Guard Tours
Some Army National Guard personnel are on Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) status. This means these soldiers have volunteered to go on active duty providing full-time support to National Guard, Reserve and Active Component organizations for the purpose of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing or training the Reserve Component. The Reserve Component (RC) has two primary programs, Title 10 and Title 32. Title 10 positions are generally federal level jobs, while Title 32 jobs are at the state level. AGR soldiers serve full-time and enjoy the same benefits and entitlements as Active Component soldier, including paid leave, full educational benefits, medical care for themselves and their immediate family, and the opportunity for immediate retirement after 20 years of Active Federal Service. Title 10 soldiers are stationed worldwide.
There are also short tour opportunities for soldiers to contribute to their state’s and country’s security while enhancing their own military training and readiness. These fall into three general categories – Active Duty for Operational Support, Reserve Component (ADOS-RC). ADOS-RC tours usually support study groups, training sites and exercises, short-term projects, or administrative or support functions for the reserve component. ADOS-RC is also used in situations where the Active Army has a mission requirement for which no Active Army soldiers with the requisite skills and experience are reasonably available. CO-ADOS is used when the active army (support) mission requirement is the result of a wartime contingency situation.
Volunteering for Operation Iraqi Freedom or Other Missions
Soldiers who are interested in volunteering for Operation Iraqi Freedom or other missions should visit Guard Knowledge Online for information about what you need to do and who you need to contact. It also provides a way of informing the Deployments Cell at National Guard Bureau who you are and what your qualifications are (MOS, etc.)
For additional information about Title 10, Title 32 and ADOS/CO-ADOS Tours please visit Guard Knowledge Online (GKO).
Also each state should have a guard tour website where you should be able to check out what state level mission are available.
I would say this is the best route to take when trying to deploy in the NG, normally units are a little more willing to work with a soldier if he takes this route.
However not all units are willing to help their soldiers deploy, especially when that unit is low on manning numbers. So there are other methods to get deployed. It’s fairly easy to find a deploying unit, going through your ops NCO may be the easiest way. But it’s dependent on how good of an ops guy you have and how willing he is to help you. Your Btn Ops NCO should know when your unit is deploying, and have a list of units that are scheduled to deploy.
Personally I have built a network of contacts that are deployed, deploying, or training soldiers to deploy.
The fastest way to deploy is to find a unit that is deploying, by calling MOB sights such as Camp Shelby, North FT Hood (MAT cell) or any other MOB sight. Find out what unit/state is deploying or planned to go through the MOB process. Then contact that unit, let them know you want to jump on the deployment and find out if they have a slot for you (they will). Then you have three options:
1. Get a Para/Line number and take it to your unit, request an Interstate Transfer.
2. Contact a recruiter in that unit and do an Interstate Transfer.
3. Show up to that unit and swear in to the state and have them do a reverse IST.
Obviously doing opt 1 is going to keep you in both units good graces. Opt 2 will piss of your home unit, but you can smooth it over upon return. Opt 3 will burn the bridge; it’s not the best way to do things. However nobody will make things happen for you in the NG accept for your self. They don’t care that you lost your job and need to deploy or whatever, all they worried about in most cases is there manning numbers falling. When dealing with this type of unit, I personally don’t mind burning that bridge.
