I love the Army Ordnance Corps and am very proud that I got to serve as an Ordnance Officer. Initially, I was commissioned as a Quartermaster Officer, but I decided to attend the Ordnance Officer Captain’s Career Course instead (and loved it). What I want to do in this post is just share a few things I love about the Army Ordnance Corps. Please keep in mind this is just my opinion. Let’s get started.
In case you don’t know much about the Ordnance Corps, here is the mission statement. “The U.S. Army Ordnance Corps mission is to support the development, production, acquisition, and sustainment of weapon systems, ammunition, missiles, electronics, and ground mobility material during peace and war to provide combat power to the U.S. Army” (Source: Wikipedia). To make it simple, the Ordnance Corps makes sure the Army has ammunition, maintenance, and bomb disposal.
Quite perhaps the most important thing in the Ordnance Corps is MAINTENANCE. Without good maintenance, the Army STOPS! The combat arms guys might talk a big game, but I can promise you that they wouldn’t be able to fight the battles if their vehicles and equipment didn’t work! Good maintenance is vitally important, especially as the Army downsizes and the equipment gets older.
Another thing I love about the Ordnance Corps is AMMUNITION. Soldiers in certain MOS’s take care of every aspect of ammunition from procurement to storage to issuing it to the war-fighter. Fighting battles without ammunition is next to impossible.
We definitely can’t forget the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Soldiers, either. These are the men and women who disarm bombs and help keep our Soldiers safe overseas. Many of these Soldiers leave the Army and join Bomb Squads with local, state and federal organizations. This is a tough, yet high demand specialty in the Army.
The final thing I love about the Ordnance Corps is the job skills you get. These skills can really prepare you for the civilian world and make you very marketable in the marketplace. Compared to many other MOS’s, Ordnance Soldiers are in high demand inside and outside the Army, and in the contractor world.
The bottom line is that serving in the Army Ordnance Corps is a wise move. I am very proud of my service with the Ordnance Corps and I’m sure you are too!
What are your thoughts? What do you love about the Army Ordnance Corps? Leave a comment below and let us know.
Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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Seems like the OD Corps is absolutely necessary, albeit I’ve never heard of it! Like you said, it’s impossible to fight a war without ammunition. I think a lot of non-military people don’t realize the amount of “behind-the-scenes” work that goes into every aspect of the military.
Yes, there is definitely a lot of behind the scenes things that happen that most Soldiers don’t even understand.
The Army Ordnance Corps is vital to the success of our troops at home and abroad. A well armed military is essential to keeping the peace. It gives our soldiers the confidence of knowing that they will be able to protect not only themselves, but those they are sworn to protect as well. And it lets the enemy know that we aren’t playing around and they need to think twice before engaging us in battle!
Hi Chuck,
Great to see your inputs. Arrived here thanks to Google, so your content and do-follow links are on the money, great job so far!
I’ve a genuine interest in the Transportation, Quartermaster, Engineering and Finance Corps but I am unsure which one would be best for a possible civilian career after I branch and ADSO my way into one of these branches with my soon to be MBA in project management and finance + PMP certification from pmi.org. Contracting into ROTC shortly. My main interest is getting into a branch that will use both PMP certification and the to-be-completed project management MBA.
Which one do you believe would be more useful (your opinion only of course) for the Army based on your experience and my soon to be finished education above alone?
I’m interested in logistics, contracting and being outdoors.
Thoughts?
Thanks for your website, great resource!
Glad you like my website Joe.
I always tell folks to pick a branch they think they will enjoy the most. All branches offer good promotion opportunities, upward mobility and challenging jobs.
I personally believe that if you pick something you think you will enjoy, you’ll like it and be good at it. Just my thoughts!
As far as being outdoors, that will vary by the type of unit you go to. As a manager/leader you will spend a lot of time behind a desk and computer doing paperwork. Yes, you will get some field time too, but a large portion of your time is normally in an office setting.
Let me know what other questions you have!
And good luck with your quest to get commissioned.
Chuck
There is no harm in starting your basic branch in one thing, and then going to something else for your captain’s career course. Maybe start with finance, and then go to multifunctional logistics CCC. Why not consider that?
I just learned a lot, and it was through your post.
The OD corps is one of the most needed parts of our military from the way I see it. As a person who used to work in a metal factory on a very old piece of machinery, I understand just how important maintenance is. If equipment is not maintained, the process stops. When it comes to our military, if the process stops, we are in extreme danger.
The Ordnance Corps seems to be the heart of the military. If the heart stops beating, nothing else happens.
Thank you to the men and women who proudly serve in the OD Corps. Without you, we probably would be speaking Japanese, Russian, or German.
I love the OD Corps. It’s really awesome and there are lots of cool jobs you can have in it. My favorite part of the OD Corps is the maintenance. Maintenance, to me any way, is one of the most important things in the Army, especially as our equipment gets older.
So many soldiers don’t even consider the civilian factor when choosing their jobs in the Army. I believe that should be one of the top factors. “Will this position help me when I retire?” Yes, just being in the military is a big plus in getting employment, but the type of job you have in the military can add bonus bucks to many jobs. I believe the Ordnance Corps is a great choice.
Ordnance is definitely a great branch for life after the Army.
Chuck,
I think the OD corps is great. We did a lot of stuff together at BOLC with the OD class, it was great to meet some peers from another branch and work together. I think that it was a good idea for them to combine everything into the logistics branch, so we could get a taste of everything when we complete our CCC.