Mom of AFROTC cadet at Field Training, Maxwell afb

TinLizzy86

5-Year Member
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Jul 7, 2012
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So many friends and family ask or say no big deal, it's the Air Force. Why only 4 weeks? Is this their Bootcamp? Should we mark the occasion? Or wait until he finishes college and the Commissioning Ceremony.

I feel after reading what little I could find online, most don't understand the rigors of what these cadets have to do and think he will have to do Bootcamp after he commissions. I thought this Field Training was their Bootcamp, and after commissioning they are sent directly to their respective training base to learn their jobs, and then get their assignment?
 
Tinlizzy,

SFT is the equivalent to Boot Camp for AFROTC.

Upon graduation, he will become a POC (C300). When he arrives back at his school, he will contract again. This time it is not scholarship, it is for him to acknowledge if he leaves or is not commissioned he may be forced to enlist for several yrs.

Next yr., depending if he is applying rated or not, he will take more tests, and meet different boards. OML is big now.

Cadets wanting rated, will take a TBAS, and if not selected will meet a non-rated board Fall of their 400 yr. Cadets selected will be sent to Wright Pat for a flight physical next summer. It is a 3 day physical, everything from EKGs to dental.

His 400 yr, AFROTC will have what is called a drop, for both rated and non-rated. It is usually in late winter/early spring. A drop is their 1st base assignment.

TinLizzy86 said:
after commissioning they are sent directly to their respective training base to learn their jobs, and then get their assignment?
NO!

Here's the biggie. AFA grads always go 1st to any school. AFROTC grads, go after them. AFROTC grads do not get paid, do not have health insurance until they report to their 1st assignment. Rated cadets may end up waiting close to a yr for RNLTD.

Our DS commissioned this past May. He has a UPT slot. Originally he had to report within 6 days to TX (graduated from UMDCP), but about 1 month before commissioning it was pushed back to 9/30. He expects for it to be pushed back until Nov. (IFS training), the reason why is it costs the AF money to have him report for casual status when he will not go to training for another month or so. 2 of his peers that are going non-rated(maintenance and Intel) will not report until August.

OBTW the way the rated world works is they 1st have to graduate from UPT/UNT. From there they get their airframe. They will than go to FTU, and get their assignment. It will be about 2 yrs from commissioning before they know their 1st operational assignment.

Hope that helps you.
 
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Hmmm, thanks some great info. He is contracted. Dec 15, 2011 they awarded him a scholarship, so he is receiving a stipend, and money for books. The only thing different in his regard is he was awarded a full ride community scholarship for first 4 yrs of college. So, they have made an allowance for that and will pickup his 5th year tuition as a result, because his is a 5 year major.

I don't understand the ratings thing, but I get the POC part. And because of the scholarship he has gone through all the DOdMerB stuff, so will he do that 3 day thing again?

In regard to the commissioning/ assignment are you saying a cadet could potentially have to wait months after graduating from college?

And oh brother, do I have to work on the acronym thing! Lol
 
If he wants to fly, that is called rated.
Either way (rated/non-rated) he will go through another DoDMERB. Rated is a 3 day exam. They fly him out to Wright Pat for the exam. His DoDMERB in HS is not considered valid for commissioning since it is over 2 yrs old.

Before he is rated he has to be selected. TBAS is a big % of the score for that board.

FWIW, depending on his major, and I am assuming 5 yrs means he is engineering, the AF may tell him he cannot go rated if it is a critically undermanned field.

Regarding AD, YES, there is no guarantee he will go within 60-90 days, especially if he wants rated. Rule of thumb for rated is @ 9 months on avg after commissioning. Non-rated he could report less than 30 days depending on the field. It all comes down to the school slot and how fast the pipeline is moving. DS commissioned May 26th, his current orders are reporting to TX Sept 30th. He believes that his orders will change to report to IFS Nov. and than go to LAFB on casual status.

Bullet graduated in May 1987. He did not report to UNT until Mar 1988. Seems like nothing really has changed in 25 yrs. regarding ROTC reporting.
 
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Thank you PIMA. Wish I would of found this site sooner. You've been a wonderful host.

He only did the DODMERB last fall. But he will do whatever they ask of him. I'm just here to support. Just helps to understand so when he comes home for visits I'm not blindsided.

He does not want to fly, he is more interested in CyberSecurity, short story. Or related field. He's already participated in programs at High School level and won awards for such.

Thanks again for clarifications. Have a great weekend!
 
One thing he needs to remember is when he goes for his AFSC, it is national. If AFA has filled the slots for cyber, AFROTC is SOL. Doubtful that would ever happen...willing to bet my life on it!. However, it doesn't mean that between SMCS, and other colleges the competition for AFROTC grads will not be stiff.

His ranking out of SFT will be a factor and every peer will have a ranking out of SFT.

Won't swear by it, but if I recall correctly the breakdown for OML is:

Top 1%
Top 10%
Top 20%
Top 30%
Top 50%
Below 50%

This is part of his OML. Want to say 20% of the OML is SFT, not positive. His cgpa is also part of it, along with his PFA.

Hope that helps you as far as understanding why one cadet gets their dream career field and the other gets the OMG NO!
 
OBTW the way the rated world works is they 1st have to graduate from UPT/UNT. From there they get their airframe. They will than go to FTU, and get their assignment. It will be about 2 yrs from commissioning before they know their 1st operational assignment.

Hope that helps you.

Small input here, it does not work that way for everyone. Leaving Laughlin and Rucker, most students found out their assignment about a week before graduation. Some still have to wait until after FTU/Qual courses before finding out their assignments (Ospreys being one). The 2 year estimate is pretty much spot on though! I pinned on just after graduation.
 
raimius,

I know the Strike community still does base assignment night. It is the same style as assignment night at UPT...mess dress formal.

I think it all comes down to how many bases there are for that particular airframe. Let's be real, certain airframes they will automatically get their assignment.
 
Update

DS is home along with his fellow cadets having completed in full SFT Max 3. There were a lot of smiles on everyone's faces. Best fun they never wanna have again. Period. All in all, very talkative on the long drive home, and now we wait. Thanks so very much for providing me with some very helpful information for things to come.
 
Unfortunately,now you will wait for a very long time before he meets another board and can start planning his AF career. Of course once he gets his AFSC it will be more hurry up and wait to get his base assignment. Than it will be hurry up and wait to report.
 
In regard to the commissioning/ assignment are you saying a cadet could potentially have to wait months after graduating from college?

Oh yes! I commissioned thru AFROTC this past May. And I'm still waiting until at least 01 October before reporting. Some people will have to wait a full year between commissioning and reporting. And during that time, you are not active duty and receive no pay.

The length of the wait will depend on what career field you're going into. If your training school is really backed up (like mine) then you have to wait longer. If your school isn't (pilots, navs, cyber) then you will leave within the first couple months after commissioning.

Academy grads get first dibs on reporting, since they're active duty immediately upon commissioning. ROTC grads commission into the reserve initially and have to wait, and get put on active duty when they report.
 
nick,

I know you are going non-rated, but DS also commissioned in May, and he will be home until Sept 30th for his rated slot. He expects it to be pushed back to Nov. Reason why is that is his IFS school date, and if he RNLTD to Laughlin for @4-6 weeks he would be casual status until IFS. His date has changed 3x since April. In the days of saving money, sending him casual and paying him to be the SNACK-O makes no sense.

His non-rated friends also are like you, their dates have been pushed back, but not as far as you. They have late Aug RNLTD.

Tinlizzy,

The cyber world will be a critically manned field in a few yrs, and that pipeline will open up alot. However, for the pipeline to open up, they need instructors. You can't become an instructor without experience. If the AF can't upgrade cyberspace officers fast enough, than the pipeline will be slowed down. They are not going to take an O1 with 1 yr operational experience and teach O2s the operational world.

Something as a parent to understand is until they go AD they do not get paid. They can get Tri-Care, but it is out of pocket insurance.

I never addressed the DoDMERB issue, sorry. Rated go for the 3 day physical. Non-rated will get an out-processing DoDMERB physical and I will bow to nick4060 on how intense it is. I think it is just a 1 day thing. For DS's friends that was what it was. They went to the nearest military installation, had eyes, ears, and traditional exam performed, no EKG, or stress tests.
 
Oops forgot, Nick where are you going? If I recall correctly you were Intel. Intel has to be the best because you can go anywhere and everywhere in the world.

My comment about DS's friends, they are going Maintenance or to WPAFB
 
Army is in the same boat, my son reported 19 days after commissioning, his friend who is going to the same school does not reprt until April of 2013, his other friend reports December 20th 2012. Sort of spread out all over the place.
 
In the 4 yrs+ I have been here nobody has been able to explain the rhyme or reason on how the AD school assignments work.

I am not joking, I think there is no rhyme or reason!
 
Thanks for the input Nick4060, raimus and jcleppe. Such is life for the "hurry up and wait" I surely appreciate the feedback.

Finally read some of this to DS, he now has questions he'll pose to his Det. commander. Of course some info is redundant 'to him'... But it put a bug in his head to remember to prep for the delayed entry after commissioning, so we will have to hurry up and wait to find out what if anything he will be able to do between time of commissioning and going AD. And since time frames seem so erratic, we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it.

So I will be checking in from time to time, looking and watching out for updates to the nagging questions that make up all the rhyme and reasons or lack there of...

Duty calls, KP for Mom
 
nick,

I never addressed the DoDMERB issue, sorry. Rated go for the 3 day physical. Non-rated will get an out-processing DoDMERB physical and I will bow to nick4060 on how intense it is. I think it is just a 1 day thing. For DS's friends that was what it was. They went to the nearest military installation, had eyes, ears, and traditional exam performed, no EKG, or stress tests.


Thanks for the follow up. No apology necessary.
 
The length of the wait will depend on what career field you're going into. If your training school is really backed up (like mine) then you have to wait longer. If your school isn't (pilots, navs, cyber) then you will leave within the first couple months after commissioning.
.
Well he wants something in Cyber... But what he wants and what he gets will be 2 different stories...

There was a good article posted today regarding the Cyber Schooling, in Nevada. It goes to what Pima was saying regarding who is gonna train and how quickly will the pipeline flow... If I knew how to put an outside link in here I would, but
I digress...
 
Well he wants something in Cyber... But what he wants and what he gets will be 2 different stories...

There was a good article posted today regarding the Cyber Schooling, in Nevada. It goes to what Pima was saying regarding who is gonna train and how quickly will the pipeline flow... If I knew how to put an outside link in here I would, but
I digress...

I've had a few friends go cyber in the past couple years so i can pass on some really basic secondhand info to you. I believe the training is at Keesler AFB in MS. From what I understand when you're at cyber training, you will be put on one of two tracks. Most students will go on the standard track which is essentially just being a communications officer. But the top 10% or so will be put on the offensive cyber warfare track and they will get to do all the spook type stuff. I believe that to be put on the offensive track you must have a tech degree (computer engineering, etc.) but to just be a regular cyber officer they'll take any degree.
 
Oops forgot, Nick where are you going? If I recall correctly you were Intel. Intel has to be the best because you can go anywhere and everywhere in the world.

My comment about DS's friends, they are going Maintenance or to WPAFB

Im going to Goodfellow in TX for intel school. Intel's an undermanned AFSC and Goodfellow is the only training base for them, so they are EXTREMELY backed up. My current dates put me at reporting 01 Oct and sitting casual until 28 Nov. Before that I had dates putting me there in Sept. And before that I had dates putting me there in May 2013. So who knows.

At my Det all the pilots, navs, and cyber guys got the earliest dates - ranging from 1-2 months from commissioning. Meanwhile myself and the engineers have the longest waits - ranging from 6-12 months.

The one thing that I've learned you can rely on with regard to AD assignments is that they go by commissioning date. The pilots at my Det commissioned on 11 May. If your DS commissioned in late May or early June, then that explains why they left early and he's waiting until Sept.
 
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