opinions on enlistment?

[downward_spiral]

hi everyone. i'm new to the forum and this is my first post. i've been thinking really hard about joining the National Guard. my goal is to enroll in college once i enlist, and graduate in 3-4 years with a degree. upon completion of college, i plan on getting commissioned by either ROTC, or OCS, then possible going active duty. the $20K bonus is pretty enticing as well. the bonus money, however, is for "critical MOS's" which i'm assuming are mostly combat related, meaning i'll more than likely be deployed soon after completion of AIT. i was actually leaning towards Infantry anyway, possible Airborne.

my problem is, i'm not very familiar with the military, as i'm the first in my family to think about enlisting. all i know is what my recruiter tells me, which is i'll get a chance to be deployed "if i want". it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you that a recruiter will lie to you.

can anyone point me in the right direction? how likely/possible/smart are the goals i listed above? is there any underlying facts i should know before signing the dotted line? and about the Guard in general: how likely am i to be deployed? how long will i likely be deployed, and where to? are the chances of me seeing combat high?, or will i be stuck picking up trash in the desert? are reservists respected in the military community?

thank you so much. any information you guys could give me would be very helpful.

[Bronco1986]

If you want to get commissioned your best bet is AROTC. Joining the Guard and doing ROTC at the same time is very common. If you go to Basic/AIT this summer and go to college in the fall once you have completed your first semester of ROTC you do not have to deploy.

all i know is what my recruiter tells me, which is i'll get a chance to be deployed "if i want".

This might be why your recruiter said that.

From there you can sign a contract with your ROTC Battalion and join the Simultaneous Membership Program(SMP) (ROTC/Guard) which definately makes you unable to be deployed until you are commissioned. If you want to be an Officer that is probably your best bet. ROTC takes place during your college years it is not something you do after. You get commissioned once you have fulfilled all the requirements and get your diploma. What college are you going to? Do they have Army ROTC? The best thing to do is call them up and set up a meeting with them, they can answer all you questions. But we will do everything we can for you here.

P.S. if you go that way count on at least 4 years to graduate. doing it in three would be damn near impossible and flat out rediculous.

[downward_spiral]

thanks, thats very useful info. i didn't think about doing them simultaneously. i haven't planned on a specific college yet. do you know of any colleges in the southeast that offer AROTC? how long does it typically take to get commissioned that way?

[luv2swm]

Go ROTC, you won't regret it! I just finished Goldbar Recruiting for Wentworth Military Academy and used K-State for my own commission. A lot of young recruits are in your same boat and are torn between deploying and going to college. Only you can know if you want one or the other, what you have to ask yourself is if you want to deploy as a private or an officer, it all depends on your personnal leadership goals. You will either lead yourself or forty soldiers. PM me if you have any q's about ROTC, College, Leadership, etc. For myself, I was enlisted for seven years active duty army from 90-97 then joined ROTC in 02 and commissioned in 04. If you choose ROTC, think about the scholarship offers and if you are slightly interested in the Academy thing, let me know, because I'm still in good with Wentworth. Just my .02

[cincymarsdad]

I know Georgia offers AROTC - most larger schools do as well. You get commissioned on graduation from college and completing all the AROTC requirements, which happen during the summers. There also is NROTC if you are amind. There also are ROTC scholarships, which are a good deal. My daughter won one this year (NROTC-Ohio State, full ride).

[CadetFredendall]

Most state schools and big schools have Army ROTC.

[Bronco1986]

Georgia AROTC Schools-

Atlanta Metropolitan College
Augusta State University
Columbus State University
Fort Valley State University
Albany State University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Military College
Georgia Southern University
Georgia State University
Morris Brown College
North Georgia College and State University
University of Georgia

North Carolina-

Appalachian State University
Campbell University
Duke University
East Carolina University
Elizabeth City State University
North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina State University
Saint Augustine's College
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina - Charlotte
Wake Forest University

South Carolina-

Clemson University
Furman University
Presbyterian College
South Carolina State University
The Citadel
University of South Carolina
Wofford College

Florida-

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida International University
Florida Southern College
Florida State University
University of Central Florida
University of Florida
University of South Florida
University of Tampa
University of West Florida

Alabama-
Alabama A&M University
Auburn University
Auburn University - Montgomery
Jacksonville State University
Marion Military Institute
The University of Alabama
Tuskegee University
University of Alabama - Birmingham
University of North Alabama
University of South Alabama

Those are all the Host schools for those states. The are also satalite school you can go to and commute tot he host school for ROTC. I dont recommend that though. I did it for a semester and it sucked. Also check out the program before you make the decision to go the which ever school, make sure you like the place. Some Army ROTC programs are better that others. It makes a difference, believe me.

[CadetFredendall]

cough EMU cough

[Bronco1986]

i didnt want to say it, but yes...EMU....CMU.....and so on.

[Ram0528]

I'm going to give you the generic answer. Look at all your options & find out whats best for you. What do you want out of your college experience? If you want the full college experience, look into the OCS route. Not a bad way, & you get to go thru basic. ROTC is also a pretty good route to go, a lot of the guys/girls i'm here w/ are pretty squared away. There's positives & negatives to all programs.

Getting a commission is a feasible goal, but it will be hard work. Regarding deployment, all along the way you will be reminded that you will be deployed w/in 1 -2 years of getting commissioned. Your deployment depends on your MOS, your unit & the current optempo.

[downward_spiral]

what the hell is emu? or cmu?

[Covertness]

Those are the initials of Universities that are particularly favored by those who posted them.
Where to you hail from? In state tuition will be cheaper than out of state tuition. I'm partial to UNC (University of North Carolina), The Citadel (the military college of South Carolina), and VMI (the Virginia Military Institute). However, as noted above, most large universities offer ROTC programs.

Want my advice?

1. Fully recognize the hazard of your chosen profession.

2. Be better than the man next to you.

3. Lead, don't command

Everything else is horse shit.

[Bronco1986]

Right, EMU and CMU are schools near us but they are not exactly favored. Sub-par would be a nice way to put it. As Covert mentioned VMI is an excellent choice. But before you go to a place like that make damn sure its what you want. I went down to VMI a couple times and loved it. I'd be there right now if it wasn't for a bullshit medical wavier mix-up. I dont want to talk about it, it brings up painful memories. Anyways, good luck in your decision.

P.S. i dont know if its to far west for you or not but i hear good things about Texas A&M. But look for a good in-state school first.