# Hypothetically Speaking....



## goon175 (Oct 17, 2011)

I was thinking about this earlier tonight, and figured maybe it would make for good internet conversation. Given your personality, interests, internal drive for excellence, etc., If you had not joined the military and persued the route into the SOF world, what would you have seen yourself doing? Obviously, our own respective experiences, trials, tribulations in the military have played no small part in who we are today. I just think it would be interesting to see what the SF soldiers, SEALs, PJ's, CSO's etc. would have seen themselves doing had they not taken the path they did.

Me personally: I would have ended up in sales, I think. What in sales? I'm not sure. I think I would have been pretty succesful though, if I do say so myself...


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## Brill (Oct 17, 2011)

Aspiring porn star.


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## TLDR20 (Oct 17, 2011)

I honestly do not know! I really wanted to be in the military. I would prolly be a pot head surfer. It is what I was before I joined. I don't think I would have done well in school, wasn't very disciplined(unlike all our studly aspiring SOF guys on here) . I really do not know. That is food for thought though, good thread.


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## parallel (Oct 18, 2011)

I didn't possess the drive for excellence until a few years AFTER I joined the Navy. It was shortly before my entry into NAVSPECWAR via SBU-20 that I woke up. Interestingly enough, I joined the Navy to be an Illustrator Draftsman, but the rate closed while I was in bootcamp. A bit over five years after I got out of the Navy I got my degree in Drafting and Design Technology and was moving on to Naval Architecture when Hurricane Katrina changed everything. I guess what I'm saying is that I don't think that I would have amounted to much of anything without the discipline instilled in me by joining the Navy and specifically by becoming a member of SBU-20.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 18, 2011)

I probably would have been designing Web pages or something else Internet-related.


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## moobob (Oct 18, 2011)

Degenerate gambler.


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## Muppet (Oct 19, 2011)

I have no clue. I always wanted to be in medicine. The whole family was in medicine from dad and mom to grand dad. I would prolly be where I am at now but I gained a WHOLE lot of experience from being in the service. Hell, dad was a flight medic in nam, mom a nurse in nam and granddad a medic in WW2. It was in the blood.

F.M.


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## JHawk (Nov 9, 2011)

I'll start off by saying... I'm not SOF... (at least not yet) but in my humble opinion. I don't think anyone in SOF was predestined for it or anything great for that matter. I think it was that they were afforded certain opportunities, and that they were stubborn/crazy enough to believe they could do it and willed their way through it.

I think we are all just victims of circumstance that on occasion have the ability to will ourselves through certain situations.

But great men are not born, they are made. And it was through circumstance, will, and dedication that I believe most in SOF are made.

With that said, had I not joined the Army, I'd probably be working at McDonalds/In a factory/On a farm (assuming I could get a job in this economy) back home, getting stoned with my other deadbeat friends. But thankfully circumstance has put me in a place where I can at least SEE the stepping stones to where I now know I want to be. Now I just have to will my way there.


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## dknob (Nov 9, 2011)

Archaeologist believe it or not


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## x SF med (Nov 9, 2011)

Itinerant Sailing Bum, degenerate Backpacker, and Lush....


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## JustAnotherJ (Nov 9, 2011)

cback0220 said:


> I honestly do not know! I really wanted to be in the military. I would prolly be a pot head surfer. It is what I was before I joined. I don't think I would have done well in school, wasn't very disciplined(unlike all our studly aspiring SOF guys on here) . I really do not know. That is food for thought though, good thread.



Same.  Except I _wasn't_ doing well in school and had no discipline whatsoever.  Hell, my life tetered on the edge of some of these #Occupy people.  Then I realized that being a "hand-out demanding douchebag" wasn't the way I wanted to live my life, so I grabbed my balls and went PJ.

Now that I've seen the world for what it really is, I fully endorse killing people:)


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## CDG (Nov 9, 2011)

JustAnotherJ said:


> Same. Except I _wasn't_ doing well in school and had no discipline whatsoever. Hell, my life tetered on the edge of some of these #Occupy people. Then I realized that being a "hand-out demanding douchebag" wasn't the way I wanted to live my life, so I grabbed my balls and went PJ.



I really appreciate the candor you and some of the other SOF personnel have shown in this thread. I have been on other SOF-oriented boards where the SOF veterans acted as though they were born in a ghillie suit, were pulling perfect PFT scores by the age of 11, and had made their first thousand yard headshot by the time they hit high school . It's refreshing to hear that some of you were in rough places and overcame it to accomplish what you have.


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## Cochise (Nov 9, 2011)

Starving musician.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Nov 9, 2011)

I was a licensed plumber before I joined the Army (never served in SOF though), I actually took a massive pay cut joining (from $73K to roughly $25k). I had always wanted to be a soldier and a small town cop (Andy Griffith type small town), I may still do the small town cop thing when I get a little older.


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## Manolito (Nov 10, 2011)

I was not SOF but choices were a little different then you could choose to enlist which I did or you could wait for the letter Greetings From Your Local Draft Board.


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## SpitfireV (Nov 10, 2011)

If I may drift the topic a little bit, I think if I hadn't eventually gone into LE I would have been some kind of writer, probably investigative journalism or travel. I'd still like to do some professional writing.


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## Ranger Psych (Nov 10, 2011)

probably be working at "insert silicon valley upstart in need of mercenary geek"


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## RackMaster (Nov 10, 2011)

I'd probably be a ranch hand shovelling shit and living in a trailer.  That or dead...  I'm gonna go with the alive choice though.


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## TLDR20 (Nov 10, 2011)

CDG said:


> I really appreciate the candor you and some of the other SOF personnel have shown in this thread. I have been on other SOF-oriented boards where the SOF veterans acted as though they were born in a ghillie suit, were pulling perfect PFT scores by the age of 11, and had made their first thousand yard headshot by the time they hit high school . It's refreshing to hear that some of you were in rough places and overcame it to accomplish what you have.



This was the point I was making with my "studly SOF mentorees" quip. If you havent been there you really have no idea what to expect. You cannot really prepare for a kick in the nuts. Yeah you can do PT. I did a bit before I joined. You can prep your feet(any idiot can do this just follow my guidance). But really all our studly aspiring SOF guys should be doing things they will not be able to do and will miss when they are freezing at Cole Range. Or knee deep in other people puke. Or bobbing in the Pacific Ocean. I saw the other SOF forums where they are all about PT test scores and all that shit. But when it boils down to it, other than the must pass tests, it is 99% mental. And you cannot build mental toughness. That is all.


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## dknob (Nov 10, 2011)

CDG said:


> I really appreciate the candor you and some of the other SOF personnel have shown in this thread. I have been on other SOF-oriented boards where the SOF veterans acted as though they were born in a ghillie suit, were pulling perfect PFT scores by the age of 11, and had made their first thousand yard headshot by the time they hit high school . It's refreshing to hear that some of you were in rough places and overcame it to accomplish what you have.


must be PS.com


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## dknob (Nov 10, 2011)

cback0220 said:


> Lets try and not bash other sites directly. Many here are members other places as well. Each site has something specific to offer. All can be helpful.


lol I didnt bash!

I was expressing my awe of PS members in the fact that they were born wearing ghillies and killing terrorists before the age of 13.


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## dknob (Nov 10, 2011)

and btw, I was referring to the folks over at PowerLine Systems (http://ps.com/)


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## dknob (Nov 10, 2011)

im still laughing very hard right now that you liked the very post you flogged me for..
lmfao


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## CDG (Nov 10, 2011)

dknob said:


> must be PS.com



Actually, not the specific site I had in mind.  I understand where all the sites are coming from in wanting a place to network with brothers, but I feel that some of them should just drop the pretense and make it a requirement that you're vetted SOF, or personally recommended, to join.


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## CDG (Nov 10, 2011)

cback0220 said:


> Also I wasn't in a rough spot, I was out surfing every day and getting in trouble by the truckload. Trying(and mostly failing) to get laid every night. Shit was sweet. My life was way cooler before the military. Looking back I am suprised I joined. I would go back and tell myself to just keep banging 18 year old blonde surfer groupies. But alas here I am on a plane into a warzone. Funny how life works out.



I was meaning the fact that you were surfing and getting into trouble as opposed to reading the History of Every Military Action Ever, while holding the leaning rest, with a Judo Black Belt kicking you in the ribs. I have yet to see that attitude displayed on this board and it is why I am here so often. The SOF members of this board strike a great balance between explaining and demonstrating the difficulties and needed discipline to be in SOF, while at the same time not taking themselves too seriously.


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## TLDR20 (Nov 10, 2011)

dknob said:


> im still laughing very hard right now that you liked the very post you flogged me for..
> lmfao



Just because it is true lol. But I don't want to go down that road.


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## Arrow 4 (Nov 15, 2011)

Great thread. At the end of high school I knew I didn't want to go to college, did not want to live at home and knew I was too lazy to make it without structure. I wished I had known more about the military when I first joined. When the recruiter was reading off the list of what I qualified for from my ASVAB scores I keyed in on Military Police. I thought hey that would be cool to go around breaking up bar fights.
I wish I had understood about combat arms MOS' and about SF. When I went joined in 1980 though it seemed like all of the 11B's and alike were dopers. I'm sure that was not really true, but that was the impression I got. The bottom line is without the military I would have turned out to be a P.O.S.


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## surgicalcric (Nov 16, 2011)

dknob said:


> must be PS.com



Huh...I was gonna ArmyRanger.com...  ;)


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## dknob (Nov 16, 2011)

surgicalcric said:


> Huh...I was gonna ArmyRanger.com... ;)


BOTH!!!


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## x SF med (Nov 16, 2011)

CDG said:


> ... reading the History of Every Military Action Ever, while holding the leaning rest, with a Judo Black Belt kicking you in the ribs. ...



Hell, that was kindergarden for Crip...  in Grammar school he used to light himself on fire and run ten miles, then eat breakfast, then spar wit hChuck Norris and win....  We can't talk about Crip's High School. that's classified TS/SCI-Cosmic/Blue...  we'd have to kill you and then burn the body after cutting off your head and welding it into a titanium safe and sinkinkg it in the Marianas Trench if I said any more...  Crip makes wolfgang hammersmith look like a pansy.

:-"

(I am gonna get so blasted by Crip for this one...)


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## TLDR20 (Nov 16, 2011)

x SF med said:


> Hell, that was kindergarden for Crip...  in Grammar school he used to light himself on fire and run ten miles, then eat breakfast, then spar wit hChuck Norris and win....  We can't talk about Crip's High School. that's classified TS/SCI-Cosmic/Blue...  we'd have to kill you and then burn the body after cutting off your head and welding it into a titanium safe and sinkinkg it in the Marianas Trench if I said any more...  Crip makes wolfgang hammersmith look like a pansy.
> 
> :-"
> 
> (I am gonna get so blasted by Crip for this one...)



Might be your best post yet old man! I liked the reference to Wolfgang Pieceoshit!


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## x SF med (Nov 16, 2011)

cback0220 said:


> Might be your best post yet old man! I liked the reference to Wolfgang Pieceoshit!



I had to make you smile today...  you seemed a bit grumpy.   It's all true about Crip though.  Really.


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## CDG (Nov 16, 2011)

x SF med said:


> Hell, that was kindergarden for Crip... in Grammar school he used to light himself on fire and run ten miles, then eat breakfast, then spar wit hChuck Norris and win.... We can't talk about Crip's High School. that's classified TS/SCI-Cosmic/Blue... we'd have to kill you and then burn the body after cutting off your head and welding it into a titanium safe and sinkinkg it in the Marianas Trench if I said any more... Crip makes wolfgang hammersmith look like a pansy.
> 
> :-"
> 
> (I am gonna get so blasted by Crip for this one...)



That's one of the things I admire most about Crip, his humbleness.  He said he only used to run 8 miles after setting himself on fire.

And no one, and I mean NO ONE, makes the vaunted Wolfgang Hammersmith look like a pansy.  When I saw the vicious lies you and your ilk on PS.com were spreading about him I very nearly called David Oh and John Letuli to come have a chat with you guys.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 16, 2011)

In the genre of invented names, Wolfgang Hammersmith is good but it can't hold a candle to "Dalton Fury" or my all-time favorite, "Myke Hawke".


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## CDG (Nov 16, 2011)

Marauder06 said:


> In the genre of invented names, Wolfgang Hammersmith is good but it can't hold a candle to "*Dalton Fury"* or my all-time favorite, "Myke Hawke".



It suddenly occurred to me that the inspiration for this name very easily could have come from "Road House". Hmmm......  Is Patrick Swayze Dalton Fury?


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## x SF med (Nov 16, 2011)

CDG said:


> That's one of the things I admire most about Crip, his humbleness. He said he only used to run 8 miles after setting himself on fire.
> 
> And no one, and I mean NO ONE, makes the vaunted Wolfgang Hammersmith look like a pansy. When I saw the vicious lies you and your ilk on PS.com were spreading about him I very nearly called David Oh and John Letuli to come have a chat with you guys.



You are disputing my claims that my brother 18D (careful, there are 3 of us here, plus a CWO who used to be an 18D... that's the brainpower of an Infantry Division, all 3 Ranger Bn's, or the USMC en toto) is 1. harder than woodpecker lips and 2. worth 5,753 wofie hammeredshits?  Them's fightin words....  Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.  

And, why in the name of all that is sacred did you mention oh and letuli?     You might as well mention dalton fury and mike yawn...

Shouldn't you be reading War through the Ages, the Power of Personality in War, On Killing, Men in Arms, Warrior Healers, the art of Warfare and the Go Rin No Sho while rucking and doing pushups at the same time - while preparing to swim the widest part of the Susgehannah River on the coldest day of the year, naked, after eating 3 pounds of ergot tainted wheat?  and then doing something productive?

Kids.


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## x SF med (Nov 16, 2011)

Mara got fury, and trumped it with myke hawke...  hawke is truly annoying, always has been, always will be...


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## CDG (Nov 16, 2011)

x SF med said:


> You are disputing my claims that my brother 18D (careful, there are 3 of us here, plus a CWO who used to be an 18D... that's the brainpower of an Infantry Division, all 3 Ranger Bn's, or the USMC en toto) is 1. harder than woodpecker lips and 2. worth 5,753 wofie hammeredshits?  Them's fightin words.... Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.
> Negative.  I was merely adding to the legend by giving an example of the extreme humbleness shown by Crip in not admitting his true greatness to a lowly groupie such as moi.
> And, why in the name of all that is sacred did you mention oh and letuli? You might as well mention dalton fury and mike yawn...
> I was going to, but the officer beat me to it.  He then proceeded to take the credit for inventing those names, and even made a PowerPoint replete with graphs, bars, and pie charts showing he is the indisputable king of made-up poser names.
> ...


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## Marauder06 (Nov 16, 2011)

I love the name Myke Hawke.  I'm just jealous I didn't come up with it as a literary pseudonym first.


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## surgicalcric (Nov 16, 2011)

How the hell did I get brought into this discussion...


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## pardus (Nov 16, 2011)




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## CDG (Nov 16, 2011)

surgicalcric said:


> How the hell did I get brought into this discussion...









     :-"


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## Nasty (Nov 17, 2011)

I think that I would have gone into politics or pimping; no, wait, same thing.


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## x SF med (Nov 17, 2011)

surgicalcric said:


> How the hell did I get brought into this discussion...



Because you are the bionic 18D...


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