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ANG Questions

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Wiggums

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 26, 2001
Posts
1,040
If anyone has a few minutes I was hoping that they could give me some answers to a few questions I have about the ANG:

1. How competitive is it really? Does the type of aircraft make a difference, for example, are F-16s harder to get then KC-135s? What factors into getting an interview, and then being successful at the interview? What's important, grades, activities, test scores, who you know?

2. How is it decided what aircraft units fly? If your unit is flying transports can it be converted to fighters in the future? Could the unit be disbanded if the state no longer wants to support it? Can you switch to another unit sometime in the future? If you serve 20 years do you get retirement?

3. I understand that after UPT you have to fly full time for awhile before you can be part time, how long does that take? Once you start flying part-time how often you fly? Do you have enough time outside the ANG for another job? Will you lose your second job if the unit deploys?

4. I understand from the time from when you start applying to when you go to UPT can be up to three years. Is this typical? If you have a job when you leave for UPT is your employer required to give it back to you when you get back from training?

I know, it's a lot of questions, but I'm really interested in the ANG, but I don't know that much about it yet.

Thanks in advance.
 
To answer your first question, it's on a unit-by-unit basis. A
KC-135 slot at one Guard base might be more competitive than an F-16 slot at another. The units in more populous areas have more people interested and the smaller cities are tougher
to commute to. Some units do require you to live within a certain
radius, though.

Most units have flown the same mission for decades. Units who've flown air-to-mud might have gone from F-105s, to A-7s,
to F-4s, to F-16s. A good real-life example is the Jackson, MS,
ANG. Since the early '70s, they've flown the C-119, C-130, C-141,
and are slated to get the C-17 soon. You'll probably never see a
unit convert from heavies to fighters. Back in the early '90s my
Guard unit, along with several others, converted from RF-4s to
KC-135s. That was part of a big "shell game." The KC-135s came
from Active Duty (AD) to the ANG, while the RF-4s were retired. What looked like a drawdown of AD KC-135s was actually a redistribution. Some of the other contributors could probably
explain that better than I, though it is a digression.

How long you're on AD depends on your aircraft. Fighter guys
are "on the T1T" longer because they have a more to master.
As a part-timer you're expected to eventually have a second job.
Until then you can "bum." Guard and Reserve units are heavily involved in just about all operations that go on. As a result, they're usually funded well enough to support a handful of folks who line up "at the trough." It pays well, you support your unit, and you have a heckuva good time. The camaraderie is GREAT!!

You WILL NOT lose your second job if you deploy. By law, your employer must let you go to fulfill your committment. Military leaves up to four years or so are authorized. I'm not certain of the exact time but it is at least four years.

I'm pretty sure your employer has to give you your job back when you return from training. You can expect to be gone at least two years.

I hope I helped; I'm sure some other folks will add to my comments and give you a more complete picture.

BEST of luck!!
 

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