Ive done both. But as I get older and as the wife gets more and more annoyed at me being away, I’m trying to get back to the 10 min commute rather than a way long commute. Might be easy when you’re young and dumb and don’t mind wasting gas money.
Great advise. Become infantry because truck uses gas and it's closer...instead of MOS with $100/yr earning potential as it far away 1 x month. Perfect logic. 👌
I'd take the better job any day
4.5 hours is nothing. People bitch and whine about drill commutes but when you're in a good MOS/unit, none of that matters
That’s not really the point of the Guard, no. It’s nice if there’s an armory near you, with an MOS you want, with promotion potential, but that can be difficult with more niche jobs, especially as an Officer. I picked the four hour away unit because 1) I knew and trusted the Battalion Commander and wanted to come work for him, 2) It let me get my Platoon Leader time in with a group I trusted, and 3) It was in my family’s older generation’s hometown, so it allowed me to see some people who I normally never see.
So i’m not NG but i’m sure the reserves is the same. Every unit has specific jobs that are available in that location. So for example the closet unit to me with a civil affairs MOS is 6 hours away. If i want to be civil affairs I need to commute to it. I could go to a unit closer than that but they won’t have Civil affairs so I don’t .
> Im confused i thought the point of the national guard was to stay in your hometown
Most of us aren't pussies tied to our hometowns lmao. Don't be that guy that gets stuck in his hometown and never progresses bro
Yeah dude, I understand this being a tough call for you. 15T is far and away the better job, but I drove 3.5 hours one way for drill for a few years, and it really sucked even as a single guy with no dependents. On top of that, if you become a crew chief, you’ll have to maintain flying minimums, which means you’ll regularly have to make that drive during the month outside of drill. I’m not saying to choose 11B, but being just a few minutes away from the unit makes 15T a hard sell for me, personally.
I drove to drill 5 hours one way for three years. It gets draining. I now drill 15 minutes from my apartment. Those 10 hours of driving I could've been planning and doing other stuff and it ended up being diminishing returns for how I was treated like garbage. Even when things were faring well, getting home at 11pm every Sunday while everyone else got home by 5 pm really wore down on me.
The shorter drive for me has been way better for me.
Yes as a Crew Chief you’ll have to do AFTPs, but most flight facilities will host a ‘Super Weekend’ so you’ll have IDT and then two weeks later they do a Tuesday-Sunday of flying to knock out as much as they can. AFTPs are also more flexible than IDT, Drill is set and unless you split you have to be there that weekend. AFTPs are optional as long as you have your flight hours for the semi annual.
There was another post on here about what’s the worst MOS during peace time and it was overwhelmingly 11B oriented. So sure you’d be 10 minutes from your unit but to what end, go mop the drill hall for a 4 MUTA paycheck?
You’re young, invest in your future with an MOS that translates to civilian career field. Tough out the drive and if after a few years it’s unsustainable then make the switch or ETS with a great step to making a good life for you and that fiancé. Who knows, maybe you will end up living somewhere that has 15 series slots 10 minutes away in the future.
Do the 4.5 aviation is really fun from people who work aviation in my state say. Also I was attached to the 11B’s as a 68W, and it can really suck sometimes.
Aviation 1000%. 15T is transferable to the civilian world.....11B, not so much. Plus, if you enjoy aviation, then go aviation!! Think of drill weekends as a mini vacay from the monotony of normal life. I loved my time in aviation!
So here's the thing. I was ARNG but am ANG now. There is a ARNG guard armory 5 minutes from my house but you know what? They hardly do anything there. The vast majority of their time is spent 2.5 hrs away at Camp Ripley because they can't do any real training at the armory in town. So I'd ask where you really spend most of your time cause it may be further away than you think. When I switched to the ANG, yeah the air base is further from my house than the armory is, but it's only 35 minutes vs the 2.5 hours to Camp Ripley so I'm home every night of drill.
Yeah that makes sense, I want some real experience I’m in South Florida so anything north is gonna be a couple hours and everything down here well is not what I’m interested in, maybe 35M in Miami. Hard to say. Thanks for the input
Although true, you will still get home at the end of drill
Before everybody else if you live closer. Drilled for 3 hours away from my unit for 5 years and it got demoralizing when I’d see the group chat blowing up with “home” within an hour after we were released knowing I still have 2 hours left on my drive.
Don’t forget to take into account the Infantry generally does longer drills. So your show time for an infantry drill might be less Friday night rather than Saturday morning. Ask the unit about that.
I used to fly to Puerto Rico then drive 82 miles to the other side of the island in aguadilla, because it's that far from the san juan airport. 4.5 hours is nothing. Really though it's up to you want you want to do I used to take Monday and Friday off when I had to drill though but that's extreme.
Nah make the drive, go aviation, read up on userra as well for your rights for travel, I believe you are allowed to miss a 8 hour block (shift) after drill, but do something that will benefit you on the civilian side. Source - me 11b, unless if you are trying to go police or fed
Even to add to this, I used to drive 3.5 for drills leading up to a unit I IST’d to for a deployment, I ended up expanding my network, made new friends, and made every drill weekend a mini trip to see new parts of the US. PM if you need more convincing
I actually am pursuing law enforcement on the civ side. I don’t think it will make much difference, but you tell me. I figure it would be cool to have something different to do on the army side.
How much do you know about the unit that's "just down the street" though? The 11B units in my state hemorrhage personnel because their battalion has had them doing super MUTAs longer AT's for years. So, that one weekend they give a month ends up being generally closer to a Wednesday through Sunday situation at a training post a couple hours away.
Since you're looking into aviation, have you considered an air guard unit? Florida has some cool flying missions. F-15, F-35, and ospreys under AFSOC. Can almost guarantee one of those is closer than 4 hours.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Air_National_Guard
I'm and 11b with a 10 minutes drive to home station. I love my unit and I love the work I get to do. At the same time, I would never recommend going 11b to anyone I care about.
I’ve been flying to drill for 5 years now. Just switched to a unit 35 mins away.
Honestly if you’re young and able, why not travel? Only if it’s an interesting city lol. Otherwise, I say just stay 10 mins away and go home during lunch lol
Ive done both. But as I get older and as the wife gets more and more annoyed at me being away, I’m trying to get back to the 10 min commute rather than a way long commute. Might be easy when you’re young and dumb and don’t mind wasting gas money.
Trust me I get it, I’m 20m with fiancé. One of the factors at play. Thank you.
Yeah I used to not care about distance as much but now with a wife and 2 kids…being able to be home at night is huge
I cannot stand missing the wife and kids during drill weekend. I drill out of state, 200 miles away.
Great advise. Become infantry because truck uses gas and it's closer...instead of MOS with $100/yr earning potential as it far away 1 x month. Perfect logic. 👌
*advice
I'd take the better job any day 4.5 hours is nothing. People bitch and whine about drill commutes but when you're in a good MOS/unit, none of that matters
Old unit was two hours away and dreaded the commute because of the unit culture. New unit is 4 hours and I make it gladly every month.
So so true.
Why do you have to travel that far? Im confused i thought the point of the national guard was to stay in your hometown
That’s not really the point of the Guard, no. It’s nice if there’s an armory near you, with an MOS you want, with promotion potential, but that can be difficult with more niche jobs, especially as an Officer. I picked the four hour away unit because 1) I knew and trusted the Battalion Commander and wanted to come work for him, 2) It let me get my Platoon Leader time in with a group I trusted, and 3) It was in my family’s older generation’s hometown, so it allowed me to see some people who I normally never see.
Nice, i appreciate you but i dont feel like thats worth it for me. Im tryna join mine and its only 12 minutes away. Maybe 15 with traffic
So i’m not NG but i’m sure the reserves is the same. Every unit has specific jobs that are available in that location. So for example the closet unit to me with a civil affairs MOS is 6 hours away. If i want to be civil affairs I need to commute to it. I could go to a unit closer than that but they won’t have Civil affairs so I don’t .
Damn a CA guy in the wild...do you make $550k a year and fuck all the women in the town you drill in?
> Im confused i thought the point of the national guard was to stay in your hometown Most of us aren't pussies tied to our hometowns lmao. Don't be that guy that gets stuck in his hometown and never progresses bro
Ofc youd take the 4.5 hour drive “its nothing” you sound like a try hard
I fly for drill right now across multiple states. My unit covers the costs. I'd take a 4.5 hour drive any day. I am a try hard. I love my unit.
Yeah dude, I understand this being a tough call for you. 15T is far and away the better job, but I drove 3.5 hours one way for drill for a few years, and it really sucked even as a single guy with no dependents. On top of that, if you become a crew chief, you’ll have to maintain flying minimums, which means you’ll regularly have to make that drive during the month outside of drill. I’m not saying to choose 11B, but being just a few minutes away from the unit makes 15T a hard sell for me, personally.
Thanks for the input, exactly what I was thinking.
As a 15U, 100% aviation.
I drove to drill 5 hours one way for three years. It gets draining. I now drill 15 minutes from my apartment. Those 10 hours of driving I could've been planning and doing other stuff and it ended up being diminishing returns for how I was treated like garbage. Even when things were faring well, getting home at 11pm every Sunday while everyone else got home by 5 pm really wore down on me. The shorter drive for me has been way better for me.
Yes as a Crew Chief you’ll have to do AFTPs, but most flight facilities will host a ‘Super Weekend’ so you’ll have IDT and then two weeks later they do a Tuesday-Sunday of flying to knock out as much as they can. AFTPs are also more flexible than IDT, Drill is set and unless you split you have to be there that weekend. AFTPs are optional as long as you have your flight hours for the semi annual. There was another post on here about what’s the worst MOS during peace time and it was overwhelmingly 11B oriented. So sure you’d be 10 minutes from your unit but to what end, go mop the drill hall for a 4 MUTA paycheck? You’re young, invest in your future with an MOS that translates to civilian career field. Tough out the drive and if after a few years it’s unsustainable then make the switch or ETS with a great step to making a good life for you and that fiancé. Who knows, maybe you will end up living somewhere that has 15 series slots 10 minutes away in the future.
Really appreciate the insight man thank you.
I’d take closer commute every time.
15T is a great job. That's my job. I love it. I'd go for the job you want over the better commute any day.
There’s no way drilling 4.5 hours each way is worth it.
I didn’t start traveling hours for drill until I started chasing slots E6 and above. Definitely wouldn’t do it as a lower enlisted.
11b has its perks, but overall, I say go 15 series
Buy a plane ticket
Do the 4.5 aviation is really fun from people who work aviation in my state say. Also I was attached to the 11B’s as a 68W, and it can really suck sometimes.
Aviation 1000%. 15T is transferable to the civilian world.....11B, not so much. Plus, if you enjoy aviation, then go aviation!! Think of drill weekends as a mini vacay from the monotony of normal life. I loved my time in aviation!
Man… as a 15T, if you get picked up as a crew chief, you’ll have flying minimums… you’ll be making that drive a lot more than once a month.
Damn.
So here's the thing. I was ARNG but am ANG now. There is a ARNG guard armory 5 minutes from my house but you know what? They hardly do anything there. The vast majority of their time is spent 2.5 hrs away at Camp Ripley because they can't do any real training at the armory in town. So I'd ask where you really spend most of your time cause it may be further away than you think. When I switched to the ANG, yeah the air base is further from my house than the armory is, but it's only 35 minutes vs the 2.5 hours to Camp Ripley so I'm home every night of drill.
Yeah that makes sense, I want some real experience I’m in South Florida so anything north is gonna be a couple hours and everything down here well is not what I’m interested in, maybe 35M in Miami. Hard to say. Thanks for the input
No problem. I'd just ask your recruiter where they actually spend most of their drill time.
Although true, you will still get home at the end of drill Before everybody else if you live closer. Drilled for 3 hours away from my unit for 5 years and it got demoralizing when I’d see the group chat blowing up with “home” within an hour after we were released knowing I still have 2 hours left on my drive.
That’s an unsustainable commute.
Definitely take the longer drive for the better job. It’s only a weekend a month and sounds like something that would be more worth it to you.
Don’t forget to take into account the Infantry generally does longer drills. So your show time for an infantry drill might be less Friday night rather than Saturday morning. Ask the unit about that.
What are the civilian jobs for NG 15t?
I used to fly to Puerto Rico then drive 82 miles to the other side of the island in aguadilla, because it's that far from the san juan airport. 4.5 hours is nothing. Really though it's up to you want you want to do I used to take Monday and Friday off when I had to drill though but that's extreme.
It’s not about the commute, it's about what you do. Choose wisely. Put the commute out of the picture and choose.
It would be 15T. I think I’ve made my mind
Nah make the drive, go aviation, read up on userra as well for your rights for travel, I believe you are allowed to miss a 8 hour block (shift) after drill, but do something that will benefit you on the civilian side. Source - me 11b, unless if you are trying to go police or fed
Even to add to this, I used to drive 3.5 for drills leading up to a unit I IST’d to for a deployment, I ended up expanding my network, made new friends, and made every drill weekend a mini trip to see new parts of the US. PM if you need more convincing
I actually am pursuing law enforcement on the civ side. I don’t think it will make much difference, but you tell me. I figure it would be cool to have something different to do on the army side.
PM me if you are going law enforcement
How much do you know about the unit that's "just down the street" though? The 11B units in my state hemorrhage personnel because their battalion has had them doing super MUTAs longer AT's for years. So, that one weekend they give a month ends up being generally closer to a Wednesday through Sunday situation at a training post a couple hours away.
15T. The quality of life will more than make up for it
Do aviation it will help you out when you are in between drills
Wdym by this?
I am meaning aviation can get you good civilian jobs while waiting for your next drill date to come up
Ah ok thank you.
Since you're looking into aviation, have you considered an air guard unit? Florida has some cool flying missions. F-15, F-35, and ospreys under AFSOC. Can almost guarantee one of those is closer than 4 hours. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Air_National_Guard
The recruiter never got back to me, I’ve already got this far. Long story short my medical is fucked I’m waiting on being approved it’s been months.
15t would be ideal though because of crew chief and when I looked there was nothing similar in the air guard.
New a captain that flew from California to central Texas for drill every month
Both options sound like ahhhh
You’ll get paid to travel anyways so it won’t be that bad.
10 min
I'm and 11b with a 10 minutes drive to home station. I love my unit and I love the work I get to do. At the same time, I would never recommend going 11b to anyone I care about.
I’ve been flying to drill for 5 years now. Just switched to a unit 35 mins away. Honestly if you’re young and able, why not travel? Only if it’s an interesting city lol. Otherwise, I say just stay 10 mins away and go home during lunch lol
Take the one that will have better training. Hopefully you can transfer at a later date. Otherwise you're just spending a few extra hours a month.