Any military Officers out there?

[Sir William]

...or in my own lowly case, a lowly NCO...

No such thing!

NCOs are the backbone of any decent military force! History has proven that armies without good NCOs don't fight as well (courage of the individual soldier aside).

You may have been a low-ranking NCO, but you were surely not lowly, especially in the Corps.

I was an NCO before I took a commission. I've always been proud I wore stripes before I wore bars.

[ronstew]

Pretty much my whole life, I wanted nothing more than to be a naval officer. When I was in the ninth grade, my uncle, a lieutenant, took me on a one-week coastal cruise on a destroyer. I was a sea cadet all through high school, eventually becoming a chief petty officer. I was accepted into Royal Roads Military College (sort of a Canadian Annapolis) in 1981, when I graduated from high school.

I was unsuccessful in almost every way at military college. I could not keep my room fit for inspection. I did not keep up with the pace of academic studies (dreadful study habits). My administrative skills were very weak. My physical fitness barely met the standard, and I disliked the physical activity. I was the top in my class in navigation and shiphandling, but under stress, could not make correct decisions rapidly. Ultimately, these issues meant that men would not follow me.

I was miserable, but I wanted so desperately to succeed that I stayed in the system for three and a half years until, with four months before graduation, I was discharged from the Canadian Armed Forces. No commission. No degree. Grades so low that I could not transfer to any university – not even into first year. Several years of dead-end jobs before I could get into a technical college. Humiliation.
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If I knew then what I know now, I would not have entered the military. But I didn’t know, and I needed to learn it. I needed reasonable expectations of myself, and the military taught me what my capabilities are and are not. Maybe there was a less unpleasant way to learn these things – I don’t know.

More importantly, even 25 years later, my best friends are some of my classmates from military college. Had I not been there, I never would have encountered that type of friendship.
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There is a bizarre epilogue that you can read about here and here in which I actually was granted a degree as a civilian by a military college in 2006. Several of my old classmates traveled for three hours to be with me. Best day of my life.
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Elijah, My advice to you is to learn what the washout paths are. What is the window for quitting? (I would have been allowed to quit, with no obligations, any time in the first year.) If you fail, what are your obligations? (I hear that in the USAF Academy, you get reranked as a private (or the equivalent), and have to fulfil your term, but this might be completely wrong).

You have to weigh the personal costs, and I doubt that the USMC recruiter will be of much help there.

The calling to be a soldier is one of the highest callings. If it were me, I would much prefer the coast guard to the army or marines, but I love the sea, and dislike running.



Edit: When I joined, we were not in a shooting war. Even so, we lost a classmate in a training exercise after graduation. And a few years later another classmate spent several days as a hostage in Kosovo, with video of him chained to a pole broadcast all over the country. Nowadays, the risks to your life and health are much more serious. You also need to ask yourself if you support your government's foreign policy, because when you sign up, you lose the right to object.

[Cavebear58]

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[ronstew]

Out of interest, have the (two?) degrees led to any life changes subsequently?

Yes. I teach high school. I'll elaborate in a PM, Graham.

[Elijah B]

Thanks for all the posts. The reason I am currently deciding between the Coast Guard and Marines is because I have a long time girlfriend, soon to be fiance, that is considering joining the CG as well. The Marines appeal to me because I have always wanted to join the armed services and be a warrior. The men I have admired most and sought to be like were nearly always former military. I understand that the military is not for everyone, many of my friends are enlisted and hate it. Having never experienced the hardship of military life, I am not completely sure about it. I am currently working out everyday, because I am shooting for the 300 on the pft, currently I am only at 246, but I still have almost a year of training. The idea of a heavily structured life is also not threatening to me, I am a very clean person, I am never late, and I have a very set schedule. I am doing very well at the university level, I am a dual major with a high GPA that I have worked hard for. I am very confident in my reasons for joining the service, and I am confident I will do well. I have explored the avenues for quitting, and I am still able to not accept my commission after the ten week OCS training. Again, thanks for all the posts, I hope this might explain my reasoning better.

[thescot]

No such thing!

NCOs are the backbone of any decent military force! History has proven that armies without good NCOs don't fight as well (courage of the individual soldier aside).

You may have been a low-ranking NCO, but you were surely not lowly, especially in the Corps.

I was an NCO before I took a commission. I've always been proud I wore stripes before I wore bars.

You, of course, speak the absolute truth, and we both know it. All officers are trained by NCOs, and the really good officers listen to their platoon sergeants--or chiefs-- when they first make their appearance. Not only do they become better officers, but they learn their craft and stay alive.

As a former platoon sergeant, I know that the military is run by it's staff NCOs, and that's as it should be. And since you first wore stripes, I imagine you were a better officer for it. The best officers I knew were all mustangs.

It is the perogative of any man who is self-confident and self-assured to assume a self-depricating posture. While the NCOs are "lower" in rank than the officers, they are not "lower" in standing. But a man need not ring his own chimes.

Thanks for pointing that out to the uninformed.