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Originally Posted by Ratman
From what I understand, the higher you finish in your class (academically and militarily), the more choice you have in assignment. The more combat oriented your choice, the faster you move up. The caveat is that you are in the guard, which means you go to the unit that is A) closest to you, and B) has the greatest need for officers to fill billets. Also, in the guard, promotion is somewhat limited at times because you need to wait for an open slot, and the higher you go, the fewer there are. You may be able to jump units, but be prepared to wait for the old fucks to retire. On the other hand, being an officer doesn't require special skills other than leading (you don't have to know how to fire the Howitzer, you just need to manage the guys that do), so it's relatively easy to transfer to a unit that has need. Good luck, and thanks for your service!
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this post is highly misinformed. Speaking from my experience with the Marine Corps: The more combat oriented your position, the slower your rate of promotion. Recruiters move up the fastest, while infantryman and others like it move up quite slowly. High ranking officers and enlisted men were often mocked for being lazy enough to be spotted for a promotion. My SDI fought 4tours in Iraq, aced the physical fitness, swimming, and marksmanship tests, is HIGHLY decorated, and is still only a Staff Seargent after 10 years of service. Meanwhile, my recruiter was only ever deployed to the gulf of Mexico and was in administration. He is currently a 7-year Gunny.
Also, being an officer requires that you are able to demonstrate ideal physical fitness. Officers are known for lacking this, but in the Corps, our commanding officers were just as beastly as drill instructors, and made Combat Instructors look nasty.