What advice would you give to enlisted soldiers interested in entering the officer ranks?

It is a grave responsibility You must have leadership skills and know what they are. Remember the personell you are in charge of come first. That is your strength. A good leader doesn't have to be loved but he must be respected and fair. Listen to your NCO.s Sometimes they are wiser and have more experience than you might have. I spent 4yrs in the Marine Corp. (59-63) I made the rank of Cpl. I joined the Army (63-66) as a PFC. In 13 months I was a SP/5. I also went to a leadership academy at Ft, Knox. In Vietnam I was offered a battlefield commission as a 2nd. Lt. I only had 3 months left before I come home to see my wife of 8 months. If I had chosen to be an officer I would have had to stay in Vietnam another year. I chose my wife. Semper Fi.

You will be on the bottom of a long line of Officers and you will have to start all over again and being an Officer isn't like being an Enlisted as over time when it come's time to be promoted they can pass you over for the least bullshit . Plus the Enlisted does all the work and the Officer's take all the credit . But if you do and your at your first duty station make sure you find your high ranking NCO and ask him how does thing's work and what can make it better cause if you go and start making waves then you will be on everyone's shit list .

I transitioned from E5(P) to O-1 as a direct commission and it was brutal. I was not an OCS, ROTC or Academy grad nor Medical, Legal or Chaplain. I was a Medical Service Corps, which like every other officer position, just requires a college degree and federal recognition. My peers didn't know what to do with me because I was older than them by 10 years. My Senior NCOs wanted to treat me as a former NCO but couldn't. So, I worked with the First Sergeant and my Troop/Company XO to gain credibility and stay out of the way of my NCOs.

So, if you do decide to pursue a commission, do it because you love being a soldier and a servant-leader. Your previous experience has its limitations but will assist you in avoiding the career landmines many young officers find. It will also help you collaborate with your Senior NCO (PSG/MSG) and learn from your Senior Rater. But choose this path without regard to pay or power or ego but because you can serve others and believe you can operate at a higher level of responsibility/authority.

I would say it is your choice and a career build enhancement. However you will lose some old comrades, gain some new comrades and have enemies in the O ranks. But here is the down side because you have to pay for everything to include meals, billeting, uniforms, & what not. Instead of being responsible for a few, you became responsible for all. Best wishes and good luck.

Only go officer if you want to make it a career. If your an E- 7 with 12 years and want to put in 30 go for it. You will top out at LT col. If your just going for the min 20 years might be better to stay enlisted. You will top out as an E-8 or an E-9. IF you would go officer for 8 years you will likely be a captain or an O-3 when you have 20 in. The reason to stay enlisted is you will have rank privlage in duty assignments. Going from E-7 to O-1 might sound great pay wise but a O-1 Is a bottom of the barrel officer. Instead of a great duty station you might get a junk duty station all other officers passed on welcome to Iceland as sanitation officer..

When I was drafted in January of 71 4 of us were asked if we were offered to go to OCS we turned it down.

if you do not know who audey murpy is find out , if you do know ,then you know you could have a worse role model

Take advantage of all education opportunities were you can get a degree and attack your MOS with a vengeance becoming g the best there is. That way you will show leadership qualities the service is looking for. I give this advice as one who went through artillery OCS at Ft Sill in 1965. You must give 100% never doubt yourself or what you are capable of.

After joining the army at age 17.5 and serving as a tank driver, gunner, and tank commander before my 20th B-day I was perfectly content to stay in the squadron until the army fully realized I was the perfect candidate for the squadron's sergeants major position.

The enlisted promotion problem in the days before centralized promotions was rank after buck sergeant was subject to vacancies within the unit. Bottom line in those days many/most enlisted soldiers left the army after 20 years in the rank of of staff sergeant or sergeant first class. When the troop commander and my platoon leader presented me with an opportunity to go to officer candidate school I ran at the idea pretty hard until the troop first sergeant sat me down at his desk for a very long old, rawbone, soldier to witless, buck, sergeant talk. He laid out his personal story of accepting direct commissions in both WWII and Korea only to be reduced back to his enlisted rank after both conflicts ended. The primary reason was the lack of a college education. In short, he convinced me to consider enrolling in a college program that included participation in the college's ROTC program.

By achieving distinguished graduate status I was commissioned regular army versus reserve and thus did not sweat (quite as much) the several RIF's that occurred in the years following Vietnam. In addition, as a mustang I believe I was able to see the world through the eyes of my soldiers and anticipate their needs, feelings, reactions, etc. In summary, once a grunt always a grunt!

Soldier/Cop/Grunt, Retired

My advice would be that given there are fewer officers than enlisted know that competition for the top spots ranks are very competitive. Instead of being evaluated for your own performance you are being evaluated against your peers and no matter how good you think you are or your peers some have to be rated below standards, meeting standard or exceptional no matter how close all of them are meaning you will have to do things that make an impact and are unique to you which means you may have to do some things that may label you as an assorted number of colorful names most not complimentary. Being candid in the wrong place with the wrong person at the wrong time can be a career ender and no matter how much you despise your superiors being candid like we are as enlisted personnel is non existent. You are around to make yourself look good by making your boss look good. You are both responsible to the men in your charge, the officer corp and finding the best way to move forward in promoting your career in the most expeditious manner possible. Don't be average, don't be good, aim for greatness.