Eagle1 Fox2
|
Yes, you can. Most people will tell you it is up to the discretion of the Army, and for the most part that is true. However, there is one program that will allow you to pick what you want.
This is what is known as the ADSO, or Active Duty Service Obligation, option. This is only for ROTC cadets going active duty and essentially allows them to trade years of service for either their first post of choice, branch of choice, or guaranteed graduate school upon finishing their initial 3-4 year term, depending on if they have a scholarship or not.
It works like this. Lets say that you want infantry really bad, but don't think you'll get it. You elect for the ADSO option and this will obligate you to owe the Army 3 more active duty years on top of your original 3 (for a total of 6) if they guarantee you the infantry branch.
However, if you pick infantry as your first choice while at the same time using your ADSO, but you end up getting infantry on merit and not using the ADSO, then you will not owe the additonal 3 years active duty. Keep in mind that is how it is supposed to work, but ask yourself this. If you did end up getting infantry by merit and not using the ADSO, how would you ever know it if they just tacked on the ADSO anyway and you now owe them the extra 3 years?
This has been a question that has been repeatedly asked within ROTC, and the answer we always got back was that they assured us that if we got it on merit, they would not add on the ADSO. The only way you would ever know is if it worked in your favor, meaning you got infantry and only ended up owing 3 years instead of 6.
Anyway, the choice is yours.
EDIT: This is only an Army ROTC option and is partly covered by Army Regulation AR 350-100 which you can read at the link below. Scroll down to page 6, paragraph 3-5.
And no, you do not need a scholarship to do ROTC or participate in the ADSO option. However, if you do have a scholarship, you will owe 4 years active duty, meaning that if you get the ADSO, you will owe a total of 7 years active compared to 6 without the scholarship.
Chapter 3
Computation of Service Obligations
3–5. Obligations for graduate school, branch of choice or post of choice for active duty service obligation programs
a. Under the Precommission Expanded Graduate School Program (EGSP), in exchange for receiving the opportunity to attend graduate school, an officer incurs an ADSO of 3 years...
b. In exchange for receiving branch assignment of choice, the cadet agrees to an additional ADSO of 3 years.
c. In exchange for receiving post of choice, the cadet agrees to an additional ADSO of 3 years. |
No Spam
Adult 
Gambling
Unfinished
Deception
Plagiarism
Not English
