First Post

[Lionshare]

Why SF?

I seem to have a slightly different answer every time I am asked this. The short answer is in the final stanza -

I really didn't know too much about Special Forces until I started looking into it last December. As soon as I saw the motto I knew that is was home. "To Liberate the Oppressed" - nothing comes close to that in any other part of the military. Almost every principle that I value is valued in Special Forces and the mission of SF is something I really believe in - and like how I felt as a Paramedic - if I can put the work in to be prepared to be there for my team and the mission when they need to depend on me - then that's what I want to do.

Long answer to a short question -
I still have a very long way to go.

Best
Jake

 

[Jäger]

Good day to you all,

I joined ShadowSpear several months ago with the goal of cramming as much information into my mind as possible. I also saw the site as being user friendly and it seems like everyone here is willing to help one another out. I just recently finished Marine Corps Recruit Training and will be going to SOI/ITB as soon as my leave is up. I've always been fascinated by the military, and in recent years special operations. I found this site while researching the Marine Raiders. My ultimate goal in the Marines is to make it into the Recon and/or MARSOC community. I'm a recent college student and decided to take a break from my studies to pursue my dream of becoming a U.S. Marine and pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. I have strong support from my Family and Friends, and with my faith in God I am ready to tackle the goals in my life. I will thrive to be the best Warrior I can become in these coming years. To watch the back of my brothers and sisters in the Corps, have honor and do nothing to discredit this nation. I am committed to my goals, and hope to become apart of the special operations community. I am planning on screening for Recon at SOI/ITB, and taking it from there.

Thank you all for your sacrifices and service.

 

[EgyptianMagician]

Good evening,

My goal is to attend, complete and be selected at SFAS. The reason why, this is something I truly believe in. The role Special Forces play around the world is something I am drawn to. It is something I have been aroused to the entire 8 years I've served in the military. I don't have a lot of goals, just a few important one. The most important one is donning that green beret one day and doing whatever it takes to get there. I appreciate your time and look forward to learning from each and everyone of you posting here.

 

[AfroNinja267]

Hello.

My name is Brandon. As I have already expressed on this site, I'm more worried about becoming an 11b in the Army at this point then getting selected at SFAS or any SOF pipeline. I do not want to jump the gun too soon, so I will not make any bold statements like, "I'm 15, and I already know I am going to make an awesome Ranger despite not having a single year of military experience under my belt!" and instead I plan on focusing on my current goal of enlisting out of high school. However, I would be lying if I said that neither being a Ranger or a Green Beret interested me, so I felt compelled to post an intro here in the pursuit of being surrounded by like-minded individuals.

With that being said, I have to go finish my bio homework

 

[Jax]

Good evening, Shadowspear.
I posted an intro a while back, but to introduce myself, I'm a 16-year-old junior in high school with the long term goal of becoming a Navy SEAL. I have wanted to be a SEAL for a while now, but for the last couple months I have been digging deep for my true motivation, something more than "looking cool" or "being the best of the best". Hopefully this turns out in text as well as I have it pictured in my head.

I have always been fascinated with the military. My father has been in the Marine Corps longer than I've been alive, and I've always looked up to him as someone who's disciplined and a physical stud. Although he has influenced me a lot in life, he has not influenced my goal of becoming a SEAL. I have nothing to prove to anybody other than myself.

I aspire to be a part of the SEAL teams because of their wide variety of missions and capabilities to operate in any environment. I also admire their ethos of earning their Trident everyday. I want to push myself to my limits and exceed them daily with other highly motivated individuals on my side. I know that BUD/S training is just the beginning and that, provided I make it through, I'd continue to be pushed to my limits at a Team. Each day I'd become better than I was the day before.

As far as why I deserve to be a part of the SOF community; I don't. This is also why I'm attracted to the special operations community; nothing is given and everything is earned. Simply put, I haven't done anything yet that sets me apart from any of the other dozens of thousands of SOF wannabees out there. Each one thinks that they'll never quit and that they'll make it through. In my perspective, this is pretty cocky as they have never been tested like they will at their respective training, just as I'll never truly know what BUD/S is like until I hopefully get there. IF I do manage to secure a slot at BUD/S, my mission is not to "never quit", but to give everything 100% effort and if the stars align and I don't get injured, in trouble, or performance-dropped, etc., I'll hopefully make it through. I have a big heart, a decently-functioning brain, but at BUD/S my true mettle will be tested.

Hopefully I haven't come across as a cocky wannabee who hasn't done sh*t in life yet, but thinks they have it all planned out. If I have, please let me know and I'll resume my position at the bottom of the totem pole. 25m target is finishing the homework I've been putting off to type all of this.

 

[KODY]

Evening gentlemen,
I've been looking through this forum reading everyone's reason for wanting to be apart of the Special Operations community and thought I'd give my reason.
First about me I am a senior in high school and I am in the DEP for the Air Force. I recently got a contract to leave May 5 for TACP.
My whole life I have known I wanted to be in the military, however my problem was I never knew what I wanted to do. One day I'd want to be a Marine, the next a Navy SEAL and so on. As I got older and my time to decide what I wanted to do with my life started to get shorter, I sat down with my self and asked "why do you want to join. Be honest with your self". The thing that kept coming to my mind is I wanna do what I can to help and do what I can to bring someone home.
When I made the decision to join the Air Force I wanted to do either PJ or CCT, unfortunately my eyes DQ me from both jobs. My buddy told me about TACP so I started looking into the job and I was hooked.
Seeing something I did all the coordination for and me putting those bombs on targets may have saved the lives of many in my eyes is very rewarding.

 

[Rick Rojas]

Good Morning/Evening Gentlemen.

Ive been a member of SS for a while now mostly lurking, reading and learning from posts to different posts. I am currently OCONUS in support of OIR and I am coming close to the end of my first contract with the Guard and finally have the opportunity to re-class (since there aren't really any Heavy equipment mechanics in Regiment) and start my path into the SOF community . My 25m target is improving my physical condition, in the past 2 months i have lost 30 lbs and decreased my two miles by around 10 minutes, my end goal in the next 6 months is to complete 15 pull ups, 80 PU, 80 SU and 2 miles in 15:00min and 5 miles in 40 minutes or less. There is absolutely no excuse for even having to improve that, i totally and completely take the blame for letting event from my personal life to impact my career in the Army. Fortunately, at least in my opinion, it is never too late to get back in track.

My dream is to become a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, the reason why have chosen this specific path in the SOF community is because they are in my opinion, the tip of the spear. I believe that the regiment is an amazing giant family that trains, learns and motivates each other to be the best of the best and they have always held up the standard where as other units in the regular army have not. Another motivator is my father, he was a member of the Venezuelan Special Forces, Airborne, Sniper, Jungle and Mountain school qualified, he has always been a big inspiration and role model to me.

Any help, tips, and guidance is greatly appreciated.

 

[Wannabe23]

Hello everyone,

I hope to be part of the Air Force Pararescue program. I have always enjoyed helping others, whether it be with homework, exercise, or even just talking through things. I love being a part of a team, be it a sports team or at a workplace, working to complete a task that would be otherwise impossible if taken on by an individual. I have always wanted to join the military in some kind of medical role, but I was unsure as to which branch and with what career field. I originally looked into the Army 68W with a goal of Special Forces. I had not done proper and thorough research, however, and after talking to and describing a "perfect job" to some Marines and Army folks, they told me to look into the Pararescue career field. I have always wanted to be the best I can be at whatever I do and in my mind Pararescue exemplifies everything I hope to become with everything I could hope to get from a job.

Of course, when I first told my family they were pretty upset about it all, so I looked for medical careers and jobs outside of the military that would still resonate with my personal life goals of helping others. I had spent a few years working in my university's undergraduate biochemistry research labs and while I did enjoy the hands-on experience and mental challenge, it was not what I would want as a career. If given the choice, I would rather never work a desk job as I enjoy being physically stimulated and challenged in some way as well. Be careful what you wish for, right?

Until this point, I had not had any experience with trauma care or emergency medical services. I decided to enroll in a first responder course at the local junior college while still working towards my bachelor's degree. While I understand that the course was not in any way a representation of what one could expect from Pararescue, the concepts, skills, and lessons presented in the class resonated within me. I began taking classes that EMT students would take with a short-term goal of becoming a registered EMT to get more of a taste of what Pararescue is about. I have also looked into the local Sheriff's Department's Search and Rescue and attended some of their meetings. I am in the process of being certified with NAUI for the entry level SCUBA certification and I love it. I just want to establish that I in no way am saying these things qualify myself more than anyone else for Pararescue. What these classes and experiences have done, however, was motivate me to pursue the career field of Pararescue.

I hate the idea of a family losing a loved one due to war or a sudden and unexpected accident. Whenever I see an accident on the side of the road or someone get hurt, I get frustrated knowing I am unable to do much, if anything at all. I want to be able to help people when they need it most. My grandfather, who served and was wounded in World War II in the Third Army under General Patton, never spoke of war to my cousins or myself. He had spoken to my father and my uncles about it though, and in turn they have spoken about it since my grandfather passed away. They always mention the emotional pain my grandfather would show when talking about his experiences, particularly when mentioning his fallen friends. If I can make a difference in one person's life so that they would not have to feel similar pain, but instead feel joy knowing their friend made it out at least somewhat ok, I would consider my life complete and anything more than that would be a blessing. I hate letting others down, especially if the fault is directly my own. I understand there is the combat aspect of Pararescue, and I am not saying I will deal with it perfectly, but I am hopeful that with proper training and mentorship I could be ready to cope with it.

Hopefully I do not come across as cocky or arrogant because I know I am just a turd at this point but hopefully this post allows you all to see why I want to make it into Pararescue. These reasons may not be valid to some, but they are to me.

My PAST numbers standing at 5'9" weighing 180 pounds at ~11% body fat:

- 2 x 25 meter subsurface swim: pass
- 500 meter swim 8:58
- 1.5 mile run 9:29
- 15 pull-ups with palms facing outward
- 75 sit-ups
- 71 push-ups

Additional tests I have done:

12 mile ruck at 55 pounds dry: 2 hours 58 minutes
5 mile run: 39:37
3 mile run: 21:39

Lots of work to be done and I have been smoked enough times already to know that I am no PT warrior by any means, especially with finning, but I am hoping to learn a lot from this community.

I have taken the ASVAB and have qualified for Pararescue in that way.

I wanted to give as clear and as insightful of a post on my motives and background as possible but after reading it over I feel like I just made a classic "tl;dr" post. If anyone has any questions, I would love to answer them.

Thank you all for reading and have a good day.

Wannabe23

 

[Caramel McNasty]

Good Evening everyone,

It's always been a passion of mine since I was young to make meaning of my life. I've always felt the need for having a purpose and making a difference, making the sacrifice no one else is willing to make. I will seeking this until I know for a fact that I have reached my place in this life. I will not settle for less. I have not lived the worst childhood, but coming up I had a bad situation at home and moved out at the age of 15. It was not easy because I moved to a different city without a place to live. I spent about the first 3 or 4 weeks finding random places to sleep like an apartment complex that had a basement I used to sneak into at night when everyone was asleep, it was only meant for storage I believe. Through God's good grace, I landed a job and met the right contact who let me live at an apartment complex as long as I paid rent.

I did not graduate high school due to the fact that I had to work 39 hours a week, (I couldn't work more because minors could not work full time at least in Iowa) to keep my apartment and my school kicked my out because of my attendance. Despite the fact that the days I did go, I passed all of my tests and my teachers always wondered why I never was at school. I had to explain to them that I had to wake up around 04:25 on most of the school days just to walk to Culver's (my job at the time) just so I could make it to work by 06:00 because the buses did not operate that early. They thought I was unheard of being at that age and dealing with a situation like that, but I would always say I couldn't be the only one. I lot of the people I have encountered did what they could to help my situation and I am grateful for them, but I realize that I'm the one who made it happen for me.

I don't wish to pour out my whole life story on this post. I only mean to state that I am no stranger to hard work, living off of nothing, sleep deprivation, and a drive to continue despite what situation you are going through. I have not been through anything compared to what are Special Forces/Special Operations personnel have gone through training or down range, but I am willing to do what it takes to join the ranks. I have been searching for contacts to help me pursue my dream to retrain into TACP or CCT. I hear the two career field are close, except for CCT has to go through Air Traffic Controlling certification. I have been looking at the PAST test also and I am getting my body into a better shape than what it was when I went through BMT. Here are my scores so far.

BMT: SECOND:
Weights: 161 158
Height: 71 71
Body Mass Ind: 22 22.4
Aerobic Time: 9:55 11.25
Abs Score: 30 31
Push ups: 53 56
Sit ups: 53 53
Composite score: 96.8 91.8

It there are any mentors, active or prior, that would like to give me tips, advise, or would like to give me a step by step guide on what to do to achieve my goal, I would be more than grateful and honored. Thank you and God Bless America.

 

[CDG]

TACP and CCT have different doctrinal missions. TACPs primarily exist to become JTACs and control Close Air Support (CAS). CCTs have done a lot of that in OEF/OIF because there are not enough JTACs to go around, but it is not their doctrinal mission.

 

[mmat]

Hello everyone,

A quick intro from me. Currently I am a in the National Guard. Instead of going active I went National Guard so that my wife could finish school. For full time work I teach at a middle school and coach wrestling. While I am happy where I am at in life. It is time for me to continue to follow my dream of being a SF soldier. I have been coming to this site for a while to gain advice ( epsicially the thread about "what every O needs to know"). All the advice has really helped my career and I fully expect it to for years to come. For what this site has already given me, thank you.


I choose to persue SF because of its mission. While DA is sexy and that is what everyone thinks about I really like the idea of by, thru, and with (FID and SR especially). I love teaching and the role that plays in SF. I have read several books about SOF and talked to my friends and mentors that are SOF and have been left with nothing but the best of impressions. I am humbled that I have been able to work with the groups of soldiers that I have and have been blessed by learning from some wonderful NCO's. The idea that someday I might be able to do the same with some of the best the Army can produce is nothing short of a dream come true. 25M goal I am working on locking down a date for the next SFRE with the 20th Group. Until then I'm PTing.

 

[Wheeler93]

Hello Everybody,

I am 21 years old, and am currently a Junior at the University of Oklahoma. I am majoring in Accounting, and have really enjoyed it since switching over from engineering. I plan on enlisting in the Army (hopefully with an 18x contract) after I graduate in Fall 2016.

A little on why I decided I wanted to join the military. Growing up in West Texas definitely got me started in the right direction. That region is very patriotic, and I always grew up having extreme respect for the military, and what they do. Although I always revered and respected military members, I did not decide that I wanted to enlist until about a year and 3 months ago. At that time I could not run 2 miles without walking, I am now running 2 miles in about 13:45. I know I still have a lot of work, and preparation to do before the time comes to enlist.

Why the interest in SF? I researched the various branches, and the opportunities each had for enlisted members. After a lot of studying, Army SF really caught my eye. The thing that really grabbed my attention was how self sufficient a SF ODA is. You could drop an 12 man team anywhere on the globe, and they would not only survive, but thrive in any environment. Other than that the FID aspect of the SF mission is really appealing to me, because I believe that if we can teach foreign armies to be better operationally, then we can keep more of our guys home, and out of harms way.

I have a lot of time until I graduate, so until then my 25M target is too continue to get in better shape, and get good grades in my classes.

Mike

 

[sah2117]

Hello to all,

In my introduction post to this site I stated that I was in the valley of decision between trying for Army Special Forces and Air Force Combat Control Teams. Since then I have decided on the CCT route. I feel like it is a better fit for me.

I have always felt like the military was where I would end up in life. I'm not really sure how to explain it. The idea of being a part of a team where everyone is held to such a high standard in everything they do has drawn me to it since I was a kid. It seems like it's never about an individual, it's always about the team. It's about being a part of something more than yourself. I've never been the person who has had a large quantity of friends; I have always had a small number of close friends that I can rely on and, more importantly, can rely on me. I want to be a part of a group that has similar interests and is willing to push themselves to and past their limits, to challenge each other on a day to day bases. I want to know what it feels like to be challenged and push myself way beyond my own limits because one day they are going to rely on me to get a job done and I want them to be able to have the confidence in me to do it. It's that brotherhood that I look at from the outside and want so bad to be a part of. To know that no matter what you have guys who will have your back when you need them to and to know that you have theirs equally as much.

As to why I chose CCT specifically, I think that what they do has a huge impact on the battlefield (not to say that other units do not). I read the book Kill Bin Laden by Dalton Fury (along with the Air Force's job description, SOFREP's information, and various other sources) and he talked about how vital a role the Combat Controllers played in that mission and in general. Being able to drop those bombs or call in close air support when needed is a huge asset for a team to have. Also their mission of being the first to go into unknown territory, clear the way, and establish airfields is crucial for the military to provide support and supplies to other operational units. I want to be able to do something I am interested in and something that has a direct impact on the success and safety of the men around me and I think being a Combat Controller would enable me to do just that.

Currently I have taken the ASVAB and briefly talked to a recruiter about the process to join. I haven't filled out any paperwork yet, but plan on turning that in and getting an appointment at MEPS within the next few weeks. My recruiter told me that I must choose another job and sign a contract to be put in the DEP before I can try for a CCT contract. I haven't decided on that job yet, but I am thinking either EOD or some sort of engineering. Physically I am not where I need to be. My PAST scores are as follows:

500 yard swim - 8:33
1.5 mile run - 9:57
Pull ups - 14
Sit ups - 60
Push ups - 42 FAIL (after that I started to stick my butt in the air while resting instead of keeping a flat back; total was 54)

I am currently following Rescue Athlete to get to where I need to be. My goals are as follows:

500 yard swim - sub 8:00
1.5 mile run - sub 9:30
Pull ups - 20+
Sit ups - 80+
Push ups - 80+

Thank you for your time,

Sean

 

[Joachim]

My goal is to join the military via a SOF-contract in late 2016. As to why I want to join a SOF group, I have no clear answer. Since pressed for one, I would have to say ambition. I want to make an impact larger than the average person. I want to reach my potential. As to why I want to be your teammate, that is simply because (assuming I get selected) we'll be brothers. As to why I think I deserve to be here, I don't. I have far too many weaknesses and flaws to confidently state I deserve it. That's not humbleness (I am not humble), it's just the truth. I have had legal troubles and was just generally not a good person for far too long to truly believe I deserve anything.

More on me as a youth...
My father was in the Army for 20+, my mother in the Marine Corps for 20+, and I have wanted to join the military since elementary school. I remember in 4th grade arranging the pillows on my bed to make an imaginary sniper's nest. This was the year after 9/11, so war fervor was high. In high school, I would run the hills of Okinawa with my parent's old flak jacket. I have always been involved in physical events. I swam, played basketball, baseball, and football at the varsity level. I also boxed as an extracurricular activity. I took the ASVAB my senior year of high school and scored in the 92%

And more recently...
I am a 22 year old student in Missouri. I will graduate with an Economics degree in December of 2015. I played Club Rugby for a couple years at the D1A level, and when that stopped challenging me (it was only club), I started training with the D2 Varsity Wrestling team. For fun, I have completed an Olympic distance triathlon and climbed Mount Fuji. I plan on participating in a Spartan Race in a month and a GoRuck event sometime before joining.

My PT metrics have not yet been calculated, but I have some other numbers:
I weight 165lbs at 5'10"
I have run a 10K at a sub 7:30 pace with three weeks of training
I dead-lift 275 4 sets of 8
I squat 195 4x6 (I used to do 225 5x5)
I bench 155 4x8
I have power-cleaned 165 4x6
I plateau around 12-15 pullups, but can do 4 sets of 8
I can do 4x12 of 25lb weighted pushups, or 35 pushups in 30 sec.

My reasoning for joining this community is to help determine which SOF-group I am right for. I have lived overseas and can pick up certain foreign communication (read insulting and flirting) very quickly. I like having decision-making independence and struggling with teammates through the same shit. I also have a friend range from addicts to book-worms. From what little I know, this seems SF however my temperament is one of a fiery/passionate nature. I've known some guys who said I would likely do well as a PJ (the speed and autonomy of decisions), but am unsure if the medical route is right for me. I guess the 4 groups I am considering are Recon, MARSOC, SF, PJ.

After I can make this determination (with mentoring assistance I hope), I can begin training more specifically for that group.

 

[JohnI276]

Hello everyone,

I've always had these crazy career goals for myself. When I was young they were wildly specific. At 5, I wanted to be a paleontologist (I had just seen Jurassic Park), at 7 I said I was going to be a veterinarian for cats only (my pet cat had died). When I was 8--it was the third grade--I remember sitting in American History learning about Native American tribes when the teacher from across the hall came in. She said we were going to have a group exercise in her classroom. We all shuffled into the room, sat on the floor as instructed, and the principal came in. The first thing I remember thinking was something like "oh no she caught me hiding in the tree after recess." But she asked us if any of our parents worked in New York. Mine didn't, so I thought nothing of it--but a couple of kids raised their hands and were hurriedly taken out of the room. One came back in--she was crying. The other didn't come back at all. I remember asking my teacher what happened and she said that there was "just an accident." When I got home, my parents wouldn't let me watch TV (I loved watching the news as a kid). When I found out what had happened...how my parents knew people that died, people that I had met, I was so confused and angry. My playtime with neighborhood kids stopped being pretending to be knights or superheroes, I started to pretend we were these military commandos out to stop "the bad guys" like in the movies (I know, horrible way to get inspiration but please go easy, we were 8 to 12 year-olds after all).

For most of my childhood, I started to imagine myself protecting my country. When I was 14, these thoughts started to take shape into something more real. I started looking ahead at my life. I decided to tell my parents I was deadset on becoming a Navy Corpsman to help Marines in Iraq. Bad idea. My mom went into a fit--she's one of those anti-military, anti-gun pacifists--and just started yelling that I couldn't do that. My dad served in the Air Force for a time, and although he didn't carry over his military experience into raising me, I could tell that he had to hide the pride he felt for his wife's sake. They told me to wait, told me that after I went to college I could do whatever I wanted. In the six years since then, I went on to be all-county in Track and recruited to a D3 school where I competed for a year, I played indoor volleyball competitively, I started doing martial arts, I went to college, joined a Fraternity, and studied abroad. In those six years, I've flipped my goals from Corpsman to SEAL to PJ to the Intelligence Community. There has been this worm eating at me, telling me I need to do more.

Out of respect to my parents, I went to college and graduated with a 3.3 in International Relations. I won awards for being the best student in my field. I earned the respect of the faculty. Many of them urge me to go for a Master's, to pursue foreign policy analysis. I'm good at it, heck I may even enjoy it (especially security studies), but that worm is still back there nestled in my brain. It keeps telling me I need to do more. I don't want to be behind a desk, writing up dissertations and articles about grand strategy--I want to be doing something tangible. I want to be in a field where I can have a direct impact on the world around me, not just talk and write about it. I want to make sure that there isn't an 8 year old girl somewhere that's going to be crying because her parents may or may not come home that night.

I just graduated college two months ago, I'm in an internship with a think tank that simultaneously interests and bores me. I'm 22, a former college athlete, a hiker, a martial artist, I speak three languages, I want to do something more. I am at the very beginning of this search--the one thing I do know is that I want to serve my country in a Special Operations unit. That worm in my brain is squirming around at the thought of it. I can't explain the feeling, it just tells me that I should push myself beyond where I've ever been to where most people don't want to go. So now I'm here, in this forum. I am looking for advice on how to proceed, what unit I should look at, whether I'm a better fit for NCO or officer. I can be the sponge, but I've always been an active sponge so forgive me for asking a million questions (don't worry, I will do my research in the search bar beforehand). I will probably make another thread about this but I'll field the question here before I do: What branch is right for me? From there, my choice becomes a lot simpler (I've checked out Wannabes/ Newbies: Start Here).

 

[amorris127289]

Hello,

My name is Austin Morris and I want to earn a CCT slot. I am 22 and a senior working on my B.S. in Exercise Science with a focus on Pre-health and Wellness. I will graduate in May of 2016.

I am an Air Force brat. My dad is a retired CMSgt who worked in maintenance and my brother is currently an LRO in the Air Force. I grew up playing multiple sports and would spend my weekends hunting, fishing, or some kind of out doors activity, usually playing war even if it was by myself or little green army men and fireworks or BB guns. I attended the USAFA Prep School after high school to play football and told everyone I wanted to be a CRO or a STO, even though I really had no clue what either really did. After my year there, which consisted of working out and playing football, I went on to the Air Force Academy to play football. I did not have my prioritize straight so I left because I was more focused on sports rather than school. After leaving, I decided to attend my current college and was going to play football here too and do AFROTC for my back up option. While training for football I realized that I was not going to make it to the NFL so I focused on my academics and ROTC. I began researching AFSOC and a couple of the jobs associated with it and decided I want to be part of that brotherhood. I began training to become either a STO or CRO until a base visit to Keesler AFB where I met a couple of guys who were in the pipeline or instructors in the pipeline. I decided I wanted to be a STO from this experience; even though all my mentors were pushing me to be a pilot since I qualified for a rated slot, I have never wanted to be a pilot.

Which brings me to where I am now. I dug myself a deep whole with my GPA when I left USAFA, half way through a semester, I earned zeros for the classes that I was currently enrolled in. Even though I had bust my butt here I was still in the hole with a 2.78 GPA. I had a decision, I could take my chances with AFROTC and get a different AFSC then try to cross train into STO or I could try my luck OTS. I began researching more into STO's and CCT. I have now decided to try to become a CCT and then see what the future holds. The recruiters I have talked to have told me to wait until around December to start my paperwork for enlistment because of when I plan on graduating.

Why Air Force? Because I know hardly anything about the other branches of service.

My 25m goal is my PT and my current semester of school. My 50m goal is graduating. I enjoy learning and reading about "random" topics when I do not have to study for school or train. I would like to get someone to be my mentor through this process that has been through "the suck" as an article on Havok Journal referred to it, or currently in "the suck." I have a high school friend that reports to BMT in a week with a CCT contract so he has helped me out as much as he can with getting me in contact with helpful people, but I do not live near Hurlburt any more so I am in the process of finding a mentor or training partner. I have been training alone for the last six months, except for one Saturday a month I make the 2 and a half our drive back to Hurlburt for a training session with a couple my friend and a few CCT hopefuls to do Water Con and a PAST type workout.

I have been a semi-active member on here for a couple of months and enjoy reading through the forums.

I am 5'11" and weigh around 175# and follow SOFWOD's with some CF Football mixed in for strength work.

My last unofficial PAST (two months ago):
25m underwater: easy pass (I can almost make it to 50m at this point in time)
500m swim: 11:52 (I had only swam two other times in my life)
mile and 1/2 : 9:48
Pull-ups: 16
Push-ups: 61 (about 15 more that did not count due to not fully extending my arms)
Sit-ups: 68 (chicken winging made about 10 not count)

 

[Wonderly123]

Hello,

My name is XXX Wonderly and I am a sophomore at xxx State University. I have wanted to join the military since I was a little kid. In middle school my best friends dad was [edited for another's privacy] a decorated Combat Control veteran who sparked my interest. I remember going over to his house and playing nerf guns, it would be 6 kids vs him, he would set up a full fort, and knock us out one by one and I thought that was the coolest thing ever. lol. Fast forward to now and my interest has only grown since then.

My goal is to enlist right after I graduate with an Opt. 40 contract, knowing that full well I may not get one as it has become increasingly hard to get one as my enlistment option. I talked to a recruiter and he said they have to call up to human resources to find out if they have any and if not, see ya. However that is my goal, and I can not worry about that. All I can do is focus on getting the best grades possible and improving my PT (running in particular) while I finish out my time in college enjoying beautiful Pullman. The reason for me wanting to get into the regiment is the way they are forced to uphold the standard, and if not, they are gone. I love that and the pressure it puts on everyone to always perform and strive for their best in every way of life.

_mod edit for personal information, OP and another individual.

 

[Civ94]

Hello,

I am trying to obtain an 18x contract. I have always been fond of the Special Forces and Special Operation Forces. I decided to commit now and I am doing everything to get ready for the ship date. I was in college for my bachelors degree for Computer Information Systems but due to the amount of money the school wanted out of pocket for the upcoming semester I realized this route was no longer viable(at this current time). I was going to enlist after getting my degree.

However, with this change, I will really be stepping up my PT with hopes to enlist this October. I still have a lot of work to do, but when the time comes to ship, I'll be more than ready. I haven't taken a full APFT but I did test myself and these were what I came up with. +/- Since I don't remember the numbers exactly and I don't have the information on me.

PU: 65
SU: 60
2Mile: 15:30
Pullups: 12
500yd Swim: 9:10

I included the swim and pull ups since I was following the Stew Smith SEAL workout for some time. I am weak everywhere so I am training everything equally. My goal is to see the PU/SU/Pull go up 10/10/5 respectively as well as a ~2 min drop in my 2Mile by the end of August and perhaps the same gains the month after. I would also like to get to a point where I can run 7min miles for an hour. This will take a little longer though. Another aspect I have recently started working on is rucking. I have done a few ruck marches and the ones I have done for time with ~35 pounds were right around 15 minute miles. I will slowly increase mileage / weight to a point where I can ruck 12 miles within 3 hours with 50+ ibs.

I have a good benchmark of where I am at but now its just kicking myself into drive and hitting these goals, and then not stopping. I am now following Stew Smiths Army Special Forces training program and have read / been reading over the Get Selected book as well.

 

[ryno762]

Hello,

I'm a 18x hopeful. I grew up wanting to be a SEAL. Spent a lot of my childhood swimming into underwater caves, jumping off cliffs into water ect. I grew up and put my military ambitions behind me until recently. I'm 24 and currently work in disaster restoration/hazmat. After a little research and a lot of conversations with another 18x hopful. I decided that Special Forces would be for me. I want to serve my country in any way possible. However given the chance I would like try to understand other cultures and help people.

If at all possible I would like to be 18d. I have no prior medical training, but feel I have the aptitude for it. In high school I won a state wide medical reading competition, and with that a $24k scholarship. The only reason I was at that competition or in medical classes was because a certain girl I was chasing at the time went. Dated her for 2 years after winning.

Anyways that and some other life events along with a passion for fitness has me constantly reading new medical studies and procedures. While on the subject I have to plug my favorite blogs! NeuroLogica Blog and Science-Based Medicine

I've had military service in the back of my mind ever since my grandpa died. Recently a friend of mine told me he was considering an 18x contract. Reading about the different MOS options 18d really caught my eye. It sounds like the exact type of crash course training I would enjoy.

I'm aware of the attrition rates and I'm aware that even if I am one of the few who make it, there is no guarantee I could become 18d. That's why I'm on here to prepare myself.

 

[Dank]

Hi folks,

I'm a PJ hopeful in the Bay Area, currently working in the private sector.

I've wanted to be a PJ since college, about three years back. The immediate appeal to me is the wide range of duties and skills they employ in a noble mission. I don't have relevant qualifications specific to the career field, so my belief in my ability to eventually fulfill its duties come from past episodes of my life marked by my adapting to new and stressful environments.

At a deeper level of motivation, I'm the son of poor but hard-working immigrants. I grew up in urban environs surrounded by alluring deviant paths that I avoided thanks to helpful mentors and lucky choices. Now that I've secured my dream job and used it to pay off my college loans, I want to give back to my adopted nation to the best of my ability. As a healthy young man, I believe the best way to serve is in a high-speed military profession like USAF Pararescue that will push me beyond limits I can't yet imagine.

My favorite two aspects about Pararescue are its life-saving mission (+ technical specialization it takes to achieve that) and it low profile even among military personnel. Maybe it's my personality; the humility that the PJ corps shows in its low publicity holds incredible appeal for me.

I know that self-doubt is a cone killer when it comes to selection, but as an engineer I can't help but analyze my situation. My biggest concerns are my late start in life as an athlete and the dearth of information I have pertinent to military life (let alone SOF life and PJ life). Until I started training in the past year, I never seriously ran and only swam briefly in high school. I had lifted in college with mediocre results.

The little contact I've had with service members and veterans means all of my information comes from reading these and other forums, as well as a handful of PJ documentaries. So, I don't really know what it's like to be in the military and won't find out until AF BMT. (So far it looks like Indoc should suck hard. I'm OK with that.)

Where am I now? I have secured time in my schedule to train (my current job is also high-speed, although in a different and more literal sense ). I got PRK with accompanying Air Force paperwork and procedures for civilian refractive treatment, which I'm banking on for a waiver (yeah risky I know, given how little I know about military procedure). I've been devouring information about doing proper form everything.

I'm 6 ft at a lean 165 lb. Calisthenic numbers are approximate since I haven't gone to failure in two weeks.

push-ups: 35 (on perfect push-up devices; I'm not sure about normal form push-ups)
pull-ups: 12 (to failure)
2 min sit-ups: 60
2 min flutter kicks: 65
1.5 mi run: 12:45

My 25m goal is to swim 20 times that: I'm unable to swim that far freestyle so I'm learning the Total Immersion method.
My 50m goal is to work with a PJ on the technical water skills like underwaters and buddy breathing. Also shooting for double my current cals and 9 mins 1.5 mi run.

Looking at enlisting in June 2016, if my improvements don't stop.