About this video:
Follows several college students that have joined the ROTC at their college or university as a way to gain officer training with the intention of gaining a commission in the Army.
Captain Charles Bies: My name is Charles Bies, Army Officer and graduate of Duke University. ROTC was a great opportunity for college, it gives you a sense of fulfillment, you're a part of something bigger than yourself.
Lieutenant Colonel David Buckingham: The ROTC is the Reserve Officer Training Corps and is one of the paths to service as an Officer in the Army.
Captain Charles Bies: The beauty of going to ROTC is that it doesn't interfere with your life as a student. Just went to ROTC class two days out of the week--I got to go out and I got to do something fun, and it was educational and it made me a better person.
Cadet Sara Brubaker: So our training in ROTC, we do PT, PT is physical training. It's just the things that you train to get yourself physically in shape. We have labs once a week and we train doing Ranger Challenge.
Captain Charles Bies: ROTC wasn't a compromise for my university experience, I think it made it better I had a more active lifestyle and left me with a sense of pride when I graduated.
Cadet Sara Brubaker: It kind of pushes you in a way in that you can feel yourself improving. I think I've learned to do a lot of skills that are pretty cool, that I would have never have even done had I not been in ROTC.
Lieutenant Colonel David Buckingham: One of the great things about the ROTC program, it is a civilian university experience, designed to produce and commission an Army Officer at the end of four years.
Captain Charles Bies: Once you've completed your undergraduate degree then you are commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Captain Charles Bies: Leading Soldiers as an Army Officer is an experience that just can't be beat. For example last week, I planned a ground movement from an Airborne insertion for my company. Jump out the door then there's just a rush, like nothing you've ever felt before. It's a great sense of accomplishment, learning what I was capable of. One of the best things about the ROTC program was the level of personal attention and mentorship that we were able to receive from our Cadre here. They took a personal interest in each of us, they took a personal interest in our lives, and they became deeply involved with all of us.
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Tribus: The Army has a sense that leaders can be developed, that's our leadership doctrine. We feel and believe that we can take the raw DNA and knowledge, skills, abilities of a young person and develop leadership qualities.
Lieutenant Colonel David Buckingham: What really makes the difference is other leaders, senior folks who come in and mentor you.
Captain Charles Bies: They help you with your weaknesses, but they also help you reinforce and develop your strengths. Ultimately made me a more successful leader in the Army.
Cadet Sara Brubaker: I think it will be fun to be able to help out people that are going through the same thing I am going through now. I know that with ROTC I have people who will support me and help me reach that goal. And it's definitely nice to have that peace of mind that there are people there helping you the whole way.
Lieutenant Colonel David Buckingham: The great thing about being a leader is the joy of being around all these young Soldiers and young Officers who get you fired up.
Captain Charles Bies: I've been a leader for the past four years and I'm confident that no matter where I end up after the Army, I'll be a leader there too.
ARMY ROTC
SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE TO FRESHMEN, SOPHMORES, JUNIORS AND GRADUATE STUDENTS
ROTC COURSES ARE OFFERED AT MORE THAN 1,100 COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES, GUAM, AND PUERTO RICO
LEARN UNPRECEDENTED LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS THROUGH ARMY ROTC
GRADUATE WITH A DEGREE AND A COMMISSION AS AN OFFICER IN THE U.S. ARMY, ARMY RESERVE OR NATIONAL GUARD
For more than 200 years, West Point graduates have served our country as Army Officers, engineers, explorers, and leaders at all levels of business and government. The United States Military Academy at West Point is one of our nation's top universities, offering a fully funded and elite education while preparing you to become an Army Officer. You must be under 23 years old to enroll at West Point. Upon graduation, West Point Cadets are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree and commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army.
Military Junior Colleges (MJCs) provide a more structured and disciplined college experience, and the opportunity to become an Army Officer in two years. MJCs offer Army ROTC classes, leadership labs and field training along with your required degree courses. ROTC also offers full-tuition scholarships, allowances for books and fees, and annual stipends worth up to $5,000. At a MJC, you will complete the Leader's Training Course (LTC) at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, the summer before your freshman year. You will then take the ROTC Advanced Course studies while at the MJC. Upon graduation, you'll receive an associate degree and a commission as an Officer in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
Senior Military Colleges (SMCs) provide a more structured and disciplined college experience while also offering the Army ROTC curriculum. ROTC provides leadership training through a series of classes, leadership labs and field training taken along with your required college courses. ROTC also offers full-tuition scholarships, money for books and fees, and annual stipends worth up to $5,000. At graduation, you'll be commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
If you have two years remaining on your bachelor's or advanced degree, you are eligible to enroll in Army ROTC after completing the Leader's Training Course (LTC) at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. ROTC provides leadership training at more than 1,100 schools in the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico, and is taken along with your required college courses. ROTC offers full-tuition scholarships, money for books and fees, and annual stipends worth up to $5,000. Upon completion of ROTC requirements and graduation from college, you'll be commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
Some of the most highly specialized experts in the U.S. Army are Warrant Officers. Warrant Officers are experts in aviation, piloting some of the most technologically advanced aircraft in the world. You can become an Army aviator directly from high school. After selection for the aviation program, you'll attend Basic Combat Training (BCT) for 9 weeks and then go on to Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS) and flight training. As an Aviation Warrant Officer, you'll be paid for your expertise, receiving flight pay in addition to regular pay, allowances and benefits.
Officer Candidate School (OCS) provides college graduates the opportunity to enlist in the Army and become an Officer. Upon completion of Basic Combat Training (BCT), you'll attend OCS, enabling you to be commissioned as an Army Officer. OCS is also available to enlisted Soldiers with a college degree who want to join the ranks of the Officer corps.
Becoming an Officer is just one of the many careers and job opportunities available to you in the U.S. Army. To learn more about all of the career options the Army offers click below.
Officers serve in many different capacities in the U.S. Army. Based upon your education and level of expertise, you may be eligible to apply for a direct commission. Opportunities are available in the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps for lawyers, Army Medical Corps (AMEDD) for doctors and nurses, and the Chaplain Corps for clergy. Direct Commission is also available into branches such as Adjutant General, Quartermaster or Military Intelligence for Army Reserve or Army National Guard Soldiers who meet the requirements.
