To you hopefuls out there,
I find myself, as a PJ Indoc Instructor, yelling at every class about their attitudes with regards to a sense of entitlement that they MIGHT become a PJ. Now here is my soapbox rant:
The SOF Truths of humans are more important than hardware, SOF cannot be mass-produced, quality is better than quantity and SOF cannot be created after emergencies arise are all important, however, the last truth of SOF often requiring non-SOF assistance is where the "quiet professional" mindset comes into play.
If you think that by simply attempting a course to become SOF makes you better than others, IMO, you need to look for another job. I don't want you here! That line of thinking goes hand-in-hand with the sense of self-entitlement that plagues today's "hand-out" society. Yes, we are aggressive, driven and motivated men that have chosen a profession within SOF, but that does not make us a "made man." The key word from that last sentence is "profession," meaning that we are professionals in that job. We need not gloat about achievements because they are in the past. All that matters are the actions we have yet to take. Complacency can get us, or our brothers killed at any moment, but as professionals we perpetually fight complacency and execute our training and missions with the utmost competency. Complacent individuals tend to think that if they achieve a different piece of headgear or badge that is different from most of the rest of the military...that they are a "made-man." Well let me say this, the only men who are "made-men" are our brothers that rest beneath headstones at Arlington National Cemetery. Their legacy will live on as "made-men" that paid a price that the rest of this pathetic and whiney society will never comprehend. They have set the precedent for the level of sacrifice that we all should be willing to pay.
When you hopefuls get to your courses, remember that you are walking in the same footsteps that other "made-men" created. But that's not all... Those men had families. Sons. Daughters. Wives. Girlfriends. Mothers. Fathers. Grandparents. Imagine that they are watching you. What you do. How you act. What you say. Now imagine their pain and suffering at losing someone they loved so dear.
Hold yourself proud, but not arrogant, and know that you are not the baddest mother fucker in the valley. There is always, ALWAYS someone better than you.
Live as a quite professional in all aspects of life whether you make it through your course or not and you will be shown respect.
/end
I find myself dishing this out to men at my course quite often and feel that the sooner this concept is grasped, the better our military as a whole, will become.
I leave this thread for the rest of my brother in SOF to offer their wisdom, but I will not entertain questions about my own course, life as a PJ, etc.
I find myself, as a PJ Indoc Instructor, yelling at every class about their attitudes with regards to a sense of entitlement that they MIGHT become a PJ. Now here is my soapbox rant:
The SOF Truths of humans are more important than hardware, SOF cannot be mass-produced, quality is better than quantity and SOF cannot be created after emergencies arise are all important, however, the last truth of SOF often requiring non-SOF assistance is where the "quiet professional" mindset comes into play.
If you think that by simply attempting a course to become SOF makes you better than others, IMO, you need to look for another job. I don't want you here! That line of thinking goes hand-in-hand with the sense of self-entitlement that plagues today's "hand-out" society. Yes, we are aggressive, driven and motivated men that have chosen a profession within SOF, but that does not make us a "made man." The key word from that last sentence is "profession," meaning that we are professionals in that job. We need not gloat about achievements because they are in the past. All that matters are the actions we have yet to take. Complacency can get us, or our brothers killed at any moment, but as professionals we perpetually fight complacency and execute our training and missions with the utmost competency. Complacent individuals tend to think that if they achieve a different piece of headgear or badge that is different from most of the rest of the military...that they are a "made-man." Well let me say this, the only men who are "made-men" are our brothers that rest beneath headstones at Arlington National Cemetery. Their legacy will live on as "made-men" that paid a price that the rest of this pathetic and whiney society will never comprehend. They have set the precedent for the level of sacrifice that we all should be willing to pay.
When you hopefuls get to your courses, remember that you are walking in the same footsteps that other "made-men" created. But that's not all... Those men had families. Sons. Daughters. Wives. Girlfriends. Mothers. Fathers. Grandparents. Imagine that they are watching you. What you do. How you act. What you say. Now imagine their pain and suffering at losing someone they loved so dear.
Hold yourself proud, but not arrogant, and know that you are not the baddest mother fucker in the valley. There is always, ALWAYS someone better than you.
Live as a quite professional in all aspects of life whether you make it through your course or not and you will be shown respect.
/end
I find myself dishing this out to men at my course quite often and feel that the sooner this concept is grasped, the better our military as a whole, will become.
I leave this thread for the rest of my brother in SOF to offer their wisdom, but I will not entertain questions about my own course, life as a PJ, etc.