NPR.

The Army National Guard is a part of the Army, so sometimes service members get sent overseas,

but when they're not on active federal duty, National Guard service members are based

on their home states.

Traditionally, they've mostly responded to domestic emergencies like floods or the pandemic,

and there are some great-sounding perks.

You can serve while you work, while you're in school.

There are these tuition reimbursement programs, student loan repayments.

You can even help your spouse go to school.

The Army National Guard is here to assist with many education benefits available to its

soldiers.

Knowing how to do it.

And it used to be when you signed up, it was kind of understood you would train and

work one weekend a month, two weeks in the summer.

That's why they were often called part-time soldiers.

But you know when your job description doesn't really align with reality, that is kind

of what happened here.

Because times are changing, just as Dan McKnight, he served in Idaho's National Guard for almost

a decade.

My entire life, the recruiting National Guard message has been one weekend a month, two

weeks in the summer, and when we served, we used to say one weekend a month, two weeks

in the summer, my ass.

...