Cadet and Joining Air National Guard

[lordmonar]

Well....Ned....you know.....there are plenty of volunteers out her who would love to right white papers on these sort of issues.

[BillB]

At one point years ago, the National CAC considered allowing cadets that joind the Guard or Reserve to continue cadet membership even if called to active duty. extended or otherwise. There was also consideration of allowing a Senior member who earned the Earhart and in all other respects eligible for the Spaatz, two attempts to pass the Spaatz exam as a senior member. The proposal never got to the National Board.
Allowing a reservist called to active duty to continue cadet membership was not deemed a reason to end cadet membership and would have allowed continued leadership training in the CP. If deployed the cadet would be transferred to a NHQ Squadron and basically be inactive. If on active duty in CONUS, the cadet could test at local squadrons but not hold a staff position in those squadrons. Such a program might end the problem, slight though it is, of a cadet joining a National Guard unit at 17 and then called to active duty.

[GroundHawg]

We had Air Guard guys/gals on 30 and 45 day TDYs when I was at Joint Base Balad the last time. We were all very jealous as we were on 180 rotations. They were never EAD, just TDY.
Alot of the C5 and C17 reserve and guard aircrews are on TDY orders. They get almost all the campain medals, expeditionary medals and Air Medals through aerial sorties, without ever being on AD.
A cadet could easily join the guard/reserve as a loadmaster, flight engineer, aero med tech, etc... and be very well decorated before their 21rst birthday, and never been on EAD or AD. Unlikely but plausable.

[Private Investigator]

I had an 11B Private come into my Company (Army National Guard) just out of training with a Ranger tab. He said that was a new protocol for being in the "Ranger pipeline".   

[PHall]

I had an 11B Private come into my Company (Army National Guard) just out of training with a Ranger tab. He said that was a new protocol for being in the "Ranger pipeline".   

I think you guys need to call Ft Benning to verify his story and then give him an Article 15 when it turns out to be BS.
Yeah, there is a Ranger Training Pipeline, but you don't get your tab until you're qualified. (i.e. Graduated)

[ColonelJack]

More hopefully helpful hints about BMT:

Do NOT show up wearing an Air Force tee shirt.  The MTI's will EAT you: "WHY ARE YOU WEARING A SHIRT WITH THE NAME OF MY AIR FORCE ON IT?!"

If your MTI asks if you like to bowl, do NOT answer in the affirmative...that's a way to get you sucked into being "latrine queen."

If you're going in as E-3, you'll be paid as E-3 but you won't wear your stripes until graduation...but do not tell anyone (especially your MTI) that you "already are" an E-3.  You are an Airman Basic and you won't win any brownie points.

Some MTI's have a cob up their afterburner about ANG/AFRES and will give them all the crap details, and ride you until graduation that you're not "really in MY Air Force."  Mine did, despite about a 1/4 of my flight being Guard/Reserve.

Pack light.  Do not take any books other than religious literature (Bible, Qu'ran, Book Of Mormon).  That is the only literature the MTI's cannot take from you and most don't make cracks about it during "shakedown."

Limit the pictures you take...nothing of your significant other in ultra-sexy pose.  I heard everything during "shakedown" from "she looks like a cheap hooker!" to "she's beautiful; what the hell does she see in a POS like you?"

Of course, this is the way it was many moons ago...no doubt some things have changed.

I made a classic mistake when I went to BMT in '75 ... I took with me a bit of my dad's old Army uniform (his DUI) as a kind of "good luck" charm.  My luck went bad quickly, as soon as SSgt Bong saw it.  "Secure that Army insignia!  What do you have that with you for?"

My second classic mistake was telling him what it was and why I had it.  I got the business from him for quite a while afterward.  The nicest thing he called me was "Daddy's boy."

Jack

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

We had Air Guard guys/gals on 30 and 45 day TDYs when I was at Joint Base Balad the last time. We were all very jealous as we were on 180 rotations. They were never EAD, just TDY.
Alot of the C5 and C17 reserve and guard aircrews are on TDY orders. They get almost all the campain medals, expeditionary medals and Air Medals through aerial sorties, without ever being on AD.
A cadet could easily join the guard/reserve as a loadmaster, flight engineer, aero med tech, etc... and be very well decorated before their 21rst birthday, and never been on EAD or AD. Unlikely but plausable.

Back when I went through BMT the max you could hope to get was the AF Training Ribbon, NDSM, Small Arms Marksmanship Ribbon and BMT Hon Grad Ribbon.

Now I see E-2's and E-3's with sometimes three full rows of chest candy.

[PHall]

We had Air Guard guys/gals on 30 and 45 day TDYs when I was at Joint Base Balad the last time. We were all very jealous as we were on 180 rotations. They were never EAD, just TDY.
Alot of the C5 and C17 reserve and guard aircrews are on TDY orders. They get almost all the campain medals, expeditionary medals and Air Medals through aerial sorties, without ever being on AD.
A cadet could easily join the guard/reserve as a loadmaster, flight engineer, aero med tech, etc... and be very well decorated before their 21rst birthday, and never been on EAD or AD. Unlikely but plausable.

Back when I went through BMT the max you could hope to get was the AF Training Ribbon, NDSM, Small Arms Marksmanship Ribbon and BMT Hon Grad Ribbon.

Now I see E-2's and E-3's with sometimes three full rows of chest candy.

Entirely possible if you got DG at BMT and you can shoot and you're in an AFSC that deploys a lot. (i.e. aircrew)
Most of them are BTDT ribbons that everybody who deploys to the AOR gets plus it's not unheard of for a sharp Amn or A1C to get an Air Force Achievement Medal.

[lordmonar]

Okay....
BMTS Ribbon
Honor Grad
Marksmanship
NDSM
GWOTS

Deploy within your first year....add a AFAM, and OIF/OEF/GWOT
Add to that an overseas tour....i.e. deployed from overseas base...you get OSR-S or OSR-L.

Yep....very easy to be and E-3 with three rows of ribbons.

Solution.........stop having wars.....stop sending E-3s to combat zones!

[GroundHawg]

I know of an E5 with 30... and that doesnt include State Ribbons. His highest award is a Commendation Medal.

[Private Investigator]

Back when I went through BMT the max you could hope to get was the AF Training Ribbon, NDSM, Small Arms Marksmanship Ribbon and BMT Hon Grad Ribbon.

Now I see E-2's and E-3's with sometimes three full rows of chest candy.

Back in my day a NDSM was it. A buddy's son graduated top of his bunch in Army Boot Camp and got a Army Achievement Medal to top everything off with. 

[Stonewall]

Back in my day a NDSM was it. A buddy's son graduated top of his bunch in Army Boot Camp and got a Army Achievement Medal to top everything off with.

Nothing new.  21 years ago when I graduated Army Basic Training, the honor graduate got an AAM too.

The difference between Army and Air Force honor graduates is that the Air Force calls something like the top 10% their honor graduates, whereas the Army has a single (as in one) honor graduate.  When my wife graduated AF BMT there were a handful of honor graduates from a single squadron, all of which got the honor graduate ribbon.  My wife was one of them :-)

[MikeS]

For anyone who cares haha

The Squadron is really nice, looks like a great place to be!  I got most of my Flight Physical done, their hearing booth was in the middle of an upgrade, and is going to be up later this week   So I will be making a trip back out there.  But not big deal, it looks like a lot of fun!