NROTC: TEXAS A&M OR UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

[Steve Wilkins]

And once you become a 01, it doesnt really matter where you went.
There's my two cents.

That's not entirely true. We had an Aggie graduate when I was on the VALLEY FORGE. He was definately very proud of being an Aggie. When he was the George, we had no choice but to make his Aggie boots (don't know what they're called, I know you guys have a name for them....Jack boots?) part of the George uniform. He looked like a guy straight out of a CHiP's episode. Of course, he also had to wear them with the Elvis Presley cape. So for him, it made every difference where he went to school.

 

[rare21]

i remember i met a lot of A&M guys out on cruise and most were awesome guys. This was either a few years or a year before the bonfire collapse and I was truly sorrowful for their loss. Since i knew some of those guys i actually felt much worse than i would as a regular UT member. The point is we're both from Texas and thats all that matters. Texans stick together and either school will give great rewards.

 

[contrail_dash]

I looked at college as a path to a comission. And I still really dont think that it matters where you go, as long as you reach your goal. Pride for one's school is another subject, but does it make you a better officer? I didnt go to college to become an Aggie, or Longhorn, or Boilermaker, I went to become a officer in the military. Am I proud of my school? Yes. But then so is everyone else from what I can tell. No matter what school someone may go to, they will learn from their time there and bring their own unique experiences and knowledge from that time into the service.

But the main point of this thread is this:

Go where YOU feel the most comfortable and where YOU have the best opportunities for a good education and chance to become an officer.

Thats like the third time I've had to say that now.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Third time to say what?

 

[Thisguy]

I doubt that not wearing a uniform all the time in college makes a person any less able to adjust to wearing a uniform all the time once he is commissioned. What about kids who don't do ROTC and just go to OCS...are they total lame-o's because they never once wore a uniform in college? I would never ask an OCS kid "hey man, you never wore a uniform in college, you must find wearing one on active duty to be unbearable!"

Wearing a uniform for 4 years apparently doesn't have that much of an effect. Especially if you're wearing that special midshipman uniform that you'll never wear in the fleet. Last cruise I ran into a lot of academy guys who didn't know how to wear their rank insignia on the long sleeve wash khaki. Small details like that can make you look clueless.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Last cruise I ran into a lot of academy guys who didn't know how to wear their rank insignia on the long sleeve wash khaki. Small details like that can make you look clueless.

That reminds me of a guy who I was commissioned with. The Monday following the Saturday after we were commissioned, all of us new Ensigns were heading up to JAX to do our paperwork. We all met at the ROTC unit so we could ride up together. This one guy was wearing the big Ensign bars (the ones you wear on your SWO jacket) as his collar devices. One of us finally figured out that something was different with this guy's uniform only after he had his ID picture taken on base. Of course, now's he's pilot somewhere.

 

[rare21]

i remember during cortramid long ago the Aggies brought their BDUs with A&M patches all over the place. Soon as they got to Marine Week all the Marines made an example of them because they had "unauthorized" insignia. Needless to say they had to rip off all the insignias or buy new BDUs.

 

[contrail_dash]

I really think some people can't read or suffer from "selective reading"...I'm not going to beat my head on the wall over this thread anymore.

Go where you're heart tells ya, where you feel the most comfortable, and where you think the best oppurtunities are for you. Thats all I have been trying to say.

 

[rare21]

i think its pretty well established that thats what you were trying to say. And I believe the original poster got that message (after your 3 or 4 times of "saying" it). The thread just went in a different direction. Happens all the time and wasnt compounding on what you were saying.

 

[ben]

I really think some people can't read or suffer from "selective reading"...I'm not going to beat my head on the wall over this thread anymore.

Go where you're heart tells ya, where you feel the most comfortable, and where you think the best oppurtunities are for you. Thats all I have been trying to say.

No one's bashin' ya man - I think we get what you're saying.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

I really think some people can't read or suffer from "selective reading"...I'm not going to beat my head on the wall over this thread anymore.

Take a deeeeeeep breath. Relax. Everything's gonna be ok. :icon_smil

 

[Deleted member 6665]

I go to Texas A&M, and am a member of the Corps of Cadets. I'd just like to point out that if you go through the Corps at A&M, you'll actually have gone through four years of a military organization. You have lived at the very bottom and the very top. You know how things work at all levels.

Prior enlisted folks are usually great officers, and going through the Corps gives you a few years of something similar to the enlisted experience- something that ROTC at UT won't give you. Senior Corps members also fill leadership roles with actual responsibilities- again, something that most regular ROTC guys don't have.

Sure, you wear the same rank by going the easy way, but who is going to be more experienced? It's not coincidence that Corps Guys do great at Camp and OCS.

Also, if you don't want to live a military experience, why are you going into the military? You should think about that a lot more before you sign anything binding to the military.

Oh, and I had the same concerns about College Station being boring, it's not, trust me. Unless you're really into Gay Bars or something, you'll find more than enough to do in College Station.

 

[rare21]

Unfortunately (for some gung ho types) ROTC and Corps of Cadets is NOTHING like being in the real Navy. You'll see that when and if you get commissioned and if you're all too gung ho out in the real world there will be a big reality check. Also when you have your bars on no one cares where you went to school...we're all the same except during football season.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

I go to Texas A&M, and am a member of the Corps of Cadets. I'd just like to point out that if you go through the Corps at A&M, you'll actually have gone through four years of a military organization. You have lived at the very bottom and the very top. You know how things work at all levels.

Prior enlisted folks are usually great officers, and going through the Corps gives you a few years of something similar to the enlisted experience- something that ROTC at UT won't give you. Senior Corps members also fill leadership roles with actual responsibilities- again, something that most regular ROTC guys don't have.

Sure, you wear the same rank by going the easy way, but who is going to be more experienced? It's not coincidence that Corps Guys do great at Camp and OCS.

Also, if you don't want to live a military experience, why are you going into the military? You should think about that a lot more before you sign anything binding to the military.

Oh, and I had the same concerns about College Station being boring, it's not, trust me. Unless you're really into Gay Bars or something, you'll find more than enough to do in College Station.

Corps of Cadets is not a military organization. Last time I checked, they don't deploy, or even go TAD for that matter, to Iraq, the Arabian Gulf, or anywhere else in the world. Now, if you wish to describe it as a paramilitary organization, that's another thing alltogether. And you're definitely not going to know how things work at all levels in a military organiztion by spending only 4 years in a PARAmilitary organization.

What are these leadership roles that Senior members fill such that they have real responsibility vice the not-so-real responsibility at other institutions?

While I didn't go through OCS, I would gather that there are folks on this board that would disagree that it was "easy" and that they therefore, took the easy way to get their commission. When you get to your first operational tour, no one is going to give a rats ass what college you went to, unless you're the George or it's football season (as has already been said). And if you went to Texas A&M, let's just say you're pretty screwed, cause you're probably gonna get hell....at least on a ship you will.

The point to go to college is not to live a military experience, but to get an academic education.....pure and simple.

As far as College Station and gay bars.....well, that's between you and the bars I guess. All I know is that College Station isn't Gainesville.

 

[Rotorhead]

Corps of Cadets is not a military organization. Last time I checked, they don't deploy, or even go TAD for that matter, to Iraq, the Arabian Gulf, or anywhere else in the world. Now, if you wish to describe it as a paramilitary organization, that's another thing alltogether. And you're definitely not going to know how things work at all levels in a military organiztion by spending only 4 years in a PARAmilitary organization.

What are these leadership roles that Senior members fill such that they have real responsibility vice the not-so-real responsibility at other institutions?

While I didn't go through OCS, I would gather that there are folks on this board that would disagree that it was "easy" and that they therefore, took the easy way to get their commission. When you get to your first operational tour, no one is going to give a rats ass what college you went to, unless you're the George or it's football season (as has already been said). And if you went to Texas A&M, let's just say you're pretty screwed, cause you're probably gonna get hell....at least on a ship you will.

The point to go to college is not to live a military experience, but to get an academic education.....pure and simple.

As far as College Station and gay bars.....well, that's between you and the bars I guess. All I know is that College Station isn't Gainesville.

Jesus Christ. Get a life and quit bashing schools. Who the hell cares where you went or what you think about my college? Take pride in your own school, and shut your pie hole.