Originally Posted by brinktk

I'm currently serving as a Gold Bar Recruiter and might be able to clear some things up about the Army.


1. Army aviation is almost exclusively rotary winged aircraft. So if your heart is set on fixed winged, I might suggest one of the other three branches.

2. As an officer, your respective field is not guaranteed. Within ROTC there is an order of merit list that is compiled between your 3rd and 4th year of ROTC. This list is compiled by your GPA in college, APFT score, Primary Military instructor evaluation, your leadership evaluation at advanced camp, and few other areas. Before you go to the advanced camp you request what branch you want from 1 to 16. The top 10% of the OML ar guaranteed their first choice(aviation is one of the most requested branches and is therefore very competive). If you place in the top 20% the you are guaranteed one of your top three choices. After that, it's need of the army.

3. Going enlisted and then going officer later is also a choice. That's the route I took and I'm glad I did. The problem is, had I just gone to college right out of high school and become an officer right off the bat I would certainly be a senior captain by now instead of just a 2nd Lieutenant. Not to mention that things don't always go according to plan and you may never get the oppurtunity to go officer later...basically...life happens and your situation 4-5 or 10 years down the road may not facililtate an easy transition to the officer corps.

Finally, if you have the oppurtunity NOW then why not take it. I've said this countless times to kids that have asked similar questions to me, the military will always be there, the opputunity to go to college may not.