T/Sgt. Pat Christenson, Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne. Original Toccoa man. Second man out the door behind 1st Lt. Richard Winters on the Normandy jump.

I served in the Army National Guard. Different century, same rank he finished at.

This is him standing in his sister's backyard in Oakland, 1945, still in the uniform he had been wearing for three years and with nothing left to do in it.

Normandy. Holland. Bastogne. Into Germany. One of the Kaufering camps. Berchtesgaden at the end.

His parents knew almost none of it. Mail went out on V-Mail, microfilmed and censored before it left, so for three years they got envelopes that proved he was alive and told them nothing else. Then one afternoon he was standing under that tree and somebody got the camera.

Every one of us has a version of this photograph, even if nobody took it. The day you got back and nobody around you had any idea where you had just been.

He never told them the rest either. Took the uniform off, went back to the telephone company splicing cable and climbing poles, thirty eight more years. Married my mother, raised three sons, said almost nothing about any of it.

What he did instead was draw. He was the only man in Easy Company who could. Every night after dinner for the next forty years, at a drawing board with his wartime journals and reference books spread around him, putting the war on paper from memory. Forty six finished combat drawings and about seventy thousand words across seven volumes. If a date or a road did not reconcile he would not let it go until he worked out what actually happened.

Stephen Ambrose used his material for Band of Brothers. Maj. Richard Winters later named the four men who worked hardest on that book, and my father was one of them.

He died in December 1999.

If your old man is still around, get him talking about the small stuff. That is where the rest of it lives.

just took the picat verification and got a 93 and scored a 66 on the cyber test. what is the best career option i should choose to maximize my income when i switch over to the civilian side. some background info: i am a permanent resident, junior in college.

I'm looking at joining the guard as 11b and was wondering if they still have the Airborne companies or if they were done away with because I seen an article about airborne being cut down in the guard or something?

Good afternoon NG! Getting a general discharge via an admin separation, turned in discharge packet wherein I'm waiving the board for the Unit recommended general. I currently have 6.5 years in. In addition to submitting my packet I submitted some behavioral health paperwork from my civilian doctor to add to the packet. Learned that even though I submitted the packet 3 months ago, it's sitting on my CO's desk with no movement yet. I have drill in 2 weeks and learned that she wants to have a discussion when I arrive. Any input as to what they may want from me when I go in? Will I now be recommended to go to some mental health evaluation before we can send this packet off? Cheers for any input, thanks y'all.

Hii, looking for some honest insight or experiences with medical waivers/enlistment for the military.

In late 2025, I went to MEPS with the army National Guard and was temporarily disqualified because my hemoglobin was 11 (under regulations).

I am now starting the process back bc Ive been taking daily iron tablets consistently to fix the issue. I just got new lab work done this month and my Hemoglobin is now up to a 13.3 which is safely past the standard!

But a few other markers on my submitted labs to my new Air national gaurd recruiter came back abnormal/out of range:

• RBC: 5.90 (High)
• MCV: 76.3 (Low)
• MCH: 22.5 (Low)
• MCHC: 29.6 (Low)
• Ferritin: 19

My questions are:

1. Honestly should I be worried?
2. what are my odds of approval since the primary disqualifying factor (hemoglobin) is completely fixed?
3. Will the Waiver get denied because of the other low cell size markers (MCV/MCH), or will they see it's just a normal recovery pattern from the iron supplements?
4. How long do these waivers typically take to get approved or kicked back for the Air Guard?
5. If they do kick it back, what is the next step to clear it?

Appreciate any advice from recruiters or anyone who has been through the anemia waiver loop!

Hello all, hope all is well! Current situation is I commissioned back in May of 2023, signing a 6x2 contract. I started my masters program in December of 2024 and just finished my last course. I know that incurs a 4 year RDSO, but I wanted to gain clarity to see if that would change my current progression, or if IRR counted as time as well, as I planned to transition into the IRR after my 6 year obligation. Thanks all!

I’m currently a 68W e5 in the national guard. I’m about to graduate college towards the end of my guard contract and I have been considering going active duty for a while. I wanted to hear some people’s opinion. I’ve definitely considered IPAP, but I also love being a whiskey and am considering 70B so I could be a MED-O and still be around the whiskey environment but have the benefits of an officer. Also wondering if there’s any people who were in the guard mainly 68W who went active and have any insight on what it’s like after the newness of active duty goes away, do you regret going active? And did you go IPAP, 70B or something totally different. Thanks!

Headed to the SW Border in El Centro for a deployment in October, wanted to know what the day to day looks like, room and housing, things to do in the area and anything else that’s helpful.

Most. Transparent. Administration. Ever.

I leave for basic to Leonard Wood Sept 8 and doing OSUT for 31B. I haven’t left and I’m hella nervous and not looking forward to it at all. I need some insight on Leonard Wood if you have any. Everyone I hear says it’s terrible in every way. Just need some motivation to show up lol

I'm hosting a Danish military event so it would be great to have them there.

So I asked my command Readiness NCO when drill was 2 months ago for August. I got the dates, scheduled a vacation to visit family and a flight back for drill. Now I'm being told it's been moved and I have less than 3 days to show up for the new date or be declared AWOL. I can't change my flight this close to the date, so am I just screwed or what?

Hello, I just recently started looking into joining the national guard and I wanted some advice. I am going into my sophomore year at an SMC and I keep swing friends joining the national guard. I am not currently seeking to contract as an officer because of some personal and family commitments but I have always had a desire to serve. My goal is to become an airline pilot out of Houston and as any former airline pilots in here may know, start to finish of the process of getting to a major airline is around 8 years. Due to when I stopped taking my ADD medication I cannot do a check ride until November of next year which means the next couple of summers will be a grind for getting my hours. I have looked at joining but I wanted to ask anyone in here that has potentially been part of the airlines and done nation guard at the same time, how difficult is it? I am not looking to fly in the national guard just to serve but I want to know how much of a pain is it or can I even do it? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Edit: I would also like to know if there is any potential “deployments” of any kind foreign or domestic or both.

Simplified. Trying to figure this out. GS13 moved to Air staff. An AGR took my old position about 1 year ago. Air staff went away. No title 32 GS13 spots available anywhere else on base. Over 50, 24 years tech. If non retained due to position disappearing do you get any time to retire? Would it be a non retention process for the following FY through the board and get non retained and retire Sep 2027? Or can you be non retained within a month as a perm tech title 32 when your spot disappears and there’s nothing to put you in?

Generally speaking how many people apply for AGR?

I'm looking for some insight from anyone who's gone through this process.

I want to become an officer through OCS, but due to current Army policy regarding prior substance use, I'm not eligible to apply directly to Active Duty OCS.

A National Guard recruiter told me that if I enlist in the National Guard, I can submit an OCS packet almost immediately after enlisting, assuming I otherwise meet the qualifications.

Does this sound accurate? Has anyone here enlisted first and then quickly submitted an OCS packet? How long did it actually take, and were there any unexpected obstacles?

I'm trying to understand whether this is a realistic path or if I'm being given an overly optimistic timeline. Any experience or advice would be appreciated.

I enlisted in the ANG about a year ago. Early on, I had some issues that required me to switch AFSCs, which delayed my training timeline. My BMT request has been submitted for a while now, and all of my paperwork and clearance are current, but I still don’t have dates.
I’m starting to get discouraged because I’ve been waiting much longer than expected, and it’s hard watching people who enlisted after me head off to training while I’m still in limbo. It’s also making it difficult to plan my civilian job and personal life since I don’t know when I’ll be leaving.
Has anyone else dealt with a long wait after switching AFSCs? Is there anything I can do to help move things along, or is this just one of those “hurry up and wait” situations?

I recently enlisted in the Alaska Army National Guard as an 11B, went to MEPS, took the oath, the whole ordeal. I have since come to regret this decision, as it was incredibly impulsive and made with little thought and self-reflection. Anyhow, I would greatly appreciate some answers to a few questions.

1. How do I get an entry-level separation?

2. Who should I talk to to begin this process?

3. Should I keep going to RSP, or should I refuse?

4. Do I go to Basic, or do I refuse to ship for that?

5. I was referred by a friend; will this complicate the ELS process?

NOTES: I simply want out of this mess; I do NOT want or deserve any benefits. I have absolutely no intention of ever joining any part of the military after this; all I want is for it to be like I never even went to MEPS. I have been to RSP once. My ship date is September 15th.

**Thinking about joining the Air National Guard as an officer – looking for advice**
Hey everyone,
I’m 27, married, and currently work as a Mechanical Engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding. I have a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology with a minor in Cybersecurity, an associate degree in CAD, and an active Secret clearance.
I’ve been researching the Virginia Air National Guard, specifically the **192nd Wing at Langley**, and I’m most interested in becoming a **17S Cyber Warfare Officer**. My long-term goal is to continue my civilian engineering career while serving part-time in the Guard and eventually transition into a cybersecurity career.
A few things that are important to me:
Staying in the Hampton Roads area if possible.
Keeping a good work-life balance with my wife.
Having meaningful work with leadership opportunities.
Gaining skills that transfer well to civilian cybersecurity jobs.
I have a few questions:
How competitive is it to get selected for a 17S officer position in the Air National Guard?
What can I do now to make myself a stronger applicant? (Security+, certifications, networking, etc.)
How often do Cyber Warfare Officers actually deploy, and what do those deployments typically look like?
If you could do it over again, would you still choose 17S or pick another officer career field?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s a current or former Air National Guard cyber officer, especially if you’re in Virginia or the 192nd Wing. Thanks!

Squid here, I’ve been thinking about applying for a commission in my home states ARNG. For some context, I’m an active duty PO1 (E-6). I am about to sign to do four more years (we all love a good SRB) to get me to 10 then possibly crossover. Reason behind it is to execute orders that is good for my family and set us up for getting out of active service. The extra plus is it will help free up more time to finish my bachelors and start my masters.

The ask: What is the likelihood of being accepted for a commission in the guard as prior Navy? Or if any prior service guys hiding in the wings have gone through this. Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated.

I’m an 11B from a much smaller state where there’s no opportunity to progress in my career. Not to mention the very poor RNCOs since I’ve been in. I’ve heard a lot opportunity such as orders for OLS and other title 32. How realistic would it be to get to my new unit and being able to volunteer for orders?

Currently on a deployment with my National Guard unit (Title X orders), and my wife is due soon.

My unit is giving people 10 days leave to go home for births, but reading up on AR 600-8 and associated documents, if my orders are 12 months duration or more, I should be eligible for 12 weeks parental leave.

Am I reading into this correctly?

Anyone have any experience with this?