Hi! I’m Savannah, an Air Force Pilot wife, and mother. My husband and I started dating our first semester of college, and his first semester of ROTC. I didn’t know anything about the military, much less ROTC. So, I made it a point to learn! I watched my husband go through the whole process of ROTC from a first semester GMC, to field training, to POC, to getting a pilot slot, to commissioning, to entering active duty, and graduating from UPT. WOW that is a lot of words and acronyms that may sound intimidating! But, whether you’re a girlfriend or fiancée or wife of someone in ROTC, I’ll do my best to explain and give you a guide so you aren’t as lost as I was!
ROTC Daily Overview
Each year of school brings a slightly different schedule. What stayed consistent for my husband through all of ROTC, was physical training twice a week in the morning, leadership lab once a week, and at least one aerospace studies class meeting once or twice per week. Uniforms are required during classes, but otherwise, cadets wear normal clothes. In fact, my husband was asked not to wear uniforms outside of class days! Think of ROTC kind of like a minor to add to their major, with its individual classes and requirements or like a part time job. Either way, they will need to dedicate 10-15 hours per week to ROTC and possibly more depending on their job in ROTC, and if they choose to participate in ROTC extracurriculars. My husband definitely spent the most time on ROTC his junior year – about 15-20 hours a week! This was a lot of time, but since I tried to integrate myself into what I could, it didn’t seem so busy. I also loved supporting him in ROTC, because we obviously were going into the military, so I wanted to support him as much as possible starting as soon as possible.
So… what is ROTC?
ROTC, or the reserve officer training corps, is one of the ways to become an officer in the armed forces. Offered at most universities, ROTC allows aspiring officers to complete their officer training alongside their bachelor degrees. Participating universities have a “detachment” with faculty (called cadre) made up of Military Officers and some enlisted support members. One University may have different branches of the military – our University had both Air Force and Army detachments, but the branches study and train separately and have different cadre. We didn’t know anyone on the Army side, but we got to know the Air Force ROTC cadets and cadre well – especially those in our same year!
Now a bit more depth on the requirements:
ROTC involves 1-3 credits of military related courses per semester which includes:
- Physical training (PT) usually held twice a week in the early morning (for my husband this was always Tuesday and Thursday mornings),
- A foundations course which discusses things like law of armed conflict, the nature of conflict and how the Air Force is developed, organized and employed,
- And a weekly lab class that teaches customs and courtesies, drills and ceremonies, etc.
An additional class is required during sophomore year to prepare for field training (more on field training in a bit…), for my husband’s detachment this class was held on Wednesday mornings.
In junior and senior years, each cadet has a “job” in the detachment, to help develop and refine leadership skills. These jobs may include leading a small group of people, or a few small groups of people. Some jobs such as the wing “staff” need to be applied for, and require additional time and dedication. My husband applied for the wing staff and was the cadet wing commander during his Junior year – which is partially why he spent so much time on ROTC that year!
Each cadet once in their junior or senior years is also required to take an exam called the AFOQT (Air Force Officer Qualifying Test), which will aid in determining their job in the Air Force.
Rank
Military life is hierarchical and has rank – so it makes sense that ranks would also be applied in ROTC. These are divided into two groups. GMC and POC.
GMC
During Freshman and Sophomore year (before field training), cadets are referred to as “GMC,” or, in the general military course. As a GMC, cadets wear Cadet 4th Class rank as an AS100 (freshman), and Cadet 3rd Class rank as a an AS200 (sophomore).
POC
After completing field training, and for the rest of their ROTC career, cadets are referred to as “POC,” or, in the professional officer course. As a POC, cadets wear cadet officer ranks, from Cadet 2nd Lieutenant, all the way up to Cadet Colonel – following the officer ranks of the actual Air Force. Rank during the POC course is related to what job your cadet has been assigned in the wing, and changes each semester. It is merely a way to distinguish jobs, and does not “mean” anything. So unlike the real Air Force, one semester they may be a C/Lieutenant Colonel, and the next semester a C/1st Lieutenant. It doesn’t mean they’ve been “demoted,” just that they have new responsibilities for the semester! I think my husband held just about every POC rank possible during his time in ROTC!
Field Training
Okay, let’s chat field training now. Field training is essentially basic training for those in the ROTC program. Unlike an extended basic training like that you may have heard of for people who enlist in the military, Air Force ROTC Field Training is a two weeklong training held the summer between sophomore and junior years at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. There are several different sessions of field training held each summer called “maxes,” and your cadet will be assigned to one at the beginning of the summer. Travel to and from this training is covered by the Air Force, so you won’t need to worry about paying for it or scheduling it! During field training, you will not be able to contact your cadet. As difficult as it is to be apart, this is good practice for the times of separation that will come later in your military career. I got one super short email at the end of the first week from my husband, but that was it!
ROTC Extracurriculars
There are some extracurricular programs through ROTC that provide additional experience and “resume builders” for cadets. Often, cadets involved in these programs will get to wear special patches or cords on their uniforms designating them as part of these organizations! Some (but not all) of these extracurriculars are:
Arnold Air Society
A service organization advocating the support of aerospace power. There is a civilian sister club to AAS called Silver Wings if you also want to get involved!
Honor Guard
The Air Force ROTC Honor Guard is a drill team that represents the Air Force and the nation, to the local community. The Honor Guard’s members learn how to march with precision, respect the National Colors, and perform ceremonial duties. This is a really cool opportunity that these cadets have because while each Air Force Base has an honor guard, its members are enlisted, officers do not participate. So ROTC is their chance to represent the Air Force and United States in this way!
Special Tactics/Warfare
A group of cadets who learn tactical strategies through various activities and physical training. This may include rucking (basically hiking with all their military gear), tactical arms training (usually done with paintball guns), escaping and evading training, etc.
My husband was part of all three of these during his time in ROTC. He did many service projects with AAS. He presented the flag with the honor guard at football and basketball games for our university, competed with the honor guard at a national competition (and won), and presented the flag at many, many local events – some of which were very significant to the area. And he enjoyed immersing himself into learning about tactical combat and warfare through various activites in Special Tactics, spending many weekends doing training events. I got to go with him for many of these, helping with the service projects, attending incredible events, and even getting to participate in some of the training activities (though I was probably quite the laughing stock!). I really enjoyed immersing myself into these activities with my husband, and opening my eyes to his world.
Events
Informal Events
We had a lot of informal events at our detachment that families and spouses were invited to including socials, picnics, and even activities for spouses and sweethearts! One of my favorite activities was when the detachment commander’s wife took us to the nearest Air Force Base for the day to show us what “real” military life looked like, what a base was like, and what resources were available to us (or going to be available to us). She spent weeks putting it together and scheduling everything. That base visit was truly one of the best things to prepare me for military spouse life! So pay attention to events that the detachment is putting on. Sometimes they are for you too!
Formal Events
There are formal events for ROTC that are meant for cadets to bring a date to! I highly recommend going! Each of these two events are held once a year and mirror events that occur in the real military! Because these events start when you’re in ROTC, and continue into real military life, I highly recommend finding a couple of formal dresses you love and fit you well so you can have one on hand when formal events come up! This is one of the fun parts of military life – you have the chance to dress up in formal attire every few months!
Military Ball
This is a formal dance that the cadets plan and execute each year. The military ball is a chance for the cadets to practice military etiquette before commissioning. Often there is a distinguished guest that speaks, and there of course, is dancing.
Dining Out
This military tradition is a formal dinner that the cadets plan and execute each year, in the spring. Dining out is a chance for cadets to practce military etiquette before commissioning. Often there is a distinguished guest that speaks, and sometimes a short dance follows the dinner.
Personally, I preferred Dining out over the Military Ball! I love the tradition, and all the ceremonial parts of the dinner! It was also super fun to share a table with our best friends and get to know the spouses and girlfriends of the other cadets.
Job Assignment
You will usually find out what your cadet’s official job in the Air Force will be sometime in their Junior year of school (or their AS300 year). Just about every job that you can do in the civilian world, you can do in the military. So while a lot of people go into Air Force ROTC with dreams of being a fighter pilot, your cadet may want to be a doctor in the military, or work in public affairs, or be an engineer! Jobs in the Air Force are divided into two categories – rated and non-rated.
Non-Rated
Non-rated jobs encompass almost all jobs in the Air Force. When your cadet graduates with their degree, they will commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Active Duty Air Force, with a 4-year committment (of course, with the option to extend at the end of that 4 years). Their major program along with their scores on the AFOQT, and their PT scores will help determine what job they are assigned. After commissioning, they will wait for active duty orders, and their first base will likely be a training period of some sort before immersing into their work.
Rated
Rated jobs include Pilots, RPA (drone pilot), ABM (Air Battle Manager) and CSO (Combat Systems Officer). Rated jobs make up about 4% of the Air Force’s Officers. When cadets with a rated job commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Active Duty Air Force, they have a 10-year commitment (of course, with the option to extend at the end of that 10 years).
To be considered for a rated job, cadets must generate a PCSM (pilot candidate selection method) score. This score is made up of AFOQT score, TBAS (Test of Basic Aviation Skills) score, and any private flight hours a candidate may have. Also considered are your PT scores, commanders raking, and ranking from field training.
Every year is different in how competitive it is because there are a different number of “slots” given each year based on the defense budget and training availability! My husband’s year was very competitive to get a pilot slot, but the next year, almost everyone who wanted a slot, got one! When my husband went up for his rated board, he had 100 fight hours to add to his PCSM, great scores on both the AFOQT and TBAS, a solid GPA, 100% on his PT test, and was top third in his commanders ranking.
After you have your job assignment, over the next few months up until graduation and commissioning you may receive what base you will go to for training! My husband got a pilot slot in about January of his Junior year, and we got our base assignment about nine months later. We were able to submit our preferences for the three UPT (undergraduate pilot training) Air Force bases, which are Laughlin AFB, TX; Vance AFB, OK; and Columbus AFB, MS. We received our top choice – Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, Texas.
Commissioning and Entering Active Duty
At the end of ROTC, your cadet will commission into the active duty Air Force and be sworn in as a 2nd Lieutenant. You may not be leaving to your first base right away though! With ROTC graduates, the Air Force has up to one year from your commissioning to have you enter active duty. My husband commissioned in April but we didn’t enter active duty until February of the next year. In the mean time, he worked a civilian job in our college town. So don’t quit your jobs or end your housing lease at graduation, because you may end up waiting for a while! Another common scenario is to wait for a while, and when entering active duty, being sent to a temporary base to work a casual job while waiting for a UPT slot to become available. Keep in mind that once you have your orders you can legally get out of housing leases, job contracts, etc. with no penalties, or questions asked! So again, sit tight and wait for your assignment! Also be prepared for change and be flexible. We found out in September that we would be entering active duty in March, and then in January, our date was moved up to February! We didn’t receive our official orders until the week before we moved either. Again – be prepared for change, and be flexible! You’ve got this!
Meet Savannah
I’m a wife to a USAF Pilot and a stay-at-home mom to a 2-year-old boy. My toddler and I love spending time at our base library, the parks around the base, and watching Daddy fly his airplane from the flight-line cafe. I’m a board member of the Laughlin XL Spouses’ Club, and love volunteering at our base thrift shop. If the military has taught me one thing – it is to find your community. You can find your people to be in your corner wherever you go. Spouses show up for spouses!
