Info Army NG Warrant Officer?

[KingAirDriver]

Hey guys, can I pick your brains a bit? I swear I'm not a zombie...just want to pick at, not eat.

I'm 30, married, a 2 yr old boy and another bun in the oven. I've got a Bachelor's Degree and have a good, stable job flying EMS...Fixed Wing. Flying helicopters has always been a dream of mine, and I've always tossed around the idea of serving in the Military. My Dad's former Army and, although he never talks about it too much, I've always looked up to and respected him a lot for it. Every time I see our men and women in uniform, I have so much respect for them that I feel guilty and selfish for not serving too. I'd love to serve my Country, but it just never seemed like "the time" to do it, until today??

So, I'm at work and one of our new rotor pilots is there in training. Super nice guy, and he tells me that his old unit is looking for Blackhawk pilots. We chit chat for a little while and what I pulled away from it was, roughly: 1 yr off the bat, then back to my life and the "1 weekend a month" deal. Said that you go to Basic, then WOCS, then flight training, and then back home. His unit just came back from the Gulf, and doesn't "expect" to deploy again for 3-4 years.

Anyway, give me some ideas of what to expect if I decided to do this. I'm making about $55k/yr now. Money does not concern me, as long as we can pay the bills and are taken care of. But how much will the Army provide? Housing? If it's less than what I'm making, which I'm sure it is, how does one work out all the bills?

I know I'm only at square one, and I want to chat with him a bit, and would like to drive up to the unit to talk with the guys up there. I just figured I'd see what you guys had to say. I'd like to do my part if I could, but how much of a toll does the Nat'l Guard take on family life? He said that, after Basic, my family could move with me and we'd be together during training.

Heh, cool thing is that a friend of mine is in the unit now! Didn't even know it! I actually taught him how to fly FW, and now he's a rotor head. He's about my age and has been married about 4 yrs too, just like us. I'm gonna get him over for dinner, because I think he would be able to give me a pretty darn accurate idea of what Yr 1 as a married couple would be like.

Oh yeah, will they let me carry my HK or Glock?!?! (Hahaha, jk.)

What am I forgetting to ask?

Thanks guys. BTW, leaving for Khalifornia tomorrow, so might not be able to check back and reply for several days...but fire away!

[ArmyGuy45]

DO IT!!!
i want to fly for the army so bad!!!

[matlt]

I can't tell you everything there is to know about the pilots, but I'm an aviation mechanic in the army national guard so I hear plenty about it. As a pilot, you would be making over 55k if you're overseas. If you got a job on the civilian side as Active Guard Reserve or part of the tech program you'd most likely be making more than 55k as well. That being said, I understand and I appreciate your desire to join, however, military, especially army can have a pretty big impact on your family life. Is it important to follow your dreams? Sure. But you have to face the possibility that you may very well miss out on half of your son's life. Army deployments are long, and very hard on families. You can be overseas for up to 15 months. You can spend half of your career overseas. If someone tells you otherwise, don't listen to them. People can and many do spend half and sometimes even more of their military career in a combat zone. Also, unless AIT has went through a major change since I've been there, as a brand new service member, your family can't be brought over immediately. When I was there it could take a couple weeks to allow it if you pass your PT tests and don't get in trouble. It's a privilege you can lose. Also, I think you being allowed to bring your family is dependent on how long your AIT is. Mine was 18 weeks and they allowed it. I enjoy my time in the guard very much, both overseas and on the full time guard side, but I do work with several people that came back to meet their 1 and a half year old children for the first time. I couldn't even begin to understand how difficult this must be for them, when it was difficult just for me to be away from friends. If you do decide to do this, just take it slow, make sure the recruiters aren't bsing you. Talk to the unit first, and don't believe a single thing any recruiter tells you unless it's in a contract. And make sure your family knows without question what your service could consist of.

[focusr3]

Who do you work for now. I only ask because i work in ems and we also have a king air. The army national gaurd or the reseves is only 1 weekend a month so you will not get the benifits of being in the military and you will not be getting paid anywhere near 55k.

[cwjeep]

I went to rotary wing flight school in 1977, class 77-19 when I was 29.
Retired in 1988 as a CW3, turned down CW4 to retire, long story.
Flew MEDEVAC for 82nd Med Dte at Fort Riley from 1982-1988

Why join the guard join the active Army, you will after awhile make more then 55k per yr. You also get housing, medical and flight pay. You might try out flying a rotary wing aircraft with a buddy before you apply, just because you can fly fixed wing does not necissairly mean you can fly copters. Some folks just cant.

Please see website for load of info: U.S. Army Warrant Officer Career Center

if this does not work just search for WOCS

Wish you the best, being a warrant is the way to go.
PS: The Army flies C12 (king Air) MEDEVAC too. They carry Beretta model 92F

Craig