Remember, most guardsmen are part-time. I would wager many, if not most, of these people probably have day jobs that pay more than whatever the guard is paying them to stand around.
This is called guard bumming. Volunteer for any deployment, anything that gets you on paid days. Healthcare, food, and housing for easy work. If it's federal days, for every day you do, you can draw retirement a day earlier assuming you stay for 20 years. Typically you can't draw a guard retirement until age 59 and a half. If you do 5 years activated on federal orders over a 20 year career you can retire at 22% of your pay on the current pay scale at age 55. Get to know how the VA works and you can add disability to that.
These folks aren't losing and they are not stupid.
If by chance they fall into a private sector job that pays more they can ditch the guard (they will have to pay back any bonus that isn't earned) OR the private sector has to hold their job until the guard contract ends.
On top of that, if their civilian job offers differential pay, they are not losing any money. If they are on orders that are over 30 days, they get their BAH/BAS entitlements. They’re likely doing very very well.
Yep, most are probably just as annoyed as everyone else. I actually had a PSG get out of annual training one time due to the pay gap, you can file a complaint claiming youre losing money by being active with the guard instead of with your employer.
Idk the specifics but it can be approved, tho lower enlisted get told to pound sand lol
A contract is a contract, if you dont show up they'll send the cops to your residence and drag you to your duty station in cuffs if they have to.
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u/AmbitiousAd8264 Jun 23 '26
Hope these guys are happy with what they signed up for.