Photo By Staff Sgt. Milton Hamilton | U.S. Air National Guard Promotional flyer (Courtesy photo by Master Sgt. Desmond Overton)... read more read more
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A representative of the U.S. Air National Guard held an information session for active duty Airmen interested in transitioning into the guard, after or before their date of separation.
“With similar benefits as active duty status, the ANG allows for service members to prioritize personal goals while still being able to serve their country,” said Master Sgt. Desmond Overton, Air National Guard in-service recruiter.
The main difference between the ANG and active duty status is it’s a part-time commitment.
Overton outlined this part time commitment by stating that Airmen in the ANG only work (drill) one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year.
Another distinction that separates the ANG from active duty is Airmen are the only individuals that decide where they’ll be stationed in the U.S.
“You get to choose where you want to go, completely,” said Overton. “You can either be placed at your home of record, or you can choose anywhere else in the U.S.”
Airmen that join the ANG are still entitled to medical, retirement, life insurance, the Montgomery and Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefits, along with any additional benefits their prospective state offers.
The premiums for Tricare Reserve Select, vary depending on family size.
Through the two avenues that allow you to go from active duty to ANG, both offer six months of Tricare Prime for free. After that, Tricare Reserve Select is $44 a month for a single individual, and the family rate, no matter how many dependents is $228.27 a month.
There are two ways active duty service members can transition from active duty to ANG.
Palace Chase is a program for active duty Airmen who have completed at least half of their original service commitment for enlisted, and two-thirds for officers, to receive an honorable early release and transition to serve part-time in the ANG.
Palace Front is a program for enlisted and commissioned Airmen who have completed their entire active duty service commitment but still would like to serve part-time. The Airmen then transfer directly into the ANG without a break in service.
“The ANG is constructed in a way that, the service member can tailor their service to their personal, educational and family goals,” Overton said.
As in any function of the military, deploying or not deploying is not guaranteed, but in the ANG you have more control over if you deploy than you would on active duty. Since many ANG Airmen volunteer for deployments, those who can’t or don’t want to deploy often don’t have to.
“The moment we get a deployment, we’re raising our hands, because that’s when we get to apply what we learned down-range,” Overton said.
In addition to deployments being different in the ANG, retirement is also dissimilar.
Both ANG and active duty members can retire after 20 years, but both retirements rely on a point system.
Active duty members begin drawing retirement benefits almost immediately. However, ANG members don’t accrue as many points as active duty members, due to part time status, so they can’t draw retirement until the age of 60.
There are many similarities between active duty and ANG, but there are definitely distinct differences that are vital to understand before making a decision to transition over.
For more information about the ANG contact Master Sgt. Desmond Overton at DSN: 480-6164, COMM: 06371-47-6164 or email desmond.overton@us.af.mil.
| Date Taken: | 02.07.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2020 10:12 |
| Story ID: | 362077 |
| Location: | RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 119 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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