JustHangingOut

Refer to my timeline post. You will need to complete ETPs prior to swearing in. You are not released from you current army unit until you swear in with the new squadron, then outprocess your old unit. I had my 368 signed back in May and still haven’t sworn in because of the backlog at NGB. Also, you need to have the squadron security manager initiate a TS clearance for you. This is the last thing I’m waiting on and I should be swearing in within the next week hopefully. For reference I attached an ETP checklist to a post a little while ago. Start knocking out those requirements and get them to your recruiter.

@stuckindayton is our subject matter expert for medical

Gotcha I read though a few of those blocks in chapter 10 last night and you are right...there is some verbiage that makes it confusing. Shoot me a pm and i'll hook you up with some info that might help you out.

I’m not sure where the “if they owed me active duty” concept came from as I was only asking about any commitment you might have....but you answered that. In regards to your previous commission, my understanding is yes they would recognize your previous commission. Whether they back date your DOR, I don’t know, but your flight pay will back date after the ARB is complete and you have more than 400 hours showing on the bottom right block of your 759. I am almost positive they would not count any of your WO time for time in grade of your previous commission grade.

Do you have any ADSO currently with the Army Guard?

Another Update 02 Dec 2017: Interview 03 Dec 2017: Hired 06 May 2018: DD Form 368 signed by State J1 in April and submitted to NGB 24 July 2018: Transfer Packet kicked back from NGB for wording and resubmitted 06-07 Aug 2018: Flight Physical Completed 10-14 Sep 2018: Flight Physical Results returned week of I was also informed that NGB changed their accessions process to require ETPs to be completed and approved before swearing in.....fortunately I already had my flight physical done so I could push that up as soon as the policy dropped. Transfer packet at NGB paused New policy came with change in ETP checklist and shortened timeline (approx 30 days) 21 Sep 2018: ETP pushed up 25 Oct 2018: Age Waiver Approved at NGB (34 day turn around)

Fellow Air National Guard Hopefuls who are of the elderly variety.... Attached is the newest NGB ETP Checklist. I couldnt upload the fill-able form, but this will allow you to see that the ETP checklist has been drastically cut back from the previous. My last conversation with my recruiter indicated that NGB has changed their accessions process and now requires ETPs to be complete before swearing in just like the reserves. They also indicated that Age Waivers are now to only take 30 Days as opposed to 6+ months. I received this information early September and my packet was pushed up at the end of the second week of September. I was told that my packet is now on the CC and CF desk and should be approved this week. Fingers crossed! Hope this helps! NGB ETP Checklist.pdf edit: ETP signed off today! (34 days in new policy)

has anyone else's hiring recruiter for the air guard told you that NGB changed up their process now? They are processing age waivers before swearing in after i have been waiting for 133 days to swear in to begin my age waiver process.

here is all i know. My recruiter uploads documents through a "portal" that is specific to the recruiting office. so the commander does not have visibility on this. This is where he uploads documents and if the records are pulled they can show the status as being reviewed or something. When they kicked mine back, they also left a note in the system for the reason so corrections could be made. I'm sorry if this is vague. I'll ask him what the system is next time i speak with him. edit: HQ is different because that is internal within their state. Those documents are probably floating around different peoples email inboxes at state headquarters before they go up to NGB

Update Interview: 02 Dec 2017 Hired: 03 Dec 2017 DD Form 368 signed by State J1 in April and submitted to NGB: 06 May 2018 Transfer Packet kicked back from NGB for wording and resubmitted: 24 July 2018 Flight Physical Completed 06-07 Aug 2018 Flight Physical Results returned week of Sept 10-14 still waiting for NGB to process transfer at 135 days in process....now they changed their mind and want to ETP to process before letting me swear in

Thanks! I’ve already been hired and the unit is working an ETP. I’m just hoping to not have a 6 month wait for it to process

I just saw that as well. Do you know if the Guard will be following suit?

Glad I could help out

Probably not a statistic anyone tracks. From the visits I have done and various units iv was in contact with while rushing, very few units have prior 60 drivers. The unit that hired me, I’m pretty sure I’m the first Army RW guy to ever get hired.

You can connect with me sometime if you want to chat

first..."restricted to that state" please go a little further with that...are you worried about not being able to live out of state and commute to the squadron? Or worried about transferring to a different unit in another state? As far as your recruiter goes...who cares what their feelings are. You are pursuing success in your career...not his. Sure he wont "get the sale" but you should not concern yourself with the whims of a recruiter. They are there to fill slots and meet quotas not be career counselors. They don't have your best interest in mind....generally speaking. As far as ETPs are concerned...there is no rule that says reserve gives them more than the guard of visa versa. even a unit that gave one to a guy may turn around and completely deny you because they wanted that last guy...and don't want to hire you as much as they did that other guy. Even then...a unit that historically has been giving away ETPs can change in an instant with a change of command who does not want to support ETPs. Cat the net far and wide and don't major in the minors. If you get hired by a guard unit, and later want to switch to a reserve squadron or a different guard squadron because they are closer to family or whatever...the squadrons will typically understand and support you. Hope this helps

do you have any civilian flying experience? If not, maybe go out and take a discovery flight. If that experience doesn't solidify the desire to fly, then it's time to graciously bow out. Flying is something that you either love, or your don't. If it's not for you, then it's better to make that decision before stepping into a program like UPT.

yup, maybe take a job with them if I decide my civilian job sucks and they have temp tech money to spend

With Guard that is my understanding yes. I've heard of reserve guys having it done before swearing in. Not exactly sure why. You would think the regs would outline that whole process.

My recruiter is able to view the "progress" through some recruiter online portal they have. I don't think I will be getting school dates as fast as you did because I'll need an age waiver and aeronautical review board before they can assign me school dates. Based on posts of other folk's timelines, I am anticipating that process taking another 6-9 months once I swear in.

Current Timeline below. Does anyone have any advice about how to get my transfer packet to move along faster at NGB? It has been there since 06May18 now. Interview: 02 Dec 2017 Hired: 03 Dec 2017 DD Form 368 signed by State J1 in April and submitted to NGB: 06 May 2018 Transfer Packet kicked back from NGB for wording and resubmitted: 24 July 2018 Flight Physical Completed 06-07 Aug 2018

Every board is different. some contact everyone same day, others tell invitees first then later everyone else, some only communicate to the invitees and silence is your answer.

Nicely done man. glad to hear you made it happen! You’re a great example of hos persistence and hard work pays off.

Anything I can do to help. Do you have any issues that you know about? Have you had an eye exam done by a civilian doc just to see where you're at?

Here is your weekly Flight Physical update. Below is the list in order of what I did for my physical and a short description of each test. I will do my best to maintain the integrity of tests and not give any answers away, but also try to give as much detail as I can to help prep you all for your exams. I stayed at the on base hotel (google maps wright-Patterson inns and it will take you right there) I was in Group 1 which consisted of a combination of civilians, Guard, Reserve, and ROTC folks. (group 2 looked like all ROTC). We all rallied in room 100 of building 840 (google maps USAFSAM and it will take you there)(parking guidance is in page 3 of this thread) like everyone else here has talked about. Yes, there was a TV, VHS tapes, two DVDs, a barely functioning PS2 for videos, and a non-functioning VHS/DVD combo player. If I would have known half the stuff didn't work...I may have just brought my own Blu-ray player and some seasons of game of thrones and hooked it up. The staff are super laid back, and probably wouldn't have cared. Enough of that...let's get into the meat and potatoes of this post Day 1 Activities EKG they put probes on your body and take readings. nothing crazy. Medical History go into an office and go over your medical history. This is typically the "shut your mouth" phase of a physical OVT (depth perception and near/far) I read through all the posts for tips and tricks on this. I went all the way through groups A-F twice (with different patterns) and can confirm that the tips in this forum are accurate except the "no repeating theory." If I remember correctly, I had one in each test with repeats. So keep doing your eye exercises and you should be fine. I practiced the Magic Eye 3D Books (checked them out from local library), and also practiced the "Brock String" eye exercise (really helpful youtube videos to explain the exercise) Red Lens test They will have these "glasses" that have two "frames" on them. The guy will hold a light up in front of a "grid" on the wall with one hand. With the other hand he positions one of the sets of frames in front of your eyes. Each set has a red lens and the other is a clear. One set of frames the clear lens at a different angle and makes you see double. The instructor will move the light around the grid, while also switching "frames" that are in front of your eyes. Your goal is to tell him if you see double, or you see a mix of the two. I didn't get it at first (sounds stupid right), but as said before, the techs are awesome and help you out even when you're a dummy like me. Hearing you will be put in a glass case of emotion and listening for the most faint beeps and bloops ever. Leave your cell phone outside...on airplane mode. Hold your headphone cable and your remote cable from touching the wall. You are in a sound proof box where it is easier to hear your own heart beat than these beeps they are testing you on. I have heard of some guys wearing earplugs on the airplane flight over to keep their ears from compressing from the loud sound and pressure change....go for it...I cant confirm this to be effective as I drove to my appointment, but it sounds like a great idea to me. Vitals blood pressure and heart rate stuff...nothing crazy Eye Pressure/Measurement this is the..."look here!" and blast your eye with air test...and look into this bright thing so I can take picture of your eye ball! Again, nothing crazy, just follow directions and you're good to go Dental Dentist looks at your grill. CCT (color blindness) so I was told the actual CCT was the old test and they now use something different (which I took). You looked at a computer, the tech measured the distance you needed to sit away from it. You wear a patch over one eye to test the open eye. The light go out, they hand you a video game controller. Your goal is to look at the image on the machine and tell what direction it is pointing. The image you are looking at is a letter "C." You push the appropriate button in the direction the letter opening is facing (up, down, right, left on the A/B/X/Y pad). As you go through the test the image will get dimmer and dimmer. Then it will start over in a different color. you do red, green, blue. Then, switch the patch onto the other eye and do it again. This test is timed. You get 4 seconds per iteration. Skynet Robot Eye Scanning Machine... I don't know what this is called but i'm pretty sure I have a serial number on my eyeballs now. you look into a machine...it looks like a red laser pointer being shot right into your eye. then a green "star" appears with a dot in the middle. Focus on the dot while they do their science experiments Lens Topography Again, bright lights in the eye balls while they do science. This one makes you feel like you are in the movie clockwork orange, or tron. They are measuring the curvature of your lens and the thickness. I was told I had a thicker than normal lens...I got worried...he said it was cool...it's better to be over than under for that one. Psych Battery This is the 4 hour computer testing where you are answering all sorts of "do you hear voices in your head" kind of questions. What I didn't read about this test from this thread before taking it was the other stuff that wasn't as silly. There were lot of "mind games." It was fun at times. For example...we will show you a sequence of numbers...you must type that sequence of numbers back to us in reverse order...my trick...don't memorize the numbers...memorize the keyboard sequence....worked for me...okay right, right, up 2, left 1 down 1... Other things to help you prep for this...practice mental math. This is timed, so practice techniques for adding/subtracting/dividing/multiplying numbers with 2,3,4 digits. no scratch paper, pens, or calculators. short term memory stuff. You will read a story...then do other tests...then answer questions about that story an hour later. I think the best thing you can do to prepare for this testing battery is downloading some mental exercise apps like lumosity, peak, or elevate. These are little games, that are fun and sometimes similar to what you might see here. like "click this button when you see a certain letter, or type of word. sequences of shapes, blah blah blah" Day 2 Activities Labs Pee and Bleed... all you can do to prep is read the welcome letter instructions about staying hydrated before and throughout the testing. I found myself not drinking nearly enough water on day 1...everyone thought we were going to pee and bleed that day and I was ready to go then...but group 2 went on day 1. Dont fall behind on water intake and don't drink alcohol 72 hours before or during the physical days. X-Ray you stand against something...make a funny pose...they take pictures...sounds like a cruel joke right? I asked if I could have a copy of my x-ray (my dad's a chiropractor so I always share x-rays with him for fun), and all I had to do was ask the front desk for a release of information form and she gave me a CD with my images...pretty cool. (i'll post them if I can)(also for fun) Flight Doc interview the flight doc goes over your records up to that point, asks some more questions, makes you touch yourself while he watches....touch your nose...(get your mind out of the gutter)...and balance on one foot. if you are going to go to IFS, he initiated a FAA class 3 physical for me since I didnt already have one. Height/Weight some guys in my group did this the first day. they kind of fit it in wherever. No big deal unless you are super huge or super small Optometry they will do another eye exam. more looking at and reading charts, follow the light, look up, look down, look through this crazy machine...ok lets dilate those babies then you wait for your eyes to whack out like a crack head. you have to wait an hour. I was seen at 1hr 20 min. and then more looking into super bright lights, and reading charts etc. Here I discovered I have a slight far sightedness...even though I don't require glasses. The doc said, I may need a waiver, but he couldn't tell until after he dilated me. Even if I did need it, he assured me that it wasn't a show stopper, they would just process the paperwork like it was no big deal. After he gave my eyeballs a thorough look over...he said he was comfortable with my numbers and wouldn't need to push a waiver through. As stated before...attitude is everything. Enjoy your time there. Don't make your techs hate their job that day because of you. Help other people get through the process, carpool, see the museum (if you can even see after dilation), and be a good sport overall. Another thing, don't worry about it as much as I did. Prepare...but don't fret. Go there, do the best you can at things you can prepare for, and understand that everyone there wants to see you succeed. It is very evident when you are there that they are on your side. I hope this helps everyone out. I'm hoping to get the good news in a couple weeks along with my other partners in crime that I shared those halls with. Thank you to @stuckindayton, @GDAL, and @FlyArmy for your input and the information you provided in this forum to help me and all the other hopefuls out there. p.s.....sorry for the long post