The first step to joining the Army National Guard is to contact an Army National Guard recruiter. You can do this by calling 1-800-GO-GUARD to find a recruiter in your local area or ask your high school guidance counselor for help. Soon after you contact a recruiter, you will be scheduled to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test to see if you are qualified. Your ASVAB score will also determine which job, known as a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), you are qualified for. In addition, the Army National Guard has physical, academic, and legal qualifications that you must pass to join. You must be in good health and have no major physical handicaps. The minimum age to join the Army National Guard is 17. If you are under age 18, you must get the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Your recruiter will provide you with more exact information and discuss your qualification status.
If you have never served in any branch of the military, there are several enlistment options. Initially, soldiers can serve for as little as three years, with longer periods available as well. Some benefits are based upon the length of your initial enlistment.
Initially, all members are required to attend basic training and advanced individual training, which can usually be scheduled to meet school requirements. Basic training lasts for eight weeks and the length of advanced individual training varies according to career specialty. Your recruiter will provide you specific information for the Military Occupational Specialty you select.
Those who have previously served in any branch of the military have additional options available to them including a “Try One” program that allows a prior servicemember to serve for only one year on a trial basis before committing to a full enlistment. See an Army National Guard Recruiter or call 1-800-GO-GUARD for more details on opportunities available for prior servicemembers.
Army National Guard members are generally required to attend one drill weekend each month and one annual training period each year. Weekend drills are usually scheduled over one weekend—a Saturday and Sunday each month, but may occasionally include reporting for duty on Friday night. In addition, units have a two-week annual training period every year that is usually scheduled during the summer. Your initial training will be broken into two parts. First you’ll get basic instruction on how to be a soldier, like how to salute, march and shoot an M-16 rifle. Second you will learn a special, individual occupational skill. These two parts can be split so you can do the first part one summer and the second part the next summer. This means that high school juniors who attend basic training in the summer can earn pay all through their senior year. During the summers of your initial training, you receive full active duty pay and benefits.