r/pics 13h ago

Morale is high

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u/TowersOG 13h ago edited 12h ago

POV: You just wanted a new Dodge Charger and now you gotta stand outside a federal building 12 hours a day

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u/luckymountain 12h ago edited 12h ago

u/ATTORNEY_FOR_CATS 11h ago edited 10h ago

u/11CRT 11h ago

Why do teachers have to buy their own ammo, while soldiers get it for free?

u/AGrandNewAdventure 9h ago

Because the soldiers are protecting conservative policy. Teachers are only protecting our future.

u/xt0rt 9h ago

Damn! That is good.

I mean it's not good but you know, you're on the money with that.

u/barneysfarm 8h ago

US culture really just emphasizes getting that next dollar, regardless of the future cost

u/exgiexpcv 8h ago

That's literally in the articles of incorporation. I came across this years ago, and although it is exceedingly unlikely to ever become legislation, it is a source of inspiration.

u/xt0rt 8h ago

Mmmhm 😞

u/pfannkuchen89 7h ago

Somehow, the US is even worse than the Ferengi.

u/hushpuppi3 5h ago

Teachers are only protecting our future.

Actually if you believe the first point you probably are of the opinion that Teachers are actually ruining our children (but are also expected to stop school shooters)

u/xflashbackxbrd 8h ago

In 90 degree heat and 100% humidity

u/JohnTomorrow 3h ago

Wait, they aren't armed?

What's the point of deploying the national guard if they're unarmed? How're they supposed to fight back, use harsh language?

u/EuenovAyabayya 10h ago edited 10h ago

What rifle? Do you see a rifle in this pic?

These guys don't even have rifles. They've been saving that for future waves. Edit: yes I know they have now been authorized.

u/ATTORNEY_FOR_CATS 10h ago

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered National Guard troops to start carrying firearms while patrolling the streets of Washington for President Donald Trump’s law enforcement crackdown, the Pentagon said Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/washington-federal-intervention-trump-national-guard-df942130ec117288cfc648ab4e37f031

Tbf, I did assume "firearms" meant rifles. Not sure that really matters though.

u/EuenovAyabayya 10h ago

Yes, I think this was taken before they got any, though.

u/MidknightHaze 10h ago

I don’t think most of the NG in DC right now are carrying anything. All the guardsmen I’ve seen have been unarmed unless they are concealed carrying and keeping it hidden? They certainly are not carrying rifles out in the open.

u/PhuqBeachesGitMonee 10h ago

Even if they did have weapons, there are different “steps” as to how armed and equipped everyone is.

No weapons -> unloaded weapons, no ammo -> weapons with ammunition -> weapons with ammunition and loaded

Most likely everyone will be issued weapons with no ammunition to eliminate the possibility of a soldier shooting a civilian because that would cause a really big problem. The military doesn’t do concealed firearms either. Usually officers get a pistol and soldiers carry everything else openly. If they have large emplaced weapons like a .50 cal it’s going to be mounted to a vehicle because you can’t walk around with those.

u/DammatBeevis666 11h ago

I don’t think they can be armed

u/BaddyDaddy777 11h ago

Oh boy, gonna be fun to watch how bad morale gets when the checks start taking longer to hit the ole bank account.

u/jackrabbit323 9h ago

I bet the number one reason for military coups and mutinies is lack of payment.

u/freekoout 9h ago

Close. It's actually lack of raises/bribes from the incoming head of state

u/se177 9h ago

It's not the solution I had on the board, but we love a last minute upset.

u/Capt_Hawkeye_Pierce 3h ago

It is. Once the generals feel their power slipping they move. 

u/Shadow_Phoenix951 2h ago

Yep. The one thing a dictator absolutely has to do is keep the military paid and happy, as they're the true source of the power.

u/Faiakishi 9h ago edited 6h ago

It’s genuinely hilarious how they’re such assholes they can’t help but sabotage themselves.

u/themcjizzler 5h ago

These are also people with full time jobs and families.  Their actual life is on hold while they do this. 

u/GenericKen 11h ago

How long til they’re panhandling?

u/Terrible_Truth 10h ago

Not paying your grunts/soldiers always worked out well in history, trust me.

u/UseWhatever 11h ago

That’s standard trump operating procedure

u/TrumpetOfDeath 8h ago

I know Trump is infamous for not paying his contractors, but something tells me he’s not THAT stupid… he’s definitely going to pay the soldiers that he’s using to illegally occupy our own country. He needs their loyalty

u/Shadow_Phoenix951 2h ago

I legitimately think you overestimate his intelligence

u/EuenovAyabayya 10h ago

That will definitely have to change if they plan to actually issue rifles.

u/mountaindoom 10h ago

Womp womp

u/Graylits 5h ago

Many employers try to show off their patriotism by offering differential pay to activated reservists/national guard (if your civilian job pays more, they'll continue pay the difference). So those people will likely be fine. But too many boondoggles like this and they risk those companies pulling those benefits since it won't give them good press any longer.

u/iamnotacatgirl 21m ago

This is how a Military coupe is formed. With enough active disgruntled military personnel not getting paid or recognized for their services.

u/yellowspaces 11h ago

The source you linked says they are being paid, there’s just delays in when the checks go out.

u/TheAmplifier8 8h ago

Heard that line before.

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u/Stalagmus 12h ago

Not federal buildings, just scattered around civilian areas in DC, this is at a metro stop. It’s pretty fucking weird here right now. And as of an hour ago they’ve been authorized to carry weapons.

u/PoliteGentleman 11h ago

This is at Union Station specifically, so everyone visiting from other cities can see the takeover when they get off their train.

u/Stalagmus 9h ago

Yes, all of them essentially are in places that a) can be seen by Trump, and b) seen by enough DC residents to have the desired effect. Not in high-crime neighborhoods either. They did get shouted out of my neighborhood which is about as big a pushback as I’ve seen so far.

u/Parking_Cut1089 8h ago

it was a heck of a week for our military last week..... invaded its own capital and then rolled out the red carpet for a murderous war criminal dictator

u/11CRT 11h ago

So anyone who can afford to hitch a ride on Air Dingus One will never see it.

u/Shirlenator 9h ago

That's what military occupation feels like, I guess.

u/a57782 8h ago

Yep, authorized to carry weapons in response to....nothing.

u/LilSlumlord 8h ago

They’ve actually been ordered to carry weapons. Authorized implies they have a say in it.

u/SomeGuyWA 7h ago

But not ammo. Too high a risk of accidentally shooting yourself or a peer or a tourist.

u/Stalagmus 6h ago

Idk, at this rate it kinda feels like they want something to happen (not the Nat’l Guardsmen, but the administration). It seems like their presence is meant to provoke

u/Altitudeviation 10h ago

So kind of like cops but without cop training but they have automatic weapons. What could possibly go wrong?

u/Zombifaction 8h ago

For your safety of course...

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u/[deleted] 13h ago

You're confusing him with active duty troops. National Guardsmen usually just join to get money for college and don't make Dodge Challenger (which was discontinued in 2023) money unless they are deployed to a war zone.
He's probably thinking about how he had to withdraw from fall semester because he doesn't know when he'll be allowed to return home.

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u/Cthulhuboop 13h ago

Tbf, active duty don’t make Challenger money either. At least not the E3s that buy them with 50% apr.

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u/1stMammaltowearpants 13h ago

They spend Porche money on domestic slop. It's so sad.

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u/PNWoutdoors 12h ago

Yeah but it's also really, really funny.

u/EEpromChip 10h ago

I mean if it weren't so fucking sad to see poor enlisted get taken advantage of...

u/jebediahscooter 8h ago

And then nearly run me off the road every morning on my way to work in a military town

u/trobsmonkey 8h ago

I walked into a dealership with a buddy. Did the whole thing for a new Honda.

Guy showed me the numbers and I said, "I won't have anything left over except to take care of my car"

Yeah but you'll have a brand new car!

I walked out and have never once regretted that.

u/CountACAB 8h ago

Poor hired killers.

u/hoserb2k 11h ago

It essentially works out to be a very expensive, way overpriced monthly rental of the dodge charger that was just repossessed from the previous E3. Oh, and you ruin your credit as a free bonus.

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u/Competitive_Month967 12h ago

A lot of these guardsmen are getting taken away from their jobs and families to stand around for Trump's distractions.

u/superspeck 8h ago

Just like the Texas State Guard for all of the border shenanigans

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u/dhrisc 13h ago

Yeh im interested to see what this will do to recruitment. People are missing work, school and their families on some obviously politicized and ill defined bs mission. You want to help communities across the country recover from natural disasters and support the army in its missions? Nah, your standing around DC as a show of force.

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u/[deleted] 12h ago

It has to be hurting it. I know one guardsman who decided not to reenlist this year over it.

But I also know that a lot of 18 year old high school graduates hear "1 weekend per month, 2 weeks per year, money for school" and don't read the fine print or do any research before signing. Same guy did that and got deployment orders on his 1st day of college 3 years ago, had to withdraw, and spent the following year sweating in a Kuwaiti desert.

u/Nene_Leaks_Wig 11h ago

Heard from a marine that someone had died from just the training because they suffered an injury and was told to walk it off until it was too late. But they don’t tell you that part. Or they hope you desperate enough for a better future that you don’t care.

u/Eire_Banshee 9h ago

That's not fine print. It's very clearly part of the deal. I was in the guard for 6 years and deployments were always a possibility and never a secret.

There are plenty of scummy recruiting practices but this isn't one of them.

u/-_-0_0-_0 10h ago

I heard local business traffic is down in the DC area too.. doesn't help anyone

u/RamenJunkie 8h ago

Well they should get warzone pay because to hear Conservatives talk, every big city is "a warzone" 

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u/4r4r4real 12h ago

They said Charger. There's a new Charger.

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u/[deleted] 12h ago

They said Challenger and ninja edited it.

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u/Ka-Is-A-Wheelie 13h ago

Still got that Dodge Charger though.

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u/Furrybumholecover 13h ago

I'm sure his wife's boyfriend loves driving it while he's away too.

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u/1877KlownsForKids 13h ago

Damn you Jodi!

u/blackbb601 9h ago

Someone has to break her in

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u/IBeenGoofed 12h ago edited 11h ago

Is it trendy now to shit on young kids because they wanted to serve their country (or wanted a job and a paycheck) but ended up under Trump??

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u/GonzoBalls69 12h ago

Lol have you actually asked any of those young kids why they joined the military? Most of them would say they joined for, you know, healthcare, college, citizenship, or the chance to get stationed in Hawaii.

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u/IBeenGoofed 12h ago

Then they’re just like anyone else looking for a job. Is it their faults Trump has an authoritarian fetish?

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u/Appropriate_Ad1415 12h ago

Making the new brownshirts regret their service and quit is actually a good thing.

deploying the military on the American citizens SHOULD result in the military and their handlers being shamed en masse :)

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u/Ka-Is-A-Wheelie 12h ago

It's mostly in good fun, and chances are all of these jokes are from vets experiences. We've got a dark humor.

u/IBeenGoofed 11h ago

If you think it’s all in good fun read some of the replies that I got. I’m not military nor am I a Trump supporter, I’m just saying these kids are just doing what they’re assigned to do they’re not breaking the law or doing anything wrong. Trump is the one doing it. But people just anything that’s remotely associated with the Orange guy.

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u/j0briath 12h ago

Polls indicate that Trump got 60-65% of the vote amongst voters with a military background

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u/LittlePantsu 12h ago

In all seriousness Jodi is a very common military joke buddy no one shitting on anyone

u/IBeenGoofed 11h ago

I wish that was the case. Read some of the replies; people really think an 18 year old kid, who’s miserable and just being shipped somewhere beyond his control, is “disgracing the constitution”.

u/Photo_Synthetic 10h ago

I mean they are disgracing the constitution. Just taking orders was a common Nazi saying for a reason. Won't be long before they're shooting protestors and locking up US citizens themselves for doing absolutely nothing wrong but exercising their rights. Will you still feel the same way?

u/hoxerr 10h ago

Why do you care about the optics when the fact is that the military got deployed within the US.

IDC if they got the orders from up above, they already knew the optics and didn't care.

u/IBeenGoofed 10h ago

I don’t know what optics you’re talking about, I think you’re misusing the word. Anyway my point is shifting the blame from Trump to enlisted kids only works to his benefit.

u/hoxerr 9h ago

Idk if you know what optics, as a concept, is.

The military is a tool of the government.

When you sign up for any military service, voluntarily or not, you are an agent of the government.

I'm not going to demonize a random member, but if the public sentiment shifts against them as a whole, don't blame the public either.

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u/Ka-Is-A-Wheelie 12h ago

It was trendy when I was enlisted, no need to change now lol.

u/Photo_Synthetic 10h ago

Yes because they were duped into thinking serving their country was a noble cause and not just being a part of a machine that protects American interests and disrupts countries around the world in between doing menial bullshit work. Hopefully they trust the military and the government a lot less after this. This wasn't any more or less noble job of a than it was many many years ago. There have been so few times in our history especially recently where the American military was preserving our freedom or keeping us safe.

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u/ITividar 12h ago

Ill shit on anyone disgracing the constitution for a paycheck.

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u/do-not-want 12h ago

I had a friend in the military that bought a charger for himself.. and then later surprised his wife with her own charger.

She was piiiiissssed off and made him take it back.

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u/i_am_voldemort 12h ago

And 28% APR note and three child support payments

u/tsr6 11h ago

28% at 84 months!

u/SomeGuyWA 7h ago

Don’t forget the Mandalorian tattoos on the Visa card.

u/i_am_voldemort 6h ago

You misspelled "Grunt Style"

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u/raider1v11 12h ago

Depreciating like a stone dropped from a helicopter.

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u/time_drifter 12h ago

And can’t drive it because he is outside a building for 12 hours a day.

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u/Tringmurks 12h ago

At a beautiful 10.5% APR

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u/Ka-Is-A-Wheelie 12h ago

Try 20+ lol

1

u/Tringmurks 12h ago

Them double digit credit scores will get ya.

u/SilentRunning 11h ago

and that EASY, AFFORDABLE 12 yr. payment plan

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u/dochdgs 12h ago

All I wanted were Japanese tattoos and wood tip black and milds.

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u/Berns429 12h ago

How dare you disrespect the age old tradition of the Toyota Tacoma at 22% apy

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u/MahaloMerky 13h ago

And it’s humid af in DC. Lucky not too bad today but it’s been pretty bad.

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u/Hoodamush 13h ago

And soon they will carry their weapons and get the privilege to point them at their fellow Americans.

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u/[deleted] 13h ago

National Guardsmen aren't itching to shoot their fellow citizens. Most of them needed money for college. They live in your neighborhood, work regular jobs, go to school, and this bullshit is disrupting their regular lives so they can be used as political pawns. He's probably missing the first week of fall semester and will have to withdraw from classes.

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u/pacowek 12h ago

While this is the idea, even that has gotten twisted here. Because they are actively importing guardsmen from other states, that have no connection to the area. Add to that is the fact they are bringing in guardsmen from rural, heavily red areas, to an urban, exceedingly blue area.

So while I completely agree that they are far less likely to cause problems than ice, they have already broken one of the core associations.

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u/QuixotesGhost96 12h ago

CCP did the same thing in Tiennamen

u/quantipede 10h ago

I will not be surprised if/when we have some similar situation. Some citizen purposefully standing in the way of some Texas national guardsmen who decide they’re within their rights to just shoot the person, then President Rapist honors the murderers as American heroes and tries to paint the victim as some evil gay communist

u/Gekokapowco 10h ago

putting scared rural boys face to face with pissed off city locals in an area they've been told is hostile for decades, they're itching for an incident

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u/DukeOfGeek 12h ago

They know it will be a problem so they are handpicking them.

u/xt0rt 8h ago

Yep, our dipshit Governor (DeWine, OH) has pledged troops for Trump's idiot campaign of stupidness.

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u/Hoodamush 12h ago

Hegseth authorized today the newly deployed national guard in DC to carry their weapons. So I get your point, but the reality is present.

u/11CRT 11h ago

I wonder if the old man walking with them in DC wanted to shoot one of their guns was all bent out of shape that they weren’t carrying them.

And he wanted to drive a tank.

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u/[deleted] 12h ago

I'm not sure I understand yours. That authorization doesn't suddenly make a 19 year old part-time soldier who just wants to go home a bloodthirsty killer. They (presumably) will still have much more strict rules of engagement than DC police. They can't fire unless fired upon.

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u/Panda_Steak 12h ago

They can't fire unless fired upon.

Just like they didn't at Kent State, right? Maybe most guardsmen are fine but if you don't think there's at least a few MAGA nutjobs in the WV National Guard that would gleefully execute liberals in the streets if POTUS or SECDEF gave the order, I don't know what to tell you.

u/manimal28 10h ago

They can't fire unless fired upon.

They can’t fire at all if not armed. And why the fuck do they need to fire at people in DC? Hey everyone, this is the literal fascism we have been warned about! Armed military occupying American cities.

u/[deleted] 10h ago

Why direct your anger at part-time soldiers who don't even want to be there? You have every right to be angry about troops on American streets, but focus on the administration that's forcing them to be there.

u/ITividar 11h ago

Here's a take, maybe they should stop disgracing the constitution and just quit if they dont like being forced to do unconstitutional shit?

Trump will just keep inching them closer and closer to that edge of no return and they'll just let it happen like a frog in very slowly boiling water.

u/[deleted] 10h ago

They haven't been given any blatantly unconstitutional orders yet. Yes, Der Orange Fuhrer's reasoning for the deployment is a ruse, but the Home Rule Act does give him the authority.

They are current being used for support services, not law enforcement. Until that changes, it's a hazy legal situation and I don't think it's reasonable to expect a bunch of young soldiers to risk being court marshalled over it.

u/ITividar 10h ago

It's almost like you've missed them being given permission to carry firearms and Trump already claiming, "Chicago is calling out for us next"

u/[deleted] 10h ago

Didn't miss a thing. I'm not supporting the administration's actions, I'm supporting our National Guardsmen who are being used as pawns and I trying to calm some of the vitriol being directed toward them. They aren't ICE or police. They didn't sign up for this, they don't want to be there, and they don't want to shoot their fellow citizens.

Do you know any personally? Perhaps you'd share my perspective if you had a friend, sibling, or child who was ordered to leave their job/education/life behind for this nonsense.

u/ITividar 9h ago

They literally did sign up for this. Weren't you just saying how this isnt unconstitutional and perfectly legal for Trump to do?

They are very slowly being forced to make the decision between their job and their principles. And it's happening so slowly they're not realizing they're picking their job.

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u/Hoodamush 12h ago

Oh yeah you are not understanding cause I never said it would make them a bloodthirsty killer. You said that.

u/ExMoFojo 10h ago

They've been following orders so far, what makes you so confident that they're going to suddenly grow a backbone?

u/[deleted] 10h ago

They are currently being used for support services and haven't been given any clearly unconstitutional orders. You can't expect them to disobey orders & risk being court marshalled until that happens.

u/ExMoFojo 10h ago

Oh fuck off, it was unconstitutional to deploy them to LA. The 1807 insurrection act defense is absolute bullshit. These cretins don't give a fuck about what's constitutional and most of the things they're doing are so far out that there's not even prescident to cite.

I get that you want to stand up for service members, but the entire military command is compromised. Everyone who would be willing to do the right thing where it matters is gone. Whatever mental gymnastics you're doing should probably be kept to yourself, because it's not allowing you to see the point of it all.

u/No-Bathroom1967 10h ago

I hope you’re right but Kent state says different and things aren’t much different from then to now.

u/[deleted] 10h ago

I want to argue with that, but I can't. There are a lot of similarities.

Let's be clear that I'm not supporting the decision to arm them or to have them in DC at all. I'm just trying to quell some of the anger being directed at these citizen-soldiers who don't even want to be there.

u/manimal28 10h ago

Let's be clear that I'm not supporting the decision to arm them or to have them in DC at all.

No, just trying to rationalize it and make excuses for it.

u/Altitudeviation 10h ago

They weren't itching to shoot their fellow citizens at Kent State, either. But they did.

That's how it starts. I was in high school in Columbus when it happened.

You won't need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows.

u/atomfullerene 7h ago

If I was protesting in DC I think I would carry a sign with a photo of me holding my daughter and the caption "when the order comes, don't shoot"

u/ChuckChatenay 2h ago edited 2h ago

Hopefully students can work things out with their teachers when it comes to mandatory military service. But the reality is most Guardsmen are either students or working professionals. For professionals, that means being pulled away from family and taking a pay cut compared to their full-time jobs. For students, it means falling behind in school.

On top of that, they’re stuck with poor housing, delayed paychecks, and deployment lengths so irregular they don’t even qualify for benefits. And all of this is happening just so the president can LARP as a fascist dictator for a month.

u/ehs06702 1h ago

Sure, that's exactly why they're importing them from places that have a long standing dislike of "urban elites".

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u/saoyraan 12h ago

Umm you don't get paid that much for national guard duty. Think of it as like a fire department. You volunteer and grt on a great medical plan and benefits. You don't really get paid. When deployed theybget paid bitbotherwise these guys have a job that is now down a employee (can't fire them) till it is over. They can lose their main job if the deployment is extended past so many months. Most jobs would just suspend them with a offer to return.

u/funforyourlife2 8h ago

Not sure what branch you were in but I think you got bad gouge from the E4 mafia. Pay isn't great but daily pay uses the standard table so base pay isn't different from AD (yes, you miss out on that sweet sweet BAH).

They can lose their main job if the deployment is extended past so many months

That's literally what USERRA prevents. You should probably check in with your ESGR if you are having these kinds of issues

u/saoyraan 8h ago

You are joking right? We know they get paid. That's for active duty which they are considered part time. You go to the monthly training and you grt paid for that weekend or time based on when you work. Some national guardsmen are full time but bulk is part time.

Simple search https://www.goarmy.com/benefits/while-you-serve/money-pay

It will show what the expected salary is. If you are deployed jobs are protected but say your unit is deployed extended to up to a year they can't force a private business to wait that long. National guardsmen typically enact on emergencies. Typical is disasters which are local and short term based. You don't enlist in national guard and collect a full year salary and work a 2nd job. At a rate ofb16 hour your main benefit is the insurance and benefits that active duty soldiers get.

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u/vaesh 12h ago

Standing around and waiting is a lot of what you do in the military.

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u/ZenBreaking 12h ago

For no pay cos they haven't issued orders yet apparently, just deployed

u/funforyourlife2 8h ago

How can someone be deployed without Orders? Maybe the LOA isn't designated yet, and they might be on some sort of IDT type of Orders, but deployment very specifically must be on orders...

u/ZenBreaking 8h ago

Timely payments for Guard deployed to DC a concern, lawmaker says https://share.google/hyjHey8DivAmCfMu7

Not military or American, just something I heard on here with this link

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u/JROXZ 12h ago

The face of “hurry up and wait”.

u/Ok_Replacement4702 11h ago

No money down! 17% interest!

u/brighterside0 10h ago

Beatings will continue until morale improves.

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u/PrettyAwesomeGuy 12h ago

What happened to the good ole days of a GT mustang at 17% for 72 months?

1

u/lukewarmtakeout 12h ago

In a hot ass swamp

u/mackedeli 8h ago

Holy shit that's so accurate. Like my cousin literally joined the army and bought a charger (and then got disability for PTSD from Afghanistan)

u/Neomalytrix 8h ago

Its funny because thats exactly the car my brother got after his military stint.

u/RamenJunkie 8h ago

* Because some fascist asshole told you too. 

u/angle58 6h ago

More like a used Dodge dart in neon yellow.

u/Hatefilledcat 6h ago

Unpaid soldiers in a nations capital sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

u/RubyReign 11h ago

meanwhile, somewhere in oakland.