19D vs 11B

Which mos would give me the best opportunity to get into a long range reconnaissance unit?
11B and 25C are the ONLY MOS that can get you into a LRS unit. A few LRS units will allow a 25C on the team, but most teams are limited to 11B. There are very limited opportunities for LRS selection on active duty, most of them having been disbanded or turned into pathfinder companies. The only ones that exist are in BfSBs and in the National Guard. Better to focus on the 25m target of being the best soldier you can be first.
Reed
 
Unless you count Regimental Recon.... and that's like about a 1000m target to be totally honest. 4-8 years on the line having become a Soldier, Paratrooper, then Ranger through the selections and processes inherent in the process of getting your shit... Ranger school, then not suck as a Team and usually Squad Leader..... then pass Recon selection when it comes around.

Good friend is over there. Here's an idea of the general expectations for physical fitness... mind you, this is while on deployment:

300lb bench
405lb DL
230lb power clean
215 lb Hang clean
230lb Front squat
125lb TGU
12 min 2 mile run

Needless to say, blowing the PT test scores out of the water like Hiroshima is basically the standard.

You may think LRS/Recon is a cool thing.. and it really is, there's cool toys and cool things to be done that no-one knows about if you did your job right. But, there's a fuckin hell of a lot of work to get to that point, regardless of the location. NG LRS, Ranger Recon, Marine Recon, other recons... You have to know your shit already before you get taken in the door. You don't just "show up" and become Recon unless your background and training from elsewhere precedes you.

The other thing to realize is that you won't always be LRS/Recon. Regardless of where you are, there's a limited amount of duty positions. Just think about a Infantry platoon, for even Stryker brigades/battalions there's a recon platoon. There was room for 1 LT, 1 PSG, 3 SSG's and 3 SGT's. That was it... and all the duty positions were filled. I was immediately assigned to the Recon platoon because I had 6 years at 3/75 and the 3 trips to the 2 way ranges already under my belt.

Since all the positions were filled, I wasn't going to be promoted within the platoon. A PSG in the line, who was also from 2/75 knew that and raised holy hell to get me out of there to take one of his fire teams... which was appreciated other than once I showed up to the company I had 3 hour notice that we were going to the field for a week, with NO CIF issued gear yet.

My PSG just grinned when I showed up for layout and had everything on the packing list, the only team with no gigs for gear, and even had body armor when all they had issued to that point was flak vests...
 
On the Guard side you could enlist directly into an LRS unit if they had open slots, I'm not sure if that is still allowed and at one time most if not all Guard LRS units had a waiting list; guys were resigning their commissions or taking a voluntary reduction in rank for a slot. We have a few LRS types on the board, Spider 6 recently left an LRS unit as one of their O's, so maybe someone can go into greater detail on that side. Again, unless something changed, all slots on any LRS team are 11B with 25C's in a supporting role, but I'm sure there may be one or two local exceptions. Also, 25C is a dead end MOS. I was recently told it, 25U, and 25L would merge and that would then offer more career progression, but a 25C slot past E-5 used to be rare unless you went to a place like JCU.
 
It's surprising that 19D is not an MOS you would find in a LRS. Why is that? They are scouts, right?
 
Sorry to say this o any 19Ds out there but that job is useless. I almost feel bad for them, they are so similar to 11B yet have none of the opportunities.
 
It's surprising that 19D is not an MOS you would find in a LRS. Why is that? They are scouts, right?

Ah, but look at the MOS: 19 series. I'd be willing to bet there's some doctrine or in-fighting between the Infantry school house and the Armor/ Cav school house. I'd place my money on doctrine or a turf war rather than skill sets.
 
Ca-val-ry scout

not reconnaissance, scout. They have bradleys and TOW'ed out HMMWV's and find shit for the main effort to blow up better. Way different mission and job than LRS.

In battlefield depth they're barely forward of the FLOT, where LRS is way beyond that by doctrine.
 
Ca-val-ry scout

not reconnaissance, scout. They have bradleys and TOW'ed out HMMWV's and find shit for the main effort to blow up better. Way different mission and job than LRS.

In battlefield depth they're barely forward of the FLOT, where LRS is way beyond that by doctrine.

Thanks for the info. :thumbsup:
 
You act like you have a choice between 19D and 11B, when really your choice is between 19D and 11x. If you pick up 11x, then you will be either an 11b or 11c, and guess what, that choice is not up to you. Hate to rain on your parade, but I get irritated at questions like this given my present line of work. Although, your question is better than the guy who told me he either wanted 18b or 11b in his contract...lol...
 
You act like you have a choice between 19D and 11B, when really your choice is between 19D and 11x. If you pick up 11x, then you will be either an 11b or 11c, and guess what, that choice is not up to you. Hate to rain on your parade, but I get irritated at questions like this given my present line of work. Although, your question is better than the guy who told me he either wanted 18b or 11b in his contract...lol...


Understood. Makes perfect since now, sorry for the mistake. So can I get an 11x w/ option 40? Does the 75th use indirect fire? Or would I be sent to a conventional unit if I were assigned an an 11 c
 
I will agree with the rest here, 11 series is your best bet for getting into anything HSLD. NG LRS can be enlisted into, however, you will be sent to another unit unless you become an asset to the unit (i.e. work your way onto a team, hit all your schools and stay out of trouble). If I could rewrite my book, I would have enlisted 11x Opt 40. If I did not make it through RASP or ended up RFS’ed, I would at least know I gave it my best and I would end up on the conventional side already ahead of the game (LRS would be a lot easier if you are BAC Q’ed, had some experiences in 75th, etc).

19D (no offense to anyone) is about the most under used asset in the Army and although most are well trained, they are not as well trained as they are taught to believe they are. I would only consider 19D if I could get a choice of duty station (i.e. FT Bragg, FT Campbell, etc) somewhere I knew I was going to get BAC, and some other HSLD schools. However, being a new enlistee, I don’t think you would get a choice of duty station.

Don’t buy into the bullshit recruiter crap that you can “try out” for Airborne or Rangers, Special Forces, etc. You get it in the contract or you will end up in a Mech unit, cleaning Bradley’s on a daily bases…
 
I can speak from personal experience in a LRS unit, Cav guys make a R&S squadron that really just provide support for the LRS company.

Get airborne in your contract more then likely you'll go to Bragg, be a god at pt and try and go to division LRS or their BfSB LRS
 
Currently I'm training to be a Scout Leader, I'm in the tactics phase of ABOLC and I cannot tell you how much stuff there is that we have to focus on. By Doctrine and not necessarily practice when ME is halted CAV set up defensive screen lines, however they conduct recce in zone when the ME is advancing. That's doctrine, LRS units missions are much different they're out there much further ahead of CAV Scouts where only CAS and CCA have a chance of supporting them if they get into it. But like CAV Scouts their best weapon is the radio, CAV Scouts are supposed to be sneaky and not get engaged beyond their capabilities.

However, based on doctrine within Cavalry Squadrons and their Cavalry Troops they have Reconnaissance Platoons. The FM that Reconnaissance PLs operate out of is titled FM 3-20.98 Reconnaissance and Scout Platoon.

The BFSB Cav Squadrons have a cavalry troop and one LRS Troop...what I don't understand is how they're all from the same Regiment but are MTOEd as ABC troops...makes no sense to me at all. Another side was a guy in my class was like hey I'm going to this unit they has a LRS Troop can I get these schools...blah blah blah. That is neither here nor there...but when I began reading this it seemed like an appendage measuring contest.

They're are plenty of 19Ds around here that would beg to differ on the opinion that their job is useless and calling it such is disrespectful.
 
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