Posted: 2/28/2005 5:27:08 AM EDT
| When a guy gets out of, say West Point, does he go to the same basic training as enlisted? |
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Nope. A cadet at West Point (or an ROTC cadet at any number of colleges or universities) goes through training throughout their four years. After commissioning, they attend the Officer Basic Course (OBC) for their branch (infantry, armor, signal, etc.). Following that, their real army education starts when they meet their first platoon sergeant. |
Jeez...that is all too familiar. |
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Military academies are "basic training" for officers. After graduation, they all go on to some sort of advanced training for a year or more before reporting to their assigned units. Naval aviator training takes a looooooonnngg time. Marine butter bars go to the Basic school at Quantico as the first real step in becoming UMSC officers, BEFORE they go on to become pilots, tankers, legs, suipply or whatever. Army and USAF officers likewise go on to further training before reaching their ultimate destination. AFter they reach their units, each officer continues to train in ever more complex operational exercises. Even senior officers continue to train...virtually until they retire. |
PT is done daily at USMA, and I assume the other academies. West Point Cadets spend time out in the field during a couple times during the year IIRC. Basic training is only like eight weeks long, and you spend about one week in the field. Nearly all of Basic Training is done in a classroom or on a range. The time spent in the field is not exactly quality field time. You learn about your pup tent, you learn about a couple other things about living in the woods, but for the most part it's not really a combat oriented FTX. It's just a chance to go marching around with all your crap on your back. You don't go running patrols, setting up ambushes, planning air assaults, etc. You simply learn the most basic of skills that you'll need later, like how to talk on a radio, how to use a field phone, how to put on a field dressing, how to shoot, how to put on your chemical gear, and that sort of thing. Nearly all of the real training for everyone comes at the unit. This is for the Army, not the other services. Ross |
in 2006 the Army is going to have a sort of basic/officer basic course that will be combined everyone goes through 6 weeks of a type of "boot" then trains in the MOS. |
unless of course you are at Ft. Benning then you spend a long time in the field, and its more combat oriented, patrols at night, infiltrations and all that fun stuff. |
Any smart officer would take his sargeant (or Chief, if in the Navy) aside and say, "I think we should do this. What do YOU think?" He'll tell you. Chances are he'll be right. LWilde covered the rest, as usual..... |