OCS

Posted on Nov 22, 2017

E6 promotion as a OCS candidate - what rank am I now?

SGT Jacky Chen

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Just realized in my iPERMS that I have been "promoted to: Staff Sergeant - SSG (E6)." Was not aware this would even happen. I'm guessing as an OCS candidate, this is for pay reasons?

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OCS Pennsylvania ARNG

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CPT (Join to see)

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You are not a SSG. You are an Officer Candidate. Since Officer Candidate is not a pay grade you will be paid on par with a SSG. It is only for Pay. So I wouldn't say you are an SSG. I was an SSG when I went to OCS. But at that point I was referred to as Officer Candidate. I had a soldier I helped join the Guard. He went straight into OCS. He was in the same boat you are in. I came to find out he was referring himself as an SGT. To those of us that were NCOs it was insulting to say that you attained a rank simply by saying you want to be an officer. Those that are selected to be an NCO put in a lot of time and work to reach that position. Those of us that went to OCS didn't.

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CPT Lawrence Cable

>1 y

SPC (Join to see) - The Army says the correct way to address a Candidate is Candidate. We have had the discussion about cadets before, but I can't find any regulations that list candidates or cadets as individuals that are entitled to a salute. Generally, if you got saluted as a candidate, it was some basic trainee that saluted anything that was shiny.

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1LT (Join to see)

>1 y

SPC (Join to see) - Cadets can be found in a reserve and National Guard units, I've seen them around, working at the orderly room, etc. helping out the office support. Yes, you address them as candidate.

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CPT Lawrence Cable

>1 y

SPC (Join to see) You are addressed as Candidate. In my class, you were treated according to your class rank/position, so if you are Platoon Sergeant, you get saluted, including by classmates in your section.

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CPT Lawrence Cable

>1 y

CPT Lawrence Cable - Platoon Leader, not Sergeant. Don't salute the PSgt. except in limited circumstances. For those of you that haven't attended, OCS is organized like a Infantry Company and the candidates are rotated through the various squad, platoon and company positions to evaluate their leadership abilities and potential.

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