Active duty experience
- Thread starter Mom43
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You are asking a very, very broad question and everyone will answer differently. Would you be able to narrow down what information you’re looking for with the question?
All cadets serve a minimum of 5 years active duty after graduation. That experience will vary widely based on their specific job. Does your son have a particular area that he is interested in? Pay will be exactly the same for all graduates. Extra allowances for food and housing will be similar, but vary some by location. Quality of life will vary greatly based on their duties and duty location.
Take a look through this thread for some real life stories of graduates in different fields:
Where Are They Now?
I am starting this thread for a couple of reasons. First, I have gotten PM's from people asking about my son and what he is doing/has done since he graduated. Secondly, with the waiting that goes on this time of year I thought it might give everyone something to read so they have an idea...
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Stealth_81
Thank you for your reply! I will check out the other thread. My question, I guess is if my son decides to pursue finance, let’s say, what are the chances he will serve time in infantry or more of a frontline position? Do all cadets have to experience a combat type service at some point during their 5 years?
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Dive into the USMA website, reading pages, links, drop-down menus - you can do this, as your son should be doing, thoroughly. Here’s a great place to start:
www.westpoint.edu
And this page, which includes a Parents Handbook:
As noted above, your question is broad. The application process itself is massive. Here on Service Academy forums, be sure to look for informative pinned posts at the top of a forum.
And - would you be willing to share what some of your worries are? Guaranteed there are parents of grads, of current cadets and applicants who had/have those same worries, and let’s hope they pop up to respond.
On the social media front, if you like to connect that way to ask questions, there is West Point Moms on FB and other platforms, as well as Parents Clubs. It is one big family, and usually people are very helpful in sharing their experiences, even if your son or daughter is just starting to explore this path.
Your son would be applying for nominations from your state’s Senators and your District Representative. Their websites have information on their service academy nominations pages. They often host “Service Academy Information Nights” or similar; these are invaluable. Even if your son is not yet in the window to apply, these are informative.
Your Career After West Point | United States Military Academy West Point
West Point Military Academy
www.westpoint.edu
And this page, which includes a Parents Handbook:
As noted above, your question is broad. The application process itself is massive. Here on Service Academy forums, be sure to look for informative pinned posts at the top of a forum.
And - would you be willing to share what some of your worries are? Guaranteed there are parents of grads, of current cadets and applicants who had/have those same worries, and let’s hope they pop up to respond.
On the social media front, if you like to connect that way to ask questions, there is West Point Moms on FB and other platforms, as well as Parents Clubs. It is one big family, and usually people are very helpful in sharing their experiences, even if your son or daughter is just starting to explore this path.
Your son would be applying for nominations from your state’s Senators and your District Representative. Their websites have information on their service academy nominations pages. They often host “Service Academy Information Nights” or similar; these are invaluable. Even if your son is not yet in the window to apply, these are informative.
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Small Team Bacsi
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when I see a question like this I think of my mom and dad. My mom worried (about VN) because she had no first hand experience my dad worried because he had a lot of first hand experience (WW2 in the Pacific).
We worry they won’t get in a SA. We continue to worry once they are in a SA. And after graduation for those that graduate we worry when they deploy.
welcome to the club. If you remain in this club , learning to deal with your worry is important. Because it’s never going to leave you.
AD experiences are not so much service related they are mos or rate related. He does have some influence on job selection.
Good Luck
We worry they won’t get in a SA. We continue to worry once they are in a SA. And after graduation for those that graduate we worry when they deploy.
welcome to the club. If you remain in this club , learning to deal with your worry is important. Because it’s never going to leave you.
AD experiences are not so much service related they are mos or rate related. He does have some influence on job selection.
Good Luck
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OP, idk if/how you are advising your student (if at all). Keep an open mind no matter what. Support their application, even if you are ‘nervous’ about Military Service. It’s a LONG process to apply. And your student may, or may not receive an offer of appointment. But if they don’t begin the process now (or soon), there may not even be an option for them to attend.
You can do your own research over the next 9 months. I was you back in the day. And the more we learned, the more we understood and the more comfortable we were in their serving.
You can do your own research over the next 9 months. I was you back in the day. And the more we learned, the more we understood and the more comfortable we were in their serving.
USNA75
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I would say most young people volunteer for military service for the challenge. To be tested and find they measure up. Most also understand this service might include combat at some point. Anyone who joins for just a job or benefits is a fool. The demands of military service far outweigh any benefits. It pays to have a calling to serve in order to make the sacrifices of service make sense. To many who have never served it can be hard to get your head around. I hope if your son feels a calling to serve that you can support him and help him choose the branch that best serves him and the nation. Being a veteran with two children currently serving, it’s an honor that they chose to serve but occasionally nerve wracking when they are serving in combat theaters. I wish you and your son the best.
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Hopefully the mom is waiting in the wings and will jump back in soon to let us know what's going on.
On one deployment my son would call me on a burner phone while he was waiting to board a chopper. We'd chat a bit about sports or how's things going in general. I never told him how much I hated helicopters until recently.
KPEngnr90
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I went to Kings Point USMMA which gives you the option to go AD or work in the private sector as long as its maritime related. I chose AD in the Navy and became a Surface Warfare Officer(SWO) assigned to a destroyer in San Diego. My other classmates who chose AD and became Aviators, Submarine Officers, some cross commissioned into the Army, Marines Air Force or Coast Guard. About 67% of our class went to work in the maritime industry as Merchant Marine Officers or engineers at shipyards or went on to law school to study admiralty law. I spent 5 yrs on AD and went on 2 deployments. It was a nice stint and made good friends but the money wasn't there so I left AD and went back to what I was trained to do and sail in the Merchant Marine as a ships engineer. I kept my Naval Reserve commision and retired in the USNR and retired from sailing. It was a good career and the best part no college debt.
I got an appointment to USMMA and I'm waiting on a AFROTC HSSP Scholarship decisions, as much as I want to attend the academy I do want to go into aviation in the AF. Are AF commissions and/or pilots slots for other branches (ie. USCG) difficult, like sparsity or competitiveness? Is it worth choosing MMA over a AFROTC 4-year (If awarded)? (Note I am completely comfortable with the other options MMA offers like NOAA or Naval AD)
KPEngnr90
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If you're really bent on flying you probably have a better chance out of KP than any other of the other academies since most of the graduating class chooses to become Civilian mariners or work in the maritime industry, whic leaves a number of flying billets from USMMA unfilled. Its easier to cross commission from USMMA than any other academy. In my time the flight school candidates outnumbered the slots. My former AFA coworker at General Dynamics who missed out on flight school ended up babysitting ICBM silos in the middle of Montana somewhere. Needless to say his AF career didn't go beyong 5 yrs.
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Which offer has the community options you would most be interested in, should flying be out of the question? It happens, that people don’t get their first choice (perhaps via commissioning physical). I would advise my own to consider this piece when deciding….your best 2nd choice options.
Usnavy2019
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What specifically about USAF flying turns you off?
raimius
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If flying is your goal, USAFA sends a large percentage of each class to pilot training. That's a logical choice. AFROTC sends large numbers as well, but the percentage of cadets going to UPT is a bit less. USNA also sends a large number to aviation, so that would be a good alternative. Army uses Warrant Officers to fill out most of its pilot positions, but they do have some officer slots.