 I turned 17 on March 1, 1992. The next day, I joined the Arkansas Army National Guard!
That was 18 years, , and 7 days ago! Sometimes I can't even believe it myself! My original plan was to enlist for 6 years, help pay for college, and move one to regular civilian life. It's funny how different life would be any other way, though. I never planned to be a full-time soldier, but here I am!
 Enlisted: March 2, 1992
 I joined the guard as a junior in high school and went to basic training that next summer - I gained 15 pounds for my senior year! After high school, I became an Aero-Scout Observer. As an 18 year old kid, I got to fly in helicopters on drill weekends - and get paid to do it! After a couple of years, though, I decided that staying in the guard was very rewarding (not just an extra paycheck or help for college).
I decided in 1995 that I would go ahead and commit to at least finish out 20 years in the National Guard. At that point I enrolled in OCS (Officer Candidate School) and sought a commission in the Army.
Active Duty?When I decided to commit at least 20 years to the Guard, never dreamed it would be on active duty! I always considered myself as the "one weekend a month, two weeks every summer" soldier. But as events took place in my life, the active duty scenario began to look more and more appealing.
A quick lesson on the guard...The National Guard has a State mission and a Federal mission. That is why each state (and territory) has a National Guard. The Army Reserves are strictly a Federal asset. This is why you hear "Arkansas Army National Guard", but not "Arkansas Army Reserves". The National Guard can be activated by the state's Governor (for state emergencies) or the President (for federal missions).
I started working on temporary Active Duty orders around July of 2001. In October 2003, I went on full time active duty status.
Key Career Dates
- March 2, 1992: Enlisted in the Arkansas Army National Guard
- August 17, 1996: Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
- August 19, 1998: Promoted to First Lieutenant
- February 23, 2001: Promoted to Captain
- October, 21 2003: Went on AGR (Active Guard and Reserve) status
- August 5, 2005: Promoted to Major
- January 2, 2008: Mobilization and Deployment to Iraq (More on this)
Currently...In January 2009, I came back from Iraq and started a new job at the National Guard Bureau. I work in the Comptroller Division in the branch that manages funding for "Contingency Operations." This includes National Guard response to domestic emergencies, but the majority of our effort is spent managing the OCO (Overseas Contingency Operations) Supplemental money. This is the funding Congress appropriates to the National Guard to prepare units for mobilizations, primarily Iraq and Afghanistan.
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