Usmc vs army and SF questions!

[smith95]

Hey guys,

I want to apply for either army or marine OCS reserve/guard option. My hope is to eventually apply for guard SF. I have a few questions about this. Doing r/g is a non negotiable for me, so that isn’t part of the discussion.

1. I want to get the best training possible. To that end, I feel that I should do USMC and go infantry. However is seems like it would make more sense to stick with army guard if I’m hoping to do SF. Plus it is more likely I’d get infantry in army, since it seems a little less competitive to get. Any thoughts?

2. If I go army, are there any special guard units that are more elite than others? Are there units that are deployed more frequently and considered better trained in general? I don’t know if I’m asking for a distinction between airborne, Stryker, etc, or other distinctions - I don’t know enough to really be more specific! I guess ranger school would be a good place to start, but are there units that are themselves better than others?

3. Lastly, how can I do the 8 week guard OCs vs the 16 months?

Thanks!

 

[Devil Doc]

"Are there any special guard units that are more elite than others?"

The Republican Guard used to have a reputation as being elite.

 

[cb7893]

"Are there any special guard units that are more elite than others?"

The Republican Guard used to have a reputation as being elite.

Until they came face to face with The Praetorian Guard.

2. If I go army, are there any special guard units that are more elite than others? Are there units that are deployed more frequently and considered better trained in general? I don’t know if I’m asking for a distinction between airborne, Stryker, etc, or other distinctions - I don’t know enough to really be more specific! I guess ranger school would be a good place to start, but are there units that are themselves better than others?

I am the last guy to quote, but I believe there is only one SF guard unit and that is in Utah. Even then I assume they draw almost exclusively from Active Duty SF. If you can get them to answer your questions, try them. Whatever you do, don't ask an Army recruiter.

 

[MidCakePa]

My hope is to eventually apply for guard SF.

Plus it is more likely I’d get infantry in army, since it seems a little less competitive to get.

If I go army, are there any special guard units that are more elite than others?

OP, I appreciate and admire your desire to serve and defend our country. But I wonder if I’m the only one who sees a disconnect in the above quotes.

Looking to join an elite unit like SF while seeking a less-competitive route into infantry... Hmmm... Not sure those two go together. What am I missing?

 

[smith95]

What I mean is, doing IN would be best for SF, so I want to maximize my chances of getting it. I don’t have to be SF ready today - the important thing is to get IN and then work towards being ready for SF.

 

[USMCGrunt]

OP: I can't make heads or tails out of your various posts but you shouldn't worry about where you will get the best training. Uncle Sam will make sure you are trained well.

You asked about culture in another post. Perhaps you should add mission to your query. Marine mission and culture is very different than the Army's even though both have Infantry.

 

[GoCubbies]

Hey guys,

I want to apply for either army or marine OCS reserve/guard option. My hope is to eventually apply for guard SF. I have a few questions about this. Doing r/g is a non negotiable for me, so that isn’t part of the discussion.

1. I want to get the best training possible. To that end, I feel that I should do USMC and go infantry. However is seems like it would make more sense to stick with army guard if I’m hoping to do SF. Plus it is more likely I’d get infantry in army, since it seems a little less competitive to get. Any thoughts?

2. If I go army, are there any special guard units that are more elite than others? Are there units that are deployed more frequently and considered better trained in general? I don’t know if I’m asking for a distinction between airborne, Stryker, etc, or other distinctions - I don’t know enough to really be more specific! I guess ranger school would be a good place to start, but are there units that are themselves better than others?

3. Lastly, how can I do the 8 week guard OCs vs the 16 months?

Thanks!

So the organization of the Army is the following...

You have the active component and you have the reserve component. The reserve component is comprised of the US Army Reserve (USAR) and the Army National Guard (ARNG).

In general, the ARNG has the combat arms formations (roughly the Maneuvers, Fires, and Effects branches) and the USAR has the support-type formations (training units, combat support hospitals, supply and ammo units, etc). There is some overlap in unit types between the 2 Reserve Components though.

So if you want to go infantry, then you're generally looking at the ARNG. The ARNG has National Guard divisions and Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) throughout the US. You probably live near one of those units now. You can join one of those units if they have an opening for an infantry officer. Some states like the one they call God's country (i.e. Texas) has a couple BCTs, so you have more options there. Most states have no BCT, but they do have subordinate battalions of BCTs.

I don't know if one BCT is better than the other. A couple are unique. The ARNG has a couple Stryker brigades. There is also the 86BCT out of Vermont that is trained in mountain warfare. They run the Mountain Warfare School. If you want SF, then the ARNG has the 19SFG(A) in Utah and 20SFG(A) in Alabama. They get many of their operators from guys who left AD. I suppose you can join one of those units and go through all the training to get your SF tab through them. I think if they relied solely on active duty SF guys getting out to fill their teams, then they would be short. They would have to recruit on their own (someone like you) to train up and assign to one of the teams.

On the USAR side, if you want something unique, then there's the Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations units. They USAR makes up more than 90% of the entire Army's inventory of CA and PsyOps units.

As for deployments, I think the regular BCTs are on 5 year cycles. The SF and CA/PsyOps probably more often. Some folks are deployed more often because they are "cross-leveled" with other ARNG units who are deploying but are short of manpower.