I wish we had an edit button here.

 

Anyway, I'll probably go 11b in the Guard and go to as many schools as possible. Would it be possible to go to jump school (that one has a particular interest to me), or many other schools once in unit?

The Airborne unit in Georgia seems like a great option, I wish there was a way I could find out more info on that. Do you know the unit name? Also, do you typically have to live in the state where you serve? I am 2 hours from Atlanta, which would be easy to do...but since Im in Alabama Im not sure if thats possible or not.

I was hoping to be able to hit up Airborne school, Ranger school, pathfinder school, possibly sniper school, and eventually SFAS (and the remaining SF pipeline). None of that is probably gonna happen Im sure, as Im sure funding is pretty low like you say in NG units. So (another question, sorry man), what schools would pertain to 11b?

The Airborne unit in Georgia seems like a great option, I wish there was a way I could find out more info on that. Do you know the unit name? Also, do you typically have to live in the state where you serve? I am 2 hours from Atlanta, which would be easy to do...but since Im in Alabama Im not sure if thats possible or not.

Had to Google them, but it's Company H, 1-121st Infantry (LRS).  See: 78thtroop.com/221stmi/lrs/LRS_Gallery/unithistory.html  (no www. on the front of that)

 

According to Global Security, they're in "Newman" which I'm thinking should probably be "Newnan."

 

As far as I know, there is no requirement whatsoever to match up your home state in terms of residence with the state whose NG you serve in.  At least the units from 20th and 19th Group I've worked with seem to have plenty of guys who commute across state lines to serve.

If you went into an NG LRS unit, I think you'd be required to get airborne.  I would think that if you make some rank (E-5 is probably a minimum) Ranger School is a possibility, and the Recon and Surveillance Leaders Course is probably another option (also run by the Ranger Training Brigade -- shorter, but more focused course).  No idea if they'd have sniper slots -- there are some NG infantry units with snipers on their MTOE, though.

 

SFAS from there would require switching units and states back to Alabama (or elsewhere with 19th or 20th Group units), but I don't think that's overly complicated.

 

For a standard 11B in a mech or light infantry unit, you're probably looking at infantry OSUT for initial entry training and then anything else would be luck of the draw, except for required NCO education or unit level events like Combat Lifesaver/TC3 or Expert Infantry Badge train up/testing.

USMCR in Alabama has, I think, a Force Recon company or part of a company down near Mobile.  They've also got an artillery unit(s) in the state, or did back when I was in high school and college down that way.

On the National Guard and Army Reserve side of things, the jobs I'd say might be pretty interesting and provide some valuable skills (besides combat arms specialties) would be stuff on the intel side of the house.  Lot of interesting work going on there, and a background in MI (and the clearance to go with it) can open doors with federal law enforcement and various other interesting government agencies.  There are assorted MI slots in various kinds of units (including SFGs and conventional combat arms units), and I also think the Army Reserve has some larger MI units down your way -- might require a commute to Atlanta or the Nashville area, though (may be wrong on that).

 

EOD is a growth industry, and job skills that wouldn't hurt if you go on into SF or other SOF units, or civilian law enforcement.  According to Global Security, Alabama has a number of EOD units in state, and I'm pretty sure there are some Army Reserve EOD units that are located in and around Huntsville (where they teach ammo handler and EOD AIT).

 

Being a medic can be the best job going in the military (being, say, a platoon medic) or can be like watching paint dry (working hospital or TMC settings, etc.), so I'd say only go that route if you can be sure you're going to a combat arms unit or something else that interests you. 

 

While it's not SF, there is a unit in the Mississippi Army NG that flies MH-60s that rolled down to them from the 160th.  I'm not sure where in the state they're based, but being a crew chief with them or the like might be cool.

 

Mississippi and Georgia both have TACP units in their Air NG side of things, and I think there's an AF Reserve AFSOC unit at Eglin in Florida.  There are some AIR NG and AF Reserve Rescue Squadrons and Special Tactics guys, but I don't think any of those are in commuting distance if you're in central Alabama.

 

I think that's pretty much a complete data dump on SE USA units that I can think of that might be within driving distance and such.  Some of my information may be off (some of it's coming of Global Security, etc.) but the above may give you some ideas on directions to go if you're looking for something to do for a couple years until you're eligible for going SF.

GOP, besides 11b infantry you might want to check out 19d (cavalry scout). It's like a combination of armor, reconaissence, and infantry. Your standard cavalry unit is usually better funded than your standard infantry unit. Almost all the scouts I know love their jobs (the same cannot be said for the infantry).

 

Horse, I might be wrong, but didn't you say you were a 19d when you were in the regular army?

Wow guys, thanks for all the great information.

 

I really like the 121st Inf (ABN/LRS), I wish I knew if there was a way to join their unit directly. That would be completely awesome and definitely what I'd like to do. However, joining directly may be impossible.

 

Cav scout and infantry would be the other choices, with EOD being a fourth. Alot of excellent options out there until I turn 20 and get my shot at SFAS

My suspicion would be that they do not have any formal entry pre-reqs, but would probably want to meet you in person before signing off on letting you join.  Best way to proceeed is probably to give them a call and explain your situation/interest (want to serve while in college, etc etc etc).  I would not mention that you want to go SF in 24 months, as knowing you're already planning to leave before you're even in the unit might kind of put a negative spin on things from their perspective. 

Well, Im very excited about this because they are close, are AB/LRS, and here is a list of schools they offer (from their website):

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course (RSLC)

 

EDIT:

 

By call, I mean contact them. From their website they have a sheet to fill out, and evidently it's open to non-service members according to their website. They also list training opportunities as:

 

LRS Training Deployments to CMTC in Germany

Various Active Duty For Special Work (ADSW) Opportunities

Various Training Opportunities with Special Forces (bolded, underlined, italicized :)