So I'm considering enlisting.

It's always been at the back of my mind, but after speaking with a Marine recruiter today (he contacted me), I've moved the possibility up quite a bit.

Backstory: I'm in my second year of college and not liking it a whole lot, and I'm kind of lost as far as knowing all of who I am as a person. The one thing that I have figured out though is what I want to do with my life: become a pilot. The only problem with this is that I don't have +/-$30k sitting around for flight training PLUS the cost of a college degree. In all honesty though, besides getting me where I want to be, a part of me thinks that serving would be very beneficial in other ways. One of these ways would be that if I were to enlist, it would be so far outside of my comfort zone that I doubt it could do anything but help me. Anyways, I'll stop blathering about myself and move on to my questions.

I'm not dead set on any one branch, but I am dead set on my goal. I'll be serving myself and my country at the same time no matter what uniform I would decide to wear, so input from all angles is appreciated.

I know I'll need a degree and to be an officer to be considered for flight school regardless of the service. The Marine recruiter was telling me that an Enlisted to Officer route such as OCS would probably be my best bet. Those of you that have been there in the Marines, what are your thoughts on this? And those of you from other services... are things relatively the same across services in that regard? I know ROTC is a possibility, but the idea of getting my degree while I'm enlisted appeals to me a bit more than traditional college.

If I were to go the Enlisted to Officer route, I'm not quite sure what I'd do (driving tanks sounds fun. So does blowing shit up.) while I'm working on my degree. Would any one job make it easier for me to jump into the cockpit after going through Officer training, or are my chances relatively the same no matter what I do?

My preference for flight would be fixed wing, multi-engine. Fighters if I can, Heavies if not (or maybe do the ARFcom thing and get both during my service if that's possible). I'll do helos if I can't get into fixed wing and that works out just fine too, as long as I'm getting hours and I'm in the air. I know the AF has all of the above with a majority stake in Heavies. Army tends to be mostly helos or smaller fixed wing from what I've read (do they fly C130s?). Marines have some of the oddball aircraft (Osprey), fighters, and I believe some C130s too. Navy I'm pretty sure is mostly fighters and smaller fixed-wing jets. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong anywhere.

I suppose what this post boils down to is that I'm seeking wisdom from those who have been there, done that... no matter what you did in the service.

Any Army/Navy/AF recruiters feel free to shoot me an IM/Email. My neighbor was in Vietnam and I asked his advice. He told me to shop around the services to see what the path to my goal is for each one, and then pick the best fit.

Also, what specific questions should I ask any recruiter I speak to?

Thank you for your service and for any advice you offer. Joining would be one of the biggest decisions of my life, and I want to be fully prepared when I do make a decision.

Enroll in ROTC and get your degree, enter the service as an officer and try to get it contracted that you get to flight school.

First off, you won't have to pay for flight training. If you continue on with college you have the option of joining the NROTC program (Marine Option) if your school has it, or get your degree then go to an Officer Selection Officer and come in that way. Either way, to become a pilot you'll have to be guaranteed the Aviation Option. I'm not sure of the specifics, however an Officer Selection Officer can fill you in more and THAT is who you should be talking to, not just a regular recruiter. The regular recruiter will tell you about the available enlisted to officer programs, however he won't tell you that you have to try and do that ON TOP OF whatever your normal day to day duties are. Something else to note: In all likelihood you will not be allowed to apply for any programs until you have completed all of your MOS training, which can last a few months or even longer depending on what your MOS is.

While the available programs are great if you get accepted into them, you won't be allowed to go as soon as you're done with Basic Training. MECEP (Marine Enlisted Commissioning and Education Program) for example use to allow Marines to apply as low as Lance Corporal, however they have recently raised it to Sergeant IIRC. Again, the person who will have all this information is an Officer Selection Officer. This is the link to the Marine Corps Officer Selection Officer page: Officer Selection Officer - Request more info .

MECEP is basically a program where the Corps allows you to go to school on Active Duty, however the applicant (you) is required to pay for all tuition fees at said school. There is also the BOOST program, but I cannot remember how it works exactly. Either way, you cannot simply go from enlisted to officer in the Marine Corps without obtaining a Bachelors of Science degree.

The field doesn't matter so long as it's a BS degree. I've known pilots who were english, or history, or even Aerospace Engineering majors.

I have been in for 5 years next month. I picked up Sergeant a year ago, and that's only because my MOS promotes relatively quickly. My original plan was the same as yours - I wanted to be a pilot. When I didn't have the money for school I went ahead and enlisted. I was fortunate enough to get a slot as a crewchief on Ospreys, so I still get to fly, albeit in the back of the aircraft.

While I highly suggest you stick with school and come straight in as an officer. It will be the quickest way to achieve your dream. All the training pilots go through takes quite awhile and most don't get to an deployable squadron for a couple of years (at least for Osprey pilots). So going straight in will save you the added time you will have to spend as an enlisted Marine in training/waiting to meet rank requirements/etc, THEN spending more time finally getting your degree, THEN going to Officer Candidate School, THEN TBS (The Basic School - It's essentially basic combat training with a focus on leadership) THEN finally beginning flight training. It's possible, just takes alot longer after already becoming a Marine.

Something else to keep in mind. The military as a whole is drawing down it's numbers, especially the Marine Corps. The competition for officer programs from the enlisted ranks is extremely tough and the boards are highly selective of candidates nowadays.

You have to have the desire to become a Marine first and foremost, being a pilot is secondary to that. Keep that in mind and don't focus solely on the pilot aspect and you'll have a much better chance. Been there, done that, learned that lesson.

By all means it's your life and ultimately you should live it how YOU want to. If you want to enlist, go for it. Hopefully this small amount of information is helpful to you.

You don't have to have a degree to fly for the military. Talk to your local Army recruiter about the Warrant Officer Flight program. Also check w/ your Army Guard & Reserves recruiters. There are 14 uniformed services, & 13 of those have pilots. The Army National Guard & Air National Guard have 53 separate recruiting commands w/ 53 separate quotas each - ergo, there are 117 different uniformed flying programs you may or may not be eligible for.

Gig 'em,

backbencher

I joined the reserves in my freshman year, went to Iraq halfway through my junior year, came back, enrolled in ROTC, graduated, and commissioned as an infantry officer. Worked for me. Might be something to consider. IM me if you have any questions.

I am a Warrant Officer in the Army. I enlisted in the WOFT program. You do not have to have a degree for this program, but it is very competitive. The Army is 95% Rotary Wing, but helicopters are a ton of fun (and I have been a fixed wing pilot since 1998).

If you would like more info, send me a PM.

Go to your school's ROTC Office (if they have one or the nearerst Army Recruiting Station). Ask for the ROO or the Army Reserve or National Guard On Campus Recruiter. Ask them very nicely to tell you about the Army ROTC SMP (Simultaneous Membership Program). It will pay for the rest of your college, possibly any student loans you have, and give you a little spending money on the side. You will also get some of the best leadership training in the country. Its a great program. You can also do an ADSO (Addtional Duty Service Obligation) to get the Branch of your choice, Aviation in your case (Provided you can pass a Flight Physical). Good luck. PM if you have any questions.

“The Marine recruiter was telling me that an Enlisted to Officer route such as OCS would probably be my best bet”.

Think of recruiters as used car salesmen, it’s all about closing a deal that’s best for them, not you. Recruiters have a hard time filling enlisted slots, there are 100 people standing in line ready for every officer slot. Go talk to an officer recruiter; ROTC is best, they are talking to you about a commissioning program, not some distant hope of getting an OCS slot.

Yep because if you find a NEW job out of school making what the average Joe does after 5-8 years of working then sure think of it that way.

With all the cuts coming be lucky to find a job you MIGHT like...

Finish school with the best grades you can possibly earn. Stay out of trouble, e.g., DUI, etc. Then figure out what the best route to flight school is.

I work with a guy that does the car salesman thing, and it annoys the shit out of me. I can assure you that recruiters do not have a hard time filling enlisted slots. Are you speaking from your personal expirence? because I am. i got detailed for this shit and I hate it. But i tend to do the best that I can at anything that has my name on it, so i like to think i know a few things about recruiting. I tell my applicants that if theres not a job on the computer that they like, that we can get everything built and ready for them to enlist. And that I will call Ft Know every morning and let them know if i find the job they are looking for. This requires a little bit of a comprimise though. You can't come in and say I want to be a military intel person and score a 31 on the ASVAB.

If you are dead set on picking a low density MOS, duty station, enlistment option, and bonus. Than go another employer that has the same benefits as the US military. Recruiters will try to get you something that you agree with, but if they treat you like shit, go to the Station Commander and request a different recruiter.

OP, there is so many options for you. My recommendation is 1.)go enlisted first, learn how to follow and get your hands dirty. then go to OCS. in the Army, you can use a green to gold scholarship to leave active duty to complete your degree. 2.) stay in college, get a 3.5 or higher GPA, and ensure that you can score a 260 or higher and pass height and weight standards. 3.) Enroll in an ROTC program, commishion that way. 4.) Enroll in an ROTC program and join the reserves, this is called SMP, it gives you the benefits of being in the reserves and allows you to be in ROTC. Upon commishioning, you will be selected for the branch that they assign you and you can choose to go active or reserves. If you have any questions about any of this and what to talk to an Army recruiter about this, you can IM me and I will get you my number. I am not going to recruit you, just give you answers and options. If it is something you decide your interested in pursueing, i will recommend you to call a local recruiting station.

Cadets do not get to choose active or reserve. They get selected for one or the other based on the assessment "cut line", which is based on the percentage of active duty allowed that year. All of the scores a Cadet earns from weapons, APFT, "summer camp" etc, go towards the Cadets overall national Cadet ranking. Rank too low and you get a real shot at reserves even if you want active. Ranking also determines the Cadet getting one of his/hers top three branch choices.

Be below average or average in ROTC and risk ending up in the reserves in a branch you hate.

Cadets can however request reserves, which is always granted.

I was a detailed recruiter 92-95 and a ROTC instructor at Minnesota Stae University 2005-2007..

Marines aren't having any problems recruiting right now, recruiters are actually turning away qualified recruits because we are getting more than we need.

If you want to fly both the Navy and Marine Corps can contract you with a flight option, you just have to make it through the pipeline.

For the Marines you go through OCS, than TBS. After TBS you go to Pensacola for flight training.

First off making the choice to serve is a huge decision do your research, there are pro's and con's with every branch and career track.

Enlisted get to choose your job from the get go
Officers Do not nessasarily get to.

If your dream is to fly i would look into the Army Warrant Program, you have the ability to be a Technical expert and fly your whole career without flying a desk like Marine Navy and AF pilots do after 2 or 3 flying tours. Once you make LCDR/Major your flying day s are limited but as a CW4 or CW5 you can fly to your hearts content and nobody fucks with a crusty Warrant Officer.

BTW Im a Naval Aircrewman which is a great enlisted job I am a crewman on Multiengine Fixed wing Patrol Aircraft, it has its ups and downs, no pun intended, but all in all very rewarding and it has set me up for success later in life and I will always love the Navy for that. It also taught me to take care of myself and work as a team with others.

I've seen this twice now about cadets getting to choose a service. I have Army ROTC at my current college, so this interests me...

My question is that if I were to join the ROTC program at my school and commission, would I have to commission into the Army or would I get a choice between the services (would there be a chance to commission into the AF, for example). Because if I were to get a choice, then this is a serious option for me.

Thanks again for all the info guys

If you go into ROTC you go into the Army, if you go to AFROTC you go into the Air Force, if you go NROTC you somewhere, normally when you contract, choose Marines or Navy.

Not to hijack the OPs topic, but can you join ROTC if you have 2-3 years left of school? I'm going for Pre-Medicine to be a DO. My grades aren't bad and I could probably get in, but I just got married 2 months ago and I'm feeling the pain of not supporting my wife very well. I'm just having a few nerves and I have been thinking the military might be worth looking into if it will be more secure/certain.

Depends on what you want to do because there are multiple scholarships and programs, each of which have their own pros and cons. At most programs you cannot contract into SMP until your Sophomore year, so it is designed for those with 3 years left.

Check your university ROTC website and see what they offer for scholarships and programs. A quick phone call to one of the Cadre members would probably be the best method to discuss potential options.

I would definatly look at all the branches first off. The army warrant program is great if you can get in. If you are in college and are not motivated you are wasting your time. WIth teh economy the way it is now being a pilot in the civilian market is going to be extremely tough (I have 4 pilots in my family). If you are looking at fixed wing you need to talk to the Air Force and rotary I would be talking to the Army. I do not know alot about the coast guard but that would be worth looking into. I know the military is getting harder to get into these days.

Just my 2 cents. I am a hobby pilot and did 4 years in the Army as a Combat Engineer, best time of my life. Got out and got my degree.

Whatever you do get it in writing. Everything. No matter what. If they won't put it in writing that should be a red flag. Unless you don't really care what you do.

For example, when I signed up for the nuke program with the Navy I had a decision. There were three possible rates (enlisted): electrician's mate, electronics technician, and machinist's mate. I wanted to be an ET but they wouldn't put it in writing. I dropped from the nuke program and went conventional ET instead.

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