RPOC and other recruit leadership positions... what does it really entail?

asailorswife · 03-28-2012, 07:09 PM

My husband wasn't your age when he went through boot, but he was older and much more mature than a lot of the guys in his division were. However, the positions are usually voluntary to begin with, after that (he said most of the first guys got fired), keep your head down, and do what you're told. Don't stand out - that's one of his biggest things of advice for boot camp. Make sure you don't stand out, and keep in mind that it's all one big mind f***. (those are the two things he tells me to tell anyone going through boot camp).

sweetmtn · 03-28-2012, 08:25 PM

The only up side my son said was for someone that enlisted as an E1 or E2 and IF they could keep that job for the entire boot camp, they usually got promoted one rank up and/or made honor grad. But as said above, most get fired...
Go to this link and read each one, the only one my son said was good was Recruit Religious Petty Officers (RPO) (RPO3, but read about all of them.

http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/recruit_petty_officer.asp

Nuke Guy · 03-28-2012, 09:27 PM

Religious PO is nice because almost all of them get a BZ at the end of bootcamp. However, as Religious PO, you will get up at 5:15 on Sundays (instead of 6:00), go to early chow, go to the chapel, and get back at about 10:30, meaning you only get 2 1/2 hours of Holiday Routine instead of 6, and you still have to eat somewhere in there. Our RPO's estimated that they got 80-90 minutes of Holiday Routine every week.

prop827 · 03-29-2012, 12:58 AM

RPOC and AROC are hard jobs and by taking them you will stand out. This means when things go wrong (and every now and then they WILL its unavoidable in bootcamp) you are responsible. Someone going to sick call got us a demerit chit, its your fault. A detail got the division a street hit, its your fault. You could be in a classroom at the time and not even been there but as RPOC it was your job to make sure they knew when and how to get there. On the other hand, if you keep the job to the end, they tend to get promoted to E2 or E3 if they do a good job. If you plan to apply to a commissioning program, it looks good on you assuming you haven't been in service very long, its helpful. You have to weigh the benefits vs the costs. and the costs are pretty heavy!

As a side note, some RDCs choose jobs based on arbitrary guidelines. RPOC might be someone with drill, marching, or ROTC experience; MAA tends to be the oldest recruit in the place, AROC might be chosen for having a good loud voice and rhythm. Those are especially true if your RDCs are big on drill and marching and looking good on the street.

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03-28-2012, 07:09 PM	#1
asailorswife Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Posts: 1,121 Rep Power: 0	My husband wasn't your age when he went through boot, but he was older and much more mature than a lot of the guys in his division were. However, the positions are usually voluntary to begin with, after that (he said most of the first guys got fired), keep your head down, and do what you're told. Don't stand out - that's one of his biggest things of advice for boot camp. Make sure you don't stand out, and keep in mind that it's all one big mind f***. (those are the two things he tells me to tell anyone going through boot camp).

03-28-2012, 08:25 PM	#2
sweetmtn Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: N. CA Posts: 3,792 Rep Power: 0	The only up side my son said was for someone that enlisted as an E1 or E2 and IF they could keep that job for the entire boot camp, they usually got promoted one rank up and/or made honor grad. But as said above, most get fired... Go to this link and read each one, the only one my son said was good was Recruit Religious Petty Officers (RPO) (RPO3, but read about all of them. http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/recruit_petty_officer.asp

03-28-2012, 09:27 PM	#3
Nuke Guy Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Goose Creek, SC Posts: 63 Rep Power: 0	Religious PO is nice because almost all of them get a BZ at the end of bootcamp. However, as Religious PO, you will get up at 5:15 on Sundays (instead of 6:00), go to early chow, go to the chapel, and get back at about 10:30, meaning you only get 2 1/2 hours of Holiday Routine instead of 6, and you still have to eat somewhere in there. Our RPO's estimated that they got 80-90 minutes of Holiday Routine every week.

03-29-2012, 12:58 AM	#4
prop827 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 633 Rep Power: 0	RPOC and AROC are hard jobs and by taking them you will stand out. This means when things go wrong (and every now and then they WILL its unavoidable in bootcamp) you are responsible. Someone going to sick call got us a demerit chit, its your fault. A detail got the division a street hit, its your fault. You could be in a classroom at the time and not even been there but as RPOC it was your job to make sure they knew when and how to get there. On the other hand, if you keep the job to the end, they tend to get promoted to E2 or E3 if they do a good job. If you plan to apply to a commissioning program, it looks good on you assuming you haven't been in service very long, its helpful. You have to weigh the benefits vs the costs. and the costs are pretty heavy! As a side note, some RDCs choose jobs based on arbitrary guidelines. RPOC might be someone with drill, marching, or ROTC experience; MAA tends to be the oldest recruit in the place, AROC might be chosen for having a good loud voice and rhythm. Those are especially true if your RDCs are big on drill and marching and looking good on the street.