Posted on Jun 7, 2021
How often do Officers leave the military as O-2s?
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I'm looking down the barrel of another deployment (I'm looking forward to it). During my last IDT, the SXO approached me and asked if I was planning on staying in or leaving. I'm looking to move to Florida upon our return from this deployment and by the time we get backed I'll have 8 years in. Balancing life as an Officer in the Army (National Guard) and a Police Officer is quite the challenge. Add a family on the way and it's rather daunting. I could have promoted a couple years ago but found out that my current unit (in 2018) was possibly deploying to Afghanistan and I REALLY wanted to go as a PL (since my time as a PL was rather checkered). That mission got scrapped so I'm going where we are going now as the Troop XO. It dawned on me that a good part of me doesn't care about making Captain. My evals have always been good and I've always performed well at PT. But the way the SXO and a few other Officers talked about it made me wonder...is it considered bad if an Officer leaves the military as an O-2? I was curious what anyone here, Active, Guard, or Reserves thought.
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Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 139
An old 1SG's take- "F*** 'em, do what is right for you."
You've paid your dues, you have nothing to feel bad about.
You've paid your dues, you have nothing to feel bad about.
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LT Leon Heselton
Whatever you decide, don't give up on a reserve career.
1stSgt Ronald Sheps
Steven, you said right, brother!
1LT (Join to see)
I left at O2 and went back to school, best decision I ever made
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All I wanted to do was get to O-2, but the army wouldnt even do that. Now I need to sue to get them to change their minds. Stupid Army.
The first ever OCS candidate I ever recruited into the Army left service as a 19A 1LT. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, as long as you at least fulfilled your contractual obligation to the Army after receiving your commission. Granted, it would be highly unusual and uncharacteristic to RETIRE as an O-2, that would certainly raise some eyebrows and invite questions. While it is true that officers generally make CPT before leaving the Army, your situation isn't as uncommon as you may think. Besides, billeting and vacancies in the ARNG are a whole different animal than Active Duty anyway. No one bats an eye when an Enlisted servicemember leaves the ARNG after 20 years as a SPC or SGT, so why would it look bad for you to exit service as a 1LT with eight years?
CPT (Join to see)
That is exactly what I was thinking. If I met someone that retired as a 1LT, I'd "wonder", but if they mentioned they were NG, I would think "OK, that makes sense".
CPT (Join to see)
The ARNG is just a different animal altogether. You do you first because in twenty years is the ARNG going to be beside you rubbing your aching back or is the ARNG going to even care...? The only ones who WILL care are the family members who are still around (HH6), so it stinks to throw away eight years of HARD work and investment but it is what it is...being ARNG though, go to FL and find a slot you want at a unit you want to be with, enough said.
All the ones I knew were previous enlisted but most left as Captains, suppose it depends on how many years you have until you hit 20 when u ou are commissioned.
MSG James Bronson
I can't believe there are Majors and First Sergeants answering the way they have. What happened to Unit loyalty? Of course, I retired over 30 years ago when we had "Up or Out". What happened to that program?
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
MSG James Bronson I think it still exists but I'm the same as you except only 28 years.
SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
One of My friend actually was a MSgt and had to get an age waiver to be commissioned as a 2Lt. When He made major I made SMSgt and We were both promoted in the same ceremony and He thought that would be a far as He went but actually was able to advance to and retire later as a Full Colonel, (06) Another friend and My Squadron Commander for a while before a PCS move went from SSgt to 2Lt and advanced further and also retired as a Full Colonel. One interesting thing in that unit ALL our Officers ere prior enlisted and all had been NCO's, SSgt, TSgt and even a MSgt. Some of the others I lost track of so don't know where their Military careers went but knowing them I'm sure it was good. Another Officer, same last name as Me McCarter, (not related though) was a TSgt became a 2Lt and advanced all the way to Full Colonel also and it was easy to see why , He was an excellent Officer a good man who did achieve any goal He set out for.
Myself I kind of regret I turned down an opportunity to become commissioned at one point even though another Commander, OIC and even the Base equal Opportunity Officer tried to talk Me into into, being a young SSgt at the time though i thought I knew more than i actually did but it was still a good Military career. They wanted Me to go on what was then called "Operation Bootstrap" where if You have two years of college which i did then, the USAF would send Me full time to the remaining two years then to OCS to become a 2Lt. After 8 years active duty I did get out and became a full time student and received My BS degree. After and 8 year break I did go back into an Air Force Uniform as a SSgt (lost the four years time in grade due to the length of the break) I did advance quickly though and spent the last 4 years as a SMSgt and turned down CMSgt to retire. I did serve for 14 more years and retired with 22 years total service. I also retired from a civilian Police Department so collect retirment pay from both the USAF and the Police Department.
Myself I kind of regret I turned down an opportunity to become commissioned at one point even though another Commander, OIC and even the Base equal Opportunity Officer tried to talk Me into into, being a young SSgt at the time though i thought I knew more than i actually did but it was still a good Military career. They wanted Me to go on what was then called "Operation Bootstrap" where if You have two years of college which i did then, the USAF would send Me full time to the remaining two years then to OCS to become a 2Lt. After 8 years active duty I did get out and became a full time student and received My BS degree. After and 8 year break I did go back into an Air Force Uniform as a SSgt (lost the four years time in grade due to the length of the break) I did advance quickly though and spent the last 4 years as a SMSgt and turned down CMSgt to retire. I did serve for 14 more years and retired with 22 years total service. I also retired from a civilian Police Department so collect retirment pay from both the USAF and the Police Department.
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