Trading stripes for bars: commissioning programs could change your career direction - Consumer

Airman, Dec, 2003 by Christine L. Kunz

Why would a new staff sergeant give up a soaring Air Force enlisted career? Why would a master sergeant suddenly trade in six stripes that took 15 years to earn? Why would an airman first class who was just starting her career be willing to go back to an initial training environment?

For these three enlisted members, change is what life is all about. And the recent change these three have undertaken is their decision and selection to obtain Air Force commissions.

Enlisted members wishing to trade their stripes for gold bars have several commissioning options available.

Reserve Officer Training Corps

Abigail Curtis, a second-year cadet at Auburn University of Montgomery, Ala., decided to turn in her four active duty stripes and leave behind an already soaring career to participate in the Air Force's largest commissioning source, the Reserve Officer Training Corps, under the Airman Education and Commissioning Program.

"It allows me to stay on active duty, retain all active duty benefits, acquire time in service, all the while getting my education paid for," 26-year-old Curtis said. "I can't say enough how incredible this program is. My classmates are either exhausted from having to work while going to school or strapped for cash because of all the expenses. I'm neither, and I almost feel guilty about it."

ROTC, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., is the oldest source of commissioned officers for the Air Force. It's active on more than 144 college and university campuses with more than 1,000 additional schools offering the program under crosstown agreements that allow their students to attend ROTC classes at an area host school. The program commissions about 2,500 second lieutenants each year, according to Air University's public affairs office. In fiscal 2003, that number included more than 300 prior enlisted members.

Right now, airmen have three main ROTC commissioning programs from which to choose: Airman Scholarship and Commissioning Program, Professional Officer's Course-Early Release Program and the Airman Education and Commissioning Program.

Officer Training School

If you've already completed a bachelor's degree and separating from active duty is not something you want to do, perhaps the next largest commissioning source is your gateway to those gold bars.

Officer Training School, also headquartered at Maxwell is the "flexible partner" of commissioning programs. In fiscal 2003, of the approximately 1,600 individuals commissioned at Maxwell, 545 were prior enlisted, according to analysts at the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools. Beginning in fiscal 2004, approximately 1,000 lieutenants will join the Air Force each year through Officer Training School in all major career areas.

The school provides two officer training programs: Basic Officer Training, an intensive 12-week program that prepares officer candidates for the technical, physical and professional requirements of commissioned service, and Commissioned Officer Training, a four-week initial officership training for 1,200 to 1,500 judge advocates, chaplains, medical service officers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, bioenvironmental engineers and hospital administrators) and medical scholarship recipients each year.

For Master Sgt. Cully Patch with the Air Force Research Laboratory at the Rome Research site in New York, it was this "other" option that caused him la hang up his six stripes and a 15-year enlisted career.

"With a spouse and two children, I couldn't afford to get out and attend ROTC," said the 32-year old master sergeant. "It was much more stable to use the tuition assistance, veteran's benefits and student loans to pursue my degree during off duty time and apply to OTS directly."

Patch expects to leave for Maxwell in early 2004, then he'll train to be an intelligence officer.

"I've always dreamed of being a pilot in the Air Force, and since I'm past that age, I wanted to still pursue a higher responsibility and better support the aviators I once dreamed of being," he said.

Air Force Academy

Besides the two large commissioning programs, there's a smaller one that just might be what you're looking for--the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. And there's even a lesser-known program within the academy that can help you reach that gold bar commission: the Air Force Academy Preparatory School.

During its history, the academy has become a leader among undergraduate institutions, allowing cadets to complete four years of studies leading to a bachelor of science degree. Academics include classes in the basic sciences, engineering, humanities, social sciences, and military strategic studies. Within this framework, all cadets complete a core curriculum of 112 semester hours, and they can specialize in any of 30 academic majors and four minors.

Military development is central to the academy experience and distinguishes it from other institutions of higher learning. Four primary areas are stressed: professional military studies, theoretical and applied leadership experiences, aviation science and airmanship programs, and military training. The idea is to provide cadets the knowledge, skills, values and behavior patterns necessary to make them effective leaders.