Need help with ROTC please give advice!

Dakota,

Please re-read this paragraph of your post, but from a leadership position as a Nurse in charge of the floor.

If I cannot attend the majority of the training labs that are required and I will not be able to go to class weekly I thought it could be benificial to defer LDAC for a year and go after my senior year. My senior year will be a lot lighter of a course load and I could concentrate more on developing and refining my skills for LDAC.
Click to expand...

Where in your 2 short sentences did you acknowledge the benefit the Army would have if you defer? However, I read 7 times in those 2 sentences how you would benefit if they defer you.

Be a nurse with scheduling issues, do you care about the nurse's needs, or do you care about covering the floor and if it means they signed a contract with the hospital to do whatever you will tell them do it or your out as a floor supervisor in a mgmt position you would do exactly as your CC. You would pull that card.

You are married, you have a child, that is the real world. You would not as a nurse say "I" can't do it without the fear of losing your job. Sorry, but that is what your commander is saying. "I" has no place when you say, if you let me defer I can concentrate more on my skills. You had 3 yrs.

Harsh, I know, but should you get a deferment compared to the engineering cadet that has carried 21 credits for the past 3 yrs and goes to LDAC?

You have yet to state a defense why you deserve a deferment. Sorry, but ROTC didn't place you in this predicament, you are asking them to play favorites with you.

JMPO.

I would get it if you asked for LDAC to be deferred if there was a life or death health issue within your family. I just can't support your defense of deferment because My senior year will be a lot lighter of a course load and I could concentrate more on developing and refining my skills for LDAC.

You had a yr to train just like your brethren at your cadre as any MSIII.

Come back and say why it is in the Army's best interest to defer you, and than I will be the one cheering you on with pom-poms.

I get your fear, I graduated from college in 87 with 15K in loans. It is frightening. However, as harsh as this might be you took those loans, you and not the Army. You have admitted you are not AROTC scholarship. You state you put the uniform on 7 months a yr every morning. Do you honestly put it on EVERY morning?

I know you will think I am a Beaach every which way from Sunday because of my response. I accept that fact and any animosity you feel towards me because of my response. I have yet to read anything from you that would sway me for deferment. I have yet to read your cgpa, your PFT, your jobs in the AROTC unit. SWAY ME, tell me you have a 3.8 cgpa, 99 PFT, Cadet Commander. I am sorry you had severe medical issues after your DS was born, but that was 12 months+ ago.

I am only trying to get you to see the cadre has no real issue with you being a MOM and do not play favorites. It is all about the OML.

In the end if you really feel that the unit has acted inappropriately there is a recourse. It is called IG. File a complaint with the IG. The command at your unit are AD, thus they must follow regs and the IG will investigate to see if they failed to follow the regs.

IMPO, it appears that the command has made their decision. You have made yours. It is at an impasse now
 
Last edited:
Pima,

Also I don't ever remember saying anything about daycare issues. My family and my husband will be with my son that was never an issue to begin with. The issue has nothing to do with leaving my son/family. I've spent 7months away from training before the 1month away for LDAC is nothing.

As well as I know how AD works. I did go through 7 months of straight training. I know what the Armys like. Please do not imply that I am ignorant. My issue deals SOLELY with my ability to be able to meet both ROTC and Nursing school requirements THATS IT, nothing else.
 
I think there has been a misunderstanding or at least thats what I'm hoping. I never REQUESTED a deferrment, I asked my LTC about it and discussed it with him as an option for the following reason. If I am to miss every weekly class due to nursing clinicals that are mandatory as well as miss 4 leaderships labs that are mandatory for ROTC then how can I properly represent my school and the Army at LDAC? Sure I can learn some stuff on my own but missing all those labs I feel will be detrimental to my success at LDAC. I don't understand how that is being selfish to discuss that as an option.
Furthermore, I don't understand how deferring for a year so I would go to LDAC the summer after my senior year would hurt the Army. I would still be going to LDAC I would still be an officer and they would not have lost money. I don't understand how thats a negative thing.
My issue has NOTHING to do with my family, I have found ways to cover care for my child and my husband and I are fine to be apart for a month, we spend a deployment apart so a month isn't a big deal. This has to do with asking for help of what to do. I understand Student loans can be repayed but if I were to "walk away" which is what my PMS is suggesting that I do that money is not a student loan, I have 36 months in which to pay it back. Thats 600 dollars extra per month, I cannot do that to my family.

I get that things can be tough and I made the committment and I need to see it through. Trust me I can balance school work, family, and ROTC I have done it all throughout this past semester and have done very well. However, when I will not be able to attend so many ROTC events because I have mandatory nursing requirements there becomes an issue with how much will I be missing out on and will I really be ready for LDAC?

I don't understand why I'm being attacked as being selfish or what would I do if I was working on a nursing floor. I asked about the deferrment and talked about with my PMS only because it was another option to consider and I dont see how the Army would be getting ripped off. But its not an option for me which is fine. I just don't want to walk away from the program if there are other ways around this because I want to fulfill my commitment. Please stop attacking me about everything else, all I want to know is if someone knows other options where I can remain in ROTC without having to walk away and without having to jeapordize my academics.

Furthermore, how am I asking them to play favorites? How can I be in two places at once? Am I suppose to miss my mandatory nursing classes for ROTC, but if I do that I fail nursing and therefore can no longer be in ROTC. I don't understand how this is favoritism, I go to a sister school which has a different nursing program then the main school, how is that my fault?
 
To post more info that I have to clear up. Pima posted a few things which I am not quite sure where he/she got out of my original post.

First off I am only 4.5 post partum right now, my son was not born 12+ months ago.

Secondly yes I did wear my uniform for 7 straight months during my basic and AIT training.

Thirdly, yes I am a scholarship cadet and would have to pay back the 22,000$

Fourth, I have only been in the program for 1 full semester and half of last years semester so I do not have 3 years of full training.

I don't understand why my GPA, APFT, or anything else is of concern.

All I am asking of any of you is; If my LTC is telling me I need to disenroll and that "walking away" is my only option is that my only option? Does anyone know of any other way I can stay in ROTC and work around it or are they required to work around my schedule?

I don't understand how this got so out of hand or off topic, but my personal life and everything else I don't feel is of concern. If you have advice PLEASE share I would be extremely grateful. If you are looking for ways to attack me or complicate my situation more please stop and don't post because it just takes more time to clarify all the misinformation and takes away from what the purpose of this board is about.

THANK YOU
 
I had 3 Nursing students that attended a separate school about 45 minutes away from Marist College. All 3 students had problems balancing the demands of science classes, clinicals, and ROTC. I made allowances for these 3 students. They often conducted individual PT and were excused from labs, classes, and events. I let them brief me their OPORDS over the phone instead of driving 45 minutes each way. In return they were expected to meet certain goals as far as GPA and APFT. They were required to attend all FTXs and Land Navigation labs.
Nurse A held up her end of the bargain. She attended all events that were required of her. She maintained a 3.4 GPA. She went to LDAC last Summer. 265 on the APFT. First time go on Land Navigation. E at Patrolling. Overall S at LDAC. She will commission into the Army Nurse Corps. One day she may have the opportunity to save my life, or my son's life, in an operating room in some dusty foreign country. My decision to make allowances for her was validated by her performance at LDAC and her academic performance in the Nursing Program.
Nurses B and C did not hold up their end of the bargain. There was always an excuse of some sort. They failed the APFT, struggled with weight issues, and struggled academically. Doing the right thing as an officer isn't always easy. Sometimes you have to crush someone's dream. Last Summer I wrote 400 movement orders sending Cadets home early from LDAC because they failed to meet one standard or another. I have no doubt that Nurses B and C would not have made the grade at LDAC. They were disenrolled.
If your PMS is eager to show you the door instead of bending over backwards for you, it might be because he/she has determined that you will not succeed at LDAC. The best method to persuade your PMS to make allowances for you is to demonstrate excellence in everything you do. The 2 most accessible statistical barometers that a PMS has at their disposal is GPA and APFT. What is your GPA and APFT score ? Are you Nurse A or Nurse B or C ?
 
Marist College ROTC said:
I had 3 Nursing students that attended a separate school about 45 minutes away from Marist College. All 3 students had problems balancing the demands of science classes, clinicals, and ROTC. I made allowances for these 3 students. They often conducted individual PT and were excused from labs, classes, and events. I let them brief me their OPORDS over the phone instead of driving 45 minutes each way. In return they were expected to meet certain goals as far as GPA and APFT. They were required to attend all FTXs and Land Navigation labs.
Nurse A held up her end of the bargain. She attended all events that were required of her. She maintained a 3.4 GPA. She went to LDAC last Summer. 265 on the APFT. First time go on Land Navigation. E at Patrolling. Overall S at LDAC. She will commission into the Army Nurse Corps. One day she may have the opportunity to save my life, or my son's life, in an operating room in some dusty foreign country. My decision to make allowances for her was validated by her performance at LDAC and her academic performance in the Nursing Program.
Nurses B and C did not hold up their end of the bargain. There was always an excuse of some sort. They failed the APFT, struggled with weight issues, and struggled academically. Doing the right thing as an officer isn't always easy. Sometimes you have to crush someone's dream. Last Summer I wrote 400 movement orders sending Cadets home early from LDAC because they failed to meet one standard or another. I have no doubt that Nurses B and C would not have made the grade at LDAC. They were disenrolled.
If your PMS is eager to show you the door instead of bending over backwards for you, it might be because he/she has determined that you will not succeed at LDAC. The best method to persuade your PMS to make allowances for you is to demonstrate excellence in everything you do. The 2 most accessible statistical barometers that a PMS has at their disposal is GPA and APFT. What is your GPA and APFT score ? Are you Nurse A or Nurse B or C ?
Click to expand...

Nice to see someone actually give her some advice.
 
THANK YOU

Both to Packer and Marist College ROTC.

Packer- I agree! :)

Marist College ROTC- Thank you for your insight!! I can see where you are coming from when saying that cadet A still had to prove to you she wanted in the program by having a great GPA and being physically fit. BUT at the same time the fact you were willing to work with the cadet is what I wanted to know. I wanted to know if PMS's can work with a student. Hearing about your experience makes me hopeful that maybe I can offer my PMS some more suggestions about how we could work around this such as OPORD's over the phone and such. I REALLY appreciate your advice as well as I appreciate that you put down that the cadet still has to prove they want to be an officer and not just use their nursing classes as an excuse to get out of labs/events.

Thanks again!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top