Ep 496: Why This A-10 Crew Chief Ditched Active Duty and Won at Life - Derrick Blake

Send us a text Think active duty is the only path? Derrick Blake would like a word—preferably during his 3-day weekend. From almost joining the Marines to wrenching on A-10s and recruiting for the 193rd Special Operations Wing, Derrick walks us through how the Air National Guard let him stay home, stack checks, and still deploy to undisclosed sandbox locations. Oh, and did we mention you start getting paid before basic? Yeah. This one’s going to ruffle some feathers—and we love it. We talk Guard myths vs. facts, how student flight is the low-key cheat code, and why most people have no damn clue what the Guard even is. If you’re trying to join TACP or EOD through the Guard and haven’t hit up Derrick yet, what are you even doing? 🔥 Key Takeaways: 🎯 Enlist in the Guard? Get paid before BMT. Yes, seriously. 🛩️ A-10 crew chief by trade, recruiter by mission, sarcasm by default. 🧠 ASVAB prep = life trajectory. Don’t flunk your future. 🏋️ TACP prep in the Guard is no joke—expect the gauntlet. 😬 Meds, motivation, and mustaches—what’s disqualifying and what’s just annoying. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – “Just hit record” chaos 02:00 – From almost Marine to Air Guard crew chief 06:00 – Guard vs. Active: why full-time Guard slaps 09:30 – Student flight = paid prep before BMT 12:50 – Yes, you get Tricare. Yes, you get discounts 16:00 – Tech school differences and deployment reality 22:00 – What 193rd A-GAL really does (and doesn’t do) 26:00 – How Guard TACP prep works 28:30 – Open TACP & EOD slots in Pennsylvania 34:00 – Meds, ASVAB, and common disqualifiers 38:00 – Good vs. bad candidate trends 44:00 – How to actually join the Guard 48:00 – Just do it. No really. Just do it. 🎯 Call-to-Actions: 👍 Like the episode 🔔 Subscribe to the channel 💬 Drop your questions for Derrick 🌟 Leave a 5-star review 🪖 Join the Ones Ready Membership 👕 Snag some fresh merch Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY DFND Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY Hoist - Promo Code: ONESREADY ...