Thanks guys this sure has given me a lot to think about!

As far as all the flying talk goes, I kind of figured even if I could get past my physical, it's too late? I mean, I'm 24 (and would not join until i'm 26 [I will have my degree then, and hopefully will have a much much much better financial foundation to start something new]), doesn't the military have nice fresh 18-20 year-olds to fill flight crews with?

Regardless, I still have a year or two to figure out which path would be best for myself (and also for my family). I've begun to start talking more seriously about it with my wife, and she could not be more supportive.

Once again though thanks guys. I really appreciate it. I don't have many people in the office who know the military ins/outs well, and every time I talk to a recruiter, it never goes very well either.

Flight crews or pilots/navs?
Can't speak to the Army WOs, but the others services require you to have a degree so all would be college graduates - not 18-20.
There are age limits (checks on the specifics of the program you are interested in), but I had a 29 y/o in my OCS class.

Pilots/Navs. Makes sense though. There's still a bit of hope on that side then

True story:

During one exercise session one of the officer candidates decided to DOR (Drop On Request).

D.I.: "Why do you want to quit, Candidate?"
Poopie: "Too old for this, Sir."
D.I.: "How old are you, Candidate?"
Poopie: "24 Sir."

D.I. looks around and says: "How many of the rest of you are over 24?"

At least 6 of us stood up.

The point is that as long as you are younger than the maximum age requirement you'll be fine.

Remember this...the program is tough and challenging, but it's designed to do two things:

1. Train the Officer Candidates who are qualified for the program to PASS the program.
2. To test your desire and dedication to complete the training.

If you want it badly enough, you won't have any trouble getting through. If you run into issues (for example, guys who couldn't swim well enough were held back until they could), the military will give you enough training until you can meet the minimum standard.

While this may seem simplistic, watch the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" (minus the Hollywood drama) for a pretty good idea of what Navy AOCS was like back in my day.

***!? 24 too old...that's the average age of a UPT student. I turned 30 during UPT, it wasn't an issue. And if you don't care about being a pilot I think the age for OTS is 35.


You're probably talking to the wrong recruiter. I can't emphasize this enough. You need to be working with an Officer Accessions recruiter. There is typically only one Per state, or they even cover multiple state (ie Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska). Do not waste your time with a standard recruiter, they do not give two craps that you want to be a pilot or officer. They just want to fill their quota.

Don't give up, you will be your biggest and at times only advocate in this process (different story once you're in) it's just the nature of dealing with recruiters, and med techs that could really care less about you.

Go to baseops.net and you will get all of your questions answered.

Reason I didn't start a family until I left active duty:

It's one thing to choose to sacrifice in the service of our country if it's just you and/or your spouse. You can choose to put in the hours, to be deployed, to get a 365 TDY, etc.

It's another matter entirely to make that choice when it affects your kids, when they don't have a say in the matter.

I don't recommend it.

If the school you go back to has an ROTC detachment (or more than one), that can be a great source of info for you. Even if ROTC isn't an option, they should have good info on alternate officer accession programs.

You're also making it an either/or situation, and it doesn't have to be. As others have said, you can go guard/reserve as a part timer, and keep your current job. Alternatively, if you left your job for military service, would you be able to return to it after a 4 year military stint?

If you did join, and flying wasn't an option, what do you want to do?

Intelligence or Military Police were my other two options; but come to find out you couldn't get those out of training without prior service/experience - so I'm glad I didn't have to chose another option!
I was going to spend a minimum of 4 years doing something though.

It is a good idea to have an idea of a variety of jobs that might interest you if you decide to pursue the military option whether flying or not.
Good luck jamesf.

Classmate in UPT had 4 or 5 kids.