From: colin*@pacbell.net (Colin Campbell)
Newsgroups: alt.military,alt.military.cadet,alt.military.aas,
	alt.military.police,alt.war,soc.veterans,aus.politics
Subject: Re: Mandatory Service: Bad Idea
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 19:40:55 GMT

Groff <groffm27@ix.netcom.com> wrote:

>	The amount of access to programs and assets that the National Guard and
>Reserve have should be curtailed.  When an individual is a civilian
>Monday through Friday and serves on the weekend plus two weeks a year,
>you are bound to find conflicts of interest and greater occurences of
>accidents.

Actually, I have found that the levels of professional committment are
higher on the reserve side of the house than they were when I was on
active duty.  People whose primary career is in the military become
concerned with 'ticket punching' and getting the next promotion.  The
people in the Guard are there because the simply like what they are
doing.

In fact this last Saturday my CSM told me that I was being considered
for a staff job that would involve an extra stripe.  I told him that I
am happy doing what I am doing and that I would miss leading troops
and commanding a tank.  Can you see a 'regular' army soldier saying
that?

>	To hell with state militias, all of the militia should be federalized
>and remain that way.  The Guardsmen that I have worked with were lazy
>and looking for a paid vacation every time they went out.  When you
>begin to place full-time Guardsmen in a position that was held by
>active-duty personnel they become complacent.  A large transition to
>Guard took place and now many of the active-duty people that were in
>this location have gone over to the Guard and adopted their attitude. 
>Information that used to flow smoothly is now caught up with the "We
>don't have to tell you that, we are Guard now" type of attitude.

The Guard has a different culture.  I was never in the infamous "old
guard" (and am amazed at the stories I heard) but in every guard unit
I have served the only difference between us and the regulars is that
the regulars get more time to practice.  Last time I attended an
active duty school I was amazed at how much training time was wasted.
I spent a month at a school which would have lasted two weeks if it
were taught at a National Guard facility.  I know the 'regulars' talk
down the Reserve Component schools but never want to acknowelage that
the people at the reserve schools have to pass the same tests as are
given at the active schools.  

In my specialty (tanks) people coming in off of active duty are
shocked when they find out that we really give the TCGST (Tank Crew
Gunnery Skills Test) to the absolute standard.  The 'active' side of
the house has gotten the belief that they do not need to take the test
'to standard' because they do it for a living.  So far nobody off of
active service has been able to pass the test when given to standard.

And yes there is a lot of aminosity between the guard and the active
army.  The biggest lie in the world is: "I'm from the active component
and I'm here to help you."  When the active duty people ask us for
reports etc. - we take the attitude "If you don't give us the support
you are supposed to, why should we waste our time filling out your
reports?"



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