Texas State Guard

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primlantah

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Mods, i didnt know where to put this so i put it here. If this is the wrong place then do with it what you will.

Im considering joining the Texas State Guard. My experience with recruiters in the past has been pretty annoying so im trying to find answers outside of the recruiter to determine if its a good fit for me.

For those of you who are members, ex members, or family of members:

1) what is the duration of joining? Does it last until your too old, several years, until you quit showing up, or what?

2) I live in austin which to my understanding is the TSG HQ. What are the odds i could get a position there if i have a fairly demanding full time job?

3) they dont issue uniforms... do they issue weapons and other gear? do these items stay on base/training centers for training purposes? Will i have to supply my own gear?

4) what is their basic training like? How long does it take?

5) if i can motivate my girl to join would we be able to work together(probably administrative duties or manual labor)? I think it would be fun to help the state with her.

more questions to come as i think of them.
 
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6) since its primarily volunteer(no pay) and they have continuing education and training requirements, will they pay for the classes, books, and ammo/range time?
 
I'll be damned!!! I'd never heard of this. I thought you were speaking of the Texas National Guard.

Can the President federalize this outfit?

Are they connected to the Army like the National Guard is?
 
Not yet a member, am considering it, have studied it. You might want to email a recruiter at the gotxsg site.

1. Not sure. Just emailed my recruiter.
2. They mention needing to serve 8 hours per month. I'm pretty sure that means showing up one Saturday per month. The HQ might require more time, say - two, three Saturdays per month.
3. If your mission requires a weapon, they'll give you a weapon (they guard the TXNG armories after all). You do, apparently, qualify with weapons (probably old M16s). As for other gear - not sure. They provide trucks and radios, not sure about tents and whatnot.
4. From their brochure:
Q. I don’t have prior military service. Will I have to go to “Boot Camp” for several weeks?

A. No. All of your basic instruction will be provided during special training weekends called Initial Entry Training (IET). Additional training will be provided during regularly scheduled drill dates that you will be advised of in advance.
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5. Not sure.
6. It appears that most training/continuing ed is either free (FEMA online courses) or paid for by the state. You might be required to use your own money for books and ammo.

Can the President federalize this outfit?
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Nope. Completely state-run, they can't federalize a unit, but unit members are eligible for Federal draft.
Are they connected to the Army like the National Guard is?
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They're connected to the Nat'l Guard, and seem to do some joint exercises and such. As mentioned above, they guard NG armories.
 
I was in the Guard for about three years. As for as your gear, you must buy it on your own. You can give as much time as you want or as little.
 
If there isn't a time obligation, how do they enforce whether or not members show up for disaster relief or similar things? is it legally binding or is it more like boy scouts.
 
I've worked with these guys a few times when I was in the national guard. They have some chaplins that are very active with diaster relief.

It's an all volunteer deal. I believe you buy your own equipment. Most are retired military. All are good guys, it's pretty informal really. I don't think there is a basic training or anything and I'm sure if you need some uniforms somone would just donate a set if they are not issued.
 
State Guards

I am not a member, i know people who are members in NC and VA, they have different names, in NC its the State Guard, in VA its the VA Defense Force.

Members have to supply their on uniforms, they are not allowed weapons and the Govenor has to approve their exposure to weapons. Most of their duties are to work with State relief agencies working with FEMA, they also do traffic control at some events, they have to be CPR certified and they have to have the following FEMA courses completed, IS100, IS200, IS700, and IS800.

Its kind of like a Civil Air Patrol with no airplanes and a Coast Guard Aux without boats.

The work uniform in VA seems to be the woodland camo BDU's, in NC it appears to be black BDU trousers with a gray pull over shirt with the letters NCSG over the left breast.

In VA they will enlist you at whatever rank you were discharged from U.S. Military Service from. In NC they will enlist you at one rank above what you were discharged at in regular U.S. Military Service.
 
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"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms,shall not be infringed." I don't know? Where do you Texans come up with all this crazy stuff?:rolleyes:
 
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I just enlisted last month... I researched it for a couple of months before joining.

Here are my answers to your questions:

For those of you who are members, ex members, or family of members:

1) what is the duration of joining? Does it last until your too old, several years, until you quit showing up, or what?

There is no set enlistment period. They ask for one year commitments...but with reason, you can get out at any time except during a deployment

2) I live in austin which to my understanding is the TSG HQ. What are the odds i could get a position there if i have a fairly demanding full time job?

There are armories and locations all over the state. For example there are 4 around me within a reasonable driving distance. You dont have a "job" like the standard military, per se. You'll report to your armory for drills once a month. Training and deployment can be anywhere in the state (or bordering state if the Governor signs a need agreement with the requesting state's Gov.

3) they dont issue uniforms... do they issue weapons and other gear? do these items stay on base/training centers for training purposes? Will i have to supply my own gear?

They do not issue uniforms as you mentioned. They do not issue a weapon. In fact, if you are in a position of providing security, and you have qualified to carry a weapon...you are restricted to a list of approved 9mm pistols. You are not paid for travel to training sites, but typicaly food and lodging are provided for you. You must buy your own gear for deployments which can cost $200 or more

4) what is their basic training like? How long does it take?

There are several units to basic training. The first of which is only 4-5 days at a base. They understand you have a real job and break up the training over many dates to make it easier on you

5) if i can motivate my girl to join would we be able to work together(probably administrative duties or manual labor)? I think it would be fun to help the state with her.

Same thing with the job duties... you'd be in the same unit as your 'girl', so you'd be drilling together, and when deployed, you'd be working together.

6) since its primarily volunteer(no pay) and they have continuing education and training requirements, will they pay for the classes, books, and ammo/range time?

As one person said, there is a lot that is NFA and FEMA online. That helps a lot... You are responsible for providing your ammo and pistol. (I think that there is some legal stipulation to the state providing ammunition and/or weapons. shrug) You do have to pay for your own gas and transportation to/from trainings, which may be far away from your house, and cover several days. BUT, you can claim all of this on your taxes as work related expense.

Hope it helps... I couldnt find much out about the TXSG before I joined either. Seems like its a pretty good outfit. I had mixed feelings before I joined because some uneducated people think the TXSG is a joke because they arent federal military or think they are a redneck militia or something. But after my 1st drill I felt better, and was able to put my heart into it 100%. You can always attend a drill date and just observe. There were 3 observers at my drill, and they all signed up!! I think a while back that the guard was in shambles and there was a lot of bad publicity for them...but the unit I'm with was all squared away. Modern ACU, everyone looked good, acted right, and was a good time all around.
 
I'm going to enlist, but I've got a beer belly to get rid of first... Don't want to have to buy uniforms twice!

Not very enthusiastic about the lack of long gun, but oh well.
 
Well, there are a few beer bellies in there...and because the age requirements are so lax, you even have PFC's that are 40-50yrs old and have some gut going on because everyone has a real life in addition to their service to the state. I can understand from the uniform perspective...but dont let having a beer belly stop you from signing up or at least coming by to observe.

The way I look at it is... I am 36... I have a little gut going on too. I would gladly pay $80 to lose the gut, so look at it that way. Your reward for actually losing the gut is that you get to buy a better fitting set of ACU!

:p:p
 
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scott_dfw, do you have the list of approved pistols?

I'm not even living in Texas right now, but I'm very curious about this.
 
I don't have anything that I can produce here. The docs I have are not declassified (from my perspective) so I cant publish here. But you can find accurate info by searching it on google.


And to Jenkins... Im not sure about the current validity of this, but also part of the search, I see evidence of an M16A2 qualification and marksmanship program. I'll check into it at the next drill.
 
I just noticed this and it's intriguing. I'd heard of it and thought it was slang for the State National Guard.

This is a good idea in my opinion. Now...Just to try and get Montana one.....
 
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