# Question for all Special Operations men



## Art Vandelay (Sep 27, 2018)

What was the most informative school or course you took throughout your time in the service? I.E. Ranger School, SERE, Sniper School, ect


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## DasBoot (Sep 27, 2018)

Quarterly SHARP training. “Do not rape”- gets me every time...


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## DZ (Sep 27, 2018)

DasBoot said:


> Quarterly SHARP training. “Do not rape”- gets me every time...


+1
Annual Cyber Awareness is a close second.


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## Kraut783 (Sep 27, 2018)

Infosec?


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## Cookie_ (Sep 27, 2018)

@DasBoot and @DeadZeppelin, y'all know the best course is the one SSG Jones taught.


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## Teufel (Sep 27, 2018)

DeadZeppelin said:


> +1
> Annual Cyber Awareness is a close second.


Beat me to it.


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## Cookie_ (Sep 27, 2018)

Ok, to give you a non-joke answer. 

The best training I got in the army, wasn't military centric. Did a course called Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), after we had a soldier in our unit hang herself.

I've used the lessons from that training much more than I ever expected, both in and out of the army.


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## Marauder06 (Sep 28, 2018)

Grad school.  Not a joke reply.


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## x SF med (Sep 28, 2018)

No kidding, one of the most demanding and informative and scary non SF courses I took was Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense - 3 weeks of holy shit this is bad.


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## SOSTCRNA (Sep 28, 2018)

Marauder06 said:


> Grad school.  Not a joke reply.



Yes, went to CRNA school on the Air Force' dime.  Extremely challenging and life changing.


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## “The Old Man” (Dec 10, 2018)

Art Vandelay said:


> What was the most informative school or course you took throughout your time in the service? I.E. Ranger School, SERE, Sniper School, ect


ACLS in NBC environments at DPG.


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## Bypass (Dec 10, 2018)

You guys actually paid attention. I was just waiting for the next smoke break,

On a serious note. I liked the combat lifesaver course. I almost caused a guy to bleed to death giving him an IV. Blood was everywhere.


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## “The Old Man” (Dec 10, 2018)

Bypass said:


> You guys actually paid attention. I was just waiting for the next smoke break,
> 
> On a serious note. I liked the combat lifesaver course. I almost caused a guy to bleed to death giving him an IV. Blood was everywhere.


Ditto here.


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## BloodStripe (Dec 11, 2018)

My arm looked worse than a 10 year veteran of heroin following our combat lifesaver course. I'd rather be OC sprayed again than let another grunt dig around in my arm again.


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## Viper1 (Dec 12, 2018)

Art Vandelay said:


> What was the most informative school or course you took throughout your time in the service? I.E. Ranger School, SERE, Sniper School, ect



Ranger School.

Best, most professionally ran course that showed me how far the mind can push the body? SERE. #lifeskills (Don't ask for more info. I'm not saying anything else). Go experience it.


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## Cannon850 (Feb 11, 2019)

Most informative=SERE hands down. Most fun=Special Operations Master Mountaineer Course, can't beat a 6 week ski vacation in the rockies!


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## medicchick (Feb 11, 2019)

BloodStripe said:


> My arm looked worse than a 10 year veteran of heroin following our combat lifesaver course. I'd rather be OC sprayed again than let another grunt dig around in my arm again.


Civilian medics in training aren't much better.  I had several months of wearing long sleeves so people wouldn't think I was a junkie.


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## RockHard13F (Feb 12, 2019)

Combat Lifesaver with the TCCC add on. Have done it once with the military, and once again with my current employer.  Most useful course I've attended, and have several times both in and outside the service put it to use.


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## Hillclimb (Feb 12, 2019)

Any demolition course. Cant beat free data to build your decision making model/breachers log book.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Feb 12, 2019)

Not a SOF guy. Informative would be going through and then working as an assistant instructor in a Isolated persons/personnel recovery course. I would agree CLS, Adv-CLS and TC3 were the most important and useful courses outside of MOS specific stuff. 

Did a LOT of tactical law enforcement courses over the years that were very helpful in finding different ways to do things (TTPs, personal skills, etc). Also attended some driving schools that were really informative, but not specifically military orientated (more PMC, PSD type stuff).


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## “The Old Man” (Feb 12, 2019)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> Not a SOF guy. Informative would be going through and then working as an assistant instructor in a Isolated persons/personnel recovery course. I would agree CLS, Adv-CLS and TC3 were the most important and useful courses outside of MOS specific stuff.
> 
> Did a LOT of tactical law enforcement courses over the years that were very helpful in finding different ways to do things (TTPs, personal skills, etc). Also attended some driving schools that were really informative, but not specifically military orientated (more PMC, PSD type stuff).


You would have loved going through the training we had had at Detrick. The protocols were still being written in 1980 for us on the SMART-AIT. By the leading biological research and epidemiology experts at the time. For the recovery of personnel in active bio-containment. The equipment has changed and, the Air Force now fills that role with their CCATS. Be interesting to see first hand how the program has grown. When my unit de-commissioned in 2010 we had 2 teams. To respond to calls around the globe at a moment's notice. CCATS has 6 teams dedicated to this specific recovery process.
I know that I loved my job and, would not trade that experience for anything. Funny thing is I started out to go SF with an H4 contract in 1979. I opted out of SFAS to "volunteer" to go to USAMRIID. We got to see, train for and, respond to some pretty exotic stuff. The African jungle doesn't care what color of headgear you wear. Or whether or not, you're a "SOF guy".  We had probably the most unknown intel agency around then, USAMIIA. In a command that no longer exists. Our teams did some pretty special operations. Does that make us "special", probably not now. With an SO designator attached to every MOS there is now. Probably have special ops mailroom clerks now.


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## Devildoc (Feb 12, 2019)

Tactical driving, taught by secret service.  To this day I use those skills.  Kinda what @Diamondback 2/2  mentioned.  MC assault climber course.  Not my only course at the MC mountain warfare training center, but definitely my favorite.  My two faves, anyway.


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## Brill (Feb 12, 2019)

Language training hands down. Kept my shit off episode of “Locked Up Abroad”. Fucking Garmin.


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