One of the trends I’m noticing within the Army Mama community is the decision to get out or join another component to continue service in the Army. As a mother, it can be difficult to make the decision based on different factors of providing for your family, maintaining your identity as a Soldier, and looking to your future potential in the civilian sector. In this article, I’m going to break down the pros and cons of going Active Duty, National Guard, or Army Reserves–and even the sweet spot of the Army Guard Reserve program.
Is it worth it to stay Active Duty as a mother?
Anybody who has been in the military long enough knows that the mindset and goals you enter service with is vastly different than the mindset and goals you develop when it’s close to retirement. This trajectory is increased exponentially when you start a family, because now you have little humans that depend on your ability to provide basic needs like shelter, food, healthcare, and access to education.
Job stability in Regular Army
The pandemic really locked in the uncertainty of the job market for most people in the civilian sector. Those of us serving in an active status did not feel the sting in our paychecks, benefits, housing, and healthcare. Job stability and a guaranteed salaried paycheck with everything else mentioned is one of the main benefits of going/staying Active Duty.
Benefits for Families in Regular Army
When you have children, you start to realize what a luxury good healthcare benefits are to have! I can’t even keep track of the many regular pediatric check-ups, random daycare contracted viruses, and accident-induced ER visits. Unfortunately, this is a reality when you become a parent.
Although TRICARE is not always the easiest healthcare plan to deal with; it is relatively FREE for Active Duty Mamas and their families.
Not to mention, Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS), Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), childcare assistance (Childcare Aware), and countless other programs geared toward family assistance.
Professional Development in Regular Army
Fortunately, the Army knows that you won’t be in the Army forever. This is why they offer so many career advancement opportunities, education benefits (like the GI Bill), and specialized training. Being on an Active Duty post gives you direct access to education centers and civilian-life preparation resources that most National Guard/Reserve Soldiers don’t have conveniently located for them to walk into. You should always view your time in the military as a stepping-stone and take advantage of anything and everything they have to offer you for professional development (as long as it makes sense for your needs and your family’s needs).
Educational Opportunities in Regular Army
We touched on this a bit, but the Army offers a wide range of educational benefits including tuition assistance, scholarships, and programs. For example, I am currently taking a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) course that is hosted by the AG Schoolhouse. This is fully funded by the Army and it is a civilian certification producing course! If you know what is available, it can be truly beneficial.
I already have my Bachelor’s degree (using tuition assistance), so I opted to transfer my GI Bill to my children in the event they want to go to school when the time comes. I highly encourage any Army Mama to go to school while they are still in so that you can provide the same education-based financial stability for your children.
Time Away from Family in Regular Army
Unfortunately, Active Duty personnel tend to spend a lot more time away from their families due to deployments or long training periods. This is a challenge that plagues every Army Mama and can be especially tough to navigate childcare issues for dual military and single mothers.
Work-Life Balance in Regular Army
Between the early reporting time, late work-call, and CQ duty–work-life balance can be stressful to manage for Army Mamas. I frequently hear our community’s dissatisfaction of only getting to spend maybe 1 or 2 hours with their children before it’s time to put them down for bed.
Active Duty life can have a demanding schedule based on your MOS or where you’re stationed, frequent PCSing, and deployments.
Childcare Challenges in Regular Army
They say that it takes a village to raise a child and it takes a toll having to reestablish your village each time you PCS–between CDC waitlists and lack of reliable off-post childcare options. If your intent is to stay with the active component, then having a good support system is important for the longevity of your career and the happiness of your family.
Is it better or worse to join the Army National Guard as a mother?
Joining the Army National Guard presents its own unique perks and similar challenges to the active component. However, it is a bit more flexible when it comes to the balance of being a citizen-Soldier.
Flexibility in the Guard
National Guard Soldiers are required to show up for training during scheduled periods of the month called “drill weekends” and an annual training (AT) of two weeks out of the year (usually during the summer months). This allows Army Mamas to forecast childcare, if needed, and plan most life events around those predetermined dates.
A Soldier can be permitted by their Commander to split train outside of drill weekends if for whatever reason, they’re not able to make it to a drill weekend.
In this way, being in the National Guard allows you more time spent with your family and the ability to maintain consistent family routines. Similarly, being close to immediate family allows more help with arranging childcare and a solid support system.
This can also be a double-edged sword, because sometimes drill weekend can be scheduled at the most inconvenient time. For example, your kid was invited to a birthday party and it lands on drill weekend–you can either have the babysitter take them or your kid can’t go to the birthday party. Anniversaries can fall on a drill weekend (this was a big reason I chose my wedding date outside any possibility of drill weekend/annual training periods).
Job Security and Benefits in the Guard
You are guaranteed a steady paycheck as long as you show up to drill and AT. Oftentimes, there are opportunities for state active duty (SAD) missions, Active Duty Operational Support (ADOS), and Active Guard Reserve (AGR) positions if you’re looking for more consistent pay and benefits.
Guard Soldiers are eligible to receive Tricare for themselves and their family through the Tricare Reserve Select program. Unlike active duty, Soldiers must pay for this and the rate depends on your rank.
Unless you are in an active status for more than 30 days, you do not receive BAH/BAS.
Educational Benefits in the Guard
National Guard Soldiers receive the same entitlements for educational benefits as any other component. The only difference is that an Army Mama in the Guard has the opportunity to actually go to school on-campus since the requirements for drill weekends/AT don’t normally impede regular school attendance.
Childcare Assistance in the Guard
Due to a growing need for childcare during drill weekends, the Army has launched a free Childcare pilot program for our part-time Soldiers. This resource may work for some types of training, but the biggest complaint that I’ve heard/experienced is it doesn’t really help when overnight care is required. So if you are travelling to another city for drill weekend (most of us are), then it’s not a feasible resource.
Community and Networking in the Guard
I believe community and networking is one of the biggest resources that the National Guard has to offer, because most of us hold various civilian careers vs active duty. You can meet a wide variety of Soldiers and network in different career fields or get help for things such as contract work. Everyone has their own unique skills and you’d be surprised how much this comes in handy!
Mobilization and Deployments in the Guard
Contrary to popular belief, National Guard units do deploy. There are some states that experience higher frequency when it comes to mobilizations; so that is something to consider as an Army Mama.
Is the Army Reserves a good fit for mothers?
The Army Reserves offer the similar pros and cons as the National Guard. There are a few main differences that could alter whether the Army Reserves is a good fit for your particular situation.
Location of Unit in the Army Reserves
In the National Guard, you could be travelling somewhere within your state for drill weekends. However, in the Army Reserves, your unit could be in an entirely different state. This can make it even more challenging for Army Mamas when the time comes to leave their family and arrange childcare for an extended period of time.
On the other hand, this could be more convenient if you’re dual military (spouse is Active Duty and you are Reserves) because it doesn’t require you to request an interstate transfer each time your spouse needs to PCS. Most of the time, you will be reimbursed for travel when it comes to drill weekend because a lot of Reserve Soldiers aren’t collocated near their unit of assignment.
Career Progression in the Army Reserves
The Army Reserves allow Soldiers to compete nationwide vs National Guard where you are competing with others within your state for promotion eligibility. Unlike the National Guard, you don’t have to worry about your state’s MTOE not having upward mobility for your MOS/Branch. For example, some MOS/Branches cap out at a certain rank preventing people from getting promoted and then forcing them to reclass if they ever want to rank up.
The downside to this is that getting promoted could result in you having to change units to a different location. This is the same instance across all components, but in the National Guard you just have to swap units within your state.
What is the AGR program?
There is an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of being Active Duty without having to be Active Duty. The Army Guard Reserve program is when you are on a full-time status within the National Guard or Army Reserves.
I have been AGR with my state for the past 7 years (at the time of this article). My position allows me to reap the same benefits of BAH, BAS, Tricare, and a stable paycheck without having the demands of being Active Duty. CQ/Staff duty is not a thing, formations don’t happen unless it’s drill weekend, you PT on your own and for the most part it’s like working a corporate job. I have PCSed within my state a few times when it came time for promotions and that did present new challenges when it came to figuring out childcare.
AGR is pretty similar for Army Reserves, except you run the risk of PCSing to a completely different state. On the bright side, this allows more opportunity to chase promotions because you’re not bottlenecked with other AGRs within a single state. For the most part, I haven’t heard of anyone on AGR say they would rather be Active Duty.
Fortunately, there are so many opportunities for full-time jobs like this, but I don’t think Soldiers know where to look for them. A lot of the time, I’ll heard Active Duty Army Mamas say they want to get out but they’re scared of losing all the perks of being in–I feel like the AGR program provides a solution for those who still want to serve but would prefer the flexibility that being AGR provides. And most of the time, you can board for certain positions close to the end of your contract and the Guard/Reserves will pick you up due to your Regular Army experience.
How can you switch components in the Army?
Guard/Reserve Soldiers can request a conditional release to switch between components. Active Duty Soldiers usually need to ride out their contract before switch components. Most times there are liaisons on post that can help you with the process or you can simply go to a recruiting center to see what can be done in your situation.
Which Army component is overall best for mothers?
Sometimes the grind of Active Duty is all we know and we’re afraid to explore other options. The same can be said for part-time Soldiers.
There have been plenty times where I have wanted to throw in the towel and I think we all can relate to this feeling. Regardless of benefits, there are certain things that make Army life challenging for families. Your particular circumstance and resilience is going to determine which component is best for you and your family.
