Joining the National Guard as a 91W?
November 17, 2006 1:09 AM Subscribe
What is involved in serving in the Army National Guard as a 91W, Health Care Specialist?
I've perused (look it up) the official sites. What is Guard life like? State service? Federal service? Will the midterm election results insulate a new Guardsman from Iraq at all?
As to 91W, what's the training involve? How good/thorough is it? Can it be parlayed to a civilian EMT job?
When deployed, what does a 91W do? Work in a tent city? Patrol with infantry?
In what ways (aside from the big, obvious one) does it impact your civilian life?
I'm 23, male, and I have no military experience. I have a bachelor's degree. I have not yet contacted a recruiter. I scored a 91 on the ASVAB a few years back. I'd be joining in Anchorage, Alaska. My politics are decidedly non-Bush, non-aggressive.
I've perused (look it up) the official sites. What is Guard life like? State service? Federal service? Will the midterm election results insulate a new Guardsman from Iraq at all?
As to 91W, what's the training involve? How good/thorough is it? Can it be parlayed to a civilian EMT job?
When deployed, what does a 91W do? Work in a tent city? Patrol with infantry?
In what ways (aside from the big, obvious one) does it impact your civilian life?
I'm 23, male, and I have no military experience. I have a bachelor's degree. I have not yet contacted a recruiter. I scored a 91 on the ASVAB a few years back. I'd be joining in Anchorage, Alaska. My politics are decidedly non-Bush, non-aggressive.
It's the same as a Navy Corpsman. In other words, you'll be traveling with the infantry, doing exactly what they do. When someone gets shot, and their buddy yells "MEDIC!", you'll be the one running over to them and trying to do what you can for the wounded guy. Yes, the job training is not terribly different from a civilian EMT job - I don't know about qualification courses though. You may have the knowledge for a civilian EMT job, but not the proper paper certifications.
You will do *exactly* what the infantry does. Do you like marching long distances with a heavy pack? Being shot at? Watch some Vietnam movies to get the idea.
How does it impact your civilian life? Well, in the current environment, you'll be called to active duty and spend at least a year on active duty, most of that in Iraq. I would think that would be a pretty severe impediment to civilian life. IIRC, the latest National Guard news is that they're calling up Guardsmen who have already been to Iraq once, and sending them again, for a second tour.
George Bush is running the war in Iraq, not Nancy Pelosi. The midterm results will have NO IMPACT on what happens in Iraq.
(Side note: with a bachelor's degree, you should not consider ENLISTING in the military. You are qualified to join as a commissioned OFFICER. The pay is much better. You'll still be sent to Iraq, though.)
posted by jellicle at 6:20 AM on November 17, 2006
You will do *exactly* what the infantry does. Do you like marching long distances with a heavy pack? Being shot at? Watch some Vietnam movies to get the idea.
How does it impact your civilian life? Well, in the current environment, you'll be called to active duty and spend at least a year on active duty, most of that in Iraq. I would think that would be a pretty severe impediment to civilian life. IIRC, the latest National Guard news is that they're calling up Guardsmen who have already been to Iraq once, and sending them again, for a second tour.
George Bush is running the war in Iraq, not Nancy Pelosi. The midterm results will have NO IMPACT on what happens in Iraq.
(Side note: with a bachelor's degree, you should not consider ENLISTING in the military. You are qualified to join as a commissioned OFFICER. The pay is much better. You'll still be sent to Iraq, though.)
posted by jellicle at 6:20 AM on November 17, 2006
Note that this article was written after the election: More National Guard units may get second tours in Iraq.
posted by jellicle at 6:40 AM on November 17, 2006
posted by jellicle at 6:40 AM on November 17, 2006
1. Since "we are at war" (the president's words) I can't think of any advantage to signing up to the Guard or Reserve units instead of one of the 4 major branches, because you'll end up in the desert no matter what, and the pay and incentives and career options are much higher for the major branches.
2. Listen to jellicle above about being commissioned. Walking in your first day and having people have to salute you has some advantages.
3. Consider the Coast Guard. Great training by anyone's measure, arguably the least "aggressive" of any service arm, and there is practically no chance you'd be shipped overseas. As a health services member, you'd be basically guaranteed helicopter time, which would make you more attractive in the civilian market. Plus, you would have only 2 main jobs: intercepting drug smugglers, and rescuing civilians from accidents/disasters. Those are things you can feel pretty good about. If assigned to southern Florida, you might have to round up Cubans trying to make it to the shore, so be aware of that if you have a philosophical position on that.
posted by Ynoxas at 6:52 AM on November 17, 2006
2. Listen to jellicle above about being commissioned. Walking in your first day and having people have to salute you has some advantages.
3. Consider the Coast Guard. Great training by anyone's measure, arguably the least "aggressive" of any service arm, and there is practically no chance you'd be shipped overseas. As a health services member, you'd be basically guaranteed helicopter time, which would make you more attractive in the civilian market. Plus, you would have only 2 main jobs: intercepting drug smugglers, and rescuing civilians from accidents/disasters. Those are things you can feel pretty good about. If assigned to southern Florida, you might have to round up Cubans trying to make it to the shore, so be aware of that if you have a philosophical position on that.
posted by Ynoxas at 6:52 AM on November 17, 2006
Best answer: huh, apparently the 91B don't exist anymore, they're now 91W (Sorry, I was a 91B).
Most likely you'll be deployed. Technically you might belong to a field hospital, or you might be attached to a unit, but given the nature of the war we're fighting, you'll almost certainly go into harms way.
If you don't get deployed. It's boring. Very boring. Very Very boring, I can't even describe how boring the military can be (who else can make blowing shit up put you to sleep?!?).
Outside of the military, it pretty directly translates to an EMT (although as I like to joke with my EMT friends, we focus on bullet wounds and shrapnel, they focus on car wrecks). Getting your EMT license after being a 91W should be a pretty straightforward process.
Odds are good you'll get deployed, you are not technically a combatant, which means you won't really have to shoot at people, but people will be more than happy to shoot at you.
One bonus is that the medic core has one of the higher percentages of women in it, which can be fun.
But seriously, it can be an interesting thing, hell, if any one of my friends ever gets shot or injured, I pretty much know what to do (although it's been a few years at this point...), but for the most part, unless you just don't have any other options, I just don't recommend it. You're either in a war you don't support, or bored out of your mind. There isn't really a best case scenario.
posted by KirTakat at 9:35 AM on November 17, 2006
Most likely you'll be deployed. Technically you might belong to a field hospital, or you might be attached to a unit, but given the nature of the war we're fighting, you'll almost certainly go into harms way.
If you don't get deployed. It's boring. Very boring. Very Very boring, I can't even describe how boring the military can be (who else can make blowing shit up put you to sleep?!?).
Outside of the military, it pretty directly translates to an EMT (although as I like to joke with my EMT friends, we focus on bullet wounds and shrapnel, they focus on car wrecks). Getting your EMT license after being a 91W should be a pretty straightforward process.
Odds are good you'll get deployed, you are not technically a combatant, which means you won't really have to shoot at people, but people will be more than happy to shoot at you.
One bonus is that the medic core has one of the higher percentages of women in it, which can be fun.
But seriously, it can be an interesting thing, hell, if any one of my friends ever gets shot or injured, I pretty much know what to do (although it's been a few years at this point...), but for the most part, unless you just don't have any other options, I just don't recommend it. You're either in a war you don't support, or bored out of your mind. There isn't really a best case scenario.
posted by KirTakat at 9:35 AM on November 17, 2006
"Getting your EMT license after being a 91W should be a pretty straightforward process."
It depends. He'll still have to take an approved EMT-B course before he can take the National Registry. With the experience, he'll probably have no problems and will get straight A's, but he'll still need to go through the class. I work with a guy that got out of the Army and found this out the hard way. Naturally, he sailed through the class, but he still had to take it.
posted by drstein at 9:54 AM on November 17, 2006
It depends. He'll still have to take an approved EMT-B course before he can take the National Registry. With the experience, he'll probably have no problems and will get straight A's, but he'll still need to go through the class. I work with a guy that got out of the Army and found this out the hard way. Naturally, he sailed through the class, but he still had to take it.
posted by drstein at 9:54 AM on November 17, 2006
Response by poster: Argh. I should've specified that I was curious mostly about folks' first-hand experiences, not in politics or brother's-stepson's-girlfriend's-dad information. Mea culpa.
That said, thanks very much for the reality check. I learn now that they've renamed "combat medic" (which sounds like exactly what it is -- patrolling as infantry and helping infantry who've been shot or 'sploded) to "health care specialist" (which sounds like nursing). And as a decently athletic male who's actually a damn good shot, I can pretty accurately guess where I'd end up.
posted by mistermoore at 1:29 PM on November 17, 2006
That said, thanks very much for the reality check. I learn now that they've renamed "combat medic" (which sounds like exactly what it is -- patrolling as infantry and helping infantry who've been shot or 'sploded) to "health care specialist" (which sounds like nursing). And as a decently athletic male who's actually a damn good shot, I can pretty accurately guess where I'd end up.
posted by mistermoore at 1:29 PM on November 17, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
My sister's ex-boyfriend has a degree, is a talented mechanic and is a trained helicopter pilot. He joined the ANG in Oregon as a mechanic with a promise of being sent to military helicopter school. During the Katrina crisis, he was reclassified as light infantry and handed a gun and told to go patrol New Orleans. After New Orleans, he still had that Light Infantry classification on his record, and was promptly assembled into a battalion that was being sent to Afghanistan. This cost him a very nice job that he'd already had nailed down with the Oakland, CA Police Department. He's over there right now trying to keep sand from abrading his entire epidermis away and watching his squadmates' armored personell carriers get hit by antitank rounds all around him.
My advice: If you're a pacifist and anti-bush, don't join. The military is NOT for people who do not want to shoot other people. It's not a career, it's not "a few weekends a month", it's potentially having to put your life on hold for years to go get shot at when some politician screws the pooch.
posted by SpecialK at 6:00 AM on November 17, 2006