I once thought about going to Warrant Officer Candidate School. However, when I became a Sergeant First Class I decided I didn’t want to take that step “backwards.” While there is a law that doesn’t allow you to lose money in pay by switching from senior enlisted to Warrant Officer or officer, this doesn’t affect other entitlements like BAH when you move.
But, what really drove me away was not wanting to go through another “leadership school” in which I was treated like a child. It seems to me every military leadership school is an exercise is frustration and endurance, not leadership. Soldiers are treated like children where ever minute of their day is almost impossibly filled with stuff to do. WOCS is no different and from what I’ve heard worse. So, why would I want to go from a position of finally getting through all the leadership schools – with the Sergeant Major Academy being the exception – where I was finally being treated like an adult and step backwards into WOCS to be treated like a kid again? It’s not that I can’t take it, it’s that I’m fed with this type of harassment to create a leader.
Kudos to those that put themselves through it though. The retirement will be better for sure. I’ve heard that it creates a bond that only WO can enjoy. I seem to have no problem bonding without WOCS, though!
Warrant officer candidates walk the last leg of a 6.2 mile road march during Phase Three of the Warrant Officer Candidate School at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Ind., July 28. The candidates finished the march in less than two hours.
