RE: [DL] Question on Army Rank

["Heivilin, Jim" <banzai@missouri.edu>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Undead Rustler [mailto:rrj@zombieworld.com]
> Subject: Re: [DL] Question on Army Rank
> 
> >>Please note that the parallel nature of officer/enlisted 
> >>service that exists in the modern military was nowhere near 
> >>as prevalent in the 19th Century. Most officers were elected 
> >>by their regiments, or worked their way up from the enlisted 
> >>ranks, conditions which are much rarer today.
> >>Christopher McGlothlin, M.Ed.
> 
> allow me to delurk for a moment.  what do you mean by 
> "parallel nature of officer/enlisted service that exists in 
> the modern military"?  how does one achieve an officer's rank today? 
> 
Three routes (speaking of the U.S. Army but it is similar for most other
branches of the U.S. Military);

1. U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  Direct commission as a 2nd
Lieutenant (RA - Regular Army) upon graduation.  Prior to 1986 they didn't
even get a college degree.  Other branches have similar Service Academies
(U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado
Springs).  Marines go to Annapolis.  

2. Completion of an ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) program at any
University or college.  Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant (USAR - U.S. Army
Reserve).  Any more it is relatively uncommon that a ROTC graduate is
actually assigned to active duty.  That changes as need fluctuate. 

3. Completion of the Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, GA.
Enlisted soldiers can apply and be selected to attend this ... (hmmm I don't
recall off hand how long the school is but IIRC it is several months) and
upon graduation are commissioned 2nd Lieutenant.  I believe they are
commissioned USAR.  

Any USAR officer can apply for a RA commission (selection is relatively rare
but fluctuates).  The primary difference between the two is two fold, the
number of each rank in the Regular Army is mandated by Congress and cannot
be exceeded.  If the service needs more of a particular rank the difference
is made up of USAR officers on Active Duty.  The second benefit is that if
you get promoted to a specific rank you are guaranteed a set number of years
of service and cannot be separated prior to that time.  

Upon commissioning all officers are branched (Infantry, Armor, Engineer,
Quartermaster, etc.) and attend an Officer Basic Course for that branch
(IOBC, AROBC, EOBC, etc.).  When they finish that they are given an
assignment (most commonly to a line field unit to get experience in their
branch).  

Having said all this, most of this information and/or structure came into
being following WWII and thus doesn't really apply to DL (but may be of use
in HoE).  

Jim Heivilin
MAJ, EN, USAR
(Major, Engineer, US Army Reserve)