# Army Mos



## Durhlm (Jun 5, 2016)

Alright, I've got a few questions and any input is greatly appreciated.

I've recently graduated with my college degree, and am not on the path to Enlist in the Army.
Whenever I decide to be get out of the Army (assuming I don't love it and go the career route) I intend to work in Law or Law Enforcement.

Here's the questions I have:

How the hell do I choose my MOS?
 - I have a lot of areas of interest: Infantry, Cav Scout (is this even used anymore, really?), Intelligence, MP, CBRN, etc.
 - I scored a 97 on my ASVAB, so qualifying for a job shouldn't be an issue, neither should physical requirements.

Should I try to get Airborne and/or Option 40 in my contract, or just go in and see what happens?

With my degree, should I go in for OCS immediately, or go Enlisted? I have heard some conflicting points of view on this. Some have told me I should go for Officer immediately (increased pay, etc) Others have told me to get some actual experience before I go the officer route.

Any input is appreciated - Thanks in advance.


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## x SF med (Jun 5, 2016)

1. It sounds like you don't know what you want to do in the military.
2. Remember GEN Powell's 9th Rule of Life - "You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours."
3. From what you posted above - go Paralegal (JAG) or MP if you are looking at either of those fields after your time in the service, if you truly intend on using military training as a spring board into one of those careers.
4. Why Airborne or Opt. 40?  Every single job in the military is important, and it takes a lot of support to keep one guy on the battle field, and some of the unsung heroes are the men and women who proudly serve in a 'non-elite' MOS or unit.
5. What about EOD?   It's a career that is in great demand in the LEO world, and if you are not perfect every time, you are dead or just as good as dead.
6. What kind of degree, and in what discipline?  A BA in "21st Century Cultural Sensitivity" only proves you had enough money to go to College. 
7. Officers lead, manage and disseminate information to troops.  NCOs train, advise, tune, lead, and directly influence the troops.  Most good NCOs are better leaders than most average Officers - it's not about the money, it goes much deeper than that.  If you haven't figured that out, do not - I say again - do not join my Army - go to the AF or Navy or CG.
8. It sounds like you just want to get on the wave of "I'm a veteran, I did cool guy stuff" based on your intro and this post, mainly because you are only asking about highly publicized 'cool' branches and spouting how intelligent you are with a 97 ASVAB composite?  What's your GT score?  What's your level of functional fitness?  (How far can you ruck?  What weight? Can you buddy carry a 200# guy in full kit?  Y'know, those kinds of things that matter - not just p/u, s/u, 2 mi run, 300# bench, 6000# squat and 200# curl...)
9.  You have not given us enough info to make the call Stud? or Dud?
10. No matter what you better have a thick friggin skin - you are asking us to be blunt and honest - we will be.  My first impression of you is a narcissist that has never had to make a hard decision in his life.  You gave us the barest of information, and said - make my decision.  That says to me, absolutely no current leadership skills or talent - bad fit for Officer off the bat, probably not a good fit for NCO either.

Flesh out your question so we can guide you.  BUT, don't expect us to decide what's right for you - we don't diagnose medical issues over the internet, and we won't make any hard calls about what could be the biggest choices for the next 4 to 20 years of your life.

Good luck, you've got a lot of research and soul searching to do without much time for the decision.  Whatcha gonna do PL?


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## Durhlm (Jun 5, 2016)

x SF med said:


> 1. It sounds like you don't know what you want to do in the military.
> 2. Remember GEN Powell's 9th Rule of Life - "You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours."
> 3. From what you posted above - go Paralegal (JAG) or MP if you are looking at either of those fields after your time in the service, if you truly intend on using military training as a spring board into one of those careers.
> 4. Why Airborne or Opt. 40?  Every single job in the military is important, and it takes a lot of support to keep one guy on the battle field, and some of the unsung heroes are the men and women who proudly serve in a 'non-elite' MOS or unit.
> ...




1. No, I don't. I know that I want to serve, but I cannot seem to limit down my MOS. Was hoping for some advice on how to do that - not to have you choose it for me.

3. I had looked into the Paralegal route, definitely see the long-term benefit should I choose to attend Law School down the road. MP I had received some mixed feedback on. I had some folks at the PD near me tell me that sometimes MP can make for a difficult transition into Civilian LEO because they have trouble "retraining" you? Could be BS, that's why I'm here.
4. I wasn't specifically insinuating that I want Opt. 40, I was more asking if it's something I should shoot for in my contract (should I choose the infantry route) as advised by some recruiters I had talked to in the past.
5. Hadn't really looked into EOD too much, don't really know why.
6. Bachelors of Arts in History, and in Criminal Justice.
7. I know it isn't about the money, I have been able to receive little advice on that subject.
8. My object with posting of my ASVAB score was not to "spout how intelligent I am", it was to attempt to eliminate any "what do you qualify for?" questions - and as far as my line scores, my recruiter hasn't gotten them to me yet.
10. I'm not looking for anyone to make my decision, I'm looking for insight, advice, points of view I may not have heard on specific jobs, training, etc. that can aide ME in making my decision when the time comes. There's only so much to gain from reading the GoArmy website front to back and talking to other civilians.


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## Durhlm (Jun 5, 2016)

Also, my initial post was supposed to say "am now on the path"


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jun 5, 2016)

I would enlist, and I would do whatever you think you may enjoy and are willing to devote several years to becoming an expert in. Paralegal, cook, special ninja, it really doesn't matter as long as you do it 110%. If you're not willing to do that as an underpaid and mistreated number, than don't join any branch at all. If you are willing, figure out what you think will be fun, and run with it. Just remember, it ain't about you, it's about serving your country.

$.02


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## Durhlm (Jun 5, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> I would enlist, and I would do whatever you think you may enjoy and are willing to devote several years to becoming an expert in. Paralegal, cook, special ninja, it really doesn't matter as long as you do it 110%. If you're not willing to do that as an underpaid and mistreated number, than don't join any branch at all. If you are willing, figure out what you think will be fun, and run with it. Just remember, it ain't about you, it's about serving your country.
> 
> $.02



Where do I sign up for Special Ninja? I think I want that job..
I guess the best path would be to find guys in the specific MOS I'm interested in and see what their experiences were like.
Thanks


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## TLDR20 (Jun 5, 2016)

To be honest @Durhlm , if you don't have a general idea what you want, we cannot help much. The difference between a paralegal and a Ranger infantryman is about as big as the distance from here to the moon. Widdle it down a bit.


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## Durhlm (Jun 5, 2016)

TLDR20 said:


> To be honest @TLDR20
> 
> @TLDR20 The more though I give it, I think that I have it narrowed down to the following: Infantryman, Cavalry Scout, MP, or Intel Analyst. Still, I realize this leaves some pretty significant gaps in the MOS types.


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## DocIllinois (Jun 5, 2016)

Durhlm said:


> *Where do I sign up for Special Ninja? I think I want that job..*
> I guess the best path would be to find guys in the specific MOS I'm interested in and see what their experiences were like.
> Thanks




I agree with everyone who has said or alluded to your first deciding which military occupation you'll be working.

You've mentioned officer and Infantry and OCS.  I've had the pleasure of all three and some other stuff thereafter, so PM me if you're genuinely interested about those.

You've also listed your occupation as 'Public Safety Officer.'  Veterans or currently serving Reserve component folks often occupy the ranks of your field; it would behoove you to touch base with some of them.


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## Durhlm (Jun 5, 2016)

DocIllinois said:


> I agree with everyone who has said or alluded to your first deciding which military occupation you'll be working.
> 
> You've mentioned officer and Infantry and OCS.  I've had the pleasure of all three and some other stuff thereafter, so PM me if you're genuinely interested about those.
> 
> You've also listed your occupation as 'Public Safety Officer.'  Veterans or currently serving Reserve component folks often occupy the ranks of your field; it would behoove you to touch base with some of them.



I'll PM you, thank you sir.

Yeah, I've touched base with some within my department, but somehow there are zero Army men in my department. Several Marines, one CG and a few Navy.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jun 5, 2016)

Durhlm said:


> 1. No, I don't. I know that I want to serve, but I cannot seem to limit down my MOS. Was hoping for some advice on how to do that - not to have you choose it for me.
> 
> 3. I had looked into the Paralegal route, definitely see the long-term benefit should I choose to attend Law School down the road. MP I had received some mixed feedback on. I had some folks at the PD near me tell me that sometimes MP can make for a difficult transition into Civilian LEO because they have trouble "retraining" you? Could be BS, that's why I'm here.
> 4. I wasn't specifically insinuating that I want Opt. 40, I was more asking if it's something I should shoot for in my contract (should I choose the infantry route) as advised by some recruiters I had talked to in the past.
> ...



In your response you skipped over #2!


x SF med said:


> 2. Remember GEN Powell's 9th Rule of Life - "You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours."



Probably an oversight, but if you are not familar with General Powell's 13 Rules of Life and Leadership, I highly recommend them.  I have a signed copy of these framed in my office, they are reviewed often.

Colin Powell's 13 Life Rules For Any Future Leader


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## Polar Bear (Jun 5, 2016)

Here I will lay it perfectly out for you with no cool guy stuff. Go for MP enlisted, make sure you get choice of duty station that duty station must have a college close by that offers a law degree or Masters degree in criminal justice, accounting or business. Finish degree. Do your time, get out and join a major police force. State, big city. After a year on the force apply for the FBI. Look at Army or Air Force bases close to major cities.
WPAFB comes to mind.  So does FT Sill.


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## Etype (Jun 5, 2016)

Peace Corps. It's better because reasons and vegetarians .


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## DocIllinois (Jun 5, 2016)

Ya, the Cool Guy stuff tears up your knees and back and stuff, anyway. 

Guns will lose their appeal with all the range time.  You'll become a filthy high capacity mag proponent.

And they're getting females, I hear.  Risky.


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## Gunz (Jun 5, 2016)

Oops, you forgot to join the Marines. :wall:


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## AWP (Jun 5, 2016)

Officer v. Enlisted is apples and oranges. Eventually the officers go and do staff things, push papers. Enlisted can spend nearly an entire career "doing stuff" and avoiding most of the staff and training assignments. Think of it like this: the NCO's will go to sniper school, O's will go to some joint load planning course or management seminar.

If you select Cav Scout we will find you and punch you in the dick. We've discussed this numerous times on the board so search for it or take my word.

MP is a tricky thing because there are some PD's which look down upon military LEO's. If you want to do military LEO then take an MOS and then apply for CID when you've met the requirements. I personally have a low opinion of many military LEO's.

I'll do you a solid:
Complete List of Army Jobs and Browse Army Jobs and Careers. Read the descriptions and narrow it down, then come back to this thread. If you choose anything in the 25 series I will laugh at you (minus something that puts you in the 75th, 160th, etc.).

Do you want to jump out of planes? Do you WANT to be a Ranger? If you have doubts, stay away from these options. You need to feel those roles in your bones.

All jobs are important. The Army's more or less Infantry (or some version like SF) and everyone else. No one will remember a great POL specialist (92F), but a bad one can make or break expensive things, operations, and straight up kill people. Give 100% in everything you do.

Good luck.


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## Gunz (Jun 5, 2016)

Freefalling said:


> ...If you select Cav Scout we will find you and punch you in the dick...




Even Marines will punch you in the dick. Friends don't let friends become Cav Scouts.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jun 5, 2016)

Durhlm said:


> Where do I sign up for Special Ninja?



Right next to underwater bathtub diving school.



Durhlm said:


> I guess the best path would be to find guys in the specific MOS I'm interested in and see what their experiences were like.
> Thanks



What are your interest in? Are you an outdoors person, do you like physical challenges, are you competitive, do you like camping, do you like being around wildlife, bugs, snakes, etc? Do you mind going a few days without a shower? Do you mind carrying heavy stuff all day long, and getting up to do again tomorrow? Do you like guns? Do you want to blow things up and break stuff? Do you like to fight?


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## Durhlm (Jun 5, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> Right next to underwater bathtub diving school.
> 
> 
> 
> What are your interest in? Are you an outdoors person, do you like physical challenges, are you competitive, do you like camping, do you like being around wildlife, bugs, snakes, etc? Do you mind going a few days without a shower? Do you mind carrying heavy stuff all day long, and getting up to do again tomorrow? Do you like guns? Do you want to blow things up and break stuff? Do you like to fight?



Outdoors, physical activity, wildlife are right up my alley. Don't really give a shit about having to go days without a shower. I am a big firearms guy. Don't really have any experience blowing things up, but I don't see myself disliking it. And I've always enjoyed boxing.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jun 5, 2016)

Durhlm said:


> Outdoors, physical activity, wildlife are right up my alley. Don't really give a shit about having to go days without a shower. I am a big firearms guy. Don't really have any experience blowing things up, but I don't see myself disliking it. And I've always enjoyed boxing.



Infantry, Combat Engineer, Artillery and Combat Medic would all probably be to your liking than. You can get a Ranger contract with all of this fields, and they are also good feeders to SF down the road if you're so inclined. 

There is plenty on here regarding Cav Scout, they sound high speed, but they really just aren't. If you want to do the sneaking around bit, do it on the Infantry side, there are far more doors open in the was of scout platoon, dismounted recon companies and LRS.

MP is a glorified security guard in the Army, they do get out in the field and do some small unit stuff, but for the most part they push convoys, crowd control and write tickets. You wont gain much LE experience from the MP's. CID on the other hand is like the Army's FBI, they investigate all felonies that happen on Army bases, as well joint agency investigations and performing PSD for high ranking people. Last I checked you had to be an E5 with a few years service to apply for that. They generally recruit Army wide (not from the MP's) and are normally looking for accountants, computer guru's and special skills that will help them accomplish their mission.

Paralegal in the Army is really no different than one outside the Army. You will wear a uniform, but work bankers hours, hit the field once a year for weapon qual and warrior tasks, and than back behind the desk.

If I was personally doing it all over again, I would get an 11X opt 40 (Infantry, airborne, RASP), knock it out while I was young and healthy, than decide from there if I wanted to stay in, and what I wanted to do if I did want to stay in.

$.02


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## Red Flag 1 (Jun 5, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> Infantry, Combat Engineer, Artillery and Combat Medic would all probably be to your liking than. You can get a Ranger contract with all of this fields, and they are also good feeders to SF down the road if you're so inclined.
> 
> There is plenty on here regarding Cav Scout, they sound high speed, but they really just aren't. If you want to do the sneaking around bit, do it on the Infantry side, there are far more doors open in the was of scout platoon, dismounted recon companies and LRS.
> 
> ...



I don't see medic, combat or otherwise. It means you have to take care of other people, I don't see that in anything Duhram  has said. 

Well, here we are, telling him what he should be, and I forgot to bring my spoon along.


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## Kraut783 (Jun 5, 2016)

If you want to go CID from the start you can...

*"Not in the Army yet? No problem.* If you are a college graduate considering a career as a federal law enforcement officer, check out the CID Direct Accessions Program. The program is open to applicants interested in Criminal Investigation Division positions for Active Duty. After completing basic training, successful applicants must complete 31B Military Police One Station Unit Training and the CID Special Agent Course."

(Army Criminal Investigations Special Agent (31D))

CID website....U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command

As 28 year local LEO...and former CID Agent (NG)....I was pretty skeptical of this program working, but I have run across a few of them...seems to working...but time will tell.

I have my own issues with Army CID, more of a how the Army runs the program, but not with the line organization and Agents.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jun 5, 2016)

Red Flag 1 said:


> I don't see medic, combat or otherwise. It means you have to take care of other people, I don't see that in anything Duhram  has said.
> 
> Well, here we are, telling him what he should be, and I forgot to bring my spoon along.



Combat Medics do all the same stuff we do, but with an aid bag. I only mentioned it because it adds another skill that will benefit him in LE if he decides to do that after the Army.

And for clarity, I am not telling him what he should do. Just offering ideas of MOS's for him to research, in order to aid him in his decision process.


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## TLDR20 (Jun 5, 2016)

I would be a forward observer.


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## Kraut783 (Jun 5, 2016)

If I was starting out again.....USAF Arial Gunner....hell yeah!!


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## Beagle (Jun 6, 2016)

Don't have any answer for your questions but I have a question of my own.

Have you applied to law enforcement already?  Such as Border Patrol?  

I was a paralegal in the Army Reserve for 3 years and then I switched over to Active Duty.  After the Army the paralegal experience did help me get into a LE agency.  Depending on the agency they'll give you veterans pref for military experience.

(Just my experience and opinion)
So I don't think any particular mos is going to be that awesome but if I was in charge of hiring I would hire the guys with combat experience, they seem more normal and well rounded versus some of the ones that never were in the military and they look like a total wannabe.  They are there to enforce the law and not to raid some terrorists household and in my agency if the person is dangerous then we send in SRT.  Mostly white collar type crimes.  I mean this is America and not some warzone.

For me being a paralegal was actually pretty boring, you process UCMJ and separations pretty much all day or you could work the legal assistance side.


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