I liked working with the squad leaders the first sergeant and the rest of the company I am in now. Most people in ROTC are encouraging me to switch and leave my company. The thought is my current company won't respect me because they knew me as a enlisted man?

I don't think it really matters, I worked hard with them, did what I was told. But maybe they will have a problem with me telling them what to do??

Unless you earn their respect and impress them,  I can't see any unit really respecting a ROTC cadet right off the bat.

thanks for the help.

You are getting piss poor advice; show some loyalty and stay with your old company.  Who knows, you might inspire someone else to start college.  By the way, ROTC cadets rate zero out in the world, so if I were you, I wouldn't bring up the topic, just put on your real uniform and do your job.  You'll be an officer soon enough, but until then, you're not.

Quoted: You are getting piss poor advice; show some loyalty and stay with your old company.  Who knows, you might inspire someone else to start college.  By the way, ROTC cadets rate zero out in the world, so if I were you, I wouldn't bring up the topic, just put on your real uniform and do your job.  You'll be an officer soon enough, but until then, you're not.

Oh I know, I have gotten my fair share of jokes for going to ROTC, but from what I have seen it seems like a good program with a boat load of great cadre.

I think if you SMP with a unit you are suppose to wear your cadet rank.

Quoted: [I think if you SMP with a unit you are suppose to wear your cadet rank.

Yep, you are no longer an enlisted man.

The problem isn't respect they just dont want you to be buddy buddy with the old guys in your unit.

Remember the discussion near the end of "Band of Brothers", where Major Walters was telling an NCO who just received a battlefield commission that he'd have to leave his unit?  There's a big difference between being an enlisted man and a cad-idiot.  In many cases, leaving the unit might be good advice, but it depends upon the cadet and the unit.  If you had respect before, you shouldn't lose it.  If you were nameless before, being a cadet might be a little tough.

As I've said before, it can work, but is usually more hassle that it's worth.  You are not on the same level as your fellow soldiers any longer.  Some of them will still see you as their buddy and will challenge what little authority you actually have.  You have no real authority, but you can serve as a platoon leader or XO if they don't have officer in the positions.  I recommend SMP cadets find another unit, even another company in the same battalion.  That way, you make a fresh start and they don't know you as PFC Snuffy.  If you have good relations with your unit, you might be able to make it work.  I guarantee you will have some "leadership challenges", however.  Might be good training in leadership for you.  If it works, more power to you.  I've been there, done that and most times it doesn't work out very well.  Just remember, your old squad leader is now under you.  Old NCO's usually don't like that very well.  Good ones will STFU and drive on, but others are not so well behaved.

i AGREE THAT SWITCHING UNITS IS A GOOD IDEA. i USED TO HARASS THE HELL OUT OF THE CADETS i KNEW WELL (IT WASN'T RIGHT FOR ME TO DO) AND GOT THE SAME TREATMENT WHEN i WAS A CADET (FOR A YEAR)

Shit. Well, I'm not retyping it.

were you a NCO when you did that or an officer? I can see a officer doing it as part of initiation but I will never know why a NCO will mess with a squared away cadet.

Unless they are on a power trip and the NCO is just trying to get them while they can...

A different platoon yes, a different company, probably not.  My only experience with this was in the Infantry with top notch people so I don't see a problem. I guess it all depends on your unit. Talk with your company commander about it.

If it does not work out it is easy enough to switch to another company. SMPs can even train with different units just to check them out for the weekend.

Quoted: If it does not work out it is easy enough to switch to another company. SMPs can even train with different units just to check them out for the weekend.

If i were in your shoes I would do the above, check out the other branches to see if you want to change your MOS.

I say stay. It really sucks that ROTC doesn't get more of their people hooked up with ANY Company to give them some real-time command experience. Granted, a ROTC PL isn't going to be able to accomplish much, but the ones we used to get at least had SOME sort of leadership time to draw on once they were done than the guys who are going through now without that experience.

It depends.  Do you have former peers that will try to retain a first name basis and take advantage of it? What is the after drill outside the green machine social interaction between the juior enlisted, senior enlisted and the officers?

I was in a Navy Reserve unit that had a series of COs and XOs  and Sr Enlisted at the command that favored first name at drills and one unit that maintained a military relationship at drills and loosened  for social interaction..  The first one had problems when integrated into the gaining command for OREs and real work. The second got mobilized  (in fact in place of the first to the command the first was supposed to go to) and integrated into the gaining Command with no problems.  We were mobilized to the command next above out "gaining" command and  when our folks also  were "lent" to ComNavForJapan and Com USForces Japan and they did the Job, fit into active Navy and Joint Commands.  The guys from the first name basis commands weren't up to it. We were also berthed in a joint housing building that had Army and Navy, Male and Female, E-1 through O-6 in the same building sharing, lounges, washing machines and  had no problems fitting in.   I did see a navy reservist E-2 (nopt one of ours) use first names with a regular Army O-4 get reminded that his first name was Major though.

It's a small picture and not directly applicable because we tended to go as small groups or individuals and not as a unit until Desert Shield, but in my experience Reservists that came from units that maintained  "traditional" relationships during drills were assimilated into active commands with no problems. Those from first name units didn't.  

At some point you will need to be giving unpopular orders and you don't want an E-3 or E-4 calling you by your first name and whining he doesn't want to do it.

im not really familar with the smp program but lets just say your a 2nd LT you aren't really going to be talking to a PFC, wouldn't it go thru there squad, not directly from 2nd LT to jr enlisted.

I'm a cadidiot with the same company, same platoon that i was enlisted with.  Had a good relationship with PL and PSG as well as my team leader from when i was a private.  yeah, i hear a lot of stupid rotc jokes, but these people are professional, and if you're in a good unit, the senior leadership will realize that it's in their best interest to work with a cadet and get him at least an idea of the knowledge and know-how that he will need to be a successful PL.  at least, that's what they tell me.    take it seriously as a learning experience, but not too seriously (like big head seriously) if you know what I mean.
Also, you wear 'dot' rank at drill, regardless of what your cadidiot rank is on campus.

Stay.

You may have a hard time with a few folks, and it may be a challenge. If you have been in the unit for more than a few months, I can almost assure you that you will. If you do what you are supposed to and carry yourself like you should, odds are you may lose a few buddies over it and maybe make a couple mad who don't understand.

But that is why you are doing it. This time you have now, its all learning. Use it.  Don't run from what may be a challenge, face it. A few years down the road when your doing it for real you will be a better officer and a stronger leader for having done so.

Don't run away from a leadership challenge as your first act as a potential officer............. thats a bad way to start.

I can speak directly from experience that it all boils down to the particular unit. In my unit (infantry), if the cadets were squared away and knew their shit, it was all good. They were treated like officers and so forth. If one was a shit-bag, he got treated like one.....

It depends on what you want to do.  You may have a better opportunity taking a platoon in another company that doesn't have a Platoon Leader, rather than hanging around in a company that's fullup in officers.  

As an SMP cadet, I switched companies to one that needed a LT and got some great experience and learning from some great NCO's.  When I was commisioned, I took command of the original company that I had been a Private in.  It all worked out fine.  Ran that company for a year, then went active duty.  

Ross

Unless you have done something to compromise your integrity or reputation, there is nothing wrong with staying in the same unit.

It is only for a couple of years and should be a good learning environment.

Long ago in the Marine Corps it was SOP that once a Marine made certain ranks he had to be assigned to a new unit.  Once you became a Cpl and a NCO you had to move to another unit so the LCpls you use to be friends with weren't the ones you would have to order around and than again when you made SSgt so the Sgts you were friends with were the same ones who would be under you.  Unfortunatly, we cannot do that anymore since HQMC shapes the force now.

Quoted: i AGREE THAT SWITCHING UNITS IS A GOOD IDEA. i USED TO HARASS THE HELL OUT OF THE CADETS i KNEW WELL (IT WASN'T RIGHT FOR ME TO DO) AND GOT THE SAME TREATMENT WHEN i WAS A CADET (FOR A YEAR) Shit. Well, I'm not retyping it.

just was funny to me

Find one of the senior NCOs you trust, pull him offside, and ask him for his advice.

no symmetrical multi-processing?

simultaneous member participation, being a (N)ROTC candidate and a drilling reservist