Dropping OCS packet

[11Bravo]

Today marks the day that I'm dropping an OCS packet for the Guard. After serving some years enlisted, then leaving after my contract ended...I'm still young enough to try and earn a bar.

I have two options if I pass the board and get selected: Choose a branch in the Guard of available slots (without having to be on the order of merit list), but the Guard OCS takes a year....or go to Fort Benning's OCS as a Guard slot and branch by order of merit.

For someone who wants to branch one of the hardest slots, Intel, what are your thoughts?

 

[Lutherf]

My guess is tht right now Intel is such a high demand field that you won't have a problem either way as long as you can show capability and durability.

BTW, Congratulations!

 

[Gathomas88]

Today marks the day that I'm dropping an OCS packet for the Guard. After serving some years enlisted, then leaving after my contract ended...I'm still young enough to try and earn a bar.

I have two options if I pass the board and get selected: Choose a branch in the Guard of available slots (without having to be on the order of merit list), but the Guard OCS takes a year....or go to Fort Benning's OCS as a Guard slot and branch by order of merit.

For someone who wants to branch one of the hardest slots, Intel, what are your thoughts?

Congrats, and good luck! I'm dropping my WOCS packet in early March.

I can't say how difficult it might be to be an intel position through OCS, or the Guard, as I don't have much experience with either. As Luther said, however, it is a high demand field right now. Hopefully that will make a difference.

Personally, I'm just glad that I don't have to worry about it. I'll have my position pretty much set if I get selected. lol

 

[pinqy]

Today marks the day that I'm dropping an OCS packet for the Guard. After serving some years enlisted, then leaving after my contract ended...I'm still young enough to try and earn a bar.

I have two options if I pass the board and get selected: Choose a branch in the Guard of available slots (without having to be on the order of merit list), but the Guard OCS takes a year....or go to Fort Benning's OCS as a Guard slot and branch by order of merit.

For someone who wants to branch one of the hardest slots, Intel, what are your thoughts?

Good luck. Warning, if you do get MI and assigned to an MI unit..we're different. A lot different. We confuse the Hell out of Infantry and any other branch except Special Forces. We don't blindly obey orders, we're not much for strict military discipline, and we know we're at least as smart and often smarter than our officers. You absolutely cannot treat a 35L, 35M, 35N or 35P like an 11B. It doesn't work....it's like milking a bull.

 

[pinqy]

Oh, and did I mention MI soldiers can be a little arrogant, or is that just superfulous?

 

[11Bravo]

Good luck. Warning, if you do get MI and assigned to an MI unit..we're different. A lot different. We confuse the Hell out of Infantry and any other branch except Special Forces. We don't blindly obey orders, we're not much for strict military discipline, and we know we're at least as smart and often smarter than our officers. You absolutely cannot treat a 35L, 35M, 35N or 35P like an 11B. It doesn't work....it's like milking a bull.

Sorry I should have told you, I was also a 35Mike. Graduated from the nerd farm after reclassing from infantry.

 

[11Bravo]

My guess is tht right now Intel is such a high demand field that you won't have a problem either way as long as you can show capability and durability.

BTW, Congratulations!

I hope you're right! From the conversations I've had with recruiting bat. commanders it's not as easy as it sounds. Officers are overstrengthed close to 150% and the cuts are coming. I'm told that if I go through the OCS program at benning with a Guard contract, it would be really tough to branch MI (even tougher Active).

If I do Guard OCS, the 12 month program, I can branch without merit YET it's likely I go straight to staffing rather than any platoon leading or advising.

 

[11Bravo]

Thank you all for your congratulations, it's very nice of you. I hope to get selected next time the board meets!!!

 

[11Bravo]

Congrats, and good luck! I'm dropping my WOCS packet in early March.

I can't say how difficult it might be to be an intel position through OCS, or the Guard, as I don't have much experience with either. As Luther said, however, it is a high demand field right now. Hopefully that will make a difference.

Personally, I'm just glad that I don't have to worry about it. I'll have my position pretty much set if I get selected. lol

I'm sure you'll get selected.

You know what? F*@ it, I shouldn't worry about order of merit at Benning OCS. I'm a good soldier and I know about writing Op orders and running ranges. I bet I'll still come in the top of my class. Just need to max PT.

Man I feel arrogant today:mrgreen:

 

[11Bravo]

Congrats, and good luck! I'm dropping my WOCS packet in early March.

I can't say how difficult it might be to be an intel position through OCS, or the Guard, as I don't have much experience with either. As Luther said, however, it is a high demand field right now. Hopefully that will make a difference.

Personally, I'm just glad that I don't have to worry about it. I'll have my position pretty much set if I get selected. lol

Keep us updated on your WOCS packet.

 

[pinqy]

Sorry I should have told you, I was also a 35Mike. Graduated from the nerd farm after reclassing from infantry.

Ah, so a little down the superiority rung but not too bad (PMOS 35P/DMOS 35N) At least you weren't a 35S.

 

[Gathomas88]

I'm sure you'll get selected.

You know what? F*@ it, I shouldn't worry about order of merit at Benning OCS. I'm a good soldier and I know about writing Op orders and running ranges. I bet I'll still come in the top of my class. Just need to max PT.

Man I feel arrogant today:mrgreen:

You and Superman get in a fight this morning? :mrgreen:

Keep us updated on your WOCS packet.

Hell yea, man. Fingers crossed! lol

 

[11Bravo]

You and Superman get in a fight this morning? :mrgreen:



Hell yea, man. Fingers crossed! lol

I'm just extra super hoaaa today lol

 

[Glen Contrarian]

Today marks the day that I'm dropping an OCS packet for the Guard. After serving some years enlisted, then leaving after my contract ended...I'm still young enough to try and earn a bar.

I have two options if I pass the board and get selected: Choose a branch in the Guard of available slots (without having to be on the order of merit list), but the Guard OCS takes a year....or go to Fort Benning's OCS as a Guard slot and branch by order of merit.

For someone who wants to branch one of the hardest slots, Intel, what are your thoughts?

Congrats on doing it...and I wish you the very, very best!

And this retired Navy man has four pieces of advice:

1 - The three things you need to do the most in the military is qualify, qualify, and qualify. And when you're done with all that, qualify some more! (btw, this is something I didn't do and wish I'd done)

2 - What goes around does indeed come around. Screw someone else over, and it will come back to you, some way, somehow.

3 - And while values such as honor and courage seem outdated or even silly in our modern, ever-more-cynical world, they're very real. Remember, in the military, you're not responsible for your subordinates only when they're on the job - you truly are responsible for them 24/7/365, even when they're on leave on the other side of the planet. If your subordinate does something wrong or if something happens to him, your superiors will be looking at you and asking you what you could have done to keep it from happening. Yes, this really is the way it is.

4 - My greatest regret to this day of my service is the one time I didn't stand up for a guy at captain's mast, when I knew down deep in my gut that what the chain of command was doing to him was wrong. All the other times I did the right thing don't erase that one thing I did wrong, even though I would have been risking my own career. Let Mark Twain's quote be your guide: "Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."

 

[11Bravo]

Congrats on doing it...and I wish you the very, very best!

And this retired Navy man has four pieces of advice:

1 - The three things you need to do the most in the military is qualify, qualify, and qualify. And when you're done with all that, qualify some more! (btw, this is something I didn't do and wish I'd done)

2 - What goes around does indeed come around. Screw someone else over, and it will come back to you, some way, somehow.

3 - And while values such as honor and courage seem outdated or even silly in our modern, ever-more-cynical world, they're very real. Remember, in the military, you're not responsible for your subordinates only when they're on the job - you truly are responsible for them 24/7/365, even when they're on leave on the other side of the planet. If your subordinate does something wrong or if something happens to him, your superiors will be looking at you and asking you what you could have done to keep it from happening. Yes, this really is the way it is.

4 - My greatest regret to this day of my service is the one time I didn't stand up for a guy at captain's mast, when I knew down deep in my gut that what the chain of command was doing to him was wrong. All the other times I did the right thing don't erase that one thing I did wrong, even though I would have been risking my own career. Let Mark Twain's quote be your guide: "Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."

Thank you for this wonderful advice. I know I could use it if I get selected!

My brother is currently a company XO in NC and my cousin is also a company commander in the Guard in Maryland- last month of command. I've learned a great deal shaddowing them on some drills weekends, but know that there's a WHOLE lot a head of me. I also studied for many years the leadership skills of my officers. My platoon leader was this Ranger from texas. Great guy, excellent leader. Always felt like I was in the right hands when we pulled security or went on patrol. I hope to lead like that one day if I ever get selected.

 

[Glen Contrarian]

Thank you for this wonderful advice. I know I could use it if I get selected!

My brother is currently a company XO in NC and my cousin is also a company commander in the Guard in Maryland- last month of command. I've learned a great deal shaddowing them on some drills weekends, but know that there's a WHOLE lot a head of me. I also studied for many years the leadership skills of my officers. My platoon leader was this Ranger from texas. Great guy, excellent leader. Always felt like I was in the right hands when we pulled security or went on patrol. I hope to lead like that one day if I ever get selected.

I earnestly wish you the best...and if you can, do the full twenty years - military retirement is the very best retirement out there (except for perhaps those of CEO's and congressmen). For instance, when I go to the Philippines, there's literally hundreds of places within Manila - just Manila - that accept Tricare, the military health insurance...and the same thing goes for (I think all) the other countries in the free world. I don't think you're going to find anything else out there that compares.

 

[SayMyName]

Today marks the day that I'm dropping an OCS packet for the Guard. After serving some years enlisted, then leaving after my contract ended...I'm still young enough to try and earn a bar.

I have two options if I pass the board and get selected: Choose a branch in the Guard of available slots (without having to be on the order of merit list), but the Guard OCS takes a year....or go to Fort Benning's OCS as a Guard slot and branch by order of merit.

For someone who wants to branch one of the hardest slots, Intel, what are your thoughts?

Well done. Although, it is funny. Now in my later years, if I had it all to do over again, and had better consul, I would have stayed twenty as enlisted, and in an MOS with less bravado, like Finance, or gone Construction Battalion in the navy. It would have proved more valuable to me in my present life. Again, funny how we see things when looking back.

 

[cpwill]

Today marks the day that I'm dropping an OCS packet for the Guard. After serving some years enlisted, then leaving after my contract ended...I'm still young enough to try and earn a bar.

I have two options if I pass the board and get selected: Choose a branch in the Guard of available slots (without having to be on the order of merit list), but the Guard OCS takes a year....or go to Fort Benning's OCS as a Guard slot and branch by order of merit.

For someone who wants to branch one of the hardest slots, Intel, what are your thoughts?

Intel requires continual situational awareness. Guard means one weekend a month. It'd be hard to be good at pulling that off. I'm surprised to hear you describe it as one of the hardest slots - do you mean most competitive to get?

 

[cpwill]

Good luck. Warning, if you do get MI and assigned to an MI unit..we're different. A lot different. We confuse the Hell out of Infantry and any other branch except Special Forces. We don't blindly obey orders, we're not much for strict military discipline, and we know we're at least as smart and often smarter than our officers. You absolutely cannot treat a 35L, 35M, 35N or 35P like an 11B. It doesn't work....it's like milking a bull.

I had that issue when I cross-decked over from the infantry. The idea that boots (people without a deployment) could have opinions, much less express them without being beaten took getting used to.

 

[Skeptic Bob]

Congrats, and good luck! I'm dropping my WOCS packet in early March.

I can't say how difficult it might be to be an intel position through OCS, or the Guard, as I don't have much experience with either. As Luther said, however, it is a high demand field right now. Hopefully that will make a difference.

Personally, I'm just glad that I don't have to worry about it. I'll have my position pretty much set if I get selected. lol

Been there, done that. It is funny, I have almost no memories of my time at Mother Rucker. I must have blocked it out.

 

[Gathomas88]

Been there, done that. It is funny, I have almost no memories of my time at Mother Rucker. I must have blocked it out.

Seems like a good sign. :lol:

 

[Risky Thicket]

Oh, and did I mention MI soldiers can be a little arrogant, or is that just superfulous?

Yes, and also I'm getting the impression that army MI handles bull dicks.

 

[Gathomas88]

Yes, and also I'm getting the impression that army MI handles bull dicks.

lol

 

[Risky Thicket]

lol

It's all good. I wish you and 11B the best of luck.

 

[apdst]

Today marks the day that I'm dropping an OCS packet for the Guard. After serving some years enlisted, then leaving after my contract ended...I'm still young enough to try and earn a bar.

I have two options if I pass the board and get selected: Choose a branch in the Guard of available slots (without having to be on the order of merit list), but the Guard OCS takes a year....or go to Fort Benning's OCS as a Guard slot and branch by order of merit.

For someone who wants to branch one of the hardest slots, Intel, what are your thoughts?

Good luck, candidate!