How To Join
1. Contact a recruiter
You won’t be alone on your journey to enlistment. You’ll have someone to lean on, look to for encouragement, and keep you on track. Your recruiter is ready for you.
Start the process by contacting your local New Jersey Army National Guard Recruiter. No obligation, no guarantees – it’s just a way of letting us know that you want to find out more.
2. Take the ASVAB
If you and your recruiter agree that you are a good fit for the Guard, you will take a standardized test called the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). It is designed to discover your strengths, so we can find the best place in the Guard for you – the one where you will fit best and be most likely to succeed. Your recruiter can give you an ASVAB pre-test to see how well you might do. Many high schools in New Jersey also sponsor the ASVAB. If you are in high school, check with your guidance department to see if the ASVAB will be given in your school.BE A GUARD SOLDIER FOR A DAY
3. Complete your application
Complete the application and gather required source documents. You will need to provide copies and/or originals of these important documents to your recruiter. A sample list follows:
- Social security card
- Driver’s license
- Verification of citizenship or lawful residence
- High school diploma/transcripts or GED completion certificate
- If applicable, copies of your marriage certificate, divorce decree or separation order
- Birth certificates for your children under 18 years of age
- Court documents if ordered to pay spousal and/or child support
- Documentation of any junior ROTC or college ROTC experience
- College diploma or official transcripts
- Student loan documentation from NSLDS website
- Direct Deposit Form SF1199 completed and signed by an official from your financial institution
4. Enlist
Once you have determined that you want to become a soldier in the Army National Guard and you have completed your application process with your recruiter you are ready to enlist. At this point, your recruiter will make all the arrangements to finalize your enlistment at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) located at Fort Dix, NJ or Fort Hamilton, NY. At the MEPS you will:
- Complete a physical examination with our medical personnel
- Complete a personal security screening and be fingerprinted
- Lock in your ship date for Basic Combat Training (BCT)
- Confirm the military job that you have selected
- Approve any benefits and bonuses
- Review and sign all documents with the MEPS Guidance Counselor
- Take your Oath of Enlistment
At the end of this day, assuming everything goes smoothly, you will be a Soldier in the New Jersey Army National Guard.