Posted on May 15, 2015
Enlist with SMP program or just go straight to ROTC? Which do you think is a better decision?
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This is my first question on RP. In advance, sorry for any gramatical mistakes. So I decided to enlist in the NG as an Infantryman. I will be attending OSUT in August and will skip my first semester of college. I will be back home in December, and start college along with ROTC in the spring and join the SMP program once I am qualified. I already have 9 college credits so skipping my first semester of college will not be that bad. Also, I hope to receive college credits from BCT and AIT. I originally planned to just attend college and join ROTC and not enlist. From what I read, the SMP program sounded like it could be beneficial to me.
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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 24
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I'd say it was a great decision. You'll have the same or similar initial training as those you'll one day lead, have a better understanding of military culture, have the monthly experience at drill to compliment everything in the ROTC program, and the added bonus of beginning your time in service years earlier than many of your peers. It will also give you the chance to drill with units within different branches (i.e. Infantry, Aviation, Quartermaster, etc.) to see what you may or may not want to branch when you commission. Best of luck!
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Suspended Profile
To clarify, just because you SMP in an infantry unit and were enlisted as an infantryman, does not mean you have to be an infantry officer. You can do whatever job you want, as long as you earn it and qualify for it.
PVT Angelo Velez
I want a combat role. My preferences are infantry, aviation, military intelligence, armor, and field artillery in that order. I also prefer active duty but if I go to the NG or reserves, then I want to be an infantry officer for sure!
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1LT William Clardy
1LT Andrew Carpenter, you are 100-percent wrong.
It is a proven fact that officers who enlisted in the infantry *always* are infantry officers. They may *wear* some other branch insignia due to improprieties committed by branch-assignment officers, but underneath that branch insignia beat the heart of an Infantry officer...
It is a proven fact that officers who enlisted in the infantry *always* are infantry officers. They may *wear* some other branch insignia due to improprieties committed by branch-assignment officers, but underneath that branch insignia beat the heart of an Infantry officer...
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Suspended Profile
Velez - im glad you already have some options in mind. Keep an open mind and work hard for what you want - you may not always get it, but it will work out in the long run.
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Good call. I did the SMP program and got a lot of stuff out of it. All depends on YOUR attitude through the whole thing.
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- Short answer: METT-TC (it depends). Good or bad decisions have objective and subjective components. By objective I mean things that are always good or bad (DUI is a bad decision). By subjective I mean that the decision may be good or bad but it varies person to person (SMP may not be good decision for all people).
- The long answer is that sometimes it is more important on how and why you came to your decision than it is upon what the decision that you made is. If SMP works for you then it is the right decision.
- The long answer is that sometimes it is more important on how and why you came to your decision than it is upon what the decision that you made is. If SMP works for you then it is the right decision.
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1LT Richard C.
Excellent points Sir - METT-TC...Mission, Enemy, Terrain/Weather, Troops - Time and Civilians. In this case, Mission (meet the educational requirements for commission, gain knowledge and experience), Enemy (Obstacles to completing the mission - Finances/schedule/life), Terrain/Weather (location of school, unit, home: impacts on transportation), Troops (not just you, add family, friends, coworkers, fellow students, teachers: all who can help or hinder and impact the mission), Time (chart out a four/five year plan, add markers for important dates like registration, graduation, course requirements, drill weekends, etc and how that impacts your mission), Civilian - (how will your education choice impact others around you, can you help other service members, students, teachers by reflecting the best of the military). Bottom line Pvt Velez is that you started out on the right path by asking... be sure to post your progress, it will help you stay on track, and it will provide a lessons learned for others you haven't asked. Best of luck.
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PVT Angelo Velez
1LT Richard C. I'll be sure to post my progress and ask any other questions I have.
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