I know this isn't the popular answer but oh well. If there is one thing I've learned in my time in the military, it's that no one cares about you, but you. Do what's good for your family and yourself. Be a good bro in the sq, be upfront about your end goals and you should be gtg.

Caveat...I'm a little more jaded about the comfort and safety of the full time gig. I, and a few friends, have been on full time orders, that suddenly disappeared, and put us on the street with no back up option. In our case, all it took was a leadership change for things to be shaken up a bit. Lucky for me, I was single at the time. For the married guys, times were tough for a while. I'm now back in a full time gig, but I have less trust in its safety net and have an airline gig, just in case.

While this is going on, all our part-timer friends that had gotten their airline jobs, helped out. They have all been sitting pretty good, while we all take huge paycuts and sit at the bottom of a list. With sequestration and potentially more cuts (especially in the fighter community) I'm not as confident as I once was in the guard.

Personally, I would take the gig, continue to apply to the airlines and then make a decision. Most likely, by the time you get hired by an airline your 2 years will be up anyway. Trust me, big blue will not hesistate to cut those orders short if it benefits them.

As highdsight says, "have it your way." You've given your country 10-12 years their way. That's more than 99% will ever do, so serve on your own terms now. Having said that, if/when you go to the airlines/FedEx, don't be the guy that uses the "well...I make less money when I come to the mil/deploy," line. Get your sorties, deploy when it's time and enjoy the most fun job in the world.

Also, unless you're a patch, I would take a look at why a Hog unit has a full time AGR that they can't fill within the squadron. Nothing against you, but those are generally highly sought after by guys in the squadron. Some squadrons use them to attract talent, which is good. But in some squadrons that may mean an underlying issue in the squadron. Talk to the part-timers...especially the ones that used to be full time.

Goodluck.

 

Some of the posters have made some valid points about the uncertainty of the guard,but guess what? You chose a career field with lots of uncertainty (military and airline industry). You have to mitigate the risk as much as possible while making the best decision for your family, which IMO is what I stated in my previous post. I have met more guard dudes with good stories vs bad stories.

 

Not sure if it's feasible in a fighter unit, but can you eek out a living troughing? Not a bad way to live for a while as long as there is work for you. You have to be realistic about it though...it WILL require some belt tightening vs. Active Duty. On the plus side, you have near total control of your schedule and don't have to feel the least bit bad if United calls you with a class date tomorrow.

 

I think I need to echo the sentiment of what others have said here -- for years and years we've operated under the assumption that the guard and its retirements will always "be there", but with the cuts that are coming down, there's no sacred cows anymore.

Even the military pension and healthcare is being questioned. Sure, it may not be a serious threat in 2013, but the mere fact that it's being discussed is simply the first step. Discussion leads to debates, and debates lead to actions.

 

Thanks for all the inputs. I have some big decisions to make and you all are making good points and things to think about. I am exploring all options.

 

I think they will come after it eventually, all it takes is enough clueless congresspeople who don't understand how the current 20-year system drives military performance and career progression. Or maybe some who DO understand it but would prefer the military not perform as well as it does...

But I think any changes will only apply to those who first join up after the effective date. I can't conceive as to how they could retro-actively cancel retirements for those who are past twenty, or even those who more than say 5 years in service.

Over time we might see watered down retirement pay and medical bennies though.

 

Goodluck. With some luck, hiring will happen soon.

One of the recent proposals, required you to have 15 yeas in to stay under the "old" 20 yr pension program. I'm not sure of the details of the rest but it was pro-rated as your years of service went down.