I have been thinking about this for a little while and decided that this is the best place to post this information.
The Role of an Officer. In Saving Private Ryan, Tom Hanks' character is Capt John Miller. He's a particularly good example of an Officer. When they land on the beach and it is all going to hell, he takes the decision to get the men forward behind some cover and start to assault the enemy positions. That might sound obvious but notice that his men are looking to him for some sort of a decision. They were never expecting this sort of opposition and had been probably briefed that the beach defences had been destroyed. This uncertainty has caused chaos and it's Capt Miller's job to sort it.
When he gets to the sea wall (cover)...He looks at what they have in front of them (barbed wire) and what assets he has to breach them (bangalore torpedoes). He uses them to clear the wire so they can advance forward. He then continues the assault on the objective.
The point I am trying to make is that he is the one making the decisions. He's under fire and the original plan has gone completely out the window, he's only got a small number of his men and a few assets but he does what is required to make the plan work. The endstate is to clear the enemy positions and establish a beach-head, how he does it is up to him. This is called Mission Command. In the Royal Marines, as an Officer, you get told the endstate (what must be achieved). How you get there is up to you... that is true responsibility and something you should be looking for if you are considering applying for an RM Commission.
Later on in the film, he takes the difficult decision to assault a fixed enemy machine gun position. His Troop want to go round it. Watch the support he recieves from his Tp Sgt (Tom Sizemore's character) and the fact that they then assault the objective. It was his decision to assault the position and he has to live with the consequences, subsequently his medic's death.
If you watch the film again and consider what you would do in those circumstances, it would give you an insight into your abilities. Forget the tactics as you would be taught those, think honestly about how you would react and that will give you an indication of whether you should look at being an Officer or a Marine.
Capt Miller demonstrates that he is brave, decisive and bold throughout the film. He doesn't necessarily agree with the Mission but talks about that only to his Troop Sgt. His men must believe that he fully believes in the Mission...if they don't, he won't get them to do what he asks.
His Sgt (Tom Sizemore) is also excellent. He demonstrates his own leadership ability and rapport with the men whilst being fiercely loyal to the chain of command.
This is an example (albeit an extreme one!) of the Role of an Officer in war. They obviously didn't make a film about the desk driving roles that Officers do because that wouldn't be very interesting!
I don't want this thread to become a review of every war film you've seen but having re-watched the film and considered my role and experiences, I think it is worthy of analysis in helping some of you understand the role of an Officer.
If you are a fan of Band Of Brothers, Capt Richard Winters is very similar. He's a superb Officer. He is friendly with his Soldiers but not over-familiar. He strikes the balance well and understands that being well respected is the most important aspect of the job. He understands that his professional ability (how good he is at his job) breeds the respect of the men in his charge and that is a lesson worth learning as early as possible (it is also why RM Officers do the Commando tests faster than the Marines, as it demonstrates that they can do all that their men can do, and more).
Winters does not socialise with his men, he is not their friend. This can lead to an element of loneliness but that comes with the territory of the job. Remember as an Officer, you are not their friend, you are their Tp Commander. It is an easy thing to forget.
Again, look at Band of Brothers. If you see yourself as one of the lads then you should look at joining as a Marine. If you see yourself more along the lines of a Winters role, look at the Officer career path.
Apologies for the long post, I hope it goes some way to helping people decide which route to take. Ultimately, the POC and AIB will help but this post is designed to help you make the decision before then.
Happy Christmas,
RMRO
