Battle Handoff

I've been getting a lot of questions about what's next, so here are the most recent updates:

Battle Handoff
I've been officially handed over to my unit, so I now sport the patch for the 36th Infantry Division on my uniform (its an arrowhead with a capital T in it). I'll be a part of this company until I am assigned a branch of service. If I end up as an infantry officer chances are I'll be at that unit, but if I get a different branch assignment I'll end up somewhere else.

Officer Training
For a while there was some debate as to which route I'd be taking to get my commission. One of those options was eliminated as the Accelerated OCS program is not currently available to officer candidates in Texas. ROTC was also on the table so I could go back to school for my masters degree and my commission at the same time. The problem with that program is that it's really designed for full time students and working while going to school would have been a logistical nightmare for 2 years. The final option, and the path I'll be taking is the National Guard Traditional OCS program- one weekend a month for 18 months. The training is held outside Austin, TX at Camp Swift. That program starts in March 2012 and I will be drilling with my current unit until then. Once OCS starts I'll be promoted to a "Candidate" and be paid as an E-6 (2 grades higher than I am now) and once the course is finished I'll be given my commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. Training won't stop there- I'll still have a 4-5 month Officer Basic Course (OBC) where I'll learn my specific branch responsibilities (similar to AIT) and a 6 week Basic Officer Leadership Course II (BOLC II). It may sound like a lot of training but it's also a lot of responsibility to be handed, so it'll be worth the journey over the next few years.