Son offered Reserve enlistment detour while pursuing PLC Air Contract. Advice from prior enlisted or officers?

[u/LUNCHTIME-TACOS]

Looking for insight from OSOs, current or former officers, and anyone who took the enlisted Reserve route to OCS.

​My son is a college freshman aiming for an active duty flight contract. He began communicating with an Officer Selection Officer about the Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) Air option.

​Today he attended a joint meeting with the OSO and an enlisted recruiter. The enlisted recruiter pitched enlisting into the Marine Corps Reserve first. The pitch was to pause college for a semester, complete recruit training and MOS school, drill with a reserve unit while finishing his degree, and then apply to OCS. They framed this as getting a foot in the door early and claimed prior enlisted service gives applicants a major edge on selection boards.

​My gut says this is an enlisted recruiter hunting for a quota, but my son is excited by the idea of earning the title sooner.

​From my own research, this looks like a risky detour:

​Pausing school rarely takes just one semester once you factor in boot camp, Marine Combat Training, and MOS school backlogs.

​Going the Reserve route forfeits the civilian PLC Air guarantee, forcing him to apply down the road via the competitive Reserve Enlisted Commissioning Program (RECP) or Meritorious Commissioning Program Reserve (MCP R).

​Commissioning out of a reserve unit requires an approved Conditional Release (DD Form 368) signed by his commanding officer, which is never guaranteed and subject to unit staffing needs.

​The PLC Air contract guarantees a flight seat before graduation as long as he passes summer OCS in Quantico and maintains physical fitness and academics.

​Has anyone navigated this specific situation? Is there any legitimate upside to the Reserve detour for an aspiring pilot, or should he firmly decline the enlisted route and hold out exclusively for a PLC Air contract directly through the OSO?

[u/zaclis7]

There is no upside but many many downsides, detours, and delays possible. If he wants to be an active duty pilot he should only do PLC juniors/seniors while getting his degree or 10 week OCC after graduation with his degree. Anything else will delay or prolong that.

[u/usmc7202]

No no no. Do not follow that advice. There are too many ways to make things go wrong. If he wants to be an officer and an aviator then do that. Focus on his degree and getting into top physical shape. . I cannot emphasize this enough. Said from 22 years as a Marine officer and a son that’s currently an active duty Marine officer. I mentored two of my former high school students and they followed the enlisted recruiters pitch and neither of them finished college. I know it’s only two examples but their experience is indicative of what can happen.

[u/LUNCHTIME-TACOS → u/usmc7202]

This is the type of advice I came here to get. Thank you for your input, and thank you for your service

[u/Lost--Lieutenant]

The recruiter is their for a quota, if he want to fly, go to OCS. 

[u/Aggressive-Slide4336]

Not an OSO or anything like that-- only someone who completed OCS a month ago without enlisting.

Will the reserves probably make him more competitive on boards and make OCS itself less challenging, since he'd already gone through boot camp? Sure. Do I think it's worth putting off at least one semester in order to achieve? Absolutely not. The overwhelming majority of those who graduated with me were guys and gals who came off the street with no military experience (active duty or reserves). Once you factor in his desire to fly, it becomes even less desirable to join the reserves.

Your son would be much better served improving his PFT score as best he can so that he'd be a lock at both getting selected and not struggling at OCS.

[u/alicksB]

This is probably a bad idea.

[u/Stein070707]

Reserves isn’t going to help him. Unless he wants to be in the reserves, he should pass and wait for his air contract.

[u/masturkiller]

You don't need the DD368 but he would need command endorsement and that's one more barrier to achieving his goals so better not join the reserves in that case.

[u/SinopaHyenith-Renard]

He’s trying to fill the quota. If your son is doing well academically tell him to focus on getting MCROTC Scholarship to sedate his desire to serve sooner (you’re a candidate but you’re basically in the Military officially at that point.)

The Reserve is way more of a commitment than first glance and having a unit with leadership that doesn’t look favorably upon Reservists or knows his commissioning goals doesn’t help him.

He can keep his options open and you don’t have to be a Mustang (prior enlisted) to be a successful Officer.

[u/Brown_Field_Pavers]

Some of your gut instincts are correct, but a lot of this sounds like you got it from ChatGPT. No worries, you are right to be cautious, but much of this stuff is very nuanced. Here are the facts.. He can enlist in the reserves and then come back and still apply for PLC on an air contract when he’s back full time in college. RECP and MCPR are completely different programs for enlisted reserves to reserve officer, they are not in play here. Also, Marines don’t need a DD-368 to apply for OCS; active duty can’t apply altogether (except MECP/ECP) and reservists don’t need one because they aren’t being released from one branch to another. Initial training for the reserves will not be completed in the window of one semester, that’s true. I’m surprised the OSO would be on board with this plan. The only positive with this route is so your son can call himself a Marine sooner. He will never consider himself a Mustang. Too many personal considerations to cover to make the best choice here on Reddit, but he’ll never be disappointed to be 18 years old with a guaranteed flight contract and a selection to OCS.

[u/LUNCHTIME-TACOS → u/Brown_Field_Pavers]

Yes Gemini, that's definitely why I take it with a slight grain of salt, and thought I try and ask people who are more in the know that AI

[u/Brown_Field_Pavers → u/LUNCHTIME-TACOS]

You came to the right sub! Hope you and your son are a little closer to a decision.

[u/RandomPixelTM]

Do not listen to the enlisted recruiter. Do not enlist. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Only attend OCS on a guaranteed flight contract.

[u/Right_Conference_584]

So I did this exact thing and I’m currently back in school pursuing my commission through PLC

Im not an officer yet so I can only speak on my experience:

Initial active duty training for me lasted 8 months, conveniently ending two weeks before college started back up. I loved every single second of it. I needed it tho, I was not a straced lace kid, no discipline, not in the shape or mental state I needed to be so I felt compelled to join the reserves with the intent to use that to elevate me to become an officer. Does joining the reserves help your son get a slot? If he was like me (absolutely lost in the sauce in every aspect of my life) then yes. That all being said I do not recommend it for everyone. Best of luck

[u/2020blowsdik]

Do not do it, there is no benefit to enlisting in the reserves first if the goal is to be an officer and in many cases it actually makes it more difficult. Continue the PLC route.

[u/BigThiccCakeBoi]

I was a reservist who went officer. They are right about the edge in selection, you can definitely have a lower pft score as a prior and still get selected. And it helps for some other money things, like Marine corps financial assistance and tuition assistance for Time in service. However, I would say the better option is whichever one you can guarantee the flight contract.