Hello and welcome @Richard895
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What do you do in active duty, and what happens during a combat tour and how long is it?
Like what should I expect?
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You are so cool Brother Virgil!
(I Like that!)
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Don102 you old GUNNER SIR. I LOVE THAT VIRGIL IS THE WOOHOO 
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE BROTHERS . Here is a root beer. Rashens 
đ«đ«đ«:ox:
đ«đ«đ«:smiling_face_with_three_hearts:
@Forensic_Wow Have you ever considered looking into joining the Police Force, SWAT Dept. section, or maybe FBI., Border Patrol. These may be good paying jobs.
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For @Forensic_Wow , Thanks @Don102
Great questions. In the Army Guard, combat deployments are a year. In the Air Guard, they are 6 to 8 months. What you do is dependent on your Military Occupational Specialty or MOS. It also depends on the type of unit you are in and what the overall mission is where you are sent. Not all Guard deployments are for combat. My fourth deployment was to the Southwest Border for a year.
The Army Guard is a reserve component of the Army, as is the Army Reserve. Each state has a National Guard, with Army and Air Force units. During peacetime, the Guard is under command of the governor. Units are able to be activated by the DOD and deployed on Federal missions as part of the Active Army. Same with the Air Guard for the Air Force.
When I was in my aviation battalion, we could be expected to deploy every four or five years. I did the Gulf War and two trips to Iraq. For the moment, the combat deployment tempo is reduced compared to 2001 to 2020 or so. Stateside, I was deployed for 3 weeks for a flood in my state, Virginia.
Check out the jobs avialable in both the Army and Air Guard online. There are lots of different MOSs to choose from. Talk to the Army and Air Guard recruiters in your area. There are signing enlistment bonuses being paid these days too.
Despite the many challenges and sacrifices, the Guard saved me from a bad path. I had a great career and was able to become a full-time military technician. It was a terrific job. The political situation as it is, I would still highly recommend the Guard. It still lets you pursue civilian jobs while you serve part-time. Not to mention the educational benefits, which are considerable.
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What do I need to do for infantry?
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So you lucked out and were one of the few that made it!
Good on you!
Seriously!
Iâm one of the few that survived homelessness, and developed myself into one of the wretches of the society you look down upon!
All hail @Mark697 with his law degree and judgmentâŠ
Seriously, good on you.
Not all of us lived your life,⊠hell many people whish they couldâve lived MY life! (Regardless of the homeless stretch!)
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Do you need to be told what to do to cook noodles?
FW fill that pot with water!
FW turn the heat to max!
FW see those bubbles son? That means the water is boiling!
Put your noodles in there!!!
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The Infantry is the backbone of the Army. Every other branch supports the Infantry. I started out in the Infantry and was proud to do so. It is one of the easier jobs to get into as they are the largest units in any state Guard. Your job is to close with and destroy the enemy, period. As pure a Soldier that exists.
You will do your basic and advanced individual training (AIT) at Fort Moore, Georgia; formerly known as Fort Benning. I graduated from the Infantry school back in 1986. It is the best initial entry training school in the Army.
To find out what units and slots exist in your state, just talk to your local Guard recruiters. They can also let you know about the enlistment bonuses that are available. Honestly, I am excited for you. Becoming a Soldier is an honor. You will have that identity the rest of your life.
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I wonât sugarcoat it. 
You will be given everything you need and taught how to use it, you will be told everything you need to do, when to sleep, when to get up, when to eat, what to eat, and you better eat fast. You will be tired, dirty, wet and miserable. You will learn to work with others and be colorblind, your best friends will be to the left and right of you.
You will miss out on Holidays, Birthdays, Births and Deaths.
You will either hate it or love it.
Few things will give you more satisfaction than completing Basic Training and AIT and being told you are now a Soldier of the United States Army. It will give you a sense of satisfaction and a purpose in life. HOOAH!!!
P.S. I freaking loved it. 
You will seriously need to change your attitude, open your mind, and shut your mouth. 
If you drink and smoke, stop now.
If you do enlist you better start working out now, pushups, sit-ups and running, put a pack on and work yourself up to 50lbs. and 5 miles is a good start. 
P.P.S. Do not let the Recruiters talk you into anything, do your own research, everything is online.
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âŠoh BRUCE you NAILED IT!
I went in as a Civilian Contractor (bodyguard) , I was semi-fluffy and one of the only regular exercises I got was (12) oz curls (sometimes 16) 
In some places it was 112+ degrees and the weight poured off me. (It is much better to go in to the Services in as best shape as you can) The misery of the DIâs will be lessened if you can do what BRUCE suggests. Basic calisthenics and running and you are NOT the last dog in the pack all the time will allow you to focus on the details at hand and shine. If you are a slacker LOSE THAT BEFORE you go in. they will brow-Beat it out of you so just man-up and pay attention. If you have to be told 'What to do, when to do it all the time , Lose that also. THINK! You will know what is expected of you in Basic. I was surrounded by the best of the best 18-27 year olds (Rangers) and old(er) **
** guyâs , Combat Veterans (Deltaâs and Seals) and you know what? They were the first out of their racks, First on the firing line, first Volunteers for the SH missions, teaching the younger ones how to stay alive. They could have sat back, laid on their bunks, played chess all day (and they played A LOT of Chess!) Smart MFâerâs. Their earned a break from the rigors of daily Military crap but the never let âsomebody else do itâ. My Comrades motivated me to do more, be more and my inner Sheepdog was honed and sharpened to SEE the plight of those INNOCENTS that suffered under Tyrannical rule. We were there to Protect others not just ourselves. We carried extra water, rations, Med. supplies whatever we could scrounge to dole out to people who had NOTHING! Everything was stripped away from them systematically so that they knew they were nothing and their âBenefactorâsâ were the Godâs that kept them alive (barely) Sound familiar?**
** You will become a Man or Woman of the highest caliber able to do what motivates you to be all you can be in life after you serve. Thatâs NOT just slogans and Pep talks. Warriorâs in life are some of the BEST people walking this Earth ! and I found my Brotherâs and Sisterâs HERE once again! (You know who you are!) **
The ONLY issue I have with anybody joining up now in the current management. In the military you had âHIGHERâSâ that ran blocker for you Grunts. Your Looieâs, captainâs and above looked out for their Troopers Kept the empty suits away from interfering too much, Nixed insane missions and plans that had zero hope in achieving any goals except filling body bags. My General (who I shadowed) TOILED over details below his paygrade, made sure we werenât running into a SH Show (but sometimes we did anyway). Thatâs where âSH** Happensâ came from! **
Itâs WAR Son be prepared if you get sent somewhere you WILL have to FIGHT! Be PREPARED (as BRUCE said) looking left and right of you for the loss of that friend , comrade, Brother, or Sister next to you.
It is the tightest bond you will EVER have! UNBREAKABLE! You will travel cross country in civilian times to help that Brother/Sister if they are in trouble or in need of Intervention. You will drop a Job (or at least plead for time off) what ever it costs --money wonât be your concern because you have a bond in BLOOD!
Youâve Been threw the SH and Embraced the SUCK! and THAT is more important than what the daily life is dumping on you at the time. You go in , go in STRONG, Listen, Learn all you can. Stay away from the DEI a**holes, Green hairs and Man/Women Officers. Your Team will help you stay out of trouble with these people who are mentally Phucked they should NOT be in uniform. These people will get you killed. **
**Donât let anybody mess with your head, speak of Treasonous acts against fellow AMERICANâS. If the order ever came down to fight your fellow countrymen and Women your Higherâs will step in to abort that action (hopefully). We are in trying times, INVADED, Corrupted 'gov. A LOT will be riding on just WHO YOU ARE AS A MAN! **
I am really sorry I have to say that but at first this will not be easy. NO EASY DAYâS BROTHER
**There is a reason all these sayings are on TEE SHIRTS! **
My advice (continues)
Learn about ShootingKnow the difference between a butt stock and a flash hider.
Learn all you can about field stripping an ARa Pistol, slide removal etc.
TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN UP!
Do lots of road work (running)
Find a Mentor, A GRUNT whoâs been there done that if you can.
There are Millions out there.
The better you are at some of the basics you can focus on the stuff they want you to know next
and you will excel beyond your wildest dreams! It will be everything from Sand bag filling to Combat.
Good Luck Son, God Bless you, and KEEP THE FAITH! You are going to be doing something MANY others refuse to do, Be an AMERICAN SOLDIER! Honor, Duty, Country AMEN!
editors note: please forgive the Bold face print of **stars, I have no idea where those came from âŠoh and the preaching, way too much preaching. forensic had to know what he is signing up for. It ainât McDonalds.
Where We Go 1 We Go All
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Youâre thinking about this too much.
Take care of your family first.
Thatâs why you keep a firearm, right?
If you have to go overseas and kick ass in order to protect your family and your country from
Bullwinkian nogoodnics, then your family should understand. So should your employer because youâd be fighting for free enterprise as well, unless they think communism and/or sharia law provides for a better business climate.
Of course there are plenty of MOSâs that might keep you in service support or combat support positions, which might also keep you closer to your aging parents if they live in proximity to a military installation. These are also critical jobs, so keep that in mind.
About the government vs country issue, consider that the government is who signs the paychecks, and that the current general staff are blithering idiots.
Also consider that among the troopers who were most heroic in the past wars were from groups who certainly were discriminated against by the government in civilian life (Navajo code talkers, Tuskegee airmen, Nisei engineers,) but fought selflessly for the country they loved.
As far as learning survival skills, like what sort of survival skills did you have in mind?
You might consider the Armyâs helicopter pilot warrant program if they still have it.
The Air Crew survival course is pretty all encompassing.
Good luck!
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Thatâs what I told my son. If youâre still considering the military, do it now while youâre still in gym shape.
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Tertific advice brother warrior! Well done
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Iâm going to start walking to work and timing myself, I live about 2.5 miles away, and one of the requirements of the fitness test is to be able to walk that in 25 minutes or less for 2 miles.
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Walking??? Walking??? WTF⊠You should be striving for a 7 minute mile by the end of Basic. 
Not sure where you found that info.
The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) standards for both male and female participants are based on age and sex1. The APFT consists of three events12:
- Pushups: Perform as many pushups as possible in 2 minutes1.
- Sit-ups: Perform as many sit-ups as possible in 2 minutes1.
- 2-Mile Run: Complete a 2-mile run as quickly as possible1.
These events are performed in the order listed3. To pass the test, you need to score at least 60 points in each event42. The scoring scale is updated every year to ensure accuracy1.
During Basic Training, you need to score at least 50 points in each event1. If you canât achieve this initially, donât worry. The training is designed to gradually get you into shape1. Once you graduate from Basic Training and move into AIT/OSUT (and into the regular Army), you must achieve and maintain at least 60 points in each APFT event1.
Just another bit of advice. National Guard members were allowed to split their training,
i.e. going home between Basic and A.I.T. Donât do it, you will lose your edge, stay and finish A.I.T. with the group you started with. Those that did it, regretted it. 
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If I start walking to work will it or will it not get me into shape?
The closer shape Iâm in when I start basic, the better I will perform.
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