The first step in joining the Wisconsin Army National Guard is to meet with a recruiter to see if you meet our entrance requirements.

1. Aptitude Test: If you meet the requirements, you will take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, better known as the ASVAB. The ASVAB is a 3-hour test, containing ten separate segments. This test determines which job skills or Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) you are qualified for.

2. Physical Exam: After you pass the ASVAB, your recruiter will schedule you for a physical at a Military Entrance Processing Station. Stations are located in Milwaukee and Minneapolis. Your geographic location determines which one you will use.

After the physical and enlistment, you will attend weekend drills with your unit before you go to basic training. Your unit will assign a sponsor who will help in your transition, give you a tour of the facilities, and introduce you to the other unit members. You will attend a one-weekend course at Fort McCoy before leaving for basic training. This course, called Non-Prior Service Training is designed to help prepare you for basic training.

3. Basic Training: When you arrive at your basic training company, you will spend three to four days in-processing. During this period, you will receive your uniforms, review your records and get your immunizations. In basic training, you will cover a number of topics. Some of these include: military justice, code of conduct, race relations, map reading, first aid, the Geneva Convention, drill and ceremonies, physical training and weapons qualification. After nine weeks, you will graduate.

To see a video about basic training, visit 1-800-GO-GUARD and click on "Basic Training" within the "Students & Graduates Section".

4. Job Training: Your next step is to complete advanced individual training, better known as AIT. This is the portion of your training where you will actually learn the military specialty that you are going to be performing. AIT lasts on average, five to thirteen weeks, depending on your military specialty. When you complete AIT, no longer will you be considered a trainee, but a soldier ready to return to your hometown unit.

5. Drill: As a member of your unit, you will be required to attend your training weekends, known as drill, one weekend a month plus a two-week annual training period once a year.

Contact a local recruiter today so you can start working on your future in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. Don't forget to email your friends about this site.

It's Time For You To Say
"I Am A Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldier!"