OCS vs NROTC

[Uncle Fester]

So, Army officers who have aviator wings basically get most of their flying done early in their career?

Would a colonel ever fly on a mission? If so, who would really be in charge? The colonel or the senior chief warrant officer who probably has more flying time than the colonel? Is it awkward when a warrant officer flies with LTs and above who may have less flying experience than them?

Finally, are warrant officers saluted by the enlisted and called "Sir" or "Ma'am"? Does a warrant officer salute a 2ndLT and call her "Ma'am"?

Not really. The Army kind of sort of regards their RLO aviators more akin to Armor commanders - they need to know how to drive and fight the vehicles as part of commanding the units, but the CWOs are the “experts.” It’s just a really different dynamic than the other services. Not better or worse, just different.

“Chief” is the preferred appellation for Warrants in the Army, for all other ranks.

My cousin’s husband was getting out of the Nav as an E-6 and interested in Army Aviation so i helped him do the research. I can’t pretend to be an expert, and I’ve told you about as much as I know.

There’s a good doc (or at least there was) on Netflix, Apache Warrior, which pretty well documents the strike into Karbala during OIF I going to shit, and also the relationship between a junior platoon leader RLO and saltier CWO pilot.

 

[wallythenycat]

Awesome..thanks for the 411. I will do more research and check out the flick.

 

[Mouselovr]

Of the engineering majors, how many can actually graduate in 4 years while taking ROTC?

And, why does the Navy have such a hard on for engineering majors anyway? I mean if you're a pilot, SEAL, shipdriver, or bubbleheard, are you really going to put an engineering degree to use in any of these jobs?

Theres the technical appeal, and there’s an assumption of a base line level of work ethic.
This is not to say engineering = a great work ethic, but there are a difference in workload between majors in college. If you finished an engineering degree, there is the perception of some capacity for time management and studying.

Regardless if someone is a complete sandbag, its a tool for the navy to pick people who are perceived to be more likely to make it through their pipelines.

 

[Swanee]

but no one will deny there is a difference in workload between majors in college. If you finished an engineering degree, it shows some capacity for time management and studying as opposed to a random degree.

I call BS on this as it's very narrowminded and narrow focused, and it's the perception of folks with engineering degrees on all others, not the whole of higher academia on itself.

Any good program will require their students to spend a significant portion of their time and energy to be successful in their field of study, and much more to excel in it. Any good program will have a washout rate, and will get more difficult as it progresses.

 

[Mouselovr]

I call BS on this as it's very narrowminded and narrow focused, and it's the perception of folks with engineering degrees on all others, not the whole of higher academia on itself.

Any good program will require their students to spend a significant portion of their time and energy to be successful in their field of study, and much more to excel in it. Any good program will have a washout rate, and will get more difficult as it progresses.

Pardon, i am agreeing with you. My wording was not the best above. (Added edits)

I was stating that certain degrees comes with generalized assumptions when quickly glanced at by a selection board regardless of the validity for the individual/their program.

 

[Swanee]

Pardon, i am agreeing with you. My wording was not the best above.

I was stating that certain degrees comes with generalized assumptions when quickly glanced at by a selection board regardless of the validity for the individual/their program.

That's not what you said and your edits to your original statement are also wrong.

If you have an engineering degree is means you studied and performed to an acceptable undergraduate level in some type of engineering as prescribed by the accreditation board of the university or college you attended. Nothing more, nothing less.

It does not mean you worked harder or are smarter than anyone else with a different degree.

 

[Mouselovr]

That's not what you said and your edits to your original statement are also wrong.

If you have an engineering degree is means you studied and performed to an acceptable undergraduate level in some type of engineering as prescribed by the accreditation board of the university or college you attended. Nothing more, nothing less.

It does not mean you worked harder or are smarter than anyone else with a different degree.

To each his own. I didn’t study engineering, so I’m stating the perceptions I’ve seen in others that they typically have in response.

I hear your perspective and hear where you’re coming from.

Do you think the navy should completely disregard field of study and exclusively select for communities based on personal statement/scores/rank?

What about for more specialized communities such as CEC who require specific bachelors to be eligible to submit a package?

 

[Swanee]

To each his own. I didn’t study engineering, so I’m stating the perceptions I’ve seen in others that they typically have in response.

I hear your perspective and hear where you’re coming from.

Do you think the navy should completely disregard field of study and exclusively select for communities based on personal statement/scores/rank?

What about for more specialized communities such as CEC who require specific and specialized bachelors to be eligible to submit a package?

I think officers spend a lot more time reading, analyzing, and writing than they do solving math equations. Yet most officers struggle to read and write at a senior in highschool, much less college, level.


Back when developmental test flight was nothing less than a graduate level science experiment I understand why they needed hard science degrees.


Today the math is done for you through computers. The reading, analysis of what you read, and writing still has to happen in your brain. That is, until ChatGPT does everything for us.

I think weighing one degree higher than another is counter to what makes a good officer corps. Study something to completion at the bachelor's degree level and get good grades doing it.

If it's really important to learn for a military job, they'll teach you what you need to know to do it.