Newbie Pearls

In no particular order, here are bunch of links and topics that are very helpful (and sometimes difficult to come by ) that may help you as you join/drill in the ARNG.

• Installing CAC reader and software: http://militarycac.com You need a CAC and AKO account to download the software.

• Installing certificates to let you view .MIL pages from chrome and other browsers:   http://militarycac.com/videos.htm#DoD The DOD signs their own pages, so your browser has no idea how if they are safe or not. Paradoxically, this means your browser doesn't trust them because the DOD is not a trusted authority...so you make it a trust authority. Sound crazy? It's easy. Watch the videos and following the instructions/links.

• Online OBLC Phase 1: Course code "6-8-C20B RC DL". Search google or the ATRRS system to search for it. You can sign up on your own with a CAC. This course must be completed within one year of signing up. Take good notes. It's not topics you are familiar with. And it's not a lot of customs and courtesies like you might expect. It has topics like land navigation courses. 

• Lace your boots properly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIbPoWn209s This video shows LEFT OVER RIGHT. Some units require RIGHT OVER LEFT. Some don't care. But if you end up with a picky Colonel that wants to do a uniform inspection on your first day, make sure your boots are consistent one way or the other.  The regulations do not specify to direction.
  
   AR 670-1 27-3 c. The boots are laced diagonally, with the excess lace tucked into the top of the boot under the bloused trousers or slacks, or wrapped around the top of the boot. Metal cleats and side tabs are not authorized for wear except by honor guards and ceremonial units in the performance of ceremonial duties. When metal cleats and side tabs are authorized for wear, commanders will furnish them to soldiers at no cost. Sewn-in or laced-in zipper inserts are not authorized.
• Wear your patrol cap properly. Per the post at: http://armylive.dodlive.mil/index.php/2011/07/proper-wear-of-the-patrol-cap/ :
  The following is a summary of the policy specifics taken from Army Regulation 670-1 and a list of reminders and tips for wear:1. Place the cap on your head so that the seam in the front of the cap is centered with the bridge of your nose. The ends of the brim should be touching the top of your temples. No hair should be visible from the forehead. Rank insignia is always centered on this front seam.
  2. Adjust the cap so that the band of the cap is wrapped around the largest part of your head and is parallel to the ground. A good trick to use is to place your index and middle fingers together and place them horizontally on top of the point where the top of the ear connects to your head. The brim should be just touching the top edge of your middle finger and level with the ground.3. Smooth out any parts of the cap that are sagging on your head. The cap should have clean crisp angles. If worn correctly, the top of the cap should be at a slight forward angle.4. Remove the cap and place it in your pocket whenever you are indoors, unless otherwise ordered by a commanding officer. The cap should be worn at all times when outside, again, unless otherwise ordered by a commanding officer.

Ranger Rolling is not technically allowed. This will depend on your Commander. Best not to do it on your first day! 

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After swearing in, before drill

Once you swear in, there will be a few weeks of waiting until you are "in the system". Once that happens you have some things to do. Some may be done for you by your recruiter. Many will not be.

1>Get an ACU and IPFU -Uniform and Exercise uniform. Check the Newbie Pearls for more info what these entail. If you can, have your recruiter bring you to the Post Exchange (PX) at the base your swear in at. Buy these on day #1. That way you have some help. Yes, that's right you are buying your own uniforms out of your own pocket.  You get a small clothing allowance when you attend basic (OBLC) later on, but it is not now and not enough for everything you need. Joining the guard as an officer will cost you about $500 bucks out of pocket when all is said and done.

If your recruiter can't/won't bring you (or no PX where you sign up at) then you must wait until your information  is in the system. Then you can go to a PX on your own. You need printed orders and normal ID (drivers license) to get on base and to purchase from a PX. Later, your military ID will take care of that instead. While at the PX you can have your 'ACU Tapes' (LAST NAME and US ARMY velcro) made and  purchase a rank and have it sewn onto your patrol cap.

Experiences people in the Army hate the velcro for many reasons. You are now allowed to have some things sewn onto your uniform. Don't do it for now. You're new. You don't know what you're doing. Just get the things that are easily undone and then you can get stuff sewn on later.

You can order ACU's and other gear from commercial sources. Don't do it YET. It's a great route later on. Again, you don't know what you are doing right now. Just get regulation stuff from the PX for this first uniform to get comfortable with it.


2>Print your orders. At some point you will get a copy of your orders. Make about 5 copies up front and always have two on you when you are doing ARNG stuff...until you get your Army ID.

3>Setup your AKO account. https://www.us.army.mil

4>Order/Request a CAC (Common Access Card) reader - http://militarycac.com/usbreaders.htm - They are about 20 bucks on Ebay if you don't want to wait for an issued one.

5>Get a CAC. Make an appointment in the RAPIDS system. https://rapids-appointments.dmdc.osd.mil
You do not need to wear your uniform for this. You do not need to go to an Army base for this. I went to an Air Force office and had NO wait time and was able to get in with one day notice. The local Army base was backed up for 2 weeks.

6>Order an  Army Officer's Guide . This is a wonderful reference as a stop-gap before you attend officer basic. Especially helpful when it comes to the customs and courtesies portion.

7>Read the 'Newbie Pearls' section for a growing list of how to's that will make enlisted people laugh at us. But hey, it'll save you the jokes when you show up to your first drill!


Good Luck! Congrats on joining! Despite the craziness so far, it sure is fun!

Documents/Memorandums

This post holds documents I have found pertaining to various ARNG policies and exceptions that would be important for DC Officers.


<<PLACE HOLDER MORE TO COME>>

Process of joining the ARNG?

You've read about the incentives and obligations and want to serve in the ARNG?

To direct commission takes quite some months. You will need to contact an ARNG recruiter, but NOT a regular one. They are not often familiar with the process.

Call 1-800-Go-Guard and explain your goal to join as a Physician, Lawyer, etc.  You can ask specifically for an AMEDD recruiter, for instance. They will likely have to call you back.

At this time confirm your understanding with your state's recruiter about the incentives and obligations (make sure you are all on the same page from the beginning!) This stuff changes fast, so don't be alarmed if your recruiter doesn't know a particular exception you know about. Just get everything straight up front.
There are memorandums in the DOCUMENTS posts for various policies that may assist you in confirming your understanding. These documents are good at the recruiter phase and going forward. IF ANYTHING ISN'T IN A MEMORANDUM WRITING, GET IT IN WRITING FROM YOUR RECRUITER. GET IT IN YOUR CONTRACT. DO NOT GO ON "I THINK..." OR GOOD FAITH. Recruiters are human and make mistakes too. They may not be there years later and you will be left with a signed contract that was not what you understood. Just use common sense like any other sort of job agreement.

Once you both are on the same page, you will fill out mountains of paperwork and go to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) for a physical. Then more paperwork. The officer role in the Army carries many obligations and as such you are vetted.

 You must pass a physical and blood tests to join. The process is less than enjoyable to be honest. The MEPS physical will occur at an Army base and involves a comprehensive exam to include duck walking in your underwear...don't worry, you'll see.

The paperwork is also detailed. DC officers come with their own security clearance when finally sworn in. You will fill out information to every place you've lives, attended school, traveled. You'll be asked about any history of sexual affairs that are secret, drug use, criminal use. BE HONEST. This process is to make sure you will tell the truth and not be vulnerable to blackmail. You will potentially have access to patient records or legal documents. It is of course crucial that you do maintain professional secrecy of this information. If you are later deployed, you might be sent to a location that is TOP SECRET. If that happens, you will be more thoroughly screened without your knowledge. This could include the FBI contacted your childhood friends to confirm your denial of marijuana usage as a teenager. BE HONEST.  I am told the number one thing that will keep professionals out of the military is financial problems like bankruptcy. If you have money problems, you are more likely to be manipulated for personal gain. BE HONEST. It's better to just not be let in (their loss! They need you doc!) than it is to get dishonorably discharged later.

After the paperwork and physical, if you had any number of YES answers you will have to get a waiver. This is usually given if you are a needed professional, the incident was long ago, and your statement towards it is satisfactory.

Eventually you will be approved and have to go in front of your state board (meets once a month usually) to swear in.

Cut your hair clean-cut(guys)/pull it into a bun(women), wear a suit, shave your face. Show up early. The board will grill you a little bit about your understanding that the ARNG deploys over seas, why do you want to join, etc. It's intimidating. These men/women are seasoned Army Professionals and want good people. BUT you're in luck. If you made it this far you are 99% in. Just don't say/do something stupid at this point ("No, I was told the ARNG never deployed! I just wanted some cash").

You swear in.

And you go home while your information is processed in the ARNG computers for a few weeks. Welcome, Sir/Ma'am. You just joined the Army!

First Drill Direct Commission

So you decided to join the guard. Most people have no understanding of the Direct Commission (DC) process. The enlisted private that just saluted you? There is nothing on your uniform that tells him this is your first time in uniform. You may have 10 years or no years of experience.

If you joined the military full-time you would be grooomed, scheduled for a school date, and sent off to a variety of schools and boot camps to prepare you to be an officers from day one. In the ARNG, you are required to meet drill obligations once you swear in. But you may not go to Officer Basic or other prep classes for years. What do you expect until then? What is drill like?

One of my favorite anecdotes I've ever read is from a new JAG officer (lawyer) that was posted on the ARNG forums:
http://www.nationalguard.com/forums/showthread.php/19149-First-Drill-Direct-Commission-JAG

I know there are lots of people out on the internet who wonder what that first drill will be like. And there are lots of enlisted folks, ROTC graduates, or OCS graduates who can tell them the stories of going to training, and then showing up at your unit. For us directly commissioned folks, however, there's no initial training. There's no orientation meeting. There's no indoctrination. Put on your camo and go to work. So, for those who are considering a direct commission job, here's how my first drill went down (caveat: every unit is different, so your mileage may vary).

The only information I got from my unit was an email from one of the Majors in my section, and it said essentially, "Show up at 0730 wearing your Army Combat Uniform. Bring a Physical Training uniform also, because the unit is taking the make-up PT test this weekend." I got no itinerary. I got no information about who was in my chain of command. I got no directions about how to put on a beret, tie my boot laces, salute, or even enter the building. Turns out it wasn't a big deal.

I showed up at 0715, and the first thing that happened was some junior enlisted soldier saluting me. I knew enough to know I was supposed to salute him in return, so I did. (My silver dollar is going to an NCO I go to church with, so no break in tradition for the salute). The enlisted soldier didn't laugh at me, at least not to my face, so I presumably acquitted myself well with the salute. A Specialist who happened to be standing at the door of the building led me to the JAG area of the building.

My unit is the headquarters of a Major Command (MAJCOM), so it's pretty much all officers. I walked into the JAG cubicle farm and there were a Colonel and a Major there who informed me that my boot laces were done improperly. I fixed them.

My CO eventually found me and led me to the drill hall to sign in for the weekend. We then stood in formation out behind the drill hall, whereupon I played "Monkey see, monkey do" and tried hard not to be noticed. At formation, another full-bird Colonel attempted without much success to "fix" my beret. I'm still not sure what I'm doing wrong with it, except to say that it's wrong (because people keep telling me that). I've read the instructions on how to wear it, and to my untrained eye it looks correct. Clearly, it is not. The First Sergeant made some announcements that I did not understand in the least. There were acronyms, unit designations, times, and locations involved.

After formation, my CO said we were due to get flu shots. So my first legitimate Army activity was to get stabbed in the arm by a very large man. 

I got a sponsor, another new-ish First Lieutenant who joined the unit six months ago. I think the CO was trying to get my sponsor to learn his way around the unit as much as he was trying to help me. We took a tour of the building, which essentially meant nothing to me because it's all just a huge cubicle farm with real walls every so often. My sponsor's military ID card is screwed up, so I can't get an Army Knowledge Online account until either I or he gets a new ID card, which we can't get at our own unit despite the fact that it's a MAJCOM.

Then we spent the rest of the morning watching a suicide prevention video that made us all want to commit suicide. Actually, it was pretty good information, but presented in typical bureaucratic tedious style.

In the afternoon, I got to observe some lawyering. I watched two separation hearings. One of the soldiers got kicked out of the Guard, the other one got to stay. It looked pretty much like regular civilian lawyering, except everybody was wearing camouflage pajamas. 

The day ended with officer call, where the Chief of Staff for the entire unit met with all of the officers... which is most of the people in the unit. It was sort of a "welcome to the new fiscal year" meeting, but since I wasn't familiar with the old fiscal year it was sort of over my head. The Colonel met up with all the new lieutenants and gave us the "you'll be running this place someday" speech.

After drill, the JAGs all got together to watch the Auburn game, drink beer, and eat ribs. A good time was had by all, including the newbies like me.

Sunday was another formation, and I started to understand some of the announcements. I went to the church service, which was surprisingly small for a group of people in Alabama. I soon understood why; the chaplain is more in the counselor mold than the preacher mold.

After church, I got to do some actual lawyering! Day 2 on the job, and they're giving me something to do where I'm actually trained to do it (by the law school, not by the Army). So we did some paperwork that is probably boring to everybody except lawyers, and I'll spare you the details. The point is that I got to do something productive. Now, the Lieutenant Colonel who was supervising me will probably have to do it all again just to make sure I did it correctly, but it was still nice to be doing something productive.

At 1300 on Sunday, the in-processing briefing took place. Essentially, a sergeant gave us a checklist and said, "Go get this filled out." The folks from the Security section came down and filled their part out directly after the briefing. All of the other sections of the unit were at some training deal elsewhere on Fort McClellan. So imagine all of these new lieutenants (three of whom are direct commission and have NO IDEA what is going on) wandering around a military installation essentially aimlessly, looking for people to fill out paperwork. Paperwork we do not understand. Not to mention, we don't even know who we're looking for. We found about two of the twenty people we were supposed to find, and then we turned our paperwork into a sergeant who will in theory help us find people next weekend to get the rest of it completed.

At 1500, we had another formation, got some more announcements (by this time I was starting to understand most of the announcements), and then got dismissed. The lawyers all headed back to the JAG area to finish up some things, and then we all went home.

Needless to say, the new Lieutenants (2LT and 1LT alike) got made fun of relentlessly. But it was all in good fun, and the same people who were making fun of you would also help you out two seconds later and show you how things were supposed to be done. It was very strange being in a place and an organization where I knew nobody and nothing, but everybody was pretty helpful in getting me squared away. It's amazing how many people, even longtime Army people, know absolutely nothing about the direct commission process. As far as they know, everybody wearing officer rank has at least been to training of some sort, has an AKO account, and knows the basic acronyms. More importantly, they have no idea that you can skip 2LT and go straight to 1LT. I got asked several times, "How did you get to be a 1LT and not know how to do X?" Or I got a look that asked the same question. I just had to repeat to everybody I met, "I'm brand new. This is my first day in the uniform."

I know this was a ridiculously long post, but I wanted everybody to know what my first drill was like. Hopefully, some newbie direct commission officer will come along and read this post and either (a) learn something, or (b) not feel quite so uncomfortable about going to his first drill with absolutely no knowledge whatsoever.

As you can see, everyone is nervous and feels unprepared their first drill. I must confess, I did a LOT of reading before my first drill. And thanks to the above post and other's help I was a little more prepared.

>>PLACE HOLDER, I WILL POST MY ENTIRE FIRST DRILL ACCOUNT HERE AT A LATER DATE

So there you go, that's what the first drill looks like for a JAG and a Medical Officer.
Check out the "Newbie Pearls" post for tons of resources and a growing list of basic tips for you to blend in on your first drills.

If you have a fun story about your first drill, please post in the comments, or send in an email. I will post it to the page to help others.

Medical Students and Physicians

There are several programs for medical students and physicians.All national guard programs for healthcare professionals of all kinds are handled through the Army's Medical Department (AMEDD). It has been said by many Army officers that "AMEDD lives in our universe but on another planet". That is to say, while you will be joining the Army via any of these programs, AMEDD sets its own policies and you cannot apply anything from your Army buddies to your specific programs. Things are specific and different for healthcare in the military. This is primarily because the ARNG must adapt to bring in high-skilled healthcare professionals that have their own practices in the civilian world. Incentives, requirements, even deployments are often different.

 As of the posting date, the following are the programs available and a brief explanation of required payback. It can get a little tricky, so please post a comment or email if you have a scenario you are wondering about. If you have a questions, others probably do too.


Terms:


Flexi-Training- Policy from the Surgeon General that allows students and Resident Physicians to drill once per quarter and attend Annual Training (AT) every other year instead of 12 drills each year and yearly AT. This is state and, in some anecdotes, CO dependent if you can participate in this schedule. Some states allow Flexi training for Physicians after residency. Check with your state and recruiter.

IRR- Individual Ready Reserve. All ARNG contracts are 8 years and 6 of them must be done drilling. In those last two years you are in IRR status and COULD be called back up without any sort of draft to serve.

Drill- Weekend Training. Occurs typically once a month and you will be required to attend 4-12 each year depending on your state's policy of flexi-training and your job in the ARNG.

AT- Annual Training. Each year all units your states ARNG will go to a single location for 2 weeks of training.

ASR- DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE. This was a program that was a godsend for many students. It paid active duty pay to students with a job description of essentially "Do well in school and tell other about the ARNG". Funding was pulled and the program is NOT expected back ever. The guard is now focused on paying money for full providers instead of students.

OBLC - Officer Basic Learning Course. Phase I is an online course. Phase II is a 26 day course that takes place at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX. ARNG officers must attend within 24 months of swearing in, though your state can give a one year extension making it 36 months to attend OBLC. If you take STRAP, you have until 24 months after residency to complete the course. Officially you get kicked out of the guard after 36 months of not taking this course. Unofficially many people have posted online saying that they forgot to take it and nothing happened until one day they got a letter saying they needed to take it. It is unlikely a needed doctor gets removed one day after the deadline hits. However, the option exists and it is best to get this out of the way as you signed a contract to do it.

Officer Preparatory Course - 2 week course that teaches customs and courtesies to new officers. Takes place 4 times per year. This course will teach you all the basic military understanding if you have no prior service. Often confused with OBLC and you may hear people say that OBLC is only 2 weeks. It is not. They are think of Officer prep.




Programs:

MDSSP - Medical and Dental Student Stipend Program -

STRAP - Specialized Training Assistance Progam -

HPLRP -  Healthcare Professional Loan Repayment Program -

Specialty Bonus - For certain critically needed specialties -



Obligations:


Join during medical school- Attend drill and AT as scheduled (depends if you have flexi training policy). Not deployable during school. Pass school. Drill/AT through residency to keep connected. Not deployable during PGY1-5 by current policy. Fellowship deployment is on a case by case basis. Pay back time owed after Residency in drill years. Get deployed  (by current policy once every 20 months for up to 120 days, 90 days boots on the ground at your location)

Join during residency training-  Attend drill and AT as scheduled (depends if you have flexi training policy). Not deployable during PGY1-5 by current policy. Fellowship deployment is on a case by case basis. Pay back time owed after Residency in drill years. Get deployed  (by current policy once every 20 months for up to 120 days, 90 days boots on the ground at your location)

Join after residency- Pay back time owed in drill years. Get deployed  (by current policy once every 20 months for up to 120 days, 90 days boots on the ground at your location)

Wecome! What is this place?

This blog is the home to as much information and help for those going through the direct commission process in the Special Branch of the United States Army National Guard, especially those that have no prior military experience and particularly new AMEDD officers. The Special Branches (versus the Basic Branches) is made up of corps of the Army Medical Department (Medical Corps, Army Nurse Corps, Dental Corps, Veterinary Corps, Medical Service Corps, and Army Medical Specialist Corps), the Judge Advocate General's Corps, and the Chaplains Branch. Essentially this includes healthcare, lawyers, and chaplains.

Needless to say, joining the military with no prior training and wearing an officer's rank can be intimidating, even for the most seasoned civilian professionals. You wanted to come be a doctor for soldiers, but now you feel like a fish out of water when you get called out that your hat or boots are wrong. When do you salute? What is OBLC?

This blog will be built initially for medical students and physicians, but will expand to nurses, PA's, lawyers, chaplains, etc. as time goes on. For the latter specialties, many of the topics covered on surviving your first drills still applies. The information on incentives, stipends, and deployments varies. EVERYONE should confirm the information in this blog with their recruiter and senior officers before acting or making assumptions. As time goes on, I will update information as it changes. But that doesn't mean it will happen at that very minute. I want to help you, but please email or leave comments if you find anything that needs to be updated.

 Good luck. I hope this blog is helpful and that those of you that make the respectable choice to serve your country are also served by this blog to make the transition easier than others, including myself, had it.