April 2012 Army CWO Active Duty Promotion Results

[Fliesbecauseracecar]

Above written from the perspective of a guy who is a CW3 in the primary zone with a few more days of waiting to find out. Without sounding cocky, I am fairly certain it will be good news. I have consistently gotten Above center of mass OERs, have 4 deployments under my belt, twice as the senior 64 MTP, have the Warrant Officer Staff Course, am not fat, have a current DA photo taken just before I came here to Afghanistan. That said, promotions are getting more challenging, so we shall see.

[Rob1237051]

Any word on if the twice non selected will be granted service continuations?

[Joe_P148]

Any word on if the twice non selected will be granted service continuations?

 

SELCON's have been on a case by case basis, as they have always been. however, I think there will be less selcons in the next few years.

 

I'm pretty nervous, top block OER, B.S. degree, PC, 2 deployments but I could never track because of the politics of the Army, money pool ect... my company had more IP's than we knew what to do with so I was the Tacops guy for like 4 years.

 

To the newer warrants, being a great pilot and in shape is not going to get you on this board. It takes sooo much more. You need to be a good officer as well, a go-to guy or gal in your field. If there is a Tacsop you need to know it inside and out, if there is a reg you need to know it. Remember, a warrant is there to support the command in everything army related. being a great pilot is also a prereq but I find most of the guys who think they are great pilots are lacking in other field. In todays Army unfortunetly, that doesn't cut it anymore you have to be well rounded and not neglect other things like PT, uniform, professionalism ect..

 

For instance, your flight lead breifing the brigade commander on a large air assault, he's looking at you and not listening because he's to busy worrying about the fact that your boots are un bloused and you have long hair. I have been that guy and people rode me about it for years. It shouldn't be that way but it is..

[d10]

30% is brutal. There will be a lot of guys who did everything right with unlimited potential and still miss the cut. You need a lot of luck to avoid career roadblocks. PCSing to a unit's rear detachment and unable to fly for 6 months, a few OERs from a chain of command who doesn't know how to write OERs, landing in a top heavy unit that makes competing for top blocks and good tracks impossible.

[Fliesbecauseracecar]

Its not all doom and gloom. I was an untracked PC with top block OERs and a squared away ORB when I got selected for W3. I went to Korea for a year and didn't extend so got the long RL progression (calendar time, not hours) and never had minimums, logged just over 50 hours in a year. Then did a COT to Germany, 3 months after arrival, did a deployment to Afghanistan, made PC, got voluntold for our sister units deployment to Iraq since they were short PCs. Left 9 months after I got back from Afghanistan. Wasn't able to track because of all the mandatory training. Board was while I was in Iraq, so on R+R leave, updated my DA photo, verified my board packet. Got picked up. Tracked during a TDY en route to my next duty station.

 

SELCON for guys under 18 years TIS is difficult. Last years board, a good friend of mine who is a stellar perfomer (had an incident with a SGM and a ball cap that went into his record so be careful) did not get picked up, and was 14 years TIS and did not get SELCON.

[zaurus]

Filesbecauseracecar

 

I would assume you were promoted to CW3 in the good times. I have a question if you're a Chief Warrant Officer with little to no previous enlisted time. In this promotion environment, must you make CW3 and CW4 in order to make retirement if not offered SELCON?

[Joe_P148]

Filesbecauseracecar

 

I would assume you were promoted to CW3 in the good times. I have a question if you are a Chief Warrant Officer with little to no previous enlisted time. In this promotion environment, must you make CW3 and CW4 in order to make retirement if not offered SELCON?

 

Zaurus,

 

Yeah you will have to make the rank by the second look. It's hard for the street to seat folks because they are thrown into the race with former e-5's through E-7's some of which have a good idea on how the Army and Army Aviation works. I have found that finding senior warrant mentors is a good start in the right direction to tailoring your career where you want it to go.

[Fliesbecauseracecar]

Yes, street to seat guys will need to make CW4 to retire. The year I got promoted was a 68% promotion rate, better than the current rate, but prior to that year, promotion rates were in the high 80s to low 90s for 2-3. Don't let it bother you so much right now.

 

Promotion rates will get better again, likely well before you get looked at for W4. CW3 is deceptive in a lot of ways, because that is right in that window of do I stay or go, ADSO is complete and some folks have had enough fun at that point. Street to seat guys are under 10 years by that time, and so several leave the military, and some get out and go guard to build a guard retirement. Neither is a bad thing, its really what you want out of life.

 

The guys who are like me with prior enlisted time are typically in a different place. I had 8 years in service when I went to WOCS in 2001. I also got finished in a decent time and showed up to my first unit as a WO1 for a few months. By the time my ADSO was complete, I was just short of 15 years, so the decision to stay in was pretty easy for me to make. Another 5 years and full retirement. Several friends of mine who were street to seat or very litle enlisted time left the service and a couple went guard and a couple did not.

 

I am just a few months shy of 20 years now, so if the results aren't what I hope, easy decision to leave. If I get picked up, its harder to leave, since the pay scale difference for W3 under 20 and W4 over 20 are significantly different and every year I stay is another 2.5% of a base pay that is getting better every year I stay. Loads of factors play in at this point. Time left to do another job, I will be 40 about the same time I am at 20 years, so how long do I want to wait to start my second career? I am happy with my time in, but civilian life looks tempting now. We shall see.

 

As far as former enlisted guys having a leg up, I would say they (we) had our benefits and drawbacks. A guy just starting out doesn't typically have an aversion to being the rookie who is sweeping the office, sometimes after a few years in, folks don't like starting back at the bottom. The stuff you did as an enlisted guy has very little bearing on what you are evaluated on as a WO. Basic military customs/courtesies aren't difficult to master, and if you have the drive to self start, and excel at whatever duties you are assigned, you will be fine as a pilot and plenty competitive at promotion time. The Army isn't rocket surgery (unless you are a gun guy then your rocket skills matter). Right time, right place, right uniform, and take the initiative to do what needs to be done and you are already a leg up. And don't fail 5&9, you will be fine.

[Rob1237051]

Looks like my situation is similar to yours so far. I graduated WOCS with 9 years TIS. I will be a little better than 15 years when considered for CW3. I hope some of this fiscal nonsense has reversed by then.

 

If not I'll be a pretty nervous CW2 because 15 and nothing doesn't sound that great. So far the people I've seen twice nonselected are not people that should have been retained. That's not going to be the case anymore with consecutive years of 30%. Little help North Korea?

[Fliesbecauseracecar]

It doesn't have to be 15 and nothing. If you do not get selcon and have to leave, there will be some pay involved depending on time in service and current pay. I don't pretend to know exactly how the formula works, but a good friend of mine got 2nd time passover and no selcon at 14 years. Was 3 looking for 4 and got around 80K I think? Not sure but a number in that ballpark. No comparision to retirement, but you can always look for a guard position and all the active time counts towards that as well. Again not as good, but you still have options.

 

The current 30% can't last long, or we will be out of senior warrants.

[zaurus]

If you wish to be worry free regarding retirement as an Army aviator, follow this scenario. As a CW2 with 6 to 7 years total active duty service, apply for OCS. Of course, you must be within the max age limit for OCS. Capt is practically automatic and you won't be up for Major until the 18th year point. There are always options if planning ahead. Or stay Warrant and take your chances.

[Joe_P148]

Yeah, OCS is always an option and the age limit is waiverable. Some friends of mine were thinking about going enlisted and trying out for SFAS. Bottom line is it's not the end of the world if you don't get picked up but i'm sure everyone feels like it is. If you don't get picked up the first time, most people should start planning on an exit strategy. i.e. networking and civilian education. This should be done regardless of if you want to stay in or not. I'm starting my masters about 10 days after the board results come out regardless of the results.

 

One of the problems with the promotion system is that an officer has to be proactive before the board results ever come out. If the board results come out in August, you have until the following April until the board re-convenes. Only 8 months? hell, the WOAC is 8 months backed up on available slots for the school.