Citadel99 said:
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Downside to this [SMP rotc and usar/arng]is the possibility of a deployment with the NG/Reserve unit during college. A plus side is if you decide to get out after your three or four year officer contract, the enlisted time counts against the IRR so you have a small chance of being called up after you get out.
Someone esle talked about SMP with ROTC as well...I didn't want to spend the time to dig up and quote it.
I just wanted to chime in. I am SMP. I am an ROTC cadet (accepting my commission in May as an Armor officer) and also a drilling reservist in the USAR. A few things about SMP. There are two varities of soldiers in SMP. 1) they are currently enlisted and decide on ROTC. or 2) they are currently cadets in ROTC and decide to drill concurrently in a USAR or ARNG unit. Either way, you are simultaneusuly (i know, ingenious how they thought up the S in SMP) a drilling reservist or natl guardsman as well as a cadet.
ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) is generally a 2 year program. It is 4 years for some because they need to take 2 years of milisci electives to get up to speed. This is waived if they are prior enlisted or go to a 6 week LTC one summer (leaders training course--it's not basic training, it purpose is different--but it gets you up to speed to start leadership training and gives rudimentary soldier skills). We have some cadets, even, who are "prior service" split option enlistees, just out of basic and about to go to AIT, only to sign an ROTC contract--thus superceding thier enlistment contract. Eitehr way, you end up with 2 years of precomissioning training. It's really leadership training, the scope of which is too large to go in detail here. ROTC is an officer commisioning program. The otehr 2 ways are West Point and OCS.
If you SMP, you will drill as an officer trainee with a USAR or ARNG unit. This is outside of your ROTC committment. You are generally a pseudo-officer in that unit. It depends on your unit and commander on what you will do. MOst SMP cadets shadow an LT as an apprentice of sorts, some SMP cadets are makeshift platoon leaders themselves (particularly in units with a lack of LTs).
The main point that was off in other posts that mention SMP (the above included)is the nature of you as a drilling reservst in SMP. You are technically enlisted, per contract, with the USAR or ARNG. But again, youre an officer trainee and anything ROTC takes precedent. For example, If your ROTC BN is having an FTX on you USAR unit's drill weekend, you go on the FTX. Furthermore, YOu are on non-deployable status. From a comon sense standpoint, it wouldn't make sense to deploy a cadet that is serving as a pseudo-platoon-leader. That could get soldiers killed... LIkewise, even if you were enlisted prior to signing your ROTC contract, you basically cease to exist as that enlisted soldier you were. If you were a 91W, for random example, and you sign an ROTC contract and reamin with your unit... that 91W is erased and you are now 09R. Your unit can't deploy you as a 91W, and 09R (officer candidate-ROTC) is non-deployable. SMP is a program for cadets to get some apprenticeship time in an actual unit. You get E-5 drill pay, and are addressed as "sir," etc...
oh, All of the above concerns the Army. THe Navy (and Marine) and Air Force are different. And as I understand it, neither offer anything like SMP. Coast Guard does not offer ROTC. And ROTC can be taken at many universities and even military schools (like the Citadel, from which I assume "Citadell99" is from). It's voluntary even in the military schools.
Anyway. I just registered on this forum just to post that
My advice is to FINISH COLLEGE. Even if you decide officership isn't for you, or decide to enlist, or decided against the military altogether, I still reccomend you finish college to better yourself as a person.
Whether or not you find the comments of ""KA50" unpalattable, you will find many of his like viewpoints in places like college.
AND THAT's A GOOD THING. It's part of the learning process and part of the free market of ideas that college tries to cultivate (only TRIES...there are some hypocrite jerks that insist "dubya sucks" or "anyone who hates bush is unamerican" and you suck if you don't think so.). You'll come accross different people in life...and you'll have to deal with them as a leader, or even as a particupant in life. The military needs people with brains, not robots. YOu have to rationalize you own path, and college CAN help you there.
Best of luck to you. Judging from your initial message you seem to be a real hardcharger who seeks the most in life. That will serve you well in any endeavor, military or otherwise.