So it is (was) the month of August:
I met the standards of AFOQT application AND gained my squadron commanders endorsement/blessing to apply for 16OT03 with an application cut-off of 15 Jan 16. Sweet; I have a lot of time! Honestly, this was very problematic way of thinking. I pretty much coasted the month of August by working, training for my half marathon, and completing an arsenal of tv shows on Netflix. It was actually quite impressive!
Thankfully my wife asked how my application was coming along...It's going GREAT honey!
Questionnaire 1:
So I dust the cob webs off my binder that I mentioned earlier and started getting work done. I first went through the BOT guide and determined items that are under my control. Honestly, very little is under my control. I did, however, decide to start with the easy stuff first. One of these easy things were questionnaire 1, questionnaire 2, and the entourage of memos.
Questionnaire 1 is a list of yes/no questions that you must answer. These items are non-waiverable.
Applicant Information: I typed everything here in the order it was asked. I used dashes (-) here in between my digits and it didn't cause any issues.
Am I eligible to consider applying for Basic Officer Training?
These questions were self explanatory and are easy yes or no questions. I digitally checked each answer minus the Rated questions #8. I found I was eligible to apply so I digitally signed the form, printed it, and tucked it away in my binder.
Questionnaire 2 is a list of yes/no questions, but a little more detailed in regard to enlistment, TOS, TIS, and financial responsibility. There are a total of 25 questions to answer. I answered all except #19 and 20 because they were Rated questions. ***Almost forgot, these questions determine if a waiver is required***It also comes with a few pages explaining each question in detail. I found I did not need a waiver so I was going to digitally sign it but...it also required a signature from my unit commander. I decided to TYPE both my signature block and my commanders in its appropriate block. I then insert this in the "Needs commanders signature" portion of my binder.
Memos: There were quite a few memos that needed to be drafted up and routed to the commander. Here is some of the hiccups I received about the memos: Follow the templates shown in attachment 5 of the BOT Guide. These memos does not look like your conventional type of memos so some of your leaders in your chain of command may want to waste their red ink on it. Thankfully, I had an agreement with my commander to route these things to directly to her secretary!
The first memo I drafted was the memo requesting an AF FM 422. Please be careful as there are different variations of this memo. Read the attachments carefully and ensure it pertains to your specific board (Rated, Non-rated, technical, Air Liaison, Badass CRO and STO). I typed up the memo exactly as shown with my squadron commanders signature block. I then threw it in the "signature" portion of my binder. ***Please know that all memos went here prior to submitting to my commander***
The next memo completed were the Qualify Force Review Request Form and the Quality Force Review Letter. I completed these the same way I did the request of the AF FM 422. I inserted a sticker on the Request form to remind me to e-mail it to the e-mail listed on the BOT Guide (attachment 5) after my commander signed it. Sorry for some reason I do not feel comfortable listing the e-mail on here.
Attachment 5 also gives instruction for AFRS IMT Form 1413. This didn't apply to me because I already completed my bachelors degree. The general rule is that you need to be within 12 months of completing your degree prior to applying. PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO APPLY IF YOU'RE NOT DONE WITH YOUR DEGREE. They have this form for a reason so USE IT! Seriously though, many AD selects wait a while to go to OTS so it really isn't an issue if you still have college to complete.
The next memo I want to talk about is the AAC 05 request. Again, follow the template with your commanders signature block. The AAC 05 is an assignment restriction code that prevents AFPC from giving you an assignment due to your application to a commissioning program. Here is the catch...you cannot route this to the MPS until you're within 30 days prior to submitting your application. I pretty much typed up the memo and stored it in another sub folder of my binder to let it "sit" until I was able to route it.
The AAC 05 is a touchy subject. I know of applicants that disregarded the 30 day rule and submitted it anyway. This shows me that they either didn't know or they were trying to play the system. It also showed that the commander was in the blind on the application policy. Anyway, I decided to stick to the rules and follow the instruction to show I have attention to detail (corny).
The final part of attachment 5 states to print out your Record Review Update and your Career Data Brief one month prior to submission. The reason I think they state this is due to the AAC 05. This code will display on both of these forms so ensure it is there prior to submitting. AFRS will take your application as incomplete and will not submit your application to the board if it is not on there!
Signing of the memos:
So I routed all memos and questionnaires to the secretary for commander signature. This was probably around early September. I received a phone call from the secretary saying I needed to make some corrections to my memos. I was actually quite irritated. I am an ALS instructor I know how to write memos and do spacing and stuff! Ha ha!! Anyway, she used a bunch of red ink outlining me to shift this and that and blah blah blah. I thanked her for her feedback and told her that I would not do those things because I followed the template in the BOT Guide. She asked to see the BOT Guide...to make a long story short I had to resubmit the forms due to her red ink fiesta and I got my memos back signed that afternoon.
I then e-mailed the request memo to the appropriate e-mail listed in attachment 5 of the BOT Guide. These wonderful people down in San Antonio sent the request and verification letter back to my commander about a week later and Cc'd me on it! I recommend everyone to request them (Commander) to Cc you on their response...commanders sometimes lose things in their maxed out inbox! Anyway, I filed all my signed memos and the verification letter in my binder under its appropriate tab.
I then took about a week off to tackle the obstacles of getting a letter of recommendation. I will cover this in my next post. I hope this is all making sense (clear as mud?!?) for you all. This is all an effort to help you!
I also noticed I had 36 views today! Leave me a comment or ask me questions if thats you! Take care and GO Air Force!
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