Wuby Enlisted 05/28/09

[ChicsterMG]

Originally Posted by Wuby The Wabbit

lets not forget about homeland securities best and brightest.....the coast guard.....HAHA their basic is only 8 weeks long. Snicker puddle pirates lol

Coast Guard is actually a tought basic. They are don't tend to do the grilling and mind breaking, but they are very physical and do a lot of running.

Originally Posted by inspiron

If I were to chose a branch of the military, my natural laziness would probably lead me to the National Guard. I assume that their basic training involves drinking lots of beer and trying not to get shot by a buddy.

I would thank you not to insult my 20 years of service. Gladly given in the Army National Guard. Basic training is the same as active duty, right along side each other. Difference is, the National Guard does one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer what it takes Active Duty a full year to accomplish.

LOL. Seriously, given the new way of war, every service member is having a new found respect for the other services. Navy guys in Afghanistan? Who would have thunk it, but there they were, right next to us.

Originally Posted by tallannie

I think it takes 30 years to get a decent pension now....?

Nope, 20 will get you a pension. If you are Reserve or National Guard, you can't collect until you're sixty.

[Danthedawgfan]

Originally Posted by ChicsterMG

Coast Guard is actually a tought basic. They are don't tend to do the grilling and mind breaking, but they are very physical and do a lot of running.


I would thank you not to insult my 20 years of service. Gladly given in the Army National Guard. Basic training is the same as active duty, right along side each other. Difference is, the National Guard does one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer what it takes Active Duty a full year to accomplish.

LOL. Seriously, given the new way of war, every service member is having a new found respect for the other services. Navy guys in Afghanistan? Who would have thunk it, but there they were, right next to us.



Nope, 20 will get you a pension. If you are Reserve or National Guard, you can't collect until you're sixty.

Yeah when I first joined the Guard I received a lot of grief from some of my friends who had been talking about joining the Navy. They said things like "oh the guard isn't really part of the military, all they do is stay at home".
Well since those statements where made, I have made a trip to Kosovo for a few months, then less than a year later I was in Iraq for a year. Came home for a semester of college and then started the mobilization process all over for a second year in Iraq. The National Guard is nothing like the movie Southern Comfort, but people tend to believe that it is.
I can't vouch for other branches or jobs in the Army, but I do know that in the Army Aviation branch the National Guard has had a better success rate in Iraq and Afghanistan than the Active Duty component.
In ATC specifically, we have since the start of the Iraq conflict been in charge of at least 50% of the Airfields in Iraq on each rotation of troops.
People talk about how the National Guard as a whole are not prepared for deployments, but our mobilization time has been shortened every year; because they are figuring out that most of the Guard units that they are preparing for Iraq have been there at least one since the guys teaching the classes have been there.
I have the utmost respect for anyone who wears the uniform in any branch, and any country.

Oh and a quick addition to what ChicsterMG said about retirement. You can retire from the Guard at 20 years and receive your pension at your retirement if you retire from the AGR program.

[Wuby The Wabbit]

I just learned that there are coast guard guys over in the sand box as well

[buster]

.... and British submariners!

[Danthedawgfan]

Originally Posted by Wuby The Wabbit

I just learned that there are coast guard guys over in the sand box as well

Yep there were a few at Camp Liberty when I was there the last time. I think they were doing Customs and things of that nature.

[tallannie]

ahhh... it appears you can get a pension at 20 years but it is 50% of your pay.. and goes up 5% per year after that...and may cap out at 75% from my quick web scan on the topic. may not be a liveable pension at 20 yrs...?

[Danthedawgfan]

Originally Posted by tallannie

ahhh... it appears you can get a pension at 20 years but it is 50% of your pay.. and goes up 5% per year after that...and may cap out at 75% from my quick web scan on the topic. may not be a liveable pension at 20 yrs...?

I would have to agree, but most jobs don't give much more than that after 20. I would probably stay for at least 25 unless there was a lucrative job awaiting me on the outside, that offered retirement in say 10 years like a lot of companies do with retired military.

[ChicsterMG]

Originally Posted by tallannie

ahhh... it appears you can get a pension at 20 years but it is 50% of your pay.. and goes up 5% per year after that...and may cap out at 75% from my quick web scan on the topic. may not be a liveable pension at 20 yrs...?

It doesn't quite work out that way. There are calculations, points involved, etc.

Currently, if I retire in about ten more years, with 12 years of National Guard and 14 of Active Duty will give my my full time retirement. I will get 54% of my pay at the highest rank held.

But think about it, most people enter service at 18. They will have a retirement at 38 if they get out in 20. 50% for an E-7 right now is around $2700. So at 38 years old a guy is getting $2700 a month just to sit around. The point is so that they can move into another career and still collect a pension.

How many employers are giong to give you a pension at 38 years old? You also increase with cost of living and increases as you age.

[HAMMERPETE]

nah here ya go

[Danthedawgfan]

Dat Wascally Wabbit is Widing a missile!!!

[tallannie]

Good point... a definite advantage in this world!

Originally Posted by ChicsterMG

It doesn't quite work out that way. There are calculations, points involved, etc.

Currently, if I retire in about ten more years, with 12 years of National Guard and 14 of Active Duty will give my my full time retirement. I will get 54% of my pay at the highest rank held.

But think about it, most people enter service at 18. They will have a retirement at 38 if they get out in 20. 50% for an E-7 right now is around $2700. So at 38 years old a guy is getting $2700 a month just to sit around. The point is so that they can move into another career and still collect a pension.

How many employers are giong to give you a pension at 38 years old? You also increase with cost of living and increases as you age.

[omegajim]

and with the points he's getting for being in a "combat zone" it can only add to it all.

[buster]

Originally Posted by Danthedawgfan

Dat Wascally Wabbit is Widing a wocket!!!

Fixed.

[Danthedawgfan]

lol, now why didn't I think of that?

[omegajim]

can't hit the ball every time it crosses the plate.