Rotc non contracted background check?

Psalmsrev9

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Sep 11, 2015
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Hi guys! I have a question regarding the process on joining
Rotc. I am a current freshman sociology major with concentration on societal philosophy. I want to take 100 and 200 level lower división Rotc courses to better myself for the future to come.
The main goal is for me to serve as an enlisted chaplains aid or supply specialist. Therefore rotc would be to help me get acustom to military traditions and social enviroment. However, i do have a few trumped up juvenile charges from 4-5 years ago. Wont go into my life story, just keep in mind i am morally and mentally decent(modestly).
They are all waiverable, but together they seem very difficult. Rotc is supposedly suppose to help my enlistment favor. The military is where i want to be as well as what i believe i am called to do. To serve God and country with my mind and body. My question, without further ado is, does rotc do DOD background checks on non contracted, non scholarship cadets? I have heard that they do only local background checks, but my récord is sealed for local non government checks. Can i still take these courses as electives? I will be asking in person, but i know getting a second opinión is always better then none.

Thanks people!
 
First place you should check is your school registrar. Basisc ROTC course should be open to all students.
 
I am confused.

Why are you going to go the enlisted route after earning your college degree? Why not just do ROTC or OCS? Is it that you believe you cannot get a waiver for the charges as a juvenile from a security clearance aspect? I doubt either of your career objectives would require a TS, probably just secret.
~ Sometimes the qualifying aspect comes from not being honest in the 1st place. Caveat....sometimes!
~~ Yes, I know that for some issues it is easier to qualify enlisted than officers, but I am not understanding why you would go through all 4 years and then enlist. Or are you attending a CC and planning to enlist after 2 years?

I would also say that I am not sure how much ROTC will help from the social environment perspective when it comes to your future as an enlisted member.
1. ROTC social environment is very different than ADAF social environment.
~ IE My DS as a 100, basically socialized his entire freshmen year with his friends that lived in his dorm, sat with them at FB/BB games, hung with them on the weekends.
~~ As a 200 he became active with Arnie Air. This is when his social circle started to change.
~~~ As a 300 and 400 the circle tightened to be Arnie Air and cadets selected for rated.
2. Officer lifestyle varies within ADAF.
~ IE a rated officers squadron is typically very tight knit. Spouses have monthly coffees. Units typically hold 1st Fridays at the squadron to welcome and farewell their crews. It is not uncommon for every member to show up on the flight line to hose down them on their fini flight. This is not necessarily true for Mission Support Squadrons (supply).
3. Officer and enlisted lifestyles are different.
~ IE: An officer gets promoted to an O4, (O4s are selected in a group, and usually 6-9/12 months apart). Everyone on that list is expected to throw down money on the bar Friday night. It is a blow out party on base. When they pin on, they will than just buy pizza and beer at the squadron that day. That is not only the social, but tradition aspects.
~ In my experience for the AF, officers typically will shy away from living on base by the time they are an O3. In the 21 years Bullet served we lived on base 2x. 1x when we were O2s living in the UK. The 2nd time when we were stationed for a year at Leavenworth for his school. We, however, purchased and sold 5 homes over his career. My daughter in law (DIL) is an AF brat. Her Dad was enlisted. They never lived off base until his last assignment, where he knew they were retiring.
~ It is more common for enlisted members to "homestead" than officers. Officers traditionally will move every 3, maybe 4 years, and as they make rank, it is even more frequent. We lived in no less than 11 homes in 21 years. At our last base, I recall many enlisted members saying they have been stationed there for 6-9 years. My DIL and her family arrived the same week we did in 1998. We returned back in 2005. In those 7 years we lived in 3 different states. They never moved once. Her father went onto retire in 2008. Her father moved 3x since she was in her Mom;s womb until she graduated HS. Not one of my 3 kids were conceived, born or celebrated their 1st BDAY in the same home. Not one went to less than 3 elementary schools. The only one to start HS and graduate from the same HS was my youngest, and that is because my DH retired from the AF. DIL started 2nd grade and never moved again.

I am not sure what you can expect from a traditions aspect, besides maybe the Dining In/Outs. Even at that point, for officers this is common to attend, not so much for enlisted. Heck, most AFROTC cadets own their Mess Dress by the time they are a C300, whereas, many enlisted members never purchase that uniform. It is uncommon to see an AF officer to not wear the mess dress for their wedding as an O1 (22 yrs old), whereas, it is uncommon to see enlisted members to wear one at that same age. Mainly, because of the cost, and the reality that they would rarely ever wear it again. (JMPO). Plus, we go back to; it depends on your career field regarding traditions.

Sorry for the novella, but I felt that if you are entering from the:
Therefore rotc would be to help me get acustom to military traditions and social enviroment.

I think you have it all wrong.

PS. If you are not attending the host college, it could also be much different for you. It becomes a balancing act of driving to and fro for PT/LLAB. Depending on how far away you are from the host college, you might not get out as much as you think from the social aspect.
~ DS attended the host college. He would hang in the lounge between classes instead of going back to his dorm or apartment. He got to really know the other cadets.
~~ His det. also held GMC nights (100/200/250) once a week. They would order in pizza, play Crud, foosball and watch movies from 6:30-9:30. It was held on Wed. night. PT/LLAB were held T/TH. That meant for cadets that were not attending the host college they would be driving to the school another day of the week. When he joined Arnie Air, they had their social functions on Sat. 1x a month.

Just saying from a social environment aspect you will really need to commit to all aspects of ROTC. However, again see my points above on how social lifestyle is different between all walks in ADAF and all ranks.
 
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OBTW, I am not saying don't go enlisted. I am just saying that I think your youth is creating ideas of how much of an impact ROTC will help from a social environment. Do it because you want exposure to both sides of the fence, thus, making you a great enlisted member. You can be a bridge. Don't do it if you think that the lifestyles and traditions are interchangeable between officers and enlisted, and if you believe there is a cookie cutter style among every career field.
 
The military is an independent society with diverging standards. So in order to avoid all that "culture shock" alot of my friends were talking about, i decided joining rotc may help a tiny bit. I know that enlisted and officer are different. That their lifestyles vary, but i was speaking on vs. If i went into the army blank paper. Rotc May be better for me to atleast speculate. You obviously have more expirience, as alot of this my recruiter told me. Therefore the "supposedly". Anyways, i cant become en officer because i am a political disaster. I am a triple citizen, but i was born in the USA and have been here for over 15 years. BTW i was saying if i go to rotc, it would help me as an enlisted.

Thanks for taking time to help me out.
Thanks!
 
I do not believe AROTC does background check for non-contracted/non-scholarship in the first 2 years. As previously stated it should be open to all interested students.
They are all waiverable, but together they seem very difficult. I have heard that they do only local background checks, but my record is sealed for local non government checks.
This is a time where the Army and the AF is drawing down so don't hang your hat on anything being waiverable.
Even if your records are sealed you may be required to answer in the affirmative that you had some juvenile criminal events. Be prepared to explain these in the event you enlist or attempt to commission. Look up OPM form SF-86, this is the form required for those wishing to commission that addresses previous criminal charges and security clearances.
 
Pima- Yeah, I am attending a university, but plan to take a break after 2 years for the military. I know its probably not the most reasonable, but its what i believe is right.
Rotc for 2 years and then go in.

Thanks sherrif!
 
Flags are starting to raise impo regarding you. I do not want you to take offense by my questions, but 2+2 is not equaling 4. Only you can explain why!
1.
I want to take 100 and 200 level lower división Rotc courses to better myself for the future to come.

Yet you than say:
If i went into the army blank paper

AROTC cadets are MSI-IV. AFROTC are 100, 200, 250, 300,400, 500. You would never say 100 for AROTC.

2.
Anyways, i cant become en officer because i am a political disaster. I am a triple citizen, but i was born in the USA and have been here for over 15 years.

I thought it was because:
However, i do have a few trumped up juvenile charges from 4-5 years ago

I have never heard of a triple citizen, but the fact is that is not an issue when it comes to taking the oath. All you have to do is revoke your citizenship from the other countries. Next?

4-5 years ago would make you 13/14? Right? Have you kept your nose clean since that time?
~ Maybe it just me, but one caught my attention was "charges". That said to me multiple. Plus the record was sealed It says you acknowledged it legally.
~~ You can still get passed that if you are honest. 13 means you were young and stupid.

BTW i was saying if i go to rotc, it would help me as an enlisted.
How?
~ Entering higher rank? Than I am with you.

I get it if you say I can only go 2 years. I don't get it when you as a freshman has yet to understand that 100 is AFROTC and MSI is Army.

I am not going to ask what the trumped up charges are, but if they have anything to do with drugs/alcohol, I would be just as worried about the DODMERB/medical as the security clearance. They will ask those questions too for medical reasons.
 
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My school says the 100 and 200 military science courses. I mean 1st and 2nd year rotc, wording and titles I May have gotten wrong.
I thought citizenship was an issue, i guess not. Yeah, i woke up and answered immediately. My wording May not be ideal. Situations are always more complicated than that. I meant juvenile charges for enlistment and officer. Citizenship issue for officer only. Sorry, im a tad distracted, but i do appreciate your help. Obviously your not here to give me a hard time. However, to answer, i want to go in as an e3. Whether or not officer, that will come in the future. My primary overall goal is to get in rotc for two years. Go towards the enlisted path as an e3. Serve for a number of years. Come back and contract into rotc. Sorry for the confusión man. Yeah, no unmoral legal violations since 13-14. I was never stupid, just severely misguided about what my goals were. The beggining teen phase of primary socialization was tough for me. But i learn and lived. So i will continúe to live to learn more.

Thanks

Excuse my corniness haha
 
This thread is full of opinions, but here are mine. First most ROTC cadets are not much different than the enlisted world, they are still learning and the first two years is learning the military anyway (Formalities, Functions, Marching, etc.). Not even really how to be an officer till you are a POC. You WILL learn tons from doing ROTC that will not only give you a higher rank going in enlisted but you will excel because of the military understanding, if that's your goal than do it! The two worlds are not that far apart if you take away the "leading people" for lower enlisted. There are plenty of formalities you will learn such as dining in/out that are neat and you may or may not do depending on your unit in the future. But most of those are really insignificant because its the ROTC way not the AF way anyway.

I don't believe you have a background check until you contract, something you may want to ask a recruiter. Even so, usually you can attend ROTC classes through the university. Another thing that will help you is to attend Physical Training (PT).
 
I get it if you say I can only go 2 years. I don't get it when you as a freshman has yet to understand that 100 is AFROTC and MSI is Army.

Not sure why this would raise any flags with you.

MS1 has nothing to do with what the class is called, even at my son's school the Freshman MS class is listed as a 100 level class, I believe it was MS100 first semester and 102 the second. Sophomore year were 200 level classes, MS200 the first semester and MS 202 the second semester.

His question seemed quite simple and reasonable, "Would ROTC help in any way with going enlisted" The simple answer is, It sure won't hurt you, you would learn basic information that will help you when you enlist.

And for the OP, you will not need any clearance during the first two year if you are not on scholarship or contracted.
 
You'll be fine just taking the courses as an elective. Go forth and do great things.

Don't ever feel pressured to be an officer or vice versa. There is nothing less honorable about being an enlisted soldier and just because you have a degree does not mean you should look straight to the officer world. You do you.
 
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