Well, I'm thinking about joining the national guard, one of the local units is an Infantry company that is part of a Cav Unit. I think runfuret is the only one on here who's in a cav unit. What are the pro/cons of having joined it? Are you guys dismounted most of the time or rolling around in humvees like the cav scouts?

I was just talking about this with a good buddy of mine from my Iraq days. He is going into the NG as well and the unit that wants him is RSTA. IE A Cav Scout unit with a dismounted Infantry Recon element. I can tell you that in an RSTA unit you will be dismounted at all times. You may get a lift to your LD by truck or rotary wing but all your operations will be dismounted. Grunts in Cav units are special... Or at least we think we are special. We strive to be that much better because we are controlled by people who wear Stetsons. Sometimes you can kind of get screwed. For instane with the Kosovo deployment coming up C Troop (the Infantry company) got picked apart to provide replacements for A and B troops (the Cav companies).

Overall I think it is a good experience. Not because you are surrounded by the world of the Cav, but because you are surrounded by the very best Grunts there are in the NG.

Thanks for the info, I'm gonna stop by the unit when they have their next drill, see whats going on.

Thats a good idea. You may find that the NG is very diferent from the active duty.

quote:

Originally posted by runfuret:
Thats a good idea. You may find that the NG is very diferent from the active duty.

You should've been from New England, Run, because that's one HELL of a Yankee understatement!

My Californian sensibilities are on overdrive.

i am an 11c, was in 2nd BN 7th Cavalry 1st cav div.... in garrison we used our 120mm mortars in the tracks, in iraq we had humvees and didnt touch a mortar tube once unless it was just doing gun drills...now we have been reflagged to 4-6 INF 1st AD... still have the ****ty tracks, wish i knew what it was like in a light unit... anyways, in a cav unit everything is totally outta whack and weird

amen to being 11series in a cav regiment sucking. Although I love the 25mm and the capabilities of mech infantry, I can't wait to get light. A and B co. are still he shiny stars in our batt, but thats mostly because our current and last commanders where infantry at company grade.

IIRC back in the eighties, 1st Cav. cared about their tanks more than their grunts. But, we made do!!

Cav is still armor-centric obviously, grunts just make do hating the back of the brad/ but appreciating not humping it all the time.
F@#k death before dismount, I'd rather not get smoked while in a box, since thats where you'd be headed anyways.
I'll say it again though cause I was an M2 gunner back in the day, I still loves me some 25! Before it was "HE on the way" 40MM style, it was of the 25 variety.

Well I'm back in the Infantry! But decided to join a light infantry battalion instead of going to the Cav unit. Made that choice because I was told they like to Fu<K over the grunts in the unit. Grunts were being wh0red out to the 19D companies.

quote:

Originally posted by patriot7848:
Grunts were being wh0red out to the 19D companies.

Aint that the truth.

yea, I'm looking to get out of this mech world in a hurry. It's like the twilight zone for Infantry.

quote:

Originally posted by runfuret:
... but because you are surrounded by the very best Grunts there are in the NG.

Unless of course you're in the only NG Stryker BCT.

So nothings changed much here....

Ah Mech Infantry. Back in the day, in Europe it would add about 3-4 hours to each Duty day and most of that was spent sitting around and waiting for Mechanics to fix something or doing maintenence ourselves.

Then of course there is the notorious 24 by 7 duty in cold weather to start the Diesel Engines every four hours so they do not freeze up. They always pulled from the Barracks Soldiers for that detail.

Light Infantry is like a vacation in comparison.

quote:

Originally posted by XAbnInf:

quote:

Originally posted by runfuret:
... but because you are surrounded by the very best Grunts there are in the NG.

Unless of course you're in the only NG Stryker BCT.

You are all the best this country has to offer and are fine Soldiers...


Who wish they were Recon

quote:

Originally posted by runfuret:

quote:

Originally posted by XAbnInf:

quote:

Originally posted by runfuret:
... but because you are surrounded by the very best Grunts there are in the NG.

Unless of course you're in the only NG Stryker BCT.

You are all the best this country has to offer and are fine Soldiers...


Who wish they were Recon

Ummm, not our recon.

A Stryker scout platoon isnt Recon anyway.

Don't listen to run...he's not an Infantryman anyway. He is a 19d

Look whos talking, you soon to be civilian.