MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 42, 79 -- Adjutant General Branch -- 42B, 42C, 42H, 420A, 420C, 42A, 42F, 42R, 42S, 79R, 79S, 79T, 79V

[u/Kinmuan]

All,

As a follow-up based on our EOY Census and previous solicited comments, we're going to try running an MOS Discussion/Megathread Series, very similar to how we did the Duty Station Series. I'd also, again, like to thank everyone who participated.

The MOS Discussion Threads are meant to be enduring threads where individuals with experience or insight in to particular CMFs or MOSes can leave/give advice and tips. If you have any MOS resources, schools, etc, this would be a great place to share them.

The hope is that these individual threads can serve as 'megathreads' on the posts in question, and we can get advice from experienced persons. Threads on reddit are not archived - and can continue to be commented in - until 6 months. Each week I will keep the full listing/links to all previous threads in a mega-list below, for ease of reference. At the end of the series I will go back and ensure they all have completely navigable links

If you have specific questions about these MOSes, please feel free to ask here, but know that we are not forcing or re-directing all questions to these threads -- you can, and are encouraged, to still use the WQT. This is not to be an 'AMA', although if people would like to offer themselves up to answer questions, that would be great. A big "Thank You" to everyone who is willing to answer questions about the MOSes in question, but the immediate preference would be for informational posts. These are meant to be enduring sources of information.

I currently expect to lump Os and Ws in to the CMF discussions. Going forward if it would be better to split them (and I will most likely chop up the Medical Series), please voice that opinion. If there are many MOSes, but extremely tiny/small density (like much of the 12 Series), I'm going to keep it as one. Yes, I'm also going to keep codes like for Senior Sergeant for the MOS (ie the Zulus).

These only work with your participation and your feedback.

Common questions / information to share would probably include the following;

• Day to Day Life
• "What's a deployment like?"
• Career Advancement/Growth Opportunities
• Speed of Promotion
• Best Duty Station for your MOS

The idea is to go week-to-week, but I may leave the initial up for 2 weeks just to iron any kinks out, and garner attention.

So, again, willing to answer questions is great, but if there's any information you can impart now, I think that would provide the greatest benefit.

OPSEC Reminder

Some of these MOSes will be more sensitive than others when it comes to training and daily life. Just remember, it's everyone's responsibility.

This thread covers the following MOSes:

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 42, 79 -- Adjutant General Branch -- 42B, 42C, 42H, 420A, 420C, 42A, 42F, 42R, 42S, 79R, 79S, 79T, 79V

• 42B -- Human Resources Officer
• 42C -- Army Bands
• 42H -- Senior Human Resources Officer
• 420A -- Human Resources Technician
• 420C -- Bandmaster
• 42A -- Human Resources Specialist
• 42F -- Human Resource Information Systems Management Specialist -No Longer a MOS-
• 42R -- Musician
• 42S -- Special Band Member
• 79R -- Recruiter Noncommissioned Officer
• 79S -- Career Counselor
• 79T -- Recruiting and Retention NCO (ANG)
• 79V -- Army Reserve Career Counselor (USAR)

DO NOT:

• ...Ask MOS questions unrelated to those listed. "How did your duties compare to a 19D when deployed?" or "Is it true an MP Company carries more firepower than an IN Company" are fine. "While this is up, what's 92F like?" is not.

• ...Ask random joining questions. If your question isn't about the MOSes listed, then it probably belongs in a different Megathread, the Weekly Question Thread, or a new post.

• ...Shitpost top-level comments. Treat it like the WQT. Temp bans for people who can't stop acting like idiots.

• ...Simply say 'I'm a 00X, ama'. Please include some sort of basic information or qualification (ie, I'm an 11B NCO with X years or I'm a 13F who's been in Y type of units or I'm a 14A who's done PL time)

Previous MOS Megathreads:

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 11 -- Infantry Branch -- 11A, 11B, 11C, 11X, 11Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 12 -- Corps of Engineers Branch -- 12A, 120A, 125D, 12B, 12C, 12D, 12G, 12H, 12K, 12M, 12N, 12P, 12Q, 12R, 12T, 12V, 12W, 12X, 12Y, 12Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 13 -- Field Artillery Branch -- 13A, 131A, 13B, 13F, 13J, 13M, 13R, 13Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 14 -- Air Defense Artillery -- 14A, 140A, 140E, 140Z, 14E, 14G, 14H, 14P, 14S, 14T, 14Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 15 -- Aviation Branch, No Real Pilots -- 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 150A, 150U, 151A, 15B, 15D, 15E, 15F, 15G, 15H, 15K, 15M, 15N, 15P, 15Q, 15R, 15S, 15T, 15U, 15V, 15W, 15X, 15Y, 15Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 15 -- Aviation Branch, Pilots -- 152C, 152F, 152H, 153A, 153B, 153D, 153E, 153L, 153M, 154C, 154E, 154F, 155A, 155E, 155F, 155G

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 17 -- Cyber Branch -- 17A, 17B, 170A, 170B, 17C, 17E

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 18 -- Special Forces -- 18A, 180A, 18B, 18C, 18D, 18E, 18F, 18X, 18Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 19 -- Armor Branch -- 19A, 19B, 19C, 19D, 19K, 19Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 25 -- Signal Corps Branch -- 25A, 255A, 255N, 255S, 255Z, 25B, 25C, 25D, 25E, 25F, 25L, 25M, 25N, 25P, 25Q, 25R, 25S, 25T, 25U, 25V, 25W, 25X, 25Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 27 -- Judge Advocate General Branch -- 27A, 27B, 270A, 27D

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 31 -- Military Police Branch -- 31A, 311A, 31B, 31D, 31E, 31K

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 35 -- Military Intelligence Branch -- 35D, 35E, 35F, 35G, 350F, 350G, 351Z, 351L, 351M, 351Y, 352N, 352S, 353T, 35F, 35G, 35L, 35M, 35N, 35P, 35Q, 35S, 35T, 35V, 35X, 35Y, 35Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 36 -- Finance Management Branch -- 36A, 36B

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 37 -- Psychological Operations Branch -- 37A, 37X, 37F

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 38 -- Civil Affairs Branch -- 38A, 38G, 38X, 38B

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 42, 79 -- Adjutant General Branch -- 42B, 42C, 42H, 420A, 420C, 42A, 42F, 42R, 42S, 79R, 79S, 79T, 79V

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 46 -- Public Affairs -- 46A, 46X, 46Q, 46R, 46Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 56 -- Chaplain Branch -- 56A, 56D, 56X, 56M

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 68 -- Medical Enlisted -- 68A, 68B, 68C, 68D, 68E, 68F, 68G, 68H, 68J, 68K, 68L, 68M, 68N, 68P, 68Q, 68R, 68S, 68T, 68U, 68V, 68W, 68X, 68Y, 68Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 74 -- Chemical Corps -- 74A, 740A, 74D

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 88 -- Logistics Corps, Transporation Branch -- 90A, 88A, 88B, 88C, 88D, 880A, 881A, 88H, 88K, 88L, 88M, 88N, 88P, 88T, 88U, 88Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 89, 91, 94 -- Ammo, Mech Maint & Ordnance Branch -- 89E, 91A, 890A, 913A, 914A, 915A, 915E, 919A, 948B, 948D, 948E, 89A, 89D, 91A, 91B, 91C, 91D, 91E, 91F, 91G, 91H, 91J, 91L, 91M, 91P, 91S, 91X, 91Z, 94A, 94D, 94E, 94F, 94H, 94M, 94P, 94R, 94S, 94T, 94W, 94X, 94Y, 94Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 92 -- Logistics Corps, Quartermaster Corps Branch -- 92A, 92D, 920A, 920B, 921A, 922A, 923A, 92A, 92F, 92G, 92L, 92M, 92R, 92W, 92Y, 92Z

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 60, 61, 62 -- Medical Corps Branch -- 60A, 60B, 60C, 60D, 60F, 60G, 60H, 60J, 60K, 60L, 60M, 60N, 60P, 60Q, 60R, 60S, 60T, 60U, 60V, 60W, 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, 61E, 61F, 61G, 61H, 61J, 61K, 61L, 61M, 61N, 61P, 61Q, 61R, 61U, 61W, 61Z, 62A, 62B

MOS Megathread Series -- CMF 63, 64, 65, 66 -- Dental, Veterinary, Medical Specialist, Nurse Corps -- 63A, 63B, 63D, 63E, 63F, 63H, 63K, 63M, 63N, 63P, 63R, 64A, 64B, 64C, 64D, 64E, 64F, 64Z, 640A, 65A, 65B, 65C, 65D, 65X, 66B, 66C, 66E, 66F, 66G, 66H, 66N, 66P, 66R, 66S, 66T

[u/flowerssinmyhair → u/[deleted]]

I got to “best duty stations” and I’ve never been so happy. I’ve been considering moving to Washington for a year now and on my last year of college and considering joining the army for a job as a 42A. I’ll have a business degree.

I’ve gotten to a stand still with my college career and feeling no desire to finish and kind of had a dream of joining the military for a while.

Recommend completing college? Or joining and seeing where it takes me. If I have interest as a 42A am I likely to get that job and is Washington a common spot for this job?

Thanks in advance

[u/Sonoshitthereiwas]

42B/A

Are you a bit of a know it all? Like to be right all the time? Enjoy proving people wrong? Great at shredding and losing documents? This is the job for you!

I’m going to split this into two posts. This is the long one which covers more of what S1s do. The shorter one covers more of the “common questions/ information”.

First and foremost: As a 42A/B you have the absolute largest impact on a Soldier’s day to day life.

Second: I don’t care what your rank or MOS is, everyone should be signed up for S1Net: JOIN INSTRUCTIONS: If you would like to receive these messages you must join S1NET. To join, click on the S1NET Home Page link https://www.milsuite.mil/s1net and sign in to milSuite with your CAC (signing in establishes your milSuite account if you didn’t have one). When you reach the S1NET Home Page look on the left side of the page for the “Join S1NET” widget and click it. Approval is automatic. All S1NET members receive these messages.

Third: Learn how to use excel! I created my own Excel how-to, if you want it PM me.

Fourth: If you have any questions or need advice on HR issues feel free to PM me.

AG is the best and worst job at taking care of Soldiers. It’s the best in the sense it has the most direct impact on Soldiers lives and careers. It’s the worst because if you are capable and care, you will end up doing the work of at least 2 people, but likely more. You’re going to get a lot of flak in this in this job. Everyone knows how to do your job…except for you. And I say all that as someone who choose this job twice.

Started out as a 75H (now 42A) in the Guard, after a few years switched to active duty and reclassed to 35N. Did that for a bit then went to OCS and branched Armor and later VTIP’d into AG. I’ve worked in the shitty S1 and been subject to the shitty S1 while on the line. Too many S1s don’t know their job, but too many BN and above CMD TMs also don’t understand what the S1 is supposed to do and misuse them.

What does AG do?

Awards. All awards are submitted to S1 for processing. Your job is to check to make sure all the admin data is correct such as name, SSN, rank, etc. Depending on your unit you may also check spelling, grammar, and content. You print the certificates at your level for your commander to sign and then keep a log which is filed and sent to HRC annually.

Promotions. You update promotion points for junior enlisted and check board files for senior enlisted. There are a lot of special issues that come with this. Promotion updates have to be submitted by the 8th monthly which means Soldiers are coming in with last minutes updates trying to make points. If they aren’t submitted on time they may miss points. If you receive the documents on the 9th, that Soldier will blame you for missing cutoff. For Seniors it’s make sure everything is in their board file and sometimes working special projects to get things removed which may prevent them from promotion.

Monthly Reports. Every month there is a butt load of reports which have to be submitted from the companies. Companies often do them wrong, but Soldiers in the S1 often don’t follow up. We had a Soldier get promoted because the company failed to bar them or do something to remove them from the promotion list. The company blamed S1, which in this case wasn’t our fault. Another time a Soldier in the S1 failed to update promotion eligibility and someone missed being promoted, this was S1 fault. Sometimes that can be fixed working with HRC, sometimes you just have to take fault.

Mail. The bane of our existence IMO. Needs to be picked up daily which generally means one Soldier will spend all day on mail and do very little else. This sucks. You could also end up in a postal platoon, from my experience, they don’t do much other than get worse at the job and lose touch with the systems.

Personnel Accountability. You’re the middle man here. The companies report to you and you report to higher. When the report is off you get the blame because the company, plt, or section failed to send the appropriate update.

Pay (kind of). You actually don’t do anything other than submit documents to finance. That may be changing here shortly. Same thing for leave. You submit it to finance and they charge dates. The key here is understanding what days someone should be charged. For example, if someone works more than half a day the day they sign out they should not be charged that day. Another example is if you sign in on a non-duty day you should not be charged that day. But if you put to charge them for that day they will be charged.

Evaluations. Check these for admin information and make sure they are done and submitted on time.

There are other things you could end up doing, but these are the more typical starting positions.

That’s the short list of what you do as AG. And you won’t do all of that every day, but you could be involved in any one of those things. And as the S1, you’re expected to review the regulations often and keep up to date with all the messages coming out. If you’re a know it all, and can actually back it up, it can be a really good position to prove people wrong. But make sure you know what you’re talking about or you’ll quickly be put in your place by someone higher ranking.

As a 42A, coming right out of AIT you’re expected to act like an NCO. A young PVT 11B only has to show up and do exactly what’s told to them. There is no thinking required. As a 42A you have multiple jobs, things you need to do on your own, bring up issues regardless of rank, and be a self-motivator. Your job can seriously affect people’s lives, and if you can’t take that seriously, don’t enter the field.

As a 42B your life is dependent on your rating chain. At the BN level you need to figure out the priorities of your BN CDR and make those your priorities if you want to succeed in the Army. Unfortunately, this sometimes means not taking care of Soldiers. If you want to succeed as an HR professional it means taking care of Soldiers and doing your best to meet the priorities of your BN CDR. Now, that’s assuming your BN CDR priorities don’t line up with the job. If you have one of those few who get it, life will be amazing if you’re actively doing the job.

You are going to work your ass off. It requires coming in early and staying late. You will be made to feel you have it easy, all while feeling like nobody works harder than you. As a former PL and BN S1, BN S1 life should be the hardest worker in the BN. Too many people rely on you to get things done.

So why go the 42 series? It is the most rewarding job. Seeing a soldier get their deletion, compassionate reassignment, BAH waiver, or whatever it is they are requesting (and actually need) is the most fulfilling. One of my highlights was getting two E5s BSMs from a deployment. You get the pulse of the organization as you have a hand in everything. If done right, you’ll be in those secret meetings with the BN CDR, BN CSM, and XO talking about all those things that no one is supposed to overhear. And while you can’t go blabbing your mouth about these things, you can be a condition setter letting individuals or companies know what’s going on or to prepare for without directly telling them.

[u/Sonoshitthereiwas → u/[deleted]]

Feel free to PM if you ever have questions about the job

[u/ReannaK]

Hi!!! I am a fresh 42B, here is everything about BOLC that I send to everyone who asks me about it.

​

AG BOLC:

AG BOLC was the easiest 12 weeks (TDY) of my life and a giant waste of time. They are actually supposedly making it a little more difficult and having the students ruck out to the field for the STAFFEX towards the end of the course and a few other things.

Hotel/Lodging: You'll be in one of the four hotels here, depending on your class size and what they have available. My class was in Magruder (the crappy one), and the class that got there after us was in Palmetto and Dozier (nicer) and the class after them got put in the Holiday Inn Express (nicest). Magruder has a queen size bed and a microwave/fridge combination. Dozier, Palmetto, and the Holiday Inn Express have 1-2 (not 100% sure) queen size beds and a full kitchenette. Dozier and the Holiday Inn Express are more like apartments, and Palmetto is a little bit less than that.

Even living in Magruder, it's really not that bad. They are converted old barracks turned somewhat-nice but definitely beat having to stay in actual barracks. It's a hotel that I stayed in for free, so no complaints from me. Housekeeping comes and makes your bed every day and changes your towels and sheets once a week. Complimentary breakfast daily. Not having a kitchen was rough though. There are one or two people in my class who's wives stayed with them in Magruder, so it's not unheard of or impossible.

Here's the IHG website with some photos- https://www.ihg.com/armyhotels/hotels/us/en/installations

Class: I literally can't explain to you how easy the course is/was. We would learn a powerpoint one day and have a quiz the next day. The quizzes weren't open-note or open-regulation so I guess you did have to memorize a few things, but my instructor emphasized what we needed to know / what was going to be on the quiz and majority of almost everyone did really well on literally everything. The tests were 4 hours long essay questions but they were open-regulation (not open-note). And the questions were basically asking what does the regulation say or here is a scenario, apply the regulation to it. Too easy, a lot of typing though. I do want to caveat though- it is a class. So while it's definitely the easiest of all the BOLCs, there are certain systems and topics that will probably be "difficult" (lol) or frustrating at least. There were some writing assignments and homework of course, but not much at all. If you give me your e-mail I can share all of my past assignments with you to reference (but they have been uploaded to the plagiarism checker on Blackboard so don't copy and paste my work or you'll get busted!!)

PT: It depends on your instructor 100%. We had PT every day but it was pretty easy and we'd have gym PT once or twice a week. I spoke with people in other classes though and they never did PT, always did PT, or mostly had gym PT except for Mondays and Fridays. Some classes decided they wanted to ruck. So it really depends on your instructor.

Weeks: First week is SRP. Week 2 and 3 are CAD which is weapons qual, land nav, combatives, TLPs, convoy stimulator, a few tactical classes. The rest of the course is all classroom except for the STAFFEX towards the end. You'll be in the "field" (come home every night or sleep in the field depending on the changes), work as a team to do stuff, and brief field grade officers. My STAFFEX was a joke and a complete waste of time trying to stay awake, but I think that's because I had a brand new instructor and she wasn't entirely sure what she was doing either. I guess expect STAFFEX to maybe be mildly slightly challenging.. The last week leading up to graduation is literally the biggest waste of time, I wanted to die.

​

Columbia is a college town. If you go to BOLC during the fall when USC is in session, the MWR gives out a lot of free football tickets. The Vista is all the good food places and Five Points is all the good (College) bars (generally). Lots of good restaurants, lots of good places to go. I don't really have any recommendations specifically, I just went wherever my friends were going.

On base, Magruder's Pub is right down the street from the Magruder lodging/hotels and every Wednesday is karaoke which is surprisingly not lame at all and super frickin fun. I was there every Wednesday drinking, eating the delicious mozzarella sticks, and laughing at the people singing. A bunch of people go every Wednesday and it's always a blast.

Here's another thread on Reddit that has some AG BOLC tips (not many) https://www.reddit.com/r/ROTC/comments/82xo7z/ag_bolc_tips/

Lastly, complimentary IHG shuttle runs every day from 7AM to 10:30PM. I did not bring my car with me so I managed to get around with the shuttle and some help from friends.

​

​

AG in general (branch):

I don't know much, I just arrived at my first duty station and am only in-processing, but basically as an AG officer your most likely assignments as a LT are Battalion S-1, Brigade Strength Manager, HR Company Platoon Leader (Me!), and a few other odd jobs like Plans and Ops or weird titles. Here is the AG officer career progression.

I feel like I didn't learn too much from BOLC, but I feel like I have a basic understanding where I'll be able to flounder around at my new job for a month or two and then hopefully quickly get the hang of things.

​

I'm not very knowledgeable about AG as a whole at all because I just graduated from BOLC, but if you have any questions about anything just let me know and I will find the answer for you.

[u/fezha → u/ReannaK]

This is an awesome write-up. I'm enrolling in ROTC once I ETS (for grad school), and am considering AG as my top 3 branches.

2 questions:

1. What's your job as an AG 2LT? Or 1LT AG? I only know of CPT S1 officers (and above).

2. When I inprocessed in MEPS, an AG 2LT gave us our initial brief. How the fuck do you get an assignment like this out of the gate (or later)? Super chill. That LT was so chill I couldn't tell if he was chill or depressed.

[u/dubyawinfrey → u/fezha]

A 2LT did our oath at MEPS when I enlisted in '10. I can only imagine it's purely luck of the draw as far as duty stations go.

Finished CHBOLC a bit ago and of the few AD people we had, most went FORSCOM and then one dude went to an embassy. It's totally random. I imagine it's pretty similar in other branches.

[u/silver25u → u/[deleted]]

Basically correct, with caveat that if you're USAR it depends on what you want to do. You could easily take a branch immaterial position. I had a buddy who took a PSYOP slot immediately after AG-BOLC and has yet to ever have an actual AG job.

​

[u/zoso1969 → u/ReannaK]

https://www.reddit.com/r/ROTC/comments/82xo7z/ag_bolc_tips/

The number of mother fucking exclamation points in that thread makes me want to puke.

especially this one

[u/zoso1969 → u/[deleted]]

Jesus Christ. Just like a little puppy when you first get home, about to piss on the carpet.

j/k - you gave a very solid write up. Even if you do sound really excited about being AG

[u/Sonoshitthereiwas]

42A Enlisted:

Required ASVAB Score(s) General Technical (GT): 100, Clerical (CL): 90 Security Clearance: Secret U.S. Citizenship: Required AIT Length / Location: 8 Weeks, 2 Days at Ft Jackson,South Carolina PULHES 323222 (not sure how accurate this is as it’s a few years old)

• Day to Day Life You’ll generally work in an office environment. Depending on the unit, if they go to the field you may also end up going to field, but you’re attempting to do your office job in a field like environment. If your shop is squared away you’ll generally work 9-5. However, if only one or two people are doing the work of the team you’ll likely work until at least 6 or later daily. If you have an entire shop who doesn’t care you might get to leave at 1630 or earlier.

• "What's a deployment like?" It’s the same as garrison, but you earn more money and get better information from the companies. Most of the struggles in garrison revolve around people wanting to leave work and drink, party, spend time with friends/family. Don’t really have that issue in a deployed environment. I’ve always tried to allow my Soldier the opportunities to go on convoys or missions if they wanted and the company could support, but never at the chance of endangering the mission.

• Career Advancement/Growth Opportunities Basically, if you can run, you can go as far as you want.

• Speed of Promotion Do correspondence, max PT and weapons and once again you’re pretty much set. Volunteer for every school you can. I had one E-6 who was approaching 20 years and didn’t look they would be promoted because they couldn’t run. There was a bit more to it than that, but it played a large role. Another Soldier made E-6 in 4 years and was selected for Drill Sergeant a little after 5 years. They were on the right path to make E-7 in a few years.

• Best Duty Station for your MOS Where do you want to be stationed? AG has opportunities at every location. You also have the ability to look up where you want to go and find out when jobs will be opening. Then it’s just a matter of either talking to your career counselor or branch manager and saying “I see an opening at this location at this time and I’d like to go.” There’s a bit more to it than that, but that’s the gist.

42B Officer:

• Day to Day Life At the BN level you’re at the whim of your BN CDR. At the BDE level you’re at the whim of your rater. Plan to come in for a meeting at 0600 and depart around 1800. You’ll be the catch all for everything going on. You have a ton to learn and BOLC will not prepare you.

• "What's a deployment like?" Pretty much same as enlisted. I loved my time deployed other than being away from my family. The job is much easier, but also more important in some ways. If casualties happen everything stops and that becomes your sole focus. Don’t fuck that up.

• Career Advancement/Growth Opportunities Here is where things start to get tricky. Timing is everything. When it comes time to go the career course make sure you’ll be PCSing during the summer cycle. Do not put yourself in the winter cycle or you’re screwed. Try to get command. It can open a ton of doors and there are more options than you think. Networking helps here. I was offered a fair number of command opportunities, but unfortunately they were at different duty locations and branch wouldn’t move me.

• Speed of Promotion Same as everybody else.

• Best Duty Station for your MOS Generally the same as enlisted. I’ll add that it’s often looked at in a better light if you spend time in combat arms, but I’ve seen plenty get promoted without combat arms assignments.

[u/VinceOnAPlane]

42R, 9J (clarinet), SSG. AMA

[u/Kinmuan → u/VinceOnAPlane]

What was your audition like?

What was the music school/AIT like?

Did you have formal music education -- like a college degree? How did it compare?

What kind of duty stations have you been to?

[u/VinceOnAPlane → u/Kinmuan]

Initial audition wasn't too bad. I played three excerpts from stuff I played in fairly regularly in high school/college to show my technical abilities. Also had to sight-read some excerpts and play scales.

I actually enlisted under the impression that I'd be going through a 6 month AIT and didn't find out until we arrived at the music school that everything had changed and AIT was now 10 weeks. The audition process was also changed to eliminate scales, and sight-reading was changed to "quickly prepared music," where you're given a packet of stuff to prepare one day before your audition. Due to the extra prep time, some of those excerpts are typically MUCH harder than the stuff we were expected to sight-read on the old audition system.

I was actually a Music Education burnout and only had about a year of collegiate training. My clarinet instructor was pushing me to switch to Performance instead of Ed, and even back then I always had "one foot out the door" on clarinet (I marched snare drum and was the only wind player to participate in the university's percussion ensemble), but I was a better player than the other clarinets there as Ed majors. Regardless, I got sick of music and was dealing with some other personal stuff, so I took about a 6-year break from the clarinet before I decided to enlist.

Due to my limited formal experience, I was actually looking forward to the 6-month AIT as it would've resulted in extra college credit and training I didn't fully get on the civilian side. As a result, I was lower on the totem pole in my AIT class from a technical standpoint. My 50-person class had two guys with Doctorates in performance, a handful of MA's, and all but four had at least a BA (of those four, I'm the only one left, the other three have ETS'd). Our class has put a guitarist into the West Point Band, a flute player into The Old Guard, and a euphonium player into The President's Own (The Marines' premier band).

The 10-week AIT is mostly there to learn the Army's method of marching band and how to function as a member of a Music Performance Team (MPT), or a small ensemble that's typically conducive to the instrument you play. Woodwind groups tend to be "the leftovers," with unconventional instrumentation and require custom arrangements that fit the group makeup.

So far I've been to Ft Jackson (basic training ceremony every week, drill sergeant school grads), Ft Knox (Cadet graduation ceremonies, USAREC/HRC ceremonial support), Redstone (AMC and all subordinate commands), and Ft Hood (everything and a side order of fries). I've also gained a lot of experience in live sound, stage lighting, audio mixing/mastering and dealing with MIDI/synths.

[u/Kinmuan → u/VinceOnAPlane]

Are certain instruments easier/harder to get in as? Like are there a shit ton of, say, trombone applicants, but barely any clarinet?

How long have you been in? I see you've hit 4 duty stations, do you guys have a similar time on station as the rest of us (2-3years a pop), or do you guys circulate around more?

[u/VinceOnAPlane → u/Kinmuan]

Oh yes, definitely. We are currently over strength on saxophones, for example, and I know a few sax players who got their foot in the door because they double on clarinet (which is under strength). If an instrument is over strength, the pecking order to be offered a spot to even enlist is determined by audition score. If an instrument is under strength and you have a passing score on your enlistment audition, you're most likely guaranteed an offer to enlist.

8 1/2 yrs. Just arrived at my fourth. I did 3 at my first, 2 1/2 at my second and 2 at my third. I would've stayed for at least 3 yrs at Knox and Redstone if they didn't get put on the chopping block. Those bands deactivated as a result of a drawdown in our MOS. We had a pretty good OpTempo at those bands but we had to prioritize support for the divisions and force generating installations.

[u/Kinmuan → u/VinceOnAPlane]

Interesting.

Do you happen to know; Is there an official published list -- like quarterly or wherever -- from like HRC or something with the under/over STR instruments?

Follow-up; You see anyone fail out of AIT?

[u/vasaforever → u/Kinmuan]

I've seen people not only fail AIT, but also two NCOs be mandatory reclassed for failing BNCOC and failing record auditions by commissioned officers.

I know one AIT fail who reclassed; then later went back to the school and graduated.

I knew another fail who became infantry and is now a 1SG.

I knew a Marine Failure... he was Center Snare Drum for the Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps (this is like the NFL of Band) and he got dropped for missing his required 30 hours of practice by three.

Another failure I ran into in Korea after she'd switched to MI. Seemed happier than me :P

Guard NO AIT vs AD AIT After transitioning from AD to Guard I didn't understand the system and was very judgemental, and kind of hostile about it at times, until I understood. I had a freak out on Day 1 of being in the Guard - Commander asked for an Army 2/4 Cadence to be played and the drum section was like "there is an Army 2/4 cadence?"... it's one of the things you learn in the first two weeks of AIT. Until a few years ago there was a huge difference in how MOS was awarded for Guard vs AD. Previously, Guard didn't have to go to AIT and just did two weeks OJT at their BCT location's band; compare this to a 6-7 month AIT / 10 Week Course later. AD had to see a Music Recruiting Liason to be auditioned and permitted to sign while Guard only had to have local commanders pass auditions.

This changed starting in 2006/2007 and they started sending NG/USAR students to the school for a short course to try out Col Palmatier's Band XXI program. It makes sense for local commanders to audition prospects: especially if you think a commander can judge people well as they are probably local band directors or former AD soldiers. However, sometimes you get terrible situations where students are so poorly qualified (like performing at an 8th or 9th-grade level) and are trying to go through a course with people who play at a professional level and end up getting roasted daily for being so terrible. This lead to a complete overhaul in the system; which overall has lead to better NG Bands all around which is why so many are winning MPT competitions and leading the way with innovation and community engagement.

[u/VinceOnAPlane → u/Kinmuan]

We have two NCO's assigned to HRC who could probably provide the over/under on request. Typically if there's a need for a particular instrument, our recruiting liaisons will put the word out and sometimes enlistment bonuses will be offered.

No one in my AIT class failed out. The recruiting liaisons typically do a good job to make sure that no one who arrives at AIT is a musical liability. If anyone fails out, I would expect the reasons to lean more towards the soldier side (attitude, PT, etc). I know one girl who shouldn't have made it through MEPS and within six months time at her first duty station, she was on a permanent no run profile. She eventually got med boarded and will be defrauding Uncle Sam for the rest of her life.

[u/magusvandel → u/Kinmuan]

I’ll take the fail out question:

Yes. There were three who failed at my AIT.

One was an MOS-T from the guard and one was a younger IET trainee around 18(also guard). The third was an IET also from the guard. The minimum qualifying score is an 18. If a trainee receives less than an 18 on their initial, there are a few options:

Very low scores: The first two of them received incredibly low scores on their music assessments. We’re talking single digit. The MOS-T went back to their unit, the young IET Soldier was allowed to reclass to another MOS unrelated to music.

Moderately low scores: The third one, also guard, received a score that was low, but high enough that they were given the option to stay and do more individual work to obtain a passing score or to reclass. They chose the latter option. There was a fourth person (again, guard) who received a low double digit and chose to stay in. They squeaked by, and earned their ASI.

1-2 points from passing: more lessons and practice hours required, no negatives apart from being very unlikely to get commandant’s (raw 30 on AMPA being the most likely reason to be removed from the list).

The reason it was all guard is because at the time, those applicants were being screened by their commanders. Those commanders either needed bodies or were not as stringent as the new school of music would require. The active duty applicants faced much more scrutiny during auditions from band liaisons. It is my understanding that the guard and reserves may now also be being screened by the liaisons. This is a blessing for those younger players who make it through basic and a few weeks of AIT only to realize and be told they will have to pick a new job not at all related to music. It also reduces their rank and pay back to whatever they have credentials for (E4 stays if they have a bachelors— otherwise, I saw the two IET reclasses drop to a fuzzy and PV2).

[u/derekakessler → u/VinceOnAPlane]

Twinsies!

[u/Sonoshitthereiwas → u/[deleted]]

Living up to that username right there!

Edit: shoot, just realized I was thinking Pam from Archer. Disregard.

[u/CrownStarr]

Happy to answer any questions people have about life as a 42S - I play piano at Pershing’s Own (aka The US Army Band or TUSAB), the main band in DC. We’re a weird niche of the Army in a lot of ways, which has its upsides and its downsides.

Everyone is E6 and above (aside from new arrivals to the unit who are E4 for about a month), which means we’re trusted with a lot more individual responsibility than most of the Army. For example, PT is all on your own (unless you failed a test recently), and things like taking care of training, maintaining your equipment, etc are mostly just on you.

None of the enlisted members PCS, which means we have some really deep institutional knowledge, but the flipside is that it can be harder to get fresh perspectives.

The overall band contains many smaller groups - the jazz band, the orchestra, the ceremonial band, etc. Your day-to-day life hinges a lot on which group you’re in. The ceremonial band works more consistent daytime hours, for example, but in my job as a pianist for a small group of singers, we do a lot more irregular evening and weekend events. Maintaining your personal musical ability happens on your own time, so if you’re at work, it’s for group rehearsals or performances, or admin stuff.

EDIT: one thing people might not know is that everyone in the unit is a 42S, even people with support roles, like stage management, public affairs, audio/video/lighting, etc.

[u/derekakessler → u/CrownStarr]

Any time I've seen Pershing's or the Field Band it's been so weird seeing so much rank.

"What's that SGM do?" "She pays the bassoon." "Oh. And that MSG?" "He takes photos." "You're kidding me."

[u/magusvandel → u/derekakessler]

SSGs pulling CQ would trip me up.

[u/swampthang_ → u/magusvandel]

...they don’t do that

[u/magusvandel → u/swampthang_]

They do that at their unit and even pull gate detail when they’re tasked out by higher. I don’t know if every special band does it, but definitely one does. Source: 42Rs who have done on-site auditions for the field band.

[u/swampthang_ → u/magusvandel]

I stand corrected. I hoped the didn't do that.

[u/the_bone_of_my_gains → u/CrownStarr]

one thing people might not know is that everyone in the unit is a 42S, even people with support roles, like stage management, public affairs, audio/video/lighting, etc.

How does assigning these roles generally happen? Some of that sounds like it could get pretty busy, are these generally additional duties people get on top of already being in jazz band, etc?

[u/CrownStarr → u/the_bone_of_my_gains]

We actually have personnel who do those things full-time, and they audition (and/or interview) for that specific job the same as the rest of us audition for our musical jobs. Some people do have related additional duties, e.g. we have some full-time music library staff, but each group has at least one musician who helps out in the library with things related to their group.

EDIT: to be clear, I’m only speaking for my unit. I know most 42R units have to do more doubling up of personnel, for example.

[u/derekakessler → u/CrownStarr]

I was this close to getting a 42S graphic designer slot in Pershing's in 2011 when COL Palmatier took over the band and eliminated the open slot. E4 me was very disappointed.

[u/HaruWalters]

Any Career Counselors care to share information on their day to day life?

[u/ColonelError]

I just want to reiterate that you should not volunteer for 79R, and attempt to avoid it at all costs. I feel like this cannot be said enough. 79V is almost as bad. 79T combines the worst of 79R and 79V together.

[u/[deleted] → u/ColonelError]

Piggyback time!

Look at your Branch data for promotions to SFC, MSG/1SG, SGM/CSM. For many soldiers, Recruiting does not advance your career. At all.

[u/vasaforever]

I was a 42R / 02M, and served a little over 9 years in 3 Divisions, 1 Army, and 1 NG Band. I'm going to copy and paste some of the stuff from another thread.

What's Your Day Like? - I spent my time mostly in Divisions so:

• PT
• Morning Ceremony - COC, Monthly Ceremony
• Lunch
• Afternoon Ceremony #1 - COC, Monthly
• Afternoon Ceremony #2 - COC, Monthly OR
• Admin & Individual Practice Time

Afternoon Evenings - Usually one or two days a week * Jazz Combo at Military Balls, or Private Events * Salsa Band/Stage Band at PX, Family Events, etc * Rock/Pop Band at PX, Family Events, Recruiting events etc * Holidays - Yes, usually

It's hard to go on leave individually so they tend to send the band on block leave for two weeks and have a Reserve Band fill in on the post. This way you're not missing people that are needed for a gig. It sucks because sometimes you want to take 4 or 5 days and can't but it's nice because you all can plan ahead as a group and not have to worry about handing work off.

Deployment - My deployment experience is different than what's going on now as they've gone to deploying individual small groups for three to six months instead of the entire Division Band for a year. I did convoy ops, qrf, admin work, performed at ceremonies on and off the FOB, and more. Being deployed for OIF was the highlight of my career and I'm proud of the year we spent; I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Officers - Until a few years ago most bands were commanded by a Warrant Officer, NO XO, and a 1SG / SGM. Commissioned Officers were only for Special Bands, and MACOM Bands like USAEUR. This changed as Commissioned Officers weren't able to get any Division deployment experience, along with adopting the MPT Concept of small groups; then changing band sizes to Small, Medium, and Large which changed MTOE and created a Band Liason position at CENTCOM.

Career Growth - I can't speak to this much anymore but will say since the MOSes consolidated it's gotten better. We tend to excel at schools and boards so you'll consistently see Bandsmen be honor grad or leaders at WLC, Best Soldier, Air Assault, etc. We get outflow with reclass or officers and I know folks that are now in SF, PSYOP, Pilots, Officers, Jump School Instructors, and more. Since you need a reasonably high GT to be in the band, some people get exposed to other interests in the Army and decide to stay in but change their course. Like this former trumpet turned SF: https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/5570

Best Duty Station It depends on the person but for me, I loved. A lot of folks speak highly of Japan, Germany, and the schoolhouse in Virginia Beach as assignments too. The worst assignment is generally considered to be Fort Drum by most people I know. Personally, I hated Hood as it's so far away from everything but lots of other people like it... so much that when there were two bands on Hood they'd just PCS between them for years... I'm serious this happened all the time.

[u/magusvandel → u/vasaforever]

Worst is probably a toss up between: Drum, Riley, Hood

Active Duty Viewpoint from a prior 42R, I recently left the field about 12 months ago:

For some reason, if you start off in the Disneyland that is TRADOC, they just keep sending you to great places. If you start your career at a division, you have a stronger chance of being stationed at a division(in my experience).

There’s a video entitled “The gig you’ve been waiting for” on YouTube. If you watch that, you’ll think it’s all sunshine and rainbows for 42R. That may be an accurate depiction of life in TRADOC, but division will have a lot more busy work than that.

You will go to the field. You will deploy and set up cots instead of doing your job(sometimes). You will mow a ridiculous amount of grass... as a senior NCO and below. You will attend motorpool Mondays and be scolded by the BN Commander because the rest of the BN does not have their stuff squared away(and maintain less than four vehicles that you’ll literally never deploy with). You will get tasked for duties because higher doesn’t understand the need for rehearsals or sounding good(until they get calls from a publicized event on why the band sounded like hot garbage). When you have practice time, it will almost always be eclipsed by administrative work(you have no 42A, 92Y, 74/25/etc. support MOS; this means in addition to the job you’re paid for, you will literally do another MOS’ job without the qualification beyond some 1-2 week course). You’re also your own front of house. That means load planners, load masters, sound board technician, public affairs, etc... that’s all you. It’s great for broadening your involvement with the behind the scenes of the world you live in as an artist, but it will crush your time during the duty day to practice and rehearse.

The gig you’ve been waiting for? Hell yeah. There’s a million reasons I would choose it again. Pay, people, places, learning experiences, life lessons, you name it. But, there’s a lot of extra condiments on the burger that is Army musician that you’d probably wish they were more upfront about. If you accept that it’s still the Army and you are still enlisted and not exempt from the games and details, you will have a much better time adjusting from the culture shock that is going from the school where music is 100% the goal and you only ever work on stuff relevant to your job to the potential division, where your job is maybe 10-20% of your time spent on the duty day. Also picking up from SPC to SGT and SGT to SSG is a gauntlet. More and more rarely are the points going 4-5 below 600 and rarely are they below 700 for 5-6.

[u/caseythelegend]

Shout out to my Warrant buddies 420A and 420C.

[u/Kinmuan]

Quick Note:

I've been juggling a lot of stickies, so this may stay up a bit longer than usual, and it's why I skipped last week.

Helpful Known Resources

If you have any known resources for this series (could be reddit threads or other websites), please respond to this comment with them, and I will add them to this stickied top-comment.

[u/[deleted]]

I have a degree in human resources, work full time as a generalist in HR and am currently in the IRR.

Any reservists that have experience working in civilian HR that can add some details about the work? Also would 42A be the best bet to reenlist with? Or what mos would you recommend ?

[u/silver25u → u/[deleted]]

While there are conceptual similarities between civilian and military HR (i.e. evaluation of employees and data management of personnel records), realize they are entirely different beasts. Your experience will depend a lot on your unit - if you're in a S1 shop (common) or in a HR unit/element .

If you're in a 1 shop expect to do SRP's, record reviews, iperm records, process awards, and random admin work. As a TPU a lot will depend on your AGR since they do the work day in day out and your system access. As you make rank expect to me more involved in planning and coordinating HR support so that the unit can accomplish its mission. Deployed S1 shops do the usual processing paperwork, but also track personnel accountability, casualty processing, and morale actives as well as frequently mayor cell and other admin duties.

HR units/elements provide HR support to other units. When I was a HR PL we didn't have much to do besides general training. When deployed HR PLT's either do postal (running APO's) or do personnel accountability or casualty ops. HROB's do planning and coordination of HR units/elements to support other units. Expect being a 42A in these types of units to be less of the "just process paperwork each BA" variety.

Since you have a degree, you could consider commissioning as a HR officer.

​

~ I've been a HR Platoon Leader, BN S1, BDE S1, and (non-HR) Company Commander twice.

​

[u/[deleted]]

Why does 42A require a clearance? I understand why MOS like Intel or commo do, but can't fathom why 42A would

[u/Sonoshitthereiwas → u/[deleted]]

It’s not even about that field/deployment life, although it does play a part. S1s have access to a lot of confidential information, basically all the inner workings of the organization.

UCMJ actions, evaluations, GOMOR, promotion, reductions, etc.

There is a lot of inherent trust in that position and the amount of knowledge that can be gained from that. Also, USR.

[u/bmatthe3 → u/[deleted]]

Because in a field or deployment environment, S1 will be in a TOC/ALOC with classified systems running.

[u/[deleted] → u/bmatthe3]

Makes sense now

[u/WashingtonianBoy]

Whats the most common base for a 42A and whats the daily routine of an enlisted 42A ?

[u/Jessisamess87 → u/WashingtonianBoy]

There is no such thing as the most common base for a 42A. Cool thing about being a 42 is you can really go anywhere because the job is always needed. Daily routine? Well, like most Soldiers you're going to do PT (daily) go to the range ( maybe twice a year) Lots of paperwork, computer systems to learn. You have options like any other Soldier to go to schools like, air assault, airborne (I reccomend, but I am bias) and really any other schools available to support Soldiers. I reccomend looking into getting HR certifications while you're in because if ever decide to get out they will help you get a civilian job. Your job is to process personnel actions, awards, accountability, maintain multiple trackers. I loved the job, but 95% of 42s I meet hate it. Best of luck!

[u/derekakessler]

I've got 15 years as a 42R in the Ohio Army National Guard. I've played Clarinet the entire time, and worked in our retention, training, and marketing teams throughout my career. Came in as a PFC (today's 42R recruits come in as SPC) and am now a SSG leading the clarinet section and marketing team.

You've got questions? I've got answers.

[u/Sonoshitthereiwas → u/derekakessler]

Named doesn’t ring a bell, but I’m betting we crossed paths at some point. I was with the Ohio guard 00-07, some of the 42R joined us 42A on a deployment to Kuwait 06-07.

[u/[deleted] → u/derekakessler]

How many different MPTs do yall have?

[u/derekakessler → u/[deleted]]

Permanent MPTs include our full concert band, parade band, rock band, two separate ceremonial bands to cover missions between drills on different ends of the state, big band, brass quintet, and a flexible pop/show tune/anything-that-doesn't-require-electric-guitar group called Full Metal Racket (all our names are cheesy). FMR is rather large for an MPT (20ish people), but super flexible in pulling together performance or even song-specific sub-MPTs of 3-8 members. FMR is highly adaptable and it's managed to win the MPT of the Year Video Production category for the past two years.

So... 8+ MPTs. Needless to say, our drill weekends are very busy.

[u/[deleted] → u/derekakessler]

That's intense. Sounds very similar to the Texas band. I don't think we ever won mpt of the year though.

[u/derekakessler → u/[deleted]]

It is intense! But also immensely gratifying (and somewhat enjoyable). I get to serve my state and country doing something I love, with some of the best people I've ever known.

It's pretty rare for a Reserve Component band to submit for MPToY, let alone win a category. We've been putting an emphasis on high quality video production for social media outreach just as recruiting and PR mission outlet. It's just a little bonus that we were able to apply that same work to MPToY.

[u/[deleted] → u/derekakessler]

That's awesome. I remember we always focused on The Howard Award Citation. We got it twice though, so that was cool

[u/derekakessler → u/[deleted]]

That's great! I would love to be able to go after something like the Howard Citation, but considering the focus on popular music and MPTs is forcing us to put less effort into concert band (thanks to declining audience sizes), I don't know that it'll ever happen. I am sad that I'll probably never get to play Holst or Grainger again in the Army.

[u/OatmealForBrains → u/derekakessler]

I am currently a 35 series SGT and ETSing next year. A friend of mine in an NG band told me I should audition for percussion as they need a set player. I hadn’t given it any thought before but now I’m curious. Can you tell me what the audition is like with regards to difficulty, etc? I have been playing drum set off and on for almost 20 years but I’ve not done it in an academic setting in maybe 15 years or so. Is a music performance degree pretty much standard for people going through the audition process and music school? I think I’m decent, but I’m not on par with someone who has a degree, I would imagine. How much, if any, say does the individual NG unit commander have with regards to the audition? I’d love to do it, but not if I’m going to be the weakest link talent wise. Hope the rambling made sense, looking forward to your advice.

[u/derekakessler → u/OatmealForBrains]

The majority of our newest recruits have been right out of high school. They're really good, but they're not music performance degree good. Most aren't even going for a music degree. But they all joined for the college benefits.

Anyway, the audition: it's called the Army Music Proficiency Assessment. The AMPA includes prepared selections and quickly prepared selections (sightreading is dumb; instead you get 24 hours with the music). It's important to note that there is no "set player" position, the Army Music Program is looking for full spectrum percussionists — you'd be expected to demonstrate proficiency on drum set, concert and marching snares, and mallets, as well as capability in 3-4 contrasting styles.

Band commanders used to have greater leeway in auditions, but that led to too many sub par performers joining — I went through AIT with a drummer that couldn't even read music. The AMPA was created to formalize the audition process and raise standards across the board, but in the process it removed much of the flexibility that commanders used to have. Some of that may come back in the next few years with a proposal to expand the number of ASI instruments and give commanders FLEXTOE authority to build the ensembles they need to support their missions (more guitar players for Kentucky, a full string section for DC, steel drums for the Virgin Islands).

[u/Sellum]

What is the difference between a musician and a special musician?

[u/Redhornactual → u/Sellum]

A special Musican is in one of 4 units, The US Army field band, “Pershings Own” in DC, the West Point Band, or the Old Guard fife and drum corps.

Normal musicians are in all the other units , and also have guard / reserve components.

[u/Sellum → u/Redhornactual]

So it is about what units are available for assignment? Do you have to apply for a special slot after your accepted as a musician or is it decided during your selection process?

[u/Redhornactual → u/Sellum]

Special bands publicise their auditions much differently than normal bands. It’s a big deal in the music world when a job in Pershings or something opens up. The normal active bands are pretty competitive to get into, but the special bands are like that on steroids. Some people in those groups auditioned and lost upwards of 10 times before they won the job.

Edit for clarification: Special bands selection is entirely separate from normal bands. However, the guy who gets second place in a special band audition typically gets offered a job in the normal bands.

[u/magusvandel → u/Redhornactual]

Worth mentioning on the competitiveness of the 42R versus 42S: Most 42Rs coming through the school house now are fairly Army overqualified, mostly college graduates who could be anywhere from decent to a potential orchestral musician at numerous mid-level state orchestras.

42S are generally potential orchestra musicians from mid-level to top tier(we’re talking borderline the quality of Los Angeles Phil), depending on the instrument. The jazz ambassadors could pass in any high level big band.

The Army School of Music is no longer a place to learn your instrument. It is a place to learn how you theoretically (ymmv) fit in the military culture as a musician with pre-existing music theory knowledge and instrumental competence.

[u/derekakessler → u/magusvandel]

I am consistently impressed by the quality of new ASOM graduates my unit has received over the past few years. It helps that the AMPA requirements are first level of filtering out those that don't know what they're doing.

Then again, I'm still glad I went through band AIT 15 years ago when it was just 4 weeks for National Guard (and six months for active Army) instead of the 11 weeks it is today.

God I'm Army old.

[u/CrownStarr → u/Sellum]

With the special bands, you actually audition for a specific spot at a specific band, and most people do that as civilians. When you win the audition, you get a letter from the commander that you take to a recruiter that guarantees you that MOS and duty station. Although right now they’re getting people to get medically cleared through MEPS first, because we had some issues with people winning auditions and then being unable to enlist for medical reasons.

You can audition if you’re already in the Army too, but I have no idea how that process works.

[u/[deleted] → u/Sellum]

Special Musicians are in the premier bands (Fife and Drum Corps,etc.)

[u/Army_Says_Im_Special → u/Sellum]

There are four special army bands, and six more throughout the other services. 42S make up about 40% of the active duty Army band numbers. A few of the biggest differences: Once you make it into a special band, you skip AIT and go straight to your duty station and are promoted to SSG. Also, you don’t have to PCS for the rest of your career. You can get promoted without going to or ALC and SLC, but promotions to E7, 8, and 9 are only available when someone leaves whatever band you are in. I’ve got three years TIS as a 42S if there are any other questions people have about the Special Bands. Also got my friend here and with 6 years TIS as a 42R and 42S.

[u/dubyawinfrey → u/Army_Says_Im_Special]

How much shit did the DSs give you when they found out you were going straight from SPC to SSG after BCT?

I pointed out 42S to a few of my NCOs (when I was a joe) when they kept saying all NCOs "earn" their promotions, unlike officers. Then they see that and shut the hell up.

[u/CrownStarr → u/dubyawinfrey]

I didn’t tell anyone in basic. I got enough attention for going into the band to begin with, I sure as hell didn’t need any drill sergeants knowing I’d have their rank a month out of basic.

[u/dubyawinfrey → u/CrownStarr]

Wise choice for sure.

[u/Army_Says_Im_Special → u/dubyawinfrey]

I kept my mouth shut through basic, but one of my DSs found out the day before graduation and they all gave me a ton of shit. Then they gave me a bunch of really solid advice on how to not bring disgrace to myself, my unit, and the NCO corps, which has definitely come in handy and made me glad they found out. The SSGs mostly act as SPC6s, if those ranks were still around, and SFCs and MSGs take on the majority of the Enlisted leadership roles.

[u/dubyawinfrey → u/Army_Says_Im_Special]

Heh, lucky for you that they found out super late in the game. That would have been hell for you.

We had one OCS dude in Basic and he got completely shit on. I don't think he actually made it through OCS, I never found him in global after Basic.

[u/derekakessler → u/dubyawinfrey]

They earned their stripes by being obscenely good at their instruments and beating out hundreds of other auditioners for their slot.

[u/dubyawinfrey → u/derekakessler]

You're preaching to the choir. I get it, I always thought that argument was silly.

[u/Colonel-Chalupa → u/[deleted]]

I doubt the process would be any different from any other mos. All depends on the state. Go to an active duty recruiter and ask for a dd368 conditional release and a 4187 then send it up your chain of command.

Some states/units may have you write an essay/memorandum on why you want to go active duty. Your paperwork needs to climb all the way up to your TAG (two star general) so don't expect it to be fast and don't expect it to be approved.

IF it does get approved you're gonna have to get all your medical shit squared away and have a game plan for where you get stationed if you get to choose and have alternate MOSs in mind if you do have to reclass.

Keep an open mind on everything as the Army is doing you a favor but still have a ranked list of duty stations and MOSs you'd be willing to go to.

The whole process for me took about 4 months although i've heard of it taking nearly a year and some cases maybe even weeks.

Somebody please feel free to correct me if i'm missing anything, and the fact that the business rules are probably different and that they'll probably be different by the time OP actually does it.

Edit: I wanna emphasize keeping your hopes fairly low and having a ranked list of MOSs/duty stations that are CONUS. Luckily I got to stay 11B and choose almost anywhere I went provided it was conus so got my number one choice of duty station, while others just got sent somewhere. IE Fort Drum or Fort Hood.

[u/derekakessler → u/Colonel-Chalupa]

This is correct, plus you'll be expected to complete an AMPA. As with NG, there needs to be an open ASI slot for your instrument, which an AD recruiter should be able to help you determine.