National Guard Annual Training: 5 Ways to Be Prepared

Wouldn't it serve a purpose for you as a new soldier to know all you can about how to prepare for the National Guard annual training?

This National Guard annual training typically lasts for two weeks in the summer and makes use of your military occupational specialty in direct and often rigorous ways.

Read on to discover at least 5 ways to be prepared for this annual training of the National Guard.

Informing Employer of Annual Training

While it is illegal to prevent a soldier from attending his or her National Guard annual training, it is wise to let your employer know in advance that you will be gone from work for that two week period.

A formal document can also be provided which states the official duty times of your military training.

What to Pack

Naturally, you will pack all the regular military equipment as you prepare for the National Guard annual training.

Still, there are other essentials you will want to take. These relate to personal hygiene, but can also include your own favorite kind of food. You will want to take as many comforts of home that you can because you are likely to be spending days out in the woods.

Transportation to Training Destination

Some soldiers ride on army trucks in the familiar sight of convoys going down the highway. On the other hand, you might be able to drive to your training destination in your privately owned vehicle.

Another way to prepare for the National Guard annual training, therefore, is to make your automobile as safe for travel as possible.

Preparation for Job/Moving to Field

As suggested, the annual training of the National Guard focuses on the direct and rigorous application of your particular military job.

You can prepare for this by ensuring that all the necessary training manuals and other relevant equipment has been part of an inventory in advance. Once you move to the field, you don't want to discover that you've left something behind.

Field Experiences

The idea of an annual training implies that you do not perform this type of physically demanding work all the time. To be prepared for the field experiences of the National Guard annual training, you will want to conserve energy as much as possible, while listening closely to the instructions of others.

You are there to be trained, not to be on the receiving end of unnecessary criticism. Prepare for the field experiences by keeping an open mind and a devotion to duty.

In sum, there are at least 5 ways you can be prepared for the National Guard annual training. This preparation will make you a more productive soldier and will make the rigorous experience a more enjoyable one.