What next?

C

CoachBart

5-Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2011
Messages
190
Hi, I am the parent of a ROTC cadet at a SMC. I am not a helicopter parent so there are times I come on here to ask questions about things or to get info instead of bothering my son. DS is graduating in December. He has done a great job at school and is graduating Cum Laud. He was notified he will receive active duty with the U.S. Army upon graduation/commissioning. I have no military experience so forgive me if my questions are dumb. My questions are:

1. DS said he will be told what his job/career will be at a later date. Does anybody know when this will be?
2. I am assuming the the first step after commissioning is going for training for the job you have been selected for. Is this correct?
3. After my son commissions at graduation how long will he be able to spend time at home with his family before he has to leave and report for school/duty?
4. After DS completes his training, then what happens?

Lastly, I am sure there are parents who have already experienced this but is there anything else I should expect or need to know that will just better help and prepare me and his mother? Thanks.
 
1) Really? I'm surprised he doesn't know by now if he is graduating & commissioning in December. Since both my kids are already graduated, I haven't paid much attention to branching announcements. :edit: I looked it up and Branching is announced November 17th this year.

2) Yes, he will go to Basic Officers Leadership Course (BOLC) for his branch. That could be almost anywhere. Explosive Ordinance Disposal soldiers go to Fort Lee, VA while Military Police BOLC is at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, Medical folks go to Fort Sam Houston in Texas. You get the idea.

3) You never know. When my daughter graduated in 2014, (2) young men that branched Infantry had to report to Fort Benning in Georgia less than 10 days later. My daughter, a nurse, had about (6) weeks before she had to report. My son had (5) months which seems like a lot but there are others than have over a year between graduating and reporting for BOLC. Remember, their pay and time in service e doesn't start until they report to BOLC.

4) After BOLC, depending on where his training is and what assignment he branches into, he'll report to his permanent duty station and get down to business. For example, my son graduates from BOLC on Feb 8th next year and already knows he has to report to Fort Hood in Texas on March 8th... unless he gets a slot at Ranger School which for now looks pretty promising. Those (2) guys that graduated with my daughter went immediately to Ranger School after Infantry training so they were in training for 8-9 months. After that, they were both assigned to Fort Richardson in Alaska.
 
Jcc123 said:
@k2rider - I read @CoachBart 's post to mean that, while his son may know the answers to these questions, he does not and so is asking here.
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That's the way I read it too....and why I took the time to answer his questions. If you're referring to me "Really?" comment, I was implying I was surprised even his son didn't know...which was stated in the 1st sentence. Then I looked over at Reddit and saw Branching comes out on Nov 17th.
 
Everyone, Thanks for your answers. I appreciate it. PS, Yes, its me, not my son, who is trying to learn the ropes and learn what he will be experiencing. As I said above I really don't interfere with his personal business since he is now over age 21. PS, They grow up quick ;)
 
CoachBart said:
Everyone, Thanks for your answers. I appreciate it. PS, Yes, its me, not my son, who is trying to learn the ropes and learn what he will be experiencing. As I said above I really don't interfere with his personal business since he is now over age 21. PS, They grow up quick ;)
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Down the road, if he is deploying, and still single, he may give you a full or limited power of attorney to handle any business/finances for him. He is probably with military-friendly banks and credit unions now, who are used to a family member with account access. JAGs are available to help with that stuff.

Before deployments, there are plenty of briefings about personal arrangements and emergency notifications. He will quickly get up to speed on how to do all things military.

Be prepared to celebrate holidays or birthdays at other times, due to military demands. My DH and I celebrated several anniversaries, birthdays and holidays not on exact dates, because of deployments, being in the duty section, operational demands, etc. It's just the way it is.

Look forward to visiting him at cool duty stations, if he gets some. My parents, who had never traveled out of the USA, got passports and came to stay with me in Naples, IT, for 3 weeks. They had a blast. I booked them on USO tours, drove them to Rome (mom had her eyes shut there with me driving like a crazy Italian, complete with arm-waving and sound track) and down the Amalfi Drive, showed off newly acquired Italian cooking skills, took them to soak in hot mineral springs known since Roman times.

If he is ever in a place where you can't communicate with him, and a family emergency occurs back home, such as a death or serious illness of primary NOK, there will be ways to get the word to him. The Red Cross also has a mission and a method to get emergency messages to him. Depending on where he is, the needs of the Army, the nature of the emergency, the degree of kinship, he may be granted emergency or regular leave.

There will likely be an official family support group with newsletters and email list, or FB page, that you can join - even remotely - while he is deployed. I met many parents, along with BF/GF and spouses, at these over the years. They will have great information and tips, up to and including what stuff and recipes survive being shipped to harsh climates.

When he goes full active duty, he will be on TRICARE medical plan, so he can come off yours, if applicable.

He may already be with one of the military-friendly auto and personal property insurance companies (USAA, AFI) and getting good rates. Once he is a commissioned officer on full active duty, those may even improve. They know how to insure cars left in the long-term lot on post, or left with you while he's gone. They know how to write a personal property policy that covers stuff that's with him, that's in a storage locker, that's with you, that's in his car, in several states. They don't bat an eye at that stuff.

One phrase to know: needs of the Army. Soon enough, his time will be 24/7 owned by them. There will be times he simply won't be allowed to leave what he is doing.

Enjoy the journey!
 
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