First Post

DasBoot said:
I've got a lot of work and a few tab checks ahead of me before all that can be a reality but I appreciate the feedback, it means a lot coming from you or anyone else in this community for that matter.
Click to expand...

Brother, you still have a lot of learning and sharpening to get through... BUT, we've watched you go from an arrogant essentially non-trainable know it all kid who left the board, to an intelligent, contributing SOF soldier... You showed us that what we do here, if it even brings one really outstanding soldier to SOF, is a valuable and worthwhile expenditure of our time. Your journey validates the site's goals as much as the site helped you.

We know we can seem unfeeling and demanding to those uninitiated to the rigors of the journey, but you can now help make the new hopefuls understand that our madness has a method and a reason in the journey, and that everything that's repeated by the green taggers is valid and useful in the journey. And, you can let the other mentors know what needs to change in order to make the site more valuable and useable to the new people coming on board.

You're now one of the people who will be looked to for guidance on the board... You did well, you have contributions to make and experiences to share, from "Aw hell, this kid's never going to make it" to "Damn, recycled... again?" to "Congratulations! Ranger".
 
Gents, I've been looking at going down this road for quite a while and have finally been given the opportunity to attend A&S in April. Anyone who is also going let me know and we can hopefully stat track together, nothing beats a little friendly competition.

There are so many reasons but a major one for me to go the CSO route and not 0321 was because there is just such a great feeling being selected to be someone's teammate. That after all the suffering, pain, and hardships you endure during selection, a group of the individuals thought YOU would be a solid asset to the teams they come from. That right there is what I'm after.


Run time - 6 minute mile - 20 minute 3 mile
500m Freestyle slick - 10:30
300m breaststroke cammies no boots - 8:45 with gas still in the tank
20+ pull ups even after a bit of a pool workout and 30+ fresh
45 minute 4 mile ruck with 65# and no rifle sub yet.

Advice, criticism, training partners, are all welcome. Thanks gents and stay positive.
 
Alright, hello all.

My name is Fin (yes it may be hard to believe but it's true), and I'm going to join the Air Force around the summer of next year to become a Pararescueman. I'm sixteen years old and currently in my Junior year of highschool, where I'll be graduating this time next year. I have fairly good grades, keeping up at around a 3.2 GPA at best. Over the past couple of months I've realized that this is truly what I am going to do, and have begun to make some huge life changes. Firstly, I quit smoking, which I had been doing since I was in the 8th grade. I then starting to actually exercise. It's not like I was a big guy or anything, I just lead an extremely unhealthy lifestyle. I could pretty much run a mile in 12 minutes which is pretty embarrassing. I started boxing, and running as my first step. Within a month I went from 12 minutes to 7 minutes a mile and am hoping to be able to work down to running 3 miles in 20 minutes. Sadly for around a month I was totally stalled because I broke my first metacarpal, but as of two weeks ago I've been able to start working out doing things other than running. I've started the classic 5x5 SL weightlifting program for starters, as I am fairly weak. I'm on week 2, and at some points it's hard, but for the most part it's pretty okay. I'm going to start swimming next month, as well as running daily, and lifting around every other day or so. I will also be boxing again starting next month. After some extreme life changes I'm doing pretty good, and even lost 12lbs, going from 142 to 130, just basically shed off fat super quickly.

As for the Pararescueman aspect. I've always wanting to join the military. I'm not really sure why, it's just something that I've always known I was just going to do at some point in my life. In the past couple of months I've been researching exactly what I want to do, and it's all been chiefly about saving lives. I stumbled upon an article about PJ's, and since, I've pretty much been hooked. This is what I want to do very, very badly. I've done a lot of research, and have been adjusting my workouts accordingly. Something about the idea of directly saving someones life appeals to me in a way that I can't really explain. It's just really how it is. This is what I'm going to be, no matter what. There really isn't too much for me to say about it other than that, anything else would be me embellishing it to make this post seem longer.

Meant to add, my current goals would be to get a couple swimming lessons to figure out some proper form, run a mile in 6 minutes, and continue with my weight program for the next 6 weeks. Finding a workout partner (NC, Asheville) would be a plus too.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello all,

I'm seeking information to transfer from my current job in aircraft maintenance to becoming an SF medic. I know the process is not guaranteed and I'm subject to the needs of the Army but I truly believe that I would thrive in that setting. I also like the mission of SF to immerse in a culture and train foreign armies to stand up for themselves. I'm currently in the process of getting my EMT-B and will hopefully be able to volunteer with my local EMS unit on Saturdays. I'd specifically like to know the cultural and procedural differences between the National Guard and AD. Thanks for the help!
 
Hello gentlemen. I will be heading to MEPS in 2 weeks to sign my rep 63 contract for the Army National Guard. I will tell you some things about myself and my reasons for wanting to become a SF soldier in this post.

I am a currently a 23 year old full time college student and small business owner. The past 5 years I have dedicated a lot of my time to my education and business as well as staying physically fit. Unfortunately, I do not think the type of fitness I have been interested in helps with the fitness I will need to become SF. I have been training for quite a while in powerlifting as well as jiu jitsu and have dabbled in some other martial arts. Prior to graduating high school I played football and wrestled so I know I have the ability to condition my body the way I need to. Let's just hope I can do it soon enough.

There are a plethora of reasons I think of on a daily basis as to why I want to be SF but none of them can accurately describe my true desire to do this. To be honest as a civilian I have life pretty good and many people have tried to convince me not to join because of some of my accomplishments. I will be selling my business and leaving my girlfriend and house that we just bought to achieve my goal. Lucky for me she is understanding of my goals and I do not care about what the other people think. This is something I have contemplated since before I was out of high school but I must say I am happy I did not sign then because I lacked the maturity and knowledge that I have now. I would have had no chance of becoming SF at that time. I'm sure you want to know the reason for me joining the National Guard and the reason is honestly that I love the United States and everything it stands for. I want to be one of the few men who stand up to protect our country and our rights and that is not possible as a civilian. As far a Special Forces goes I want to be part of one of the best teams the military has to offer as well as be trained to be a professional. Everything I have read about Special forces talks about their ability to communicate and teach others as well as be a leader in all situations and that is what I feel I need in life. I believe I possess these skill but being Special Forces will allow me to perfect them and use them to make the world and our homeland a better place. I just pray I have what it takes to do it.

I haven't yet taken an actual PT test yet but I do run one myself every week so I will post those as well as some other numbers my recruiter brought up.

Height: 5/11
Weight:225 (will be to 210 or less before I leave for OSUT)
Taped at 1% over what is necessary
Push ups (2 minutes): 95
Sit ups (2 minutes): 46
Pull-ups: 10
2 miles: 13.50
( I am trying to work on conditioning my legs as they are used to an elliptical machine from my prior training and the impact of running is causing pain in my shins and ankles.)

Now for what I am doing to be better. I joined a crossfit gym yesterday as a recruiter suggested which I will be going to 6 days a week at 6:00am. A recruiter in the office I was at recommended I run but not too much and to run fast instead. I was up to 6 moderate paced miles somedays but have started to do 30/30s instead.
Somedays depending on my work schedule I will be working out twice a day whether it be at my crossfit gym or my regular gym doing some workouts from the file out by NSCA Training the Tactical Athlete.
I have only rucked a couple times and that was with a 45 lb weight vest and my work boots on. I was able to keep a 15 minute pace on all terrains for 5 miles. To be honest I think I'm better at rucking than I am running.

Thank you for any help you can offer me before my journey to SFAS begins.
 
I am currently an underclassman in high school and I've always wanted to be in the military. My grandfather was a founding member of the first LRRP company, and his experience in SOF definitely influenced my decision to join. However, I was always flip-flopping between Marines, Army, infantry, artillery, you name it. Whenever I got set on something, I'd read about another service/MOS and think, "Man, that sounds cool." Then, I met and talked with an 18A from 5th Group. Mike was a down-to-earth, knowledgeable professional, just what a Green Beret should be. He had a long talk with me about SF and life in the Groups, and at the end, handed me a 5 Don note and said, "You'd make a good Green Beret." That really stuck with me, and I decided then that Special Forces was my number one goal.

The training of indigenous militaries appeals to me the most. I've always been good with foreign languages, and teaching/explaining things comes naturally to me. I've never been nervous about the physical aspect of training, although I anticipate it to be an intense challenge. Right now, my 2-mile run time is 14:30, 2 minute push-ups are at 61, 2 minutes sit-ups are perfect with a 100, and I can do 18 pull-ups until I max out. Those scores aren't phenomenal, but at 14 years old I consider them to be solid with room for improvement.

I've gained knowledge from a lot of SOF personnel on this forum. I've posted little, used the search function frequently, and tried to never comment on anything outside of my lane. @x SF med in particular has given great advice, as has @TLDR20 . I look forward to participating in the SF mentor group here and learning even more about Special Forces.
 
From the time I joined this site until now, I've been reading everything I am allowed. In the short period, I have learned quite a bit and answered majority of my questions which is the reason I came here. So first of all, thank you all who have posted before me, corrected others and allowed your knowledge to be freely accessed.

My name I feel is not of importance really so I just go by smitty. I've noticed alot of America or the world In general gets their drive to become an elite warrior based off a movie or some fancy story. Some are also born with the urge and self motivation to just do something better than what they are doing and be apart of something bigger than themselves. I wasn't really allowed to watch alot of movies. My dad was very serious about me playing outside and/or participating in a sporting activity to pass the hours of my day. My idea of an SOF Soldier was simply what my grandfather would tell me referring to some of his friends (not him). It was that of a highly motivated, straight forward, critical thinker who had more ability than your average war fighter. That was really all I had on the information pertaining to any Operator. I had no idea about the different branches elite or how they even became as such, but, I knew I would be in the military and that I wanted to be one of them based off of what the old man told me. Not to get too far into some dramatic prior life story, I had a moral obligation to give back so I joined the Marine Corps. In 2010 I ran in to an Army SF guy in CAX or Mojave viper (what ever it is referred to now) and had no idea at the time what he was. He was very relaxed and had this type of confidence that I thought was pretty strange at the time since, I had this big head about the Marine Corps. Being better than whatever has life in it and he was in an army uniform. Later my Gunny who saw me conversing with him told me they were SF which blew my mind. Kind of crazy seeing the type of person I've only heard about, then talking to one and didn't even know it. Saw him again later as they we were leaving and had a chat with him for a few minutes and he told me alot of information I needed to begin my research. Deployed to Marjah Afghanistan and ran into a few other high speed guys (mostly psyops and contractors) and when the opportunity was there asked what I could. I enjoyed most of my career as a machine gunner but I had a thirst to try something harder, independent and wanted to go that extra step above. I felt as if I had only partially did my part since there was so much more that is possible to do. I requested to go to the indoc my company was having for STA platoon everytime they had one. becoming very close friends with a few of the pigs and even became noticed by their higher ups. The last indoc I would hear about was after I had left battalion to sit a reg until I got out (small injury sustained in 2011, guess they figured I'd be better once healed than to deploy again with prior injuries). I left full of regret, I did tons of research and my plan was to join STA platoon and work with them, learn from them and deploy with them as a pig. If a school slot opened I would do everything to get a seat and if not try again next time. If I made it through the school I would stay with them for an enlistment all the while training to go further up the pole. Things didn't work out they way I planned so my plan b kicked in to full gear, I got out and went to a school to be a motorcycle tech and went home to the motorcycle capital of the world. At the school I joined amvets and a few of the guys there I grew close to just so happen to be apart of the SOF community as well. They encouraged me alot and gave me back my motivation to try again. I've been working that piece for about a year now. I've spoken to every recruiter from every branch in the entire state of Florida, spoken to a few recruiters in Texas and Louisiana. Maradmins don't look to be in my favor which is ok for now, just gives me more time to get even more fit and mentally prepared as possible. I check back with each recruiter monthly to see if anything has changed. Marine Corps. Showed me a path that seemed promising but it would take much longer than if I went any other branch as I would have to do reserve first. Airforce told me to get a note from a VA doc that I no longer take certain meds which would be disquals (I started that process). Army SF was perfect but at the time they were only taking infantry WITH airborne school, told me go to their reserve and get on the Coc good side and request school then put my package in. I'm 2 points off on my gt so I've been in the books for roughly 7 months now. I believe I know what I need to do so I'm getting it done. I came here to learn more. I probably won't ask alot of questions, I prefer to learn by observing and reading, but I know where to go when the question arises.

Again, thank you all for having me. Fix me if I need to be, I learn quickly
 
Smitty03 said:
From the time I joined this site until now, I've been reading everything I am allowed. In the short period, I have learned quite a bit and answered majority of my questions which is the reason I came here. So first of all, thank you all who have posted before me, corrected others and allowed your knowledge to be freely accessed.

My name I feel is not of importance really so I just go by smitty. I've noticed alot of America or the world In general gets their drive to become an elite warrior based off a movie or some fancy story. Some are also born with the urge and self motivation to just do something better than what they are doing and be apart of something bigger than themselves. I wasn't really allowed to watch alot of movies. My dad was very serious about me playing outside and/or participating in a sporting activity to pass the hours of my day.

My idea of an SOF Soldier was simply what my grandfather would tell me referring to some of his friends (not him). It was that of a highly motivated, straight forward, critical thinker who had more ability than your average war fighter. That was really all I had on the information pertaining to any Operator. I had no idea about the different branches elite or how they even became as such, but, I knew I would be in the military and that I wanted to be one of them based off of what the old man told me. Not to get too far into some dramatic prior life story, I had a moral obligation to give back so I joined the Marine Corps.

In 2010 I ran in to an Army SF guy in CAX or Mojave viper (what ever it is referred to now) and had no idea at the time what he was. He was very relaxed and had this type of confidence that I thought was pretty strange at the time since, I had this big head about the Marine Corps. Being better than whatever has life in it and he was in an army uniform. Later my Gunny who saw me conversing with him told me they were SF which blew my mind. Kind of crazy seeing the type of person I've only heard about, then talking to one and didn't even know it. Saw him again later as they we were leaving and had a chat with him for a few minutes and he told me alot of information I needed to begin my research.

Deployed to Marjah Afghanistan and ran into a few other high speed guys (mostly psyops and contractors) and when the opportunity was there asked what I could. I enjoyed most of my career as a machine gunner but I had a thirst to try something harder, independent and wanted to go that extra step above. I felt as if I had only partially did my part since there was so much more that is possible to do.

I requested to go to the indoc my company was having for STA platoon everytime they had one. becoming very close friends with a few of the pigs and even became noticed by their higher ups. The last indoc I would hear about was after I had left battalion to sit a reg until I got out (small injury sustained in 2011, guess they figured I'd be better once healed than to deploy again with prior injuries). I left full of regret, I did tons of research and my plan was to join STA platoon and work with them, learn from them and deploy with them as a pig. If a school slot opened I would do everything to get a seat and if not try again next time. If I made it through the school I would stay with them for an enlistment all the while training to go further up the pole. Things didn't work out they way I planned so my plan b kicked in to full gear, I got out and went to a school to be a motorcycle tech and went home to the motorcycle capital of the world.

At the school I joined amvets and a few of the guys there I grew close to just so happen to be apart of the SOF community as well. They encouraged me alot and gave me back my motivation to try again. I've been working that piece for about a year now. I've spoken to every recruiter from every branch in the entire state of Florida, spoken to a few recruiters in Texas and Louisiana. Maradmins don't look to be in my favor which is ok for now, just gives me more time to get even more fit and mentally prepared as possible. I check back with each recruiter monthly to see if anything has changed. Marine Corps. Showed me a path that seemed promising but it would take much longer than if I went any other branch as I would have to do reserve first. Airforce told me to get a note from a VA doc that I no longer take certain meds which would be disquals (I started that process). Army SF was perfect but at the time they were only taking infantry WITH airborne school, told me go to their reserve and get on the Coc good side and request school then put my package in. I'm 2 points off on my gt so I've been in the books for roughly 7 months now. I believe I know what I need to do so I'm getting it done. I came here to learn more. I probably won't ask alot of questions, I prefer to learn by observing and reading, but I know where to go when the question arises.

Again, thank you all for having me. Fix me if I need to be, I learn quickly
Click to expand...

Not sure yet how to edit previous post if it's possible
 
Hello everyone. I want to be a SoF TACP. I am currently in USAF as a E-5 in Security Forces. If I had known about TACP when I originally enlisted I would have joined then but I was just an ignorant teenager at the time.
I originally wanted to go Army Ranger but as I was 17 my parents wouldn't sign the paperwork unless it was an Air Force contract. I have since learned that was a huge mistake but at the time I need to get away from a bad situation at home. The more I have learned the more I know TACP is where I want to be. It brings air power to the ground fight with devastating results and I want to be in that position to bring the fight to the enemies of our country.
I have learned a lot as Security Forces and I am greatful for my peers and mentors in this career field and I will never regret the time I spent in but I do know I want to do something more then what the career field offers.
I am so greatful that all the people on here spend the time to help prepare the next generation of SoF so I just wanted to give you guys all a big thank you for the time and energy you put in.
 
If that's what I have to do.
If I'm not mistaken, could be as little as two years? (So long as I pin 1st LT)
 
Hello All,

As of right now my paperwork is not finalized but I should be going to MARSOC A&S in April. This is a review from my first post on the site but I am a reservist, attending college, and I am working on a commission through the PLC program in order to become a pilot. However, I’ve always been interested in MARSOC and when I got the opportunity I applied.

I want to be a part of the special operations community for a lot of reasons but primarily because of what these organizations represent. I strive to better myself every single day, I don’t succeed on a daily basis but I want to be a part of an organization that fosters that same mentality. MARSOC embodies all the things I joined the Marine Corps for when I was a long haired 17 year old kid.

I am following the 10 week fitness prep that MARSOC has put out but I have a long way to go. I am excited to soak up any other knowledge about fitness and proper preparation that I can. I look forward to any advice and criticism.

Semper!
 
Quick background: I am 22, graduated college, am enlisting with an 11x option 40, and have a family history of military service. After high school, the military was not on my radar. I had been accepted to VA Tech, got enough aid/loans to make it possible, and had the intention of going into law enforcement upon graduation. My biological father was a 20+ year Marine officer and Uncle was enlisted. I was exposed to the military, but their personality and behavior represented what I thought the culture was like, so I looked elsewhere. Three factors have led me to enlist in the military and aspire to be in a SOF unit, specifically the Rangers.

The first would be my high school experience regarding sports. After my parents divorced, I moved with my mother and sister to a rural area of Virginia where my mom became a teacher at a small school that I began attending. There was only one sport per season and anybody that was athletic played sports year-round for the school. We were atrocious in every sport (soccer, basketball, baseball) and had to deal with some attitude problems on the teams. The athletic divisions were split by school population, but we played a division up due to the Athletic Director wanting a challenge, so we got destroyed every game. We continued to suck in basketball and baseball, but with soccer, we became one of the best teams in the area and school history. Looking back on it, going through all the good and bad times with the same group of guys, becoming inseparable, and competing year round was a unique experience. I see the military as a chance to be a part of the team atmosphere again.

What exposed me to the SOF side of the military was the UBL raid in May 2011. Since then, I have read dozens of books that have come out about the GWOT, as well as, found sites such as this. Through those sources, I was able to see what the actual culture of the military, and SOF in particular, was like. The mission, brotherhood, challenge, and historical legacy is why I hope to earn my way into the 75th Ranger Regiment.

The final reason came after I started to be around my soon-to-be stepfather and his friends much more often. Some background first; my mother’s side of the family is from rural, middle-of-nowhere Virginia, but for some reason my biological father deemed it a good idea to keep us away from this style of life. Therefore, a decent amount of my childhood was spent being brought up a city-slicker not being able to tell my ass from my elbow. It was a good thing because the importance of academics was emphasized, but I also lacked exposure to many things.

My stepfather’s friends are all old-school rednecks who have worked hard manual labor jobs their entire lives. He inherited his family’s old farm house that sits on a couple hundred acres of land. Virtually every weekend he and about 5 of his friends and family go there to hunt or perform upkeep, depending on the season. All of them are aged between 55-68 and are beginning to be physically broke from decades of hard work. Nevertheless, they all can still fix, build, or improvise anything with anything and work sun up to sun down. It seems that there is always a perpetual workload, but that is the way they want it. Once I finally started to tag along, they all took me under their wing and exposed me to how they do things. I still mostly just follow them around, keeping my mouth shut but always watching, listening, learning, and helping whenever possible. I admire all of them, and if I am able to earn the right to serve alongside guys with similar drive and work ethic, I must be doing something right.

Bottom line, I want to be on a team where guys are serving their country doing hard work that never gets left unfinished or done substandard.
 

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