Son is considering Air Force ROTC during college.

[episodic]

Any word from actual service members what his 5 year tour as a 2nd L would probably look like ? He'll have been in ARMY ROTC all 4 years of high school, but for sure wants to join the air force (no air force rotc at his high school). . .

He has narrowed his majors down to:

Medical Lab (4 year degree)
Nuclear Medicine (4 year degree)
Chemistry (4 year degree)


What would be his typical options with those kinds of majors in the service? Iraq time likely? If so what would his Iraq time look like?

 

[mozirry]

Marines!!!!!

 

[episodic]

He for sure said he does not want to be RAMBO 🙂 (yea, I know RAMBO was army). . .

 

[Stiganator]

..

 

[episodic]

Thats what I was thinking, too. I was just wondering if there is a pattern as to where they send new people like this or anything else we should watch out for when dealing with these guys before he signs on the dotted line. . .

 

[Turin39789]

Air Force? Probably knitting lace doilies.

 

[Zolty]

The AFROTC kids at my school are generally all Engineers

 

[Stiganator]

..

 

[Drakkon]

ROTC kids barely go to the front lines as the govt has too much time invested in them to risk it. When the wars first started they were sending them all over there it seemed like for 2-3 tours but nowadays I rarely see them called up. If things flare up all bets are off of course. Chances are he will have to serve at least one tour in the middle east because the military would consider it valuable experience. Its unavoidable. Will he be in harms way? Unlikely as they would have him fixing up soldiers at a medical facility or assisting in that capacity. I've never known any ROTC air force kid that actually took a shot at anyone or was ever shot at.

(not ROTC but worked at 2 universities, during 2001 unitl now and just speaking from what i've seen)

 

[dmw16]

As things stand now I would think a tour in Iraq/Afghanistan would would pretty much a given.

He could either end up working in a hospital or riding on a medivac type aircraft. If he ended up in medivac he could be in harms way. If in a hospital, not so much.

 

[jteef]

there aren't many jobs in the air force that directly apply to any of those majors. it depends what he wants to do after the commitment is up.

if he wants medical field, there is a hospital administration type of job. There are some environmental engineering kind of jobs.

As a chemist, he could be a scientist in the acquisition force.

Then there are jobs that don't have an academic requirement like intelligence officer, space & missile officer, air battle manager, pilots, navigators, personnel officer's, and probably a few more

I dont know when they hand out the job specialties in ROTC, i think after yr 2, but i'd want to know as soon as possible.