Which Corps Units are the Best

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sam_ag_22
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9:37a, 12/27/16
I am a junior in high school and seeing as if I get into A&M will most likely be joining the Corps.
I know that I want to commission and be in the Army and have narrowed it down to looking at the following units.

L-1
D-2
B-2

if yall have any information on these units and what the cultures of the units are like please let me know

Thanks in advance,
Sam
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HtownAg19
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1:20p, 12/27/16
AG
Spend the night with corps and get to know the different outfits you're interested in
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HollywoodBQ
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2:00p, 12/27/16
AG
B-Company, Aggie Band . Worked for me.

Seriously though, outfits are kind of always evolving. So an outfit might be one way today but as leadership changes, membership changes, outfits change personality.

And asking for opinions on TexAgs, everybody is going to be biased. My cousin was just telling me about how his son wants to join E-1 because they're the best. Of course, my cousin was in E-1 so there you go.

And if you're super serious about Army, Corps, etc., Be sure to also take a look at Virginia Tech, VMI, Citadel, Norwich, North Georgia, etc. A&M is very difficult to get in to these days. I just has a cousin who has been wrapped in maroon since she was a baby get accepted via Blinn Team.
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Stive
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In reply to HollywoodBQ • 9:19a, 12/28/16
AG
E-1 here. Mind if I ask who your cousin is?
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Warrior 66
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9:49a, 12/28/16
sam_ag_22 - if you'll send me an e-mail at: jramirez@corps.tamu.edu, I'll have my recruiting team contact you with details about our many programs that give you the opportunity to come to campus, talk to cadets, and spend a day or night with an outfit. I can also set up a time for you to talk to reps from Army ROTC about pursuing a commission in the US Army.

Glad to hear that you're interested in the Corps. Please contact me and we'll provide you the information and the opportunities to visit the Corps to help you make a more informed decision about which outfit to join.

Best wishes to you in the coming year. Happy New Year!
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Rabid Cougar
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9:52a, 12/28/16
AG
I agree about asking for recommendations on here. My unit was disbanded and has been recently re-established since the time I was in school.
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TangoMike
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11:06a, 12/28/16
Unfortunately, asking what is the best outfit is will elicit the most useless responses anywhere on TexAgs. There is nowhere on earth that primacy bias exists more strongly than in that question, as evidenced by the guy who already piped up with a band recommendation (despite no interest expressed in the band by the OP). Everyone will tell you that the outfit they were in 20 years ago is the best, regardless of how much they know about it now.

I tell this to young lieutenants and cadets all the time - everyone has career advice opinions, and they're all generally worthless (including my own). A near-universal truth in the Army is that if you ask someone for career advice, they will tell you to do exactly what they did without ever considering your personal wants, goals, or experiences. Listen to everyone's inputs, glean some insights, but don't believe anyone when they say "mine is the best outfit." Most of them can't even tell you what they're the best at (if they even do any comparison at all).

What's important to you? Academics? Intramural sports? When I was a cadet, the outfits that got all of the yell boy, corps staff, etc positions were the glorified fraternities - Squadron 17, E1, E2, etc. The outfit with the most Army contracts - A1 - rarely got any of those spots. The outfit that won the academics awards was V1 - the (mostly older) day ducks.

There is really very little difference between the true leader development experience you will receive between outfits, and if pursuing a commission is your endstate, then it will matter even less because the companies don't control the military education - ROTC and military education exist in a parallel universe unencumbered by the cadet chain of command.

Take BG Ramirez up on his offer. You won't hear anything useful from anywhere else on the matter.
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93Spur
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12:23p, 12/28/16
Concur on the educated responses here - talk the Commandant's Recruiting Chain.

Visit the outfits to see the current personality, recognizing that there will be a variance almost immediately as the current class walks its Final Review. Look at the Jrs, look at the Sophs.

What are they doing for academics? These leaders are your first point of reference in pursuing classes towards your degree. Very helpful to have upperclassmen who will review your proposed schedule and offer experience on classes and instructors. How many upperclassmen are in your degree plan? How does the unit do on grades?

What are they doing for off the Quad? These leaders may also be involved in campus-wide activities, such as MSC Opas, Traditions Council, Student Government. The Corps is a great leadership laboratory. Use the skills to take in the full college experience. Upperclassmen already involved in those activities can lead the way.

What are they doing in the Corps? Leaders who are involved in other activities provide a great path. Corps Marksmanship Unit, Parsons Mounted Cavalry, Fish Drill Team and Rudder's Rangers. Corps has numerous programs to augment the Corps experience.

Compare those results to what you think interests you.
The Corps is not homogeneous. You will get out of it what you put in.
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HollywoodBQ
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In reply to Stive • 3:59p, 12/28/16
AG
Stive said:
E-1 here. Mind if I ask who your cousin is?
Would you know guys who were Class of '94, PMC?
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Stive
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In reply to HollywoodBQ • 5:36p, 12/28/16
AG
Nah. I might recognize a name or two, but I was 99 so I got there a few years after those guys .
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93Spur
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In reply to HollywoodBQ • 1:29p, 12/29/16
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Fly Army 97
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In reply to TangoMike • 12:31a, 12/30/16
Generally agree with this post except describing the leadership experience as indifferent - you are making claims about what you are not around to experience now yourself.

If one's main goal is to commission - my understanding is B2 has morphed over then years to be one (of many) who very much focus on the ROTC aspect of the Corps. If the 'frat' experience as described above still exists then my take is a difference does exist in terms of leadership experience between such units - taking the commandant's advice about visiting and talking to current cadets face to face is your best and only course of action.

I am far removed from the Corps - I base my comments from having come across cadets at their Summer programs and visiting with new Army LTs in my recent units.
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TangoMike
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In reply to Fly Army 97 • 4:38p, 12/30/16
Fly Army 97 said:
Generally agree with this post except describing the leadership experience as indifferent - you are making claims about what you are not around to experience now yourself.


Very true, correction noted. I guess I meant that BG Ramirez's changes in his tenure seemed to mean his intent was to standardize and professionalize - to make a Corps instead of 30-something different groups with common uniforms. I have not personally experienced this though

The one change I'd like to see more than any other would be to scramble the outfits after the fish or maybe p-head year. This would do more to break up hazing, laziness, and frat cultures than any FOW leaders retreat ever could
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sek92
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7:54a, 12/31/16
AG
E-1 because it is the best!
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aggiejim70
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In reply to sek92 • 8:47a, 12/31/16
AG
sek92 said:
E-1 because it is the best!
That's a load of crap. E-1 were the *******s that set the BQ Christmas wreaths on fire and damn near burned
down dorm 9.
The person that is not willing to fight and die, if need be, for his country has no right to life.

James Earl Rudder '32
January 31, 1945
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CanyonAg77
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In reply to TangoMike • 5:45p, 12/31/16
AG
Quote:
The one change I'd like to see more than any other would be to scramble the outfits after the fish or maybe p-head year.
USAFA scrambles after "fish" year. So basically 50% of each outfit is new every year. They still seem to have unit pride.

What I'd like to see end is recruiting that makes some units huge and others tiny.
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TangoMike
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In reply to CanyonAg77 • 5:52p, 12/31/16
CanyonAg77 said:
Quote:
The one change I'd like to see more than any other would be to scramble the outfits after the fish or maybe p-head year.
USAFA scrambles after "fish" year. So basically 50% of each outfit is new every year. They still seem to have unit pride.

What I'd like to see end is recruiting that makes some units huge and others tiny.


USMA scrambles after their fish year, and they have immense pride in their permanent companies. Scrambling also fixes the small vs big unit thing. I never understood why corps units do their own recruiting, even as a cadet. It allows the frat outfits to continue to be frats, etc
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Jock 07
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In reply to sek92 • 10:27a, 1/1/17
AG
sek92 said:
E-1 because it is the best!
True statement
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Jock 07
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In reply to aggiejim70 • 10:28a, 1/1/17
AG
aggiejim70 said:
sek92 said:
E-1 because it is the best!
That's a load of crap. E-1 were the *******s that set the BQ Christmas wreaths on fire and damn near burned
down dorm 9.
I fail to see what the issue here is
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Jock 07
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In reply to CanyonAg77 • 10:32a, 1/1/17
AG
CanyonAg77 said:
Quote:
The one change I'd like to see more than any other would be to scramble the outfits after the fish or maybe p-head year.
USAFA scrambles after "fish" year. So basically 50% of each outfit is new every year. They still seem to have unit pride.

What I'd like to see end is recruiting that makes some units huge and others tiny.
Yea all my zoomie buddies tell me this. Makes no sense to me. fish year is where the true bonds are built and foundations laid for not only the 4 years in the corps but for the rest of your life. I pray the Texas Aggie Corps never adopts this model. I like the differences in the outfits where different outfits are known for different things. Gives a uniqueness to the outfits that, to my knowledge, isn't the same at the academies.
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TXAggieMom11
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2:30p, 1/2/17
"What I'd like to see end is recruiting that makes some units huge and others tiny."

That is no longer in place and hasn't been for several years. I know last year Army units were capped at 18 fish; Navy/Marine at 22 fish. I think the Air Force were also capped at 22. I believe this year was similar numbers. An incoming fish may not get their first choice. It is first come, first serve.
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AGGies0311
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1:07p, 1/20/17
Delta Company
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Swing Your Saber
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3:10p, 1/21/17
Spoke to a pair of '16 grads for a couple hours last night. Both had been in the wing, I do not recall which outfit other than it was not Sq. 17. One had been an RV, and both seemed to have good insight across the Quad and the various outfits.

Both thought very highly of SQ. 17 and felt it was far and away the best outfit for a host of reasons. Second on their list was H-1, apparently they are the fastest with no close competitor and "basically run SEAL Platoon." E-1 and B-2 were at the top of their list for Army outfits.

As has been echoed on here, go spend the night with the Corps. Get to know the outfits and their current cadets. See what is a good cultural fit for you.

Finally, this thread pops up pretty routinely. You can probably find numerous nearly identical threads to give a greater variety of responses.
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Swing Your Saber
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In reply to Jock 07 • 3:19p, 1/21/17
Jock 07 said:

Yea all my zoomie buddies tell me this. Makes no sense to me. fish year is where the true bonds are built and foundations laid for not only the 4 years in the corps but for the rest of your life. I pray the Texas Aggie Corps never adopts this model. I like the differences in the outfits where different outfits are known for different things. Gives a uniqueness to the outfits that, to my knowledge, isn't the same at the academies.
If I could blue star this again I would. I am still very close to almost everyone who walked final review with me. We have been in each others weddings, helped raise each others kids, and some day will (in all likelihood) be each others pallbearers. One is currently in Japan, one in DC, but most are in Texas. I do not know this because of Facebook (I check it once or twice a year) but because we remain connected and active in each others lives. Hell when my wife had a catastrophic accident it was one of my buddies who drove in from another major Texas city to watch my youngest while we were at the hospital. I am friends with a lot of Westpointers. Exactly none of them have anything close to that kind of bond with their class mates. They may be close friends, but there is a distinct difference.
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Swing Your Saber
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3:24p, 1/21/17
Jock '07 do you know a San Antonio insurance lawyer named Justin Woods? He has a Jock sticker on the back of his truck, and I am 95% sure he was '07.

Or a FA Officer named Cozine? LT Cozine (probably a major now) was probably '06-'08 based on when I saw him. Possibly '05 if he took a couple victory laps.
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HollywoodBQ
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In reply to Swing Your Saber • 7:36a, 1/22/17
AG
Quote:
I am friends with a lot of Westpointers. Exactly none of them have anything close to that kind of bond with their class mates. They may be close friends, but there is a distinct difference.
I work with a guy who is a USNA grad and he recently brought in one of his buddies who became a SEAL after graduating from Annapolis to give us a motivational speech. When he was giving the background on the guy and introducing him, he seemed to struggle to recall the particulars of this guy who he claimed had been his roommate at Annapolis.

I was thinking - wow, I could bring in any of my fish buddies and tell you loads of details about them - at length. And not because I read it on their motivational speaker bio but because I lived and died with these guys throughout my fish year and 3 years after that. Of course some guys got girlfriends and some guys got stuck into the books or other extra-curricular activities but, we all had that fish year that formed a very strong bond between us. Even with guys I didn't necessarily like.

One thing I've observed with another Corps of Cadets program (not A&M) is larger outfit sizes where they might have 50-60 freshmen in a cadet company. I think at A&M we benefited from having fish classes of 30 or less per cadet company. If we had gigantic fish classes per company, there's no way we'd be tight with all of them. Heck, we might even struggle to remember some of their names.
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DevilD77
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9:14a, 1/23/17
AG
The unit you choose will be the best. You and your fish buds have the opportunity to make your unit what you want it to be over your 4 years. Y'all just have to decide early on what it's going to be and stick to your vision.
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Jock 07
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In reply to Swing Your Saber • 6:43p, 1/23/17
AG
Swing Your Saber said:
Jock '07 do you know a San Antonio insurance lawyer named Justin Woods? He has a Jock sticker on the back of his truck, and I am 95% sure he was '07.

Or a FA Officer named Cozine? LT Cozine (probably a major now) was probably '06-'08 based on when I saw him. Possibly '05 if he took a couple victory laps.
Yup, good dudes
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sek92
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In reply to TXAggieMom11 • 7:48p, 1/25/17
AG
So my son can't be in e-1 like his dad?
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jock15
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In reply to sek92 • 10:13p, 1/25/17
AG
Sek; obviously the corps has already changed but while I was still in. I can vaguely speak for Jock recruiting. We were generally able to work it out to about 50%of the total slots were for legacies or kids we really wanted. Then the rest was that first come first serve.
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TXAggieMom11
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In reply to sek92 • 9:36a, 1/26/17
I am not saying that but slots are very competitive due to the cap placed on all male outfits. I know there was a fish this year that wanted E-1 and was a legacy that didn't get in. There is no guarantee.

The Corps is not loyal to the outfit you choose either. Cadets are moved in and out of units constantly. Just because you start in A doesn't mean you will finish there. You may finish in B or C against your choice.

This is not the same Corps my oldest went through and I no longer will promote it to prospective students.
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bigtruckguy3500
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In reply to TXAggieMom11 • 12:26p, 1/26/17
TXAggieMom11 said:
I am not saying that but slots are very competitive due to the cap placed on all male outfits. I know there was a fish this year that wanted E-1 and was a legacy that didn't get in. There is no guarantee.

The Corps is not loyal to the outfit you choose either. Cadets are moved in and out of units constantly. Just because you start in A doesn't mean you will finish there. You may finish in B or C against your choice.
Like you can get removed from your outfit as punishment? Or just because another unit might be low on upperclassmen and they're just like "hey, you, we're moving you."?

BTW, can any current cadets comment on greeting upperclassmen/whipping out/sounding off?
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sek92
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In reply to TXAggieMom11 • 4:17p, 1/26/17
AG
That is a shame, my husband loves e-1 and it is all we talk about when we talk about going to college, memories, friends etc. My son wants to go in the army and the amount of officers that came out of e1 during his time there was impressive! I hope this is just one of the things that will change back in time. Our oldest will be a freshman this year but our son has some time.
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TXAggieMom11
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In reply to bigtruckguy3500 • 6:35p, 1/26/17
BigTruck - Yes they move cadets for punishment usually before any investigation is even done and because they need cadets in other outfits. It is not always upper classmen either. I heard of fish being moved right before brass in November this year.
I also do not understand moving "wayward" cadets to other outfits. What happened to detachment? The other outfits don't want someone else's problem. They lose all support and I know of 4 people that quit the Corps due to these random moves. Army cadets into a squadron? Detachment had its own chain, duties and support built in. The Corps needs to bring it back.
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barney94
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11:26a, 1/27/17
AG
sek92 -

Your son can't be in E-1 like his dad was...even if he gets in E-1. It's not the same as back in the day. None of the outfits are. Please don't make the mistake of your kid joining the Corps because of your 25 year old perception of a particular outfit. I know from personal experience with my recent cadet that this is a VERY BAD idea.

If your son is interested in the Corps, let him do the research himself. As hard as it is as an old army parent, stay out of it. Make sure he joins Corps for what the Corps offers...then joins an outfit, not the other way around.



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