LOL!
 

Not after the moment from, the reply about the men & women whom have served with the NG/AR.....:eek::D

Strike a little too close to home?? Just calling them as I see them. I oversaw all 54 jurisdictions within the Guard. Laugh it off as you may; just telling you my experiences of ALL the States over a period of two years and numerous mobs.

I will agree that the Guard has some EXCELLENT officers as well as EXCELLENT NCO's. Folks that REALLY want to be there and do their jobs. I was NOT bashing the Guard. Just stated my opinion on the fiscal side that - in MY experience of 36 years in the military - the money we pay the Guard to do the missions we ask of them overseas is not worth it. Had you read the various studies (including the most recent Rand study) you might tend to agree. However, you are free to prove me wrong.

Not bashing you ABC - we're all on the same team.

I'm not slamming you guys. WTF did you get that idea!!?? NOTHING will happen to her. Sadly - that is how most of these issues are dealt with.

I think I struck a little too close to home.

Prove me wrong if I'm all fucked up. I didn't see you all present when we had to deal with all the Congress critters when little suzy e-mailed them her tale of woe and how the Guard wouldn't/couldn't handle the discipline issues associated with the MOBs. Not just a unit issue....almost every State had issues. It's a lot to ask for the Guard to handle a mission based upon 29 days of training a year when the active duty army fucks it up all day long when they have all freaking year to train.

You can claim it all you want, but you simply cannot do the same things the active Army can do with only 29 days of training a year. Sorry...but that's the truth.

Guys, I apologize if it sounded as though I was bashing the Guard. That was NOT my intent!! I did NOT mean to demean anyone's service. Hell, I spent four years on a Reserve Scuba team that I would put up against ANY active duty team out there. My point was that in the criminal realm, it is extremely difficult to prosecute any of these cats due to the nature of the States varying processes and UCMJ schematic.

I'm proud to know you all and most of ya'll here have done FAR more than I ever thought of doing. Please don't think I am denigrating your service or branch.

AWOL female combat engineer recruit has turned herself in, By Michelle Tan, Army Times 4:27 p.m. EST February 5, 2016


http://www.armytimes.com/story/milit...self/79889926/

The plot thickens..

Cal or Colo Guard?

It occurs to me that you get a stronger force by raising the standards and building teams, but I have only spent 30+ years in and around some of the nation's finest, WTF do I know?

Clearly, some think that doing the opposite is a better solution.

I wonder if they also believe that putting 50% female players on men's sports teams would improve their performance?

TR

Hey Jim!
 

Can you or someone help me determine what "Few missions" the ARNG can (and has) done overseas?

I'm just trying to get educated, that's all.

Resourced as a strategic reserve, deployed as a tactical reserve, what could go wrong? At 10% of the AD cost, assumed over 40% of the mission and casualties. The long tabbed little fuck stick who agreed to that and the TAGs who broke every unit in their states to support those deployments were and are the problem. The NG units should have shown up to the MOB station in their normal C/2-3 status as resourced. Honestly I am glad the 12B figured out this was not for her now, rather than jack up the units 1379 for the next four years.

ABC - I did NOT account for the NUMEROUS missions that the Guard SF guys were doing and for that I apologize. They have done a tremendous amount of tasks, missions and all around support in an innocuous environment.

My comments were on the conventional side of the house. For instance, spending an entire year training an artillery unit to go downrange and provide GS support and the moment they arrive in theater, they are shrugged off to some BS back-water area and given a new mission of area or route security.

That sets them up for failure and I don't think it's right.

My comments were not towards the Guard SF guys (just spoke with my old TS and he has done more in the last 13 years of war than almost anyone I know).

I obviously pissed off some tremendous professionals here so rather than think it is all "everyone else's fault", it obviously was what I said; or in how I failed to articulate my premise. For that - I apologize. No slamming you guys here - we're all on the same team.

I do believe that our National Security Strategy and current implementation guidance for the conventional forces of the Guard is seriously flawed. During the Clinton years when we hacked apart our active duty forces, we put the CS/CSS assets into the Reserves and transferred a LOT of our combat requirements to the Guard. The reasons for doing so were many but primarily political thus ensuring when we went to war that we took a cross-section of America with us. That everyone would know someone from "back home' currently engaged in the war.

I happen to think it is unfair and unachievable to expect the same results from the limited training we provide to the Guard to expect them to have the same capabilities as the Active Force.

ABC, MR2, Tomahawk, I apologize about what I said. It was NOT my intent to slam you guys. I will ensure I word my posts better in the future to avoid creating these inferences. I have nothing but respect for what the Guard/Reserve guys do. As stated, I spent 7 years of my career in the Active Reserve. Not sure how you guys do it for 20+ years and maintain a job and family life.

My response may have a been a bit too harsh, as there is much truth in what you say about the average guard outfits. The tales of disbelief I could relay from Colorado alone are countless. However, more often than not, when I hear someone criticizing the guard, the guard SF somehow gets included. We did a wee bit more than 29 days of training a year than the regular troops. After many years of having to put up with condescending opinions and flat out insults from AD counterparts, usually from higher ranking personnel, I no longer feel compelled to conceal my discontent, regardless of rank or former rank.

Look JimP, Ok I have no reason to doubt your sincerity. However I think that your perspective is limited. I’ll be honest, from my read your initial post was totally geared towards pointing out that the ARNG has issues, and insinuating that the ARNG is incapable of discipline and that ARNG Officers were even worse. You also mentioned the “farce” you believed the concept of a deployable ARNG to be given what missions that we do. That's a pretty wide net you were casting... I was waiting for you to accurately categorize what missions we have done and currently do, and back up your comments on the fiscal soundness of pursuing a deployable ARNG with some facts/meat on the bone… but ok. I’m good with letting it drop.

I appreciate that your comments were not directed towards ARNG SF. All well and good. I’ve deployed more than once with ARNG SF and have worked at the national level working ARNG SF issues. So that’s good. My current perspective however is that of a staff officer at a State HQ and commander of an ARNG Infantry battalion that has streamers on it’s colors from every war from the Indian wars, through OEF II (excepting Vietnam). Do you think that your comments “hit close to home” because I or my higher can’t enforce discipline or would look the other way on criminal behavior?? That my battalion or Brigade hasn’t contributed? Should I sit and let you disparage my men currently serving or my unit, and/or the gold star members and families of both my battalion and our Brigade? Based upon your two years with the elite 1st US Army (lol)? Not a fucking chance.

I can and have enforced discipline… Just ask the Commander that I’ve fired and/or NCOs that I’ve reduced lately. AWOLS? Normal everyday business…General, OTH discharges and out the door are the norm. NCOs I’ll do what it takes to reduce first. LOR’s sure I’ve done those too. Yes, I, like my fellow BC’s have discipline issues. But so do Active Duty units, as you did point out. Active duty units of all kinds have issues.

Rand Studies? Lol. That’s akin to using Wiki as a source document. Rand issues conclusions influenced by who is paying. I could talk in detail on one that I took pleasure in helping to discredit while working in DC.

About the ARNG / USAR thing. My opinion only and open to debate… is that it’s a good thing that the mix is as it is or short-sighted Army leadership would use the ARNG as individual fillers effectively breaking combat formations. Being in the ARNG give that extra layer to prevent against that. Ensures that big Army has some hoops to jump through and preserves units as units.

I don’t think you are a bad guy. I just think that you might have limited perspective on many things ARNG. I also think that you made some big extrapolations. Maybe not intentional. So Ok.

Just my perspective from only 26 yrs of service (9 Active, 17 ARNG).

YMMV.

Edit to add: I will buy you a beer sometime and we can talk.

There's AWOLS in NG SF units?

ABC - fair statement all around. Would love to sit down with you and chew the fat. I think we'd have a hell of a conversation.

I get ya' on the "elite" First Army.....(another fair statement - man....you have NO idea!!!!). In my time there I felt that it was the Island of misfit toys. However, it did give me a platform to view all the States and all the TAG's. Some good...some bad. I still can't quite wrap my head around the political aspect of the Guard and how it affected its mission.

Guys at your level at the Battalions and Brigades were NOT the issue; it was the political nature of the beast at the TAG level and the missions within the GFMIG that I had an issue with. I just don't think it fair to impose upon the Guard many of the things the implementation guidance mandated.

Again - just my opinion. Not worth any more nor less that others' on here.

As to the female soldier? I see that she has turned herself in. Any updates as to her status or punishment?