[recklessdriver]

i wish officers would have to go through the same process as warrent.. You have to be a E5 before you can get Waivored in to go to the school. FAR FAr to many idiots i have seen who think they own the world because they went straight through officer school. They just make failures who don't listen. Hell i had some new Female 1st LT who total tiem beyond trainig was still zero... she kept taking training programs to "avoid deployments." She told me her goal was to help women and children all over the world and teach them about femist ideas... she was upset when i laughed... she had no clue.

 

[kenxkillz]

I'd really rather not do reserve or national guard. No offense to anyone who did either. They just wouldnt be my thing!

Cant you ask to be put on active duty and sent to the middle east after ROTC?

 

[Watchingtheweasels]

I have the grades and ACT scroes to get a full ROTC scholarship more than likely, and definitely get a very large portion of my college payed at the least, but i have some doubts....

I have noticed that almost everyone who is anyone in the military is a west pointe grad. so what would be the point in doing ROTC if there isnt really much of a chance for far advancement in a military career?

Seeing all this has really made me think twice about ROTC...

If you are wondering if there is favoritism towards service academy grads over ROTC commissioned officers in the military, the answer is yes. During the daddy bush drawdown, ROTC candidates were essentially locked out of USAF flight slots which were reserved for the academy folks. If you want to make a career out of the military and can get to a service academy do it. Otherwise, Lt.Col is more than likely where it will stop for you.

A more important question is whether or not you should even consider entering the military until you know who will be the CIC in January 2013.

...and if you do end up going in remember a wise officer uses his ears a heck of a lot more than his mouth...and this is an enlisted man's army. We are just there to help them along the way.

 

[mefunkymxw]

I'd really rather not do reserve or national guard. No offense to anyone who did either. They just wouldnt be my thing!

Cant you ask to be put on active duty and sent to the middle east after ROTC?

that is just where the commission comes though.... the reserves... you will end up being active duty regular army anyway... someone else explained it in their post as well.

 

[mefunkymxw]

If you are wondering if there is favoritism towards service academy grads over ROTC commissioned officers in the military, the answer is yes. During the daddy bush drawdown, ROTC candidates were essentially locked out of USAF flight slots which were reserved for the academy folks. If you want to make a career out of the military and can get to a service academy do it. Otherwise, Lt.Col is more than likely where it will stop for you.

A more important question is whether or not you should even consider entering the military until you know who will be the CIC in January 2013.

...and if you do end up going in remember a wise officer uses his ears a heck of a lot more than his mouth...and this is an enlisted man's army. We are just there to help them along the way.

Reductions in force (RIFs) are another scenario completely, though there is an element of truth to it during "slow" military times. old mil might be right in that another RIF might be coming in 2013, but probably not on the scale of the one that went on in 1992... there are still alot of threats out there nowadays and our garrison footprint will have grown in both iraq and afghanistan (i know the embassy in baghdad is supposed to be able to support 5000 people, that would probably mean a full brigade combat team might be housed there).

anyway back to you original post, although your test scores/grades might support getting into an academy, have you put any effort into obtaining a congressional nomination yet??? this is one of the limiting factors you will have to consider.

 

[kenxkillz]

Reductions in force (RIFs) are another scenario completely, though there is an element of truth to it during "slow" military times. old mil might be right in that another RIF might be coming in 2013, but probably not on the scale of the one that went on in 1992... there are still alot of threats out there nowadays and our garrison footprint will have grown in both iraq and afghanistan (i know the embassy in baghdad is supposed to be able to support 5000 people, that would probably mean a full brigade combat team might be housed there).

anyway back to you original post, although your test scores/grades might support getting into an academy, have you put any effort into obtaining a congressional nomination yet??? this is one of the limiting factors you will have to consider.

Yes, i am working on a nomination, but its unlikely.

Applied to all the people i can.

 

[kingpin44]

I have the grades and ACT scroes to get a full ROTC scholarship more than likely, and definitely get a very large portion of my college payed at the least, but i have some doubts....

I have noticed that almost everyone who is anyone in the military is a west pointe grad. so what would be the point in doing ROTC if there isnt really much of a chance for far advancement in a military career?

Even ROTC programs are mostly run by West Pointe graduates. If ROTC leaders are as good as valuable as West Pointe graduates and are supposed to be the best, like all their stuff says, why are they never anywhere near the top?

Seeing all this has really made me think twice about ROTC...

I'd say, probably don't do it. You will earn more respect if you enlist and get an education (which is important to some degree), then become an officer. Most officers from ROTC WP or otherwise, that I have known, were total jerkoffs who didn't have a clue. If you do decide to do it, know that LDAC is a joke and that your NCOs are really in charge and learn from experience. Know that what I said about education is only 30% or so of knowledge, the rest is experience. You never know how things are until you live it!

 

[Doc_Shane]

I'd really rather not do reserve or national guard. No offense to anyone who did either. They just wouldnt be my thing!

Cant you ask to be put on active duty and sent to the middle east after ROTC?

Depends on needs of the service........ I've known officers that were given reserve commissions out of ROTC and never saw a day of active duty other than training. Completely depends on what the Service branch needs staffing wise, especially since they went to the Total Force concept and the Guard and Reserve became a major part of their combat planning.

Even an entire Academy class not long ago was not commissioned because the AF decided they had too many 2 LTs, the Army and Marine Corps picked a lot of them up. But some of them went 4 years to Colorado Springs and only ended up with a free education, no career.

The reserves and guard make up 80% of the combat strength these days.
As far back as Desert Storm 70% of the deployed troops were reservists and guardsmen.

 

[kenxkillz]

I'd say, probably don't do it. You will earn more respect if you enlist and get an education (which is important to some degree), then become an officer. Most officers from ROTC WP or otherwise, that I have known, were total jerkoffs who didn't have a clue. If you do decide to do it, know that LDAC is a joke and that your NCOs are really in charge and learn from experience. Know that what I said about education is only 30% or so of knowledge, the rest is experience. You never know how things are until you live it!

I have heard that before! But there is no way i could go army then go to college, i just wouldnt be allowed to.