shock-n-awe
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Branch Night Class of 2020
- Thread starter Soldiergriz
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No. They select posts on Post Night - February 5, 2020.
They will pick posts based on OML rank, which will change somewhat after 1st semester grades are input.
The assumption is that a cadet who elects to BRADSO is more motivated to be in the selected branch and therefore will perform better and stay in the Army longer, even if they are not required to serve the extra three years. Being last on the involuntary detail list is a reward for that commitment, while getting detailed might be seen as decreasing motivation.
From the BRADSOing cadets viewpoint - "I paid for the branch by volunteering for 3 extra years; I shouldn't get reassigned to a different branch that I don't like".
As an old grad I have always favored merit as the determining factor in who gets what. When the new branching system was first explained to me, I replied "This must be wrong. The Army couldn't possibly do something this stupid". As it turns out, I was wrong.
But if the results prove to be better than the merit based system, I will be the first to acknowledge it.
Do you have any insights on exactly how they determine the postings for cadets who will marry shortly after graduation and be stationed together?
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No, posting happens later, except for Cyber. All Cyber officers go to Ft. Gordon, GA (for both BOLC and initial post) so there is no need to attend Post Night. At least, that was the case for the class of 2019.
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Soldiergriz
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No, assignments come later..
WP Cadets find out their post assignments in February. It's usually February or March for ROTC cadets.
Also aviation all go to same post so do not go to post night.
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Actually, @VelveteenR a lot of the cyber officers start off with graduate school prior to attending BOLC in Gordon. So, there is a lot of variation in the post night experience for cadets.
Thanks. Good stuff on the Branch process!
Soldiergriz
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Yes, all aviators will go to Fort Rucker for training. This is also true for all branches. All Infantry will go to Fort Benning and all MPs will go to Fort Leonard Wood as examples.
Post night delivers their first assignment AFTER training. This is the location where they will spend 3 or so years.
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That is true but, in the case of Cyber, training and initial post are both Ft. Gordon, so there was no need to attend Post Night (those going straight to grad school already knew where they were headed as well). Our son will be there for the next six years. He may have short-term assignments elsewhere (he will be going to grad school later), but he will be posted out of Ft. Gordon for all of his service years. After Branch Night, the Cyber officers were advised to consider buying houses in the Augusta area as they will be there long enough for home ownership to make sense. Our son starts his first job (with the DDS) in January but, when it concludes, he'll still be at Ft. Gordon. Also, the remnant of Cyber currently at Ft. Meade is consolidating to Ft. Gordon; eventually all of Cyber Command will be co-located there.
And, yes, it is possible that some of his co-hort may eventually be farmed out to HI or other places, but BOLC and the initial post for all of Cyber is Ft. Gordon. (Anything can change, of course, but for the class of 2019, this is the current case.)
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Soldiergriz
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Yes. I was responding to aviation branched officers comment.
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@VelveteenR Not all of Cyber will be Ft Gordon. There are other places and stations and opportunities within the branch. They receive their initial post about two months prior to BOLC graduation.
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Our son maintains that what I posted is true. The few opportunities at Meade will eventually fold into Gordon and there are a few slots in HI that some could eventually fill but those are basically the options. Mostly what Cyber does is "loan" officers to various other posts for temporary assignments/projects and those assignments can be made anytime. For example, our son is being loaned to the DDS/Pentagon starting in January and will not need to complete the remaining months of BOLC as he tested out of the technical portion (common core was just completed this past week). There are always special cases. Because this new branch is changing rapidly, whatever we post here may not even be relevant to the next class. My main point, corroborated in the post above, is that Post Night at USMA does not apply to Cyber cadets as they all go to Ft. Gordon for BOLC and what happens next is determined at Ft. Gordon, not West Point.
The OP's question has been answered definitively. I have nothing more to add.
The OP's question has been answered definitively. I have nothing more to add.
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Heard a little about fiancés posting. There is a formal process and I don't know very much about the details, but they do look at where each is on the post selection order for their branch(s) and try to use the selection for the lower ranking cadet for both. Obviously won't work in every case and I assume some adjusting in many cases to get both cadets posted together.
As always, needs of the Army takes precedence.
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You can actually watch the live stream of post night--with the posts up on the wall in rooms set up by branch. The kids go by class rank to pick their post--and there are PADSO (extra time in service) to pick you post--opportunities. There is always a lot of excitement as a high value post 'goes out'/is picked off the wall.
Soldiergriz
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I watched last year; it was fun.