| Author | Message | ||
     Cataract2 |
I'm seriously considering doing the Green to Gold. Was wondering if there are any on here who've done this and could give me some info on it. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
you talking officer candidate school. if so then you should do it. when i was in i only knew one person that ever went from W.O. to commissioned. | ||
| Tramp |
You at least an E5? Any college yet? why do you wanna do this? | ||
| Odie |
I have a few friends that went from Warrant to 2LT by going to OCS. I thought about it for a little bit but thought better of it. I was sick of starting out back at the bottom again (PVT/WOC/WO1/then a 2LT, no thanks) Anyways, they don't regret it. One is getting ready to make Major now. His retirement check will be a good bit better than mine is. If you plan on making it a career I would seriously consider it. However, money is not everything. Job satisfaction is just as, if not more, important........ | ||
| 68eb429 |
Dont do it stay,,,,steer away from the light ...two things O's seem to get this disconnect from brain to mouth and common sense when they pin. On the other hand the best O's were former enlisted.... weigh all the options.. what exactly are you looking for? and what kind Company are you with? HMM Warrant SF, is the a solid consideration. | ||
| Cataract2 |
I should be an E5 within a year. E4 right now. I have 61 college credits and plan to have around 70+ (this is without my MOS and ASI military schooling being added in) within a year. I want to do this because I'm seriously thinking of going for my 20 years in and feel that if I'm going to get a degree I want to go all the way. I feel that the NCO path is not the one meant for me and the commissioned path is. Oh, and common sense is something I would want to bring to the O's. | ||
| Brumbear |
As long as you realize you will only see 04 if you are lucky 05 and up is usually for military grads only | ||
| Odie |
I know a lot of Warrants and RLO's that were former NCO's and some are great and some absolutely suck. The ones that realized where they came from and what it was like to get dumped on make great officers/leaders. The ones that think to themselves that they are above the enlisted folks now that they are officers are pathetic. I see a lot of that. The rank does not make the man, the man makes the rank. When I went to flight school I was an E-6. I really missed being an NCO and hung out more with the crewchiefs and the Platoon Sergeants than I did with the other Warrants after I got to Fort Campbell. Being an RLO/Warrant is not for everyone. I would think long and hard before you make a final decision. My desire to fly drove me to be a Warrant. It wasn't for the money or the rank. I just wanted to fly. I would have done it as an E-6 but they decided against that program back in the mid '80's. There are good RLO's/Warrants and there are bad ones. There are good NCO's and there are bad ones......... | ||
| Seanp |
If you want to be an officer, more power to you. It's a better life in some respects, but not as good in others. As an officer you have way more responsibility than as an NCO. There are plenty of times that, as an officer, something will happen in your command or your section that you had absolutely no control over, but it's your ass on the line. Also, officers do a heck of a lot of paperwork and meetings and all that crap. It's the one thing I dislike about being an officer. I usually spend as little time as possible in meetings, and whenever I can I get out and do the work with my Soldiers. As an officer you don't get stuck with stuff like cleaning latrines, etc. When we were deployed, I knew that I would never get stuck on $hit burning detail, but all of my Soldiers except my E7 might. The pay is much better, but I'm sure you've figured that part out. As an officer you need to take pride in being able to do the MOS-related things your Soldiers can do. As a 25 series, if you go SC as an officer you'll be fine. Any other branch will be easy.  Even if you don't go to a military academy you can easily make O5 or higher. Some of the best COLs I know were not West Pointers, and some of the worst I know were. I was enlisted for a couple of years and only made PFC before I became an officer. I have friends who were promotable E6s when they crossed over. But by and large, the best officers I know are the ones who have at least some time enlisted. | ||
| Brumbear |
If promotion to 05 stands true and I see no reason it should not as I was a soldier 20 years ago and I am sure times have changed. Then I see no reason you shouldn't do it. If I were going to be a career soldier I think I would be an officer as well responibility is higher sure but that will always be there one way or another | ||
| Indy_bueller |
I say do it. The only reason I didn't was because I decided to get out. Good luck bro! | ||
| Sath |
My son did the green to gold. He had about 2 yr of college and enlisted. Was stationed overseas and the commanding officer talked him into going green to gold. The only problem he had was that they only paid for the school (Ball State), no other funds. They told him to join the guard which he did for the extra pay. And they told him at the onset (not in writing) that they would cover the cost of his first two years. They did not do that, he still owes a little bit. But now he is stuck in the guard. Even though he had the initial enlistment of 4 years in the regular army. The guard took president. He is not to unhappy. He got to learn to fly egg beaters. Says that he couldn't believe they were paying him for that, its a blast. He has done one tour in Iraq, probably will do another, depending. But all in all he liked it. He tried to go regular but at the time (a couple of months ago) the army dosen't need any Lt's, go figure. Now he is teaching ROTC at IUPUI, thats Indiand, Purdue. If your thinking of your future, it has a lot of good benefits, and he likes his job. Good luck and God Speed. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Well, no worries on my rushing into it. I'm going to do plenty of research and talk to plenty of people about it. We have 2 others in my unit who are considering it as well. One who is like me with college under his belt (70+ credits) and will be doing the same thing that I am. | ||
| Tramp |
Why not simply finish up your hitch and get out into the world? What , exactly, about brass makes you want to do OCS? | ||
| Sath |
Tramp, OCS is different. Green to Gold is a collage education, sorta paid for. | ||
| Tramp |
I'm aware of this, hence my original response re: college creds- I was reading Odie's response after mine as a response to mine. Either way- the answer is "why"? | ||
| Xb9er |
Go to PLDC first and see how you feel about being in a leadership position. | ||
| Djkaplan |
My father spent 10 years as an enlisted man and became a '180 day wonder' in 1968. OCS was 6 months long back then and was the most brutal training he ever encountered in the military (they could beat the shit out of you back then). He never regretted becoming an officer and said the years spent as an enlisted man really helped his leadership abilities and command. The Army must have agreed, because they sent him to Nam with the 101st Airborne right after he got his commission. Throughout his career, his best friend was a fellow enlisted man he befriended in France and hooked up with again in Okinawa when he was a captain. He never let the rank separate him from his NCO friends. Captain Kaplan... heh. | ||
| Tramp |
was your dad wit the 101 prior to this commish? Any idea what years? | ||
| Tramp |
...and what inf.? | ||
| Ducbsa |
My Dad was in the 101st, went to OCS and missed D-Day and the Bulge, so that was likely good for me. He finished WW2 in an Armored Reconnaissance unit, got out, worked for 3 months in a steel mill, reupped as a private, stayed in, and retired as a Lt. Col. in '64. | ||
| Tramp |
Your dad was in when they were still actually 'airborne', as opposed to air mobile. Any idea which Inf. & stick? I'm esp. interested in djkaplan's dad's inf., as he likely served in the 101 when Jimi Hendrix was in. | ||
| Bigdaddy |
If you're going to make a career of it then go for it -- simple math really (read Odie's response on retirement check values.) I didn't finish my undergrad degree until I was SFC(P) and by then I was tired. One more promotion and I checked out. LT has more responsibility than a 1SG -- okay,,,,yea,,,got it. | ||
| Tramp |
The Green Weenie causes civiphobia in many cases...4 out of 5 NCOs agree. Just finish your goddam hitch, get out in the world and become fishing guide in keys, for chrissakes. | ||
| Ducbsa |
Tramp - He was in the 502, but left for OCS well before they went to England. I remember him pointing out the pic of Eisenhower talking to guys with Mohawks on 6/5/44; it wasn't until recently that I figured out that it was his regiment. He was 29 when he enlisted - tough to stay up with the 19 year olds, but he did it. He did tell me he gained weight in jump school - plenty of food and good exercise. | ||
| Tramp |
That is beautiful. yep- the PIR with the blackened faces and the 'hawks chummin' it up w/Ike were his boys, alright. thank you very much for sharing that cool piece of history- | ||
| Nevrenuf |
anyway of finding the pic. | ||
| Ducbsa |
google images "ike paratroopers" | ||
| Nevrenuf |
 | ||
| Djkaplan |
I'm esp. interested in djkaplan's dad's inf., as he likely served in the 101 when Jimi Hendrix was in. I don't believe he was with the 101st until after he got his commission in 1968. Prior to that, we were living in France, where he was stationed with a very small contingent of US and European military personell. I don't know what his MOS was during those years. |
