National Guard

Training for the National Guard can bring many skills that can be used later on in life, as well as learning teamwork and working in a variety of situations. Each soldier in the Guard goes through a 9 week Basic Combat Training course that physically and mentally challenges each recruit.

During this training, recruits learn:

• Drills
• Basic Rifle Marksmanship and Grenades
• Convoy Live Fire
• Military Operations in Urban Terrain
• Physical tests

After training, recruits go on to Advanced Individual Training, or AIT. Here, they learn their Military Occupational Specialty or MOS, and they gain knowledge and skills to not only do their chosen job well, but also be the best soldier they can be.

A National Guard recruit interested in being attached to an Infantry unit can pick an MOS out of categories like Combat Arms or Combat Support. The Infantry division has jobs like:

• Infantryman
• Indirect Fire Infantryman
• Infantry Senior Sergeant

Some basic jobs on an Infantryman include:

• Perform hand-to-hand combat
• Assist in reconnaissance missions
• Operate two-way radios and signal equipment
• Process prisoners of war and captured documents
• Learn to use weapons like rifles, machine guns, anti-tank mines

Training to become an Infantryman takes place out in the field, with constant squad maneuvers, target practice and war games. When not on duty, an Infantryman is expected to keep up with skills and always be prepared for any situation. Once a soldier goes back into the civilian world after being a trained Infantryman, there are many jobs that are able to make use of the teamwork and leadership skills that are learned throughout service time.