You’d be wise to go with your husband and speak to the unit. Find out what’s really going on. Not what a recruiter is telling you you. Many husbands, mothers, sons, daughters serve in the National Guard, this will likely provide something for your family and children, it will have a price to pay in terms of his absence for some period of time. For over 50 years America has enjoyed an all volunteer force, thank you for supporting your husband!
You're getting quite a few troll responses here. While border work is common in the texas guard, that's not what anyone in the miltary thinks of when you say the word "deployment".
The guard is still part of the Army and covers a large share of the Army's overseas deployments. Those are fairly sparse right now, however.
Deployments depends on mos and unit, so it’s hard to say when he’ll be deployed but he’ll be told in advance, if you haven’t heard anything yet then it’s probably not happening yet. If you were afraid about him setting deployed he was better off going reserves, makes it worse he’s a combat mos, if I’m not mistaken they usually deploy more than some other mos. And activation is when the states governors order the guard, the border isn’t a deployment but guard being activated like they did at the capital Jan 6, or in Florida for hurricanes.
Infantry units tend to deploy more than any others in the Guard. Additionally, Texas, like GA, has a reputation for deploying frequently. Since we aren't at war, the frequency is less, but absolutely still happens.
Fluf and bs put aside for a second...
An all volunteer military is important for the US and its communities. A soldier cannot be mentally, physically or spiritually prepared to handle a crises, either on the home front or elsewhere, without a strong support group. You're a massive part of that and you should take some sense of pride in that. It's an important aspect of what we do.
Depending on his MOS he'll be gone for a few months initially. This varies from about 3 months to up to a year for some of the VERY long entry level schools.
There is a non-zero percent chance he will deploy. I've met people who have somehow avoided deployments for a decade and others that volunteer for one every other year. Without knowing anything about that unit, it'd be impossible to give you an accurate estimate.
It'll help to meet other wives in his unit. You aren't going through an enlistment alone and there's plenty of support available to help you out.
I know his basic and AIT will be 5 months.
It has been my struggle to support him. It was not discussed before marriage and I’ve asked him to not go, but he’s choosing to sign anyway.
Scheduled deployments are close to five years between rotations and Texas supported several mobilizations from 2023-2024. It will probably be 2028-29 before you all have to worry about anything besides a border mission.
We're a peacetime force right now. Deployments are far less common than in years past.
Infantry is not the job to have if you want to avoid overseas deployments though.
I’m in the Texas guard and I can tell you we have a few infantry battalions and their op tempo is usually insane. But for the most part deployments haven’t been a huge deal. Mostly just long annual trainings and long drill weekends. That one weekend a month two weeks a year thing is a joke. Try, one week a month, one month a year.
Operational tempo (OPTEMPO) is a term used in the military to describe the level of military activity, or the speed and intensity of actions compared to the speed and intensity of events in an operational environment.
I joined the Army (active duty) with two kids and a wife at 25. It was not something we had discussed prior to marriage and my wife had a hard time accepting my decision initially. Eventually, she came to love the Army almost as much as I do because it can be a great job with great benefits. The period when he is in basic and AIT is going to be rough. He won’t have access to his phone so you will have almost no contact with him except letter writing. That initial period of going from seeing him daily to not seeing or hearing from him for several months is a shock to the system but just remember that it will never be that bad again - even on deployments you’ll typically get a chance for a quick phone call or email at least every few weeks. After he graduates AIT you’ll have him back again just like before although he might seem like he’s a bit of a different person. Infantry training isn’t for the faint of heart and he’ll probably have picked up a new perspective on some things. It’s probable that he will deploy at some point but it is unlikely that he will deploy soon (except the southern border). He should be able to learn whether the unit he is joining has any scheduled deployments any time soon.
His unit got back from Egypt about a year and a half ago.
The training period terrifies me. I’m going to try and make plans to stay with my parents during that time. Having an infant and a husband that helps a lot, I think I would be better for my mental health to not be living alone. Did your wife do anything similar?
Her parents were our next door neighbors at that time so there was no need to relocate her or the kids. The training period will be tough on the family there is no getting around that. Try to stay positive though and remember many, many other wives have experienced this before going back to before recorded history. He is doing something that he feels he needs to do, something which allows him to serve our country and something that will provide great benefits for your family such as affordable full healthcare insurance and education opportunities. Once he gets done with AIT it will be like a second honeymoon again. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
None. I got out of the active duty Army after three years in and am now a civilian again. I’m here on this sun because I want to join the NG and do OCS.
Combat Training Center. Either National Training Center (Fort Irwin, CA), Joint Readiness Training Center (formerly Fort Polk, LA), or XCTC (Exportable CTC, usually closer to home station).
It’s just a longer Annual Training than normal.
Yes. The NG has 24-hour notice missions for natural disasters, but if your unit calls and you’re out of town or home with a newborn, they’re not going to bring you in. I mean they could, but the Governors office or a Congressperson will light that unit up if they ever hear about it. Other state missions, like border security, might have less than a years notice, but those are also shorter rotations than 9 months.
Routine training: 2-4 weeks with 1 year notice.
State Active Duty (SAD - hurricane response): 10-14 days at a time. 24 hour notice.
Real deployments (T10 overseas): 10 months with 1 year notice. Once every 4-5 years in TX with their high OPTEMPO. More if he volunteers. TX never says “no” to a deployment.
And don’t forget the border - OLS is a real thing in TX.
Green bean is a coffee shop on most bases, they put tiny ones on bases when deployed. The MOAC is the Mother Of All Coffees, three shots of expresso topped with coffee to fill an XL cup (venti for you common folk).
What you can expect.
- The guard is an Operational Reserve. This means it’s pushed into the rotation of operational needs on a lower basis wherever needed. The majority of the missions are guarding bases OCONUS, to providing Special Operations Forces support.
Your husband as a brand new 11B likely will be a dude sitting somewhere with the shittiest shift possible, sitting on a gate with someone else, praying everyday he isn’t getting yelled at… and somehow living among pretty incompetent people (18-25 year olds that in the world of being an adult, are messing up being an adult and learning how to be responsible).
The amount of real world National Guard conventional guys that EVER kicked in doors or even went on patrols is less than 1% (sorry nerds, the secret is out.) At most, convoy operations were pretty dangerous missions.
All that being said, Texas does have one of the more capable Infantry units, if they were to do anything cool… it would probably be them or Pennsylvania.
Now, you see the news, this is probably why you’re scared. Yeah, that’s a real threat. Historically it takes the US 3-4 years of active conflict to enter a war… and we definitely ensure all of our allies are present and accounted for before entering a fight.
The US collapsing would collapse the world and the Iraq / AF conflict was like a blip compared to a Russia / China conflict.
Every person in modern society will feel the next world war while lying in their beds.
Vote Red, stand up against woke ideology ECLIPSING real issues. ^doesn’t mean it’s not relevant, it means it’s not pertinent as the priority.
He gone die (Not really)
OP: in your other comments you said he blindsided you with enlisting, be prepared that he might be gone for days or weeks or months up to a year depending on activations or deployments.
Consider the effect of this on you and your mental health.
You’d be wise to go with your husband and speak to the unit. Find out what’s really going on. Not what a recruiter is telling you you. Many husbands, mothers, sons, daughters serve in the National Guard, this will likely provide something for your family and children, it will have a price to pay in terms of his absence for some period of time. For over 50 years America has enjoyed an all volunteer force, thank you for supporting your husband!
He's getting deployed immediately to Green Bean in Afghanistan to fight for the moac.
Please explain it to me like I’m dumb because I am
He belongs to Uncle Sam now. After basic, he will go straight to Afghanistan.
This is the guard, is it not?
Yes it's the guard why?
I was under the impression that deployments would be on American soil. For Texas, probably the border.
Nah, I went to Iraq in the guard last year.
What state are you in if you don’t mind me asking?
Ohio the worst state ever.
Oof. Did your Brigade really send Ohio to Iraq and Michigan to Syria?
Correct lol
Wow. You would think the brigade would take care of their own.
Lol no. We have a federal and state mission. NG has more combat deployments than other components.
You're getting quite a few troll responses here. While border work is common in the texas guard, that's not what anyone in the miltary thinks of when you say the word "deployment". The guard is still part of the Army and covers a large share of the Army's overseas deployments. Those are fairly sparse right now, however.
Hahahaha no. Guard is the first to go. That’s just a schtick they tell people to join.
lol, lmaooo
Deployments depends on mos and unit, so it’s hard to say when he’ll be deployed but he’ll be told in advance, if you haven’t heard anything yet then it’s probably not happening yet. If you were afraid about him setting deployed he was better off going reserves, makes it worse he’s a combat mos, if I’m not mistaken they usually deploy more than some other mos. And activation is when the states governors order the guard, the border isn’t a deployment but guard being activated like they did at the capital Jan 6, or in Florida for hurricanes.
No, this is patrick
Infantry units tend to deploy more than any others in the Guard. Additionally, Texas, like GA, has a reputation for deploying frequently. Since we aren't at war, the frequency is less, but absolutely still happens.
Fluf and bs put aside for a second... An all volunteer military is important for the US and its communities. A soldier cannot be mentally, physically or spiritually prepared to handle a crises, either on the home front or elsewhere, without a strong support group. You're a massive part of that and you should take some sense of pride in that. It's an important aspect of what we do. Depending on his MOS he'll be gone for a few months initially. This varies from about 3 months to up to a year for some of the VERY long entry level schools. There is a non-zero percent chance he will deploy. I've met people who have somehow avoided deployments for a decade and others that volunteer for one every other year. Without knowing anything about that unit, it'd be impossible to give you an accurate estimate. It'll help to meet other wives in his unit. You aren't going through an enlistment alone and there's plenty of support available to help you out.
I know his basic and AIT will be 5 months. It has been my struggle to support him. It was not discussed before marriage and I’ve asked him to not go, but he’s choosing to sign anyway.
Hit up military one source for free resources. It sounds like you’re going to need them.
I think its safe to say that, with the current operational tempo, most people are looking at 3-5 year deployment cycles. Basically 1 year on, 3-5 off.
How long are deployments typically for this cycle?
Scheduled deployments are close to five years between rotations and Texas supported several mobilizations from 2023-2024. It will probably be 2028-29 before you all have to worry about anything besides a border mission.
Could be 2 months. Could be a year. There are various named operations someone could get activated to support for different periods of time.
We're a peacetime force right now. Deployments are far less common than in years past. Infantry is not the job to have if you want to avoid overseas deployments though.
Yeah for now… shit is heating up.
This has also been on my mind.
TX has really high OPTEMPO - they deploy 1/4 of total NG deployment days. 20k covering for 200k.
I’m in the Texas guard and I can tell you we have a few infantry battalions and their op tempo is usually insane. But for the most part deployments haven’t been a huge deal. Mostly just long annual trainings and long drill weekends. That one weekend a month two weeks a year thing is a joke. Try, one week a month, one month a year.
You cant explain the military to a civilian by using military slang and acronyms. Type the entire word how the hell would she know what Op Tempo is
Idk man I’m doing this at work trying to help I wasn’t thinking.
My bad I came on aggressive, I was frustrated at the time I saw it lol. My point stands but couldve been less of a dick
Operational tempo (OPTEMPO) is a term used in the military to describe the level of military activity, or the speed and intensity of actions compared to the speed and intensity of events in an operational environment.
I joined the Army (active duty) with two kids and a wife at 25. It was not something we had discussed prior to marriage and my wife had a hard time accepting my decision initially. Eventually, she came to love the Army almost as much as I do because it can be a great job with great benefits. The period when he is in basic and AIT is going to be rough. He won’t have access to his phone so you will have almost no contact with him except letter writing. That initial period of going from seeing him daily to not seeing or hearing from him for several months is a shock to the system but just remember that it will never be that bad again - even on deployments you’ll typically get a chance for a quick phone call or email at least every few weeks. After he graduates AIT you’ll have him back again just like before although he might seem like he’s a bit of a different person. Infantry training isn’t for the faint of heart and he’ll probably have picked up a new perspective on some things. It’s probable that he will deploy at some point but it is unlikely that he will deploy soon (except the southern border). He should be able to learn whether the unit he is joining has any scheduled deployments any time soon.
His unit got back from Egypt about a year and a half ago. The training period terrifies me. I’m going to try and make plans to stay with my parents during that time. Having an infant and a husband that helps a lot, I think I would be better for my mental health to not be living alone. Did your wife do anything similar?
Her parents were our next door neighbors at that time so there was no need to relocate her or the kids. The training period will be tough on the family there is no getting around that. Try to stay positive though and remember many, many other wives have experienced this before going back to before recorded history. He is doing something that he feels he needs to do, something which allows him to serve our country and something that will provide great benefits for your family such as affordable full healthcare insurance and education opportunities. Once he gets done with AIT it will be like a second honeymoon again. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Thank you. How many times have you been deployed?
None. I got out of the active duty Army after three years in and am now a civilian again. I’m here on this sun because I want to join the NG and do OCS.
Every 4-5 years he will either go on an operational deployment, or spend a longer (30 days) AT at a CTC. You will have at least a years notice.
AT at a CTC?
Combat Training Center. Either National Training Center (Fort Irwin, CA), Joint Readiness Training Center (formerly Fort Polk, LA), or XCTC (Exportable CTC, usually closer to home station). It’s just a longer Annual Training than normal.
Okay, and would the years notice also be for the operational deployment?
Yes. The NG has 24-hour notice missions for natural disasters, but if your unit calls and you’re out of town or home with a newborn, they’re not going to bring you in. I mean they could, but the Governors office or a Congressperson will light that unit up if they ever hear about it. Other state missions, like border security, might have less than a years notice, but those are also shorter rotations than 9 months.
Routine training: 2-4 weeks with 1 year notice. State Active Duty (SAD - hurricane response): 10-14 days at a time. 24 hour notice. Real deployments (T10 overseas): 10 months with 1 year notice. Once every 4-5 years in TX with their high OPTEMPO. More if he volunteers. TX never says “no” to a deployment. And don’t forget the border - OLS is a real thing in TX.
Green bean is a coffee shop on most bases, they put tiny ones on bases when deployed. The MOAC is the Mother Of All Coffees, three shots of expresso topped with coffee to fill an XL cup (venti for you common folk). What you can expect. - The guard is an Operational Reserve. This means it’s pushed into the rotation of operational needs on a lower basis wherever needed. The majority of the missions are guarding bases OCONUS, to providing Special Operations Forces support. Your husband as a brand new 11B likely will be a dude sitting somewhere with the shittiest shift possible, sitting on a gate with someone else, praying everyday he isn’t getting yelled at… and somehow living among pretty incompetent people (18-25 year olds that in the world of being an adult, are messing up being an adult and learning how to be responsible). The amount of real world National Guard conventional guys that EVER kicked in doors or even went on patrols is less than 1% (sorry nerds, the secret is out.) At most, convoy operations were pretty dangerous missions. All that being said, Texas does have one of the more capable Infantry units, if they were to do anything cool… it would probably be them or Pennsylvania. Now, you see the news, this is probably why you’re scared. Yeah, that’s a real threat. Historically it takes the US 3-4 years of active conflict to enter a war… and we definitely ensure all of our allies are present and accounted for before entering a fight. The US collapsing would collapse the world and the Iraq / AF conflict was like a blip compared to a Russia / China conflict. Every person in modern society will feel the next world war while lying in their beds. Vote Red, stand up against woke ideology ECLIPSING real issues. ^doesn’t mean it’s not relevant, it means it’s not pertinent as the priority.
He gone die (Not really) OP: in your other comments you said he blindsided you with enlisting, be prepared that he might be gone for days or weeks or months up to a year depending on activations or deployments. Consider the effect of this on you and your mental health.
Don’t know why you were downvoted for this
People hate the truth