Army National Guard question?

[Bear19]

I am intersed in becoming an Warrant Officer for the Army National Guard in California and fly helicopters.

I already am a commercial rated pilot with close to 300 hours. Talked to a recruiter today and was told that you have to enlist first and work your way up to an E-4 than apply for WOFT. In reading the forums here I thought you can apply as a civilian. Is the recruiter just being lazy and does not want to prepare a WOFT package? If the recruiter is just being lazy and doesn't want to start a package what are my options. Any advise or info would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

Thanks,

Jason

[AndrewT]

No, he was being spot on with that. In the guard, if you want to be a WO, you have to become an E-4 atleast. The whole civilian application only works if you are going active duty.

 

So, your options are enlist and pull strings to go to sergeant school (I forget the acutal name right now, your recruiter can help). OR you could apply to be a WO for the active army. OR, if you are in school or planning on finishing, you can apply to OCS (If you go the officer route, you can do all yout training in 2 and a half months OR you could train on weekends and two weeks a year for a little over a year).

[DeltaMikeCharlie]

So, your options are enlist and pull strings to go to sergeant school (I forget the actual name right now, your recruiter can help).

 

 

Board then,

PLDC=Primary Leadership Development Course

 

I was a sargent already when I went ARNG, I understand that they changed the way you get promoted last year. I found in the guard it is more who you know that gets you promoted. Hence My WO packet was pulled due to "funding issues" when a new commander came in and his buddy was pushed into my position as soon as the "funding issue was resolved" while I was on TDY where they "could not reach me in the field"

 

Disclaimer:

Every persons experience is different. I may have had a bad experience while serving, but I whole hartedly support and would do it again, bad and all.

 

Four things I believe every one should do to make themselves better...

1. Join a service-ANY, It gives you something to be proud of

2. Drive nothing but a motorcycle for a year, It shows you what it is like to be invisible

3. Drive nothing but a tractor-trailer for a year, It gives you perception

4. Try and hover a helicopter, humility

 

Good luck,

Dave

[mechanic]

Talked to a recruiter today and was told that you have to enlist first and work your way up to an E-4 than apply for WOFT.

 

When did they start the promoted to E-4 deal. Thats not the way the ARNG rercuiter told me it worked, But I already had been a E-4 in the USAF so maybe I met most of all the newbie req's?

 

Later

[scubasteve]

I am intersed in becoming an Warrant Officer for the Army National Guard in California and fly helicopters.

I already am a commercial rated pilot with close to 300 hours. Talked to a recruiter today and was told that you have to enlist first and work your way up to an E-4 than apply for WOFT. In reading the forums here I thought you can apply as a civilian. Is the recruiter just being lazy and does not want to prepare a WOFT package? If the recruiter is just being lazy and doesn't want to start a package what are my options. Any advise or info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jason

 

 

Jason,

How are things going? I don't know how the warrant thing works, but if you have your bachelor's, then you will join the Army as an E-4. I'm commissioned, so I didn't have to do that.....I was enlisted and even considered warrant at one point.

 

Anyway, good luck. You can also just go to a local aviation unit and talk with them.

[Jack Burton]

To be a warrant officer pilot in the NG, you can't be a civilian. They only take insiders (current members of the guard). However you don't HAVE to be an E-4. You can be an rank in any MOS. In the guard prior aviation experience is a major plus. However with the current Iraq situation, you are taking a major gamble in enlisting (I am speaking from 1st hand experience). Probably as soon as you complete basic and AIT (your MOS school) and report to your unit for your 1st drill, you will get orders for iraq or afghanistan in whatever unit and MOS needs you. I have been in the CA guard for over 3 years now after a 4 year hitch in the Marines. I plan on putting in a WOFT package when I get my commercial and my CFI and CFII. Right now they are hurting for pilots. Keep in mind that you should visit the cal guard web site (sorry no hyperlink here). and download the state WOFT package info as well as the USAREC web site. A national guard package is done through the state and not ft rucker except for flight physical approval. With my experiences to get anywhere in the guard, you have to be "one of the good 'ole boys with plenty of hook-ups everywhere" to get promoted or selected for anything. I am probably going to just get out of the guard and put in an active duty package, as a civilian because I would be a step above the rest with 4 in the marines and 4 in the army already. And lastly if you are going to enlist it doesn't matter what MOS you choose, and when you are in if you so choose, you will pretty much do the package by yourself with little or no guidance except from a warrant officer manpower guru. good luck

[Hawk Driver]

Jason,

As a warrant officer currently in the guard, and having served as a WO recruiter for my state, I can tell you that you need to be at least an E-4 if not E-5 before they will consider you for flight school. The reason being they want to make sure that you what it takes to finsh WOC school and flight school. So, being an E-5 show them that you have to be pretty sharp in the first place and you have paid your dues. Now, Im not saying all E-5's are sharp, because any body that has spent time in the military knows that bad apples slip through every rank. Anyway, I would enlist into as a "Flight Operations Specialist" MOS 15P. It is a quick and easy AIT and you get your foot in the door quicker that way. And you work with aviatiors all day so you get to know them and they get to know you. As long as you have a few warrnats that know you and are willing to write you a good letter of recommendation, your good to go! And then all you have to worry about is passing the flight physical.

Good Luck!!

[Bear19]

Hawk Driver,

 

Is it a requirement to be an E-4 or higher to apply for flight school? And if you have any more info on "Flight Operations Specialist" MOS 15P can you PM it or email it to me JasonR19@hotmail.com it would be greatly appreciated. Also being a former WO recruiter I have a few other questions for you. Thanks for all the help.

 

 

 

Thanks,

Jason

[Hawk Driver]

Hawk Driver,

 

Is it a requirement to be an E-4 or higher to apply for flight school? And if you have any more info on "Flight Operations Specialist" MOS 15P can you PM it or email it to me JasonR19@hotmail.com it would be greatly appreciated. Also being a former WO recruiter I have a few other questions for you. Thanks for all the help.

Thanks,

Jason

 

 

No problem Jason, I'll be sending you an email shortly with good to know stuff.

[Linc]

Hawk Driver,

 

Don't forget that each state sets its own rules based on its needs as long as they are not mandated by NGB, so unless you were a WO recruiter for CAARNG, the rules for your state may not apply. I've seen people sell the need to be an E-5 that they knew was true or had been true in the past for one state, only to learn that the state they were discussing did not have that requirement.

 

Having said that...

 

Jason,

 

I would find out who the WO Recruiter for the state is and get the "poop" straight from that individual so you know before going in what your goals would need to be.

 

As for me, I did 2 years in the ARNG (after 2.5 years in the ANG) and decided that I needed to pull up stakes rather than play the games and go active and get about the business of becoming a pilot. It took another 2.5 years due to various factors, not the least of which was just getting off my @$$ and making the packet happen (it can be demoralizing when paperwork gets messed up).

[Hawk Driver]

Hawk Driver,

 

Don't forget that each state sets its own rules based on its needs as long as they are not mandated by NGB, so unless you were a WO recruiter for CAARNG, the rules for your state may not apply. I've seen people sell the need to be an E-5 that they knew was true or had been true in the past for one state, only to learn that the state they were discussing did not have that requirement.

 

Having said that...

 

Jason,

 

I would find out who the WO Recruiter for the state is and get the "poop" straight from that individual so you know before going in what your goals would need to be.

 

As for me, I did 2 years in the ARNG (after 2.5 years in the ANG) and decided that I needed to pull up stakes rather than play the games and go active and get about the business of becoming a pilot. It took another 2.5 years due to various factors, not the least of which was just getting off my @$$ and making the packet happen (it can be demoralizing when paperwork gets messed up).

 

Roger That Linc,

I sent Jason an email explaining that each state has different things they look for but, as far as the packet goes, it is all pretty much the same. And to anyone else that is interested in becoming a warrant officer in the ARNG, you can go to www.1800goguard.com and download the ARNG warrant officer guide book that explains the step by step process to becoming an aviation warrant. But, like Linc said, it is best to find the WO recruiter for the state you live in for the most up-to-date info. Hope this helps!

 

Hawk Driver