Originally Posted by TankerDriver

Yes. The military can take you anywhere in the world; good or bad (these days, it's mostly bad). Don't join the military to become an airline pilot because you won't enjoy it. People tend to think the guard and reserves are "flying clubs" where you can fly military aircraft, but not have to go to war. Well, think again. The guard and reserves are going to be used more and more heavily as time goes on. With more and more downsizing of active duty forces, the federal government will activate more and more guard/reserve units to pick up the slack. Our active duty forces are running on fumes these days. There are plenty of guardsmen and reservists in Iraq getting killed right along side their active duty bretheren. Granted in the Air Guard, you will be in a much safer place than the troops on the ground, but there are still threats. If you don't want to go to places like the Middle East, then it may be worth just spending the $35,000 at your local FBO and doing it the proverbial "old fashioned way".