SEC 02 / THE PROGRAM

THE PATH, IN FULL.

Five phases, from the first serious thought to long after you ship. You step on at phase one by showing up to a run, a ruck, or a class. No paperwork, no cost, no commitment, and the answer might be that the Guard is not for you. That outcome counts as a win here.

FREE FOR RECRUITS · VETERAN-BUILT · THE ANSWER MIGHT BE NO

PHASE 01

Decide

This phase is a conversation, not a pitch. Come to an event, meet the Cadre, and talk about your goals, your family, your support system, and your history. We ask the questions that take more time than a recruiting appointment allows, because our only stake is that you make the right call.

Deciding looks different for everyone. Some people sit down with Cadre on day one and start building their Zero Packet that afternoon. Others just show up for a while: run with us, ruck with us, sit in on a Schoolhouse class, and try the lifestyle on before any paperwork exists. Both are this phase working. Our job is to shrink the unknown until your decision is an informed one.

Parents: this phase is yours too. Come to anything, ask anything. Nobody here earns a thing when your kid signs.

A Cadre member and a recruit talking across a folding table with notebooks and coffee, seen from behind — CADRE TABLE TALK · GREENVILLE, SC

PHASE 02

Prep

Work with Cadre on the real inventory: legal history, medical history, possible waivers, MOS research, education plans, and fitness. PT runs at every drill and at rucks and runs between them, scaled to where you are today.

Where early rank may legitimately apply, referrals, college credits, JROTC, civilian skills, we help you document readiness. The Guard makes every decision.

Single-file line of people with rucksacks climbing a misty forest trail, seen from behind — RUCK LINE, PARIS MOUNTAIN · GREENVILLE, SC

PHASE 03

Packet

Everything from phases one and two lands in your Zero Packet: MOS preferences, ship window, education and promotion goals, medical and legal review, and the documents a recruiter needs. You build it, you own it, you carry it in. The full breakdown is here.

Two pairs of hands reviewing checklists and a manila folder at a table, overhead view — PACKET REVIEW · GREENVILLE, SC

PHASE 04

Ship + AAR

We stay with you through basic training and AIT. When you graduate, you file an After Action Report on what training was actually like: what surprised you, what you wish you had studied, how the first months really went. That honest record feeds The Baseline for the next Recruit.

A young person with a duffel bag walking alone toward building doors at dawn, seen from behind — SHIP DAY · GREENVILLE, SC

PHASE 05

Network

Graduates for life. We're standing up The Watch, the network that will keep a named person with your family while you ship, train, or deploy. Check-ins, the small things, and the urgent things. Where it stands.

Two families sharing dinner at one long backyard table at dusk, seen from behind — TWO FAMILIES, ONE TABLE · GREENVILLE, SC

SEC 03 / THE STANDARD

Drill Zero Certification.

The certification is proof, carried in your packet, that you walked in prepared. It stands up with the first formal drills.

DRILLSAttend the set number of drills. Show up, consistently.
FITNESSPass the Drill Zero fitness baseline, recorded at a drill.
KNOWLEDGEClear the checks: enlisted rank structure, phonetic alphabet, 24-hour time, drill and ceremony, and the requirements for your target MOS.
PACKETComplete your Zero Packet, cover to cover.

Phase one starts at the next event.

See the calendar See the Zero Packet