Hello everyone. I have recently completed RIP and have arrived at 1/75. My Question is how long to I need to serve here before I can start Warrant Officer Candidate School. I know there's the whole application process and I need to get accepted but if all that goes well, when am I able to start? I definately want to debloy first but just trying to make plans. I've wanted this since I joined the army i'm just deciding to do it a little sooner. Thanks for reading.

Why don't you stay a while and make yourself marketable.

Noone is writing recommendations letter for a new Ranger who hasn;t vested into the unit yet.

Since you have solicited advice here's mine:

The Army has invested some time and a few of my tax dollars in you in RIP. Finish the Ranger Course. Be a Ranger for awhile...learn to be a good Ranger, a leader. Be a squad leader. Get your Sergeant's stripes. Learn what it's like to take orders and responsibility as an enlisted man, then learn to take and give orders as an NCO...and find out what that level of responsibility is like. That experience will be invaluable as a Warrant or as a Commissioned Officer (should you choose to persue that course).

Good leaders are tough to come by...avail yourself of every possible level of experience as a Ranger before riding off into the sunset to become a WOC.

We need good leaders, in and out of the Ranger battalions. But the best leaders (Officers, Warrants and NCOs) I've ever met slugged it out as soldiers first.

Good luck, buena suerte, bonne chance, viel gluck

quote:

Originally posted by SinePariDonster:
Since you have solicited advice here's mine:

The Army has invested some time and a few of my tax dollars in you in RIP. Finish the Ranger Course. Be a Ranger for awhile...learn to be a good Ranger, a leader. Be a squad leader. Get your Sergeant's stripes. Learn what it's like to take orders and responsibility as an enlisted man, then learn to take and give orders as an NCO...and find out what that level of responsibility is like. That experience will be invaluable as a Warrant or as a Commissioned Officer (should you choose to persue that course).

Good leaders are tough to come by...avail yourself of every possible level of experience as a Ranger before riding off into the sunset to become a WOC.

We need good leaders, in and out of the Ranger battalions. But the best leaders (Officers, Warrants and NCOs) I've ever met slugged it out as soldiers first.

Good luck, buena suerte, bonne chance, viel gluck

If I may, I am going to back Don on his one 200%. I have talked to a lot of young folks planning a career in the Services. I do not differentiate between the branches, unless they start talking Special Operations Forces. Which has a few of it's own disputes.

I try to get a feel for the persons persona and go from there, so to speak.

Some of the best officers I have ever met met have been what is called a "Mustang" in other words one who has been an enlisted and became an Officer later on in life. No matter the form of attaining such, they all must attend the "Gentleman's School" Schools of indoctrination shortly following commission. This applies to the Warrant fields also.

Personally, I like to see the individual traveling in that path to becoming an officer, become an SSG E6 before applying for the form of commissioning. E6 is the third level sometimes the second on the ladder to success. Which gives the individual a base of experience in receiving and giving orders to be carried out by his supervisor(s), on to his issuing of orders to his subordinates. By then you also will have some time on the ground, in an organization, where everyone knows everyone else. Good Luck, God's Speed, keep the sun at your back, keep your tail low when at the low crawl, watch your six, and always, but always, make sure some one has your six while you always have the six of the person(s) in your line of sight..........Ringo Sends

Mornin' Jim,

Figured you'd chime in on this one...your take of the value of quality leadership being what it is.

Question for all you Warrant Officer Candidates out there:

Q: What is a WOC?


A: A WOC is sumthin' you fwow at a wabbit!

quote:

Originally posted by SinePariDonster:
Mornin' Jim,

Figured you'd chime in on this one...your take of the value of quality leadership being what it is.

Question for all you Warrant Officer Candidates out there:

Q: What is a WOC?


A: A WOC is sumthin' you fwow at a wabbit!

I like that one...

Making some assumptions - you are in an MOS that has WO's (e.g. not 11B) and are in your first enlistment - I would recommend you finish your initial enlistment tour in 75th (3-4 years?) and get tabbed before putting in a WOC packet.

11C. We don't have any 11C WO MOS. We do have other WO options though. First enlistment, 9 months into a 4 year contract.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I guess i'll roll with the punches for know.

Oh, to clariffy. I want to fly helicopters. So i'm looking at 153A otherwise i'd like to stay Enlisted.

Must concur with Bob (Shardik) above...get yourself Tabbed AND Scrolled and get a few chevrons on before putting in your packet.

Nuff outta me.

Hiya Bob

quote:

Originally posted by 12736058:
Oh, to clariffy. I want to fly helicopters. So i'm looking at 153A otherwise i'd like to stay Enlisted.

A Chopper Driver, huh? All the preceding is still valid and very applicable. I can remember the days that you never encountered a Chief who wasn't at one time a SFC E6 or a MSG E7 before becoming a WO1 or 2

OK, FWIW, one of our Chapter members has a good resume in that arena.
1. He went through SFTG, graduated as a Medic, pulled a tour in Nam, as an A-Team 91B.
2. Applied for Chopper school, attended Rucker (I think) returned to Nam as an attack rotary aircraft driver, following that tour, he was medically evacuated due to being shot down too many times and suffering the consequences.
3. Upon separation he went into the Reserves, and due to "we don't have any choppers", he became a fixed wing aircraft driver with the rank of O3.
4. It wasn't too much later when all the ailments from Nam surfaced and he was medically retired as a Captain.

Now, if you want to meet an individual who can show you Honorable Discharges from the United States Army as an NCO, WO, and Officer, I can introduce you to him.
An ah won eben hafta trow a woc at em edder Ringo

I am not in the Special Ops Community, but I agree with Ringos Rule, I have been in Army almost 6 years, with 27months in Iraq, and it seem like most of the older Apache Pilots, Blackhawk, and Kiowa pilots all have CIB's, jump wings, and Ranger tabs, and thats just how it is. I thought about that alot, and wondered if they just got tired of freezin that ass off out there in the woods, or if they looked at it as a retirement deal. Retirement pay as E-7 vs Captain, or even warrant has a huge difference.. but anyways just wanted to share on this form.

Thanks to you guys who post all the time on this site, all you older SF folk' really is goood to have those mentors out there to stear ya in the right place.

I am about to graduate from college and drop a woft packet. I was former 3/75 and debated on re-enlisting to go warrant but opted to go to school first. For you to drop your packet you have to get LOR's from your CO and BC. I can gurantee that they will not let you go until you do your time there. The nice thing is though is that you will be able to drop a packet after you re-up and I had a few buddies that did that. I have never heard of a batt boy not Hertig picked up for warrant flight.

quote:

Some of the best officers I have ever met met have been what is called a "Mustang" in other words one who has been an enlisted and became an Officer later on in life.

Thank you. That's something I was always personally proud of frankly.

E3, E4, E5, O1, O2, O3, O4, O4(P).

I just pinned the third stripe on my son (E4, active USAF) and told him that he only gets one more if he's planning to keep up with me

No rank requirement for WOFT. But like a previous poster said, you need a LOR from your commander in order to get to the WO board. Now the only thing you need to take into consideration is the age limit is 27.5 for the WOFT. If you are coming up on that soon, I'd start doing what ever tap dancing you can to get your packet in. If you are young and can finish out your obligation, then I'd highly reccomend doing that. You will have a much higher chance of getting picked up if you have a couple deployments and rank under your belt.

Good luck.

I was a E-6 before I made Warrant, I had 10 yrs in. The lowest rank I have ever seen or hear of going from enlisted to Warrant was a E-4. He had prior service though, so he lost a grade when he came back in. but he had to get a wavier anyhow just because of his rank.

I broke him in while he was waiting for the offical word to come down (DA called him, like me and ask if would except an appointment as Warrant, thats what Warrant were back then Appointed not Commission) We were in the 25th Inf Div in Hawaii.

Smart man, very smart man, almost to smart, He remembered everything in his head and never wrote anything down...When your in logistics thats a no-no. Must have written proof of everything.

quote:

Originally posted by vitaminc2o:
No rank requirement for WOFT.

This is going back thirty years but, a friend entered the service straight from High School, at 17, graduated from WOFT at age 18.

quote:

Originally posted by gumbydammit:

quote:

Originally posted by vitaminc2o:
No rank requirement for WOFT.

This is going back thirty years but, a friend entered the service straight from High School, at 17, graduated from WOFT at age 18.

Ya, it still happens today, had a kid that I went through WOCS with had just graduated highschool 8 months prior to going to WOCS. He was a fort rucker local so his parents had a lot of contacts with old aviators which got him the LOR's he needed to make it in the program. He made it through WOCS, which isn't saying much now a days, but couldn't handle SERE. He's workin at office depot on Rucker Blvd now.

Dave did his tour in Germany with the 173rd Assault Helicopter Company, then went to Daytona to finish his degree at ERAU. After that was a stint as an IP at Rucker.
Last I heard from him was early '86, he got out of the Army and was flying F-111s for the Air Farce.