I am a father of a current MS4, whose DS just Branched yesterday. I am sharing this from another Army ROTC forum. It is sound advice from a current Cadre, not me. All MS4s should take in these words of wisdom:
Current Cadre here. I posted this last year, but seeing as how it is likely particularly relevant for y'all today... I figured I would take the opportunity to post a reminder to all of those who maybe aren't so excited later today with the results that they have received/are about to receive...
Your assessed branch is not the be-all, end-all decision on your value as an Army Officer. I commissioned with a Cadet who had terrible grades and a few other random instances of bad luck as a Cadet and was near the bottom of the National OML... Wound up DABM and got stuck in Transportation. He ended up getting selected for ARSOF, did some incredible work against Kony in Africa as a Captain and recently pinned Major at ILE. I know Chemical Officers who, when they got to a Brigade Combat Team as Lieutenants were observed to be high performers, got sent to high-speed courses like CDQC and wound up dropping an ARSOF packet and getting their long tabs. I know a Chem Corps guy who was selected to be a Brigade Combat Team HHC Commander (an extremely difficult and prestigious job that is usually reserved for your most high performing Combat Arms Company/Battery/Troop Commanders). I've met MS Officers who spent the bulk of their lives flying Medevac birds and were, for all intents and purposes, Aviation. I know an Ordnance Officer who tried to go for EOD and got dropped from the course but then went PSYOPS, just wrapped up a prestigious grad school degree and is now at ILE and preparing to begin SAMS, one of the Army's most prestigious and rigorous academic courses. There are Combat Arms guys who never really get away from Staff and MI "nerds" (and I say that as a current MI Officer) who are outside of the wire with SOF pipe swingers every day in Syria. I know Officers who branched Aviation but flew Kiowas and when the Army killed that airframe (an example of how the Army can and WILL change in ways that will massively affect your career paths) wound up MI Officers, one of them is now a Warrant back on the Aviation side of the house because he missed flying/didn't care for MI and dropped a WOCS packet. I know guys who started out Combat Arms with Ranger Tabs and are now Cyber because they transferred over when that branch was created.
The examples of your branch not defining you are endless. I could go on and on and on. Even if you don't flat out leave your branch at some point.... Your branch may require something of you that you don't expect or foresee. I've met Infantry Officers who wound up Tank Platoon Leaders and Armor Officers who were XO's in BSTB's as Lieutenants or Infantry PL's in Stryker units. You may get Aviation because your hell-bent on being an Apache pilot and wind up flying Chinooks. You may go Armor and want to be Tanks and wind up a Cav Scout in a light IBCT... as far from tanks as you can get.
The road is long and winding. You're at the beginning of it. You can't see much past the first bend, let alone what awaits you in 20 years.
Whether it's VTIP or a Functional Area down the road when you realize you didn't actually want that Infantry life, or you just wind up being the stud young LT on Staff who was a CHEMO but everyone, including the BC, can see that you're getting after it... so they start guiding you towards a more high-speed career path...
Your branch isn't quite as consequential as you may think it is going to be.
You guys are at the beginning of your careers. If you get your #1 choice... Awesome! Congratulations and Good Luck! The real work starts here. If you get your 13th choice and are starting to feel some bitterness well up about it... take a knee, drink some water and remember what I just said still applies... the real work is only just getting started.
Good luck and congratulations to everyone!
Current Cadre here. I posted this last year, but seeing as how it is likely particularly relevant for y'all today... I figured I would take the opportunity to post a reminder to all of those who maybe aren't so excited later today with the results that they have received/are about to receive...
Your assessed branch is not the be-all, end-all decision on your value as an Army Officer. I commissioned with a Cadet who had terrible grades and a few other random instances of bad luck as a Cadet and was near the bottom of the National OML... Wound up DABM and got stuck in Transportation. He ended up getting selected for ARSOF, did some incredible work against Kony in Africa as a Captain and recently pinned Major at ILE. I know Chemical Officers who, when they got to a Brigade Combat Team as Lieutenants were observed to be high performers, got sent to high-speed courses like CDQC and wound up dropping an ARSOF packet and getting their long tabs. I know a Chem Corps guy who was selected to be a Brigade Combat Team HHC Commander (an extremely difficult and prestigious job that is usually reserved for your most high performing Combat Arms Company/Battery/Troop Commanders). I've met MS Officers who spent the bulk of their lives flying Medevac birds and were, for all intents and purposes, Aviation. I know an Ordnance Officer who tried to go for EOD and got dropped from the course but then went PSYOPS, just wrapped up a prestigious grad school degree and is now at ILE and preparing to begin SAMS, one of the Army's most prestigious and rigorous academic courses. There are Combat Arms guys who never really get away from Staff and MI "nerds" (and I say that as a current MI Officer) who are outside of the wire with SOF pipe swingers every day in Syria. I know Officers who branched Aviation but flew Kiowas and when the Army killed that airframe (an example of how the Army can and WILL change in ways that will massively affect your career paths) wound up MI Officers, one of them is now a Warrant back on the Aviation side of the house because he missed flying/didn't care for MI and dropped a WOCS packet. I know guys who started out Combat Arms with Ranger Tabs and are now Cyber because they transferred over when that branch was created.
The examples of your branch not defining you are endless. I could go on and on and on. Even if you don't flat out leave your branch at some point.... Your branch may require something of you that you don't expect or foresee. I've met Infantry Officers who wound up Tank Platoon Leaders and Armor Officers who were XO's in BSTB's as Lieutenants or Infantry PL's in Stryker units. You may get Aviation because your hell-bent on being an Apache pilot and wind up flying Chinooks. You may go Armor and want to be Tanks and wind up a Cav Scout in a light IBCT... as far from tanks as you can get.
The road is long and winding. You're at the beginning of it. You can't see much past the first bend, let alone what awaits you in 20 years.
Whether it's VTIP or a Functional Area down the road when you realize you didn't actually want that Infantry life, or you just wind up being the stud young LT on Staff who was a CHEMO but everyone, including the BC, can see that you're getting after it... so they start guiding you towards a more high-speed career path...
Your branch isn't quite as consequential as you may think it is going to be.
You guys are at the beginning of your careers. If you get your #1 choice... Awesome! Congratulations and Good Luck! The real work starts here. If you get your 13th choice and are starting to feel some bitterness well up about it... take a knee, drink some water and remember what I just said still applies... the real work is only just getting started.
Good luck and congratulations to everyone!
"Combat Arms and Ranger Tabs 
who are now Cyber"....
Signal Corp I'll assume.
for a decade after multiple tours.
Go Army - Beat Navy!
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