So I had my interview with the OCS board today and was informed that they would recommend me for OCS.  I've been working on this for so long that it still hasn't fully registered with me yet.  Even with all of the congratulatory e-mails and phone calls from friends and family, it still feels like I'm dreaming.  I'll be signing paperwork on the 16th of this month and hope to ship out sometime in January, but I won't know anything for sure till I sign paperwork.



Anyone have any advice?  I already have down:



1. Bust my ass to keep in shape/get in even better shape

2. Branching to the career field I want is not guaranteed

3. Don't get in trouble w/ the law

4. Study up on knowledge stuff for Basic/OCS

Congrats.   Keep up the good work.

Congrats and thanks for your service!

Good for you. I take it that you're coming in off the streets then?

Just remember these thoughts. You'll be joining the military as an officer, outranking  roughly 75% of your fellow soldiers right from the get go (though I wouldn't recommend  trying to chew out a 1SG or CWO just yet
).Be humbled by the fact that by bestowing you with a higher rank, the United States are entrusting you with the care of its most precious resource, namely the lives of their sons and daughters. Good Luck.

congrats!



it's like getting laid for the first time...again

Be safe and don't get hurt between now and when you leave.  Keep a steady pace and lead a model life.

Im a Marine Officer candidate and I love it. while the Army is a little different, Im sure youll love it. Plus, I heard Army OCS is a cake walk

Congrats man! Thanks for your service!

Superb job son! I may be joining you once I finished my MBA.

Remember what you are doing is important, and an honor.  But also, don't forget to enjoy this.  Beleive it or not, 20 years from now you will look back on the bust-ass busy time of OCS and your first year of service, and it will be looking back at the Good Old Days.  Savor it, and push yourself to excel - and Good Luck!

Congratulations!

Congrats, and stay in shape! You will go through basic, so keep running. That's all you need to be honest.

Yes, come to the dark side. We have cookies

Learn to trust and learn from good NCOs.  However, remember that you are in charge.  That means that you solicit advice, but you make the decision.

Learn your branch cold.  Get the Army Reading List and read it.  

Learn how to be good subordinate.  Take bad orders well.

Get to know your soldiers.  Take a genuine interest in their lives and concern yourself with their welfare.  Don't complain in front of the men, esp if it involves members of the chain of command, money or benefits.  Learn how they do their jobs.

Your soldiers want a leader and officer of which they can be proud...a PT Leader, Smart Decisionmaker, Aggressive in the field, etc.

Read everything you can on Leadership.  You can't learn leadership from a book, but you can avoid errors.  Military biographies are a good start.  Find in the common strains those great leaders share.  However, don't fake your leadership style.  Find one that jives with your personality.   The leader of any organization sets the tone for that organization.

Capt. Jack Aubrey: I respect your right to disagree with me, but I can only afford one rebel on this ship. I hate it when you talk of the service in this way. It makes me feel so very low. You think I want to flog Nagle? A man who hacked the ropes that sent his mate to his death? Under MY orders? Do you not see? The only things that keep this wooden world together are hard work...
Dr. Stephen Maturin: Jack, the man failed to salute. There's hierarchies even in nature. There is no disdain in nature. There is no...
Capt. Jack Aubrey: Men must be governed! Often not wisely, but governed nonetheless.
Dr. Stephen Maturin: That's the excuse of every tyrant in history, from Nero to Bonaparte. I, for one, am opposed to authority. It is an egg of misery and opression.
Capt. Jack Aubrey: You've come to the wrong shop for anarchy, brother.

I started OCS about a year ago. I had a great time in OCS. I got to spend 12 weeks with friends I made in BCT, learning hooah infantry tactics from experienced cadre, then having dinner and microbrewed beers at the Cannon.

Get a 300 on your first PT test. That first PT test virtually determines the OML. As long as you're not retarded you'll score 90+ on all the exams, so there's only minor jockying of positions after the first PT test.
Don't go to sick hall and don't get a profile. Getting a profile is an easy way to get recycled in OCS. I fractured one of my metatarsal bones early on in OCS, but rather than be recycled, I had one of the medics in our class keep it rapped and I drove on. Unless you physically cannot go on, or you think you may die, don't go to sick hall. The only time I went was after physically passing out after the last PT test, turns out I had a fever of 106 and pneumonia, but I still finished my run.

I busted my ass through BCT and OCS, finished @ #20 in my class. There were only 3 finance slots and I selected one of them (the last one.) Talked to my branch manager, told her what I wanted to do, got my RFO (sort of a script of how you change duty stations) with Airborne and Ranger school. My unit got in contact with me almost immediately to greet me. I was walking on sunshine for the last 6 weeks of OCS, aced my last history test and my field leadership evals. Last week of OCS rolls around I get called to see the battalion XO. Turns out there was some kind of mistake, they don't have a finance slot for me (or anyone else in my class,) and I'm now Field Artillery. No getting my second choice, nothing to be done. Fast forward to today, I lead a life of very little relevance. I have virtually no job responsibilities, I don't lead any soldiers and it's depressing as hell, to feel your own potential squandered by someone far away deciding assignments to "fill a spot."

But I'd do it all again if I had the chance. Those short 6 months I spent in BCT and OCS, I got to be hooah, and I got to be relevant, and feel like I was making a difference for my country, and doing something important. And odds are, you will leave OCS a 2LT and go lead soldiers and do great things.

What branch do you want? Right off the bat I can tell you that MS and AV are pretty much off the table unless you have prior relevant experience. You can feel free to PM me for more personal questions.
Alpha company "alphatraz" is tough, and does hard PT, but recently they've been letting their candidates have weekends pretty early on.
Bravo company had a long standing reputation as being the easy company, but their current CO aimed to change that and it's pretty hellish there right now. As in, not getting weekends in week 10.
Charlie company the company commander is one of the funniest individuals you will ever meet. He went to OCS himself and has more OCS pride than just about anyone. He will tell you to "Prepare to mount" your bunks.
Delta Company traditionally also an easy company with lots of time off.
Echo company traditionally an easy company with lots of time off.

I'm hoping to branch Aviation.  The only reason I see that as a possibility is that I already have my private pilot's license, and went through everything necessary to get picked up for aviation when I applied for WOFT (flight physical and AFAST, but wasn't picked up for WOFT).  If I'm not able to get Aviation, my next two choices are Signals and Armor.



 

Oh no, another future butter bar!    Just kidding, best of luck to you and thank you for deciding to serve your country.

Getting into and through OCS does not even come close to the same challenges you will face as a commissioned officer.



 

Congrats!  I remember the day I learned I was being commissioned!  

I was thinking...ok...now what?

Lead by example.  Eat last...they will notice.  100% equality in the ranks in all things...good and bad.

Set the highest standards...live by them and never waver.  Hold your troops to those standards.  When they fail to do so, hold them (and yourself) accountable.

Praise in public, deliver beatdowns in private.

Learn your warcraft cold.

Use your sergeants!  Depend on their experience and leadership.  Push responsibilities and leadership roles down.

Don't bullship your troops.  They KNOW when you are.

Don't be their buddy...be their LT.  LEAD them.

Stay safe...and shoot straight!

Congratulations.



Lead from the front and listen to the men who know what they're doing.

I went before the OCS board during Basic in 1966.  I passed and was told I would be assigned a class while in AIT.

I completed AIT and was assigned a class date to Infantry OCS at Ft Benning.   About two weeks before the class date I contracted pneumonia and was in pretty bad shape.  My class date was cancelled until I recovered.  Finally I was given two sets of orders.  One for another OCS class date and one for an overseas assignment.  I was told I could chose either one I wanted.  I was still a little weak from the pneumonia and knew I would have difficultly during the beginning and hardest part of OCS so I made the choice to go overseas.

I made E-6 on my first (and only) enlistment so I didn't do too bad in the Army but I have often regretted not going to OCS.  If I had it to do over again I would have requested a later OCS class date and recovered from the pneumonia and recovered my strength.

It was a decision to not be all I could be and like I said I regret it.

Good luck.  You will be proud to be an Army Officer.

Congratulations.

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Unit-Leadership-Commonsense-Approach/dp/0891411739

Once you get your butter bar, go around and tell all your NCOs "I'm an officer by God, I'm in charge around here".  They really like it when you do that.

Meh, Cav or infantry.

Of course, the trick is learning to distinguish between good and bad NCOs...

I think this bears repeating and reflection. Good luck and God Bless. America has need for leaders of Men.

THIS +1000...my brother was accepted but blew out his knee and hip trying to get his run times down even further.

Those are good choices. If possible try to get your recruiting BN Commander or XO to contact the AV branch now about accepting you. Usually AV will take a couple of people (as in 2) from each class if they already have pilots licenses and flight physicals. Aviation is a great field to get into. You get to do extremely cool missions, everyone thinks you're some kind of super hero, and you don't have to put up with a lot of the BS that the rest of the Army does do to AV's laid back nature. Just be aware that there may be no civilian job opportunity for you if you want to get out. I know a CPT and Maj that are both aviators, both looking to get out of the Army, but because you spend so much time at a desk while your WOs fly, you don't have enough flight hours to be competitive in the civilian market.

Signal is a cool job, and if you get a TS has great post-army opportunities.

Armor is cool if you land a Cav job, it's like infantry without so much ruck marching.

You're virtually guaranteed to get one of those 3 branches if you score a 300 on your first PT test. Just throwing that out there.

Of course, the trick is learning to distinguish between good and bad NCOs...[/quote]




NCOs have little trouble separating good officers from bad ones!
Every E-7 should be issued at least one Lt.

Good luck.  First chance you get volunteer for Seal training.