Here’s the part where I blew it. Sort of. It was odd.
I sat down at a desk across from a counselor, reviewed my work and school history with her, and then she handed me a form that said that, considering my degree, they highly recommended I apply for officer school. Wasn’t ready for that. Every other branch I’d looked into had pushed me toward officer training right up until they heard what my degree was, then hey, presto! I was gone. No calls from my recruiter. So when I went to the army, I told them I just wanted to enlist and that I’d worry about officer training later. So here, right in the process of finishing up, I didn’t want that to happen again. And that’s what I told them. The career counselor checked; they didn’t care what degree I had or if I was over the legal age to go to Officer Candidate School. If I had a degree and wanted to be an officer, they’d make me an officer. All right then, it pays better and it’s better suited to my temperament anyway, so I signed.
But that paper sent me off on a goose chase. Phone calls were made to the commander of the recruiters. My documents were gone over with a fine toothed comb. They began initial research for security clearance. The commander showed up, took me into a back room and asked me, “what happened?” Turns out that signing that document was a YES, and my enlistment stopped.
Officer Candidate School, OCS, is a whole different ball game from enlistment. You have to have recommendations; You have to write an essay; you have to have a spotless criminal record; and you have to go before a review board that meets only once a week. Oh, and OCS is an extra 14 weeks of school. You have your basic, and you have your tech school, and OCS fits neatly in between them, making a neat 6-9 months away from your family. Maybe that was something I should have checked with my wife before signing?
neumatikos 
Uh, yeah, I don’t think you should have done that without talking to Valerie. Can you back up one “Yes”?
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If you have to have recommendations, why were they bothering to push it?
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Officer level and up require security clearance. So they’re always short, but you still need to be approved.
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No, I understand that part. I mean why are the lower levels pushing towards it when you didn’t have a prerequisite?
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So…I thought this had already happened…..[didn’t we discuss this a few weeks ago?] what’s happening now?
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Hoo boy. I perceive we have a confustication. I’m writing about what happened weeks ago.
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Ces – getting the recommendations is part of the application process, not a prerequisite. The prerequisite only (above normal enlistment requirements) is the degree.
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Got it.
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He is telling what happened a mere few weeks ago. That is a great improvement over his past record of sharing for the first time what happened years and years ago. Progress!
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