Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 9/1/2008

Question
What are the requirements of becoming a Commissioned officer in the US Army? If I already have a bachelor's degree and I join the army, how do i go about getting accepted into OCS? And how do I get guaranteed acceptance into OCS put on my contract by talking with the recruiter? I am colorblind. A recruiter told me I could not get OCS because of this. Is this true?

Answer
Dear Schaun --

You can enter the service with a waiver for colorblindness.  With that waiver, and your bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college, you are eligible for OCS, if you meet the other pre-requisites: medical, moral, and physical.

You must find a recruiter that is willing to work with you on your waiver.  You may have to shop around a bit.  Once you find a recruiter who will work with you, then the recruiter puts a series of clauses in your contract to "guarantee" OCS.  However, the OCS rider (or clause) only guarantees OCS, if you perform sufficiently well during basic training.  Generally that means graduating in the top 20% of your training platoon, with absolutely no behavior or attitude issues.

If you do not do well enough to get an immediate billet in OCS, you will be required to revert to your selected enlisted military occupational specialty (MOS), and complete your service obligation as an enlisted Soldier.  If that possibility is not acceptable to you, do not join the military.

Please write back, if you have other questions, or if issues arise during the enlistment process.  Good luck to you.