If I'll join the Air National Guard will they send me to Iraq/Afghanistan ?

Probably not until WW3 scheduled for 2012.

My grandfathers fought against the Nazis in WWII I’m not afraid of wars.

As far as I’m aware the ANG is domestic. You don’t get shipped out of the country.

@seVen: I don’t think your grandfathers told you enough about the war if you’re still not scared of them. Everyone should be scared of war.

There is a good chance of it. You never really know what your going to get until you get it. The last I checked the only people guarding the USA were my neighbors and myself. As far as not being scared of war…...You have never been shot at have you?

Yes read your contract it says so.

Yeah I guess you can’t be sure of anything, if they only made it a written contract that they wouldn’t send me anywhere I’d join in a heartbeat.

@SeVen

I’m in the ANG, and you can count on at some point in your career in the military to go outside the country. My unit has even deployed the Saudi area, Iraq and other places.

If you’re willing to let your country pay for your tuition, train you, give you good skills to use later in life, and give you good benefits, you should be willing to serve over seas at some point.

I have been in 3 years, and haven’t had the joy of going anywhere just yet, but I’m sure I will at some point.

I’m in the Phoenix Air National Guard and have been for the last 12 years on an AGR tour (Active Guard & Reserve). As an AGR member, you are in Title 32 status which means you are responsible to the governor of that state as your commmander in chief. Active duty military personnel outside the Guard and Reserve are Title 10 and are responsible to the President of the United States as their commmander in chief.

National Guard members can be placed in an active duty status for up to a 2 year window as happened after the attacks on 9–11 by an order from the president. A traditional National Guard member is usually only responsible for one weekend a month and 2 weeks annual training every year.

As far as being deployed to Iraq/Afghanistan in the Air Guard? It can depend on several things really.

- The type of Air National Guard unit you are in
– The specific career field you have chosen
– Where your unit falls into the AEF (Air Expeditionary Force) rotation
– Manpower needs at different times in the forward operating locations in general

These are just a few of many considerations that can affect deployments to the Middle East and South East Asia. My Air National Guard Wing is an aerial refueling unit so we are significant in that we can offer vital assistance to air operations. My career field is specifically Military Police (called Security Forces in the Air Guard and Air Force). I have deployed twice to the Middle East in support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom (United Arab Emirates and Masirah Island, Oman). Thirteen of my fellow unit members spent 9 months on the border of Kuwait and southern Iraq working at a POW camp guarding insurgents and ‘persons of interest’ in the war on terror.

It’s a common misconception that the National Guard is meant only for continental defense and actual war service is an aberration. The Guard has fought proudly in every war this country has fought. Volunteer, serve proudly, and you will never wonder if your life made a difference.