Posted: 12/28/2007 9:11:09 AM EDT
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I've been talking to a local recruiter and I am thinking of commissioning and going to OCS. I'm not previous .mil and I am married with 1 child. Can any of you offer any advise that may make the decision that my wife and I have to make any easier? I know I'll have to go to basic and such. Originally I was thinking of going into the reserves, but now we are talking about active .mil. My older bro. is active army and he thinks I'm nuts for wanting to do this at 27. Thanks and any info or advise is appreciated and thanks for your service. Chris |
Hey Chris, Do you mean Marines, Army, Navy, AF? It sounds like Marines. I can help you there. You have to have a 4 year degree from a reputable college. My college is not accredited but they accept people from my school anyways. Your GPA must be above 2.0, but the higher the better. Second, you have to be in top physical shape. I've never been to OCS but I have been through some parts of the process. Start running-Marine officers must have very good PFT scores. 3 miles in 22 minutes or less, 15 or more pull ups, and 100 crunches in 2 minutes would give you a decent score. Third, you have to get in contact with the OSO. You didn't mention college, but typically they recruit from college students (all the people at my OCS meetings were college students with exception of the OSO). He will be able to make things happen. If you are 27 that means you can't do an Air contract which would give you a chance to fly. IM a guy named Walrus...he's going through the program right now and would be able to give you more detailed info than I would. |
USMC, USN, and USAF have OCS (OTS for AF) function as a combined officer-training and initial-entry-traiining program... The Army sends civillian candidate-selectees to basic (mixed in with all the non-combat-arms enlisted MOSes) first..... Which service, and what do you want to do for a job? |
| Sorry, I forgot to add that it is Army OCS. Before I found out I could commission instead of enlist because of my degrees, I was going to go into the reserves and join in a PsyOp unit near me. I was told that I couldn't pick a specific MOS like I would if I enlist. Is the recruiter blowing smoke up my ass about the job stuff or can I still pick a MOS? My GPA is above 3.0 from an acredited university and I know I'd have to ge into good shape. If I make the final decision to do this, be it active or reserve, I won't be leaving until at least April. |
MR, Consider doing the reserves first...that's what I'm doing. |
He is correct on MOS. Army officers get assigned based upon several factors, the biggest being needs of the Army, how you perform in OCS, and your wish list..... in that order. |
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If you're particularly worried about which way you'll branch after comissioning, go Reserve/Guard. The reserve components are screaming for new lieutenants, so you'll likely get something from your wish list, and your age will not be a problem as the vast majority of OCs have a few years of service behind them so at 27 you'll be about in the middle of the pack. I was that age when I went through OCS as a fresh-from-Basic OC. Of course, you have to worry that there's a unit which does the job you want somewhere in your area. Personally, I'd say that if you're asking opinions about reserve or active, you should go reserve. It appears to me that you're not convinced on making the life-altering decision to go Active, and reserve allows you most semblance of normality. NTM |
Sound advice, I appreciate it. My wife and I are still weighing all the options. Is it true that I can always volunteer for active duty? |
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The Reserve is very picky about letting people go active; as Manic Moran pointed out the Reserve Components, Reserver and National Guard, are very short of company grade officers. Additionally the call to active duty program requires four years previous active duty; that requirement is waiverable, however you will be climbing that hill in addition to getting released by your component. The Reserve component has moved from being a strategic reserve to an operational reserve. For the life of me I don't know why anyone would join the reserve today. Just go active. You will have more certainty in your life. |