Finally, an opportunity to toot my own branch’s horn! In this article, I could go on and on forever about why the Armor Branch is the best branch in the Army…but, I will spare you and keep it short and sweet. Basically, Armor Officers are responsible for the tank and Cavalry (RECON) operations on the battlefield. The role of the Armor Officer is to be a leader in operations specific to the Armor Branch as well as leading others in many other areas of combat operations. Here are my Top 5 Reasons to Be an Armor Officer!
#5. Two MOS’s Rolled into One! As an Armor Officer you are qualified to be both an Armor Officer and a Cavalry (RECON) Officer. What other branch allows you to do that? One day you can be a PL on a 72-ton Abrams tank leading a platoon and the next the XO of a Cavalry LRS Squadron jumping from a C-130. To me, it is that broad scope that offers Armor Officers a lot of freedom to maneuver career wise. Personally, I am a PL for an MGS Platoon within an INF SBCT but I could move just about anywhere within an SBCT, HBCT and even an IBCT!
#4. Multiple Qualifications, Skills and Opportunities: As mentioned before, as an Armor Officer you will essentially have 2 MOSs. That makes you a highly trained and experienced asset to anyone. Just as an example, most Armor guys know just as much about tank warfare and tactics and mounted maneuver as they do about small unit tactics and leading dismounts. What does that mean? Well, let’s put it in an nice way to not offend my Infantry peers, but I can easily step in and do their job but they cannot do mine! In fact, as a 1LT in my MCCC course I was well above my fellow CPT peers when it came to the course because of my extensive training as an Armor PL. The things I was learning at Armor BOLC as a young LT were some of the same things being taught to CPTs at the MCCC course… Additionally, as the force begins to transition lighter and lighter (i.e. HMMVs and SBCTs, etc.), Armor Officers are becoming more and more essential as nobody understands mounted maneuver and logistics better than an Armor Officer! In fact, our SBCT just received Armor Officers as our BTN CDR and BTN XO! Don’t ever limit yourself to being just an Infantry Officer when, as an Armor Officer, you can be a Company Commander and/or higher of an Infantry Unit, SBCT or HBCT…
#3. Be a Part of a Deep, Rich History and Tradition: Nothing is more special to me than to say that I belong to the lineage of some of the greatest leaders the Army has ever seen, as an Armor Officer. From Pershing to Patton, Armor Officers have exercised their loud, no BS attitudes and leadership styles to become some of the greatest leaders and do some great things. Stemming back all the way to WWI, tanks and armored forces have been integral to the success of our Army and I am proud to say that I belong to that lineage. Being an Armor Officer consumes you…and I challenge you to talk with an Armor Officer and not have them talk your ear off about how awesome it is to be Armor!
#2. Lead Soldiers with the Heaviest and Most Sophisticated Technology in the Word! As an Armor Officer you will lead Soldiers and be responsible for the employment of some of the most tactically and technically sophisticated equipment in the Army…and the world! The M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank is a 72 ton war-machine with the greatest target acquisition and fire control system in the world. As an Armor Officer, that is your baby and the Army gives you 4 of them! When we say, “One Shot, One Kill”…we mean it! From the LRAS, Raven, Kiowa and other equipment, RECON also has some high-speed gear that Cav Scouts use to find and destroy the enemy. Bottom-line, if you want to play with some of the Army’s best “toys”, then go Armor!
#1. Watch the video! Look, if you watch this video and don’t feel a little tingle or a sense of HOOAH! Then I don’t know what to do for you…
Remember, GO BIG! GO ARMOR! and IF YOU AIN’T CAV, YOU AIN’T SH!T!!!
If you have any comments or questions, just post them below. Thanks.
Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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I can see why anyone would want to be an Armor Officer. Driving around in tanks, doing maneuvers and fighting in combat sound like exciting times. Plus, you have so much firepower.
It does sound like an exciting job, Dennis. I would have loved to get some tank time during my career.
Oh man, would my mentor just LOVE you for writing this! He’s Armor through and through! I am in the RSTA squadron here in Oregon and you may be dismayed to know that while the TAG considers my husband’s troop to be THE elite unit in the state (they are dismounted recon), they are ALL blue corders, minus the commander (my mentor)! I tell them they have the best of both worlds, getting to do recon, utilize awesome equipment like the zodiac boats; but still be infantry at heart. I love supporting their training, it is always the best drill when we can attach to them.
All in all, I have loved being a part of this tradition and will value it greatly throughout the rest of my career!
I’m glad you have a good mentor Candace. Being the lone Armor guy with a bunch of grunts is probably a fun task for your Company Commander. The RSTA Squadron sounds like a great unit to be associated with. Thanks for the comment.
Chuck
He’s a great mentor, he’s a former active duty officer and an extremely hard charger, always challenging me to think about things in a different way. We’re the same age and have had vastly different experiences – he’s due for MAJ but was never enlisted. He’s great to have in the CAV because he’s CAV through and through, and that shows and rubs off on the rest of the guys. My other mentor is my former SCO, who used to fly for 160th SOAR and is my ultimate mentor. I hope to be half as awesome as he is one day.
Your mentor sounds great. I’m glad you have people that teach you what right looks like. Hopefully, you can pay it forward and have the same effect on other Soldiers that you lead.
I really thought about going Armor when I was choosing my three branches during ROTC. Originally, my top choice was aviation but some medical issues kept me from doing that. One of my ROTC instructors convinced me to go Quartermaster Corps, which worked out well. Looking back it would have been a lot of fun to be a combat arms officer. I can’t change the past, but I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to command a company of M1 tanks or Strykers.
Chuck