Introduction Thread

Hi, my name is David I'm from basically nowhere, I was born in oceanside California because my dad was in the marine corps at the time. And then he later enlisted in the army did the rest of his 20 there as an imagery analyst so we moved around a lot and now I've been back in California for 4 years living in the Hollywood area of los Angeles. I hope to enlist sometime in August or September after I get my GED this July. The reason being for not having decided on what branch to enlist in is because I'm not sure which special operations unit i would like to be apart of, I've done as much research as I possibly can with and without conflicting information. I like the mission set of the 75th ranger regiment being a primary direct action force, and I like the navy seals because I feel they have the toughest training but from my research I gathered that people in seal community want to get away from operations in places like Afghanistan and just be a purely maritime force which isn't my cup of tea because I want to be as close to the action as possible not away from it whether or not the land is accessible by water. I want to join the fight on the global war on terrorism mainly in the middle east and north Africa so basically the africom and centcom aor. I'm also considering the air force and marine corps but I'm just not sure if I would want to be a recon marine and eventually marsoc for I feel I would be too restricted and for the air force I like the cct community seeing as how they are embedded with everyone which is cool. I feel like I align more with the army than any other branch because I feel there's more opportunities in the sof career field whether that be ranger, green beret, psyops, CA, 160th soar, SF support. For the army I have aspirations to get selected to try out for delta force which by my research seems a lot of former rangers end up there and I believe other operators from the sister services are allowed to tryout for delta force. As devgru now takes marsoc marines along with seals from vanilla seal teams. And as a back up I would enlist into the army as either a SIGINT or HUMINT collector which are 35n and 35m so that I could possibly be selected to try out for the intelligence support activity or TF orange or the army of northern Virginia as their other name after of course doing sof support for sf or the 75th or maybe getting lucky to try out to become a delta force Intel operator or the joint intelligence brigade or the great skills program. So that's why I'm a little undecided because I'm not dead set on which path I would like to take. Sorry for the long post.
 
Like I said in my introduction post, I am a civilian currently in the recruiting process for the United States Marine Corps. I initially wanted to join Reconnaissance, but after talking to some friends in the Army & Marines I'm not too sure. I was mainly recommended to instead join the Army and try out for the 75th ranger regiment, the reason being the fact that Rangers get more combat deployments.

I'm now torn between both branches, but my gut feeling is to still join the Marines and try out for Recon.
 
Currently figuring out which branch of SOF I would like to work towards. Currently an NCO with 3 years AD Army TIS. Don't have SOF here at Fort bliss, and the SOF that does come through is at the recruiting station trying to recruit their branch. Need unbiased insight on which branch would be best for me, even considering CAG Support/SMU's. Im 25 series, and want more than the regular army has to offer. I don't mind doing my job, i just am tired of being surrounded by unmotivated people and from what I've seen working in joint exercises with other units like 82nd, 3rd ID, even some 7th support dudes... It doesnt seem like its going to change. I know SOF is what I want to do, just unclear on which route to take.
 
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Hey all,
Currently trying to Enlist into the Army. Gotta clear up some MEPS stuff first, I am undecided between setting my sights on the 75th Ranger Regiment, or Special Forces. I joined this forum to help me with that, to obtain good knowledge so I can decide for myself between the two. Although I do know that I want to become a Sniper, I have always been fascinated with how Snipers operate, their mission, the skill, math, and how important of an asset they are.
25m Goal: Successfully Enlist
50m Goal: Attend & graduate OSUT
75m Goal: Sniper School
100m Goal: Try-out for whichever SOF I decide on.
A little bit about me:
18 years old from Kentucky, highly driven, looking for a professional environment to grow from.
 
“Tell us who you are, when you anticipate signing up, and why have not chosen a particular branch yet.”

23M from Alaska; I guess I work, run, workout and spend time with my girlfriend and that’s pretty much who I am at this point in my life.

Paying off some traffic tickets and saving some money. Passed meps physical about a month ago. Best bet is 3-6month

Hand tattoos are definitely in the process right now and somewhat holding me back from joining the army. Also not a great swimmer, so the navy idea is new. Seems like these are my only two options for enlistment. still in the air and keeping my eyes open.
- thank you JH
 
Greetings. I am an Army Reservist with the MOS of 27D (Paralegal Specialist). I would like to pursue SF when I get home from deployment in a few months. Right now I am looking at the 19th and 20th groups of the National Guard, although I have not completely dismissed active duty yet. I have not decided my exact route, because I'm still learning about SOF and am trying to figure out what would be the best fit for me. I am a bit older - 37 - so I'm also trying to figure out what groups are most receptive to older (wiser) gentlemen like myself.
 
@Kash27D I can’t speak for the other branches, but SEAL and SWCC are pretty much off the table for 37. How long were you in the reserve for? It’s possible you can get a prior service waiver but it’s extremely unlikely.

I know a 40 something current active duty SWCC who is transitioning to EOD officer but he has been active duty for 10+ years and also he is currently in Special Warfare (EOD is not part of SOCOM) so that could be a big reason why they are allowing him to do that.
 
@Arf I've been in the reserve for almost 10 years. For Guard SF, from what I've been told, there is no age cap for prior service. You just have to be able to put in 20 years before you turn 60. For active duty and non prior- service guard, I believe the age cutoff is 35, without a waiver. I hadn't really considered SEAL or SWCC, to be honest. But, based on your feedback, it looks like those are off the table for me.
 
Arf said:
The age cut off to go active duty SF is 35 whether or not you are currently active duty or have prior service?
Click to expand...

I guess it's actually 36, according to goarmy.com:
Currently serving enlisted Soldiers, who are interested in joining Special Forces, must meet the following additional requirements:
  • You must not be older than 36 years (waiverable) for SFAS attendance
 
Hello everyone! I have been on this site for a little bit but just recently popped my head back up. I spent 9 years in the Marines with my last job as a 2621 (SIGINT) guy with Radio Recconnaissance Platoon. Because I was with or was an RRP Marine I was sent to Basic Reconnaissance Course and didn't pass it my 3rd time. I went back to my unit and was kicked out of my Platoon. I dropped a package for MARSOC as an enabler but was selected by the recruiting team for recruiting orders. I was also selected for Staff Sergeant. I decided to get out when I found out my chances at MARSOC were done and try civilian life. Since I've been out I've been looking into getting back in the Marines, or trying the Army. My goals are still SOF but in a SOF specific not enabler role. There's a lot in my intro above that needs to be unpacked but that's it in a nutshell. Right now I'm waiting on the VA to clear me for hypertension and depression for the Army, and a congressional inquiry for the Marines.

EDIT: I'm also 34 years old
 
Here is where I'm at with my pursuits so far: I'm still trying to remain true to my Marine roots and go to MARSOC as a CSO primarily. I don't know that I could go as an enabler, but if I could get back in the Marine Corps I would try that as a backup. My reasons for going MARSOC are because I want to do more than a desk job. My first enlistment was as a Radar Tech where I did just that. My buddy and I went up north to Camp Hansen to talk to some Recon guys and we heard them complain about their job: patrolling, swimming in the ocean, drenched in hide-sites....As they kept complaining about their hard life I realized that THIS was the job I wanted. The reason for MARSOC over Recon is the FID mission and the opportunities with SOCOM for missions. I have an RE-3O which I'm battling for a waiver through a congressional inquiry right now. Even if I did get in I'm not sure I would meet the TIG/TIS requirements for MARSOC as either a CSO or enabler. Plus I may need to accept my recruiting orders which might put me at Staff Sergeant at the least going to A&S. It also may make me irrelevant as an enabler.

Next is my plan for Army SF. I don't know as much about this so I'm doing some research here. I'm in touch with an Army Recruiter who tells me he can't give me a job because I'm prior service. Apparently I go to MEPS and they give me options which I take and if I don't I'm back to square one. I'm looking at either an 18x or other MOS that might give me some time to prepare for SPOC/SFAS. The biggest hurdle for the Army is I need to clear the VA...I had a dark moment where I thought about killing myself so they sent me to a shrink and prescribed me fluoxetine. Then I had them check out my blood pressure and I'm hypertensive. I started eating clean and I've been through counseling and I have been off medications for about a month. I'm not sure how the Army looks at this but the Marine Corps said I had too many waivers to put through.

Navy...I'm not really looking to go Navy because I don't want to jump on the SEAL/NSW bandwagon, but it does look like they don't count my RE-3O and a SEAL/SWCC recruiter told me I could get a high PST score, a college degree and a language and they might consider me with my age. I'm a year out from finishing my CyberSecurity degree and I'm sure I can learn a language within that time. I'm not saying I'm the fastest or strongest guy out there, but I have managed to pass some pretty tough physical requirements for one of the toughest courses in the Marine Corps with a lot of grit and determination.

At this point I don't want to shop around for different SOF units because each one has a specific skill set and purpose they bring to a mission so my two 25m targets are MARSOC and Army SF. If those doors close I'm keeping my options open, but I'm waiting to see which doors open if any.

EDIT: SOPC and SFAS not SPOC. Sorry guys.
 
Hello all, my name is William. I am 19

I plan on joining USASOC in some capacity.

I made my first two posts few months ago explaining my situation and why I went on this site. Basically I made a mistake and possibly lost an ECP ROTC scholarship with my school and was forced to take a leave of absence. Now I’m trying to fix my mistakes and redeem myself in a sense. I’ve cut out all negative influences and excuses in my life.

I am still currently under designation as 09R, an SMP cadet while my disenrollment case is being reviewed at cadet command. This is also the reason I am undecided since I can’t make a decision until cadet command decides to retain or disenroll me.
 
Query for the verified SOF in this group:

What are the main questions I should be thinking about and asking myself when trying to decide what SOF to go for?
 
@Ooh-Rah words to think about for sure, thanks for sharing it

@Arf So far I've looked into

Marine recon, AF special recon
Army SF, MARSOC
SEALs

I find reconnaissance and unconventional warfare/foreign internal defense to be the most interesting missions, but I also really love the water and combat diving looks like a seriously challenging and interesting skillset

Seems like the only bad choice would be to do nothing
 
Kaldak said:
I'll let @Hillclimb correct me, but that sounds like a MARSOC role.
Click to expand...

SEALs do all that too. I’m your best shot here to answer your SEAL questions at the moment.

You can be a Combat Diver through SF too. @Duke @DZ

@Teufel And @Hillclimb would be able to tell you the difference between Recon and Raiders.

@DA SWO can tell you all about SR/SOWT

If you like the idea of all of them, then probably the best thing to do is look into the branches themselves, and most importantly locations. If your family is near the location of the base, your chances of staying with the unit sky rocket. Unless you are trying to get away.
 

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