing college right away.

I did not join the Air Guard alone. I was able to complete basic and my tech school with one of my good friends from high school. I also got two other friends of mine to join at later dates. As of this date none of my friends have reenlisted. I think one may reenlist soon but we will see.

After I completed basic at Lackland, AFB I went to Sheppard, AFB for cold training on the A-10s. Once my schooling their was complete I had a month of hot training at Davis-Monthan, AFB. That was cool because I got to use what I learned in a real life situation. I was doing checks of the planes and launching them off all while there were helicopters and other jets landing and tacking off all around me. All in all my training lasted about a year.

Once I was done with training I went back home to Idaho with the intent to go to school full time when the next semester started, I was already accepted to Boise State University. Before the next semester started parents were going to get divorced, so I helped pack up my mom and sister and we moved to California. When we got to California we all stayed at my brothers house until we were able to all get jobs and move on. I transferred to Reno, NV because it was the closest guard base with a flight line. I did have to cross train into the C-130s from the A-10s but that was no big deal. It has now been over 6 years that I have been driving to Reno, 130 miles one way every month, unless the weather is bad over the pass in which case I don’t go. I then I have to make those drills up at some point which involves a lot of hotel nights.

I reenlisted just over a year ago for another 6 years. I did this for a few reasons one was that I wanted the $15,000 reenlistment bonus paid up front and two the guard repays my student loan up to $20,000 at 15% a year as long as I am still in the guard. For me it was a no brainer to reenlist.

In September I graduate from college and intend on becoming an officer or at least getting the slot by the end of this year. I am also scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in December. If I get the officer slot I will not be able to deploy in December because I will be in student status. I do not want to go to the desert especially because of my new baby boy and my wife. If I do wind up going I will make the best of it and just look forward to seeing my family again.

The military my not be for everyone, but it does have its benefits. I would encourage everyone to at least join the guard. You get to see cool places but you have the luxury of still being able to live where you want to and work a civilian job or go to school. I am very glad that I joined.