Air Guard for a 36 year old?

[Flying Pig]

All UAV pilots in the Air Force are qualified USAF pilots.

Not anymore. The first class of non-SUPT-trained UAV pilots pinned on their wings at Creech AFB, NV, at the end of September.

Awesome. 

[flyguy06]

Hi,
Maybe its the fact that my company just took pay cuts, or perhaps I am kicking myself for not doing what I should have in college, but SOMETHING made me look up age maximums for the Air National Guard. I found out that they changed it from 34 to 39 just recently. Now, I am 36.

I am an athletic guy, Im 6 ft 2 and currently 235. I don't consider myself overweight, in fact I think I look pretty 'normal' when I wear my CAP/USAF BDU's. I am college educated and a certifed pilot. The one thing that scared me into not doing it before was history of childhood Asthma (it does not affect me now). That aside, I also have a surgically repaired ankle from a hockey injury. No big deal, I still skate and everything else. Would that be an automatic no-no? Are there waivers of some sort?

So, what do you think? Should I avoid the dissapointment of a recruiter saying "are you serious?" CAP has been great for me, a way of living the life I WANTED but was too young and stupid to realize what I was throwing away!

Before I go to a recruiter for info, I figured I would toss this your way and see what you thaught...

thanks!

Good luck to you. I think the Guard is a grea tway to serve. Follow the advice of others and see a recruiter. I wasnt sure if you were saying you wanted to go in as an officer or just get in enlisted. the Guard is a lot more lenient on requirements than our actiive duty counterpart. Go for it. and good luck.

[desertengineer1]

Good luck to you. I think the Guard is a grea tway to serve. Follow the advice of others and see a recruiter. I wasnt sure if you were saying you wanted to go in as an officer or just get in enlisted. the Guard is a lot more lenient on requirements than our actiive duty counterpart. Go for it. and good luck.

That has drastically changed.  New rules for the PFT (universal for AD,  ANG, and AFRES),  Medical Profiles (4T past one year = mandatory med board), security clearances (denials = gone), and mandatory career progression milestones has made it almost equal.

Failure of the PFT prior to an OPR close-out with unsucessful retest is an immediate referral OPR.

The ANG is cleaning house. 

[flyguy06]

Good luck to you. I think the Guard is a grea tway to serve. Follow the advice of others and see a recruiter. I wasnt sure if you were saying you wanted to go in as an officer or just get in enlisted. the Guard is a lot more lenient on requirements than our actiive duty counterpart. Go for it. and good luck.

That has drastically changed.  New rules for the PFT (universal for AD,  ANG, and AFRES),  Medical Profiles (4T past one year = mandatory med board), security clearances (denials = gone), and mandatory career progression milestones has made it almost equal.




Failure of the PFT prior to an OPR close-out with unsucessful retest is an immediate referral OPR.

The ANG is cleaning house.

yes, things do change over time. I have heard stories of the old old National Guard where folks came to dril andliterally drank beer and watched college football. I guess when the Guard started deploying to real world situations they realized "hey we need to take this stuff seriously" So, yes the Guard that I have served for 21 years is a very serious organization and we maintain the same standards as active duty which in my personal opinions makes us a a stronger force. because active duty soliders only have to worry about one job. We have to wory about two careers

[PHall]

This got me thinking about joining the ANG again.  Has anyone done AMS?  I know that it just moved to Maxwell.  What was it like?

I attended AMS in 1998 (Mghee Tyson).  I barely made it for Navigator training (turned 27.5 about a month after entering the school).  Got nabbed as being one of the "old guys" 

Disclaimer:  I do not represent recruiters here.  They are the experts.  This is opinion only. 

I beleive 36 is above the age limit for "standard" enlistment.  Exceptions are made for some career fields like chaplain and medical through age waivers or policy exceptions approved by NGB.  You're definately too old for flying careers (usually maximum of 27.5 years).  I think UAV ops is 30 with prior service, but am not sure.

With that said, we had some guys in AMS older than 35.  Talk to the recruiters.

I have heard the main reason for age limits is statistics.  The average member entering in thier 30's is going to have a hard time making 20 years of service before health issues come around - compared to those entering at age 18.  When you reach 20 years, for example, you'll be four years from mandatory retirement.

The upper age limit is 40. The object is to be able to complete 20 years of service by your 60th birthday.

[JBurke]

You are to old for a commission at 36.  But you are not to old to enlist.  Being a civilian pilot wont do anything for you but having a degree may get you something.

I also have been looking into the ANG, and at 36 myself, I was curious about this.  I am on the list to have a recruiter give me a call, but are there some other resources to find out this kind of information?  Unfortunately, I don't know anyone else in the Guard.

Thanks.

[MikeD]

Ask him what the max age for the UAV pilots are. Otherwise, you are too old for a pilot seat. I'd like to know on the UAV side though.

The max age for UAV pilots are the same for "other" USAF Pilots.  All UAV pilots in the Air Force are qualified USAF pilots.  As far as being the enlisted sensor operator, I checked the unit at March ARB in Riverside CA and learned that although its "part time" there is NOTHING part time about it. It required a 1 yr OJT after the school. Those guys do it pretty much full time.
You are to old for a commission at 36.  But you are not to old to enlist.  Being a civilian pilot wont do anything for you but having a degree may get you something.  Talk to a Guard Recruiter because some things the guard does and accepts are different.  As far as "to old"  the Air Guards max age is 39 if you are not prior service. When you get to training, dont expect any special treatment because you are older and have a degree.  Nobody cares in a training environment.

I just had a deputy buddy of mine enlist as a Munitions Tech at age 35 non prior service and and another enlist as Intelligence.  One has a Bachelors and the other has a Masters and both will be E-3's.   If you are interested, talk to the recruiter and then talk to the guys who do the job you are interested in.  Keep in mind also, the length of time until your tech school.  Right now, at the local Air Guard unit, F-16 Crew Chief enlistees are waiting over a year for tech school.  Heading to Basic and then returning to their units and then waiting for school to start.

As far as a recruiter asking you if you are serious?  They arent going to ask that and if they were to ask tell them "Yes." Stop thinking about it and just go get the information and make a decision.

What's the wait time for ammo?  I know some AD people doing that and it sounds like a fun one.  And your local unit is the closest one with that to me...

[Short Field]

All UAV pilots in the Air Force are qualified USAF pilots. 

From the 2 March 2009 issue of the Air Force Times:

In January, 10 officers with zero flight hours kick-started the Air Force's effort at creating a career field for UAV pilots.

The officers are the first to go through the training program designed to get officers who didn't complete undergraduate pilot training into UAV cockpits. They will finish training this fall and receive their UAV wings.

Forest described officials and trainers as "happy with the progress" by the first class.

Another 10 officers will start training this summer and will get their UAV wings in January, at which point the Air Force will decide if it wants to expand the training pipeline, Sherlock said.

[Gunner C]

You are to old for a commission at 36.  But you are not to old to enlist.  Being a civilian pilot wont do anything for you but having a degree may get you something.

I also have been looking into the ANG, and at 36 myself, I was curious about this.  I am on the list to have a recruiter give me a call, but are there some other resources to find out this kind of information?  Unfortunately, I don't know anyone else in the Guard.

Thanks.

I'm a former guardsman.  I'd bug the heck out of the recruiter until you get what you need information-wise.  If you're really motivated, get it done.  You never know when military priorities will change, making you too old or otherwise disqualified.

My hat's off to you.  When I was your age, I was getting close to winding down my career.  Most folks aren't looking for a part time job where you have to start at the bottom.  You'll never be a general, but you'll have one heck of an adventure.

[Stonewall]

In the Air Guard it's not out of the norm to pick up E-5 in about 5 years, E-6 in about 7; depending on your AFSC (career field) of course.  People retire as E-6s from the Guard, so really, it isn't all that bad.  I know lots of 40 year old E-5/6s in the Air Guard.  It's nothing to be ashamed of.  My wife is in the ANG too and she has zero competition all the way up to E-6; it's just her and her supervisor, an E-7.  She got E-5 in minimum time and should actually be an E-6 as of December, but her supervisor got lazy planning her own wedding.

Like Gunner said, CALL THE RECRUITER...get on it and stop thinking about it.

[JBurke]

This may be a silly question considering the company I keep around here (and slightly off topic) but what do the various pay grades (say, E-5 to E-7 in this case) mean in terms of pay, responsibility, and duties?  How does the answer vary based on the career track - I'm looking at civil engineering.

If someone can point me to another resource, I can quit mucking up the CAP forum with non-CAP questions...but thanks for the help so far.

[Spike]

LINK------>  pay tables

More stripes= more responsibility of your job and of others. 

[heliodoc]

Mr Burke

Consider USAF "Prime Beef" units  heavy into base setups / runway setups /general USAF infrastructure when moving into country and State side missions both military and humanitarian missions

US Army Combat Engineers .... some of it Ft Leonard Wood and other bases

US Navy / Marines ..... SEABEES  some of the best constructors and "de constructors" around

You have some great choices for CE amongst all these folks

No mucking up a CAPTalk forum when it comes to this stuff........

[flyboy53]

As a former Air Force Reserve Recruiter, I'd recommend that you don't consider it.

Although I strongly commend you for your desire to serve our Country as a member of the Air National Guard, I think you'll be disappointed for these reasons. Although the final call is the doctor at the MEPS, asthma is generally a disqualifer regardless of your age. I would also be a little concerned about the surgery history. The MEPS will look at both conditions from the standpoint that they could be re-aggrevated in basic training. Also, you wouldn't want to have that happen because the immediate response would be an EPTS discharge and loss of any VA benefits.

Second is the matter of your age. The old rule was that you had to be able to complete 20 years of satisfactory service before you turned 60, so you'd have to keep up a level of participation that could be detrimental to your family and your job. Also, your age may be a disqualifier in terms of commissioning programs, so you're looking at joining as an enlisted man and hoping that someone may consider you for commissioning from the field.

Sorry, the Air Force is truly a great experience and you would gain so much.

[Stonewall]

Flyboy is right, but if you're dead set on doing it, you won't know if you don't try.

As for the pay, I have 14 years in, am an E6 and bring home about $370 for a 2 day drill.

[flyboy53]

Again, I commend you. I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm trying to be honest with you. It is truly the greatest adventure you may ever experience. In the end you will have a bond with others that is forged with teamwork, hardship and sacrifice. The benefits outweigh the risk.

Please, however, consider this additional advice. Before the physical is the very real ASVAB test. Those test results and the physical profile that you will receive at the completion of a physical will have as much to do with the occupation you pick as will unit vacancies. On more than one occasion I had college grads that busted the ASVAB...go figure.

The Air National Guard is just like the Air Force Reserve in that, that recruiter only has certain unit vacancies to recruit for and those have to be filled first. So be prepared that you might end up in admin, services or maybe even security forces -- the later as close to special forces as I ever wanted to get and very proud to have been. Also keep in mind that position number and PAS Code has a specific rank attached to it, so you may end up looking or competing for promotion faster than you think.

A lot of young kids used to come into my office with high aspirations and big dreams. I would respond honestly and try to line up a unit interview with the duty section where the vacancy was so the kid would be prepared and know exactly what they were getting into. Instead, they would leave because some other recruiter promised them the world. So you had kids wanting to be nurses and end up being truck drivers. They would end up  back in my office in 30 days.

My strategy worked, however. I was a Top 50 Recruiter in the nation, two years in a row, and 12 of my applicants ended up with BMTS Honor Grad ribbons.
   

[RogueLeader]

If you do make it in, and get an EPTS (Existed Prior To Service) Discharge, you will get your VA benifits; provided you get past basic and Tech school.  I have about 2.5 months left befor my EPTS discharge.  I still get all my VA, GI Bill, etc.  It is an honorable discharge.

[Spike]

If you do make it in, and get an EPTS (Existed Prior To Service) Discharge, you will get your VA benifits; provided you get past basic and Tech school.  I have about 2.5 months left befor my EPTS discharge.  I still get all my VA, GI Bill, etc.  It is an honorable discharge.

I hope that law changes.  Unless you illness or injury was made worse by service you should get no benefit.  That is almost like stealing from the taxpayers. 

I am wondering how many people play the system to get benefits like this. 

[Stonewall]

I hope that law changes.  Unless you illness or injury was made worse by service you should get no benefit.  That is almost like stealing from the taxpayers. 

I am wondering how many people play the system to get benefits like this.

Don't even get me started on this subject.  It wasn't until I worked federal service with 90% veterans who knew every loophole, backdoor and lie to get VA benefits for "something that happened in the military". 

In fact, just Saturday a former colleague got his job changed due to some RIF or re-structure at work and lost his Sunday premium (25%) so he went to the VA to have something checked out that he said happened in the service...16 years ago.  He said he has to do this to make up for the one day of 25% more pay that he'll be losing.  Sleep apnea, acid reflux or you suffer from seizures because you got drunk and hit your head while being stupid in the barracks....yeah...don't get me started.

[flyboy53]

If you do make it in, and get an EPTS (Existed Prior To Service) Discharge, you will get your VA benifits; provided you get past basic and Tech school.  I have about 2.5 months left befor my EPTS discharge.  I still get all my VA, GI Bill, etc.  It is an honorable discharge.

I don't know what military you're serving in. An EPTS discharge usually happens in basic training along with an uncharacterized discharge....and there aren't VA benefits. I think you're talking about "Expiration of Term of Service" which comes at the end of an enlistment. Besides, your VA benefits are based by the number of days you're on active duty, not just by the discharge.