Well, call me harsh but in my view OCdts are much like children within the military heirarchy. I say this in the context that they ought to be "seen but not heard". Ooohhh - harsh words, eh? But what do I really mean by this?
Well, it is quite simple. In a perfect world, OCdts would be entirely confined to the training system. As they OUGHT to be. That is why they are Officer CADETS. And I might add that I fully include any non-Classification-trained 2Lts within this same grouping. Not to get into the rather messy a "degree does not an officer make", but I would hope we can all agree that a 2Lt lacking full classification training in his/her MOC is not yet ready to command soldiers. Such 2Lts are merely OCdts with a degree.
Be they RMC types with "summer soldier phase training" during the "happy months", or on the somewhat more rigorous DEO/"Degree-lacking" trainee program where they actually have to soldier through the "off-season months". Either way, at the end of the day, the "ideal" officer candidate completes his/her classification training and is not only commissioned but CLASSIFICATION QUALIFIED before being foisted upon actual troops.
Yes, I know that this does not always happen, and we frequently end up with "Phase 3" (sorry, the current DP-speak equivalent escapes me) OCdts posted to operational units in the expectation that they will "learn good stuff" until it is time to return to CTC and finish their basic training. This lamentable practice of sending partially-formed officers to operational units acheives nothing good for any party concerned. Quite frankly, it is invariably a disaster for both the trainee and the trained soldiers/non-commissioned leaders that he/she is foisted upon. It is a horribly awkward and near-utterly useless practice. "Contact training" is a farce. Nobody wins.
I've seen it, I've endured it at various "stations of the cross" during battalion duty (including rifle company command), and I am here to tell you that "contact training" is a bad idea. Regular Army soldiers deserve qualified leadership. They are not a "petri dish" for the further cultivation of half-formed officers who may or may not make the grade during the last hurdle of their classification training. And it is high time that we stopped treating our soldiers as such. Their unwitting contract as part of the officer professional development process does not start until the young officer is imposed upon them with the full course of professional development training. That alone, is sufficient burden upon our non-commissioned ranks. We need not stress their role further by subjecting them to the whims of half-formed "wannabe" officers who have yet to make the grade. That is for the training system to sort out. It is NOT the responsibility nor the purview of our soldiers and NCOs.
All of that to say, having been a (Res F) Sr NCO transferring to the Reg F, it did me a world of irreplacable good spending the better part of 2 years making the transition to Reg F officer under the professional tutelage of numerous Sr NCOs and (later) officers before I received my first battalion posting. I shudder to think how I would have felt (and been received) had I been thrust unprepared into the harsh reality of a line battalion with anything less than the full basic Phase 4 qualification. Lord knows, I've seen enough non-Phase 4-qualified OCdts and 2Lts who are between "school years" suddenly "gifted" to battalions on the premise that they are Phase 3 "qualified dismounted Pl Comds" awaiting training. By and large, it wasn't pretty at all....
As I said at the outset - OCdts are meant to be "invisible". All things being equal, the best possible course of events is that they remain within the cloistered "training system" until they are fully qualified within their applicable classification. No offence, but this is the environment in which they can freely debate who ought to be saluting who, who has a day more "seniority", etc. It all seems awfully important at the time, which is probably is. The fact however, is that such pedantic issues have zero place within the real world. These things have long been sorted out within the "real" Army/Navy/Airforce. This may come as a bit of a disappointing surprise, but we don't waste a whole lot of time debating such trivial matters....
I will fully admit that this is merely my experience-based opinion, but I firmly believe that a "keep 'em separated" approach works to the benefit of all concerned. I can name at least a half-dozen OCdt and 2Lt "casualties" of premature judgement by real-world soldiers. Such situations are not pretty, nor are they necessary. For all of their "chomping at the bit" and unbridled self-confidence (often completely unwarranted), partially-trained officers need to be protected from themselves. And the best method of doing so is to keep them firmly within the nuturing embrace of the training system until such time as they are fully classification trained.
Just my $.02, as someone who has seen both sides of the situation. At the end of the day, odds are that a half-formed officer will do far more harm to him/herself and the affected soldiers than anything positive. OJT is for static trades, not for positions which entail life/death leadership and associated technical competence.
Keep the OCdts and untrained 2Lts in school where they belong and where they can be suitably developed. Their time in the "big leagues" will come soon enough.....trust me
As always, just my $.02
