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Originally Posted by amatlis
3. NG vs AD: Are Guard units side-lined on real missions? After reading 'Hunting Al Qaeda' about a Guard unit in A-stan that was repeatedly side-lined, I can't imagine anything more frustrating than spending years of your life training for a job and then not being allowed to do it.
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I was concerned about this too and after talking with a lot of guys from my unit before this deployment, it seemed like luck of the draw. One of the teams from B CO made national news and was featured in Soldier of Fortune for a mission they were on in 2003, we still get people over here who ask us if we're that "famous" team. Other teams did next to nothing. One of the uncertainties with the Guard is that often you will not stay as a part of your Guard chain of command, but will be attached to one of the active duty units. This can mean table scraps, or it can mean great things. We went from being deflagged as a team back in Mississippi to having what I think is one of the best missions in country right now. Other teams are still split up and riding desks, others are at fire bases doing very little, others are in the hottest places in the war. Like a lot of things in life you can only plan for and control so much. I know I'm living the dream, doing things I was told Guard units just didn't do. The other great thing so far is how well we've been treated by the active duty teams we've been working with. It all comes down to results, if you are squared away and produce results for people they will take you seriously and treat you accordingly.