I'm going to Air Force ROTC. Do you have any advice for me?

PO3 Fergus,

Your being prior enlisted will be a great help in ROTC. You've already had experiences and responsibilities most cadets have not had. This puts you in a position to mentor other cadets in your class. Most cadets don't have much experience in regards to responsibility and leadership when they start. Many come straight from high school. Mentoring them will help them succeed, hone your own leadership skills, and make you stand out to the cadre.

Some people say not to volunteer for anything in the military. DO NOT apply this advice to AFROTC. The cadre are looking for leaders who stand out, not people who coast for one reason or another. Take the initiative, volunteer whenever you're able to.

That being said, academics come first. If the cadre are any good, they'll say that too. You won't commission without a degree, so avoid being swamped, and use every academic resource you can. Your GPA is very important when it comes to being selected for field training after your second year, and later your career field. One trick to keep your GPA up for the field training board is take easier classes your first two years if your degree allows it, especially your second year, as it is the most intense year of ROTC.

The first two years of AFROTC (GMC) are learning followership, leadership, responsibility, customs and courtesies, uniform wear, and is in general kind of a forced maturation process.
The last two years (POC) are pretty leadership intensive. You'll be a cadet officer and be assigned tasks and subordinates. If your superiors are good, you'll be expected to use initiative and come up with a plan for accomplishing the task and execute it. You'll learn how to utilize your subordinates and delegate.

Remember ROTC is a learning environment, so people aren't going to be perfect in carrying out their tasks. You'll see both good and bad leadership (be very careful of micromanagment) and followership examples. Learn from them.

Also, be careful about underage drinking, or if you're of age, of being excessively intoxicated. Leadership is really cracking down, and it's kind of a zero tolerance environment for alcohol related incidents.

If you're trying to get a scholarship, go for a technical degree or a foreign language. I believe AFROTC has a list on their website of desired majors.

Prior enlisted can skip the first 2 years and go straight to Field Training if they're selected. You may not want to go that route though because you don't know the Air Force specific stuff for drill and so on.

Overall, work hard on everything, take the initiative and show a good attitude, and remember that as a cadet with prior service, you will be looked at as a leader/mentor by your classmates.

Best of luck in AFROTC,

Lt Tincher

Other than I taught in that field house (Army down stairs) 2002 -2005 and my oldest son and his girl are still there...nothing useful at all...lol
It was a good program when I was there, both the civilian side and service members. Loved Oregon, and OSU.
Graduation before commission ....that is the thing to keep in mind, you have to graduate before all the rest. So if ROTC ever starts to get in the path, go talk with your advisor and then the PMS. Its there job to help you achieve graduation so you can commission.

I went to a school where half of the classmates were prior service with some from every branch. So, the thing to understand is that the Air Force culture will be different than the Navy. Also know that what you will experience in ROTC is a training environment not commensurate with the duties of the Air Force. The biggest concern I have heard from priors are that "This is bullshit, this is not how we do things on active duty." Correct, its not active duty. Its an accessions program to evaluate your ability to lead in the Air Force environment as an officer. At the end of the day its a game. How well you play it, determines your success.

Go in with a good attitude and be willing to relearn how to do things a little bit different. Stupid stuff like how we drill is a bit different. We may use different terminology for different things such as an XO in the NAVY is the second in command, in the Air Force the XO refereed to as the exec is more like what other services call an adjutant.

I am not sure what phase of the program you are going in. If you are doing the full 4 years or 3 years. The first two years are to prepare you for camp. Camp or field training will be the biggest annoyance of your time in ROTC. You will get some pimple faced Napolloian, barely out of puberty who will get in your face and scream at you in camp. That's just nature of the beast. Even in the class environment at the university you will have some kids who will think they are the shit. They don't know any better.

You have a lot of knowledge about the military than most of your contemporaries. The best way to prove your knowledge is by demonstration versus telling them who you are. Best to be the adult. Sometimes it is better to just "Shut up and Color," versus trying to prove a point. Be proactive, help out when you know can. Try to be as active as you can. Don't sacrifice your studies to do extra-curricular activities that are not mandatory. Make sure you do go to all mandatory events on time. That is non-negotiable. But try to make an effort to at least be at some of those other activities, like fund raisers for your booster club or community service events. Be the one to volunteer to do the jobs the others don't want to do. You don't have to be a high speed hoorah type to survive. But you will want to get ingrained in the program as much as possible.

If you are in the POC you will have a staff position most likely starting out then they will give you some leadership billet at some point. Do whatever position your in, well. If you are trying to get a specific job when you commission the best way to do that is to be on good terms with the AD officer cadre. In the POC is where you will have credibility to demonstrate your prior knowledge of your prior life. In the GMC not so much.

If you go in with a good attitude it will be an enjoyable experience.

Hope that helps,

Good luck