Introduction: Riv

MSxRIv

Marine
Verified Military
Joined
Jul 21, 2014
Messages
10
Location
Oceanside, CA
Hey, everyone.

My name is Sal, my peers call me Riv. Either works fine for me.

I'm a 24 year old Sergeant, currently serving aboard Camp Pendleton. I'm happily married, on my first enlistment, and slated for MARSOC A&S this August(2014)

I'm California born and raised, did a bit college out of high school, then enlisted in the Marine Corps on a construction and utillities option in the hope of becoming a Combat Engineer. Turns out the Marine Corps had other plans for me; I survived recruit training, graduated MCT, then completed MOS 1161-Refrigeration/Air Conditioning Technician school, and checked into my first and current unit. I deployed to Afghanistan, came home, got hitched, and currently serve as an Armory Chief.

Now, on to the more important bit. Why am I here? And more importantly; why do I want to join the SOF community?

Well to start off, I can't say that I had a proud military lineage, or that I grew up wanting nothing more than to serve in the military. In all honesty, the day my recruiter contacted me was the first time I had ever dealt with the Armed Services aside from registering with the SSA. Prior to that call, I had never once considered the military as an option for me, not because I, or my parents were against it, but simply because we didn't know much about it, save for movies and what we saw on T.V. So when I made the decided to serve, it completely shocked them, as I had always been a quiet and reserved invidual who was deeply committed to his faith and academics. At that time, I wouldn't have struck anyone as the type who'd enlist. I was far from what you'd consider good stock. I remember puking my lunch out at my first PT session, hanging on the pull up bar like a fruitbat at my first IST, and running the 1.5 mile at 17 minutes. I had never played sports, never had been in a fight. Overall, I just never seemed to fit the description. My only redeeming qualities were my maturity and my ASVAB scores. But in the first school circle after a slayfest, where we talked about comraderiery and the Warrior Ethos, I was hooked. I wanted MORE, and as cliche as it may sound, the Marine Corps was the best thing I never knew I needed. I went on to drop out of college, quit my job, and dedicate myself entirely to joining. I trained relentlessly for weeks, studied the Marine Corps culture and its history and finally, took on more and more responsibility within the pool. Then I finally shipped off, stepped on the yellow footprints and began my military career.

Now, 3 years later, I'm preparing mentally and physically to go through the rigors of assesment and selection. Now in this decision, much like when I enlisted into the Marine Corps, I wasn't too savvy on SOF's. I never had once fantasized about being an operator or paid much attention to the SOF community. Sure, I had heard of them, seen the movies. I'd heard the stories, but I wouldn't say that I'd found myself longing to jump out of planes and operate covertly around the world. But as I continued in my enlistment, I began to build a bit of resentment towards the Marine Corps..well, not the Marine Corps itself, but rather the part of the Marine Corps that I'm in. As a junior Marine in my unit, I found myself bearing the brunt of the physical labor. I didn't mind this because I absolutely loved being out working on the gear. I felt a sense of accomplishment in being able to directly observe the impact that made on my sorroundings. This was especially true while deployed. Countless hours on the road, random FOB's, PB's, COP's and the Marines operating there..the best feeling in the world was witnessing a grunt's face light up when he realized that there was A/C in the hooch again. Or listening to Marines celebrate the repair of the refrigeration unit, meaning that could now get some proper chow instead of MRE's for weeks on end.
Knowing that I was out there making an impact is what I loved most about being on the proverbial frontline. No awards or politics, just a tool kit and the satisfaction of a job well done.
But, as anyone in utilities knows; as you progress, you start to get pulled further and further away from the front and thrown into more administrative, desk based billets. I picked up Corporal, became the shop chief and the platoon Sergeant. Spent a lot more time dealing with the Marines and their issues, spent more time telling Marines what to do. I had apathetic peers who didn't care for much and were just hanging around, collecting paychecks and counting down until EAS. As I picked up their slack and proved myself reliable, my command just kept throwing more and more at me. I was getting fed up with the hours and the fact that they kept coming to me for everything, then finally.. I caught my lucky break. I was sent off to Corporal's course and it was there that I recieved a brief on MARSOC. Prior to this, I knew I wanted out of my current line of work, but I hadn't quite decided on where I wanted to go. As the presentation went on, I grew more and more convinced that MARSOC was definitely a viable option for me, and an excellent one at that. As soon as I saw who MARSOC was and what they did, I knew that I wanted to be a part of their community. It wasn't the bonuses or the training, or the beards that sold me, it was the mentality. The culture. The fact here was a group of mature, proffessional warriors who wanted to come together and contribute their best to accomplishing any mission, in any place. That a rigorous selection process ensured that only those who were truly worthy could stand amongst their ranks. I immediately wanted to signed up. I got the recruiter's information, exchanged a few emails, and spoke to my wife. And immediately after my meritorious Sergeant board, I submitted my package and got my A&S date. That was a few weeks ago, and now I just conitnue to train and prepare for August.


Finally, why I joined up on ShadowSpear...I stumbled upon this site while researching MARSOC. I've read through many of the posts, taking bits knowledge here and there. I'm not here to bug anyone to tell me about A&S, I know it's going to be an asskicker so my time is better spent training and studying. On the other hand, findig out if anyone on here would be attending A&S with me would definitely be a plus.

Anyways, that's my intro post. Thanks for having me and for this long post.



S/F
-Riv
 
Well-thought-out introduction, Leatherneck!

Welcome to ShadowSpear and the best of luck with A&S.
 
Thanks, guys!

Been snooping around the site and I absolutely love it.

No shortage of actionable intel here!!!

Definitely referring any of my peers who are aspiring to join the ranks of the SOF community!
 
Welcome to SS. Thanks for taking the big step in joining our military. Not many make that choice, and will have no idea what it means to, "serve". Best of luck , Marine.
 
Damn it Marine, you seem like one of the good ones. I will not wish you luck (well maybe a little), but I do wish you the best of success, the Corps needs Marines like you to stay in -

Semper Fi
 
Hello, all!
It's good to be back. I've had a hectic few months since I attempted to take on Assessment and Selection in August last year. Unfortunately, I didn't make it. I passed all my initial events and I was doing just fine up until I injured myself. At that point, I was pretty much just struggling to keep up with the pack. Facing imminent failure, worsening my injury, and risking permanent damage, I chose to withdraw myself. Since then, I've completed my physical rehabilitation, resumed training, and PCA'd to a new unit. I've finally settled down enough to be on a solid routine and God-willing, I intend to redeem myself at A&S again in the near future!
 
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