How Many Of You Veterans Were Commissioned Officers?

I was a Senior Aircraftsman in the Royal Air Force, (Enlisted).

Later in life when working an o Government job and flying in a
RAF Plane, I was a civilian graded as a "Captain", Army rank.

Mike.
 
I graduated college before entering the Marines. When I enlisted, I was supposed to attend OCS, but my papers and those in charge of assigning college grads to their posotions and deployments had everything screwed up. I eventually ended up being a Second Lt., but that did not keep me from going to Vietnam and in combat. I was shifted around like a dog trying to catch his tail. I wanted to fly, but was told that I was too tall, which I found out later that was a bunch of b.s.
 
Semper Fi oldman!

Several years after my tour of duty as an enlisted man in the Marines was up, I joined the Army Reserves. There was a program that allowed college graduates to automatically become officers once a few months of BS was completed. So I completed it, and lo and behold our Company Commander sent for us and told us that the Army adopted a new rule and some of us were deemed too old to become officers. I was pissed and resigned. But that's not the end of the story...my Civil Affairs unit was soon dispatched to Kuwait where it tried to help run the city for a few years...then they were sent to Afghanistan where they served two tours of duty. I can't imagine what I would have done had I been forced to leave my family behind and serve in a hostile environment for who knows how many years.

So my answer is no I was never an officer and am glad about it.
 
Basic training Dec 68-Mar 69, two months OT hold then 3 months OCS. Ten years active as USAF officer. Active Reserve 90-97, active for 80 something days for Desert Storm. Made Maj during that outing.
 
I graduated college before entering the Marines. When I enlisted, I was supposed to attend OCS, but my papers and those in charge of assigning college grads to their posotions and deployments had everything screwed up. I eventually ended up being a Second Lt., but that did not keep me from going to Vietnam and in combat. I was shifted around like a dog trying to catch his tail. I wanted to fly, but was told that I was too tall, which I found out later that was a bunch of b.s.

Glad you got home! Survival rate for platoon leaders was horrible.
 
Trade:
The application of names shift during years, have no idea what E-8's are called today.
In my time 63-66 it was 'War Hog,' 'First Pig,' also 'Curly Tail
stop, can't remember
 
Royal Corps of Engineers with Queens Lancashire Brigade Electronics Communications specialist not a commissioned officer but served Falkland wars during 1982 to 1986
 
Semper Fi oldman!

Several years after my tour of duty as an enlisted man in the Marines was up, I joined the Army Reserves. There was a program that allowed college graduates to automatically become officers once a few months of BS was completed. So I completed it, and lo and behold our Company Commander sent for us and told us that the Army adopted a new rule and some of us were deemed too old to become officers. I was pissed and resigned. But that's not the end of the story...my Civil Affairs unit was soon dispatched to Kuwait where it tried to help run the city for a few years...then they were sent to Afghanistan where they served two tours of duty. I can't imagine what I would have done had I been forced to leave my family behind and serve in a hostile environment for who knows how many years.

So my answer is no I was never an officer and am glad about it.

Believe it or not, we had a few fellows in our platoon that were “drafted” by the Army, but then were able to become a Marine. Not sure of the specifics of how that happened, but it did. I saw their paperwork. Strange things went on during that war.
 
My view, as a lowly Radarman 3rd Class, was that commissioned officers came in the same mix as enlisted men. Some good, some so-so, and a few that were jerks. IMHO the career officers were a step up from the reserves and more uniform in their attitude towards enlisted men.
 

Dividing the Military into Officers and Enlisted is an anachronism that should be done away with. It creates a class based society not unlike that of ancient Rome where you had the Patricians and the Plebians. Or like in Medieval times with Royalty and commoners.

The Military should adopt a system like the government has for civilian employees where they have just a straight up ladder going from GS-1 to GS-15. You could call it MS-1 to MS-15. MS standing for Military Service.

That's my opinion and I'm stickin to it.
 
Dividing the Military into Officers and Enlisted is an anachronism that should be done away with. It creates a class based society not unlike that of ancient Rome where you had the Patricians and the Plebians. Or like in Medieval times with Royalty and commoners.

The Military should adopt a system like the government has for civilian employees where they have just a straight up ladder going from GS-1 to GS-15. You could call it MS-1 to MS-15. MS standing for Military Service.

That's my opinion and I'm stickin to it.

Trade, I personally have no idea how the military is run but since you went to all the trouble to type this out for me, I read it out to my husband who used to be in the military and this is what he said word for word.

“ Thats f””king crazy. That’s just a person with a huge chip on their shoulder cause he had to work beneath someone else and didn’t like it but guess what.....Thats the way the military works and it works. People who can’t handle it shouldn’t be in the military.’

My ‘wow’ was more because you whine more than a woman.😭

That’s ‘my opinion’ and I’m sticking to it. 😎
 
Believe it or not, we had a few fellows in our platoon that were “drafted” by the Army, but then were able to become a Marine. Not sure of the specifics of how that happened, but it did. I saw their paperwork. Strange things went on during that war.
Indeed, had no idea that all drafted people were not put in the army-it happened; had a kid from my hometown placed in Marines. I wonder if
the navy used draftee's? Goggle will tell me

Keesha:
The military is a caste system. It will remain so far into the future.
The army attempts to make mindless robots out of enlisted men; it is somewhat successful until you become aware of how stupid of some of the decisions made that concern your welfare.
The reason troops willingly place themselves in jeopardy is camaraderie.-none other!

Once you become a company commander or battalion commander any battle plan, that is drawn up, you must have a casualty count::
How many casualties are acceptable before you have to abandon the objective? I've always considered casualties as an euphemism for
bodies. (Will have to goggle the etymology of casualty)
If you do not want to be a subordinate to a person that can decide your fate-stay out of the military.
 

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