It’s a fair question. If I was a relatively new member of the National Guard and my primary exposure was a recruiter explaining all of the benefits of the National Guard, I would naturally assume that Guardsmen have always enjoyed things like educational benefits, life and health insurance options, good equipment, and decent facilities (although that last one mostly pertains to the Air Guard, Hooah).
But many of the benefits that we enjoy today didn’t exist as recently as just a couple of decades ago:
- We had no BX/PX access.
- SGLI covered you only during drill status or Annual Training.
- We were not permitted to use the Commissary.
- We had no tuition assistance from federal or state.
- No housing during UTA regardless of your commuting distance.
- No tax deductions for travel or uniform expense associated with National Guard service.
- No healthcare options before or after a deployment (only while deployed).
- No available health insurance options like TriCare Reserve Select.
And to take it even further, the National Guard had always been a generation behind in weapons systems until after Desert Storm (1990/91 for younger crowd). A good friend of mine always t0ld his audiences a story that in order to see what their new airplanes looked like, they had to go to the Air Force museum and look at what was already on the cement pedestal since the museum got the plane before the National Guard did. Our facilities were out dated and not consistent with Active Duty requirements, the equipment was generally hand-me-downs from the Active Duty, and the opportunity to attend military schools was rare and usually consisted of getting an unused slot at the last minute that was not filled by Active Duty.
Now, I’m not complaining about how the National Guard was back then. A recruiter explained it to me, it sounded like something that I wanted to do, and I joined. I didn’t know what I was missing because we didn’t have it to begin with. But over the years, I saw things change and improve. And those improvements did not come easily. If they did, we would not have had to wait until 2007 before Tricare Reserve Select was an option. If they came easy, the Air Guard would already receive Federal Tuition Assistance funds like the Army Guard does from their Active Duty counterpart. If receiving benefits as a National Guardsman came easy, we would not have to have a discussion on why a Guardsman wounded in combat does not receive credit towards Post 9/11 GI Bill while in recovery and receiving medical care, like a wounded Active Duty Soldier or Airman does…..
The truth is that improvements in the National Guard come through pressure. Pressure on the Department of Defense, pressure on Congress, and pressure on our State lawmakers. And that is where the Associations come in. In uniform, you cannot enter the political arena. But as a member of an Association, you can be a powerful voice for the National Guard. Join your State Association and join EANGUS and NGAUS. Let the Associations keep you informed on what is going on with your benefits, let the Associations draft the letters to your elected officials, and let the Associations keep an eye on the horizon while you are deployed or responding to tornadoes, fires, hurricanes, and snow storms. The Associations are only as strong and effective as their membership and if you think things are going to get easier going forward, think again.
Soldiers just lost $500.00 in annual Federal Tuition Assistance funding effective 1 January 2014. FTA cap used to be $4,500, but 16 times $250 is only $4,000 per year. Now, this is not a Guard specific cut, but if history is any guide, when mother DoD starts to feel the pinch, the first page in their book of available cuts is titled “The National Guard”.
If I have not convinced you to be a member yet, here is a story from less than 6 months ago. Feelin the love now?
Many thanks to my caveman friend who supplied considerable historical context for the story, meaning he is kinda old…..
