we are meeting in just a little over a month! :) <3 i'm so happy!!!

Hello Army National Guard girlfriend!!! :)

SPC is an E4. 

Unfortunately, the uncertainty is always going to be around :(  I'm a planner too and this is one of the hardest parts for me.  Even the little bits of uncertainty (like not knowing what time drill is over) drive me nuts some days. 

Drills can definately be boring (a very typical comment from the guys).  From the couple I've been around, there seems to be a lot of hurry up and wait.  the drills with a lot of admin or classroom time seem to be the worst.  when they get a chance to shoot stuff or blow things up, the guys come home much happier.  Encourage him to talk to the higher ranking guys in his unit before joining ROTC.  He'll want to make sure that what he's looking to be different actually will be by becoming an officer.  Recruiters can sometimes spin the story to be more what you're looking to hear (not all, but some of them) so make sure he's talked to people actually in the jobs he's looking at to get the real story.  (the SGTs and LT's in his unit)

I can't speak for all guard units, but my (his) experience for deployment has been that they go where they are needed.  His unit is Armor, but when they went to Iraq in 04 they were split among several different bases and assigned to work with various active duty units.  Some were working as MP's others as Infantry.  For the Afghanistan trip in 08 they were infantry and split among about 6 or 7 of the FOB's.    Details for the upcoming deployment have not been released.  Originally they were supposed to go to Kuwait, possibly even on tanks, but plans changed and now they are sort of in limbo.  My basic point is that you won't know much about the deployment until just before he goes.  You should however get a decent amount of warning that he is going because his drills will likely become more intense and he'll begin to get extra equipment. 

He was diagnosed about 10 years ago.  He lost a ton of weight and got back in shape very quickly at Basic, and the doctors think that may have triggered the Diabetes. 

Oh, and the other things that may pull him away from you are additional schools (although that probably won't happen till he's looking to get promoted up to around e4 or 5).  and voluntary extra duties.  PA generally has a couple opportunities at a time for guard to work full time at Ft. Indiantown Gap (PA's NG headquarters base) on special projects, assignments, or schools. I'm pretty sure it's something they volunteer to do (but do get paid for). 

Sorry if that doesn't really answer your questions about deployment.  Once he's with his unit he should be able to ask some of the more experienced guys or his Sgt what to expect.

Once he gets home from basic, you can borrow his books.  I'm sure it's more info then you'll ever want to know ;)   I've glanced thru Daryl's a few times, but usually I just interrupt when there's a discussion I can't follow. 

Daryl depolyed once (2008) but his unit has deployed more often (2004?).  PA currently has a rotation between the 3 brigades, so they go about every 3-4 years.  His unit will be leaving again this fall, but because he is Diabetic he won't be joining them.  Once Forrest is drilling with his unit, you'll get a much better idea of the deployment schedule.  For now, just count on those monthly drills and 2wks of AT (annual training) probably over the summer. 

how long has your man been in the guard??

Hi Alexis!  I've been a NG wife for a while now, so if you have questions, send me a message!  Trying to learn everything gets overwhelming, so take it slow and only worry about it as it comes up.  My hubby is Armor, so I"m not sure how much of the Artillary specific stuff I'll know, but I can give it a shot! 

hi alexis! sorry it's taken me so long to reply, lack of internet access on my computer! haha but yes i'm a national guard gf! and not too far from you in tennessee, im in indiana!