I'm just going to have to take it little by little. I've always been set on becoming a marine officer... but I've recently gotten into Special operations. I'm just trying to create my path so I can have a solid baseline on what I have to do to be in special operations and a pilot
Any way for Marine pilots to serve Marine Special Operations?
- Thread starter DC1220
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Why not be a Marine Infantry Officer, try out to be a MARSOC officer and obtain a private pilots license? Why do you want to be an officer and why special operations?
My initial plan was to become a marine pilot and then fly commercially... special operations is something I've looked to to for so long... I've known many RECON Marines and some MARSOC Raiders they always tell me that special operations was the best job they've ever had..I want to have that experience so I can share a bond with them that only a selected few have the privilege of sharing
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...sigh...
Over the years I've read hundreds of posts similar to yours, and they all end with the same basic simple advice:
- figure out which service you want to join
- figure out want job or jobs you'd want to do within that service other than "special anything"
- move on from there
Based on the real, honest to goodness odds of a man first getting the opportunity, then getting selected, then making it through training withing being dropped, injured, or quitting, I will never for the life of me understand why folks join a particular branch with their only motivation being that they want to be "special". I'm not questioning your heart or desire, but just based on what you've said so far, I do question if you really do know what you want.
I visualize today's generation, surfing the net, reading though the various service websites about their particular SOF options, and narrowing it down like kids reading through the Sears catalog at Christmas. What if you don't get what you really want for Christmas? Better have an option or two for mom and dad to buy, otherwise it will be a long lonely winter.
I'm not trying to veer too far out of my lane, but I don't think you are understanding part of what they are trying to tell you.
DC1220,
Here's my advice to you. Instead of repeatedly making yourself sound stupid on a message board, take more time and figure out what you want to do. Marine, officer, aviator, special operations aviator, special operator, FAC, whatever...there is so much open source information on the internet it is sickening (in my opinion). You can Google any of the above topics and find enough information to help you in your research and in making the right decision for your future to keep you occupied for years. Read it all. Think about it hard. Then, any dying unanswerable questions you might still have can probably be answered here. With that being said though, some things in the military you just cannot know until you commit to. It's the nature of the beast, and it's driven by desire. Find your path and see it through.
Good luck.
Here's my advice to you. Instead of repeatedly making yourself sound stupid on a message board, take more time and figure out what you want to do. Marine, officer, aviator, special operations aviator, special operator, FAC, whatever...there is so much open source information on the internet it is sickening (in my opinion). You can Google any of the above topics and find enough information to help you in your research and in making the right decision for your future to keep you occupied for years. Read it all. Think about it hard. Then, any dying unanswerable questions you might still have can probably be answered here. With that being said though, some things in the military you just cannot know until you commit to. It's the nature of the beast, and it's driven by desire. Find your path and see it through.
Good luck.
And you've already excluded one for the other with that goal. Why? It goes back to planning.
Fly commercial rotary wing? Those jobs exist, but more are fixed wing. Fixed wing Special Operations Aviation? That's Air Force. I have a friend who is about to retire after 8 years enlisted and 12 flying Seahawks/ Blackhawks (during an exchange tour with the Army in Iraq) and he had to go through school to pay for his commercial rating...being some Sierra Hotel Navy pilot is irrelevant because of FAA requirements. So, fixed wing Marine aviation means you might land a coveted S-3 Air or FAC slot. Quickly doing the math will tell you how many of those slots exist.
At some point you have to "pays your money and takes your chances" becase you may find one goal excludes you from another OR increases already long odds.
Another point to consider: In '95 I went to a college where 20-25% of the ROTC graduates had a slot at the Navy's Primary Flight School in Pensacola. Class of '96 had almost 50% achieve the same thing. Why? Budget cutbacks saw aircrew leaving in droves. At least one Surface Warfare Officer from '94 reclassed into aviation because of the lack of pilots, but "right place, right time" for him. Also, only a certain percentage of OCS grads will see flight school because of how those slots are doled out. X % for that service's Academy, Y % for ROTC (and that's for the whole of ROTC, not on a per school basis), and Z % for OCS (again, for all classes that year, not for each class).
Sorting out a career is like a jigsaw puzzle and right now you possess about 10% of the pieces but think you know what the picture looks like.
Thank you to all who have replied, I will take the information you have all given me, and include it to my research. I know I may have sounded like an idiot at times, but I don't know everything yet, I still have a while to go and I do apologize for the small amount of information I know. I just want to get the best answers I can get, not only from those in the special operations community, but from those who are or were in the military and have experience in the field. I feel like my focus should be on obtaining my commission. I know it’s going to be a long time until I'll get to fly in the Marines and it's not going to be an easy road, but no matter what happens, whether I become a Special Operator or not, I will be proud not only to be a Marine, but to serve my country with honor as so many of you have done already.
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None of us know "everything" yet. If you ever , one day, look around and decide you know everything; on that day you will be lost. I expect, that if you make it to the ranks of Marine Aviator, you will find that you are already in a very special place. Few make the decision to serve in our nation's miliary, just doing that brings you into a very unique brotherhood. What I guess I am trying to underline here, is to not sell short active military, in and of itself. It will demand much from you, more than some have to offer. Best of luck in your plans.
Apparently, you do not know what you are talking about, and have an attitude, to boot. Quit arguing, use initiative to educate yourself, form cogent and well researched posts that ask for clarification rather than ... "Tell me about...."
Pay attention to your capitalization, spelling, grammar, punctuation and usage. And no excuses about typing too fast on a mobile device. Attention to detail and clarity of communication are key as an officer or an SOF member.
