<p>We have arranged a similar schedule for our daughter in early February. Eye exam at 9:00 and physical at 11:00, with 30 minute drive in between. We might be at some risk as well if the eye exam gets delayed. I can’t help with schedule as the timing requirements for female exams required us to push her exam out several weeks. There was plenty of availablity though 3-weeks out.</p>
<p>Hurray! Update - exam lasted less than 15 mins. Optometrist will see S late. He’ll finish DoDMERB today. Whew! :)</p>
<p>Mariner, you might have done the smart thing by putting vision first. Good luck. :)</p>
<p>Great DougBestsy. Please let me know how long the vision exam takes.</p>
<p>Son says the vision exam lasted 10 minutes. Total time in the office was about 45 mins. :)</p>
<p>To any of you on this forum: If money were no object would you still encourage your kids to apply for an ROTC scholarship? Out of the blue my S (junior in h.s.) announced his intent to pursue this (NROTC, Marine Option). We have saved for and can pay tuition to any school, public or private. His SAT’s in one sitting are 2260. He’s second in his class of 470, weighted gpa of 4.70. We have no family members even remotely associated with any branch of the military. Though he lists many reasons why I think it boils down to the fact that he thinks it will help him get a job in the CIA. He is head strong beyond belief, hence his emphatic interest in this in the face of his parents profound concern and general ambivalence. Ugh, I don’t know.</p>
<p>Mimiloo, I can relate to your situation. Last spring our daughter surprised us with the idea of ROTC. Like you, we have no family members in her or our generation with military experience. Her driver is a balance of wanting to provide public service (which she rates the military as best in this regard) and career. In her case, the career path is to become a veterinarian and start that career in the Army Vet Services. I think it is a pretty good plan and her focus on service is still the main driver for ROTC. </p>
<p>A key point for parents is that even in the ROTC 4-year scholarship the student can opt out without repayment possiblity up until they start their sophmore year. Since we are not familier at all with the military there is a lot of “risk of the unknown” for our daughter. She does not see it that way, but as a parent I do. Knowing that she gets a year to find out if this is right for her is comforting to us, her parents. Keep this element in mind because if your son finds this is not for him after all, he can exit. And if it is for him, and he can get a scholarship, then he is on his way. Either way, it should make it easier for you to support him.</p>
<p>Son has interview Monday with AF ROTC. (I know… he’s a little late to the whole thing…) Any words of wisdom for him? We’re practicing interview skills this weekend along with getting him a haircut. As for clothes is it OK to dress in a nice collared shirt, slacks and dress shoes? Or does he need more formal wear? he doesn’t have a suit so I’m afraid if we get one for him, it will only make him more nervous.</p>
<p>Any ideas/suggestions?</p>
<p>Mimiloo - lots of kids from <em>means</em> are in ROTC or attend a Service Academy. For many kids, it is about the money but not all of it. In some cases the scholarship allows a student to attend college in the first place; for others it allows them to attend a college they otherwise could not afford.
At the Service academies are a number of kids who could go to any college they want to… yet they still CHOOSE military service.</p>
<p>Being a Military officer is an honorable profession. They are leaders who are responsible for their lives of their enlisted soldiers. They have a level of responsibility and accountability at a very young age - that is unheard of in the business world.
Your son sounds amazing and this country need smart military officers!
Love him and support him - you will gain much from watching his journey into adulthood.</p>
<p>Mimiloo, My answer is Yes. S1 decided the military was his goal very early on. We had enough money saved for him to attend college (publics, which were his only interests) so NROTC was not about the money but the desire. </p>
<p>He even said if he did not get the NROTC scholarship, he would still do NROTC as a walk in and re-apply later for the scholarship. Military was his goal. The money was great (he got the scholarship) but was not the driving factor. We totally encouraged him to follow his ambition.
S1 had very similiar high sch. stats to those you’ve listed for your S.</p>
<p>Just curious,why is your S choosing Marines? Not to bash USMC but he should give Navy a hard look too. S1 may also be interested in one of the "alphabet " agencies too when he gets out of the Navy.</p>
<p>ChuckleDoodle - no suit is necessary. He sounds fine.
Just the basics - he should know how to shake hands, look his interviewer in the eye and remember his ‘Yes, Sir’ and ‘No,Sir’.
He should be able to communicate his desire to serve as an officer in the AF and talk about himself - courses he has taken, ec’s and athletic endeavors.
Good Luck to him!</p>
<p>Mimiloo - you and your son should read Nate Fick’s book - “One Bullet Away”. Nate is a Dartmouth grad with no family military experience. It is a fantastic read and he describes his journey from a life of privilege to the Marine Corps.
[Amazon.com:</a> One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer (9780618773435): Nathaniel C. Fick: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/One-Bullet-Away-Making-Officer/dp/0618773436/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264716626&sr=8-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/One-Bullet-Away-Making-Officer/dp/0618773436/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264716626&sr=8-1)</p>
<p>Mimiloo, does your son know that all NROTC officers are non-restricted line? No chance at all for intelligence work until after they fulfill their initial 5-year committment. Marine options are even more restrictive. Marines are a combat force.</p>
<p>Mimiloo, does your son know that all NROTC officers are non-restricted line? No chance at all for intelligence work until after they fulfill their initial 5-year committment. Marine options are even more restrictive. Marines are a combat force.</p>
<p>Mimiloo: My daughter has many options other than ROTC but has decided she wants to pursue that route for a number of reasons:
- Service to country (she believes that it is important)
- Nursing experience
- More choices of expensive colleges (she has plenty of other more affordable options)
That said, if she was interested in joining a branch of the military where she was at great personal risk…I would try to discourage her. IMHO…Air Force & Navy Nursing are “somewhat” low risks pursuits.</p>
<p>I also have a son that is currently a high school junior with grades that while good are not in his sisters class. He is VERY interested in ROTC. I have made my opinion clear about the wisdom of joining one of the Combat Arms areas of the Army or Marine Corps. Hopefully he will accept my own personal experience in the Army during Vietnam and choose either the Air Force or Navy. </p>
<p>My post should in no way be considered a negative comment directed at the Army and MC, or the brave patriots that choose that route. Mine is just a parents personal opinion and concern for his children.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for your replies. Iron Maiden- can you explain in more detail what you’re talking about? What is non-restricted line? And I’m sure I sound completely ignorant about everything, but what are the greater restrictions, and what does it mean to say Marines are a combat force, ie, how are they different from other ROTC choices?He has contacted a local recruiter who seems to feel his career aspirations in the CIA mesh well with the Marines, but then again, he is a recruiter. His interest in the Marines comes from the brother of one of his friends who just graduated from college NROTC and is now in Afghanistan. He literally refuses to consider any other branch of the military saying that his friend’s brother says Marines are the only way to go. I hope I’m conveying adequately his complete pig-headedness on the subject, he’s quite black and white about the discussion, and thinks he knows way more than he does. Smart kid…extremely hard headed- I hope this is partly an age thing. I’m pretty sure this is his way of asserting his independence and separating from the family, I just wish he didn’t have to do it in such an extreme (it feels extreme to us) way. </p>
<p>Mariner116: Thanks for your input as well. It is reassuring to know that there are ways out of a decision that might not be right.</p>
<p>Momof4: thanks for your input, I’m going to check out that book. You sound like a wise mom who has seen a lot.</p>
<p>Another thing that concerns us is that this has not been a long thought about pursuit as some of the other posters have mentioned that their kids had. This quite literally came out of the blue over Christmas break when he talked to his friend about her brother. No one on this forum I’m sure needs to be reminded of the impulsiveness of 17 years old boys… I’m just trying to get informed as fast as I can on a subject I NEVER thought I’d be researching!</p>
<p>p.s. just saw agalages response when I posted mine. I kid you not, I did not realize some branches of the military have greater danger associated with them. Of course my son chooses the riskiest one, great…I also realize these are opinions, but I really value all the input you guys are giving me. I think I’ll need an ambien tonight!</p>
<p>agalages, yeah I thought S1 was choosing a realtively “safe” option in Navy but apparantly he’s not interested in safe. He went EOD! You just never know.</p>
<p>[Restricted</a> Line Officer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restricted_Line_Officer]Restricted”>Restricted line officer - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>This is a simplified explanation of a restricted line officer. </p>
<p>[Unrestricted</a> Line Officer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrestricted_Line_Officer]Unrestricted”>Unrestricted line officer - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>And here is unrestricted line.</p>
<p>Basically, you commission as an unrestricted line officer from the academy or NROTC. After your initial commitment is up, you can apply for a lateral transfer to one of the restricted line positions. You used to be able to do so before the five year mark, but I’m not sure about now. </p>
<p>So you won’t commission as an intel officer, but could do a lateral transfer at a later date, if approved. It involves going before a board, etc.</p>
<p>PackMom: Thanks for the reminder. There are very dangerous jobs in every branch of the military. Best of luck to you and your son.</p>
<p>PS…maybe he meant EDO
<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restricted_Line_Officer[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restricted_Line_Officer</a></p>