First Post

[AP9419]

How is your PT?

Right now mediocre.
I've got a ~8 min. mile, but I've started running a lot more and am working that down.
I've always been a good swimmer, grew up on Lake Michigan. Last clocked time was 8:58 500m.
Can do 91 sit ups in 2 min.
Only about 6 pull ups - 6'4" makes them difficult.
I have started to also hit the gym consistently to get those sit-ups and pull-ups numbers up as well as build general strength.

 

[pardus]

Right now mediocre.
I've got a ~8 min. mile, but I've started running a lot more and am working that down.
I've always been a good swimmer, grew up on Lake Michigan. Last clocked time was 8:58 500m.
Can do 91 sit ups in 2 min.
Only about 6 pull ups - 6'4" makes them difficult.
I have started to also hit the gym consistently to get those sit-ups and pull-ups numbers up as well as build general strength.

What do you weigh?

 

[AP9419]

What do you weigh?

179 pounds as of 20 seconds ago.

 

[pardus]

You are skinny. At your height you should be running a lot faster and pulling a lot more. Push yourself harder.




p.s. I'm not SOF

 

[AP9419]

You are skinny. At your height you should be running a lot faster and pulling a lot more. Push yourself harder.




p.s. I'm not SOF

I'll work harder.

SOF or not I appreciate your willingness to respond and help. Thank you.

 

[SkrewzLoose]

Eat more.

I'm well over 6' tall also. No excuse for not being able to do many pull ups. Does it suck? Yes. Same thing with push ups. I hated the guys who were 5'6" and could knock out 100+ without breaking a sweat. I'll take my height any day of the week though.

 

[Hillclimb]

Eat more.

I'm well over 6' tall also. No excuse for not being able to do many pull ups. Does it suck? Yes. Same thing with push ups. I hated the guys who were 5'6" and could knock out 100+ without breaking a sweat. I'll take my height any day of the week though.

+1

He's young, those numbers will go up in no time. I got back to the gym after taking all of thanksgiving week off and afterwards I said, "man, I just dont bounce back like I used to." lmao. Getting old sucks

 

[TH15]

Only about 6 pull ups - 6'4" makes them difficult.

If you want to improve on your pull ups go out and buy one of the pull up bars you can hang on your door. Hang it on a door in your house/apartment and just do sets throughout the day. I've been doing that for over a year and a half now, and you should be pulling at least 10 in no time.

 

[Yoshi]

"describing your specific SOF goals, the research you have done on those goals, the steps you have already taken to meet them, and what you see as your current plan of action."

My ultimate goal is Pararescue. I have been lurking on this site, and Specialtactics.com, for half a year soaking in as much information as I can while preparing for the PAST. I have read "None Braver" so far and plan on reading more once I can afford the books. I have seen pretty much every video on Youtube about Pararescue and its pipeline. My current step is PT of course, my scores are probably pretty pathetic at the moment so I will not bother posting them. However, I start crossfit in January to learn proper form for exercises and then on to Rescueathlete.com. One of my chief concerns (besides of course the grueling mental and physical anguish ) is my eyesight. I have to check with an Optometrist but I believe my eyes are worse than 20/200. From my research that pretty much leaves PRK as my only option, I am going to speak to a knowledgeable recruiter soon about this. Until then I will continue to PT and learn from threads, discussions, and you the mentor.

 

[Deadtorights]

I desire to be apart of SOF because I want to save lives. The desire to be a Pararescueman just so happens to lie within SOF. I want to be your teammate because I want to be responsible for someone that is willing to die for me, for I am also willing to die for you so that I can save your life and the lives of others, if the ultimate sacrifice occurs; then it does. I don't deserve to be in SOF, I must earn my way into the life style, the culture. I must earn the respect of others through my performance and being humble; accountability of my faults.

I want to be the best that "I" can possibly be to help out the men and women that are willing to die for our country. I am willing and able( not completely yet; PT standards), but since I am willing and have a desire to be a PJ, it would be a waste of abilities if I didn't attempt(not "just to see how hard it is" mentality, because I want it) . Someone needs help and I am willing and capable of going out there to help them(Indoc and Pipeline will see if I'm capable).

I also want to be apart of SOF because I am single. I want to lessen the burden(deployments) on such courageous and highly motivated married SOF members because they have families(children, wife). If I can go and take their place for a bit, their families don't have to worry so much. SOF is very noble, the military in general is very noble, but I believe my calling is with Pararescue.

 

[8654Maine]

I vetted this w/ cback, so here goes. If this feels harsh, wait til the real thing happens.
This is a great idea for a thread. I have some suggestions to the aspirants:

(1) For all those who aspire to do the deed, get your terms, grammar, punctuation and nomenclature correct. Marine is capitalized. SF is Army. Be accurate. You better not fuck up an AAR because you don't know how to put cogent thoughts together. Some of you lack critical writing skills.
(2) You may WISH, WANT, NEED, or HAVE to pass selection. However, remember that those instructors are also looking at you as future team members. The instructors are continually asking themselves if you are worthy to protect their 6. Bring something worthwhile to the table.
(3) Stop with this "If I can't get into X, I'll try Y." No unit is a stepping stone. We may debate hotly over beers and settle it occasionally w/fists, but in the end, we are brothers. Don't even fucking think of going MARSOC/Recon as a second choice. All the other services feel the same way.
(4) I am an almost 50 y.o. cripple and still do 8 min miles. You youngin's had better do better than this old man. Never do the minimum. Almost guaranteed to fail.

 

[12B]

Guys, to reiterate and expound on cback's posting - enjoy your youth, experience things - the most boring people I met were the 'ultimately focused' individuals who had everything planned out and stuck to it, come hell or high water. Life is fluid, plans need contingencies, and, because it does happen, sometimes you choose to give up what you love for who you love - whether that choice is right or wrong in the distant future. Be who you are, surprisingly, you will change - and if you do join the military you will change a lot. You may change enough that sheeple will not understand who you are, can't understand who you are or why you do what you do.

Relish your youth, be kids/teens/stupid college students - learn - experience - fail - try again. And laugh, always remember to laugh - some of you guys are too serious - embrace your stupidity and laugh at yourselves - it proves your wisdom if you can laugh at yourself.

Everything you miss now is lost, reduce the regrets you will have by increasing the good memories to carry you through the times you need them.

One final thought - never, ever, ever compromise your Honor or Integrity, be stupid, but keep your Honor and Integrity. If you fuck up, fess up and then offer to fix it.

Now go do PT. Preferably with your girlfriend.

I wish someone had told me something like this when I was in High School. Now that I'm in the Army I wish I had spent my time doing normal teen things. It is what it is now, and I try to spend my off duty time enjoying life and my family. There is some excellent advice on here.

 

[x SF med]

i wish someone had told me something like this when i was in high school. now that im in the army i wish i had spent my time doing normal teen things. it is what it is now and i try to spend my off duty time enjoying life and my family. there is some excellent advice on here.

12B... Professionalism starts with Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation and Capitalization. Although these appear to be 'little things', details and attention to them are the hallmark of a true professional.

 

[12B]

You are right. I will correct that.

 

[NBC-Guy]

Since posting my Official Introduction, I will throw my motivations into this thread as well. In the Summer of 1998, I was living in Pusan getting ready for my Freshman year of High School. I already had a spot on the Varsity Basketball team and spent most of that Summer walking to and from the gym to play. Just about every other day, an older Gentlemen would pull along side me a cruise with his window down. He was sharp with his aviator glasses and pressed Class B's. Every time he saw me he would throw a sales pitch at me to get me into the JROTC Program. After about two weeks, I decided to join up and added JROTC to my list of classes. As I entered my first JROTC Class, I noticed that this Gentleman was a retired CSM and had a Green Beret on his desk. On his wall was an old black and white issue of the Stars and Stripes with that had a picture of him shaking hands with a released American POW in Vietnam. Through that year in Pusan I learned a lot from CSM J and never really asked him about Vietnam or his past. But what I did see was his level of dedication to turn us immature kids into future Leaders of tomorrow. It wasn't until after he passed that I had the opportunity to learn what he had done over his time in the Military. I was in awe of the man he was and had continued to be until his last breath.

A few years later I ended up getting a girlfriend who's father just so happened to be in the Special Forces. Initially, there was a fear factor but as the years went on we grew pretty close. He and I talked a lot and it was good to have a male role model of that level when away from my family during College. The girl and I are no longer together, but the impression her father has left on me is one of great magnitude. I recently reinitiated contact with him to let him know that I am back on the path to achieving the Dream.

Looking back, I had the opportunity to pursue the Rep63 but didn't look too hard into it. I was in college and wanted to get money for school and a bonus in a short time. I opted for 74D (Chemical Ops Spec), the same MOS as my Father. At OSUT I earned Platoon Honor Graduate and went off to do the Chemical thing at my Guard unit. In '06 I was deployed to Camp Cropper and was able to link up with a buddy from AIT that was a CBRN NCO with 10SFG (A). He got me onto the compound where we caught up quite a bit. From '08 - '10 I was Active Duty as an OCT and developed a love ofTraining people which only made me further interested in Special Forces. In winter of '09 I attended WLC at JBLM where I graduated as a Distinguished Honor Graduate, Leadership Award Winner, and was the Commandant's list. In the winter of '11, I returned to my Guard unit and became a Squad Leader where I take great pride in developing and mentoring my peers and subordinates.

I have gotten pretty close to following thru on the Dream, but as in my other introduction thread, I put it on the back burner for the family. I attended a pre-selection and did decent for only having two weeks of prep ( I was on AD and a friend made contact with 19th and we were able to get in on short notice). The great thing is that I learned what the standard was and more importantly learned my weaknesses. Over the years, I have battled injuries and not worked out as hard as I should've. My body is finally healed up and the fire is burning hot from within. This Fall I will be going back for another try out with A CO 1/19 (A) and will be sure to report in on the SITREP Thread.

 

[tweeder]

Hello all,

I am currently contracted with 3/20 SFG(A) as a Rep-63 with a ship date of 20130805. My motivation to become an SF Solider originated with me wanting to serve my country in a SOF capacity, because growing up in Tampa I was fortunate enough to be around service members whom I admire. As a kid, I'd remember meeting these men and would be awestruck because I felt that I was in the presence of legends. Even professional athletes didn't carry the presence that most of these men had. To be honest I didn't want to serve in their ranks initially, because I didn't believe that I could.

It wasn't until college that I realized when I was in a rut academically and talking to some friends of mind who had just ETS'd from service, I felt the calling and I wanted to be apart of something like what they had experienced. The same passion that I had experienced playing baseball (I was a walk-on bullpen catcher who showed up at 5:00AM workouts and killed myself everyday to earn a spot on the roster) and as a father ( I left my beloved sport to go to work to support my young family) had fallen upon me about military service and I was driven to do so.

However, I knew that I owed it to my family to finish my education first. I buckled down and graduated with my B.A. in Economics. It was during that time that I met someone (who is now one of my best friends) who served with Group as a SOT-A Team Sergeant. After hearing stories with his exploits in Group (Always a humor filled story, never a "Shot a guy in the face story", though we did have some mature man conversations on the realities of war), I knew that I wanted to become an SF Soldier and mainly an 18E (which I'm under contract for). I believe in the SF mission, I want to become an unconventional warrior. I believe in fighting for the oppressed.

Fast forward to now, with much thanks to 3/20th SFG(A)'s SF Recruiting Ascensions Liaison, I've attended a number of SFRE's and am currently awaiting my ship-date. The professionalism and "big-boy rules" of the Cadre assigned to the SOT-D further fuels my fire to be successful just as much as the local GPF marching in cadence to "Spongebob Squarepants" does. These SFRE's have left me COMPLETELY HUMBLED, but I've learned a lot.

I'm currently working on my weaknesses training hard, but also enjoying my family before I leave for the pipeline. I appreciate you all having this thread and as I stated in my intro, I will lay low to avoid stepping on my tongue, but mostly to spend time with my family. My wife has supported my dream since I met her and my kids have been more than understanding THUS FAR, but I have faith.

 

[Squidward]

Having your family completely on board is essential going into this. It's equally important you devote time to them when you can (language, MOS, etc). That being said, keep putting one foot in front of the other until the day is done; because at some point you will contemplate stopping before it's time. You just have to ignore the voice in your head and go to your happy place.

You always have more left to give.

 

[tweeder]

Having your family completely on board is essential going into this. It's equally important you devote time to them when you can (language, MOS, etc). That being said, keep putting one foot in front of the other until the day is done; because at some point you will contemplate stopping before it's time. You just have to ignore the voice in your head and go to your happy place.

You always have more left to give.

I am very blessed and any chance I can spend time with them, I will not not waste...

and my happy place I shall go.

 

[Silence Dogood]

When I posted my member intro I stated that I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. I’ve been here for about a year now, and am preparing for my first outward steps towards this goal. So I’d like to post up my reasons for pursuing the life that so many of you have already achieved.

Just a little refresher on me: I’m 25 and I grew up in East Texas. I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2010 with a degree in Entrepreneurship. Currently, I live in Houston and am an LWD engineer for an oilfield services company. I spend +80% of my time away from home at onshore drilling rigs running our equipment.

My reasons for wanting to be a Navy SEAL are:
-I need to do something more meaningful with my life than poke holes into the ground. I think that I will find a greater sense of accomplishment serving in the military. I relish the idea of working with men and women who truly believe in what they are doing, people who always strive for the best. Surrounded by people like that, how can you not accomplish great things?

-A couple of years ago I found Crossfit and was amazed at how much more I was capable of than I had previously thought. Since then I have completed a Tough Mudder, and a GoRuck Challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed training for, and then overcoming these challenges. I realize that these events pale in comparison to BUD/S and SQT. That being said, I want to know exactly how far I can go, even if that means crashing and burning on a cold beach in San Diego. What I am after is the warrior spirit that many of you have. I want that. Badly.

- My father instilled my sense of patriotism in me at a young age. I am deeply patriotic. I have a strong desire to serve my country and earn my place here. I am grateful for all of the advantages afforded me simply by being born a US citizen, and I will not feel right until I have made an attempt to earn those privileges.

-As for why I want to be SEAL out of all the SOF units: I like the maritime aspect of the SEAL mission, and training. Things like the 50m underwater swim scare the crap out of me, and that is exactly why I want to do them. If I’m being honest with myself, then reading The Lone Survivor influenced my decision as well.

After being here for about a year I have gained invaluable insight into what it takes to be an effective member of the military, what it means to be a warrior, and the mindset that I will need in order to accomplish my goal. I’m truly grateful for those of you who give your time to help us wannabes, thank you!

 

[POG Reservist]

Gentleman,

As stated in my intro I am in the USMCR. I joined the Marines because it was something I wanted to do after graduating but I unfortunately decide to get my B.S. in Political Science before enlisting. I have recently completed my Masters in Public Administration and am job hunting in the area.

Recon is what I always envisioned the Marine Corps to be like. Intelligent warrior-athletes capable of great endeavors. While I certainly do not regret joining, I do regret my lack of research for nearby units in my area and I wish I would have held out for a 03 MOS while I still had some bargaining power.

With the downsizing of active duty component I realize that the chances of augmenting to AD were slim to none. However being geographically locate somewhat near two recon units presents me an opportunity that I would regret never at least trying.

PT wise I have continued to workout in the gym and strive to raise my Pft and Cft up from 273 and 291 to 300. I requested to test for intermediate swim qual when we go to the pool. I bought the stew smith recon workout. I need to improve my swimming and actually start doing some humps.

What research I have done is bought and read the Army land nav book and Ranger handbook. I realize that it's not directly applicable but I need to familiarize myself with infantry knowledge beyond the useless stuff we learned MCT.

I would certainly like a mentor but any applicable knowledge I can expose myself would be helpful in regards to training manuals.

Also I do not know the exact requirements for recon, everything I read is conflicting I Facebook messaged the Marforres handler and got this link.

http://buff.ly/19pQtUW

I don't even know if you have to run an indoc before getting in the pipeline now.

Thank you all again.