Is it possible for a former enlisted Marine Reservist to go into the Army as an Officer?

2019-08-03T23:11:34-04:00

Hello everyone, I am a former enlisted Marine reservist and I am interested in going into the Army as an Active duty Officer, I want to get Infantry as my branch. I haven't spoken to a recruiter yet, but was curious If that is possible to do. I am currently 28 and in my sophomore year of school doing online since I have a full time job, I am wanting to take as many courses as I can each term and planning on taking CLEP exams every month to be able to graduate as soon as possible and get started, I'm thinking ROTC may be out of the question because of my full time job, they already complain about people taking one day off for anything but is there any Officers that have advice on trying to become an Officer in the Army? and how the process works? Thank you.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 3 at 2019 11:31 PM

2019-08-03T23:31:13-04:00

I joined the Army National Guard at age 31 and became a commissioned officer at 33 years 9 months. In case you get the run-around by the active component, consider the Army National Guard because they have the combat arms branches. Once you are commissions, you can transfer to the Army Reserve and find more positions for Captain, major and lieutenant colonel. National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers has mostly been to Iraq and Afghanistan already. In the Army Reserve, we are scraping up people from different units of all ranks to send to Kuwait for Logistics. Something to consider. There are many of us here in the Army National Guard who put in at least eight years or more and then switched over to the Army Reserve. I have been military police, armor and now civil affairs. I'm a lieutenant colonel without having company command. There are a million permutations of what you can do here but don't disregard the reserve component because even the reserve component has full-time active Guard Reserve position Nationwide and even worldwide.

Response by Maj Steven Parks made Aug 4 at 2019 1:09 AM

2019-08-04T01:09:27-04:00

I was in the Army for 3 years and got out and went to college. My college did not have an ROTC program but had a cross town program with another university that had ROTC. I took ROTC at that university and got my commission through that program. I'm not sure about the Army now but I'd also check with the National Guard and Reserve and see if they have any programs you can get your commission through.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Aug 4 at 2019 1:10 AM

2019-08-04T01:10:13-04:00

Cpl D M possible, yes. What does your degree plan look like from here out? CLEP may not be possible for upper division classes. If you are just getting credit for classes you are forfeiting GPA padding against upper division classes which tend to be more challenging. Has your College capped what they'll accept for transfer and clep credit?

So by commissioning source:
USMA: no, you are already headed away from this. That ship has sailed.

ROTC: sounds like your job is the primary source of income. You would need to do two summers back to back or take less credits to get three years and go to just on summer. Yes you would have to do weekend FTXs, morning PT, and ROTC classes including leadership lab, time varies. I would still make contact with the ROTC Department at your school to see what they can help you with. They can also articulate the current age waiver policy. You will be no worse off for finding out from the source.

Active Duty Federal OCS: finish your degree, build a packet, and work with a recruiter. You have time to do this. Talk to a recruiter now so you'll be on track. Bring your 214. Two options: drop an OCS packet to come in "off the street", you'll need a degree in hand and work with a recruiter. Option 2: enlist, then apply for OCS. You may run out of time doing this, and there is no guarantee you'll be selected.

State OCS: engage a ARNG recruiter in your state. You also have time to do this.

Direct Commissioning: see if your degree aligns with a direct commission branch. It won't be Infantry. You're not guaranteed a branch anyway. Tons of people on RP are talking 70 series direct commissions in the RC.

So getting your preferred branch may not be possible. You get what you get. This article and the discussion has branch selection info on ROTC, OCS, and a little USMA. https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/how-do-i-choose-an-army-branch-a-framework

Change your topic tags. The ranks are not very helpful. Some are the Marine equivalent ranks. Recommend the following tags: Army ROTC, Army OCS, there may be several variants. Click on the tags after you post and read the information at those tags.

How do I choose an Army Branch?: A Framework | RallyPoint

The purpose of this article is to address one of the biggest Rally Point questions among Army ROTC Cadets: I am a with a major in , which branch should I choose? One of my goals is to help you filter through what you will get back. After all, don’t we all turn to the nameless, faceless internet trolls to determine our future? The immediate challenge is that the people responding are well intentioned but generally don’t know you from Adam....

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Aug 4 at 2019 7:26 AM

2019-08-04T07:26:24-04:00

http://www.ocsfoundation.org

You'll find this useful....

OCS Foundation

SERVICES FOR: Candidates Alumni Officer Families

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Aug 4 at 2019 7:37 AM

2019-08-04T07:37:18-04:00

Also, you need to elaborate more.soecifically, for all of us to try to help you properly, OK? What major is your bach, did you do an assocs, if so, what major for that, STEM or non-STEM field, grades, GPAs, specific course titles, exactly how much science or conscience you've done, grad school interests, other svcs you've looked at, I know you want Army, I was 3 yrs Army ROTC, then went USAF OTS, you're fortunate to have been prior enlisted, I wasn't, I took way too long to adjust to the role as a result...any flight interests? Lemme send this, then I'll try to add more...add hobbies, other interests, reading tastes, sports esp any martial arts, type of civilian work generally, any supervisory level you've done at all, even if only generally...there are many aspects I can suggest for you, also you're gonna have to do minimum a masters, part time if need be, the moment you'd commission regardless of svc, and, would you think about warrant at all? Doo a really thorough, detailed biosketch if you can, I'm on a clumsy tablet, not always the best medium for sending such suggestions...had you thought about USMC platoon leaders course (PLC), which, having been USMC, you may well have heard of? Would you want to try to do FOR for grad schiol? ROTC on full scholarship to be able to stop full time outside work? I'm not saying you'd want either, I'm just asking to get an idea, that's all, honest...any cyber interests at all? Army direct commission cyber? Navy warrant cyber, which is relatively new? Other svc direct commission programs.later on? Those are the kinds of career/educ things telling us can help us try to help you more effectively in here, I've found, honest, as I'd said, I'll try to send more that might be of interest, lemme send this for now, elaborate if you can as specifically and as detailed as possible, meanwhile, I'd be most interested to hear more, OK?

Response by CPT Brad Wilson made Aug 4 at 2019 10:54 AM

2019-08-04T10:54:18-04:00

Since you are going to school online and not taking classes in a traditional school I would say finish school get your degree and go to OCS. You are getting close to the maximum age but being prior service that is pushed back I’m not sure if you can do ROTC and not be enrolled in the school that the ROTC unit is in but check with them and see if that is possible but you would have to attend the ROTC classes and labs which may interfere with your work schedule

Response by MAJ Rene De La Rosa made Aug 4 at 2019 11:11 PM

2019-08-04T23:11:45-04:00

Absolutely. Get with a recruiter ASAP in order to get the paperwork prepared.

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Aug 4 at 2019 11:28 PM

2019-08-04T23:28:10-04:00

If active duty if your goal, ROTC probably would be your best bet. The other option would be Federal OCS and you would have to speak with an Army recruiter for that. Since you already completed USMC basic training, you would be eligible to come in to the 3rd year of Military Science classes if you meet all the requirements. ROTC would require you to be enrolled at a school that has a program and you can only take so many online classes vs. traditional cheeks in the seat classes. You also receive a monthly stipend of $420 plus any GI bill benefits you may be using. There are also scholarships available. Please speak with the Recruiting Operations Officer at an ROTC program to get more information.

Response by CPL Gary Pifer made Aug 5 at 2019 1:25 AM

2019-08-05T01:25:47-04:00

Go visit a local Guard unit and ask to be a tag along as a guest and check out the Army and 11B. You may not like the Army or infantry. Try to do a field Battle Assembly weekend. I don't know what your reserve points are but you still need 20 active years for a AD retirement. Otherwise I would enlist in the Guard and finish College. Then decide. One thing I hated was either very young or old butter bars in the infantry. Mostly I ignored them. Sorry... I wanted to live. Had a old one blow his fingers off. Caught a young one smoking pot.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 6 at 2019 12:16 AM

2019-08-06T00:16:57-04:00

CPL D M, yes you can. I was also in the Marines and decided to pursue a commissioned. First, the Marines wanted me to go to USMC OCS. However, the Navy said I was too old to be a Marine Officer (I was 32 y/o). In the Marines, we have an OSO (Officer Selection Officer) you can find one at every MEPS, so when talking commissioning you only speak to one individual and that individual represents both Active and Reserve Marine Corps. In the Army, you have to be more careful when speaking with a recruiter (SGT-SFC) You normally find 3 recruiters at each office, but each of them represents a different component of the Army. For example, you will CA Army National Guard, Army Reserve and Regular Army (Active Duty) all cluster in the same office, different desk. The National Guard offers two types of OCS routes, the year-long commissioning program, and the 502 Fast Track OCS program.
The Army Reserve will offer you Federal OCS (10 wks) at Fort Bening, GA, which is the same OCS that active duty will offer you. For both Reserve and Active, you will need to have completed your bachelor's degree preferred but will consider you with 90 credit hrs. You will first have to enlist and make sure your contract states that "if found qualify, you will attend OCS within the first 12 months of your enlistment contract" This is extremely important to have on your contract, trust me on this one! You can go to your local MEPS station to ask for a copy of your SRB, make copies of everything. Ensure you have your certificate of completion of the Corporal course, otherwise, you might get enlisted as a "specialist" still an E4, but CPL is an NCO, and will get your SGT stripes faster. I hope these few lines help you make the right decision for you and your career. Semper Fi!

Response by COL Jon Lopey made Sep 6 at 2019 9:58 PM

2019-09-06T21:58:33-04:00

CPL, I was a Viet Nam Era Marine and after discharge I was a PLC candidate while in college; however, I got into law enforcement, did not pick-up my Marine commission but through urging of some co-workers, joined he CARNG and later, USAR. I attended Army OCS and it was an excellent program and very challenging. I stayed in the Army for 30-years and served in three branches and got to go to several foreign nations (e.g., OUD, OJG, OEF, OIF, etc.). All you have to do is apply to be an officer and attend OCS at Fort Benning, unless you go reserves, in such case there are state and federal OCS options. I recommend OCS due to its emphasis on Infantry tactics and there are great instructors at Fort Benning. I recommend you go Airborne and Ranger if possible once you get your commission. The Army is much bigger than the Marines and while I still miss the USMC, the Army has more opportunities, both active and reserve. I wish you the best. There are a lot of former Marines in the Army components, both active and reserve. You will feel at home! Semper Fi, COL L

Response by CPT Brad Purscell made Sep 9 at 2019 11:49 PM

2019-09-09T23:49:50-04:00

I was you. Unless things have really changed, this is what I did: You will need to complete two years of ROTC, and you may be able to get a scholarship. You get to skip the freshman and sophomore ROTC Military Science (MS) 1 and 2 classes because you are considered to be prior service. You take your MS 3 classes during your junior year, attend a competitive summer camp that summer, and you take your MS 4 classes your senior year. Your performance during your MS 3 year, your summer camp performance, GPA, and some other things go into a commissioning packet (along with your branch request dream sheet). You are not guaranteed active duty or a specific branch. You will be notified during your senior year of your branch selection and if you were selected for active duty.
There also used to be a program where a cadet could drill with a national guard unit and receive E-5 pay. I was a proud 18 year old Marine Reservist 0311 with the original goal of becoming a Marine Corps officer. I ignorantly thought the ROTC programs were a joke. I talked to an Army recruiter about going to OCS. He told me OCS was the hard way to gain a commission. He set up a meeting with the ROTC battalion XO (who was an MP Major). The recruiter said go meet the man, and if you don’t like it I will be more than happy to sign you up for OCS. Long story short, I had a great time in ROTC and learned a lot from my MS 3 instructor and our two senior NCO’s about leadership. We had an excellent officer and senior NCO cadre and there were several other prior service cadets who I become good friends with. I received an active duty Regular Army commission as an Engineer. I wanted Infantry and had assumed I would get it because of my prior infantry service. “Needs of the Army” and it was very competitive at that time for active duty slots. I was assigned to the 326th Engineer Battalion (Sapper), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and had a great time. Simper Fi ad good luck.

Response by MAJ Jason Sierakowski made May 20 at 2020 5:26 PM

2020-05-20T17:26:30-04:00

I get that the folks on here are giving great comments. Short and to the point....I was a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant (5 yrs. Active, 5 yrs. Reserve) before I commissioned out of Army OCS. If your still in school go speak to an ROTC program, they love recruiting former military personnel. You'll start at a junior status. At the same time speak with an Army Officer Recruiter (go to your local recruiting station), and inquire about commissioning, you will get real answers.

No matter the descision, you have to sacrifice a little now for a big reward in the end. Your family and new career will be stable.