Well, it's time...

Application's complete, all I have to do is pass the board interview, and my days as a civillian become 'numbered'...

Any tips?

Also, as a side question:

I need a new pair of dress shoes for the board, and I was thinking I might as well buy a pair 'regulation' (eg, so when I have to buy my uniform, assuming I'm selected, I'll allready have the shoes for the dress uniform (shirt/tie/jacket, whatever they call it) ).

Is there a specific brand/style I can get, and are they commonly available at surplus stores? Any other info?

These shoes are good for boards, inspections, etc.

www.vtarmynavy.com/hi-gloss-navy-oxfords.htm

Semper Fi  and Good luck

Good luck!  I hope you're up to snuff.

You might leave the "love those rascally little misunderstood Muslims" thing at home...otoh, if you're going CSS it won't matter.

I teach at our OCS here.  Just take a deep breath and be yourself.  You will do just fine.  

Quoted: You might leave the "love those rascally little misunderstood Muslims" thing at home...otoh, if you're going CSS it won't matter.

QS, I don't 'love' Muslims... I just realize that if we're going to win we can't do it 'Russian Style', and that the current MO is the only way to go...

I'm trying to get Armor branch, so my views on the subject will be irrelevant, things will be reduced to 'If it's shooting at me, it goes "BOOM"'...

Good luck and be yourself, it's what got you that far.

Quoted: Quoted: You might leave the "love those rascally little misunderstood Muslims" thing at home...otoh, if you're going CSS it won't matter. QS, I don't 'love' Muslims... I just realize that if we're going to win we can't do it 'Russian Style', and that the current MO is the only way to go... I'm trying to get Armor branch, so my views on the subject will be irrelevant, things will be reduced to 'If it's shooting at me, it goes "BOOM"'...

Both my father (COL (Ret)) and my brother (CPT) were/are Armor branch.


Nothing like 70 tons of American willpower with a 120mm gun.

Look after your soldiers' needs and get some!

Wish I could offer some good advice, but they don't require us to sit a board to go Warrant so I haven't been there. They did us all on paper, my packet was about 1.5" thick.

From those that have, I am told the questions are generally very non-specific and non-military in a way. Questions like "What will you bring to the US Army as an officer."

I went before the "board" in 1967.  Make damn sure everything is polished and pressed.  Stand like a rock and look every one in the eye when you answer their questions..  They'll tell you to stand at ease after you report in and salute them.  

Sound off like you got a pair....but don't shout.  You need to sound motivated and that you want to become an officer because you know you're a leader.

You have to really want it and they have to feel you do.

Good luck..................let us know the outcome.

Rambosky - Out

P.S. guys, in case you missed the note, I'm a civillian right now, entering the Army thru OCS if I get selected...

If you are going to wear high polish oxfords make sure they go with the suit.  Suit and tie, white to off-white, maybe light colored shirt, make sure they all coordinate.  It's just me, but somebody wearing an uncoordinated shoes or suit or  shirt or tie tweaked me a lot more than somebody wearing coordinated slacks shirt and tie and no coat.  I did college recruiting whan a suit was de rigeur and one day three frat brothers came in all wearing the same suit, shirt and tie, and the same horrendous stick-pin.

Are you the only one going before the board that day?  You want to stand out from the rest, in a positive way, standing out for a negative even a small negative gets you extra thought.  Especially if they see several.

Squared away appearance.  Neat haircut, but no need for high and tight.  You aren't in yet.  Clean shaven, sideburns a reasonable  length, 1/3 down.   A mustache  only if you can do it right and ony if you really want it.  You want to project an aura of self-confidence in yourself.  Nothing tending to the extremes.  Look like somebody they wouldn't mind dating their daughter.

Think about and be able to articulate why you want to be in the Army, in Armor, other Combat Arms if  Armor not available, why you didn't want the Marines or Navy or Air Force,  etc.  They should avoid  national political  questions but they may ask about  your views on international issues.  You should be able to discuss  those issues .



"I want to protect my country from radical fundamental  Islamic groups and other threats." is a good answer while  "I wanna kill all the ragheads (or all Muslims.)" is not a good answer.

Remember they are looking for somebody they can trust their sons and daughters with in combat.  Because that is what you will be doing, you will be responsible for OUR sons and daughters.

I've sat on an OCS selection board.  Just relax and be yourself.  There's a whole package of crap the officers on the board get and have to go through before they show up .  It tells them what to look for and what to ask, etc.  

It's not a grilling or anything like that.  No one will ask trick questions or anything like that either.  

The board members will divide up specific areas to ask things of each person, but that doesn't really matter to you, since you see them only once.  They aren't looking for ways to fail you, nor trip you up, even though they'll all ask you questions.  

You don't really need to know jack about being an officer in your case either.  It is assumed that if you pass the board, and pass OCS, and pass OBC, you'll be trained enough to learn how to become one.  They don't expect a civillian to be General Patton.

There weren't any set questions really.  The usual why's and what's, but most of that was just to calm people down and get them talking.  We asked questions based on what the person said, and what their background was.  

Some guys had run their own business.  So we'd ask quesitons on how they did things that had to do with leadership and managment of stuff, and some technical things to see if they really knew what they were talking about (even if we had no clue what they were talking about).  

Some guys had limited leadership experience, but a drive or "hunger" that was pretty obvious.  We'd ask guys like that questions about what they'd done in the past that they may not thought of that gave us a better understanding of where they were coming from.

It's not like a job interview, where you're looking for the best qualified guy.  It was more like you were making a recomendation on if a cannidate had potential, and had the raw material required.  The officers on the boards are just line officers, and not some admin guys that specialize in this stuff.  They aren't "human resources" or anything.  They just make a gut decision based on their own experience.  There's nothing that "they want to hear" because they'll go back to their unit after the board and not think twice aobut anything you said.  The Army does it this way because it wants REAL officers making these recomendations, and not some crap that you could make a formula out of.  They don't ask tough questions because they don't know any.  They also don't need to know any.  By the time the interview is over, they'll know if they'll recomend you or not.  There's no jury deliberations or anything.  It's a simple, quick, fair, and good system.

Be honest, be yourself and stay calm.  It's pretty rough on your end (due to self-induced pressure), but just relax.  Don't try to BS or "oversell" yourself.  That's easy to see through right away, and NOT what I want in an officer.  Don't try to guess what they want.  There's not really a right or wrong answer to anything.  No one on the board is trying to cheat you out of anything or blockading you.  The board itself has no idea whatsoever about how many will be needed, or anything else.  They only make recomendations on the individual.  They won't be looking to pass 3 out of 4 or anything like that.  They can recomend all, or none, or any number in between, so you aren't really going up against anyone else in line.  It's all about you.

All the folks that stood before the board I was on were top notch folks.  If you've gotten to the board stage, you're doing good.  I can't stress being yourself hard enough.  Just go with what's going on and you'll do fine.

Ross