ROTC And Me

Kyle-Kristeen

New Member
Okay i'm not too sure how many people we have in the military in this guild, but I just wanted to throw this discussion out there. Recently i have had some strong thoughts on joining the ROTC program here at my college, it seems really amazing and 1. I want to travel, 2. I want to get in the best shape possible 3. I want to serve my country. Those seem like good enough reasons to join. Anyway, if any of you have any family in the military or you yourself was in the military, I would just like some feedback on your experiences, and whether or not you enjoyed your service.


P.S - I miss all of you very much! Unfortunately I have to work very hard for this GPA and when i'm not studying, I'm working out to get in shape! I will play on the holidays and some weekends though =]

Thanks,
Kyle
 
I had a friend who did ROTC in college. She had her college paid for, but she didn't get to have much fun. I wouldn't say it ruined her college experience though. She was always going to bed at 9 and getting up at like 4am. She was able to be sort of active at church, but I think that was the extent of what she was able to do other than sleep and homework. I'm not telling you not to, I'm just saying that it will change your college experience significantly.
 
Guess it depends on who you are then, friend of mine graduated with ROTC and was never "ruined", he had plenty of time to do what he liked and he graduated early and he spent time in Europe every summer visiting new places and he is now a pilot. I would say it enhanced his college experience greatly. Guess he never got to party and get into drugs or anything like that so maybe he missed out on some peoples ideas of college life but he definitely had fun and did a lot of things he would of never had the chance to do had he not been in ROTC.

Oh yeah the one thing he complained about was having to stay clean shaven and short hair lol, every summer he would grow a wild beard and hair before cutting it to head back to school.
 
I doubt Sam meant drugs/partying equal the "college experience". Tho I'm sure if you were going to bed @ 9 and getting up at 4 every day that would cut out your hang out time with friends or chance to go out and socialize.

The people I know personally who have been in the military have ALL told me (when I was experimenting with military service) told me to get a degree first and then enlist as an officer. Don't know if that helps you out at all, but I hope it does.

As far as college goes...your time is what you make it. If you really want to do something, you have to make the time for it. Even if you feel like you have to study all the time, your body needs rest and exercise. So carve out your "you" time and you'll be fine.
 
Guess it depends on who you are then, friend of mine graduated with ROTC and was never "ruined", he had plenty of time to do what he liked and he graduated early and he spent time in Europe every summer visiting new places and he is now a pilot. I would say it enhanced his college experience greatly. Guess he never got to party and get into drugs or anything like that so maybe he missed out on some peoples ideas of college life but he definitely had fun and did a lot of things he would of never had the chance to do had he not been in ROTC.

Oh yeah the one thing he complained about was having to stay clean shaven and short hair lol, every summer he would grow a wild beard and hair before cutting it to head back to school.

Just fyi, I went to a conservative Christian College.
 
I did Navy ROTC to pay for school. I'm very glad I did it. I graduated from a highly regarded school with honors, but the officer's commission wound up feeling like a much, much bigger accomplishment to me. You'll find a lot of Christians with solid faith in the military, but I always struggled with the notion of one day possibly being required to take someone's life. I recommend wrestling with that issue until your own heart is satisfied one way or the other before committing to a military path of any sort.
 
Going to bed at 9 is a personal choice, I should go to bed at 9 now lol. Getting up at 4am seems like a personal choice or just differences in ROTC program. I know my friend had plenty of late nights and from what I remember wasnt required to do anything before 7am so he was usually waking up about 6am. Still early for most college kids but its not like he was in bootcamp and had a curfew and wake up call, he just had to be there at a certain time in the morning for PT and then off to classes.

It was really not that bad and looking back I wish I had gone that route. That is the great thing about ROTC, they pay you to go to school and then they enlist you as an officer and pay you more because you went to school. And they could of whipped me into shape and got me to being more responsible with my life without me waiting for a house fire and losing everything I owned to wake me up into reality and start taking things seriously:)
 
I think you would have more to gain if anything :) teach you to be more responsible. It's a different experience to be sure but in a positive way. Just be willing to put forth the effort. I think you will feel more accomplished honestly.
 
Personally, I think the willingness to serve in the military is extremely commendable. Our military needs lots and lots of Christians and their influence. Not only that, ROTC is an excellent way to earn a commission in the military. Your summers can be used to take some pretty neat courses - even airborne school if I remember correctly. Hard work to be sure, but some big stuff! I think you have to do some active duty training during the summer. If you make the grade, your final two years can be paid for by the military. Yes, there is an obligation for that tuition, but very worthwhile. Even if you choose not to make the military your career, the experience is one that that is awesome both as a life experience as well as work experience for a resume. However, war at it's worse in nothing to be enjoyed. I have no qualms personally about protecting my family with deadly force if necessary, nor would I hesitate in protection of freedom. It is a subject most Christian war vets want to talk about, but they did not hesitate to do what was necessary. However, please remember that there is much more to military than just the use of marshal force - the logistics for supporting a force in the field is huge! Not nearly every group is combat infantry. Still, what stands between our western democracy and those who despise us is a group of good folks who are willing to do something extremely bad to them if they try to do something bad to us. It is often a distasteful job, yet a necessary one.

There are those who disagree with my thoughts on this, but that makes them no better or less of a person. If you are certain that God wants you to move that direction, then by all means obey Him. Just be sure that it is God direction you are following. If it is not God leading you in that direction, you would be wrong to follow it.

Military service is very often not pleasant and difficult - more so than any other job on earth. Yet, it is often very fulfilling in a manner nothing else can match. It is a service and those who are willing to lay their life on the line in place of those they love are to be commended in a manner like no one else should. I am fortunate in that I never even came close to that, yet I would have fulfilled my duty if called upon. Man, was I ever glad when I got out, though. I could have probably made a career of the Navy if I chose to, but I did not think it was for me. I had a deep fear of being separated from my family. Yet, there is a security in being in the military in that my family's medical care was extremely inexpensive - I had to pay for the meals a very menial amount if one was hospitalized. I think my most expensive son cost me around $16 because my wife had to be hospitalized for a week or two before childbirth. I have a niece who had both of her extremely premature and the Navy made sure she and her children received the best of care. Her husband is now a Chief Petty Officer who serves on a submarine and is having an excellent career. He spends about six months a year at sea. And his family does quite well.

Bottom line - if you do go into ROTC, be sure you are following what God has put into you for you to do.
 
Just be aware that ROTC is a long term commitment especially if you get a scholorship. 3-4 years college and upto 8 years active duty depending on the program you enter. Make sure you talk over it with the recruiter.

My brother-in-law left ROTC mid college bacause God called him to missions and had to repay part of his college expense the army had covered. Leaving ROTC in college is one thing, leaving active sevice is another thing entirely.
 
As a Vet I'd like to say that the military was one of the best experiences of my life. The camaraderie alone makes it worthwhile. But go officer if you can, better quarters, better bonuses, more pay etc.
 
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