My nephew is a star performer in his Army ROTC program (not A&M). He found out today that he was branched QM...which was his FOURTEENTH choice. Does anyone here know if there is some serious shortage in QM for 2012 that could have overridden his 13 higher choices?

Most of his classmates got their 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice. My knowledge of officer accessions and OPMS is over 20 years old. These days, is there any way to appeal your initial branch assignment?

Thanks in advance...

[This message has been edited by DogCo84 (edited 11/7/2011 6:27a).]

I've actually seen that happen several times. There are a couple of reasons.

1. Racial/Gender quotas. They happen.

2. Comments from PMS/peer evals from Ft. Lewis

3. Key identifiers in file that predispose someone to a particular branch.

Other than that, I'm coming up empty.

I know you're talking about the Army here, but I believe the Marines split up their classes into thirds. The top of each third tend to get their first choice.

There's so much thath goes into it these days, it could be one of many things. But something that's been popular the last ten years is that in a particular year, a lot of the officers will go to either combat arms, combat support, or combat service support as a whole. This year most of the A&M cadets I'm still in touch with got quartrmaster, AG, and signal, including an old fish of mine who was a real stud. It just depends on the year.

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For The Good Times
First of the Finest, Finest of the First

That's odd. One of my friends number 1 choice was QM and he didn't get it. He got ADA instead

There is an aviation transfer board every year. After two years, he can make the change.

Also, there is SF Selection.

I know a few 'support' type branch dudes who work in JSOC and you will have to trust me that they absolutely love their jobs.

Bottom line, advise him to work his ass off in this branch and see the many opportunities to enhance it or change over the next few years.

I currently have a Chemical Officer on my staff I fully intend to make a door gunner so he is out doing missions with our boys.

I was at Benning for OCS in April. My class - tons of combat arms. No MI. the next class - three combat arms slots, lots of MI. I wouldn't even try to wrap your head around it. It's like trying to figure out how they calculate a credit score.

In my daughter's class at USAFA, they "branched" that is, got their jobs, as juniors. But about a month before graduation, the AF no longer needed all of the folks they had in various specialties. So something like 5% of the class of 2011 got new jobs at about the same time they graduated.

Of course, all the good jobs had long since been handed out, so the 5% ended up with incredibly sucky jobs.

To make it worse, this all came down a week or so before they had their assignment night banquet. So not only did they not know what their job was to be, they did not know where they were headed. Then they got to go to the banquet where everyone else was getting their base.


Bottom line, even the favored ones (Academy grads) get screwed over if the needs of the service change.

You can always branch transfer in your 'advanced course'. I completed three advanced courses and have three branches: Infantry, Armor, and Civil Affairs.

He can also get assigned to a high speed infantry unit, impress the CDR and have said CDR work a transfer for him. Seen it many times.







We keep you alive to serve this ship. Row well, and live!

One of my son's buddies branched this week. MI was his first QM was is second choice. He was given infantry...13th choice.

Branch swap.

Branch transfers are few and far between. Right now IN/AR are at about 105% needed for projected troop drawdown, where QM/OD/TC are still hovering around 70%. As the force shrinks, and commands are cut, the number of IN/AR needed will cut.

#1 piece of advice - he needs to get over it. Focus on being the best QM officer he can be. He's not the first ever to not get what he wanted, but if he dwells on it his time in the Army will be much more painful.

Thanks for all the thoughts fellas...I will pass this thread link along to him.

It is indeed a different world these days. When I was looking at branching, IN, AR and FA were EASY. The hard branches to get at that time were CS & CSS branches like Finance, Ordnance, MI, etc. Competition for Guaranteed Reserve Forces Contracts (i.e. very little active duty) was high at that time.

My current BN CDR is a branch transfer.

When I was an LT my BDE CDR once advised me to work hard to be the best at what ever you are doing. His first assignment was a range OIC in Korea. But he was the best ever, and subsequently got two years of PL time or something like that.

It came into play when I was a BDE budget officer out of AVCCC. I was miserable, but I remembered his advice. One of the field grades recognized my work in this unacctractive assignment and had me pulled after two months to work for him. It changed my career for the better. Thing will work out, and like Ranger said, focus on being the best he can be. That will only help him down the road if he chooses to move branches or take a different career path when they open up...which is a lot earlier than when I came up.

[This message has been edited by Fly Army 97 (edited 11/7/2011 8:03a).]

Apparently branching didn't go well at A&M either. The PMS COL Gibler flew to cadet command last week to dicuss what happened. 2 of my buddies were in the top 10% of national oml and had aviation as their first choices. Since they were top 10 that is supposed to guarantee them their first choice . Apparently their flight physicals that they took at LDAC or advanced camp got lost. Weird thing is one went to camp last summer and the other went 2 summers ago.

[This message has been edited by Jock11 (edited 11/7/2011 11:46a).]

Sorry double post

[This message has been edited by Jock11 (edited 11/7/2011 11:45a).]

Military personnel process:



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quote:

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Apparently branching didn't go well at A&M either. The PMS COL Gibler flew to cadet command last week to dicuss what happened. 2 of my buddies were in the top 10% of national oml and had aviation as their first choices. Since they were top 10 that is supposed to guarantee them their first choice . Apparently their flight physicals that they took at LDAC or advanced camp got lost. Weird thing is one went to camp last summer and the other went 2 summers ago.

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TRADOC losing paperwork or screwing something up?

I'm SHOCKED.

That almost happened to me too. I had to make some phone calls to make sure my packet was in right. Lesson learned. Don't rely or trust anyone when it comes to your career.

Again, Aviation Branch XFR conducted every year. Usually pretty sharp dudes what get picked up.

What we were told in 1987-88:

The files are rank ordered, top to bottom, across the whole accession class (all cadets, nation-wide for that year). The stack is divided into three. First pile will be Regular Army. Second Pile - Active Duty Reserve. Third Pile - Reserves. Each branch has a certain number of slots to fill in each of these three areas.

The first file is handed to the cadet's First Choice. File is reviewed and either selected or passed to 2nd choice, then 3rd, then 4th.

If you are not selected by any of your first 4 choices, you were put in the "Free Agent" pile. After going through all the files, each branch goes back through the Free Agent Pile to fill their available slots.

That is what we were told in 1987-88.

Does this system apply today? I have not idea.

I was selected by my 3rd choice, Active Duty Reserve. I have several buddies who were like your son. Selected by a Branch low on their wish list.

quote:

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had aviation as their first choices

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It wouldn't surprise me if they were #1 nationally and didn't get aviation right now. The paperwork being lost isn't surprising either. Flight time, simulator time etc. being cut across the board.