Quote Originally Posted by finn's mom
Thank you for the response! Everyone I've talked to has said Air Force is the way to go. I know from my experiences with the Army and other branches, the Army tends to be the one people say to avoid. My ex husband was Army, but I don't remember too many terrible things about it. Seems I've heard that it is one of the more difficult branches to trust and be a part of (that is not my opinion, per se, that is just what I have been told recently). As for being a woman, hands down, people are telling me to lean more towards the Air Force.

One question I really want to ask from an active member of the Guard is what the deployment rate is. I am not saying the thought of being deployed would 100% keep me from joining, but if I can avoid it, I certainly will. I know very few people who actually **want** to be deployed into an environment like Iraq or Iran at this moment in time.
The air National guard from my experiance, was very Female friendly. The Army, not so much, it has gotten better over the years, but I still had many battles on a daily Basis, especially from the Old-Timers still kicking around, that teh Army was no Place for a woman! But I was in for 11 years full time and Part-time, before I Got a medical discharge. I loved it, and still do! I wish I could go back, but unfortunately that can never happen!

As far as the Deployment rate, it is still very high! And most units are doing numerous tours, not just one. So make sure you are prepared for that! The last unit i was in before I was discharged was on their Second Deployment, to both Iraq, and Afganistan.

Once you are in, there realy is no way to avoid Deployment! It is just part of the job, and now the deployment time is around 18 months.

There are, believe it or not, Many soldiers who voluteered to go, and volunteered to go many times. I Have many friends that did just that! There are actually many soldiers who Want to go! My Hubby was one of them!